Dragonflies

For various reasons, dragonflies have been cropping up in my immediate world a lot lately! It started with our last Covenant group with Michelle and had just gone wild since. Above the the dragonfly that I bought to hang on my garage, next to a pretty hanging plant. It's about a foot long...

Today's Movie of the Day is actually a TV Series: Gilmore Girls. In the later years, Lorelei owned the Dragonfly Inn.

Photos For You

Some garden photos...



My friend Laura had Gerber Daisies for her wedding.

This picture is actually sideways. Put your right ear to your shoulder if you want to see what the pink flowers really look like.

This is my favorite part of the garden. I love purple.

The garden as a whole. I didn't really plan it when I shopped, just picked flowers that I liked in bright colors. Tee hee.

Hmmm....

I am looking for recommendations of good blogs to read. There are a few people out there who read this blog somewhat regularly who I don't think I've met. Do you have other blogs that you recommend?

Does anyone else hit "Next Blog" once in a while, just to see what's out there? Have you found anything interesting?

Yesterday, I found a blog of a woman who takes a picture of what she's wearing that day and then describes where she got everything. It's find of fun! She has links to other blogs like hers.

Don't forget to enter your favorite name in my Name That Willow Contest. So far, everyone seems to think the tree is a boy.

Movie of the Day: The Devil Wears Prada.

The Tree-Naming Contest

Here is my tree. Would you like to name it? Names will be collected for one week on this blog as a comment or by email (if you know me well enough to have my email address).

Perfect

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon looking for a willow tree for my back yard. I live next to a swamp and I heard that willows need a lot of water. A perfect match!

Well, Willows come pretty big and grow pretty quickly, so they also come with kind of a big price tag. However, if the swamp goes away, it'll be worth it.

I went to two nurseries yesterday and both said, "The only bad thing is that they need a lot of water." I said "I live in a swamp. Perfect!"

Today, my dad and I go back with his friend's truck so we can transpot a tree safely to my house. No more swamps for me! (Sorry Shrek.)

Movie of the Day: Swamp Thing. He can't try to live here any more!

I Baked

Yes, I know it's hard to believe it, but I helped bake 20 rhubarb pies yesterday morning. The pies are on sale at the Rhubarb Festival today at First Lutheran Church in Duluth. I'm guessing they've sold out already, but there might be other rhubarb treats left. Funny, huh?

Tasty. Plus, all of the proceeds go to CHUM (which helps the homeless).

If Rue McLanahan and Barbara Walters had a kid, they could name it Rhubarb.

Tee hee.

Movie of the Day: Ratatouille. I need to see this movie. I bet he'd make an awesome rhubarb pie.

Little Things I Wonder About

Okay, a few things I wonder about:

1) When you have a cold, where is all of the snot being produced? Sinuses? The Snot Factory?

2) Do you ever jump when you know someone is calling you right back and then the phone rings?

3) Do you check your cellphone when you hear someone else's ringing in public, just in case yours changed rings on you?

4) Do you greet the postal worker at your mailbox or hide until they are sufficiently far enough away before checking your mail?

5) Do you name people that you see on regular basis on your way to work/school/where ever?

6) Do you ever have visions of beautiful pieces of art in your head, but your skills get in the way of getting the art into the world?

Movie of the Day: Jerry Maguire. That kid could ask questions.

What To Do First?

I feel like a little kid at an amusement park who doesn't know which ride to go on first! It's Summer! I've waited for this for 8 months and now I can't decide where to start!

Yesterday, I ran errands and bought a few flowering plants for my yard. I think I'm easing into Summer.

Today, I head to one of my two happy places: The Potter's Shed. It's in Shell Lake and I can hardly wait. It's like standing in line for the Corkscrew at Valley Fair (that's my favorite ride).

WOO HOO!!!!!

Movie of the Day: Miss Potter (which I want to rent soon!).

Student

I was just looking at a friend's blog and thinking about what I missed about being a student. What I miss most is the fact that my success depended mostly on me. I didn't need to factor in other people's moods, attitudes, home-life, hunger-levels, or pasts. It was just me and the book. I miss that.

Movie of the Day: The Power of One.

I'm Back

I bet you thought I'd skipped town or something for all the blogging I've been doing lately!

Sorry about that!

I'm back now.

Today's weather has got me wanting to curl up on the couch and watch a movie or read a book. I don't think I can settle down that much, though, without falling asleep. It's Nap or Move day or something.

Weekend Summary: The marathon went well. I got sunburned, but that is to be expected. The runners ran. The volunteers handed out water and cheered. Overall, a good time.

Yesterday, was Michelle's last Sunday and between the tears and my cold, I had a mound of Kleenex heaping around my feet on the floor during church. It actually looked kind of funny. I survived it better than I thought I would.

Then, I just vegged at my folks' house for Father's Day (ironically, he barbecued his own special dinner).

Whew.

Movie of the Day: Cool Runnings

Early, Even For Me

I am up SOOOOOO early today for the marathon. My alarm went off at 3:50. Ugh.

Whirlwind Weekend Begins

This is going to be one of those weekends that flies by just because it is jam-packed with things to do and emotions to be felt.

Today: Finish delivering baskets. Drop off Toyota Sienna for ESPN to use. Eat spaghetti. Nap. Host friends.

Tomorrow: Get up at 3:45. Shower. Eat. Head out at 4:45. Staff waterstation with friends, family, and students. Shower. Nap. Maybe go out to unwind later.

Sunday: Church. Say good-bye to three of my good friends. Cry heaps. (I have Kleenex and handkerchiefs ready.) Nap.

Whew. I'm tired just thinking about it!

Movie of the Day: The Science of Sleep, which I still need to see.

Guard Down. DRAT!!!

You know how you can run on stress for a while and then when you stop feeling stress, you get sick? Well, I went to bed last night with a sore throat. Now, I must fight. I still have things to accomplish! Today, we make 93 gift baskets. Then, a nap before choir practice. I better get to bed early, huh?

Movie of the Day: My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Watched it while making baskets yesterday. Funny. "Are you hungry?" "Oh, no thanks. I just ate." "Okay, I make you something."

Loose Ends

Yesterday was a day of tying up loose ends. Calling back people who left me messages a couple months ago (Not friends. Not urgent.). Now, I'm ready to make 160 gift baskets for the elite runners of Grandma's Marathon. My family and I have done it for about 5 years now, so things go relatively smoothly (knock on wood).

Saturday, a group of us are volunteering at a waterstation for the race and I've just come up with a way to keep my legs from killing me on Sunday: shovels!!!! Usually, One in a Million Saras and I end up picking up cups (the runners drink and toss, the volunteers fill, hand, and eventually pick up). I'm super excited about my idea!

