Hmmmm....

Ork Bork. Spork. Dork. Torque. Fork. Mork. Cork. Pork.

Yep, it's gonna be one of those days....

(I'm not insane yet, don't call the men in white coats. Honest.)

Movie of the Day: Prime. Sounds like an excellent math movie, but in fact is a romantic comedy. Funny.

Stress Cleaning

When I'm stressed out or pissed off, I like to clean. It releases some of the tension and fixes something I can control while I figure out what to do about the stress source.

When I heard that a former student took his life, I swept my classroom. When I was a teenager and was mad, I would speed clean the whole house. (It's a miracle my parents didn't try to provoke me for free maid services).

Movie of the Day: Aeon Flux. Saw it yesterday. It was decent. Interesting outfits on Charlize. Weird plot. Won't be buying it, but it's an good "renter."

Memorial Day

Memorial Day has always been about so many things all at once. There is the obvious passing of veterans (who I wish didn't have to fight), the loss of loved ones, the day away from work, and the winding up of the school year.

For veterans and those fighting, I pray for peace.
For the loss of loved ones, I remember their stories and hope to live by their example.
For the day off, I try to keep this feeling of calm and rest throughout the week.
For the winding up of the year, I pray to stay focused (or regain focus) and that my students will do the same.

Oh, did I mention the food?

Movie of the Day: The Da Vinci Code. Gripping. Different from the book, mostly in a good way. Worth seeing. When I think of Da Vinci, though, I think Ever After. He was cool.

Date

Last week, I went on a date. Yes, an actual date. Becca. Date. This is a rare thing. What's even more bizarre is that I think it went well.

Now that I have some down time, I'm left rehashing it and wondering if he's going to call. (Yes, I know I could call. Of course.).

Movie of the Day: Nanny McPhee. Watched it last night. Super cute. Emma Thompson is awesome!

ZZZ's

For the second Friday in a row, I took a nap after work! This is weird behavior for me, but I just couldn't face the evening without sleep. Last night, I went to bed at 10 and woke up at 5:30! That's unacceptable, so I went back to sleep until 9. Ah! I feel so much better!

You know those commercials "Ah, the power of cheese!"??? Well, "Ah, the power of sleep, man!" Every time I see Lord of the Rings and they talk about the power of the ring, I want to giggle because I think "Ah, the power of cheese." Tee hee.

Movie of the Day: Anastasia. Sweet with a mystery.

Improving

Things have been kind of stressful in the Life of Becca as of late and I'm finally seeing a little "break" in the action this weekend. Thank goodness!!! I can't explain just how psyched I am to sleep in tomorrow morning. It should be glorious.

Anyone have exciting weekend plans?

Movie of the Day: Shag. The dance, not the Austin Powers action. Great chick flick.

Corey Haim

I have a confession: I was madly in love with Corey Haim in junior high. Madly. I had 80 posters of him on my wall. I bought every magazine that had him in it. I saw all of his movies except Lost Boys because my folks wouldn't let me. (A couple years later, they said I could, but I decided not to). Any way, wow. It was pretty serious between us.

Eventually reports of drug use, etc. started the downward spiral of our "relationship." The posters started coming down and he was replaced. I still have the posters, though. You have to cherish your first crush. (Well, movie star crush any way....)

Movie of the Day: License to Drive. Saw this one quite a few times. Stars The Coreys (Haim and Feldman) and Heather Graham.

Time

Welcome to the Time Store, where you can find more time!

Need an extra day to finish a project? No problem. Need more hours in the day to accomplish everything? We've got your answer. Need someone to "hold on a sec"? Piece of cake.

Our prices are right, too! An extra day is only $50! One hour is $10 while minutes are only a buck. Just need a second? Three for a quarter!

It's a great way to get through your day without being rushed. Just stop in or save time and order online.

Coming soon: Time Bank. Need to live on borrowed time? Want to save time at a high interest rate? Visit us!

Movie of the Day: Space Camp. My favorite movie of 1986. Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Tate Donovan, Joaquin Phoenix (when he was called Leaf), Kate Capshaw, and Tom Skerritt. LOVED this movie!!!

Grandma Sylvia

Yesterday would have been my grandma's 92nd birthday. She was such a cool lady and I miss her a lot. A few funny facts:

• When she taught us how to blow bubbles with our gum, her bubble exploded on her glasses and she had to go in to get them fixed. Imagine explaining that!
• We used to watch Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters together.
• She LOVED ice cream.
• She used to whistle without whistling- a sort of breathy half-whistle.
• She liked to square dance.
• She didn't sleep with a pillow.
• She helped me with my frog biology project.

