YUP, it's winter. I am so tired of the crazy weather. Hot one day, cold the next. At least for all my family and friends up north, cold is cold! It's torture going from 80's to 30's in one day!
Winter is also boring. I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in doing anything. If I could sleep all weekend, I would. You know, snuggle up in bed with a good book. Unfortunately--or maybe fortunately--I can't do that.
What do you do to keep sane in the winter??? (Not that I'm sane any other time of the year.....)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
History!!!!
Wasn't it exciting to watch a new president being given the oath of office? The one thing that bothered me was the actual oath. Chief Justice Roberts was saying so many words at once, it was easy to see how President Obama--doesn't that seem weird after calling him Senator Obama for 4 years???--would get confused. We watched the swearing in ceremony in class, and I commented to the kids about this. I stated "He (President Obama) is nervous and anxious and excited and had a hard time remembering so many words. I'm not any of that, and I can't remember what was said!" I joined an educational sorority a few years back that I had to take an oath for. They said no more than 5 words at a time, and I couldn't do it. Can you imagine the pressure of having to say the PRESIDENTIAL OATH????? OMG! That would be even harder than your marriage vows--and look at how many nervous brides and grooms mess those up!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I was watching the local news today, and the reporter was interviewing people at the MLK parade in Houston. Something one of the interviewees said intrigued me. The young man said he didn't know much about Dr. King. He also said schools should teach more about this topic.
My first thought was "If you want to know more, research it!!! Why do the schools have to teach EVERYTHING?????????" My next thought was "Is this a topic that is still important?" I don't mean that in a mean way at all.
My point is this...On August 28, 1963, Dr. King spoke the following words:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (For entire text, see here.)
On January 20, 2009, our country will watch as Barack Obama takes his oath to become President of the United States. Mr. Obama is bi-racial. Even though I believe there were people who voted for him solely because of the color of his skin, I also believe there were people who voted for him based on the content of his character.
I know our country still has a long way to go, but I think we are headed in the right direction. With no disrespect to anyone, I believe this day will be sooner than later and will come with the passing of the older generations.
What makes me say that??? Well, here goes. (Bear with me!)
When my father was 10-15 years old, the U.S. was still segregated. (This was in the 1940's.) A white person would not be friends with a black person and vice versa. When my mother was 10-15 years old, the civil rights movement was in full swing (1960's). You could be friends, but you would never date someone of the opposite race. When I was 10-15 years old, people started dating, and it was accepted a little bit. (This was the 1980's, and we had The Jefferson's with the bi-racial Willis family and Different Strokes with Arnold and Willis being raised by a white man...Why can't I remember his name???????) Today's 10-15 year olds don't even think twice!
My first thought was "If you want to know more, research it!!! Why do the schools have to teach EVERYTHING?????????" My next thought was "Is this a topic that is still important?" I don't mean that in a mean way at all.
My point is this...On August 28, 1963, Dr. King spoke the following words:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (For entire text, see here.)
On January 20, 2009, our country will watch as Barack Obama takes his oath to become President of the United States. Mr. Obama is bi-racial. Even though I believe there were people who voted for him solely because of the color of his skin, I also believe there were people who voted for him based on the content of his character.
I know our country still has a long way to go, but I think we are headed in the right direction. With no disrespect to anyone, I believe this day will be sooner than later and will come with the passing of the older generations.
What makes me say that??? Well, here goes. (Bear with me!)
When my father was 10-15 years old, the U.S. was still segregated. (This was in the 1940's.) A white person would not be friends with a black person and vice versa. When my mother was 10-15 years old, the civil rights movement was in full swing (1960's). You could be friends, but you would never date someone of the opposite race. When I was 10-15 years old, people started dating, and it was accepted a little bit. (This was the 1980's, and we had The Jefferson's with the bi-racial Willis family and Different Strokes with Arnold and Willis being raised by a white man...Why can't I remember his name???????) Today's 10-15 year olds don't even think twice!
Memories...
I was talking to a friend today and was inspired to share something I remember from my childhood.
When I was in 5th or 6th grade, I spent the night at my "sister's" house. We thought it would be cool to sleep outside all night on lawn chairs. We called her mom at work and got permission. We lasted outside for about 2 hours. At that time, we started hearing noises that spooked us. We called her mom again and asked permission to sleep on the lawn chairs in the living room. Of course she said yes. (I think it was because we were bothering her at work more than anything else.) When we woke up in the morning, my sister B came out and was like "What in the world are you two doing???"
Sleeping on lawn chairs! Oh to be young again....
When I was in 5th or 6th grade, I spent the night at my "sister's" house. We thought it would be cool to sleep outside all night on lawn chairs. We called her mom at work and got permission. We lasted outside for about 2 hours. At that time, we started hearing noises that spooked us. We called her mom again and asked permission to sleep on the lawn chairs in the living room. Of course she said yes. (I think it was because we were bothering her at work more than anything else.) When we woke up in the morning, my sister B came out and was like "What in the world are you two doing???"
Sleeping on lawn chairs! Oh to be young again....
Mission....
This is the new mission. However, I have already blogged about this topic here. So, I went back and changed it up a bit. If you want to see the changes, click the word here in the previous sentence.
Enjoy!!!!!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Bushisms...
