Civic Stuff

I just heard of an interesting seminar that I can't go to because of conferences, but wanted to let people know about: Being Web Wise: Helping Keep Kids Safe in the Internet Age. It's a seminar from 6 - 8 PM on Thursday, October 29th at the Inn on Lake Superior. You have to be 18 + to attend because of the appropriateness of the content. The presenters are Detective Thomas Champaigne and Sergeant Nicholas Alexander. It looks really good.

Also, if anyone would like me to give them my opinions about who to vote for in the school board election, let me know. I was at a forum this summer and interviewed the candidates that attended.

Movie of the Day: The Net.

One Good Thing

Well, one good thing about having so much homework every night is that a night of conferences didn't seem out of the ordinary. Usually, I'm dragging after each night of working a 12 hour day, but this morning feels like any other day. Weird.

We have Friday off for MEA which really means they compensate us for working conferences. I am super pumped and looking for ideas of how to spend my day off.

Some options:

SLEEP
massage
make jewelry
go to a museum or two
read for fun!
go to a movie
teach my friend Kim how to Skype and then talk to her and her sweet sons (Kim, are you reading this!?!?!)

Anyone else on Skype?

Movie of the Day: My Life in Ruins. Funny, funny movie. Motivating me to plan my trip to Europe!

Fortune Cookies

I brought fortune cookies to a potluck on Wednesday and they had really cheesy fortunes. I think the boxes should have categories: Cruel, Silly, Gross, etc. Use your imagination.

A few I've thought of this morning:

Watch your back.

You will have a booger incident in the next three days.

You and chopsticks will never mix.

Your car is about to run out of gas.

Duck!



Any more you would add?

Movie of the Day: Only You. She went to a fortune teller and then quite a trip.

Bewitched

Remember the show Bewitched? I'm sure I've discussed it before, but I'm back to wishing I could wiggle my nose and freeze time for everyone else. Just for about 15 minutes a few times a day so I could catch my breath, run to the school office, do a little meditation, and then hop back into the fray. Is that so much to ask?

I was also thinking about Napping Centers. Not hotels where you stay all night and have a TV, etc. Just a clean, safe environment to get a quick nap. I wonder what would be a reasonable price to charge.

Movie of the Day: Point Break. In honor of Patrick Swayze. I could use a break. Maybe not a breaking wave...maybe that's what this feels like....

Do You Hear the Bells?

Wedding bells are in the air. My friends M & S are getting married today at Gooseberry Falls. It looks like it's going to be lovely weather and a great day! I hope things go off WITH a hitch.

Congratulations, M & S!

Movie of the Day: The Proposal

Energy Rollercoaster

I have been riding the energy rollercoaster this week. I'm rested. I'm comatose. I'm hyper. I'm accidentally falling asleep on my couch for 2.5 hours. Last night, I had a "Third Wind" and cleaned my kitchen at 9 PM. What the heck?

Today, I woke up wide awake at 6:15 AM and walked 2 miles on my treadmill. One hour later, I'm ready for a nap. I hope things even out soon or I'm going to get whiplash.

Movie of the Day: Adventureland. Theme park. Not for everyone.

Oh, boy!

Well, it's the final evening of my summer and, of course, the weather is lovely. I have a workshop all day tomorrow and then I'll hit the ground running on Wednesday to finish up all of my prepping. I might sneak in a little work tonight, just to get a bit ahead.

I'm envious of the kids who have just a few more days of vacation. When I was a kid, our youth group leader took us to Valley Fair the Saturday after school started. It was perfect because I could survive two days of school, knowing the fun was right around the corner.

Maybe I should gather up some friends and go!

Movie of the Day: The Reader. Intense.

Snakker du norsk?

I've decided I want to learn Norwegian. I took a community ed class in 1999 and then let it fade away. Now, I'm excited to pick it up again.

Quite a few words are the same or close, which is convenient!

Anyone out there "snakker du norsk?"

Movie of the Day: Kitchen Stories. Swedish scientists observing the cooking habits of Norwegian bachelors. Subtitles.

Warm

So, it's a wee bit warm out lately and I'm ready for some cooler temperatures. There is a reason I live here: it's cold or cool most of the time! I did some digging/hauling/dumping of clay (aka "my yard") today and it doesn't matter how breezy it is, it's still nasty out. My dad came over at 6:54 AM to start our last day of digging and it wasn't SOOOO hot. Luckily, we were done before it really heated up outside.

Do I need to move farther North? Become a snowbird who flies "south" to Duluth for the winter? Weird.

Movie of the Day: I've actually seen quite a few lately. (They have air conditioning and I do not.) Julie and Julia, Aliens in the Attic, and (500) Days of Summer. 500 was my favorite, but J & J was good too. Aliens had it's moments: Ninja kicks from Doris Roberts (the grandma on Everybody Loves Raymond) and a rotary phone (raise your hand if you remember those).

Two in One Evening!

If you scroll down a bit, you will notice my list of things I'd like to try. Tonight, I went kayaking AND geocaching!!!!!! Both were great!

The kayaking was a Wednesday Women's Kayaking on Fredenberg Lake. There was a little training and then we just paddled around the lake. So beautiful and relaxing. We saw two adult loons and two baby loons.

Then, on the way home, we looked for AND found a geocache. It was in the woods off of a gravel road. Very interesting. I was with experienced geocachers, so that helped. Now, I'll need to see if I can borrow my folks' GPS equipment. Very cool.

Time to try rock climbing....

Movie of the Day: Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Silly. Funny. Sometimes it's okay to check your brain at the door. He drives a Segway. I should try one of those too!

Grrr.....

So, I have a few magazines that arrive at my home periodically. During the school year, I will breeze through the stack and rip out articles that I would like to read at a later date. Just now, I had the second incident of only ripping out half of the article! Grrr...I hope I can find the second halves online later. That'll teach me!

Movie of the Day: How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. They worked for a magazine.

To Do List- Scribble Scribble

I'm having one of those weeks where you accomplish a lot of things on your To Do list. You know what I mean.

To Do
Call to make doctor appointment
get hair cut
exchange some purchases
go to library
call _____, _____, & _______

It's a good feeling. There are things that I've been meaning to try for years. Things that don't necessarily get on a To Do list: try geocaching, try kayaking, try rock-climbing, hunt for agates.

Yesterday, I went agate hunting and found 20. Yes, 20. In a brief amount of time. If you want in on any of the "Things to Try" activities, let me know.

Movie of the Day: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. SOOOOOOOOO good.

Livin' the High Life

Here are a few photos from the Becca Lift. I'm sorry some of them are blurry. It was windy that day. Swaying.....Swaying....



Nice purple plant (neighbor's).

The upper window was the room I shared with One in a Million Saras.

