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: