Plan Ahead

Friday is 11/11/11.   Could you think of something you could do 11 times on Friday?  Just for fun!    I just came up with this idea, so I have no plan yet, but I like the possibilities.  It's going to be a Friday, so maybe "yawn."  It would be more fun to have a silly plan.

Who's with me?

Cathy Lamb

Last July, my sister and I stumbled upon a local bookstore in Spooner, WI.  We both like to wander and while Sara was debating which book to get, I kept going back to this book:

Over and over, I went back to it.  So, finally, I decided to get it.  I like buying for local shops.  I like novels.  Makes sense.  The store clerk said that lots of people were happy to see that Cathy Lamb had a new book. 

I was engrossed in it!   I have since read The Last Time I was Me, Henry's Sisters, and I have 30 pages left of Such a Pretty Face.   There is only one book left: Julia's Chocolates and it's sitting on my shelf.  I have to ration out my Cathy Lamb books!  I hope she's got a new one in the works!

Each book deals with love, trauma, finding yourself, and family.   They are approximately 400 pages, but they are SOOOOO engrossing that you don't notice the length and weight except when you carry the book with you everywhere IN CASE you have time to read.

Maybe You Knew

So, tomorrow is opening deer hunting weekend and a bunch of my students are either going to be heading out early or have already left to go shoot Bambi.   Well, I was thinking of wearing a T-shirt for Invisible Children, an organization that helps kids who are struggling in Africa.   Then, I thought, "I could wear my new Blaze Orange sweatshirt with it!"   Well, not only does it highlight a good cause, but it's ironic.  I'm a dork.  Maybe you knew that.

No, I didn't order these glasses.  I ALMOST got them as sunglasses, just for a laugh.

Weird

Two days ago, I titled my blog entry "One a Day Plus Iron."  Then, one of my "whole living" tips online was to add Vitamin B to my diet to help with stress.  Well, who doesn't need help with stress, right?  So, I checked with the pharmacist and he said it would be fine to add it.  

I took it at lunch and by choir practice, I was zinging one-liners.   WHAT?   I'm cheerful at night AND goofy?  Amazing!  We'll see if this trend continues.  Too bad I can't pass them out to my students.

Adapt

A few friends and I had a conversation about adapting to living with another person.  One friend was married and two of us are in our mid-thirties and never married.  We discussed what little things would drive us crazy if we had to change them and ended up talking about how glasses should be put in cupboards: right side up or upside down?  

I guess my parents fought over how to fold laundry.  Do you think people just copy what their parents did?  And if so, then really they are copying the parent-who-won's style!

So, survey: 
1) Do you put glasses in the cupboard right side up or upside down?
2) Do you fold towels length-wise first or width-wise first?

Blog a Day Plus Iron

A friend told me about a National Novel writing challenge and asked if I wanted to be his writing buddy.  You write a novel (50,000 words) during the month of November.  Um, no thanks.  I don't have the patience to create character development or a plot arc.   Let me tell silly little stories and be on with my day. 

I did, however, think that this could be a chance for me to challenge myself to write a blog entry EVERY day this month.  Yes, folks, EVERY DAY!   So, the challenge is on.  If you have a topic that you're itchin' to read about and you think I might have something to say about it, let me know.  I can't guarantee it won't be a list of Things that are Green or whatever.

Actually, I did a post of "Things that are Blue" and SERIOUSLY, that is the most popular "hit" off Google for my blog.  I guess people search for Things that are Blue.  hmmmm....

Let the challenge begin!!!

Fries

As of late, I haven't been able to eat French fries without them getting stuck in my throat.  Isn't that weird?   The sad thing is that fries were my favorite mustard conduit.  I'm weird, I know.

What's funny is that I can handle having students call me weird, but not stupid.  I don't get called stupid very often, ever, so when it happens, I get mad.  Mainly, it has to do with the Smart Board in my room that I'm learning to use.  I'm not a complete idiot with it, but these kids, who are more technologically inclined than I am, have been watching people use the boards for 5 years.  You pick up a lot that way.  Uff.  Oh well.