Need a Lift?

My folks are painting their house this week and their wonderful daughters are helping them. My dad isn't allowed to use a ladder any more (he's not allowed to fall). So, Sara joked about renting a "man lift" for the project. Well, my dad jumped at the idea and suddenly there is heavy equipment in their yard.

So, we started calling it the Chick Lift. Then, since it made Sara sick to be up there, I've started calling it the Becca Lift. Yes, that's right. I'm up there the whole time. Driving the little bucket thing and painting in the sky. And yes, I'm the one who freaks out walking down the stairs at Dewitt-Seitz because you can see through on the vertical parts of each step.

Any way, it's great fun. I'm getting proficient at maneuvering the bucket and only hit the house once (just a little dirt smudge on a part I needed to paint any way).

If you're in town and wanna check it out, stop on over.

Movie of the Day: Knowing. I liked it. Everyone else in the room didn't. (Two other people) There were lots of numbers and puzzles, but some creepy stuff too.

Weird

A few years ago, I signed up to sponsor a kid in Haiti. When I got the material, it was anti-gay and that really didn't sit well with me. It said that the family pictures could not depict a gay couple and had to support "Christian" beliefs. Well, I couldn't decide what to do. Do I quit and not let this kid go to school, get books, etc. or do I "let it go."

Well, a few months ago, they upped the monthly price again (a second time). I was horrible about writing her letters (worse than my driest blogging spell), and since she's "in" the program once she really started and it was still bugging me about their hate tactics, I decided to cancel my sponsorship. It was remarkably easy and they didn't ask why. I should have told them that I can afford the $38 a month (up from $32 recently and like $28 when I started), but didn't like their philosophy.

Since then, I have gotten multiple mailings as if I'm still a sponsor and then yesterday, received a letter saying my sponsored kid was dropped from the program for non-participation. WHAT?!?! The letter was written in April. So, where did May and June's money go? Grrr.... So, now I don't feel bad at all about stopping except now I'm worried about the kid. Now, I feel compelled to write. Weird. I guess I pray for her and hope she's okay.

Art Day

I've decided to give myself a day to futz around with some of my art supplies and see what happens. Mainly it means I flit from one thing to another and nothing actually gets done.

However..... for months I've had a project in mind that involves using a coconut shell (auditions for Monty Python?). This meant buying a coconut and figuring out how to open it. So, the coconut sat and sat and then, finally I decided today was the day.

I went to YouTube to see what to do. I tried what the dude did. Didn't work. Maybe my knife was too small? Any way, I switched to a hammer, but my hammer is old and the head likes to fall off. So, I had to be careful not to whack more than just the coconut. Then, a chunk flew up at my eye. Not good. There might be a bruise tomorrow. I made a hole, but it wasn't splitting like the video guy's example.

I needed better tools. So, I headed to the garage and finally won the Becca vs. Coconut battle. The innards were not-so-fresh, so I left them for stray animals and then tried to get the shell into pieces (by smashing it with my hammer).

The process would make a good tension reliever, with the proper safety gear.

Now to clean the hammer and work with the shell....

Movie of the Day: Beaches.

Inspiration

One of my earliest friends was instant messaging me this evening and has inspired me to blog. It was essentially like she was saying "hop to it." She also gave me some topics to pursue. However, this evening, my brain is too wonky and tired to focus on one topic, so I shall give you some random snippets and think more clearly at another point in the near future.

So, let the randomness begin:

1) What's with the Chicken Dance at wedding receptions? Is it just that anyone who doesn't even like to dance will do it? (Think Becca).

2) Why are directions from internet sites so wrong sometimes? I was 40 minutes late for the Chicken Dance event because of my directions. Okay, I was only 30 minutes late because of them, the rest was my fault, but still....

3) What's a good thing to do when there are couples' dances and you're there alone? Hit the washroom, pretend to look at the art on the wall (that's what I did)? Suggestions?

4) Why is my desk at school spotless and my desk at home looks like an aisle from Target exploded on it?

5) Why am I addicted to Cherry Coke Zero?

6) What's the best way to encourage a friend to write a book when they have a good idea for one?

7) My neighbor is trying to sell her house, but I don't want her to leave. Do you think it would be evil to add a couple marks to the "handouts" on the sign and make it look like she wants $80,000 more than she really wants???? (I wouldn't do it, but I have thought of chasing some people away. Tee hee.)

8) Eight (8) is a nice number because it's 2 cubed (2 x 2 x 2) and it's a good age, too.

Movie of the Day: The Hangover. Saw it Friday night. Dumb humor. Funny, but dumb.

Stuff

I have too much stuff. So, in an effort to lighten my "load," I'm going through cabinets, closets, and shelves. This is Round 1. I think Round 2 will be more cutthroat, but for now I just want to get rid of some things that I KNOW I don't use.

There have been some surprises too! I found a little coffee pot that I forgot I had. All the people who had to drink instant coffee at my house, I'm sorry! I've also found quite a few new journals. Now, I used to write in journals every day for years, but stopped for some reason a few years ago. Is it my subconscious trying to tell me to pick up the pen again? Maybe. Or, am I a compulsive journal collector?

I'm going to visit some college friends (and other good friends) in a couple of weeks, so they will be getting a few random things too. I don't plan to dump all my junk on them or they'll never invite me back! T, don't worry, it's mostly kid stuff.

Movie of the Week: The Proposal. Saw it last night. Good movie! Very sweet and funny.

Crud

I started feeling the sore throat coming on last night. I woke up this morning with the pain. Do you ever get a sore throat and then you're so happy when it moves into your nose or your lungs, just so you can swallow again? Mine is starting to move to my nose. Annoying!

Add another movie to the WWII list: Valkyrie. It was pretty good. Intense, again. I really need to go to the library and get something about mammals or physics or filling out your tax return. Well, that's a bit extreme!

Intense

So, I'm obsessed with World War II movies right now. Not the fighting so much, though. Maybe it's the D-Day celebration or my planned trip to Normandy that has me so focused, I don't know.

I've seen two intense movies in the last 5 days:

1) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The family of a Nazi commandant moves near a concentration camp and their son befriends a boy on the other side of the electrified wire fence.

2) Defiance. Four Jewish brothers hide in the woods in Belorussia and eventually a community of refugees comes together. This movie has much more overt violence than the one above.

Both movies were excellent and I would recommend them to most adults and the first one to teens. Neither are for kids. They're the kinds of movies that stick with you for days after watching them.

Walker

When I was a kid, there were "walkers" and "bussers" at school. The bussers got to leave early and the walkers had to wait until the last moment of school before we lined up and walked to the door of the building. I think it's still mostly the same, but since I don't work in an elementary school, I'm not 100% positive.

