After having two people from school comment on my driving (specifically my tactic of weaving about through various lanes of traffic on the highway), I decided it was time to do something about it. One never knows when one will be spotted by someone from one's work world. Sigh. So recently I've been playing this game called "patience." It's actually quite entrancing! Finally I begin to understand children's attraction to The Quiet Game. I always assumed they were just a little too, um, immature to realize that the game was merely to keep them from driving adults crazy. But they may be on to something. It really is entertaining to spend time doing something contrary to nature! I calmly drive down the road, sticking with one lane, and shaking my head and sighing condescendingly about that young hot-head who is weaving about through lanes of traffic trying to save himself one extra minute. These silly impatient drivers. Someday maybe they will be as mature and peaceful as I am, serenely gliding down the highway.
The other game I've been playing is the "be more like Danny" game. It's great fun. You pretend that you have the work ethic of your older brother, so you work like a slave all week on lesson plans and essay grading. The reason this is a game is because you're pretending that you're doing the work in order to be as good a teacher as your brother, but really you're doing it because you have absolutely no choice - the amount of work is the bare minimum for survival now that you are teaching this many classes.
In other news (lest we forget) I LOVE TEACHING!!!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Okay, who told the Chinese?
It's so nice having TJ home - it means we eat Chinese food more:) And last weekend, I got a fortune cookie that made me reflect on deep life truths. Or deep life questions, rather. Like, who told the Chinese about me? Which of my friends and relations is the mole?!
My fortune was "You will find yourself in a position of dignity in the end." HA! You keep trying to be grown up and dignified, but we fortune cookie writers know that you are fighting a losing battle. You?! Dignified?! (giggle giggle) But hey, don't worry. You might be dignified by the time you DIE! (If you're lucky.) (more giggles)
Today one of my students told me that her mother said I bring sunshine to the school... you can hear me all through the halls. Oh. Great!
Well, here's hoping for that dignity in the end...
My fortune was "You will find yourself in a position of dignity in the end." HA! You keep trying to be grown up and dignified, but we fortune cookie writers know that you are fighting a losing battle. You?! Dignified?! (giggle giggle) But hey, don't worry. You might be dignified by the time you DIE! (If you're lucky.) (more giggles)
Today one of my students told me that her mother said I bring sunshine to the school... you can hear me all through the halls. Oh. Great!
Well, here's hoping for that dignity in the end...
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Confrontation? Not Today!
This morning I got a text message from one of my student's moms (the one who really befriended me last year - I love her!), saying she was sorry to bother me, but she needed to ask me a question.
Uh oh, I thought, here it comes. Her daughter had not completed her summer assignments, and I had told her that she could either tell her mom she was starting the semester with three zeros, or I would have to call her myself. From the text message I surmised that the daughter had told the mother, the mother was upset, and the mother wanted to talk me into some kind of excessive grace or something.
But I texted her back and told her she wasn't bothering me and to go ahead and ask. She texted me back: "[re: the logic puzzle I'd given her daughter in class the day before] Who really did steal the art picture, Charlie or Bill?!"
Hee hee hee. I was vastly relieved and told her it was Charlie. How cute!
And now, with that lovely segue into the subject of school (HA! What else do I ever blog about during the year?!), I am happy to report that things are going fabulously. Last night I was reflecting on the difference between this Friday and last Friday. Last Friday I was a mess, worried about the work load, hating the prospect of Rhetoric class, sure I would never survive. (Incidentally, when I start feeling like that I love quoting "The Princess Bride" at the part where Westley and Buttercup are about to enter the Fireswamp and Buttercup says "We'll never survive," in that beautiful English accent. Hm. Obviously I can't be too despairing if I am still quoting TPB... Oh well. It was pretty despairing for the likes of me.)
This Friday I came home wicked tired, but also happy with how the classes had gone, how I'd handled them (I felt so good-teacher-y because I went the extra mile, in trying to explain truth, validity, and soundness in my logic class, by bringing in a diagram and a visual aid made with legos!), and how the future looked. That talk with my headmaster made such a difference, as did getting further into the groove. I'm going to have to work hard, harder than last year, but not nearly as hard as I envisioned (burning the midnight oil - not a moment's free time - all that jazz). It's going to be okay, thank the Lord!
And this week, I had many of those moments where I thought to myself, or even said aloud: "I LOVE TEACHING!!!"
Uh oh, I thought, here it comes. Her daughter had not completed her summer assignments, and I had told her that she could either tell her mom she was starting the semester with three zeros, or I would have to call her myself. From the text message I surmised that the daughter had told the mother, the mother was upset, and the mother wanted to talk me into some kind of excessive grace or something.
But I texted her back and told her she wasn't bothering me and to go ahead and ask. She texted me back: "[re: the logic puzzle I'd given her daughter in class the day before] Who really did steal the art picture, Charlie or Bill?!"
Hee hee hee. I was vastly relieved and told her it was Charlie. How cute!
And now, with that lovely segue into the subject of school (HA! What else do I ever blog about during the year?!), I am happy to report that things are going fabulously. Last night I was reflecting on the difference between this Friday and last Friday. Last Friday I was a mess, worried about the work load, hating the prospect of Rhetoric class, sure I would never survive. (Incidentally, when I start feeling like that I love quoting "The Princess Bride" at the part where Westley and Buttercup are about to enter the Fireswamp and Buttercup says "We'll never survive," in that beautiful English accent. Hm. Obviously I can't be too despairing if I am still quoting TPB... Oh well. It was pretty despairing for the likes of me.)
This Friday I came home wicked tired, but also happy with how the classes had gone, how I'd handled them (I felt so good-teacher-y because I went the extra mile, in trying to explain truth, validity, and soundness in my logic class, by bringing in a diagram and a visual aid made with legos!), and how the future looked. That talk with my headmaster made such a difference, as did getting further into the groove. I'm going to have to work hard, harder than last year, but not nearly as hard as I envisioned (burning the midnight oil - not a moment's free time - all that jazz). It's going to be okay, thank the Lord!
And this week, I had many of those moments where I thought to myself, or even said aloud: "I LOVE TEACHING!!!"
Monday, September 11, 2006
My Style of Conflict Resolution: Everyone Agree with Me!
This morning I was grumpy as all get-out, bewailing my overworked state. But by afternoon I was blissfully saying I had the best job in the world. What made the difference? The world's BEST headmaster!
Friday afternoon I suddenly realized that Rhetoric class was going to be totally boring and a waste of time and energy. This is not a realization one wants to reach at the beginning of a school year. So I generally panicked, and then started casting about for alternate curriculum.