Well, I better get started!

Movie of the Day: The Saint. I know it didn't win an Oscar, but I still like it!

TV Shows I Miss

Friends
Alias
Scarecrow & Mrs. King
The Electric Company
What About Joan
The Carol Burnett Show
Sale of the Century
Alf (just kidding)
My Two Dads
Growing Pains

What do you miss?

Movie of the Day: American Dreamz (Try to see it for free...)

:)

Waa Hoo!!!

The Heartbreak and the Hope

It's nearing the end of the school year and we're all tired. Our brains are full or our brains are drained. I've given what I could and now I need to recharge. People ask me what I do over the summer. I say "Nothing!!!!" It's amazing. The weird thing is, though, it isn't like I'm sitting around on my butt all day. I read. I spend time with family. I go to movies. I volunteer. I dig in my yard. Time fills in.

Right now, I have hectic days with the occasional, "I'm gonna miss this kid." thought. Students who go out of their way to be kind. Students who crack you up when you really thought you were going to crack. Students who don't talk to you all year and then suddenly spill their guts. Students who tell you that they like your class even though it's tough (one of my personal favorites since I have the rep of being the "nice" math teacher).

At the same time, I'm trying to think of a way to acknowledge all of the hard things that have happened over this school year and to find a way to heal from some of the events (difficult classes, insults from students or adults, things like that). I need to find a way to make the above paragraph more prominent and the soul-saddening events less powerful.

Sigh.

Movie of the Day: Dead Poets' Society. Great teacher movie.

Suitcase Ready

I like travelling. I haven't been on a serious trip since Paris/London in February and I'm getting antsy. I'm thinking domestic (jetting off to Europe more than once every few years is more than my lifestyle can afford).

I'm thinking Colorado. But then Boston would be fun, especially in August when I could spend a day with my friends Nate & Claire & Baby # 1. I'm kind of a wimp about heat, so Arizona is out.

Any suggestions?

Movie of the Day: Monty Python & the Holy Grail. Tee hee.

Gardens Of My Mind

It's that time again when I start to drool over greenhouses. Well, more specifically, over the pretty flowers in the greenhouses. I would LOVE a garden full of flowers and a little bench and footrest for my reading. Of course, if I had such a garden, I'd probably have to spend all of my time weeding it, but I'll leave that part out of my dream.

I saw a beautiful garden in a magazine yesterday. Breath-taking. Maybe I should try to become friends with the owner! Hmmmmm.....

Do any of you have lovely gardens that you would like to have readers in?

Movie of the Day: Just Like Heaven. Lovely gardens.

Blinders

It's very close to the end of school. Seniors are done tomorrow. Other kids are done in one week. I'm done a week from tomorrow. We're in survival mode. Get this done. Make it out with grades intact. Complete the last To Do list.

Unfortunately, this means ignoring other things in my life. Like my dishes. I just don't seem to care about them. I mean, I notice "Whoa. They're piling up." but I don't stop to do them very often. I come home from work and stare at the wall. I go to bed at 9. I eat junk food. It's a vicious cycle that I only hope will stop next week.

Take today, for instance. I woke up at 5 (alarm went off at 4:45). Got ready to walk on my treadmill, but decided to check my e-mail first. Fatal move. By the time I finished with email, it was 5:16 and too late to get in 30 minutes of walking AND make my lunch, etc. So, I opt out of walking. Bad decision, I know, but I seem to be making wimpy decisions like that all over the place. It's a vicious cycle that I only hope will stop next week.

Movie of the Day: Nanny McFee. They had issues too.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Crafts

Has anyone done any interesting crafts lately? I'm looking for some summer activities.

Tabs

My new weird hobby is to look at the license tabs on the cars ahead of me to see if they're up. Every so often, I do find some that need renewing. Recently, it was a coworker and I struggled with whether or not to tell them. Eventually I did. I started by saying "I have this new weird hobby... and I noticed your tabs are up. A couple months ago."

Yep, I'm weird.

Movie of the Day: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Cut down on your beverage intake before going. It's a long one.

Office Supplies

I like office supplies. I like anything that would help with organizing something. I'm an organizing junkie, actually.

This past week, I went to a friend's house to help her mentee study for a test. I brought pencils, post-its, yellow note cards, and mini highlighters. You can't study without fun office supplies!!!

I get jazzed at Office Max. I don't even have to buy anything, just walk around.

Movie of the Day: Office Space. Staplers are fun too.

Class Personality

Each Spring, seniors around the country (world?) have graduation parties at their homes or in nearby restaurants/community centers. In recent years, kids have been inviting their teachers to attend.

When I was in high school, I NEVER would have invited a teacher. Never. We didn't even think about it. My younger brother invited his Spanish teacher, who did attend.

Some years, I'm invited to one or two parties and attend sporadically. Last year, I attended one party and sat with the kids (teens) and interrogated them about what they're going to do with themselves next. Nicely, of course.

This year, so far, I've been invited to 5 parties. This is a record. Is this class more social? More teacher-accepting? More connected? Who knows?

Movie of the Day: With Honors.

Chock Full O' Ideas

Sometimes, I wish I could just sit around and think of solutions for problems. Not math problems, necessarily, though I like those, but more dilemmas that friends have.

How can I get all of __________ done?

How do I approach a problem with so and so?

What should I wear today? (answer: a black t-shirt and capris)

What song should choir sing for Michelle's last Sunday? (That answer came today!)

So on and so on. I'm chock full o' ideas.

Movie of the Day: Death to Smoochy. Funny!!!!

Learn This

A couple days ago, one of my classes (a small one) started talking about middle names. We went around the room and guessed everyone's name. Is that weird? Then, I memorized them. Once I proved that I knew them, we moved on to birthdays. Again, I memorized them. The weird thing is that I like memorizing things. It was fun. I probably need to come up with more things to memorize to keep my mind sharp (or sharpen it). Hmmmm.....

Yes, I have odd students.

Movie of the Day: The Last King of Scotland. Excellent. Brutal. Shocking.

Silly Things I Like

Pre-school art projects
Pop Rocks
bouncy rubber balls
Laffy Taffy
Stuffed animals
Sidewalk chalk
Pez dispensers (not even the candy, so much)
Slinkies
Wind-up toys
The Fisher-Price musical apple toy

Whoa

My alarm went off at 4:45 this morning and I couldn't figure out what day of the week it was. It couldn't possibly be Monday, right?

Then, as I was sitting here, just now, thinking about what to write and how many days there are left of school, I realized that we are at 18, but after this week, we'll be at 13 and somehow 18 seems like a long time, but 13 doesn't. A week can fly by. Whoa.

