Spring Break Update

I am having SUCH a great Spring Break! Yippee! I came into it without a ton of school stuff I needed to accomplish... but just enough to do that I wouldn't risk stagnation. Perfect.

A lot of the things on my list involved non-school obligations - the kind of thing I'd never really get done while lesson plans were priority #1. So I went to get my car registered and inspected (yes, yes, I know my birthmonth is December. Let's not talk about my horrific memory and absence of all organization skills. And let's not go into detail about how another thing on my list of things to do was "pay that ticket..."), I got tons of pictures developed (249, to be exact...), I made a return to a store (I'm so bad at multi-tasking while teaching, and those kind of things loom o'er me - hurrah for vacation!), I got some lining material to go with my dress that I bought for Matt's wedding (in case he actually sends out the invitations - hee hee hee), and today I went for an eye exam and ordered new glasses.

The eye exam was funny. I forgot how they shine incredibly bright lights in your eyes, and ask you not to blink while they do so. I forgot about the tears streaming down my face. I forgot that they say "okay, open your eyes nice and wide" and then POKE THEM with strange blue sticks of light. I felt strangely (Katie, brace yourself) like I was in the Matrix or something. I mean really! I'm all stuck into this weird contraption where my head is locked in, and then (Claire, brace yourself) slowly, slowly, this blue wand of light comes closer and closer until PONK it makes ever-so-slight contact with your eye. I wonder if he's ever had anyone jump up screaming "What are you DOING?!?!" That would be awesome. Sometime when I'm older and all my inhibitions are gone (another advantage to getting older, Rachel!), perhaps I'll try it. Then again, while inhibitions may depart, Victorian ideas of propriety, I think, will always be with me.

And I'm having great opportunities for enjoying my dear family (oo! Like when Shawn and Gretchen and the boys came zipping into the driveway, poured into the house, and filled the home with little boys' incredibly excited shouting of the news that the bridge at the golf course had collapsed!!! Dad and I - the only ones home - jumped into the car with them and whizzed down to see this great sight. Impressive!), and enjoying friends (I played some of the best vball in AGES last night - it was SO much fun - complete with two games of doubles with Craig against Shawn and Kayla - totally fun!) relaxing, and reading, and even doing Sudoku with Mom! What a great invention Spring Break is. May it ever be so!

Death is Only an Horizon

This quote was on the front cover of the program for Dr. Delasanta’s funeral. I love it, and want to share it here.

“We give them back to You, O God, who gave them to us. Yet, as you did not lose them in giving, so we do not lose them by their return. What You give, O Lover of souls, You do not take away, for what is Yours is ours also if we are Yours. Life is eternal, love is immortal, death is only an horizon, and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. Lift us up, O Lord, that we may see further; cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly; draw us closer to Yourself that we may be nearer to our loved ones who are with You. And while You prepare a place for us, prepare us also for that happy place, that where You are we may also be for evermore. Amen.”

Beautiful, is it not? I was blessed by the emphasis placed on eternal life and reunion throughout the funeral service. I wasn’t sure how those things are handled in Catholic services, but evidently they are central. I’m so thankful that it is the truth!

My Tribute

This past week Dr. Delasanta, whom I often referred to as "Dr. Delasanta-my-favorite-professor," passed away. He had been in poor health for quite awhile, so it wasn't a huge surprise or anything, but it is quite a profound loss to all who knew him.

He was a brilliant man. Talk about someone who knew literature! He scorned the post-modern way of interpreting literature (as in, what does it say to YOU? Forget what the author meant...) and went with the old technique of figuring out what it actually means.

I had him for two classes: Western Civilization and Literature of Spiritual Crisis. Both classes impacted me, the former intellectually and the latter in deeper ways. But the main force there was his teaching - I trusted him, and I was inspired by his own obvious love for the material.

But I got to know Dr. Delasanta best through working for him. I was his "office assistant" for three years, doing photocopying, filing, and greeting. Most of the time I just did homework while I sat in the outer office. It was the perfect college job:)

But it was greatly enhanced by the fact that I could chat with him, and overhear his conversations with others. I was amazed over and over at the thoughtful discussions going on in that inner office. And it was through hearing him on the phone one day that I learned the joke: "Descartes walked into a McDonald's and ordered a hamburger. 'You want fries with that?' the cashier asked. 'I think not,' said Descartes. And he disappeared." I sat there for about five minutes until I finally got it, and then I thought it was HILARIOUS!

But perhaps what impresses me most about his life is the way he was able to be so brilliant, and yet not make those around him feel dumb. He made me feel smart! That's a gift. He was not high-handed in his scholasticism. I was sitting in the outer office while he was grading Western Civ exams - the final exam after two years. Oy vay - talk about pressure! But he suddenly shouted out to me, "Andrea!" I zipped in. "You GET it! Not everyone gets it, but you GET IT!" I floated around for the rest of the day.

His philosophy about teaching was (and I quote): "Without first having experienced the joy of learning, the teacher cannot reduplicate that state of academic grace for his or her own students. The trick is to generate gladness and then sustain it." He absolutely did that in his classroom, and even out of it.

Dr. Delasanta was a good man. He was a devout Catholic, and lived his life accordingly. I was talking with Mom about going to the funeral, and wondering how hopeful a Catholic funeral would be, if they believe the soul is now suffering in Purgatory... And then I suddenly said, "What a pleasant surprise for Dr. Delasanta!" Imagine thinking you're going to Purgatory, and suddenly finding yourself in Heaven! That made me happy:)

So today I want to honor a great man who had such an impact on my life. It's hard to encapsulate it here, really, but I loved him and respected him, and I'm so much looking forward to seeing him again so I can tell him so in words that will be less faltering than these are.

That Ann Coulter

I love Ann Coulter. I know she's incredibly abrasive and hasn't a tactful bone in her body (well, chooses not to use those bones anyway...). But I just love her! She's smart and clever and so very right wing:)

Near the beginning of the Iraq war she got into a lot of trouble for saying that the best way to win the war on terror is to convert all the muslims to Christianity. OH, the uproar! But hey, she's so right! It's just WAY to unpolitically correct to say that.

A lot of publications dropped her after that, but fortunately I ran across a site where you can sign up to have her articles e-mailed to you. Sign up I did!

So here is a little gem from her article from last week, "If at First You Don't Appease - Cry, Cry Again."

"In uplifting thought No. 57 about the war, liberals keep telling us that Iraqis are genetically indisposed to freedom, which I would characterize as the hard bigotry of low expectations. On this week, let us remember the message of Passover is that freedom doesn't come easy.

Moses had to grab Jews by the scruff of their necks and drag them to the desert for 40 years to get a generation capable of living in freedom -- and even then the Jews were complaining about it being too drafty. The first "stiff-necked" generation didn't even want to leave Egyptian captivity.

Even in the desert, the Jews would not stop with the golden calves. God nearly let the whole lot of them perish in the desert, he was so angry about their idolatrous ways. Only when he had a new generation, born in freedom, that didn't complain about the food, did he lead them to the promised land. For you liberals still reading, this is all extensively covered in a book known as the "Bible."

(Also this week, we celebrate a fast-track to freedom that doesn't require 40 years in the desert, but as I recall, the suggestion that we convert Muslims to Christianity was shot down early on in this war.)"

Isn't that GREAT!? It made me laugh out loud. Keep up the good work, Ann!

A Thought-Provoking Moment

Yesterday I watched the Masters (golf tournament) with Grandpa and Jeannette. It was so much fun! I actually worked on lesson plans and slept during most of it - but I was there in the room, and I really enjoyed it. Golf can actually be interesting, believe it or not! Especially with such good company.

Anyway, I was basically going for Tiger Woods because he was the only one I really knew much about, and Grandpa and Jeannette were rooting him on. He was doing well, made some great shots and stuff, but he was behind this other guy named Zach Johnson. Soon it became clear that Johnson was the guy to beat. He was young, and ranked 57th in the world (or country - I'm not sure which!). He finished the 18th hole, and was interviewed by the little interviewer guy. He gave a great interview, complete with talking about Easter and Jesus! That was pretty awesome. And then it showed his wife and little three month old baby. So sweet.

Then the shot switched back to Tiger Woods, who hadn't finished yet. The announcer was talking about what he'd need to do to win. And now comes the moment of which I'm writing, so pay attention. Jeannette said she hoped Tiger would do well, but that he wouldn't beat Johnson.