I was a "walker" because I lived two blocks from school. Down hill one way... :)

Now, I'm trying to be a "walker" again, though not as the main mode of my transportation. This morning, I walked two miles on my treadmill. Quickly. Or, at least as quickly as I can handle without face-planting on the floor.

Movie of the Day: A Walk to Remember.

Weird

I was just on a search engine and saw a few pictures of famous women on the main page. I wonder what it would be like to search for something online and keep running across your own face? Does that happen? Would I want to have my own personal "Google User" so I wouldn't have to look at silly publicity shots of myself?

Famous readers out there, what is your strategy?

Movie of the Day: I've Loved You So Long. Such a good movie! You either need to know French or be able to read subtitles, though. Warning: kind of heavy subject matter.

What Would You Do?

Life is a great big canvas;

throw all the paint on it you can.

- Danny Kaye

Time

Today is the first day of the last grading period of the school year. Usually they are 6 weeks long, but this one is shorter because of finals, etc.

I was driving home after school and suddenly I had a flashback to all the past graduations I've attended as a teacher. It seems like it was just June a few minutes ago. Of course, I snap out of that "time flies" mentality when I think of all the lessons I've taught this year and all the papers I've graded. Then, it seems like June was a LONG time ago.

Movie of the Day: Junebug. Amy Adams is hilarious.

Clean

I have the urge to clean the freeway exit that I use each morning on the way to work. It's full of the garbage left after the snow melts. There is a fence between the exit and the freeway below and all the garbage collects in the grass right there. It wouldn't take me too long. Maybe I could recruit someone with a weed-whacker to clean up the remnants of last year's overgrowth. It could be beautiful. I don't think I'd plant flowers or anything that extravagant (I do NOT want to drive back each day in the summer to water them). However, a little tidying up would do an exit good.

I own an orange vest (don't ask), garbage bags, and gloves (for doing gross chores around the house). All I need is the picker (the grabby stick thing). Hmmmm......

Movie of the Day: 17 Again. He was very helpful.

Cheery Muppet Joy

One theory to my good mood as of late is the "wearing off of Seasonal Affect Disorder," i.e. the sun is out and I'm out of the winter funk. WOO HOO!!!!!! Another theory could be that I've been exercising.

Any way, I'm in a group at church that prays for individual member's requests. Mine this week is for "Cheery Muppet Joy." I made up the phrase yesterday and it refers to the "WAH HA" sort of excitement that Muppets have. So, that's what I'd like to feel right now. Care to join me?

Pause

When I was growing up, I would watch I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched in the morning while we were getting ready for school. Every so often, I wish I could be like Samantha on Bewitched and twinkle my nose and make things pause. It would give me a couple minutes to collect my thoughts or a couple hours to catch up on some work/chores/napping.

I suppose it would become addictive, eh? Plus, someone would catch on that I'm either way more put together than I should be or that things change instantly. Hmmmm.....

Movie of the Day: Bewitched. Not nearly as cool as the TV show.

Slacker

Becca, the blogging slacker, would like to wish you a Happy Easter. Or a good Passover. Or.... happy Spring!

She apologizes for her lack of blogging the past 11 days. There is no excuse.

Highlights of this time: hanging out with people she cares about (in person or online), reading, seeing Monsters vs. Aliens in 3-D, ordering new glasses, and sleeping in a bit. Overall, a nice way to spend Spring Break.

Movie of the Day: See above.

Books

It's winter and I've been reading a lot of books lately. In reverse order:

Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito (just started).
Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
Malinche by Laura Esquivel
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey
American Nerd: The Story of My People by Ben Nugent
When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd

That takes us back about a month.

Spring Break is three, count them, three days away and I'm looking forward to more reading, maybe a little jewelry-making, and some well-deserved sleeping in late!

Movie of the Day: The Jane Austen Book Club. Movie about readers. :)

Silly

I like paper chains. I don't know if it's the counting or the visual aspect of it, but I just really like to make them and use them when I'm getting close to either Spring Break or the end of the school year. So, Friday, I was at school late, helping kids sporadically as they caught up on their homework and decided to make a paper chain for the five, yes five, days left until Spring Break! Usually, I use pretty colored paper, but this time, I used a piece of graph paper!!!! How very nerdy of me, eh?

Movie of the Day: Ghost. Remember when Unchained Melody was ALL the rage (think 1988-ish)?

Rain

Personally, I like the sound of rain on my window, especially when I'm on the dry side of the window.

For the past few years, rain has meant a little river of water starts to flow in my basement. Not this year! Nope. No river. However, since the fixing of my foundation meant the destruction of my driveway until later this Spring, the river, or more the swamp, has moved to the driveway area. Muck. Muck. Muckity. Muck. Here are a few photos:


Do you see the boards on the left side of the above picture? That's how I walk between the house and the garage. They get slippery, but at least they spare my shoes.

This is where the driveway meets the garage. You can see what the tires track in each day.

Movie of the Day: Drives Me Crazy.

Uh Oh

Um, what do you think it means when my lucky bamboo dies?

On a happier note, parent conferences are done for the year! This is a major sign of Spring and more importantly, SUMMER!!!!

Movie of the Day: Twilight. I'm going to try to see it this weekend.

WeLF

Thank you for joining the We Love Fridays Club!

As a new member, you will receive a new Friday each week!!! The first 6 months of membership is FREE!!!!

Your only obligation is to enjoy Friday. Make it special. Be cheerful. Smile at a stranger. Bring chocolate to work. Wear silly socks or a wacky tie. Skip down the hall. Do whatever it takes for people to think "Why is he/she so cheerful?"

Please share your Friday stories with our PR Dept. right here on this blog:

Movie of the Day: Freaky Friday. (Okay, try not to have one of those!)

A Fun Word

I was reading a quote book yesterday and stumbled on a new fun word. Of course, I've heard it before, but just never realized how fun it is to say:

plump

The quote: The future was plump with promise. ~ Maya Angelou

Isn't it a great word to say? Say out loud a couple times and just listen to the pop of the last "p."

Movie of the Day: What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

Sneak In Some Learning

It appears we have school today. As soon as it starts snowing, we will all have one eye out the window. Makes for some interesting learning...

Last year, Duluth had a freak storm that dropped 17 inches of snow on one part of town (where my little car and I were parked) and left the other part of town nearly snow-free! It took me a LONG time to get home (2.5 hours, I just checked my Dec. 4, 2007 entry) and I couldn't understand why my loved ones didn't seem concerned for my safety. They were in the snowless section.

Let's hope things are better today.

Movie of the Day: Mystic Pizza. (No connection to above; I'm just hungry.)