Movie of the Day: Wings of the Dove. My sister Sara and I were watching this and JUST when it got to the love scene, my grandma walked in and was appalled! From then on out, it was Parent Trap and Shirley Temple when Grandma was in town!

Nerd Summer School

I've gone to nerd summer school twice in my life, ...which might relate to why I'm not more outdoorsy.

The first time was the summer after 5th grade. It was a Gifted and Talented program and we took a bus down to Washington Jr. We had classes like computer science, physical science, creative writing, dissection (ugh), acting, art, and movement (dance, not gym). The cool thing was getting to meet other 5th graders from around town who later became friends in junior or senior high.

The second time I went to nerd summer school, I went away to U of M Morris the summer after my junior year. It was a program for minorities in science and math (females count). I was there for 7 weeks and studied astro-physics, psychology, and scientific ethics. I met a ton of different people, but haven't kept in touch with many. It was cool in a nerdy sort of way. Plus, they gave us $100 for food each week and then my folks bought me food instead of having me spend it!

Movie of the Day: Something New. Great movie that I saw yesterday.

Parallel Lives

Have you ever thought about how many parallel lives a person could have? Now, technically speaking, they couldn't be parallel because each of them would have started at your birth or whichever decision made your "lives" branch off, but you get the idea.

What if you had asked out that "crush"? What if you studied harder, went to a different college, studied something else? What if you moved somewhere exotic or less exotic or became an astronaut? What if you slacked off more, or lost your job, or ate 24-7? What if you married the weirdo who kept asking you out or didn't marry them?

Oh, the possibilities!

Movie of the Day: Bubba Ho-Tep. Michelle recommended this for movie night. She thinks we hated it, which isn't true. I thought it was weird and I probably won't be buying it, but it was entertaining. They're making a pre-quel. Beware.

Under Pressure

I don't do well under pressure. I panic. I hold my breath. I think too quickly and talk even more quickly. This happens when I think I've lost my credit card somewhere or there is an emergency.

When I have smaller issues, I sometimes get stopped in my tracks. Lately, I've had decisions to make and I'm stymied. I can't make up my mind this week. I heard somewhere that teachers make 1,000 decisions a day, so having my skills on the fritz is a huge problem.

Yesterday's turmoil was about my former student's funeral. To go or not to go? I know I sound callous in even wondering about going, but I also think I might feel like a hypocrite if I do go. I didn't know him well at all and I think I would be going out of guilt and obligation instead of to honor who he was.

As I walked into school yesterday, I saw some graffiti on a table that said "Rest in Peace, _____". May he rest in peace.

Movie of the Day: Boyz in the Hood. Sad. Compelling.

Surreal

Do you ever have a sudden surreal glimpse of your city or town?

I was driving along, minding my own business last night when I had this sudden feeling of "If I were visiting a different town and drove down this street, what would I think of it?" Would I think, Hmmmm.... they live near a lake (a huge one)? Would I pay attention to how wide the road is or how it's lined with trees?

It's weird. I get surreal feelings every so often. When I was younger, it used to creep me out. It's like looking at yourself in a movie only you can't get any clues from the soundtrack.

Movie of the Day: Friends with Money. Saw this last night with my friend Laura. We didn't get to see it at Sundance, so wanted to make sure we saw it now. I really liked it.

Roller Coasters

I had a "Roller coaster" kinda day yesterday. I got to work and found out one of my students from first semester had taken his life. That sent the day and most everyone in it into a tailspin of questions and tears. Teachers were asked to try to carry on, which worked to some degree. After work, I had some good things happen (watched Alias, received some fun email, etc.). Rollercoasters.

My random brain takes roller coasters and jumps to Valley Fair (Minnesota's main stationary amusement park). I haven't been there in years, but I love three specific rides:

1) The Flume aka log ride. Fake log boats. Water. FUN!
2) The Corkscrew. About an hour's wait for 45 seconds of fun. You get to be upside down.
3) The Looping Starship. Looks like a Viking ship. Swoops like a pendulum until you are upside down. (Theme?) Very good for losing change, glasses, your lunch.