I was intrigued. We'd all been going for Tiger a minute before, but that interview had changed all of our minds! Now we wanted Johnson to take it. And what had made the difference? That moment where he was more than just some guy on tv - he was a person. It was the personal touch that made us all switch allegiance to him! I thought that was so interesting.

It makes me think about my American Literature class, and how Dr. Barbour brought out the two schools of thought through Am Lit history. On one hand you have Franklin and Emerson with their ideas of self-reliance and the autonomous man. On the other hand you have Cooper and Melville with the firm belief that "We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow man." Melville's very idea of salvation included fellowship between men. Fascinating!

I lean toward the Cooper/Melville school and not the Franklin/Emerson school, in case you were wondering:) We do need each other! We need others for fellowship, but also to keep us on the right track spiritually, mentally, emotionally... And we are blessed, in this fellowship, with a network of people who love us and whom we love. I'm so thankful!

And all that from a simple comment during a golf game...

Make New Friends, but Keep the Old

The CD player in my room, after serving me valiantly for many and many a year, has pretty much given up the ghost. I can coax music out of it if I reallly want to, but usually it's not worth it. And now that I have a laptop I hardly miss it. My room is filled with the strains of iTunes or Pandora and all is well. The result, though, is that I haven't really listened to classical music in ages. My iTunes purchases are more along the celtic/folk lines, and my favorite Pandora station is "Lisa Kelly" (from the group Celtic Woman).

This morning, however, I really felt like some music with depth. So I switched my clock radio from 96.9 (Boston talk - what a way to wake up in the morning!) to WGBH Boston where I was greeted with the familiar strains of Mozart. I smiled. Good ol' Mozart. And NOW I'm listening to Grieg's piano concerto! It's like getting together with my oldest and best friends. "Ah, Grieg dear, how AHH you? Mozart, it's been forEVah!" I enjoy my celtic/folk stuff, but this music is engraved on my soul, and has been since childhood. I know this music. It's part of me. It's like that going home feeling, where you breath more deeply and everything seems to fit.

Ahhhhh Grieg.

Aging...

Do you realize that my friends and I are nearing 30?! Some of us are nearer than others, but almost all of us are closer to 30 than 20. OY VAY!

And I would like to declare here and now that I AM NOT AFRAID! :) Some young people have a phobia about getting older, but not me. Nosireee. I have heard from multiple sources that it just gets better and I believe it!

From personal experience, I thought when I was 17 that 17 was the perfect age. HA! 27 is even better!

So bring on them 30's...

(If anyone isn't convinced, I can write lots more!)

Opening Day!

HAPPY OPENING DAY!!!

Hurrah! I'm watching the RED SOX in a REAL GAME at LAST! Ahhhhhh - does the soul good. There's nothing like baseball... especially with Schilling pitching.

I saw such a great "get you all psyched for opening day" clip on ESPN last night - inspiring music with a shot of a stadium's roof opening up to the sun, and with the announcer talking about waking up to spring after a long winter's nap. So lovely. I even read my sports book "The Games do Count" last night, so caught up was I in the fervor of the moment (actually, I read it because I left my other book in the car... but hey, it sounded good).

So the point of all of this is to say: Hurrah for baseball! GO RED SOX!

Picture of a Stranger

Ohhhhh boy. All day long I was wondering how on EARTH I was going to get a picture of a stranger. Good grief, what a scary proposition! And my day was going to consist of "go straight to school, go straight from school to Fairwood." Not a lot of stranger material there. Well, everyone on the road... So I have some really pathetic shots of people in the drive-through at Dunkin Donuts, some kid riding his bike across traffic, and basically things that showed my intimidation at the thought of approaching a stranger with camera in hand.

Thus it was that I found myself on the way to Fairwood without a good stranger picture. But I had my camera in my lap as I drove, just in case... As I was approaching the NH line, I saw a couple of girls broken down beside the road. Hm, thought I, this is probably at least as good as the DD drive through picture. So I surreptitiously held my camera out beside me and took a picture as I rolled to a stop at the red light. I clicked the little button to see how my un-aimed shot worked. Here is what I saw:

(I recommend aiming. The results are generally more satisfactory.)

Suddenly my peripheral vision caught the two girls approaching my car. I figured they were going to ask if they could use my phone or something...

Until I realized it was MELISSA AND SARA!!! They, too, were driving to Fairwood, and Sara's coolant was leaking profusely due to (we suspect) a burst hose, which is why they were stopped. Oy vay! So I dodged over to the side with them. I had "happened" to drive by about two minutes after they stopped... and they had "happened" to notice me (which is a jolly good thing, since I just saw "two girls broken down." Oh my word - I know I'm not observant, but this is a BIT MUCH!).

Shortly a policeman pulled up to help, and I saw my golden opportunity. I mean, it doesn't get much more golden than that! So, Sara dear, I'm really sorry about your car and all (luckily she had great AAA and got a free tow to Fairwood!), but THANK YOU for allowing me a legitimate picture of a stranger!

And so, I submit my picture of a stranger (sorry it's a bit late...):

a

Outside, Looking In (Ya, I can't read...)

I spent all day thinking I was supposed to find an "outside looking in" picture. And so devoted was I to this challenge that I even took my camera to my students' family's house where I'd been invited for dinner. While there, I took this shot, looking through the fence into their back yard.

Black & White

This light fixture has got to have been photographed at least 200 times, by more people than just myself. You get a digital camera in your hands and you are inexorably drawn to it!

GOOD ENOUGH! (she decreed after many varied attempts)

Self-portraits are funny things... But that's what Liane's photo challenge dictated, so I'm rising to the challenge! (And again I say, Yay Liane!)

OOOPS!

Ya, so I was writing a blog post and suddenly realized that this is Liane's photo challenge week (yay, Liane!). So here is my contribution for yesterday, which was "Corners of my home" day:)

The Lessons I've Taught, Etc.

First of all, I just want everyone to know that new blogger and I have a more peaceful relationship now. He hasn't lost any of my posts for quite awhile, and I haven't verbally abused him so much. So that's nice.

Now, for the topic of this post:
I took a day off of work last week to go to the Feast, and the seat-work I left for my 9th graders was to write a mini essay on someone who has influence their lives. This was supposed to tie in to Faria's influence on Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo. When I returned from the Feast I found that one of the students hadn't been able to decide who to write about, and his classmates had told him to write about MY influence on his life! The results made me laugh out loud:) Here they are:

"Throughout my life I have been influenced greatly by many people in many ways. One person who inspired me greatly is my teacher Miss Murray. She has inspired me mostly in two ways. These two ways were being nice to my friends and to not look at the keyboard.

First, she has influenced me to be nice to my friends. Every day when I teased my friends she would tell me not to and give me a Correction Sheet. By doing this it was like she was trying to show me that “Everything has an equal and opposite reaction” as the great CJ once said. This was like how Faria influenced Dantes because he tried to tell him he shouldn’t kill his betrayers because sooner or later he would get in trouble.

Lastly, my great teacher Miss Murray influenced me to stop looking at the keyboard while typing. This has influenced me greatly and has made my grade constantly rise. This relates to how Faria influenced Dantes because the Abbe kept trying to explain that you don’t have to do what you feel like you’re being forced to do. In Dantes’ case however it concerned whether or not he should kill the betrayers or if he should let them live.

In conclusion, my life has been influenced greatly by my teacher Miss Murray. She influenced me to be kind and considerate to the people around me, and to not look at my keyboard while typing. Like the Abbe influenced Dantes, my teacher influenced me. Thank you!"

There you have it, people! You can't get much more inspiring than "Stop looking at the keys!" So, I urge you, continue to inspire those around you not to look while typing. You never know when those words will sink in and affect a life forever! Be encouraged! :)

And now, speaking of inspiring, I leave you with some pictures of people I love and admire for being wonderful people and wonderful parents!

Happy Birthday Melissa!

Happy Birthday to my

favoritest, bestest, dearest

Melissa!!!

Blurbs

Hurrah for the first day of Spring! It was a lovely day, too - nice and warm (relatively) and sunny. Yay!

Today one of my students told me she thought I was 21. Hee hee.

I enjoyed a bonus day at the Feast yesterday, and felt so rich and lucky for one more day! It was a good day, and I especially enjoyed the prayer meeting. There is something amazing about being able to work with God in that way.