This afternoon, with fear and trepidation, I sat down with my headmaster and told him I wanted to scrap the curriculum and replace it with a new one. And he listened! And (gasp) agreed! He was totally on my side. Isn't that amazing?! As an employee, I felt like my boss was really behind me, and wanted me to succeed. Now that was a good thing to realize at the beginning of a school year. He is really a good man. Bless his heart! He just saved my santity. It's amazing what the losing of a horrible class and the gaining of a fascinating one will do for my morale!
Friday afternoon I suddenly realized that Rhetoric class was going to be totally boring and a waste of time and energy. This is not a realization one wants to reach at the beginning of a school year. So I generally panicked, and then started casting about for alternate curriculum.
This afternoon, with fear and trepidation, I sat down with my headmaster and told him I wanted to scrap the curriculum and replace it with a new one. And he listened! And (gasp) agreed! He was totally on my side. Isn't that amazing?! As an employee, I felt like my boss was really behind me, and wanted me to succeed. Now that was a good thing to realize at the beginning of a school year. He is really a good man. Bless his heart! He just saved my santity. It's amazing what the losing of a horrible class and the gaining of a fascinating one will do for my morale!
Monday, September 04, 2006
Sunday, September 03, 2006
"It's Only a Game"
That has to be one of my most-despised phrases of all time. And for some reason, I always tend to hear it when it is the least true! It is NOT just a game! Well, okay, technically, definition-wise, it is just a game. Not a llama. Or a compound sentence. It is not a game AND a pistachio. It is just a game. That much I can accept.
But we all know that when somebody says, complacently or conciliatorily, "it's only a game," the implication is, "it doesn't matter." "Only" means "merely." "Only" means "I can't believe you care about something this insignificant." "Only" means "why don't you get an interest like world peace or something that really matters?" "Only" means "you are an inferior human being for even thinking about caring." Humph. Only, forsooth!
The phrase is invariably used by someone who is not a fan, or not an athlete, and is directed toward someone who is very much one or the other or both, and almost always when the team that the latter is supporting is losing in the playoffs or something. At the point where the fan is at his most tense - the team is at the do-or-die point - history is in the balance.
It is not "merely" a game. It is a CONTEST. It is a CHAMPIONSHIP. It is VICTORY at stake. There is a lot more to a game than it's definition - than the fact that what is being achieved isn't affecting the economy or the state of the Middle East. In a game there is the striving after perfection, the pitting of the best in the world against the best in the world, the attaining of things no one else has ever attained. It is a team - a group of men who have been seeking the same goal, together. It is a fan-base: people who have watched history unfolding with bated breath, and with passionate interest. There is a LOT to a game! It's not just a couple of hoops and a ball that bounces. That's almost like simplifying the Mid East conflict into a couple of guns and a line in the sand. There's a lot more to it than that! Similarly, there is a lot more at stake in a championship game than "only a game."
So, folks, let's not trivialize the role of the game in America. Let's not forget the lessons games teach, the character they build, the inspiration they give, the perfection they demand. "Games" is a word with which the word "ONLY" should never be coupled!
(And no, nobody said this to me recently - something innocuous just reminded me of it, and I thought it would be of utmost blog-worthiness.)
But we all know that when somebody says, complacently or conciliatorily, "it's only a game," the implication is, "it doesn't matter." "Only" means "merely." "Only" means "I can't believe you care about something this insignificant." "Only" means "why don't you get an interest like world peace or something that really matters?" "Only" means "you are an inferior human being for even thinking about caring." Humph. Only, forsooth!
The phrase is invariably used by someone who is not a fan, or not an athlete, and is directed toward someone who is very much one or the other or both, and almost always when the team that the latter is supporting is losing in the playoffs or something. At the point where the fan is at his most tense - the team is at the do-or-die point - history is in the balance.
It is not "merely" a game. It is a CONTEST. It is a CHAMPIONSHIP. It is VICTORY at stake. There is a lot more to a game than it's definition - than the fact that what is being achieved isn't affecting the economy or the state of the Middle East. In a game there is the striving after perfection, the pitting of the best in the world against the best in the world, the attaining of things no one else has ever attained. It is a team - a group of men who have been seeking the same goal, together. It is a fan-base: people who have watched history unfolding with bated breath, and with passionate interest. There is a LOT to a game! It's not just a couple of hoops and a ball that bounces. That's almost like simplifying the Mid East conflict into a couple of guns and a line in the sand. There's a lot more to it than that! Similarly, there is a lot more at stake in a championship game than "only a game."
So, folks, let's not trivialize the role of the game in America. Let's not forget the lessons games teach, the character they build, the inspiration they give, the perfection they demand. "Games" is a word with which the word "ONLY" should never be coupled!
(And no, nobody said this to me recently - something innocuous just reminded me of it, and I thought it would be of utmost blog-worthiness.)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
First Day of Teacher Training
The first day back was great! I was practically giddy: as sociable as I come. Well, nearly. Anyway, I guess I was happy to be back.
I met the new teacher, and he seems really nice. But, since we didn't get that third teacher, he might be the homeroom teacher for the 7th and 8th grade, which means I might not even share a room! Weird! But fun! If it means I don't have to oversee the 7th and 8th grade clean-up in their room at the end of the day I will click my heels for joy (or something). That was the worst part of last year. Well, that and having to confess that it was me, and not one of my 7th grade girls, who had just screamed like that.
Today we learned Logic. It was great fun. As a Classical school, we teach
Logic, and our headmaster decided it would probably be good if all the teachers (even those for the younger grades) knew some logic, so we could all be heading our students in the same direction. Hear hear! I really enjoyed the day - it was so much better than hearing about what the ideal teacher is like, and feeling like I was up to about 1% of that ideal. Bring on the logic! Plus, I'll be teaching it this year, so it's great review for what I learned this summer in preparation (as well as some new stuff!).
Most of all I had fun setting up my posters. I have decorated this post with copies of two of the poster I have hanging in my room now! Beautious, eh?
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Overworked and Underpaid (but still loving it!)
Okay, here is my sob story (which I'm not sobbing about):
My school was going to hire another jr high / high school teacher. Good. We needed one. HOWEVER, somehow that fell through. SO, the other teacher and I are totally picking up the slack. Oy vay. I am going to be teaching SO many classes!