I'm tossing around the idea of going to a Halloween party.  Any costume suggestions?

Feel Better

I had a headache after school and I was trying to think of somewhere I could go that was totally relaxing.  I eventually came up with the library.   I grabbed a coffee at Dunn Bros. first, hoping it was caffeine related, and then headed to the book shelves.   It's so nice to wander around, looking at all the options, knowing I don't have to think about budgets or if I could find the book on Amazon for cheaper.  I just grabbed what I wanted (fiction, How-To, DVDs).   Ah.  It's just so calming for me. 

I think some of it has to do with growing up next to the neighborhood library (a different one that is now closed).  If I close my eyes, I can still smell it, still hear the creaks in the floors and picture the librarians.  I think I read every teen book there that even remotely interested me.  I still remember where the poetry section was and where the encyclopedias were that I used each Monday of 8th grade art to fill in my "artist" biographies.  I still have those worksheets. 

MEA

It's MEA weekend coming up, which means schools in the Twin Cities have Thursday and Friday off and schools in Duluth only have Friday off.   I think they assume that we don't go to the teacher convention any way.  I've never been there, in 16 years of teaching, so I guess they're kind of correct.   Either way, it means I get Friday off (we make up for it by staying late for parent/teacher conferences).    Soooo... by Friday, we will be 50% done with conferences for the Fall and will get a day off.   I'm hoping to sleep and do something goofy.

Movies I Watched This Weekend: The Ides of March and Hanna.  The first one made me mad and the second one made me sad.  Watch at your own risk.

Duluth Foliage

School Lunch

I got up early yesterday and hauled myself to 6:30 AM yoga class.   I haven't been there in weeks, for various reasons.   When I got to school, I realized I hadn't grabbed my lunch (which I'd made the previous night, which was not my usual routine).   Drat!  So, I ended up going to the cafeteria and standing in line with the kiddos.   Now, this would be fine, but I have only had school lunch ONE other time in my 15 years of teaching.   Yes, once.

I asked a couple kids about what I should do and didn't get a clear response until I found one of the girls from my class.  She said I was in the burger and fries line.  Oops.  So, wandered to the sandwich line and paid close attention to what the kids ahead of me were doing.   Then, went to check out and was told I could grab a beverage or "whatever I want because I'm a teacher" but that was a bit unclear.   It was easier to grab a milk and escape back to my colleagues.

Here's to trying something new!

Movie of the Day: Jane Eyre.  It's a recent adaptation and it was really good!

Tail End

I'm on the tail end of a cold and the hacking cough combined with the teaching of classes (talking too much) is not going so well.  To top it off, our new school has a sound system in each room and I keep coughing into the mike that is around my neck.  Uff.  Oh well.

Movie

What's your favorite movie? 


Talk amongst yourselves!

Same Time, Same Place

Last weekend, I ordered something online and the tracking dealy-bop said it would be here by Wednesday.   I was so excited to get home two days ago, only to find a post-it note saying I needed to sign for my package.  It said they would stop back the next day at the same time. 

Well, I signed the back saying "I won't sue you if you leave it here and something happens to it."

Thursday: I rush home between work and errands to secure said box only to find TWO post-it notes.  The second one added to the "Must sign" "in person".   WHAT?!?!?!!?!   It then said that they would return the same time on Friday.

Now, where is the logic in this???  If I'm not home two days in a row at that time, what makes them think Friday is going to be the magic day that I'm there????   So, I went online and changed it to "I'll just pick up the stupid thing myself tomorrow after work."  Okay, it doesn't say that, but SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!!  

Movie of the Day: You've Got Mail (somewhere)

Blah, Blah, Blah

So, here's my lame excuse for not blogging lately: I can't think of anything to say.  Seriously, it's not like I can't expound on some random topic for a couple paragraphs.  It's more an issue of complete exhaustion and hardly being able to drag my cereal bowl from the table to the counter.  I'm really high energy if I rinse it and put it in the dishwasher.  