Daylight Savings + 1

Have you noticed that the Sunday of Daylight Savings Time isn't as brutal as the Monday after the Sunday of Daylight Savings Time (well, at least in the Spring when we "lose" an hour)?

I wasn't thinking clearly and decided to stay up late Saturday night and do homework/laundry/cleaning, just to get it over with. Then, as I'm putting clothes away, it hits me that it's Daylight Savings and that meant it was really "midnight." ARGH!

Movie of the Day: The Secret of NIMH. A cartoon movie from my youth that I'd never seen until this weekend. Scientists save the day.

The Grand Canyon

Here are some pictures from the Grand Canyon, South Rim in Arizona.

This is a a warning sign at a rest area between Sedona and Phoenix (Southbound). It's on the edges of the pet-walking area. Not so restful, eh?

Uff

It's all about personalities. My health insurance has this deal where if you go through their programs (walking, counseling, whatever) you get a lower rate. So, last year, I did the stress program (can't you tell that I'm so much more chill now than I was a year ago?). This year, I'm working on the eating better and exercising thing. Both programs involve reading some material, trying some activities, and then talking with a person on the phone.

Maybe it was because it was a stress thing or something, but last year's lady was way more chill than this year's lady. I talked to her for the first time tonight and she gave me a TON of homework. Now, I can deal with it, but it was a minor shock to the system. I guess I should have expected it. Too funny.

I'm going to go eat another serving of fruit now...

Movie of the Day: Hanging Up. Stressful movie.

On the Road

Here are a few pictures of the drive to Sedona and then the sunset in Sedona itself:

Movie of the Day: Australia. Good movie. Long, so pace yourself on the beverages.

Dang Nabbit!

I bought a lovely cowboy hat while I was at the Grand Canyon. I didn't really decide if it was for me or to be a souvenir, but as I was wearing it last night while correcting quizzes (I'm weird.), I found out that I'm allergic to the hat! Dang Nabbit!

It makes me itch. My sister is allergic to all things hemp, so I guess it isn't too weird that I'm allergic to straw. It's too back because it's cute! I will be looking for a good home for the lovely hat.

Here's a picture:

Cacti

Desert Botanical Garden ~ Art

I was in Phoenix the past week and was able to take in the Desert Botanical Garden last Monday. Dale Chihuly has an art exhibit there until May 31st and it's beautiful! His glass sculptures are mingled with the cacti and so spectacular that I started forgetting to look at the plants! Here are a few pictures:

Stay tuned for cacti pictures!

Movie of the Day: Slumdog Millionaire. I was able to see it while I was gone and it really did deserve an Oscar.

Greetings From AZ!!!

It's a sunny, yet chilly, day in Sedona. The rock formations, cacti, and hills make me feel like I'm far, far away from home. Ah.... nothing like a vacation! Well, not just a vacation, but one with funky jewelry to find, interesting art, and fun cultural events to attend.

I'll have heaps of pictures to share when I get back.

Movie of the Day: The Sandlot. And the cacti lot.

Soon

Tonight, I head South. I will not think about recent plane crashes. I will not think about the new kidnapping capital of the U.S. I will think about being warm and away from homework. I will remember my icy driveway and how it is far, far away.

I will return in about a week. I will not have a computer with me at all times. I will try to find a way to blog at least once.

Movie of the Day: Raising Arizona. :)

Mucky

Last Fall, I had work done to fix the foundation of my house. The contractor said that the paving of my driveway (which needed tearing up in order to do the foundation and needed replacing eventually), should be done in the Spring, when the rock they laid down settled.

I followed his advice. So, all last Fall, my driveway was a mess. White muck. Now, after two days of rain, the snow is gone and the muck is back! Ugh. Maybe I could put down a nice big tarp?

Movie of the Day: Uncle Buck. Buck rhymes with Muck. This reminds me of the cartoon Rhymes with Orange, which was hilarious.

Languages

I'm always in awe of people who speak many, many languages. Anything more than three counts in my book. There are so many that I'd like to learn:

French
Norwegian
Italian
more fluent Spanish
Finnish

I like accents too.

Movie of the Day: Cinema Paradiso. Cute.

Snakes

I told a kid that I was going somewhere that had a lot of snakes and they wanted me to bring back one for them. Well, they didn't verbalize the request, but I'm sure it was bouncing around in their mind. Now, as much as I'd like to fulfill this request, I don't think the airport security would like me to even attempt to bring a snake on a plane.

This reminds me of a student who tried to bring a turtle home from Florida. He was busted too.

So, for now, I will focus on some sort of snake souvenir.

Movie of the Day: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It has nothing to do with snakes, but is a great movie.

Books

I need to decide which books to take on my trip. I will be heading South, by plane, so the books need to be somewhat light and perhaps not about Alaska.

So, I sift through my pile of books and try to predict what I will be in the mood to read in a week.

It's all about variety, I think.

Movie of the Day: MILK. Saw it last night with some friends. Very good movie. Ironically, there was a long National Guard commercial beforehand. Does that seem weird to anyone else?

One Week

We have one week and one day left until February Break. The nice thing about this week off is that there aren't any major holidays to work into the schedule. We can all just relax, leave town, or catch up on some sleep.

I am leaving town. I will be warm. I am psyched!!!!

Movie of the Day: The Breakfast Club.

Middle Names

I've been paying attention to middle names a lot lately. I have no clue why that is, though.

Do you think parents worry the most about first names and then just sort of default middle names? "What sounds good with Oscar?" type stuff? I've never named a kid, so I don't know.

So, I would like to take a survey:

1) What is your middle name?
2) Do you like your middle name?

Movie of the Day: The Namesake. Such a good movie about a young man named Gogol, not to be confused with Google.

Art

I'm in the mood to wander art museums today. I don't think it'll be happening today, but I thought I would gather some data.

What museums do you like? They can be anywhere in the world. I can't promise I'll get to each one, but I'd like to hear about them.

Are there places that have cool art that aren't exactly museums?

Movie of the Day: Where the HeArt Is. Sweet.

Mismatch. Miss Mismatch?

I've decided not to match my clothes today. I don't know why. I guess my socks and shirt match, but I don't know if that will count. Am I just being weird and trying to get comments? Maybe. Am I just in the mood to wear specific clothes? Maybe. Am I mixing patterns? No.

What I am wearing:

Black socks
Brown pants
Blue tanktop that shows around the waist
Black t-shirt
Purple sweater
Silver jewelry
Red shoes

I also have a light blue button on my sweater that says "I can explain" which I thought was good for a teacher. A little funny.

Yes, I'm a nerd. Who isn't going to match today. :)

Movie of the Day: The Matchmaker. So sweet.

Lost:

Lost:

One Weekend

Last seen Friday January 30th at 3:45 PM

Description: Wide open span of time designated for relaxing and accomplishing all of the tasks I never finish during the week.