I was all set to do British Literature for the 11th and 12th grades, as well as general Lit for the 9th grade. I was also planning on Logic (hee hee hee), possibly for two levels, as well as Rhetoric (for two levels, but during one class time - one-room school house syle). Okay, good. I was feeling like that was quite manageable. Oh, typing too, but that really doesn't require a lot from me since it's just Mavis Beacon.
THEN I got this e-mail from the headmaster asking me to call him asap. Call him I did, with an elevated pulse. The conversation did nothing to lower my blood pressure. "How do you feel about math?" He asked me. "Umm, I think that it is evil in number form." No, actually I said "I can handle low-level math, but I never went beyond Algebra II..." "Okay, do you think you can teach Algebra I?" "Sure!" (That last statement was made in a fit of insanity. No, I think I can really do it, as long as the real math teacher can help me out a little...")
We discussed some other possibilities, and then he popped in a little, "By the way, I think you're getting your 7th and 8th grade Lit class back." Here there is a pause, as I reflect back on the fact that I have just spent the whole summer preparing two Lit classes, and have one week to work on this third one. "Ummm, I don't really have any books or anything." "Oh, just teach something you've read before." "Well, okay!" It wasn't like he meant to spring this on my last-minute - it wasn't his fault the teacher decided not to work at our school after all. Sigh. And I'm taking him up on the books you've read before thing: The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer, Jane Eyre, and maybe The Chosen. Fun!
So now I'm teaching EIGHT courses:
*Lit (11th and 12th)
*Lit (9th)
*Lit (7th and 8th)
*Logic (7th)
*Logic (8th and 9th) - this one might be in with the 7th grade logic, or might be scrapped all together, so I might only have 7 courses
*Rhetoric (11th as well as 12th, but in the same period)
*Algebra I
*Typing
QUITE THE LINE-UP, EH? Good grief. But now I have to say that it's really not that bad:) It looks like a lot of fun, and I think it's do-able. For one thing (and this is a big thing) Logic, Rhetoric, and Typing are all just three days a week. So really only four courses are every day. And also, some will take very little preparation ahead of time (like typing and Algebra). So it's not as bad as it initially looks. But I just wanted to make it look as bad as possible for effect:)
Should be quite a year!
My school was going to hire another jr high / high school teacher. Good. We needed one. HOWEVER, somehow that fell through. SO, the other teacher and I are totally picking up the slack. Oy vay. I am going to be teaching SO many classes!
I was all set to do British Literature for the 11th and 12th grades, as well as general Lit for the 9th grade. I was also planning on Logic (hee hee hee), possibly for two levels, as well as Rhetoric (for two levels, but during one class time - one-room school house syle). Okay, good. I was feeling like that was quite manageable. Oh, typing too, but that really doesn't require a lot from me since it's just Mavis Beacon.
THEN I got this e-mail from the headmaster asking me to call him asap. Call him I did, with an elevated pulse. The conversation did nothing to lower my blood pressure. "How do you feel about math?" He asked me. "Umm, I think that it is evil in number form." No, actually I said "I can handle low-level math, but I never went beyond Algebra II..." "Okay, do you think you can teach Algebra I?" "Sure!" (That last statement was made in a fit of insanity. No, I think I can really do it, as long as the real math teacher can help me out a little...")
We discussed some other possibilities, and then he popped in a little, "By the way, I think you're getting your 7th and 8th grade Lit class back." Here there is a pause, as I reflect back on the fact that I have just spent the whole summer preparing two Lit classes, and have one week to work on this third one. "Ummm, I don't really have any books or anything." "Oh, just teach something you've read before." "Well, okay!" It wasn't like he meant to spring this on my last-minute - it wasn't his fault the teacher decided not to work at our school after all. Sigh. And I'm taking him up on the books you've read before thing: The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer, Jane Eyre, and maybe The Chosen. Fun!
So now I'm teaching EIGHT courses:
*Lit (11th and 12th)
*Lit (9th)
*Lit (7th and 8th)
*Logic (7th)
*Logic (8th and 9th) - this one might be in with the 7th grade logic, or might be scrapped all together, so I might only have 7 courses
*Rhetoric (11th as well as 12th, but in the same period)
*Algebra I
*Typing
QUITE THE LINE-UP, EH? Good grief. But now I have to say that it's really not that bad:) It looks like a lot of fun, and I think it's do-able. For one thing (and this is a big thing) Logic, Rhetoric, and Typing are all just three days a week. So really only four courses are every day. And also, some will take very little preparation ahead of time (like typing and Algebra). So it's not as bad as it initially looks. But I just wanted to make it look as bad as possible for effect:)
Should be quite a year!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Girls Singing Boys' Songs
So here's this dilemma. Some of the most beautiful songs in the world are written from the male perspective. But when I'm rich and famous and cutting 276 CDs a year, I'll be realllly tempted to use the most beautiful songs in the world! Because really, why would you want to cut CDs that didn't have the most beautiful music in the world? I mean, that would be like if you were an incredible writer but chose to write stories about red ponies who die and stuff.
"Danny Boy" for instance is an incredibly beautiful piece. I love singing it at the top of my lungs when the occasion warrants (occasions in which I'm cleaning the house and no one else is home, for example). But really it was written from the father's perspective. Lots of girls sing it, and thus change it to a love song, and it's very pretty. But for me it loses some of its meaning that way. Sigh.
"My Love to My Bride" is one I actually sang at a recital in college. It is another incredibly beautiful one, but really there is no way to make that work. So that one gets the old scratch.
Fortunately for me, and all other females who like to sing, there are also beautiful songs that are written from a female perspective. So all's well there. I don't really have to settle for ugly songs for all of my days...
Anyway, this all came because I was listening to just such a song being sung by a girl on Pandora Internet Radio. PEOPLE! You should check it out! Melissa introduced me to it, and then Penny reminded me of it (Pandora, that is). You type in someone you like, and then you can listen to tons of music in that same style! Right now I'm listening to "Lisa Kelly Radio" and it's beautiful. (Lisa Kelly is one of the "Celtic Woman" singers.) COOL, HUH? I highly recommend it. It can introduce you to all kinds of great new music!
Also, I'm still having a fabu time in GA! I love it down here. We've done some great shopping, some great fellowshipping, some great dining, etc. Oh! And swimming! For like an hour and a half or so last night we had the pool to ourselves and it was such fun. I won the "swim underwater the farthest" contest. Yippee! My calling in life! Today we joined the Adams girls for shopping on the square and had a delightful time. We had fried green tomatoes at the sweet little restaurant there. Success all around. Hurrah for GA!