Today one of my students asked another teacher how he could know he was saved, and the teacher ummed and ahhhed and said everyone doubts, but one way to tell is by your fruit. OY VAY!!! Everybody does NOT doubt! I do NOT doubt! I wish I could have jumped up and yelled "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!" If you believe on Him who was sent, you ARE SAVED! I hope it comes up in my class so I can give the UN Reformed Baptist answer! Just believe what the Bible says!

For those of you who haven't heard, TJ and I drove to Fairwood for the Feast last Friday in a roaring blizzard. Fun times. It took me 5.5 hours from school. HOWEVER, if TJ hadn't been driving it would have probably taken me 7 or 8 hours. The roads were practically non-existent and I would have been going 15mph the whole way. But TJ blazed confidently through in our 4-wheel drive, and I am SO THANKFUL for HIM! He definitely made hero status with that one.

Oh. By the way, all of my single friends... (hee hee hee) Yesterday in prayer meeting we were praying about the issue of Christian marriages, and as a little subtopic John Lackie (who also holds hero status) brought up the issue of all of the single people in the Kingdom. He wasn't concerned about it or anything, and wasn't applying pressure or anything (I wasn't even blushing!), but he was just saying that if there was something getting in the way of God's will, we should pray that something OUT of the way. So we prayed about it! And Gretchen turned to me and whispered "I dare you to pray." And I whispered back "You're on." And I did! I carefully prayed for "my friends." Hee hee hee. So WATCH OUT all of you! There were some good prayers, including one for a "season of weddings." Start picking your guest lists, people!

Okay, that's enough blurbage for now I guess... Per tradition (sort of) I leave you with some pics from our Feastly Friendly's Trip:



Sorry people... blogger is being feisty about posting pics so the whole group isn't represented...

Thoughts While Driving Home

Spring is such a surprise - like today when I got into my car and discovered that I wasn't shivering as I drove out of the school's driveway!

Motorcycles started emerging, and I enjoyed, as I have before, the fact that people on motorcycles wave to other people on motorcycles whether they know them or not. I just think that is the coolest thing! If I rode a motorcycle people would think I was not all there, because I'd be driving down the road grinning like an idiot since I'd just waved to some stranger on a motorcycle. I was grinning like an idiot in my car as it was, but at least people can't see you as well when you're in a car. That's the only reason I don't have a motorcycle, of course.

It's interesting how there are those little subcultures - subcultures that create the instant bond moment. It reminded me of when Amy, Lindsay, and I were in San Francisco and saw a Red Sox shirt walk by. (Well, it was a guy in a Red Sox shirt, actually.) What an instant connection! A connection that KJ has attested to more than once since going down south.

You know what's weird? The word "mouse" when used to mean a computer mouse, and the word "fly" when used to mean a fly ball in baseball. Want to know why? Because when they are put into other forms, they don't match up with the word "mouse" as in scurrying rodent or "fly" as in take to the air. You would never talk about computer mice. It has to be mouses. And you don't say that a baseball player flew out, you say he flied out. WEIRD, HUH?! I was pretty cooled out by it. There must be other words like that, but these two definitely stand out.

Those were the coolest things I thought about on my way home today.

Speaking of my commute, here is a picture I took of the way cool sky on one recent trip home:

What a Weekend!

This was a really nice weekend, so I thought I should share:)

First of all, as soon as Craig mentioned going to Israel for three months, I started plotting for him to come to my school to talk to my students about it.

Meanwhile, back at the NH ranch, Katie was wishing there was a way to visit me, but had no wheels of her own (being up at Fairwood w/ her fam working on an amazing project everyone will see at the Feast... and in a sneak preview on Brandon's blog).

So these two things worked together for my good this past weekend when Craig, Katie and Rachel all came on down!

Friday Craig came to school with me and was a smash hit:) The more he taught the better he got - from making the 7/8 class break into laughter with his account of bartering, to totally winning the 9th grade over with pictures of men with guns, and other men in kafias. But he was the biggest hit of all in the 11th/12th grade, where his sense of humor meshed with theirs, and the four of them had a grand old time while I sat there and observed (and laughed a lot). It was such a joy to see! I can't wait to go in tomorrow and hear their reactions!

Then we drove home again to an Indian feast prepared by Katie, and the weekend began. Games, movies, dinner-out... it was a typical weekend at the Browns.
For dinner Sat night we were going to go to the Olive Garden, but got there to find it was closed for several days! So we decided to go to a new restaurant, "On the Border." Mexican - mmmmmm. HOWEVER, since it was new everyone else wanted to check it out too. The wait was 1 and a half hours! OY VAY! Fortunately, TJ and Shannon agreed to wait while the rest of us went off to Barnes & Noble and such. We still spent about 45 min there, but kept ourselve entertained with games of "Pig." The food was INCREDIBLE, and we decided it was worth the wait.

One of the most enjoyable moments was playing on the ice Saturday afternoon. Here are some pics:

(More pictures on Flikr - if you want the address, let me know in the comments section:))

More Stuff

Aaron is indeed (as labeled by DJ) a genius! Good job with the new links page!

Yesterday I got into my car, and within seconds was grinning widely. Guess what made me grin.

a) there was a hundred dollar bill on my dashboard
b) the Red Sox spring training game was being broadcast on the radio
c) I realized that that long, horrible day was finally over

I've heard (I forget where) that the answer b is correct more often than any other letter. I don't know if it's true or not - I pick up these weird things and then can't go back to confirm b/c of my somewhat unreliable (to put it nicely) memory. But anyway, in this case b is the right answer, so it's true here. And not only that, but the Sox won the game with a walk off grandslam!!! Not the worst way to end the first game I've listened to this season!

KJ, my kids are very jealous of you living in FL and getting to go to a spring training game or two:)

Good news! At the beginning of the year I merely tolerated Logic class. It was a little too overwhelming to really enjoy, because it's two classes in one, and I have to constantly juggle that. HOWEVER, I'm happy to report that now I actually enjoy it! It's a fascinating subject, that's for sure. So tidy and sensible and, well, logical!

And I'm REALLY loving teaching Algebra. I just graded the latest batch of tests (made by the math company and not by me, lest you accuse me of making the problems too easy) and my kids all got A's and B's! I was very happy.

Incidentally, one should NEVER EVER use and apostrophe (') to pluralize a word. It is always "I saw several cats, dogs, and bananas," and never "cat's, dog's and banana's." The ONLY exception is when you are pluralizing single letters or numbers or something (they all got A's and B's, for example). Just thought everyone should know that. I caught myself with a Thursday's today, much to my mortification, so it's kind of on my mind. Learn from my mistakes, dear readers!

I also read John L's final stanza for the correction sheet poem to my 9th grade boys today, and they genuinely laughed aloud! I thought that was pretty high praise. It's not as if 9th grade boys worry about polite laughter... I really enjoy that class:)

Stuff

Now that Aaron's blog list thingy seems to be a bit on the blink (is it just me?) I have reverted to the old-fashioned way of clicking my way down the favorites list. I kind of forgot how much fun the anticipation can be. Did they update? Yes? No? What will it be? YES!!!!!! (or the opposite). My favorite posts this time through had to be KJ's and Brandon's. Good job, guys:)

Last night was PTF (Parent Teacher Fellowship) meeting at school, which means I spent the entire day on the island. Five of us teachers went out to eat, and we got this waiter with zero sense of humor beyond calling us all "dear." Unfortunately I didn't pick up on the fact that he had no sense of humor until it was a bit too late.
Me: Can we get separate checks?
Him: No. (Instantly, and with a terribly straight face)
Me: (Knowing that people who say "no" that quickly and solemnly, without any pity, are always joking) Hahahaha, PLEASE?!
Him: No. We don't do that.
Me: Oh. (Embarrassed attempts at covering up the fact that he ought to have been joking)

While dining, the five of us, somehow, got onto the subject of background checks for teaching. It turns out that two of the group had never had to have them done! Then one of the teachers observed that the three of us who'd had to have them lived off the island! I'm telling you, this island mentality is uncanny... All those from off the island are instantly suspect! :)

Lastly, if anyone didn't see John L's comment on my Excelsior poem post, check it out - it's oh so funny!