Reward Offered

Contact: Becca at this Blog if you have any relevant information

10 Days & A Break

So, I went 10 days without having pop. Then, I had some last night at dinner. It didn't even taste good. I don't know why, but I'm happy it happened that way. I have been getting caffeine, so I didn't get a huge buzz off of it, which is good because it's the buzz that I crave. So, I'm back on the tea this morning and kind of happy to not have urgent rushes to the grocery store to buy pop.

Movie of the Day: Dr. T and the Women (Awful movie, don't go rent it. It just sounded funny with T and tea.)

I Am Blessed

I read an Elizabeth Berg book a couple years ago about a nurse who does home visits and one woman that she visited was very sick, but repeatedly said "I am blessed." I loved that so much that I typed up "I am blessed." as big as my computer would let me and then hung it on my fridge.

It's true. And it's also true that I sometimes forget that I'm blessed and just focus on the things in my life that I would like to change.

I am blessed to have caring family and friends.
I am blessed to have a job indoors that does not involve anything too gross.
I am blessed to have good health care.
I am blessed to have more than enough food everyday.
I am blessed to have a roof over my head and shoes on my feet.

Movie of the Day: It's actually a BBC tv show that I found at the library on Wednesday called The Vicar of Dibley. My former pastor Michelle introduced me to it a couple of years ago. It's hilarious. Right before the closing credits, it says: Bless you for watching.... Cracks me up!

Slowly

I'm the kind of person who will see something in a store, think it's awesome, and then buy it. Well, at least I'm like this about craft items, maybe not about other things as much any more. However, when I see some stickers, or pipecleaners, or paint, or whatever else seems cool, I buy it. I don't have any clue what I'll use it for, but when the creative idea strikes, I'll be ready.

Sometimes, I do things that don't totally make sense, but just feel right. Then, eventually everything comes together and it all does make sense. The stars align or whatever cheesy thing you want to say.

I think and think and think about stuff (obsess, if you will) and then suddenly make a decision and follow through.

Right now, I'm wondering what I'm working on in the back of my mind, what stars are slowly making their way into alignment.

Movie of the Day: Stargate.

Babies Galore!

(This is not the deep topic I alluded to yesterday. That's still marinating in my head. However...)

There has been an influx of children in my friends' lives lately! Granted, some of them are Facebook friends who I haven't talked to in eons, but I'm countin' it. It's so many people that I have to write them down to keep track. In the last year, 9 (Nine) of my friends have had children and two more are on the way.

Movie of the Day: Babe

Getting Ready

I've started writing this post a couple of times now. What I want to say is deeply profound (ha ha) and meaningful, I'm just tripping over my words to try to explain it.

I have been sitting here for at least 5 minutes since writing the above and I guess I need more time to figure it out before I can pass it along. Drat. It's deep, too. Perhaps tomorrow.

For now, I leave you with a movie that I watched last night: The Go-Getter. It's a little edgy, so if you prefer movies like The Parent Trap or Little Lord Fauntleroy, this one might not be for you.

Day 7

Today is the start of the 7th day that I have not had any pop (soda, soda pop). This is a huge deal for me. I'm actually shocked that I've made it this long without cracking. I've been getting some caffeine from green tea, just to keep the people around me safe. The headaches haven't been too bad.

Movie of the Day: The Outsiders. Ponyboy and Soda Pop...

Things On My Desk

The items on my desk right now:

• a Van Gogh mug steeping mixed berry green tea
• my cellphone
• a plate I painted that has rocks and a candle on it
• a piece of amethyst
• my watch
• a coaster
• my horoscope from last weekend (it was good)
• cut up chunks of an old credit card
• a bead that might be too big for a necklace
• The Suicide Collectors by David Oppegaard
• a mini Etch-A-Sketch
• a lanyard I won't use because it promotes the Army
• a Scrabble dictionary
• the information to write the kid I sponsor in Haiti
• a partial list of the 2009 Sundance movies I want to see when they are in general release
• a container of pennies that I used to use for probability units at school
• a maze thingy that is impossible to do (silver balls in corners, etc. Ugh)
• a toothbrush (new)
• a stack of reward cards for ninth graders from about 5 years ago. I should give them to myself.

That's not even all of it, but you don't want a list of lists.

Movie of the Day: The Tao of Steve. Funny and mildly offensive. I should watch it again.

One Foot

Today, we will have one foot in Semester 1 and one foot in Semester 2. Yes, we have ONE final left to give in order to complete Semester 1 (and make up for two cancelled days last week). Then, we have a brief homeroom and leap into Semester 2.

Movie of the Day: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He had to make a step of faith (to get the grail).

Comfort

I'm looking for comfort. It's January. It's cold. There aren't a lot of things on my calendar and what I would like is a mix of exciting things to do and warm cozy blankets on my couch. Is that weird? Do other people feel like this too?

I felt like I should blog about the inauguration today, but everyone is inundated with it right now. So, I'll leave you with: Let's hope things get better. Let's help things get better.

Movie of the Day: Gran Torino. I haven't seen it yet, but MANY people have been suggesting it to me.

Ritual Continues

If you follow this blog regularly, you will recall that last October, Little Baby M was nearly born in my livingroom. M's mom L and I have a ritual of ordering Sammy's pizza (usually with pineapple) and watching a movie. Little M interrupted our last attempt at watching a movie, but tonight, she joined in the fun and survived the whole evening! No rushing off to the hospital this time!

Food: Sammy's Pizza with pineapple. Cherry Coke Zero.
Movie: Lars and the Real Girl

Little M is one of the girls now.

On a side note, Sundance 2009 is going on right now and L (mother of M) and I were in Park City for Sundance 2006. Things sure have changed!

A Wee Bit of Snow

Okay, I think I've gone crazy. Why? After finally being able to leave the house without packing a spare blanket and checking in after every stop, I was so happy to be outside that I offered to help my folks clear snow off of their deck. It's been on there for over a month, so it's not like it was an urgent task. Yep, I'm nuts.

Then, I went inside and finished sewing a blanket (third? fourth? I've lost track.). There are 10 blankets nearly ready for donation now. My mom has done most of them. I'll use the "She's retired" excuse.

Now, I'm home and ready to tackle a few more projects. Uff. I've gone crazy.

Movie of the Day: Anything cheesy on Hallmark. My mom is addicted and she's dragging me down that slippery slope with her!

Chef Becca HA HA HA

Okay, I tried cooking again. Let's just say the final line of this little episode was my mom on the phone saying, "Try again. Well, not today, but..."





What I've learned:

• The battery on my smoke detector is functioning.


• It's really cold airing out a house when it's -20 F.