"Danny Boy" for instance is an incredibly beautiful piece. I love singing it at the top of my lungs when the occasion warrants (occasions in which I'm cleaning the house and no one else is home, for example). But really it was written from the father's perspective. Lots of girls sing it, and thus change it to a love song, and it's very pretty. But for me it loses some of its meaning that way. Sigh.
"My Love to My Bride" is one I actually sang at a recital in college. It is another incredibly beautiful one, but really there is no way to make that work. So that one gets the old scratch.
Fortunately for me, and all other females who like to sing, there are also beautiful songs that are written from a female perspective. So all's well there. I don't really have to settle for ugly songs for all of my days...
Anyway, this all came because I was listening to just such a song being sung by a girl on Pandora Internet Radio. PEOPLE! You should check it out! Melissa introduced me to it, and then Penny reminded me of it (Pandora, that is). You type in someone you like, and then you can listen to tons of music in that same style! Right now I'm listening to "Lisa Kelly Radio" and it's beautiful. (Lisa Kelly is one of the "Celtic Woman" singers.) COOL, HUH? I highly recommend it. It can introduce you to all kinds of great new music!
Also, I'm still having a fabu time in GA! I love it down here. We've done some great shopping, some great fellowshipping, some great dining, etc. Oh! And swimming! For like an hour and a half or so last night we had the pool to ourselves and it was such fun. I won the "swim underwater the farthest" contest. Yippee! My calling in life! Today we joined the Adams girls for shopping on the square and had a delightful time. We had fried green tomatoes at the sweet little restaurant there. Success all around. Hurrah for GA!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Happy Birthday to Gretchen!
Today is my big sister's birthday! I love her.
When I was little she was one of my standards of cool-ness.
Now she is one of my standards of Godly-woman-ness.
I admire her devotion to God - her vision for what her life is about - her unselfishness for the sake of her family.
I love being friends with her.
Happy Birthday, Gretchen!
When I was little she was one of my standards of cool-ness.
Now she is one of my standards of Godly-woman-ness.
I admire her devotion to God - her vision for what her life is about - her unselfishness for the sake of her family.
I love being friends with her.
Happy Birthday, Gretchen!
Penny = Superer Woman than Superwoman!
Okay folks. So you see THIS. But I saw the process! Well, not the painting, which was already done, but the hanging of the accessories. And was I ever impressed! I wish you could have been here to see Penny, surrounded by tools, working away with levels and tape measures, hammers and weird tools whose names I didn't even know. She's amazing! I was wicked impressed. She even has her own power drill! You can get much more super-woman-ish than that. This living room is BEAUTIFUL! If I even get a house, I think I'll ask Penny to be the interior decorator. I love her style. Oh, she also makes her own iced coffee! Folks, this girl is goooood. I'm such a fan.
In other (but pretty related) news, I'M IN GA!!! Man, I love this place. Katie and I had a lovely time getting here, except for about 2 hours in NY City and 1 hour in Virginia where we weren't doing very much in the "getting here" department. But actually, even that wasn't too bad, because hey, we were hanging out, and taking a road trip! Okay, I'm lying. NY City stank. But VA was okay:) Anyway, the rest of the trip was fantastic. Katie read "The Ball and the Cross" by G. K. Chesterton out loud to me, and it was fantastic. I HIGHLY recommend it. Funny, great story, great characters, and great point!
Yesterday I joined the youth group for some basketball. After two days of sitting in the car I was ready to move around, and it wasn't too hot (amazingly). So I jumped onto the court and went at it. I was having a fabulous time. I even got some baskets (I was on Zohrab's team which meant that everyone on the team got the ball - yay!). But after awhile my feet were really starting to hurt. I was playing barefoot on the pavement - and this was no ordinary pavement. Very rough. Soon my feet hurt so badly that I had to take a time out to go beg some sneakers off someone.
Lo and behold, after more basketball and some volleyball too, I returned to the Browns to discover that there were large blisters on the bottoms of my feet! Like I say, no ordinary pavement. Both big toes were really scuffed up. Interestingly enough, they scuffed along the toe-print lines. Weird. But the balls of my feet were the worst. They had large, paisly-shaped blisters just below the big toes. Woooo! They are things of beauty. I guess it's from all the rapid changes of direction and such. I don't know. But there they are. Large, red, and squishy.
So since then I've been walking around on my heels and the outside edges of my feet. I feel like a grandmother. A really old one. But it's kind of fun. You should try it! It makes my walking really slow though, so sometimes I kind of run that way in order to catch up with the person I'm walking with. It makes for quite the hobble.
Last night Nate, Penny and I went swimming at the near-by pool (which was empty!). We were walking back to the car, when I commented that I hoped no bad guys came to chase us, because I'd have to just run regularly, and the blisters would have to fend for themselves. Then Nate said cheerfully that he and Penny would be fine - they'd just have to make sure to run a little faster than I could. I told him I didn't like his attitude.
I'm having a wonderful time!
In other (but pretty related) news, I'M IN GA!!! Man, I love this place. Katie and I had a lovely time getting here, except for about 2 hours in NY City and 1 hour in Virginia where we weren't doing very much in the "getting here" department. But actually, even that wasn't too bad, because hey, we were hanging out, and taking a road trip! Okay, I'm lying. NY City stank. But VA was okay:) Anyway, the rest of the trip was fantastic. Katie read "The Ball and the Cross" by G. K. Chesterton out loud to me, and it was fantastic. I HIGHLY recommend it. Funny, great story, great characters, and great point!
Yesterday I joined the youth group for some basketball. After two days of sitting in the car I was ready to move around, and it wasn't too hot (amazingly). So I jumped onto the court and went at it. I was having a fabulous time. I even got some baskets (I was on Zohrab's team which meant that everyone on the team got the ball - yay!). But after awhile my feet were really starting to hurt. I was playing barefoot on the pavement - and this was no ordinary pavement. Very rough. Soon my feet hurt so badly that I had to take a time out to go beg some sneakers off someone.
Lo and behold, after more basketball and some volleyball too, I returned to the Browns to discover that there were large blisters on the bottoms of my feet! Like I say, no ordinary pavement. Both big toes were really scuffed up. Interestingly enough, they scuffed along the toe-print lines. Weird. But the balls of my feet were the worst. They had large, paisly-shaped blisters just below the big toes. Woooo! They are things of beauty. I guess it's from all the rapid changes of direction and such. I don't know. But there they are. Large, red, and squishy.