Window into the Past

Last night I was scrambling under my bed for an article I remembered from college. I thought one of my students might want it for a resource for his huge-o senior thesis project. Alas, not only was I unable to find the article, I couldn't even find the notebook from the class! Argh. It was okay, though, because I e-mail my college prof about it, and he wrote back telling me where the article came from and I've already ordered it through inter-library loan (insert long post of gratitude for the RI libraries, again).

Anyway, while I was scrabbling in the underbrush of papers and folders and notes, out came a notebook from before college, yea, even before Bible School! It was one of those marble notebooks, full of lists. Yes, lists. And as I opened it up it was like travelling back in time.

I had lists of Red Sox quotes, favorite people (many of whom are in this blogging world!), career ideas (I was glad to find it written down... I used to have it memorized, but had since forgotten it. Yay that it wasn't lost forever! Write things down, people!), prayer concerns, favorite pieces of music, quotes from books, heroes (some of which I roll my eyes at now, but some of which still remain on the list - like Tim Naehring and Ben Hansen), a guest list for my wedding (an important thing to figure out when you're in high school), letters I'd written and received while staying at the Hills, lists of people I've dreamed about (yes, yes, very important, and including such people as Harrison Ford, Roland Brooks, Frankie Walker, and Steve Wakeman), funny things the Holscher kids did while I lived out there, places I want to travel (got Israel crossed off the list, and Scotland and England are coming this summer!!!), books I want for my children, teachers, names I like (my firstborn's name now belongs to one of my nephews... but I don't mind), movies I'd watch again, and, perhaps most impressively, 100 things for Kimberly to do if she got bored while I was at the Hills.

I thought I'd share some things from the 100 things, in case any of you are bored:

5. Play "Risk" with yourself, putting 50 armies on Great Britain and one on every other country and try to make Great Britain win (can you say Anglophile?)
11. Throw stones (small) at men's dorm windows (scandalized looks at my past self until I remembered I was kidding).
12. Explore the dining hall top to bottom (that's actually a pretty cool building)
18. Go visit Gerry in the garage
28. Hide in the cellar door and watch people's feet go by
51. Set the clock in the main house kitchen ahead one hour and walk through saying "wow, I can't believe it's already ____ o'clock!"
60. Climb the crab-apple tree on the front lawn and yell "BEAUTY!"
61. Lie outside, look up at the stars, and howl loudly at the moon
71. Read my old journals (and die) :)
74. Talk to your plants
81. Get George and Arthur to teach you how to speak Swahili
90. Tease Dad to make up for all the times he teases us
96. Play a game of WWII escape in the main house basement
100. Read a book (the future Lit teacher speaks!)

Anyway, it was a pretty cool glimpse into my past. I love how some things have changed so much, and others not at all. Continuity, but not stagnancy... God knows what He's doing with me!

What a beautiful day!

I just finished playing a killer game of Draw One with Sara and Melissa... on the PORCH! It is SO beautiful out right now! It was so invigorating to be out in the air and the breeze and the warm smellingness. Wow. When I'm in the middle of winter I kind of forget how liberating warm weather is.

This week my 7-12 graders went on a field trip! It was good, and educational, and all of that, but my favorite part was when we'd finished the State House tour and had some time to kill and I led them in games of Moose and Mafia. They are such a fun group! (By the way, the RI state house is unbelievably stunning. I got lots o' pics, of course.)

In other news, one of my 9th graders, inspired by Longfellow's birthday (and the prospect of extra credit), wrote a hilarious poem about the correction sheets I pass out to my students when they misbehave. I present to you now, with pride and giggles (makes sure not to miss the last stanza):

The Blast Correction Sheet

Through many a BLAST correction sheet,
Many eyes have to meet.
Pens are scratching,
Answers matching,
Excelsior!

The teacher smirks with evil demeanor,
Is it possible to be meaner?
Boys are moaning
Girls are groaning.
Excelsior!

Talk out loud, lean in your chair,
A correction sheet will be there!
Right on your desk,
Why even ask?
Excelsior!

Another Sheet! The pressure’s pressin’
Don’t you think you’ve learned your lesson.
So chew your gum,
And you’ll get one!
Excelsior!

Do not lift then stomp your feet
Or else you’ll get that dreaded sheet.
You can’t help but bear,
To shred and tear!
Excelsior!

But do not tear! my angry Brother,
Or else you will deserve another!
So do not pout,
But write it out.
Excelsior!

The teacher is another matter,
Her menacing chuckle makes you madder!
She thinks it’s neat,
To hand out sheets!
Excelsior!

Her eyes are burning like wildfire,
She smiles teeth like angry tiger.
She ruins all fun,
For everyone!
Excelsior!

Pencils screech upon the paper,
Time drags slowly like a vapor.
Hearts are in pain,
Students in vain.
Excelsior!

It seems that I have plagiarized,
Something that Longfellow despised.
But go ahead,
Cause He is dead!
Excelsior!

Two Wicked Happy School Things

#1. For the first time in my schooling career, I had one of my very own students accepted to college!!! It was so exciting. I'm ever so proud. And I was really happy because he told me the whole blow-by-blow account of seeing the letter and opening it, and somehow skipping the "congratulations" part, and shaking as he read through trying to figure out if this letter was a yes or a no:) He was unusually verbose about it, which made my day. He was so obviously happy about it!

#2. One of my students who left to go back to public school just called me, and we talked for almost 45 minutes! THAT was a day-maker! She told me all about her new school, and wanted to hear all the news from mine. She is reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at her new school, which we read back in the fall! I couldn't believe it! "Miss Murray," she exclaimed. "This teacher got it all wrong! And she isn't even pointing out the deeper meaning!" I exclaimed, "Oh no! What if I got it all wrong!" But then I was happy when she started talking about the deeper meaning part. And she told me that she answered one of the questions the teacher asked, and the teacher was thrilled! She must be such a bright spot in that poor teacher's existence:)

Happy Birthday Longfellow!

Last night Gretchen called me. "Scrap your lesson plans for tomorrow!" she exclaimed. "It's Longfellow's 200th birthday!"

How cool is that?!

So I made a big day of it at school. I did indeed scrap all of my Lit lesson plans, and we had a big Longfellow day. We read poems together, I read poems to them, and I even had one class memorize one stanza each of "Psalm of Life" and then we put it all together. It was so much fun! I also talked about Longfellow's importance in launching American literature onto the world scene. We owe him a debt of gratitude!

And he wrote some masterpieces, boy oh boy. We read "Psalm of Life" of course, and "Excelsior" and then we read some lesser known ones, including "On the Jewish Cemetery in Newport." Can you believe it?! My jaw at least figuratively dropped when I found that one. It made for some great map-drawing episodes on the chalkboard, too, as students tried to describe to other students where it was. As I was trying to describe all the nearby shops and landmarks, one of my students asked "How do you know Newport so well?!" and I felt very gratified:)

One of my students gave such a Rhode Island style set of directions. "Okay, you go by the old Coca Cola building that got torn down..." Oh, great. Thanks. The old building-that's-not-there-anymore landmark. Love it. :)

Anyway, it was a super day. And now, dear readers, you should all go look up a couple of Longfellow poems in honor of that august man and his beautiful work.

Happy Birthday, Longfellow!

Reflections on Driving a Minivan

Saturday I randomly lost power steering in my own car, so today saw me driving out of the driveway in a green minivan.

This was no biggie, really. My main impression as I started was how BIG I felt. As I drove things seemed fine, I just noticed that it took a little more to stop a vehicle that much bigger than my usual one.

But as the day progressed, the differences between driving a van and a car started to become more and more apparent.

First of all, I really don't think anything of it when I blow by some slow driver during my normal commute. But today I felt strange passing people in a minivan. Wouldn't they think it annoying to be blown away by a minivan? I'm always annoyed when a minivan or a semi passes me. Those kind of vehicles are supposed to be driven slowly. Minivan drivers aren't supposed to go 70! They're supposed to be being protective of their 28 children.

That children thing was what really got me, I think. As I pulled into the school I felt like I should be arriving with my 37 children, and unpacking them and their multiple bags, lunches, projects, etc. But instead I just hopped out and went in for another day of teaching. Weird.

On my way home I ran some errands, and was intrigued at how my thought process differed depending on the establishment at which I was shopping. As I came out of Ritz I felt a little embarrassed to be getting into a minivan. I didn't want people thinking I was something I wasn't (i.e. a mom with 43 children). But then, coming out of Morning Star I felt more embarrassed about the fact that I wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Strange, don't you think? I felt like, if I was driving a minivan, and therefore declaring the fact that I had 59 children, I definitely needed to be wearing a ring!