Movie of the Day: Calendar Girls.

Transition Time

I just read an awesome quote that said:

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. ~ Havelock Ellis

It seems like so many people in my circle of friends, family, and colleagues are in a state of flux. It's somehow more than antsiness. More than ready for Spring. People are thinking of major life changes. Should I move? Should I get a new job? Should I still date him?

Is it Spring Fever?
Is it the world climate?
Is it society?
Is it a hole we are all looking to fill?

What am I letting go of that I should be holding on to and what am I holding on to that I should be letting go?

Movie of the Day: Garden State.

Imagine This

It's 12:30 in the afternoon. You are about to start teaching your 5th class of the day. You look out at a sea of flushed faces, chatting, anxious to finish the school day and head out to the 81 degree weather.

You, however, know that you can't succumb to their pleas to go outside for the hour. They would not do their work. They would bask in the sun and talk.

Are you cynical about taking kids outside? Yes. Why? Because the very first year you taught, you took a group outside and two boys got into a fist fight. Two non-trouble-makers. Surprised the fun right out of you. Ten years later, you still won't let kids go outside.

Here's to today's forecast of 51 degrees!!!

Movie of the Day: The Hot Chick

Pack the Car

I'm in the mood for a road trip. Doesn't have to be long, just something to get movin'.

Comments Wanted

Okay, so it's been eons since any of my posts had more than 3 comments. Do you think we can get up to 10? 15?

Need a topic? Pick your own topic? Sign your name?

Possible topic: If you could ask anyone anything, whom would you ask and what would you say?

Movie of the Day: My Date with Drew. Inspirational.

Self-Preservation

Okay, so I'm fighting a "Should" today. I "Should" go to the school play. I "Should." However, it's going to be a downer and I just really need some time at home to be alone and wander my house aimlessly, putzing with whatever. It feels selfish, wimpy, and rude to my students, but I'm going to do it any way.

Movie of the Day: Dream Girls. Intense. Good.

Charity T-shirts

A friend of mine has a Buzz Kill t-shirt, supporting Nothing But Nets, a program to help families in Africa who need a net to cover their beds while they sleep so they aren't bitten by mosquitoes and infected with malaria. Great cause. I was planning to get a shirt, but I don't think they're my style. For one, they're orange. Not a big orange wearer. I'll just donate some money instead.

My quest for this weekend is to find other shirt options out there. Should be fun.

Movie of the Day: A Clockwork Orange. tee hee.

Tough One

I've been IM-ing a fellow and yesterday we decided to avoid the topic of work. It was so difficult!!! Teaching is so consuming (he's a teacher too). I'm going to have to brainstorm topics of discussion.

Any suggestions?

Movie of the Day: School Ties.

Exciting

I have a feeling something exciting is going to happen today. I don't know what. It's just a feeling. I'm in a good mood, which might not seem weird because I try to seem like I'm in a good mood most of the time. Today, I'm feeling it too!

Movie of the Day: The Good Girl. I actually didn't like this movie. It was too depressing. However, you might like it.

Happy May Day!!!

Ah

Okay, is anyone else freaked out that it's almost May????? I mean, sure, I dream of May all year (except in the Summer, of course). It's a crazy race to the end of the year and I'm gearing up. I bought some brain food for my students and we're going to get through this!!!!

I've just come in from correcting papers on my deck. I'm trying to not be as ghostly white as usual, so I went out sans sunblock. Yes, I know this is horrible. I know. I know. As soon as I felt like I was getting roasty, I decided to go inside. Honest. I suppose I could have put on sunscreen and headed back out, but laying on my deck with a beach towel is only comfortable for so long (like an hour). My deck furniture is still in my garage and needs cleaning and while that would be a lovely way to procrastinate on my correcting, it wouldn't really get me where I need to go. Sooo.....

Now, I'm inside and determined to get my grades done (report card time, only one more to go).

Anyone out there still celebrate May Day with flower baskets????

Movie of the Day: The Girl in the Cafe. Good flick.

Time for Silly

It's time to take time for silliness:

Smell the rain.
Eat ice cream cones.
Play with sidewalk chalk.
Feed the ducks.
Dance in a parking lot.
Giggle at a playground.

Brush off Winter and have fun!

Movie of the Day: Blades of Glory. Saw it yesterday. Talk about silly!

New Perspective

A saying by SARK says, " Enjoy a tiny adventurous moment, close to home. It changes your perspective, reminding you that the world is deep and rich and full of color and miracles.

Have you ever tried to look around your town as if you were just seeing it for the first time? What would it be like to drive down your street or enter the edge of town? What would you see? Hear? Smell?

It's surreal.

Movie of the Day: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Order

I was sitting at my kitchen table this evening, assembling a taco and realized that I have to put things in it in a certain order. Now, am I a freak for thinking this? I mean, mainly I was proud of myself for cooking. Not only did I have to take out a cutting board and knife, but I turned on my stove. This is a big step. It was yummy. You may ask, what order? Here's the line-up:

heated tortilla shell
lettuce
tomato
cheese
salsa

sour cream if I have it (which I usually don't)

Anyone else like this? Maybe a Brush your teeth, then wash your face, or .....

Movie of the Day: Beauty and the Beast. Belle. I wonder if people would call her Taco Belle these days. (Yes, Michelle, I know that they had a disfunctional relationship and she should have run for her life. I still like my joke.)

Everybody Remain Calm

Every year, one of our chemistry teachers takes the honors kids on a trip to Chicago to see a bunch of museums. It's an awesome experience for the kids, but it's a little messy for those left behind. For instance, from my two algebra 2 classes, I have 21 kids who are going to be gone. That's a third of the kids. Gone for three days next week.

You might suggest that I ease off on the 66 2/3 % that are still in class, but I can't because of how much work we have to get through by the end of the year.

So, we forge on, through the hardest chapter of the year, and try to remain calm.

Movie of the Day: Chicago. I watched this too many times when it came out on DVD. Haven't been able to watch it in years. It's good, though.

Stream of Consciousness Weekend

I'm having one of those weekends where you just do stuff, but there doesn't seem to be any order to it and nothing gets fully done, just 75-95% done. I'm here. I'm there. I'm walking from room to room, putzing around, I guess. I kind of like it. Makes the weekend feel longer.

Today, I've finished a movie (I was really close to being done last night, but didn't realize it), went to church, decided NOT to pay $115 to get my $30 poster matted and backed (not even framed!), got some Girl Scout cookies, and it's only 2:30. What's next?

Movie of the Day: Mind the Gap. Excellent film by Eric Schaeffer, who was in If Lucy Fell (another excellent film).