Movie of the Day: A Time to Kill. Amazing movie. Very emotional, so brace yourself.

Alias

"Alias" is about to wrap up its 5-year run and I'm sad since I only started watching it a year ago! Thanks to DVDs, I've watched them in order and have only missed two episodes (they're somewhere on my tapes and I'm too lazy to go through all of them again to find them).

Thankfully, Michael Vartan is back for the last few episodes and I can drool once more. I've liked him since Never Been Kissed came out.

Now, they just have to get through the last two episodes without everyone dying and we'll be good.

Movie of the Day: The Myth of Fingerprints. Good family angst movie. With Michael Vartan...

Veggies

Argh!!!! I have reached the critical stage in every teacher's year where I just can't deal with students any more! I feel like drawing a picture of a HUGE vat labeled "Patience for Teenagers" and show it tipped upside down with one last drop coming out. Oy. There are 17 more school days and I might need a transfusion of hope. Hmmmmm...

Other things in my life are weird. This morning, after my commune with the treadmill in my basement (weird in and of itself), I actually ate a cucumber. Before 5:30 AM. Now, it's not the actual vegetable that causes me concern, but the timing of the whole thing? Who eats that before their Wheaties? I must be losing it.

Chocolate before breakfast is another story....

Movie of the Day: Fried Green Tomatoes. Grab the Kleenex.

Fiction

Have you ever thought about your favorite fictional characters? Are there any that would make you drop everything and run away with them? Come on.... think about it a minute. I have one friend who likes the girl in The Fountainhead. He's into pain, I guess.

I prefer James Fraser from the Outlander series, myself. Sigh. More on that later....

Movie of the Day: The Butcher's Wife. Demi Moore marries a butcher thinking he's her soulmate. Odd things happen from there. Cute. Funny.

Get a Life

I'm having one of those evenings that end up with me telling myself to "get a life." I need to figure out something exciting to plan, look forward to, etc. Something unique, fun, and "cool." Well, "cool" in a "I'm a cautious, nerdy, teacher type" kinda way. Ya know?

I'll be on the alert for major spiritual promptings for a bit while simultaneously trying to cultivate patience (not my forte).

My Yard

It's that time of year, when greenhouses are sharing their wealth (while we spend ours). Heaps of plants crop up everywhere and I have the urge to spend hundreds of dollars on flowers. Flowers for the back yard, front yard, shepard hooks, along the driveway, hooked to my garage, or pretty much anywhere I can think of! I'm psyched!

Movie of the Day: Daddy Daycare. Saw it last night because my students think I look like the little girl with glasses who is ironically named Becca. Hmmmmmm.... Maybe I can see it.

I used to have a student who looked so much like Vincent on Judging Amy, that it was uncanny. I also had a student who looked like a girl in Camp. Funny.

Rainy Days

Today is one of those days best spent reading, napping, or watching dvds. I, however, am going to correct tests and run errands. So far, I've slept in, used my treadmill, and ate some cereal at noon. Thrilling, huh? Luckily, I like slow days, sometimes.

Anyone have a fun ritual for a rainy day?

Movie of the Day: Elektra. Cheesy. Odd "plot." Jennifer Garner kicking butt.

Life Coachin'

While my class was having a work day, I helped one of my students get her act together. She looked like she might have a panic attack at any given moment. I had her make a list of everything she needed to get done. Then, we prioritized it by how much time each thing would take, what was realistic to get done, and how many tests/quizzes she could make up in the morning. I then came up with a painting idea (she was having painter's block) and gave her advice on how to break some news to her parents.

It was awesome!!!

Movie of the Day: Last Holiday. Excellent message. Positive. Queen Latifah is very cool! LL Cool J has "cool" written all over him!

Late Night

My friend Rick played a show at Amazing Grace last night, so I didn't get home until about 10:20. I would have been fine if I didn't need to write a test for today. Ack. Poor planning on my part. Well, by the time I finished the test, it was 11:00. I was a bit loopy from the day and decided to number the questions with perfect squares. Yes, that means, 1, 4, 9, 16, etc. I got up to 1024! That's a normal number of questions, but I'm going to tell people that the last question is # 1024 and see if they panic. Should be funny. At least for me.

Movie of the Day: Picture Perfect. I know it's a cheesy Jennifer Aniston movie, but I really liked it. Give it a try.