But when all was said and done, I was happy to be driving a car with power steering. Wrestling a car around corners in a parking lot is not a job for the faint of heart (or faint of muscle).

Two Things I Like

I like beautiful and meaningful poetry, like this sonnet by Christina Rossetti:

Lifelong our stumbles, lifelong our regret,
Lifelong our efforts failing and renewed,
While lifelong is our witness, "God is good:"
Who bore with us till now, bears with us yet,
Who still remembers and will not forget,
Who gives us light and warmth and daily food;
And gracious promises half understood,
And glories half unveiled, whereon to set
Our heart of hearts and eyes of our desire;
Uplifting us to longing and to love,
Luring us upward from this world of mire,
Urging us to press on and mount above
Ourselves and all we have had experience of,
Mounting to Him in love's perpetual fire.

And I like shadows on the snow, as depicted in this picture:

Ahh! Slacker!

Sorry for the dearth of posts, people. Shame on me - and on vacation, too! But it's been, um, a working vacation. Definitely. Well... The first two days I didn't get a lot done, and spent most of my time being upset that I wasn't getting a lot done. But then I remembered my Hamlet post, and that God knew what I should do in my day a lot better than I did. So that was okay. Then I got a pretty good amount done Wed and Thurs.

And this morning I got all of my 7/8 papers graded! So that was good. I was thwarted in the 9th grade papers by a phone call, however, and now I'm taking a break for my emotional health.

The phone call was the mother of one of my seniors, letting me know that they did indeed decide to pull her out of the school and send her to public school. Long story. And not unexpected. But still a blow. So I'm taking a blogging break! (The cure-all...)

This is the second of my seniors to leave, alas. My 11/12 class is now just three boys. The two girls are gone. It's going to change the dynamics a LOT. I'm really going to miss those girls. They were the sanguines! But I know it's going to be good with the guys, too. Just different.

Anyway, the phone call was good. This particular mom is one of my favorites, and she said some nice, affirming things. Then my student got on the phone after her mom, and thanked me for teaching and stuff. She said she was going to brag about me to her new English teacher:) What a sweetie. Inside I trembled. What if new English teacher sees through me, and realizes I'm faking it half the time?! What if new English teacher sees my student's papers and sneers at me?! Ah, pshaw. I'm not living in the fear of man! I did what I could - and maybe her papers will be one of the best in the class! I can dream... :)

Anyway, I really believe that God is going to work things out, both for the class left at my school and for the two girls leaving. He has a good plan. And He will get my students to their destination in His own amazing way.

So that's what's been going on with me, lately. That, and I've been having fun w/ my camera, so I will now add some pics to the end of this post as a kind of "my vacation in pictures" ending:)
The Yoot Convention - it was a really great one!
Fun w/ the nephews and their new bunk beds!
Enjoying beautiful New England snow! (I'm wicked into shadows on snow lately...)
Playing Cranium (DJ is building the Berlin Wall, I believe)
Cool aerial shots by Melissa (I really like the ones you took, Meliss!)

Snow Day!

After a few trips to school in miserable weather, I was beginning to think that a snow day would never be mine.

This morning, at 5:30am I found that all three public schools in the vicinity of our school were closed for the day and thought, Surely...! Consequently at about 10 of 6 I was still there poking around, trying to find confirmation that we had been cancelled. I was just about to give up and start getting ready for the day (at 10 of 6 I was going to be excessively late for school, due to all the ice), when the phone rang. It was the headmaster, telling me that school was cancelled. I answered SO cheerfully when I saw that it was him, that he was actually laughing - in a groggy sort of way - when he started to speak. Ya, I was a little excited... and I'd been up for almost an hour already!

So anyway, I DID get a snow day! I'm pretty psyched about it, because that means, shifting today's lesson plans into the rest of the week, I have all of my lesson plans done for the entire week! That leaves today to get ready for next week's vacation (!!!) and the youth convention. YES! It also leaves a lot of time for goofing off, which is what one is supposed to do on a snow day.

Hip hip hurrah for MY school having snow days TOO!

So Much to Show...

I have taken SO many BEAUTIFUL pictures of my students!!! Unfortunately, I don't feel like I should publish them on my blog for all the world to see... Sigh. So they remain here on my computer, stifled, longing to be free.

There is only one remedy: everyone come to the youth convention or the Feast so that I can show them off! Perfect!

Here are two I can show off, because none of my students are in them (they are from my classroom, and have no special significance or beauty, they just happen to be two that I found that didn't have kids... That's how desperate I am to publish pics right now!):.......

Is it Over the Bridge?

I love teaching on an island. I get to cross ocean water every day on the way to school and back! It is so beautiful and powerful: sometimes alluring, sometimes threatening. And how cool is it that I teach on an island (lest you forget my opening point after all that poetry)?!

Anyway, I've started to see little glimpses of the fact that people who live on islands are a little different from us main-landers. For one thing, there's this weird phobia amongst some of them about leaving...

One of my seniors told me that she had to drive her mom to Providence that evening for an appointment, because her mom can't stand doing the drive herself.

Yesterday a fellow teacher needed internet access (which she doesn't have at home) in order to take her on-line exam for a correspondence course. Another teacher offered her the use of her home computer. "Is that over the bridge?" the computer-seeking teacher asked.

The other teachers laughed (most of us commute in from the main land), but the headmaster said, "The bridges are like the borders of the world," or something like that. It was kind of an eye-opening experience. This island really is a world of its own. And you can do pretty much everything there - there's great shopping, good restaurants, entertainment... So why should anyone leave?

It makes me wonder how else the island dwellers' psyches have been shaped by living there. I know things have changed me - things like being a Red Sox fan and growing up on Classical Music and such... How would living on an island make a life-long difference?

Anyway, it was a fascinating thought. And now I think I need to get out of this thinking business, and go start the Donald Duck comic book I found at a second-hand store today (it is HARDCOVER with about 12 different stories in it! Wooooooooo!).

My Friend Clicka

Dear Readers,

It is my pleasure and honor to introduce to you a new friend:




WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have leaped into the 21st century with the purchase of a digital camera. My motivation was our planned trip to England this summer... One just can't go to England without a 100% reliable camera.

It arrived last night in the mail (after my DEAR cousin Nate found the SWEETEST deal online and snatched it first, asked later:) much to my delight!) and great was the exultation at its arrival.

People. I am in love.

This camera is exquisite! It takes pictures that I can instantly evaluate! I can delete or save at will! I don't have to pay for an entire roll of film to be developed, only to discover that said roll had been on the wrong setting, and every picture is black!

I thought it would take awhile to get my soul around going from film to digital, but folks, my soul is around it. I am at peace.

I brought my camera to school today and took oh-so-many pictures. With the school day and this evening's basketball game I took 66 pictures! Wellll, 66 keepers, anyway. There were also a bunch I deleted. WHAT FUN (right, KJ?)!!!

It has been a mighty long time since I've been bitten by the camera bug. I still have a couple of undeveloped rolls of film lying around, and that NEVER used to happen. But NOW?!?! I'm right back in the saddle again, boy howdy! (Back where a friend is a friend...)

YIPPPEEEEE!!

NATE - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

PS. Here's a picture from last night, while I was trying to figure something out and took an oh-so-unposed picture of myself by accident:)

Full o' Spirit!

Yesterday our school had our first ever pep rally in honor of our first ever basketball team! And boy, was there ever some school pride shown! I was so happy to see my seniors truly excited, and saying that they've never felt this kind of school spirit. It's good for them to have something to rally around like that. They were so happy! And they expressed it with face paint and the loudest cheers ever! (Girl 1: "I had no idea I could yell like that!" Girl 2, thinking of her battered ear: "I had no idea you could either.")

The main inspirant (I'm bent upon getting this word into common usage) for the cheers and screams and yells was the Staff v. Student basketball game! It was the basketball team vs. the headmaster and his wife, the 65 year old Kindergarten teacher, the basketball coach, and me. SUPER FUN! Thankfully I was about one foot taller than most of the team, so I was able to do a lot as the center (!) in terms of rebounding and shooting from a one-foot radius.