What The Heck?

Okay, so I've been lousy at blogging lately. I can't really figure out why, either. Maybe it's because testing is boring and doesn't lend itself to funny stories? Who knows?

So, today I'm going to write a long entry, come what may. If you nod off, I apologize. Really.

As a teacher, I know I should write about Virginia Tech. I should. Part of me has a hard time even hearing about it because it makes it hard to go to work every day, wondering if some odd behavior is a sign or just a teenager being weird, or what? I get a little information and that's about all I can handle.

Lately, I've been thinking that I need to clear out some of the stuff in my house. Make room for something new to enter my life. Get rid of baggage (not literally, though my suitcase is kind of beat up). Maybe part with some of my books. Mostly books that I liked reading and wanted to pass along to others but don't seem to pass along. I have about 6 bookshelves, so I think I could purge a bit.

I was going to be a good little homeowner and rake my yard today, but the rain has changed my plans. Darn. What will I do now??? Ha ha. Yard work can wait.

I have a weird habit of buying previously viewed movies without having seen them. Sometimes, they're $5 and that's only $0.75 less that renting it! Why not buy it if you've heard good things and think you'll watch it again?

Okay, well, I think this little rambling jag has gone on long enough. I'm sorry to be so AWOL as of late. I'll do better.

Movie of the Day: Singin' In the Rain. Gotta love it!

Whew

Okay, the MCAs are pretty much done (testing). We have to round up the skippers and force #2 pencil to paper and then we'll be done!!!!

Now, I'm antsy for Spring and Spring-like behavior. I would love to hear stories of wild and zany antics. Are you willing to share?

Movie of the Day: Freedom Writers (Which I need to see. Heard it was good.)

Pray for Students

Today, students across Minnesota (and probably many other states) are taking their state comprehensive assessments that determine if their schools receive federal money or if they get put on probation.

This year's 9th graders will have to pass it in a couple years in order to graduate, but this year's kids are simply required to take it without consequence to themselves. It does, however, drastically affect each school.

Now, kids have school pride, but do they have enough to study really hard for a difficult test just for the sake of their school? Yeah, not so much. So, we'll see how it goes.....

Movie of the Day: Leap of Faith.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho....

It's off to work I go.

We have 8 weeks left before Summer and this week is going to be a garbled up mess with state testing. We have to have 95% of the kids take the test and we have to beg, borrow, and steal to get them to do it. (We don't really steal, that I know of, but don't put it past us...).

Any way, my goal for this morning, once at work, is to make a really nice calendar for the week and try to sort out the mess of where I'm supposed to be each hour and where my kiddies are supposed to be (since they will be more confused than I am right now).

Cross your fingers....

Movie of the Day: Stand and Deliver.

Wedding

One of my dearest friends is getting married today. I'm so excited! I'm also a nerd, of course, so when I went to her bachelorette party, I took notes on her other friends' names and wrote down ways to remember them at the wedding. Is that nerdy? Yep. I think it's because I've heard of her college friends and it was cool to put faces to the names and stories.

I think about what it would/will be like to get all of my friends from different stages of my life together for parties/weddings/showers. There are so many people that I've loved over the years and it would be awesome if they could meet.

Movie of the Day: Lucky 7. Watched this last night with some friends.

Easter Morning at Hope

Gimme My Energy Back!

I read in a book once that you can cleanse your aura by making hand motions like you are brushing away badness and sweeping away problems. The book also said that you can call back all of the energy that you've spent on people or projects or whatever.

While I think some of the other stuff in the book was really flaky, this seemed to make sense to me and I could actually feel the difference, especially with the energy one.

I kind of think of it as a "Lassie, come home!" only "Energy, come home!"

Try it.

Movie of the Day: Just Like Heaven. A little flaky, but fun.

Potential Song Titles

These should be songs:

1) On the other side of right.

2) The scary side of desperate (T.'s idea)

3) Did your boogers freeze today?

4) I love Numb3rs `cuz "we all use math everyday."

What would you like to add to the list?

Movie of the Day (Back by popular demand): Music & Lyrics. Pop Goes My Heart!!!

Poem

We sink into ourselves
To find the spots we avoid
The places that hurt too much to see
The places that remember pain.
By looking, we can heal.
By sharing, we will heal.


~

Happy Good Friday, everybody.

Ever So Close

Duluth Schools have a really short Christmas vacation and subsequently have a February Break as well as a Spring Break. Spring Break begins tomorrow at 3:45 PM. I am psyched!!! I did my major travelling in February, so this is my chance to lay low. I might take a brief trip South (like a couple hundred miles), but that's about it. I plan to get a haircut. Eat some Easter candy. Read. I cannot wait!!!!

One more day!!!

Ramblings

I haven't posted more than a paragraph in a long time. Mostly, I think it has to do with time and energy (or should I say the lack thereof?). I've been waking up 45 minutes later than normal most days (except today) and that puts a major crimp in my blogging time.

In the last 24 hours, Duluth has gone from Spring to Winter again. It was either a serious step backwards or the fastest Spring, Summer, and Fall ever! It was so tempting to put away all of my Winter stuff (hats, scrapers, boots) and embrace flip flops, gardening magazines, and sunscreen. Now, we're back to square one.

Did you ever watch the show Square One? I think it was on PBS, but I'm not sure. It was on while I was in college and not really interested in kid shows. I do have fond memories of Electric Company and 3-2-1 Contact! The Bloodhound Gang was awesome. They were so smart. Who are the modern-day equivalents? Dora?

When I was a kid, we would have Spring Break the week before Easter and head up North to visit my grandma and various relatives up there. There were six elderly relatives in total and no one under the age of 65. We spent a lot of time sitting around talking and eating. It was great, though I usually had some sort of homework to do as well. Any way, now there is only one relative left and she's fading fast. It feels weird not going up there much, especially around Easter.

Photo: Paris in the Springtime.

Do you have a Spring ritual or rite?

Advice

What do you do when you have a sore throat that you know is going to turn into a cold if you don't do something to stop it?

What I've tried:

Water
cough drops
Vitamin C drops
a little extra sleep
drinking hot water

Any other suggestions?

Cozy Up

It's rainy. It's windy. I'm heading to my couch, with a nice, warm blanket and a movie tossed in. Maybe I'll do some homework. Maybe not.

Then, I'm off to the store (if I can get myself to get movin') and then back home to my couch.

Yesterday, two people e-mailed me and used the phrase "a lot on your plate." How odd. I never think of my daily schedule as a plate. Usually, I'm excited when there is a lot on my plate, especially if I'm at a church potluck. Using the metaphor, I typically like that full too. I just wish I could make a dent in it some times!