So since then I've been walking around on my heels and the outside edges of my feet. I feel like a grandmother. A really old one. But it's kind of fun. You should try it! It makes my walking really slow though, so sometimes I kind of run that way in order to catch up with the person I'm walking with. It makes for quite the hobble.
Last night Nate, Penny and I went swimming at the near-by pool (which was empty!). We were walking back to the car, when I commented that I hoped no bad guys came to chase us, because I'd have to just run regularly, and the blisters would have to fend for themselves. Then Nate said cheerfully that he and Penny would be fine - they'd just have to make sure to run a little faster than I could. I told him I didn't like his attitude.
I'm having a wonderful time!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
"It could happen!"
Last night Katie and I went bowling. Actually, Katie went bowling and I went to watch her. We only had one pair of socks between us. And the Red Sox game was on, so I wasn't in great need of other entertainment.I took some sweet video of the occasion on my phone, but alas, I can't get it to transmit. Something is definitely wrong there. I'll have to look into it.
Anyway. I sat there, happily keeping one eye on the tv and one eye on Katie. The result was strange to behold, but fortunately Katie had requested a lane far away from other people, so nobody noticed.
As I watched, I began to notice a strange phenomenon. When the Red Sox did something right, Katie did well, and when they did something bad, she did... um, not so well. Odd, I thought. I pointed it out to Katie. And then it got a little uncanny. Katie got the ball, er, semi-far-from-the-middle, and the pitcher (Hansen) got a ball. Katie got one more middling and Hansen got a strike.
There was definitely some kind of connection there!
But then there was a commercial and I kind of forgot about it. I got absorbed in the games (Katie's and the Red Sox). But THEN it happened. Ortiz was up to bat, and Katie was up to bowl. She strode forward, released, and lo! it was RIGHT down the middle. A PERFECT STRIKE!!!
And I looked up at the screen and Ortiz was trotting around the bases. Trotting? Why YES. He'd just hit a HOMERUN!!!
Oh my word. Stop the presses. Folks, it has become abundantly clear that Katie is the key to success for the Sox. Obviously there is some mystic bond between the two. One cannot succeed without the other. I predict that this year's World Series will occur with Katie in the bowling alley. We need to foster her love of bowling. Take her often. Get her in excellent form. She must bowl the Red Sox to VICTORY!
Hm. On the other hand, she'll probably want to watch the World Series. This could be a problem. Okay, solution: have her bowl many and many a 300 before the WS, in order to get some victory in the bank that the Sox can pull out and use at the opportune moments.
Now if I ONLY had that video to post...
Friday, August 04, 2006
My Confession (which is quite different from Josh Groban's)
I HATE SALAD! There. I've said it. After years of just eating it because it was there, it finally hit me, clearly and undeniably: I simply loath the stuff. I wouldn't mind if I never saw another leaf of it again. I like the veggies fine: tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber... yummmm. But as for the leafy stuff, absolutely no redeeming value. Except for nutritionally, of course, which doesn't count.Many of my more meritous friends enjoy it, which makes me wonder if perhaps I am missing out. Sometimes, even where there is the option of a hamburger or a quesadilla, they choose it at a restaurant! To me, that is a waste of stomach space that could have been used more efficiently, and pleasurably.
I don't see any way out of this vicious salad-loathing cycle. Every time I convince myself that it's good for me, and try some, I am reminded all the more vigorously of why I do not like it, and I am all the more hardened in my anti-salad stance. It is not for me to munch upon the green and leafy.
Now if they would come up with CHOCOLATE lettuce, that would be a different story!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
The Big Coffee
Claire coined this spin on the Big Apple, and I liked it (sorry, Claire)and therefore stole it. Remember the time when I went to Seattle? Well, here I am, back to tell the tale! Quite an amazing place, really... I agree, Linds -- I kind of want to live there. It suddenly dawned on me at some point on the trip how incredibly rich I am in travel experiences. Here I was in a brand new corner of the country, taking in new sights while at the same time being reminded of Jerusalem, Northern Galilee, London, and Boston. Wow. What a variety of places God has put me, without my even realizing it.
Okay, so instead of launching into a full blow-by-blow account of our (my immediate family, that is-- sorry I forgot to mention that detail before) adventures, I'll try to just hit the highlights.
1) MOUNTAINS. REAL ones. I could harly believe it from the plane -- all these massive, craggy ranges, complete with honest-to-goodness snow on top. We're not in [my small, flat hometown] anymore, Toto. Mt. Ranier was the most impressive, of course. It kept popping up and surprising me around every turn (enough so that T and A got sick of me saying "Look! A mountain!" every 5 seconds). It was really weird to travel by typical stores and strip malls and suddenly see this majestic panorama towering above a Michael's like a fake backdrop meant to garner business. On one day we went to Olympic National Park and wound around impossibly steep cliffs with no guard rails (a little like the ascent of Akrabim only with trees). What a vista. On top we found some leftover snow and some feisty park rangers who were very diligent about protecting the dead pine needles on either side of the path. I thought of Brandon's Adventures in Yellowstone and of course appreciated their keeping us all safe. We didn't see one single buffalo...
The white stuff is snow. They must have had some crazy drifts this winter, because it was HOT and there were still piles lying around.
Here's A. leaping into the great beyond. This was before we saw the "please stay behind the wall" sign. Oh well. It wouldn't have been the first time we ignored such warnings on our trip. I think we killed a rainforest by the side of the road earlier in the day.... It brought back fond memories of Kingdom History trip.
2) "Only in Seattle" moments. There are always some signs of foreignness on trips like this. Just the fact that we were on the West coast was kind of weird. At one point A. said something about what we do "out East" -- do they say that in Washington? Or do they say "back East," since everything began here in the first place? hmm... Anyway, that's beside the point. The point is that people here really are majorly obsessed with coffee. At least that's what I gathered from the fact that we kept seeing espresso huts in every other parking lot. They were around the size of the old snackbar on the ballfield -- some even smaller-- with the one word "espresso" emblazoned on the front to assure weary passersby that they would survive until the next Starbucks. I didn't see very many people actually stopped at them, though, which made me wonder.... Personally, I missed Dunkin' Donuts (although that one green tea raspberry frappucino I had from Starbucks was pretty stinkin good).
Here's another oddity that I found highly amusing. I guess this fully-illustrated warning makes it very clear to potential lawbreaking truckers exactly what terrors they have to face if they DARE go over 30. I think I found my calling as an artist.