And boy oh boy did my kids scream when I touched the ball! It was SO exhilerating. Paul Pierce, I understand now... :) I had actually picked up a Paul Pierce shirt at a yardsale last summer, so I was allllll set. [I bought it for Michael to grow into... until I realized it fit ME.]

The staff ended up losing, but only by two baskets (I think). Yay for us! (We would have been SMOKED if the coach weren't playing... Those little boys sure can run!)

So YAY for School Spirit! I'm all for it.

The Eight Word Testimony

A recurring inspirant used in the testimony section of the Fairwood church service is the statement that people can get as much from the testimonies as they can from the actual sermon. (I just made up the word inspirant, and I think it’s pretty cool.) Today’s church service was a perfect example of that for me.

Uncle Paul was talking about the ups and downs of the Christian life – the emotional/spiritual rollercoaster. He turned to Mr. and Mrs. Noss and asked if, at their point in life (they’re in their 80s-90s) they could testify to that being the way life works: sometimes you’re up and feeling good about your walk, sometimes you’re down and discouraged.

Mrs. Noss: Oh yes.
Mr. Noss: I’ve never given it a thought.

:)

How I interpreted their testimonies:

Mrs. Noss: Oh yes, life has it’s ups and downs. That’s just a part of the Christian walk. Sometimes you’ll feel alive and inspired and sometimes you won’t. That’s okay. Accept that as all a part of God’s plan. He uses both the alive times and the dead times for His glory, and for His ultimate plan for you. The growth and the sanctifying process include both of those realities. That’s okay. And here I am, a saint (she wouldn’t say that of course, but that’s how I look at her!), and yet I experience the same ups and downs that you young pups experience. If I can be saintly despite those rollercoaster experiences, you can be, too!

Mr. Noss: I don’t pay attention to those ups and downs. I just keep on going – keep on doing the right thing. I live my life with a focus on God that doesn’t stop to analyze every up and down. I know what I need to do and I do it. God’s commands and promises in the Bible are true no matter what. So I just go right on.

What a fascinating juxtaposition! I was so edified to hear it. There is a place for accepting the ups and downs and seeing them as part of God’s plan, and there’s also a place for ignoring the feelings and the psychoanalysis, and just going right on doing what God has given you to do.

Pretty good, eh? At the end of the service I gave a testimony expressing these things, and after the service Mr. Noss thanked me for my analysis, with a little twinkle in his eye:) I love the Nosses! They add so much to the RI church. I’m so glad I know them!

Under the evil regime of New Blogger...

Another perfectly good post bites the dust.

Yup. Lost another one. Sorry folks, but, like Ahab (was it Ahab I'm thinking of? Is it even the Bible I'm thinking of?), all the spirit has gone out of me, and I can't bring myself to start over from scratch.

Fernando Renaissance!

First of all, I just have to tell you all that I spelled Renaissance right the first time! In college, as we were studying the Renaissance, I finally got disgusted with my 29 various spellings in my notes, and looked it up once and for all:) I did the same thing with Medieval. Those time periods sure are tricky... But since that time I was getting a little shaky, hence my delight at getting it right on the title!

Okay, now for the point: Fernando Ortega just came out with a new CD called "The Shadow of Your Wings." It is SO beautiful! But what impressed me most of all was the spirit of the CD as a whole.

The first CD I ever heard of his was a collection of hymns. It was beautiful. Then, as each subsequent CD came out, he seemed to move further and further from that (as artists are wont to do). When I first heard the CD right before this most recent one, my reaction, after hearing some pretty bizarre strains coming from my speakers, was "What is happening to Fernando?!"

Now don't get me wrong, he still had some incredible gems. It wasn't like I was afraid he was back-sliding or anything. But still, he had, um, modernized, shall we say.

And then I got this CD and heard the most beautiful hymns and Bible verses! And on the back he had written, "There's too little time for reflection in my life these days - too little meditation and quiet. As everything about our culture gets louder and more 'in-your-face,' my ability to concentrate on spiritual things feels thin and compromised. These songs were written in response to that dilemma."

Pretty impressive, eh?! It reminded me of those times in life where we're rushing this way and that, noticing this and that attraction of the world, and then suddenly are pulled up short to remember the "really real." We remember that the point of life is the pursuit of God, and not the pursuit of anything else.

So, all, if you're in need of new music, I recommend Fernando's latest. It dwells on what really matters, and cuts through all that other surface stuff. Yay Fernando!

Grumpy

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE FREEDOMS OF OUR LAND?! I logged into blogger this morning, ready to dazzle the world with a stunning new post, when I was greeted with two little messages.

"Switch to New Blogger"
and
"Skip this step and go to Dashboard (you may only do this once)"

WHAT?! I decided to call their bluff and go into my old account twice. Nothing doing. They weren't bluffing. I was being forced to switch. AHHHHH!

So, dragging my feet and muttering under my breath, I went through the process of change. And then I started in on this post. Oh boy is the grumpiness mounting! Do you know how many times I had to enter my name and password just to get to this point?! Every time I wanted to move to a new page: fill in name, password, submit. I must have typed my crazy password 20 times already!

And now the worst part of all. Well, maybe second worst. I hate the new buttons for "save as draft" and "publish" and "comment" and "preview." They're so ugly! They're thin and uninviting, like someone's dissaproving, pursed lips. Ewww. I liked the old, fatter, welcoming buttons, that made you want to be a part of the whole blogging adventure!

But the worst part of all is all the security measures, where you have to override privacy settings every other second. It used to take me 2 clicks to publish a comment on someone's blog. Now it takes me SIX! That is just excessive. I'd rather have hackers galore! I thought modernization and change and progress were supposed to be for increased efficiency and ease!

Oy vay. I knew I was conservative for a reason. Maybe I was brought into the blogging world for such a time as this: to whine and complain about the inevitable. Wait. Somehow that doesn't sound right.

Sigh. I got used to the new kitchen, church, parlour, and front lawn. I suppose I'll get used to this.

(The upside of all of this is that when I first logged into blogger I didn't know what I was going to write about. At least this fiasco gave me fodder!)

[Okay, so I wrote my complaining, tongue-in-cheek post, then hit publish, and then (after being asked to enter my name and password, of course) ran into all kinds of blogger errors and LOST the post! So this is all a re-write, and, alas, I think I lost a little of my tonge-in-cheekness on round two.]

Differences Between Being a Student and Being a Teacher

At first it seemed to me that the difference between being a student and being a teacher was one short summer. May 2005 I was a student, Sept 2005 I was a teacher. No big deal - a few months. But since that time I've realized that that transition was actually a huge chasm, not a mere summer.

*As a student I would clear my throat, and my throat would be clear. As a teacher I feel congested, clear my throat, and instantly, guilty heads from all over the classroom whip around to see if they are the one being corrected.

*As a student I would stay up reallllly late the night before a paper and crank it out in a matter of hours. As a teacher I read papers and think "good grief! how dreadful! It looks like they stayed up realllllly late the night before this paper and cranked it out in a matter of hours!"

*As a student, missing a day meant getting make-up work. As a teacher, missing a day means scrambling about (in the midst of illness) to e-mail in modified lesson plans full of things that students can do with minimal direction, and then picking up the pieces after I return. Way easier just to go to school.

*As a student I could kind of fudge a bit if I was too overloaded, or too whatever, to get real work done. As a teacher, oh wait, as a teacher I still do that. I'm all about self-preservation:)

*As a student my motivation was A's on my report card. As a teacher my motivation is this terror that my kids will graduate without having received a quality education because of some huge hole I forgot about (like, you know, Shakespeare or something - although I know I've got that one covered!). [Okay, so that's not really my motivation. My real motivation is much more positive. This is just the dark side of my motivation...]

*As a student, my happiness came from a good grade earned through hard work. As a teacher, my happiness comes when my students have those "aha!" moments of learning. It is an unbelievable experience.

*As a student, when I screamed my teacher would tell me to be quiet. As a teacher, when I scream my headmaster tells me to be quiet... and that classroom order depends largely on the teacher, and good order is necessary for real learning, and we want our kids to have the best learning environment possible, etc. etc. (Fortunately I only get this talk about twice a year... and I know I need it... and he's always really nice about it. Sigh.)

*As a student I was surrounded with people who were also born around 1979. As a teacher I'm surrounded with people who were born in the 1990s! Good grief! And as a result I get comments like this.

So ya, the two are pretty distinct. But the most important thing in all of this is that I still get the same vacations as I did when I was a student:) I love teaching!