Luckily, it's only one week before Spring Break!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

Rainy

What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

Movie of the Day: Amazing Grace. It was awesome!!!

Big Day

Today, I am 33.333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333.... years old. Now, some might think of this as one-third of a century (as I just did), but that's too freaky for me. So, I will just think of it as my favorite number over and over and over. Hmmmmm.... nothing like a little math before 6 AM.

Movie of the Day: Well, it's actually a TV show, but it's worth recommending: Numb3rs. Good show.

Do You Have Math Homework?

I've been in the market for some cheap calculators as of late and hit a jackpot last night at Walgreens. I found decent calcs for $1. Yes, only a buck. So, I bought 12. I only need about 8 more (good thing we have multiple Walgreens around town).

When I went to check out, the lady said : Do you have a lot of math homework to do? It didn't even click that that would imply that I was a student. Nice!

I usually don't go to that store on a Saturday night; there were a lot of students loitering in the parking lot or around the aisles. I think it freaked them out to see me. Poor things. I'm usually there around 7 AM while they're still snoring.

Tired

I've been kinda tired for oh.... the last month. Today was the day I've been looking forward to for weeks: The Day I Can Sleep In!!!! And I did. Until 2:15 PM. Yes, PM. I went to bed at 1:30 AM, so that gives me almost 13 hours of sleep. Whew.

I feel much better, though a little sad at losing most of the day. Oh well. Today's awake hours will have to be about quality, not quantity, I guess.

:)B

The Incredible Shrinking Snowbank

The dingy snowbank outside my house waits. It waits for the weekend, though not like you or me. It waits for the weekend with dread and fear. Yes, it heard some "walkers" discussing the weather forecast and now it's crystals are shaking. Its days are numbered. It knows it's doomed in 58 degree weather.

Poor little snowbank.

Early

I was going to write that I'm up at the crack of dawn to head to a workshop in Bloomington today, but really, it's still the middle of the night. Not even the crack of dawn.

If I were a teenager going on this trip, I'd have a blanket, pillow, and headphones for the 2.5 hour ride. Since I'm older and carpooling with some friends and some acquaintances, I feel like I have to be social and stay in the conversation. Drat.

Movie of the Day: Night at the Museum. Be careful.

Antsy

I woke up this morning antsy/restless/ready for some fun.

This is an improvement over my urge to run away screaming and flailing my arms yesterday.

A couple days ago, I said to a kid "I need a vacation." He responded by, "You just had one." What kind of kid is that??? He meant Paris. I meant a snow day or some sort of national holiday that let me sleep in.

Movie of the Day: The Sentinel. Good.

Dancing: A Generation Gap

I went to a dance Saturday night at the youth conference. I think it's interesting to watch how "school" dances evolve. For this group, there was a lot of vertical jumping in the "dance steps". When I would go hear bands at UMD a couple years ago, the college students would only nod their heads to the beat. When I was in high school, we would sit on the bleachers (not all of us, of course, but my group did). When I was in junior high, we would head-bang.

What's next?

Movie of the Day: Dances with Wolves.

Picture Challange

Our local paper has the Life magazine in it every Friday and my favorite part is the last page where they have a real picture and an altered picture. I seem to give myself a time limit (so as not to be late for work). If I can't find all of the changes within minutes, I give up and read the answers. Somehow, it seems like a math puzzle. I'm not sure why. I've noticed that they never mess with people, which is very honorable. They might change something that they're wearing, but never their actual person.

That's cool.

Movie of the Day: Picture Perfect. Tee Hee.

Topics

Tomorrow I will be chaperoning a group of high school girls to a state-wide church youth event. We are going to have at least 4 hours in the car together over the weekend. Any suggestions for topics of conversation?

Movie of the Day: Grease. The ultimate high school movie.

I Love Pi

Today is Pi Day (3/14 = 3.14). I don't actually LOVE pi, but I like it as a friend. Some math teachers go all out for Pi Day, bringing pie, having contests, decorating the school. For some reason, Pi Day always sneaks up on me and I'm left with "Oh crap. Tomorrow's Pi Day" thoughts on the 13th. Oy. Oops. Maybe I can come up with something interesting for today.

Movie of the Day: Pi. Ha ha. Warped movie. Beware.

Pile O' Nuschler

I spent the late afternoon yesterday hanging out with my sister and watching Gilmore Girls in her basement. Sara and my brother-in-law have a HUGE (111-lb) Golden named Nuschler and he and I have an interesting relationship. I try to stay out of his way and he tries to lick all of the salt off of my hands (and feet if he can get to them).

Yesterday, he met me at my car in the driveway and escorted me across the yard. Usually he tries to get inside the house, but he decided to stay outside and enjoy the nice weather.

Well, Punky (brother-in-law) arrived home and started playing with Nuschler around the house. At one point, he lifted (or should I say "tried to lift") Nusch onto my lap. He's not a lap dog and I mainly just got a pile o' Nuschler.

Plunk Plunk, Plod Plod

Last year, I suggested that March be renamed to Trudge, because it's so long and seems to take even longer to get through than other months. This year, it's flying by! It's already the 12th and I've just barely learned to write 3/___ on hallpasses and checks. Weird.

The weird weather (tons of snow and now tons of melting) combined with an early daylight savings time, might affect my students in ways that I'm not anticipating. Senior Slide seems to hit kids earlier and earlier (like sophomore year!) these days.

I'll keep you posted.

Movie of the Day: Timeline. Cheesy.

Think

I want you to think of something that has been weighing on your mind. Take a moment. Now, once you have something in mind, I want you to think about what it would take to work toward a solution to your issue. Me, I finally did my taxes and wrote a survey for school that should have been done weeks and weeks ago. The psychological relief is immense! I'm ready to start thinking of other things that have been bugging me and tackle them too!

What's weighing on you?

Movie of the Day: Stick It. Saw it Wednesday. Funny. Good message.

Introducing Melvin

I'm not good at pets, but I think I might have found one that I can keep "alive". Actually, I've had Melvin for a couple years. He hangs out by my side door, waiting for me to come home. Well, that is, until Wednesday night when he was kidnapped and went on an adventure with my two friends Susie and Donna. He spent some time wandering UMD, tasting freedom from my back hallway. His adventures were well-documented and lovingly shared in a photo album. He's now home.

May I present....Melvin.

Favorites

So, Michelle's question about the one experience, etc. that I am grateful to have had on my trip is just too tough to answer. Therefore, I will give you a list of favorites instead!