Cop Out

An example of just how much I over-think things:

I have an opportunity to volunteer for a good organization Saturday morning.
I'm dragging my feet about signing up.
It's not a hard task, but it's early.
I tell myself that my partner from last year can't go, so I'd be alone or go with my folks.
Would I be that much extra help?
Could I use the sleep?
Am I just rationalizing laziness?

I know I SHOULD go, but I SHOULDN'T do it grudgingly. Is there another way to help? Argh. What is my problem?

I have to decide today.

Movie of the Day: Matilda. Strong, smart girl. Interesting school. Crazy parents. Plus, Pee-Wee Herman!

Kohl's

My family's Sunday routine is to go to lunch after church. Sometimes people go with us, and other times not. This past Sunday we went to Olive Garden and then to Kohl's. Somehow we ended up sitting in the "deck furniture" area in the back, under a canopy, and chatting. The chairs were comfy and that part of the store was relatively empty. I could have sat there a lot longer than the 10 minutes we were there, but it felt a little weird. Comfy, but weird.

About three minutes before we left, a couple sat down in some other chairs to rest. We tipped them off to the comfy ones.

Oh, and I dressed a mannequin who seemed to think it was Mardi Gras.

Movie of the Day: Nell. Jodie Foster is awesome, especially in this movie.

A Fresh Start

Dear Monday,
I'm writing to let you know that I'm a bit tired this morning, but don't worry I'll perk up when the caffeine hits. I know you have a lot of pressure, being the first day of the work/school week and all, but if you could somehow find a little time for goofing off, that would be cool. You have a lot of responsibility having to start the week. Every week. Forever. I know it must wear you down, just like it wears down some people. I hope you have a chance to rest the "rest" of the week.

Take care,
Becca


Movie of the Day: United 93. I saw this last Monday and it was awesome. I was scared to see it, actually, but it was very well done. Even though you know how it ends, you hope and hope that something will change. The hardest scene to watch was when the passengers are calling their loved ones to say good-bye. See it if you think you're in the right state of mind. Oh, and I liked that it didn't paint the hijackers as horrid people.

I Might Stink

My shower is broken. It won't drain. Even after my dad worked on it with a snake and Drano. This morning, when I put water down it (to test my luck), the water drained into my basement. Literally into a bucket in my basement. Swell.

So, I shall improvise this morning and come up with a plan later. Maybe it's time to set up a sprinkler and grab my swimsuit....

Movie of the Day: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Great movie!!! My church movie group is watching it tonight! Yea!

Hyper

I'm having one of those mornings that start out good and just get better. Now, I'm franticly trying to find someone at home to babble to over the phone and everyone is out having a life! I wanna talk. Speed talk. Get hyper and silly and tell stories. Is everyone mowing their lawns or what? Yikes.

I've also noticed that I am a slob in the evening and then run around all morning putting things back where they belong. I'm like "Why the heck is this sitting here?" I know why, but why didn't I put it back?

Oh well. I've now typed this in about two minutes and my fingers can't go fast enough for my brain (not even half a can of pop in me yet today, so don't try to blame that). hmmm... who else could I call?

Movie of the Day: Lilo & Stitch. Watched this last night with my buddy Zane, who is 6. We had a lovely evening.

Interesting Week

As this week comes to a close, I'd like to take a moment to ponder why I'm in a decent mood. Could it be that my classes were smaller? Could it be that I watched a movie every day this week after school? Could it be that things are calming down? Or, could it be that I'm using my treadmill?

What movies did I watch, you ask? M: United 93. T: Fun with Dick and Jane. W: Proof. Th: Pieces of April. Tonight? Who knows?

Movie of the Day: Pieces of April. Blogagaard recommended this movie and I really liked it. Katie Holmes is great and in a role with more than one dimension (nice change). The movie is about a family about to lose the mother to cancer. It's funny, sweet, heart-breaking and according to B. an accurate representation of what families go through.

To Soul-Laugh

Digging through some papers just now, I stumbled across my "list". You know, "what do you want in a guy?" Blah. Blah. Blah. One thing on my list is to find someone who makes me soul-laugh.

Soul-laughing is that uncontrollable, stop what you're doing, try to quit crying, and if you're lucky, keep breathing kind of laugh. Mine end up silent somehow. It's like I can't get enough air in to create a sound.

I came close to having a soul-laugh yesterday. I was at choir practice and my voice kept cracking in this one spot and I felt like a junior high kid. The third time I just started laughing, which got Nancy started and she didn't even know what she was laughing about. That's the beauty of soul-laughing.