WHAT a MOMENT in the Life of ME!

Tonight I had a most exciting break-through moment. For a long time I have noticed a similarity between a noise my computer makes, and a song. I have mentally noted it, and even audibly. But TONIGHT is the NIGHT when I put it all TOGETHER!

The following is my feeble attempts to share this momentous occasion with you, via my cell phone video capabilities (which are slim at best). I apologize for the extremely poor quality, but I think the message is conveyed nonetheless... Of course, my cell phone will only record for 15 seconds, hence the extreme choppiness of this, my first "videoblog." (I put it in quotes because it is so far inferior to what a real videoblog should be, but hey, I had a jolly time.)

Dial-up users, see below for instructions on making this amazing discovery for yourselves. I don't think it will be worth waiting for if you don't have high-speed...

Okay, peeps with high speed: I couldn't actually get the video from phone to computer without downloading some $30 thing from apple QuickTime (I mean, I couldn't figure it out anyway), so you have to do it through links (ohhhhh, so sneaky!).

Okay, here are the links (in chronlogical order):

http://www.vzwpix.com/shareMessage.do?invite=CEUr442xPmzNSaooa0nU

http://www.vzwpix.com/shareMessage.do?invite=ZEEr4e2qPmzU2a6oohaQ

http://www.vzwpix.com/shareMessage.do?invite=SEUr4u2YPmze3LW7LQih

http://www.vzwpix.com/shareMessage.do?invite=eEKr4I2KPmz1NL57zkKL

http://www.vzwpix.com/shareMessage.do?invite=MESr4o2TPmz6HL9YhURx

And in case you want to know how the song continues (it's track 5 of the first CD), you can click here (it's just music, so you can skip it if you're sick of links - I'm just including it because when my computer makes that error noise and I start singing this song, I often sing into this cheery part...):

http://www.vzwpix.com/shareMessage.do?invite=KEhr4X2rPm7Iz5Fo8UEL


Dial Up Users (HIGH SPEEDERS, DON'T READ THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO SPOIL THE SURPRISE!):

1. Go to Start Menu
2. Click on Control Panel
3. Click on "Sounds and Audio Devices"
4. Under "Program Events:" and "Windows", click on "Critical Stop"
5. Now click on the cute little arrow below (next to the "browse" button)
6. Take careful note of the noise that the computer emits. It is the little warning sound that you have committed some heinous sin in computer-world.
7. NOW pull out your Lord of the Rings soundtrack. The first one - "The Fellowship of the Ring."
8. Insert it into your computer, or a near-by CD player.
9. Play track 5, "The Black Rider."
10. AHHHH!!! It starts exactly the same way!!!!!!!
11. Be very awed.
12. Now, whenever you hear that heinous-sin-in-computer-world sound, you, like me, can break into song from the LOTR soundtrack!

ISN'T THAT AWESOME?!?!!?

Happy Sabbath everyone:)

PS. I couldn't possibly end this most exciting evening without giving a shout out to my dear cousin Liane, whom I love more than a diamond-studded hairbrush. Even more than a diamond-studded, gold-plaited hairbrush. With diamonds. And other things that are valuable.

OKAY!!!

I HAVE THE SCOOP!!!

And, I might add, the scoop is just too delicious for words.

Any guesses before I spill the beans?!

(heh heh - got to generate a bit more suspense here...)

Non-Icy Marauders

Several weeks ago there was a school shooting somewhere in the country. Our headmaster addressed the issue, and told us that if a stranger every tried to approach our doors from the outside (we all have outdoor access doors in our classrooms - locked, of course), we were to tell our kids to get down on the floor and, um, I forget what else...

Since then, of course, I've had these horrible episodes of imagining such scenarios. Stupid imagination. I can scare myself almost to death in ten seconds flat. But I console myself that no such thing would happen at MY little, innocent school.

I was teaching British Literature today. We were going over the kings of England or something (I'm teaching them this great poem: "Willi, Willi, Harry, Steve; Harry, Dick, John, Harry Three; etc."). They all had their backs to the window, so I was the only one to see a stranger walk by. This is a very unusual occurrence, since our windows face out onto our playground, and not a public street or anything. Being the mature, self-controlled teacher that I am I quickly sabotaged my lesson by saying "AHH! STRANGE MAN!" They all wheeled around and began speculating.

He had on an out-of-the-ordinary hat ("looks like it could fit a gun, huh Miss Murray?") and a black trench coat ("Come on girls, why are you nervous?" "He was wearing a BLACK TRENCH COAT!"). It was a very strange occurrence. The girls kept making scared noises (you know how two girls can work each other up... or if you don't, take my word for it), so I went to the door and peered about, but the man had vanished around the corner. "He's going to take on the Kindergarten class" I joked, untastefully (if that's a word).

I was about to resume my class when two things happened nearly simultaneously. First, one of my girls let out a Matt's-grandmother-esque gasp of horror, and second, I saw a black shape in my doorway. I leaped, and half-screamed (too scared for a real scream), and found myself about four feet away from the place I'd been a split second before. He was INSIDE the school, walking down the main hallway! And he had NOT entered through the front door, because he was walking the opposite direction. OH MY WORD! I went to the door and cautiously looked out, to discover him legitimately talking at the front desk. False alarm.

The school was so very a-buzz however. Apparently he had knocked at the 7/8 classroom door! The teacher (brave soul! I would have fallen over in a dead faint) waved him toward the front of the building. The next teacher (way-too-trusting soul! Or maybe, less-paranoid-than-I-soul) let him IN to her CLASSROOM and took him to the front desk.

And now for the ultimate anti-climax: I have no idea who he was or what he was doing. (Loud groans here, I know.) He was talking to the secretary (in a foreign accent, my students joyfully, and with relish, reported) about some philosophy or other, last I heard. Probably just some door-to-door philosopher. But WOW what an adrenaline rush I got!

My kids wouldn't stop commenting on how high I jumped - "Miss Murray can fly!" - and they gleefully reported it to the incoming class. I guess I was taking the classroom joking a little more seriously than I'd thought.

Thanks, Linds, for bringing this all back (because it happened SO long ago) with your fabulous Icy Marauders tale!

Another This and That Post

*WHAT a great GAME yesterday! Oh boy! The valiancy of the battling, battling, battling, hanging on by their fingernails, and finally pulling out a VICTORY! That was exciting. I love games that are tense the whole way through... as long as we win in the end!

*I finished The Count of Monte Cristo (the last of the three of us sisters to do so, slacker that I am) and it was WONDERFUL! I echo KJ's sentiments. And I am so excited about reading it with my 9th grade boys! They are going to love it.

*I did blogging by candlelight on Friday night. How Sabbatic of me:)

*I am steadfastly (or stubbornly) avoiding this switch to the new blogger thing. Why? Well, partially it's fear of the unknown, but also because when I comment on new blogs I have to hit all kinds of annoying buttons overruling security stops that ask me if I want non-secure items displayed. It is so trying! I'm sure there is a way to change my security settings to avoid that, but I have no idea how. Grrrr.

*Uncle Paul is one of the most incredible people I know. The other night he did one of those "say just the right thing at just the right time" things, leaving me all weepy (in a good way) in his wake.

*There was actually a winter advisory warning last night! What?! Winter?! Shocking. It's all gone now, though, have no fear. And not a flake to show for it.

*Go Patriots!!!

Happy Birthday Bing!

I would like to celebrate the birthday of Rudolph Bing, born in 1902, and opera manager of the NY Metropolitan Opera. His was a rich life - or at least a loud one. He had strong ear drums. And he liked music. Have a wonderful day in Heaven, Rudolph! (I assume he must be in Heaven since he's an opera lover. I kind of assume all those who wrote something beautiful ended up there, and since he saw to it that beautiful music was performed, he probably slipped in too. How's that for sound doctrine?!)

Also I would like to bring to everyone's attention that on this day in 1954 the coldest temperature in the history of Greenland was reported: -87 degrees F (hey! how do you make a degrees sign with a keyboard?!). So no complaints that today wasn't in the SIXTIES like Saturday was. (OY VAY!)

Way to go Steve D'Innocenzo for scoring 3 hockey goals in 12 seconds in a Massachusetts high school game in 1982. The opposing goalie must have been deep in contemplation of something like metaphysical poetry (kind of like my Brit Lit class today) to have been so out of it.