French people: Claire, Laure, and the adopted Nathan (who is really a Duluthian).
French food: chocolatine (croissant-ish pastry with chocolate inside)
French museum: Musee D' Orsay with it's Monet collection.
French sport: stair climbing.
French Creep-out: the Catacombs.
French TV commercial: For instant mashed potatoes. Very entertaining.
French word that I learned: The response to a sneeze which I only know how to say. Phonetically, it's "Ought Eh Sway".

British people: Flight attendants who said "Cheers" a lot.
British food: food at Spice of Life pub
British museum: Crown Jewels at the Tower of London
British sport: Long-distance walking.
British Creep-out: lots of "off-with-their-heads" locations.
British TV commercial: didn't see any.
British word that I learned: to say "Cheers, Mate" instead of thanks.

Tracey's Question

Tracey asked: What was the most interesting experience you had with a person in your everyday flow - ie. server, clerk, public transit person.

I would have to say it was at the Musee D'Orsay when we tried to go the second time and found that the museum was free because the workers were on strike. We went through security (had our bags checked and went through a metal detector) and then went through a crowd of striking workers. I put a couple Euro in their donation box "Help the Workers" and went in. It wasn't a "conversation" exactly, but it was definitely an "everyday" type thing that you don't usually encounter on a trip.

The Ordeal, Take 2

Okay, I'm going to try to summarize The Ordeal, Or How I Got Home

• Took wrong elevator in train station and had to go back upstairs and find the right one.
• Went to the wrong terminal in the airport and had to haul-butt across two terminals.
• Gave up my seat twice on the plane.
• Customs took so long in Detroit that we lost track of time and had to RUN from dinner (left half-eaten and rushingly paid for) to gate 68 only to find it was moved to gate 74. More running. Then, found out it was delayed by 45 minutes.
• Once boarded, we sat on the plane in Detroit for 2 hours waiting for Minneapolis to give us a time for landing, thus a time for take-off.
• Get to Mpls. 3 hours after our connecting flight.
• Wait in line an hour for a new flight.
• They said (at midnight Saturday) : I can get you on a flight Tuesday.
• Waited around luggage claim for 6 hours until things opened up again. Didn't get luggage.
• Paid $40 to get to Amtrak station.
• Waited another 3 hours without tickets, HOPING to get on the bus.
• Sat on bus for 4 hours.
• Were picked up at UMD by my folks and taken to airport to get luggage.
• Only one of Jean's bags showed up. Mine were AWOL.
• Dropped Jean off at her friends' house and got stuck in the driveway. Had to be pulled out.
• Finally got home!!!!
• Had luggage by noon Monday.

Questions

I'm not done posting about my trip, but since I'm short on time this morning, I thought I'd pause and ask for questions. What would you like to know about my trip?

Theatre Tickets

My theory is that I will give you little "flashbacks" to my trip since my daily life is no where near as exciting as my first trip to Europe. Today's flashback: the theatre.

When we arrived at Heathrow Airport, there was a display of play fliers and I was almost giddy when I saw that Spamalot was there. I tried to control myself and rationalized that it was sold out because I'd heard that it sold out in New York.

We talked to our concierge and he said that the cheapest way to get tickets was to go to the half price ticket booth or the theatre itself. So, we hop the tube and head to the West End.

For some reason, we could not figure out the streets in the area and kept walking in circles (not literally, but we kept ending up where we started). Any way, I gave in and asked someone on the street for help. He was very friendly and actually kept thinking of better directions and stopping to tell us where to go. It was almost to the point where I invited him to join us! (Okay, so he was cute. I confess.)

We finally got there and this cute old couple was behind us. I started talking to them and they told us to mind our purses because the woman had gotten home without hers once. They were very sweet.

Well, this ticket place didn't have any Spamalot tickets, but did have Les Mis tickets, so we settled on that....

More on our theatrical adventures in the future....

Kids + Museums = Humor

Okay, so when Jean and I were wandering around museums in London, there were a lot of school groups with little kids. We're talking 6-9 year olds, mostly. Any way, we were in the British Museum and there were heaps and heaps of kids wearing school uniforms. Every so often, I'd hear some of them talking to each other.

Two situations come to mind: boys and girls.

The boys were looking at a bust of a woman (literally the bust) and commenting about eyes being poked out. Then, they would call another boy over to hear their comment. This was done in a cute British accent, of course.

A couple minutes later, I notice a group of little girls around another display case. "There's the dodgy one!" I look and it's a piece of pottery with a naked guy on it. Ha! So funny! And very, very cute.

Catch My Drift, You Can Keep It

I have snow drifts. They're pretty if you don't have do go anywhere for a while. I'm home today.

Movies I want to rewatch after going to Paris and London:

Elizabeth
Notting Hill
Amelie
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
French Kiss (which I didn't do while I was there, drat).

I think there are going to be a lot of cooped-up feeling people today. The mall is closed. No mail service. Plows and my neighbor men are out playing with the snow. I kind of think of it as Big Boy sandboxes or something. I just don't have the urge to go out and push it around. Although, I would like to make a snowman or dig a fort. That would be more fun with kids, though.

I Tried

Okay, I spent an hour writing about my return home and it wouldn't publish. GRRRRR!!!! Any way, maybe I'll try again later or another day. For now, I'm home on a snow day and we have another one tomorrow. Woo Hoo!!!

I might actually get a lot done this weekend!

Digging Myself Out

We have a lot of snow. We also have a lot of snow on the way (they're threatening up to 2 feet). People are digging themselves out of snowbanks and skids. I'm digging myself out of my livingroom and lack of sleep. I think I'm using a sand box shovel. At least there is a little progress.

Here's to a snow day tomorrow!

Ahead of Myself

So technically, Northwest was planning to fly me home today. I'm ahead of myself. It's a weird feeling. My problem is that I'm a talker (if you've met me, you know this). I can't seem to shut up and go to bed early or unpack or whatever. I just want to tell stories about my trip and catch up with people.

This is not helping the state of my clutter or my mental clarity at work (at least until about noon). Oh well. I figure I'll catch up eventually.

I was hoping to write a detailed post of my journey home. It was pretty dramatic and a good story, so I'll keep it on my "need to write about" list.

For now, I'm home. That's all that really matters.

I'm Back, Such As I Am

Okay, we finally got home!!!! The trip was an ordeal that I'll share with you later tonight or tomorrow.

For now:
1) We are home.
2) My luggage is not.
3) I was awake for 38 hours straight.
4) We have a ton of snow AND school today.
5) I didn't have time to buy groceries.
6) There are gonna be a lot of people gone today (trapped somewhere like I was).
7) My trip was awesome!!!

Au Revoir & Cheers!

Bon Jour Day 10

Bon Jour!

I'm sitting in Nate and Claire's apartment, listening to Scooby Doo and trying to memorize the theme song so I can sing it for Zane and Theo. It's completely different from our song in the US. Funny!

Yesterday, we went to the Musee 'd Orsay which was free because the workers were still on strike! That was awesome. I contributed a bit to their cause and walked right it! I love Monet and Renoir! Had fun in the shop too. (Then had to lug the bag around the rest of the day (bad idea)).

Next, we went to The Louvre. Now, I would not recommend this as a course of action because I was kind of art-ed out by the time we got to the Louvre. However, we saw Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, which were the main attractions for us. We also wandered these HUGE halls and we lost just a little bit. By this time, I was overheating and exhausted to we went outside and sat by a circlular pond that had kids playing with sailboats. It was a bit too chilly, so we ended up walking back to the station and heading back to the apartment.

Then, Claire made AMAZING quiche (vegetarian for me, ham for the others). We also had these potato things that tasted like donuts. Seriously. Good, but weird. After that, we each had a bit of four different desserts! Very yummy.

Today, our last day, we are going to the Catacombs and out to shop before going to a movie. I would like to brave a French movie called I Think I Love Her (might be I Think I Love Him). However, since Jean and I don't know enough French, it's probably a silly idea. (I'd still go, but Jean doesn't want to).

Au Revoir! I'll be back Stateside Saturday Night!

Bon Jour Day 9

Greetings from Paris!

My friend Jean and I have finally acclimated to the Paris time schedule and are now waking up naturally around 8:30 am. Just in time to get ready to go home on Saturday! Oy.

Tuesday night, we went to Spamalot and had nearly the worst seats in the house. Still, it was awesome! I laughed and laughed.

Yesterday, we went to The British Museum and Kensington Palace (where Princess Di lived). Both were impressive. We walked through Kensington Park afterwards, had dinner in a pub, a little gelato for the road and took the tube to Heathrow. The flight back was pretty uneventful, except for a woman who got into an arguement with an airport worker at the gate. That was interesting. I haven't seen anyone lose their cool all trip! Drama!

Today, we are off to the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay (we hope the strike is over). Cross your fingers!

Au Revoir!

`Allo

Greetings from the UK! I am sitting in an internet cafe, looking out on Kensington Park and having a little downtime before we head back into the West End to see Spamalot. I am so psyched to see this show! I am also wiped.

Two days in London so far:
Flight from Charles De Gaulle airport to Heathrow. Everything went fine.
Helped some fellow travelers. (An act of compassion?)
Lunch in airport.
Speed train into town.
Walked a mile to hotel.
Underground to Picadilly Circus to buy theater tickets.
Walked to Westminster Abbey.
Said a prayer and lit a candle for my covenant group.
Saw where Queen Elizabeth I is buried.
Walked past Parliament and 10 Downing Street.
Eat dinner in an Italian restaurant.
Saw "Les Miserables" in the Queens Theatre.
"Home" in the rain.

This morning (yes, that was just one day):

Slept until 8:30.
Took tube to the Tower of London.
Amazing tour.
Took pictures of the London Bridge.
Took tube to Buckingham Palace.
Took so-so pictures (now raining).

We're doing a TON of walking and I'm sick of climbing stairs, but we're having a great time! We head back to Paris tomorrow evening!

Cheers!

Bon Jour Day 3

Bon Jour! Well, more walking today!!! We started the day with croisants, juice, and bread. Then, we headed to the Arab Institute as recommended by a friend for its interesting contracting eye-like windows. The line was really long though, so we ended up walking around a garden (see Nate's blog) and going to the Musee d'History Natural and the Musee d'Geologic (geology) instead. I'm way more into minerals and gems than animals. Then we had sandwiches and crepes for lunch and hopped the Metro and headed to Montmart. I bought a painting. We also walked up the steps to Sacre Couere and walked around inside WHILE a mass was going on. Imagine having tourists walking through church during a service!!!

After ice cream, we headed across town to a movie: Babel. It was good, but subtitled in French. Not the easiest to understand, but we got the jist of it. Then, dinner at Hippopotomus and home to prepare for our trip to London tomorrow morning! I might not have internet access, but I'll try to find a place to blog!

Au Revoir!

Bon Jour Day 2

Well, it's midnight on this side of the Atlantic and I'm going to have to blog quickly. Today was a big, big day. We started off by sleeping until 10 (unintended) and then eating croisants from a local bakery (which Nate picked up for us). Then, it was off to the Musee d' Rodin. Think "The Thinker." Nate's blog has some nifty pictures.

Next, we headed to the Eiffel Tower, stopping for sandwiches & quiche for lunch on the way. The walk up the tower was grueling (sense a theme??), but thrilling too. I keep getting vertigo walking down the steps!!! I don't know what my deal is. Oh well. We requested more grueling stair climbing for tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

After that, we saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle from a tour boat on the Seine. Then, we had dinner at a restaurant named Indiana. It was nothing like the state.

Now, I must get to sleep so I don't waste half of the morning tomorrow!!!

Au Revoir!

Bon Jour

Bon Jour!

I'm in Paris!!! It's pretty surreal that I'm actually here. I'm sitting in Nate and Claire's apartment, listening to "7th Heaven" in French, which is just as dramatic.

It's been a long day, though it's only 6 PM our time. Jean and I both slept in (can I blame jetlag?) and took the metro to Notre Dame. I should have been practicing for my trip by climbing a stairmaster! Pouf! (What they say here instead of Uff). The view was amazing and inside the cathedral was stunning!!!

Then we walked along the Seine, with its street vendors and murky waters, to the Musee d'Orsay. Turns out, it was closed due to a workers' strike. Drat. I'd rather see that than the Louvre (I know, I'm horrible.) Any way, we ended up walking around a marketplace and buying some Coca-Cola Light (diet Coke) and bottled water at the MonoPrix (like Cub). Now we are waiting for our hosts to return from work and then we'll probably head out for dinner.

I'm having a blast! I'm also checking for comments, so write away!

Movie of the Day: Man of the Year. Saw it on the plane. Better than I expected!

Big Day

Well, I'm off to Paris. I had fun saying that casually yesterday. "Oh, I won't be here." "Where are you going?" "Paris." Ha! It's so surreal!

I feel like my house should be clean, my dishes done, my homework corrected (not going to happen), and all of the loose ends of my life neatly wrapped up. Not sure why. I think it's so I can come home and avoid "unfinished business". Hmmmmm...

Any way, I plan to blog while I'm gone. If you want extra bloggage of the trip, my friend Nate and his wife are hosting us (my friend Jean and me). Nate is one of the links to your right.

Au revoir!

:)Becca
P.S. Movie of the Day: French Kiss.
P.P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!