WOW!  That sounds so pathetic.  Okay, here's my excuse for being THAT pathetic: first full week of school.   Now, you're probably wondering, what's the NEXT excuse going to be and the great thing is that I already have it planned out: It's Homecoming Week this week!  Yes, that's right, weird stuff happens every day.  Uff.  It'll be fine, though and I'm hoping that I can adjust to this "working every day" gig and have a little more energy.  Otherwise, I'm the dork going to bed at 8 PM every night! 

Tomorrow, if you want to pretend that you go to Denfeld High School, the theme is Wizard of Oz and kids (and staff) are wearing grade-level appropriate colors:

9th graders: Blue
10th graders: Red
11th graders: Yellow
12th graders: Black (not a part of the rainbow, but it's tradition that they get to dress up like mimes/thieves)
Staff: Green
Should be a blast and one of the less-disruptive days.   Friday's Maroon and Gold Day is the MOST disruptive.  Only mean teachers like me try to teach anything that day.  :)

Movie of the Day:  You guessed it: The Wizard of Oz!

A few flowers

Not So Organized

I would love to report that everything is going to be spiffy and ready for the amazing year that is to come at school.  Unfortunately, I don't really know how to do lots of whiz-bang stuff on my Smartboard and I'm still trying to get enough desks and a pencil sharpener.  However, I will do my utmost to make things happen and get some learnin' to occur tomorrow.  Yes, yes I will.

Decorate

When you were in high school, how did you decorate your locker?  And, was it a stacked locker or a tall one that you maybe shared? 

I shared a locker with a friend who hung a poster of Alan Rickman, as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood.  Um, okay.... You might know him as the man who played Snape in Harry Potter.   Yep, not exactly Tom Cruise or Keanu Reeves (it's his birthday today, Happy Day, Sir!).   Soooo.... yeah.  I have no idea what I put up.  Weird.

Maybe you'd set up a little altar to the homework gods or hang battery operated Christmas lights?  I had a student hang up shag carpet on the inside of the door and keep a camping chair in the locker.  Wanted it to feel homey, I guess.

Now, I'd probably hang up travel pictures.  Paris, London, Macchu Picchu, Rome, a fjord.  You get the picture.  Ha ha. 

Movie of the Day:  Saved.  She had stuff hiding in her locker.

The Books

I'm kind of old-school and still have paper books around my house.  I don't have a Kindle or Nook or whatever the next cool thing is.  I have paper.  Sometimes, my house feels like Becca's Reference Room.  I have two large dictionaries, 20 yearbooks (or more) spanning from when I was in junior high to last year (I like to buy them each year so I can look up kids that I hear about later.), and books on "What does that symptom mean?"  I have self-help books (they're working, can't you tell?), fiction, travel books, and multiple Bibles (Good News, The Message, Student Bible NIV, a couple mini Gideon Bibles, and an English/Finnish/Swedish hotel Bible from a friend).  I have quote books, art books, decorating books, how to fix your toilet books, poetry books, textbooks, and books on teaching/parenting. 

I better get back to reading. 

Movie of the Day: Inkheart.  They love books, too.

Good Point

I spent the morning staining my deck with my dad.   This type of activity always leads to chatting about random stuff that is going on in the world or church.  Sunday, my family attended a wedding for two friends: Cynthia and Jonie, yes two women! 

In the parking lot of the beach house on Park Point, a car had the bumper sticker: Marriage is SO Gay!  How great!!!!   Yes.  Seriously!  Two people love each other.  They want to commit to each other for the rest of their lives.  We should all be encouraging this, not condemning them! 

Well, this morning, my dad mentioned that the GOP wants the government to get out of people's lives, and YET, they want to control all sorts of things about people's lives.  So hypocritical!  

Congratulations on your wonderful marriage, Cynthia and Jonie!