• Omelets can burn very, very quickly.


• My career at Perkins is on hold.


• Salad and pasta make a nice lunch.

Here's a picture for posterity:

Will They? Won't They?

It's cold out. Really cold out. We trudged to school through two cold days and they have announced that it's closed for tomorrow! Now, as a teacher, I am an advocate of education. I also like to sleep in. It's a conundrum some times. Tomorrow, sleeping in wins out. Unfortunately, it is a Final Exam Day that will need to be rescheduled, pushing back the start of the next semester. Uff. Oh well.

For now, I'll just be happy to be snug as a bug in a rug.

Movie of the Day: Junebug. A bug in June would be warm. Hmmmm....

Slow Start

I've been reading a book for a couple years now. No, I don't mean that I reread it each year. I mean that I started it over two years ago and I'm still reading it. Sure, it's 548 pages, and sure I say I'm a slow reader, but it's not THAT long and I'm not THAT slow of a reader. I just didn't get into it when I started reading it two years ago. I put it down. Then, I started again. Then, I put it down. Then, I started it a third time. Finally, I am on page 418 and I think I'll be able to finish it this year. Perhaps even this month! This deadline coincides with the movie coming out at the end of January. What book you ask? Inkheart.

Care Packages

It was wonderful to receive care packages in the mail while I was in college. I think it would be fun to send care packages to my friends now. Anyone interested in starting a care package revival?

Movie of the Day: Adaptation. Weird movie.

Gingerbread Houses

Okay, they are actually graham cracker houses, but you get the idea. Sugar High!

Snowshoeing

One in a Million Saras took me snowshoeing today in the lovely field near her house. It was my very first snowshoeing experience and I really liked it. I was borrowing my brother-in-law's equipment, which was a bit too big and manly for me, but I feel like I got the gist of it enough to know that I'd like to try it again. Very cool.

Movie of the Day: I will be working on the second half of the blanket I started a week ago and watching Hollywoodland (I believe) tonight. I'll let you know if it's worth a look.

Slang

I pride myself in knowing the meaning of the slang that my students use in class. I don't know all of it, but when I hear something that I don't understand, I try to figure it out or ask. Mostly, it's so I can call them out on it, if it's inappropriate.

My main red flag: someone says something that seems out of context and then usually one gender of students starts giggling.

Oy.

An example: "whale tail" is when a girl's specific type of underwear is showing above the waist of her jeans.

Movie of the Day: The Whale and the Squid. (On my list of movies I want to see)

God Rocked

I saw a movie last night (while ditching choir, "Sorry K."), which was funny and scary in a satirical kind of way. The movie was filmed in Duluth and it was fun to recognize local haunts. It's called God Rocked. I don't think you can rent it locally (which sucks), but it's on NetFlix or you can contact the director and get your own copy!

Wander Lust

The snow is piled high in my yard.
Final exams are next week.
My house is a cool 64 degrees.

And I want to escape!

While pretty much anywhere would be exciting right now, I decided to hit the school library and pick up some books on different countries that might be fun to visit. I started with a few books about the places below.

Places I would love to see:

Scotland (castles!)
Emerald Lake in Canada
Machu Picchu
Egyptian pyramids
Italy
Greek Islands
Israel
Japan
South Africa
Costa Rica
Finland
France (again)
England (again)
Norway
Sweden
Russia

I could keep going.

Huh? What?

Yesterday was a tough day for my ninth graders. I jumped right into the thick of Chapter 6 and all of its equation forms and then reminded them that they have finals next week. Yes, the semester is almost up and they are going to have some serious tests soon. It was like they were blindsided by it. This is the first time in their lives that grades really matter toward graduation. Some of them have messed up their grades beyond repair and are just waiting out the semester. We'll see what we can offer them in the second half of the year for some grade recovery.

As for the rest, good luck!

Magazines

It's good to try new things, right? Usually, I read magazines like Oprah or Real Simple. I used to buy Premiere (how I miss that one) and US Weekly or People. I gave up buying the celebrity stuff when I started getting sick of hearing who was going into rehab and who was wearing what dress. Does it affect my life? No.

However, over break, I've started reading two different magazines that are great! The first one, I found at Northern Lights Bookstore while buying David Oppegaard's debut novel: The Suicide Collectors. Dave is "Blogagaard" in some of my old posts' comments. Any way, while I was checking out, I found the magazine The Sun. It's mainly creative writing on a different topic each month! There are no ads. It's fascinating. I might have to subscribe! It's website is www.thesunmagazine.org

As for the second one, my friend's mom gave me a MAD magazine since she heard I'd never read one. It's hilarious! I've been missing out.

School starts back up today. Wish me luck!

Time for Some Research

It has snowed quite a bit this season and after going outside to assess the shoveling needs, I've decided that I need to do something about my mini wind tunnel of a driveway. I'm not sure what to do or even if there is anything to do to help the huge drifts, but I'm going to start researching it. Some parts have less than an inch of snow on them and others have over a foot.

I've called for a ride to church, which makes me feel wimpy, but I console myself that I didn't just go back to sleep.

Movie of the Day: A Mighty Wind. :)

Button

I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button yesterday and it was wonderful! It was so good that I didn't notice it was 2.5 hours long! The movie follows the life of a man who is aging backwards. He's born old, small, but old. Slowly, he loses his arthritis and turns into a young man and then a child. It's fascinating to watch him learn about life in the opposite direction.

And no, I did not have a fleece blanket to sew in the theater. :)

Free Time

So, you would think I could have blogged yesterday, but some how it slipped my mind.

I've been watching a lot of movies and sewing blankets. I'm almost done with my third fleece blanket (trimming the edges by hand) and I've watched the following movies over break:

• Thumbsucker
• Millions
• Birth
• Wild Hogs
• The Duchess
• Marley & Me
• Amazing Grace

I think it is more movies than I've watched the whole first three months of school. I'm sure I'll be seeing at least one more today. (More on that tomorrow!)

DRAT

I missed yesterday. Grrr.....

Happy New Year!

Movie of the Day: Marley & Me. So sweet and sad. Make sure you have tissues with you.

So Far, So Good

Well, I'm blogging every day, just like I promised. Now, if only I could think of something fascinating to write here!

• I saw Sweet Land yesterday which was indeed sweet and about land.
• I'm half-way done with my second blanket for charity. My mom seems to think I will be making about 20 (eek). We'll see how far I get before school starts back up.
• I haven't figured out what to do tonight to celebrate the yearly transition.
• I probably won't make any resolutions this year. Maybe I should resolve not to make any resolutions. Hmmm.....

Happy New Year!