Lil' Bro

Today is my brother's birthday. He's 26, which makes me feel old. I remember when he was born! I was in first grade and the principal called me out of gym (Thanks Mr. Olson!) to tell me that I had a brother. My friend Jeanne and one of her friends talked to me after school and asked if the baby was a boy or girl. I said "A boy" with disappointment. I think it was just because I didn't really know much about boys except that they chased girls at recess. He's a good kid, though. I don't get to see him enough because he lives out of town.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Movie of the Day: O Brother, Where Art Thou? tee hee.

What?

I am so distractable right now. I leave for Paris on Wednesday and I'm not ready. I mean, I've been ready for a vacation for months, but I'm not packed, organized, mentally ready for a long flight. I also have done a horrible job of learning French. Horrible. So, I shall do a bit of cramming on the plane and rely on Nate and Claire a lot. Oy. Not how I like to function.

Other than that, I'm trying to learn all of the new gadgets that I've purchased for the trip and do the usual laundry, lesson planning, and church stuff.

It'll come together. Eventually.

Movie of the Day: Frantic. I don't think I've seen this one, but it sounds appropriate.

Blogger Fairy

Dear Blogger Fairy,

I keep trying to post and it just isn't working. Please let this one go through. I have an awesome picture that I want to show people. It's of a memorial at St. Olaf that has beautiful chimes tuned to the key of D, matching the key of Beautiful Savior. If you could make that magic happen, that would be awesome!

Thanks,

Becca

Movie of the Day: Cinderella. (And The Sound of Music).

Counselor On-Call

One of my classes had some kids who are living a rough life and it spills over into our class. I wish I could build a little addition to my room and had a counselor right there, ready to help. They could talk about substance abuse, parental abuse, racism, relationships, or work ethic. It's really hard to get a kid to care about square roots when they're faced with any or all of the above.

TGIF.

Movie of the Day: When a Man Loves a Woman. Sad.

Hoods

Kids aren't allowed to wear hoods at school because we can't tell who they are if they are doing something wrong in the halls, etc. I have a couple sweatshirts and sweaters that have hoods and I try to sympathize with my students who compulsively put up their hood. I don't scream and yell, I just try to make eye contact and then swoop my hand in a "shove the hood back" motion. If it's a well-behaved kid, they follow suit right away. If it's a kid who likes to argue every last thing (you know a teenager like this, I'm sure), it takes me saying "_______. Hood." Sometimes it takes me going to the kid. Sometimes it takes 3 reminders in an hour. It's annoying.

It's cold out. I understand that. I just don't think I should have to be written up for not enforcing a rule because a kid keeps putting up their hood. (No, I haven't been written up, but it could easily happen one of these days if I'm not completely, 100% on top of every hood-lum, when an administrator walks in. Pressure!

Any way, if you have hoodies, wear them at home, but beware in my classroom. Swoop!

Movie of the Day: Boyz in the Hood. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!

Can't I Just Hibernate?

The bad thing about having a job that might be "cancelled" for the day is that you start to get your hopes up when you hear about pending weather. You start to plan what you would do with a "found" day. I had a really good plan for today and it appears it'll have to wait. Drat.

Also, I know I'm being lazy, but it's hard to wake up at 4:45 and walk on my treadmill when I don't know if I'll have to go to work that day. By the time I find out, my "routine" has moved on and I'm left without walking. The dedicated person would walk and then find out if there is school, but then it would be really hard to go back to sleep again like I did on Monday (for 5 hours!). Choices!

Any way, it's off the school I go. Hi, Ho. Hi, Ho.

Movie of the Day: Eight Below (which I haven't seen). Subtract 32 and that's out windchill today.

Button Maker

Sara wants a button maker and I'm starting to like the idea too. You can write whatever you want and wear it around! How cool!

Some ideas:

Back off! I'm crabby!

got Peace?

Math is Awe-Sum!

What Would Charlie Do? (from Numb3rs)

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Suggestions?

Movie of the Day: Sense & Sensibility. Hugh Laurie cracks me up.

Oh Boy

Okay, so I'm not good with change. Not at all. I'm a "let this sink in" kind of gal and the past 24 hours have had a lot of change in them. No, nothing crazy wild like getting engaged or anything. Just moderate things that I've been holding off on: digital camera, iPod, switching my blog to the new format (that one was forced upon me). So, here I am with a new gmail account, too!

The only change today that I was comfortable with was the cancellation of school because of the windchill factor outside (-45). Yep, I'm cool with that. (Ha ha).

Movie of the Day: The Big Chill. Another that I've never seen. Did see The Last Kiss last night, which was really good.

Open

Today is open. No plans. No homework. Just me with my house, finally focusing on things that I've meant to do for a long time. In some cases, things I haven't done in years (like wash the catch trays on my stove). I love getting organized. I also love helping people get organized. I've actually asked students if they need help cleaning their lockers. I know, I'm sick.

Movie of the Day: Because I Said So. Saw this last night. I know the reviews weren't great, but if you like chick flicks and enjoy Mandy Moore, Diane Keaton, or cute guys, you'll like this film.

Stock Up

It's cold. Gonna get colder. It's one of those stay inside, don't go anywhere kind of weekends and I am out of diet Coke. Yes, that is bad. I'm also out of chocolate. So before I shuffle myself home from work, I better stop at a store and stock up. If not, it could get ugly. Luckily, I live alone so there won't be any casualties.

Any suggestions for movies to rent or things to do when it's super cold?

Movie of the Day: Chocolat.

Early Morning Glory

I leave my house around 7 AM every school day. I walk out my door and look towards the lake. I can't really see it, but I know it's there behind the other houses and trees. The sky is just starting to lighten and the sun is just starting to create hues of red and gold. They're murky colors mixed with the cold air to make them look like pink cotton balls.

I squeak my way through the snowcover I haven't shoveled and slip a bit on my garage floor.

I sit, hunched up in my cold car, and after three tries, the garage door opener (and closer) finally works.

I drive to work, mentally commenting on the other drivers, or, if it's a good mood day, singing along to my stereo. I always compare the gas prices from one station to the other four that I pass on my way.

I sometimes see the lady, holding a cigarette while she lets out her HUGE dog. I almost always see the woman walking to her bus stop, her location depending on how early or late I am to work.

I park in the lot next to all of the SUVs and trucks, trying to figure out which one belongs to which teacher. I notice whether or not my boss is there yet, which determines whether or not I can get into the office to pick up my mail.

I watch the parking lot pavement and notice where it's slippery and how the frost glistens in the light. It looks like diamonds on the ground. Free diamonds for everyone.

Movie of the Day: Working Girl.