We also went to the famous Pike Place Market, which reminded me a lot of the souq. Part of it is an open-air type affair, with little booths of fruit, nuts, flowers, hot, melt-in-your-mouth donuts, and fish. The fish stands are particularly famous, I guess, because they throw the things around and tend to make a giant show of it all.
3) Friends. There are so many cool people in Seattle! We went to the A's house the afternoon we arrived (relations of Penny, Brad, and yes, Craig -- somehow that connection slipped my mind. so many family trees to remember...). We were treated to some FABULOUS raspberry pie made by Kristi, and enjoyed a tour of their beautiful home and backyard garden (I think we should hire out Mrs. A to come landscape for us). I'm afraid we weren't very thrilling company since our bodies were telling us it was around midnight... but it was a nice visit nonetheless and we got some good advice about what to do with ourselves in Seattle.
We also saw Luke and his fiancee (who was super nice and we all liked a lot). We met them at Safeco Field (more on that later) and watched the game with them, then went out to dinner later on. I had a great time chatting with Luke, getting caught up on our goings on, filling him in on the who's who of the 2006 Red Sox (kind of hard to stay on top of things way out there) and even launching into a very interesting discussion of politics. We covered a lot of ground during batting practice. :)
Finally, I got a chance to meet up with 4 friends from high school. I wasn't totally sure how it would go, but I ended up having a fabulous time and wish that they lived closer. It's kind of cool to relate with friends from long ago who are still the people you remember, only more grown up. If that makes any sense...
4) The Game.... Sigh. It really was a fabulous game, but such a killer loss. Safeco Field is really nice -- very big, and very new and therefore clean. One thing that struck me as being different from Fenway was the fact that we looked DOWN on the field when we walked in from the street level. Not the same glorious impact.... But there were plenty of reminders of home. The Sox fans were out in droves, and the camaraderie was all the more spectacular being so far from home. There was this instant bond with every 3rd person we saw, it seemed. I even sat next to a guy from Boston on the plane who was going to the same game we were, then heading to Oakland to catch the series there. At batting practice I chatted with a guy from Worcester; he showed me a picture of his daughter w/ Curt Schilling that he was going to try to get signed. What other team can boast such fabulous fans... I love it. During the game itself I was torn between reveling in The Nation's numbers and cringing at how loathed we were by the Mariners fans around us. There were some pretty hearty, stadium wide "Let's Go, Red Sox" cheers. I get the impression that it takes quite a bit to get the few Seattle fans whipped into much of a frenzy (though they got pretty frenzied at the end, which made the walk-off loss all the worse. But then there was that great guy who came walking past holding up his Boston hat and nodding to his comrades in the stand, "it's all right; we've still got it!")
Here's where we got our seats. Those tiny specks are apparently ballplayers. The depth perception was totally off from up here; we couldn't even tell which way the ball was going -- it was weird. An interesting perspective, but of course we fell back on our old ways and moved to some seats T scouted out for us about 30 rows up from the first base side of home. Nice. We didn't even get kicked out once! A new record!
As you can see, we got within pretty good picture range at batting practice. Alex Cora tossed a ball that Luke, being very tall, snagged. Someone near him asked who had thrown it...good thing I had just told him who Cora was :) At one point T was hanging out near where the pitchers were warming up and Manny Delcarmen tossed a ball into the stands. T reached in front of some girl and caught it, then felt bad and said he'd give her the next one. Sure enough, Craig Hansen threw him one, and he handed it over to the girl. Papelbon saw it, and yelled up, "WEAK!" to T. haha. T. tried to explain that he already had a ball, but "Papi Jr." just shook his head and yelled "weak!" again. Ah, the momentous brushes with fame.
There's plenty more I could write, such as the fact that we did in fact see the first ever Starbucks (and the awesome a cappela trio out front), and the Space Needle, and lots of art galleries (yay for me! poor everyone with me!), including one in the Experience Music Project building designed by THE Frank Gehry (oooh, ahhh... who's Frank Gehry? Look up the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. wowzers). However, this post is a veritable beast already, and I'm tired. Thanks to all you well-wishers out there -- we had a really good time. You can see more pictures if you ever run into me someday.
The end.
Okay, so instead of launching into a full blow-by-blow account of our (my immediate family, that is-- sorry I forgot to mention that detail before) adventures, I'll try to just hit the highlights.
1) MOUNTAINS. REAL ones. I could harly believe it from the plane -- all these massive, craggy ranges, complete with honest-to-goodness snow on top. We're not in [my small, flat hometown] anymore, Toto. Mt. Ranier was the most impressive, of course. It kept popping up and surprising me around every turn (enough so that T and A got sick of me saying "Look! A mountain!" every 5 seconds). It was really weird to travel by typical stores and strip malls and suddenly see this majestic panorama towering above a Michael's like a fake backdrop meant to garner business. On one day we went to Olympic National Park and wound around impossibly steep cliffs with no guard rails (a little like the ascent of Akrabim only with trees). What a vista. On top we found some leftover snow and some feisty park rangers who were very diligent about protecting the dead pine needles on either side of the path. I thought of Brandon's Adventures in Yellowstone and of course appreciated their keeping us all safe. We didn't see one single buffalo...
The white stuff is snow. They must have had some crazy drifts this winter, because it was HOT and there were still piles lying around.
Here's A. leaping into the great beyond. This was before we saw the "please stay behind the wall" sign. Oh well. It wouldn't have been the first time we ignored such warnings on our trip. I think we killed a rainforest by the side of the road earlier in the day.... It brought back fond memories of Kingdom History trip. 2) "Only in Seattle" moments. There are always some signs of foreignness on trips like this. Just the fact that we were on the West coast was kind of weird. At one point A. said something about what we do "out East" -- do they say that in Washington? Or do they say "back East," since everything began here in the first place? hmm... Anyway, that's beside the point. The point is that people here really are majorly obsessed with coffee. At least that's what I gathered from the fact that we kept seeing espresso huts in every other parking lot. They were around the size of the old snackbar on the ballfield -- some even smaller-- with the one word "espresso" emblazoned on the front to assure weary passersby that they would survive until the next Starbucks. I didn't see very many people actually stopped at them, though, which made me wonder.... Personally, I missed Dunkin' Donuts (although that one green tea raspberry frappucino I had from Starbucks was pretty stinkin good).
Here's another oddity that I found highly amusing. I guess this fully-illustrated warning makes it very clear to potential lawbreaking truckers exactly what terrors they have to face if they DARE go over 30. I think I found my calling as an artist.