Today is also the 51st anniversary of the first appearance of "Dear Abby" in the newspaper. In honor of that day, I leave you all with this advice: if your friend gives you plants to take care of try to remember to water them at least once. If you forget, pull off all of the brown leaves before they return.

And, lastly, happy Feast of St. Adrian to all you Roman Catholics out there.

And God said unto her: You need to be more like Hamlet

So I had this revelation over Christmas break (two weeks off school has the amazing effect of allowing revelations, since your brain can wander over more than lesson plans and classroom management - ooo, funny story about that - I'll put it at the end of the post...): I realized that I need to be more like Hamlet. I'm not suggesting that I need to become a melancholic who analyzes everything thoroughly, is very depressed, and speaks in incredibly eloquent, meaningful, and iambic pentameter-filled soliloquies. But I am suggesting that I need to arrive at the place in which Hamlet arrived by the end of the play (Oh, wait, not the end of the play... Let us say the last act of the play!).

After extraordinary personal struggles, and questions of life and death and God, and then after a soul-searching experience in which he deals with man's mortality, Hamlet finally arrives at this truth: "There's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all..." In other words, I cannot control my life or death, that is God's province. And He has it perfectly planned out. It is just my job to be ready for, and to accept, whatever He brings to me.

Over Christmas I realized that sometimes I am thrown for a complete loop if something doesn't work out the way I'd been planning. I ran into a big hitch with one of my Christmas presents, and was practically non-functional for hours because I was so distressed by it. And later I thought of Hamlet and realized that I can accept those annoying things as something that God allowed to happen for a reason. And He is good! Therefore, I don't need to go into tailspins at some little set-back. I can accept things at His hand. Where is the trust being worked out in my life if I think good things are from God but bad things are some mistake? Trust is believing that He is good in every situation, that He has a plan and reason in every situation, that His love is in every situation.

And I need to learn that lesson on the little things (like a glitch in a Christmas present), so that I'm ready for the bigger set-backs. God is good... ALL the time.

Okay, now about that funny story. I'm afraid it might have been a "had-to-be-there" (and not only that, but maybe also a "had-to-be-me-while-you-were-there" moment) but I'm just going to tell it anyway. We were in staff devotions, in which we've been talking about worldviews, and philosophies of education. My headmaster was making an important point about classical education, and about how it doesn't agree with modern philosophies about teaching methods. He expostulated on how, for us, modern methods classes are a waste of time, and he asked, "I mean, really, how many methods courses have you guys taken?!" While I saw eye-rolls and hand-gestures that indicated an infinite number of education courses, I wanted to burst out "NONE! Hee hee hee - the joke's on you guys for hiring someone who has NO CLUE!" I don't know that the joke would have gone over, though. I kept it to myself, in any case. So much of my amusement at the devotions-table is private. Sigh. It's almost a waste. But it makes me laugh on the inside, so I guess that's not a waste. Hurrah for laughing, whether inside or out!

Happy New Year!

I'm pretty excited about 2007. That seems like a cool year. Besides, it's close to 2008, which is exciting because of the Presidential election which (if it weren't so scary) should be quite the drama to behold!

Too bad politics are so serious, because otherwise they would be really fun! I still think they are kind of fun, but I have to take a deep breath when people start talking about culture wars, and realize that there is a lot at stake. Kind of like the Red Sox in the playoffs or something.

Speaking of which, Go Patriots! I'm so looking forward to playoffs. My high school boys were gloating today over all of the football they got to watch over Christmas break.

My Y key has developed the weirdest habit of flipping up sometimes! It just did it while I was typing "they." It's very strange - like Toshiba provides secret compartments for their patrons... built right into their laptops! Awesome. I wonder what wicked tiny valuable I can store in there. Of course, now that I've blabbed about it on my blog it's not so secret anymore. But at least all the people who don't read blogs (Amy, Bethany, and ummmmm, let's see, there must be more than that) won't be able to steal my super secret tiny valuable! (And you know they would try if they could.)

Well, that was fun stream-of-consciousness writing (step aside Virginia Woolf), but now my consciousness seems to have dried up (not a lot up there, apparently), so I guess that's it for now.

Oh, and (in accordance with my title) Happy New Year everyone!

PS. I hate it when you click on a link and you have another window open and the link takes over that window instead of appearing in a new one. ARGH! But somehow, life goes on...

PPS. First day back today - I can't believe I get to be a teacher!

Teaching High School

Every once in awhile one of the other teachers at my school will say something about the high school in an ever-so-slightly negative tone of voice. You know, like they're being tolerated as a necessary evil, since that's what happens to their adorable students after the passage of years.

Well, blah. I happen to prefer them that way!

They will make little comments about not wanting to ever deal with them, and about how younger kids are so much better to teach, and how you can keep your high school students.

WELL THANK YOU, I WILL!

I am tempted to retort that I don't want to be caught babysitting all blooming day long - cutting out paper dolls and reading "The Dog Who Liked Lollipops." I want to actually travel the golden realms of ideas - discussing the human condition and the possibilities of transcendence, reading the masters, teaching students how to THINK. That is where satisfaction in the teaching world lies!

Of course, I never tell my fellow teachers this. I just think "good! I'm glad you like teaching pipsqueaks so that I can have the real students!" And then I come and vent in blog-land.

Now this is not to belittle all of you with young children that need educating, of course. That is where it all begins, and has moments of great excitement as well! I'm just reacting against countless barbed comments and therefore (as is my wont) jumping rapidly into the opposite ditch:)

I Know I'm Kind of Tooting my own Horn Here, but...

I'm SO excited to be

27!

It just seems like such an established age, you know? Like I've arrived! And what's more, 27 is three cubed, the trinity of trinities. That's got to be significant! :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! May the amazing love of our Savior be real to you as you celebrate. This Christmas season I have repeatedly noticed the line from “O Holy Night” that says: “He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.” Jesus loved us enough that the salvation of our souls was worth all of the suffering of the human life. He was willing to take on mortality so that we could take part in His immortality. We were worth it to Him! That is love, indeed. And I am thankful for it, and return it with all of my heart!

Happy celebration of His Love to all of you!

I'm on Christmas Break!!!

Hurrah for Christmas!!!

My last day of school was great fun - I got to put on a Christmas party for 7-12 grade. I taught them the game Mafia! Definitely very Christmas-y. They enjoyed it, although the dead people kept on talking and voting. Silly kids. But still fun!

Linds, we played your bow-on-the-head game, too! They thought it was fabulous, and begged me to play a round during chapel. I opted out of that one, even though they said they'd all defend me if the headmaster tried to fire me over it. Thanks, guys.

I was overwhelmed with gifts: some of them even gave me birthday presents! Good grief, I was never that nice to MY teachers!

And they liked their gifts too - one of my high schoolers (11th grade) said he'd keep his Hamlet bookmark forever! He was really pleased with it. Hurrah!

And now I'm on break, and basically my only responsibilites are to read books to see if they'd be good to teach, and finish Christmas shopping. I can handle that! Last night Gretchen started reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" to KJ and me. I needed to read it for school, but the thought of turning to page 1 of a 650 page book was daunting. So she turned to page one for me! And now I'm totally hooked, and am not at all daunted at the prospect of turning to page 30. Thanks, sis!

Merry almost Christmas everyone!

Christmas Presents!

Last year I made gift bags for my students for Christmas. Ahhhh! Excessive! And totally non-repeatable. I knew that I needed to find something small and cheap that I could do this year and every year in the future. But what? And then Aunt Laura and/or Melissa suggested bookmarks. PERFECT! I am, after all, a teacher of BOOKS.

So last night and today I've been working on them. They are individualized by class, and each have a picture and quotes relevant (for the most part) to the book we've been reading. I'm so happy with them! I'm going to print them off, and take them to Staples for laminating tomorrow.

Hurrah for cheap, repeatable, and yet meaningful! I'm especially happy with the Hamlet ones. Ooooh - and the Hobbit ones. Oh, and the Jane Eyre ones. Right. I like them all.

I'm especially pleased with the twist I put on the Hobbit ones, though, so I'll elaborate. There's a picture of Bilbo and Gandalf at the top (thanks, google images) and then there is part of one of Bilbo's traveling songs about wandering and coming home. And then there is the verse from Isaiah that talks about God leading the blind on paths they know not of, and making the darkness light before them. Yay!