Christmas Lights, A-Flamin'

Oh, interesting story from Christmas Day: My mom and I both have these tea-light tower things that I found one year. She only uses hers at Christmas and mine sits out in my office, but I never light it. Any way, I'm sure you can guess where this is going... I go to switch out the tea lights around lunch time on Christmas and one of them is really, really flaming and the fire is sort of rolling around the tin. I try blowing it out a couple times and it doesn't work. On the last try, it flies OUT of the tower and behind my mom's sewing machine! I'm screaming "OH MY GOD" and trying to move the machine and make sure the flame is out. The wall is doused in wax and the linoleum is singed. Ufff. Most of it came off/out and the machine covers the burns, but I was freaked. Yep, I will be getting rid of my tower now. If it had been in my office, the carpet would have caught fire?

Yesterday, I left my house a couple times to check my mailbox. Does stepping on the porch count as "leaving the house"? Maybe not. Any way, the rest of the day, I finished a blanket (green with white trim) and watched two movies: Thumbsucker (good) and Birth (decent).

We'll see what kind of mischief I get into today....

Vacation

Greetings, all! I am gloriously on vacation for the next week and have decided to make it a goal to blog every day.

This afternoon, my plan is to work on sewing a fleece blanket and watch one of the movies that I bought without actually haven't seen it. Yes, I know it's crazy, but at the time, I thought it made more sense to buy them when it was cheaper to buy than to rent. Now, I realize that this means I have movies on my hands. So, I will watch them and then decide if I should keep them or pass them along.

However, I would like some ideas of new movies or documentaries that you've enjoyed. So, if you would like to leave a comment with suggestions, that would rock!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Give Me Back My Week, Please.

We had a snow day last Monday. And then, we had a "if you can't get to school, you are excused" day which most of our kids took to mean a snow day. That takes care of Monday and Tuesday. Then, I went on a retreat with the ninth graders on Wednesday. Then, I missed half of Thursday for an appointment. Uff. Friday, I was able to see all of my classes for the first time all week.

Now, we have two more days of school and then we can relax a bit. Unfortunately, I'm going to be trying to cram a lot of math into these last two days when the students are perhaps a bit less focused than usual. Ha ha. I'll try.

Movie: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Sweet.

Christmas Lights

Over the years, I've tried to put up Christmas lights in my yard. I think they're pretty and fight depression. Unfortunately, in the last year, I seem to have lost almost all of the inanimate objects that I've ever decorated! The only thing that I can reach without a serious ladder (and an acrophobia trigger) is my front steps' railing. That just doesn't seem like enough. I've actually thought of asking my neighbor if I can light her fence. I wonder if she'd let me.

Movie of the Day (or week/month since I'm so slow at blogging these days): The Dark Knight. He could have used a little light.

Early, Even For Me

I'm awake and ready for the day ridiculously early. This means I was wide awake at 4:30, ready to attack the day. I have to WAIT to eat breakfast simply so I'm not crabby with hunger by 9:00. It's silly.

I'm excited to start my long weekend. I decided to take tomorrow off from work and I'm finding that a two-day work week is really quite manageable! I wonder if I could live off 40% of my income?

Any way, it's glorious and I'm excited to get the relaxing started!

I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving (or weekend if you are reading this outside of the US).

Movie of the Day: Dream For an Insomniac

A Poem

I ran across a poem that I wrote. I'm not sure when it was written.

A Prayer

May you find kindness and love.
May you be safe and warm.
May you find home, laughter, and joy.
May you find someone to share your sorrow
and someone to lift you up.
May you find peace within your heart
and light within your soul.

I'm a Slug

I have down time tonight and dreams of mustering up the energy to clean my house. In reality, all I want to do is curl up with my book and try to fight my adult-onset ADD. Can I read more than 5 pages in one sitting? I'm not sure.

I'll go give it a try.

Movie of the Day: Herbie the Love Bug. Slug Bug White!

Stream of Consciousness: Let It Flow

It's Tuesday. It's dark out way too early for my taste. My driveway is like semi-set cement and my cute decorative flag ripped off my garage this weekend in the wind. Tore the holder off too. Sheesh. It's like the wind doesn't want any fun. Yesterday, I drove behind a truck that had two American flags on sticks attached to the windows. All I could think of was the drag and how much gas they would save by taking them down. No offense, Flag. I'm in the mood to make jewelry, but I'm antsy too. Then, I feel groggy and like "Hey, maybe 8:00 is an acceptable bedtime." I'm starting to act old or 4. Oy. I have some plants in my livingroom that are getting out of control! They're snaking along the carpet and having a grand ol' time. I suppose the people with green thumbs would suggest splitting them and getting bigger pots and such so they can propagate even more. Might be good. I glanced at an article in Sunday's paper about having plants at work to help with the air quality. I've had plants at school before. I wonder if the kids would leave them alone. Maybe. They don't seem to mess with much this year, though I have gotten rid of some of the distractions: cartoon calendars and the cd player, to be specific. How much fun can they really have with a plant? Well, a legal plant.

Movie of the Day: High School Musical 3. Cheesy goodness. The previews made me laugh out loud.

Uber Fun on a Sunday

I spent the evening with my friends L, G, Goofy Boy, and Wee One. They were in town for a little R & R before L goes back to work in a week.

It's amazing how a person can be friends with someone for 24 years (Crap, that makes me feel old) and maybe not see them for years and years, but just fall right back into place like it's been a week since the two of you hung out. It's very, very nice.

We laughed. We giggled. We gossiped. We remembered lots of random stuff from junior high and even some stuff that I forgot about. G wanted to know what L said about him when they started dating in 1989. Unfortunately, I don't remember much beyond the general drama of it all.

Now, they have Goofy Boy and Wee One, both delightful young men.

Movie of the Day: The Edge. A creepy movie. A nice hotel water park.

Linger

It's raining and really all I want to do is curl up with a book, a movie, a blanket, and some loved ones. It's the perfect day to hunker down, to gather in the warmth and linger.

Argh

Raise your hand if you're stressed out. I've been the kid in the back waving her hand vigorously for weeks now and I finally couldn't take it any more yesterday. Things at work are overwhelming. The election, the economy, the weather are looming. Luckily, things with my family and friends are good, or I'd be in the loonie bin for sure.

On a lighter note, here's a shout-out to little Baby M, who was nearly born in my livingroom last week! M and her mom L are going great!

Movie of the Day: Water.

Mix Tape

Remember mix tapes? For the young ones out there, it's like a mix cd only on a tape cassette. Instead of drag-clicking a playlist and burning the cd, you sit and switch either tapes or cds for each song and then wait while it plays and records. You have to plan the songs so you don't run out of time on one side before the song finishes. It's a serious labor of love.