We also went to the famous Pike Place Market, which reminded me a lot of the souq. Part of it is an open-air type affair, with little booths of fruit, nuts, flowers, hot, melt-in-your-mouth donuts, and fish. The fish stands are particularly famous, I guess, because they throw the things around and tend to make a giant show of it all.
3) Friends. There are so many cool people in Seattle! We went to the A's house the afternoon we arrived (relations of Penny, Brad, and yes, Craig -- somehow that connection slipped my mind. so many family trees to remember...). We were treated to some FABULOUS raspberry pie made by Kristi, and enjoyed a tour of their beautiful home and backyard garden (I think we should hire out Mrs. A to come landscape for us). I'm afraid we weren't very thrilling company since our bodies were telling us it was around midnight... but it was a nice visit nonetheless and we got some good advice about what to do with ourselves in Seattle.
We also saw Luke and his fiancee (who was super nice and we all liked a lot). We met them at Safeco Field (more on that later) and watched the game with them, then went out to dinner later on. I had a great time chatting with Luke, getting caught up on our goings on, filling him in on the who's who of the 2006 Red Sox (kind of hard to stay on top of things way out there) and even launching into a very interesting discussion of politics. We covered a lot of ground during batting practice. :)
Finally, I got a chance to meet up with 4 friends from high school. I wasn't totally sure how it would go, but I ended up having a fabulous time and wish that they lived closer. It's kind of cool to relate with friends from long ago who are still the people you remember, only more grown up. If that makes any sense...
4) The Game.... Sigh. It really was a fabulous game, but such a killer loss. Safeco Field is really nice -- very big, and very new and therefore clean. One thing that struck me as being different from Fenway was the fact that we looked DOWN on the field when we walked in from the street level. Not the same glorious impact.... But there were plenty of reminders of home. The Sox fans were out in droves, and the camaraderie was all the more spectacular being so far from home. There was this instant bond with every 3rd person we saw, it seemed. I even sat next to a guy from Boston on the plane who was going to the same game we were, then heading to Oakland to catch the series there. At batting practice I chatted with a guy from Worcester; he showed me a picture of his daughter w/ Curt Schilling that he was going to try to get signed. What other team can boast such fabulous fans... I love it. During the game itself I was torn between reveling in The Nation's numbers and cringing at how loathed we were by the Mariners fans around us. There were some pretty hearty, stadium wide "Let's Go, Red Sox" cheers. I get the impression that it takes quite a bit to get the few Seattle fans whipped into much of a frenzy (though they got pretty frenzied at the end, which made the walk-off loss all the worse. But then there was that great guy who came walking past holding up his Boston hat and nodding to his comrades in the stand, "it's all right; we've still got it!")
Here's where we got our seats. Those tiny specks are apparently ballplayers. The depth perception was totally off from up here; we couldn't even tell which way the ball was going -- it was weird. An interesting perspective, but of course we fell back on our old ways and moved to some seats T scouted out for us about 30 rows up from the first base side of home. Nice. We didn't even get kicked out once! A new record!
As you can see, we got within pretty good picture range at batting practice. Alex Cora tossed a ball that Luke, being very tall, snagged. Someone near him asked who had thrown it...good thing I had just told him who Cora was :) At one point T was hanging out near where the pitchers were warming up and Manny Delcarmen tossed a ball into the stands. T reached in front of some girl and caught it, then felt bad and said he'd give her the next one. Sure enough, Craig Hansen threw him one, and he handed it over to the girl. Papelbon saw it, and yelled up, "WEAK!" to T. haha. T. tried to explain that he already had a ball, but "Papi Jr." just shook his head and yelled "weak!" again. Ah, the momentous brushes with fame. There's plenty more I could write, such as the fact that we did in fact see the first ever Starbucks (and the awesome a cappela trio out front), and the Space Needle, and lots of art galleries (yay for me! poor everyone with me!), including one in the Experience Music Project building designed by THE Frank Gehry (oooh, ahhh... who's Frank Gehry? Look up the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. wowzers). However, this post is a veritable beast already, and I'm tired. Thanks to all you well-wishers out there -- we had a really good time. You can see more pictures if you ever run into me someday.
The end.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Reading Like Crazy!
I have approximately two weeks left free for the rest of the summer. Gasp! Where does the time go?! So I've designated it as reading time - as in, reading the books I'll be teaching next year.
Yesterday I read H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine." It was actually quite a fascinating read! I liked it better than "The War of the Worlds," which I'd finished just before. And it reminded me of this hilarious bit of writing.
Today, on a vastly different note, I read "The Pilgrim's Progress." Wow! I was sort of familiar with it, I guess, but hadn't read it in years (if I ever did read the whole thing). There are some really deep things there. I'd recommend it to all! It wasn't exactly a page turner, and I did skim some, but it was well worth the time. (I read just the first half - about Christian - and skipped the second half about his wife...)
I'm taking a break for the Sabbath (doing some P. G. Wodehouse or something), but then I'll be tackling such things as "Silas Marner" (has anyone read it? I haven't yet. Obviously.) and "Paradise Lost." Woooo!
Oh. Before vacation I massively skim-read "Frankenstein." I had no idea what a horrible story it was! Oy vay! Barely a drop of good cheer to be seen anywhere! I decided not to make my kids read it:) But I did learn something valuable: Frankenstein is the name of the guy who made the monster-ish guy, and not the monster-ish guy himself. Who would have thought?
When I wrote my PC English profs to let them know I was an English teacher, one wrote back with the bad news that it's a lot of work, but the good news that the work is usually reading, which is why we got into the field in the first place! Hurrah for books!
Yesterday I read H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine." It was actually quite a fascinating read! I liked it better than "The War of the Worlds," which I'd finished just before. And it reminded me of this hilarious bit of writing.
Today, on a vastly different note, I read "The Pilgrim's Progress." Wow! I was sort of familiar with it, I guess, but hadn't read it in years (if I ever did read the whole thing). There are some really deep things there. I'd recommend it to all! It wasn't exactly a page turner, and I did skim some, but it was well worth the time. (I read just the first half - about Christian - and skipped the second half about his wife...)
I'm taking a break for the Sabbath (doing some P. G. Wodehouse or something), but then I'll be tackling such things as "Silas Marner" (has anyone read it? I haven't yet. Obviously.) and "Paradise Lost." Woooo!