Grandma's Marathon

For the last five years, I've volunteered for Grandma's Marathon in one capacity or another. It started with me gathering about 15 people to help hand out water along the route. Then, I was recruited to be in charge of the entire waterstation. I did that for three years while also helping with the hospitality committee. My job was (and still is) to create gift baskets for the elite runners and then deliver them to hotels. Usually it's around 100 baskets and takes about three days to do the job.

Last year, I decided that I couldn't do both the baskets and captaining the waterstation. The baskets are done by Friday noon, and then I would get up at 3 AM to set up the station. I just couldn't handle the pressure, I guess.

This year, on June 17th, I'll be back to handing out water along the route (and doing the baskets). If you have any interest in tagging along, let me know. Everyone is welcome (well, you should be at least 4 year-old)! Everyone gets a free shirt.

Movie of the Day: Proof. Jake Gyllenhaal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, & Hope Davis. AND math!!!! Gotta love it. Actually, it was an excellent movie. Very emotional.

New Vocab Needed

I was talking to a friend yesterday about the Land O' Blogging and how strange it is to read someone's blog, make comments, have them make comments on your blog, and realize that you haven't actually met the person. How do you address or refer to such a person? "Friend" seems too strong. "This guy/girl whose blog I read" is a bit cumbersome and too impersonal. "Using actual names is confusing for non-readers. My friend suggested "Blog Acquaintance". BA? Hmmmm.... might work. Might make me sound like a sheep. Here's to ewe, BAs!

Movie of the Day: Fun with Dick and Jane. Funny, after it's done being depressing. Jim Carrey cracks me up. And, what's with Alec Baldwin in all of these "nasty boss" roles?

Baby Steps

I'm in a group that meets each Tuesday to talk about how our faith/life is going. At the end, we each ask for a prayer. Then, we pray for each other every day. My prayer for last week was for "playfulness" which I desperately want right now.

My prayer this week was too complicated to verbalize in the time we had, so I said "help and understanding for people who cause pain."

I don't know what the other ladies thought of when I said this, but here's the long story...

I was thinking of some of the difficult prayer requests that we've had so far and what would be the toughest one I could think of. I finally decided to have them pray for the President. Now, I'm a Democrat. Forever. End of story. So, this was a big step.

Then, it morphed into praying for all of the people who have seen so much hurt in their lives that they see no alternatives to violence, fear, and oppression. People who grew up in poverty of spirit or finances. People who didn't have time to be kids.

In Becca's Ideal World (I'm sure there would be kinks to work out), everyone would receive enough food every day (and not too much), everyone would have a noble task or job to perform, and everyone would have someone to talk to (parent/counselor/teacher/religious leader) who was wise and kind. Everyone would have medical care, a roof over their heads, and enough clothing for their climates. Everyone would have time to think/relax/dream. Everyone would have access to an unbiased education. Everyone.

Kind of a long prayer request, huh?

Beads

I had a couple minutes to spare yesterday, so I ended up in a bead store, just looking around. I heard the clerk say that she marks the beads up 300% because of theft. This pisses me off. I spend too much money on beads and hearing that it's because of bead thieves is annoying. I should get my act together and make some bead myself. The chance of theft is much smaller.

Movie of the Day: Harold and Maude. I remember sitting in my backyard as a kid and having my mom yell out of the kitchen window that a cool movie was on tv. I was at the impressionable age of an early teenager. The last thing I wanted to see was a teenager and an octogenarian falling in love. EW!!!! I should try it again. Maybe. Someday.

Plans

I think I have a new project for this week. One that will get me through. It's gonna sound nerdy, I'm sure. While walking on my treadmill this morning, my thoughts wandered to what I'm going to do with my Algebra 2 class on Wed/Thurs/Fri. this week. Eleven kids are going on a chemistry fieldtrip to Chicago, leaving the rest of us to go on about our business. In most classes, this would be half of the kids and I would fluff my way through the time. My class has 30 kids, though, thus taking the class down to about all the other teachers' class-sizes. hmmmm...

So, I've decided to make the three days awesome (and educational). Just how, I'm not sure yet. It must involve food, math, and (I hope) laughing. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with.

Movie of the Day: The English Patient. Oh, how I loved this movie. The torment. The secret love. Ralph Fiennes. Sigh.