I ran across a mix tape that my friend K made for me in December of 1991. I know she reads this blog, so I'd like to thank her and find out if she remembers it. For everyone else, count up how many of the following songs you know and feel free to drop a comment....

"Tape for Becca Dec. - 1991 'A Collective Accumulation of Classics' - Love K..

Side A

Tocata and Fuge in Dm- J.S. Bach
Up the Ladder to the Roof- The Nylons
The Obvious Child- Paul Simon
Under the Sea-The Little Mermaid (Sebastian)
Donna- Ritchie Valens
From a Distance- Bette Midler
Feelin' Groovy- Simon & Garfunkel
The Sound of Silence- S & G
Juke Box Hero- Foreigner
Ballads + Blues- George Winston
Loud/Soft- Bert (Sesame Street)

Side B

"W" Lovers- Bert again
Mack the Knife- Louis Armstrong
Penniwhistle Jig- Jamse Galway
Otto Titsling- Bette Midler
Hotel California- Eagles
Piano Man- Billy Joel
Duelin' Banjos- James Galway
Bert's Girlfriend- Bert (SS)
Bop `Til You Drop- The Nylons
Sabre Dance- James Galway
The Friendship Theme (From Beaches)

Nice mix, eh?

Movie of the Day: Made of Honor. Fluffy, but okay.

Community Ed Classes

Okay, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've blogged. Let's blame school starting, shall we?

Every Fall, I look forward to getting the Community Ed Classes flier in the newspaper. Over the years, I've taken quite a few classes: Joy of Soy, self-defence, photography, Norwegian, and even bellydancing. I haven't seen any in recent years that have just jumped out at me and made me want to rearrange my life to attend. So, I've decided to create a dream list of classes that I would enjoy:

Classes Becca Would Like To Attend Through Community Ed.
How to Introduce Yourself to a Neighbor Six Years After Becoming Neighbors.
How to Get Your Contractor to Do His/Her Job.
How to Cook Without Getting Injured.
How to Map Routes Through Duluth to Optimize Gas Usage.
How to Stop Drinking Pop: You Can Do It! Or Not Do It!
How to Find Organic Fair Trade Clothing That You Can Try On Before Buying.
How to Make World Peace a Reality.

Yep, that's my list. Now, I know I've been AWOL blogging. Please forgive me. What Classes would YOU like to see offered through Community Ed?

Movie of the Day: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. I didn't think this movie would hit me just as deeply as it did. I really liked it!

Here We Go

Yesterday was the first official day back for teachers. It's a time for staff development, catching up with friends, hauling books from the bookroom to my room (on whatever cart I can find), and pretty much trying to get as much squared away as possible.

Today, we have a two hour staff meeting at 10, with room prep before and afterwards. Some years, it's enough time and other years I'm scrambling to finish things up as the kids are coming in the door on Thursday morning. This year, I think I'll be okay.

Movie of the Day: What Happens in Vegas. It's silly and doesn't have a lot to do with Vegas and more to do with learning to get along with people.

One Minor Step

The foundation of my house needs redoing, as I may have mentioned in JUNE. It has yet to get started, except that an electrician has moved my powerline to a better entry spot. That's it.

My theory is that the contractor will want to start on the first day of school, because that will add just the right amount of stress to land me in a padded room.

Movie of the Day: Persepolis. A grown up cartoon. It's in French with subtitles. Be able to read quickly. It's about a girl growing up in Iran. It's very good!

Okay, Okay. I Won't Travel.

You may recall that I was whining about not getting out of town much this summer. It's true. After blogging, I thought of one trip to the Cities in June and then did make a day trip to Little Fork, MN.

Then, planning as all good planners do, I plotted out a nice little two-day trip to Mankato and the surrounding region starting tomorrow. Nothing too wild, but at least a little bit of a trip.

All of that is tossed out the window. Why? Why would Becca cancel her chance to see new horizons? Pneumonia! Yes, that's right. I have pneumonia. Crazy, huh? My highest fever went up to 104.6, but has broken now. Whew. I spent Monday afternoon in the Emergency Room getting poked and prodded. I was so sick that I didn't even bother showering before going there (it's significant). Yesterday, I realized I hadn't brushed my teeth in over two days.

It's been a rough week. Luckily, I'm on the upswing.

Movie of the Day: Wit. Very good. Sad. Funny. Kept running through my head as I sat in the hospital.

Clean Drugs

In an effort to sort out some of the junk in my house, I decided to take advantage of the up-coming "Drug Recycling Event" that WLSSD is putting on next week. They are collecting and disposing of old medications instead of letting people flush them, pour them down the sink, or throw them away!

When was the last time you cleaned out your medicine cabinet?

Movie of the Day: How to Deal. ha ha ha.

Hurricane Becca

I am in this bizarre mood to just cull out so much stuff at my house that I'm opening closets and drawers and then just pulling out stuff I don't want any more. Then, I leave it in the middle of the floor and keep moving on. I'm not doing it consciously, but the place is starting to look like a storm has been through the house.

I better go start clean-up efforts.

Movie of the Day: Dark Knight. It was very dark, but good. Not as violent as I feared, but still pretty bad.

Must Travel. Now.

Okay, I'm the last one to eagerly admit that school is starting soon. "Soon" is a relative term, I keep telling myself. If it were March and someone said, "I'm gonna give you 3.5 weeks off right now" I would do a happy dance. So, I should be thrilled to still have 3.5 weeks of vacation and not focus on all that will happen at the end of those 3.5 weeks, right? I mean, there's preparing, but not worrying....

Any way, I haven't done a very good job of getting my carcass out of Duluth this summer. I went an hour and a half away. Once. For an afternoon. That doesn't count for much.

Therefore, I am hoping to make a couple short trips around the state in my 3.5 weeks: 1) Twin Cities, or "The Cities," 2) Up North to see relatives, & 3) Mankato to see friends (and Belle Plaine, L.).

Any suggestions on what to see when I'm in any of these three places?

Movie of the Day: Nancy Drew. Very cute movie.

Books

I have recently been invited to join two "informal book clubs." Really, this means two friends thought about how much I like to read and would maybe like to get more books in the mail. These were chain letters. I'm not good at chain letters. I just never send them and used to get freaked out by the gloom and doom of what would happen if I didn't pass them along.

So, since I do like books and I do like my friends, I thought I would just give my friends six of my books. Yes, I have that many I can spare. I met one of them for dinner last week and it had been a couple months since I received her "club invitation" so I surprised her with a huge bag of books and asked her to give one of them to the one person I was supposed to send a book to (her coworker). Technically, she got more than six books, but I don't care.

It was liberating to get rid of some of the books that I've either read or don't think I'm going to read any time soon. Ah....

What else can I cull out?

Movie of the Day: Mamma Mia! Good, silly fun!