Oh. Before vacation I massively skim-read "Frankenstein." I had no idea what a horrible story it was! Oy vay! Barely a drop of good cheer to be seen anywhere! I decided not to make my kids read it:) But I did learn something valuable: Frankenstein is the name of the guy who made the monster-ish guy, and not the monster-ish guy himself. Who would have thought?
When I wrote my PC English profs to let them know I was an English teacher, one wrote back with the bad news that it's a lot of work, but the good news that the work is usually reading, which is why we got into the field in the first place! Hurrah for books!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Weeohd!
The other night I needed a book (I hadn't really brought vacation books on our vacation - a serious blunder), so I rummaged in Aunt Laura's attic and found one I'd never read. I forget what the name and author are (it's waaaaay upstairs, and heaven forbid I leave the couch for investigative research), so sorry about that. But anyway, I picked it up and started to read and it was the weirdest thing. The book kept reminding me of myself!
It wasn't a particular character - it was more the author. She put in things that sounded so much like me. For instance, she had a character who got really mad when he walked outside and felt the cold air. That's ME! When I walked out on the way to school early early in the morning, and was hit by 20 below winds, I just wanted to punch something. Angrily.
And there was also the dislike of talking on the telephone - an inability to really communicate without being able to see the other person. Yup. That's me! Hate phones.
And then there was the guy who was feeling annoyed because he'd figured out the world's most beautiful word the night before and he'd forgotten it. I love beautiful sounding words! I've never figured out the world's most beautiful before, but if I did I'd surely forget it (if I didn't write it down immediately).
It's kind of uncanny, really. So many peculiar little things that made me think of me. That doesn't happen very often. I think there was another thing, too. And ALL of that was just in chapter one. Phew! At this rate, the depths of my soul will be in chapter 12!
It wasn't a particular character - it was more the author. She put in things that sounded so much like me. For instance, she had a character who got really mad when he walked outside and felt the cold air. That's ME! When I walked out on the way to school early early in the morning, and was hit by 20 below winds, I just wanted to punch something. Angrily.
And there was also the dislike of talking on the telephone - an inability to really communicate without being able to see the other person. Yup. That's me! Hate phones.
And then there was the guy who was feeling annoyed because he'd figured out the world's most beautiful word the night before and he'd forgotten it. I love beautiful sounding words! I've never figured out the world's most beautiful before, but if I did I'd surely forget it (if I didn't write it down immediately).
It's kind of uncanny, really. So many peculiar little things that made me think of me. That doesn't happen very often. I think there was another thing, too. And ALL of that was just in chapter one. Phew! At this rate, the depths of my soul will be in chapter 12!
Monday, July 24, 2006
"A man said Why, why does traveling
in cars and in trains make him feel sad,
a beautiful sadness.
I’ve felt this before.
It’s the people in the cities you’ll never know,
it is everything you pass by,
wondering will you ever return.
The colors of rowboats, the greens and the blues.
Orange grove side streets you only see halfway.
And beaches in winter
and when kites are flown.
It’s the people in the cities you’ll never know,
it is everything you pass by,
wondering will you ever return."
-Innocence Mission, "Song about Traveling"
Happy Golden Birthday, man. Find some good spots today.
in cars and in trains make him feel sad,
a beautiful sadness.
I’ve felt this before.
It’s the people in the cities you’ll never know,
it is everything you pass by,
wondering will you ever return.
The colors of rowboats, the greens and the blues.
Orange grove side streets you only see halfway.
And beaches in winter
and when kites are flown.
It’s the people in the cities you’ll never know,
it is everything you pass by,
wondering will you ever return."
-Innocence Mission, "Song about Traveling"
Happy Golden Birthday, man. Find some good spots today.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Girls Week Flashback
Here are some of my favorite pictures from Girls' Week!
These two are at the ocean in Newport...
We had a lovely, sunny, chummy, and creative day!
Then there was ice cream in Newport...
And here is a sample of the AMAZING drama that came about because of the long van rides. Hurrah!
(Thanks Steph and Diane for the pics you left on my computer:)!)
These two are at the ocean in Newport...
We had a lovely, sunny, chummy, and creative day!
Then there was ice cream in Newport...
And here is a sample of the AMAZING drama that came about because of the long van rides. Hurrah!
(Thanks Steph and Diane for the pics you left on my computer:)!)
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Coffee, Rain, and Some Big Needle...
...is pretty much all I know about Seattle. But that is about to change! This is Melissa, by the way, back from the netherworld of summer school. Biology is over FOREVER! Huzzah. I still don't really have time to be posting anything, of course, since I haven't packed one speck and we're leaving the house at some horrible hour tomorrow morning(like 4:45 or something... is it even POSSIBLE to wake up that early?). But yes... I now declare to the blogging world that we are going to Seattle. My dad had Sky Miles that needed to be used up, so we randomly picked that unexplored corner of our fair land. Some of my friends from high school live out there, as well as cousin Luke and the um... people who are relations of Penny and Brad (there's my occasional burst of Internet Anonymity Consideration coming through), so it will be nice to see people who we haven't seen in forever. AND, what is more, we're going to our first Red Sox game on the road! Everyone be sure to watch every second of the game until you see us. I'm curious to see how many Sox fans there will be that far afield. No doubt a whole host... I love The Nation.
Maybe I'll figure out how to actually post some pictures one of these days so I can share the natural wonders (such as the aforementioned attractions) with the world. Okay. The end.
p.s. We're going to Sunday's game... kind of forgot that little detail.
Maybe I'll figure out how to actually post some pictures one of these days so I can share the natural wonders (such as the aforementioned attractions) with the world. Okay. The end.
p.s. We're going to Sunday's game... kind of forgot that little detail.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
24 - AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Okay, this post isn't really about 24. But MAN is that show intense. We have only two episodes left of season one... AAHHHHH!!!
What this post is really about is this: try to remember waaaay back to 7th grade. What was your favorite book of those you had to read in school? Or 8th grade? Or 9th? In the next few days I'm hoping to finalize the list of books we'll be reading in the lower grades, and I'd love some suggestions. I can only remember a couple of the books I read then, but I figure that if all of you remember one or two, I'll have quite a list to work from...
So how about it? What books did you enjoy as a junior high school student?
What this post is really about is this: try to remember waaaay back to 7th grade. What was your favorite book of those you had to read in school? Or 8th grade? Or 9th? In the next few days I'm hoping to finalize the list of books we'll be reading in the lower grades, and I'd love some suggestions. I can only remember a couple of the books I read then, but I figure that if all of you remember one or two, I'll have quite a list to work from...
So how about it? What books did you enjoy as a junior high school student?
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