I know we should respect our president. I know we should be kind. However, I also know that everyone says something stupid from time to time. It's only human nature. So, don't think of this as me picking on our out-going president (hmmmm....does that mean he has a great personality or he is leaving? I don't know how to punctuate that to get the correct meaning....I'm failing as a grammar cop! HELP!!!!! Just for clarification--I am saying he is on his way to a new home.) Think of it as just a little humor for the dreary month of January.
From Jason Weisberg, Slate Magazine (see the full article here)
1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004
2. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
3. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001
4. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008
From Jason Weisberg, Slate Magazine (see the full article here)
1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004
2. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
3. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001
4. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008
Today's Happenin's!
Well, today was a totally crazy day. Once every four days, my classes spend half the class period in a computer lab working on a math program. The program is great, but VERY frustrating for me. The lab takes a bazillion years to start up in the morning. (I have told the kids that they have to be patient with the computers because they are grandparent computers...OLD, SLOW, and CRANKY. This is more to remind ME to take it easy and not get frustrated and impatient.)
The last few times we've been in the lab, I've spent over an hour-and-a-half (over the span of several classes) dealing with tech issues. I really hate being a tech rep where I'm supposed to KNOW what the problems are. I usually am able to fix the problems, but have been having to call them in lately.
Today was no different. It's really funny that it is usually the same kids that have the problems. And, I've tried moving them around to a different computer! I told one girl that she just had bad karma. Today, she had no problems. YEAH!
In fourth period, we had a good laugh. One of the boys shouts out "I cheated!" When I asked him about it, he replied "I outsmarted the computer." I asked how. He said "I went like this and this." (He showed me how he chose the operation from a drop down menu and the computer worked the problem for him. I then replied "That is what you are supposed to do in this section." I felt kind of bad because he was so proud for outsmarting the computer.....hmmmmm.....poor thing.
Then tonight I was on a mission. Someone near my parents wrote a letter to their local newspaper. My mom thought it was funny and started reading it to me. After a sentence or two, I told her to stop because I had already seen it. So, my dad called the newspaper today and they wanted a website. Well, I only had phrases to go by. It took me about 15 minutes to find one site based on a few words. I then got a better phrase and found a title. THEN, I spent about 5 minutes and hit the jackpot! (Boy, if this was Vegas, I'd be rich!!!!!!) Not only did I find A hit, I found 23,000,000. YUP, 23 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!! I'm lovin' it!!!!!!
Well, Happy Day!!!!!!
The last few times we've been in the lab, I've spent over an hour-and-a-half (over the span of several classes) dealing with tech issues. I really hate being a tech rep where I'm supposed to KNOW what the problems are. I usually am able to fix the problems, but have been having to call them in lately.
Today was no different. It's really funny that it is usually the same kids that have the problems. And, I've tried moving them around to a different computer! I told one girl that she just had bad karma. Today, she had no problems. YEAH!
In fourth period, we had a good laugh. One of the boys shouts out "I cheated!" When I asked him about it, he replied "I outsmarted the computer." I asked how. He said "I went like this and this." (He showed me how he chose the operation from a drop down menu and the computer worked the problem for him. I then replied "That is what you are supposed to do in this section." I felt kind of bad because he was so proud for outsmarting the computer.....hmmmmm.....poor thing.
Then tonight I was on a mission. Someone near my parents wrote a letter to their local newspaper. My mom thought it was funny and started reading it to me. After a sentence or two, I told her to stop because I had already seen it. So, my dad called the newspaper today and they wanted a website. Well, I only had phrases to go by. It took me about 15 minutes to find one site based on a few words. I then got a better phrase and found a title. THEN, I spent about 5 minutes and hit the jackpot! (Boy, if this was Vegas, I'd be rich!!!!!!) Not only did I find A hit, I found 23,000,000. YUP, 23 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!! I'm lovin' it!!!!!!
Well, Happy Day!!!!!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Reality TV
Why is it that I enjoy watching a certain show that has one person passing out roses to members of the opposite gender? I know these relationships hardly ever last. But, I just can't get enough!
Points to ponder....
--Do people really think they can fall IN LOVE in just 6 or so dates?
--Are people IN LOVE or in love with the idea of falling in love?
--How do these peopleget a leave of absence from their jobs to do this? (Or how about those who were dumped on one show only to come back as the center of the next version??)
--How do all of these teachers manage to be on the show? My contract has a morality clause in it. I'm pretty sure they would use that to can my behind!
--How can you KNOW someone on "Fake" dates? (I say this because who could afford private concerts and jet-setting around the globe? These aren't real!)
If you have any thoughts on this, please let me know.
By-the-way--I'm gone forever and come back and post THREE posts! WOW!!!!!
Points to ponder....
--Do people really think they can fall IN LOVE in just 6 or so dates?
--Are people IN LOVE or in love with the idea of falling in love?
--How do these peopleget a leave of absence from their jobs to do this? (Or how about those who were dumped on one show only to come back as the center of the next version??)
--How do all of these teachers manage to be on the show? My contract has a morality clause in it. I'm pretty sure they would use that to can my behind!
--How can you KNOW someone on "Fake" dates? (I say this because who could afford private concerts and jet-setting around the globe? These aren't real!)
If you have any thoughts on this, please let me know.
By-the-way--I'm gone forever and come back and post THREE posts! WOW!!!!!
Resolutions.....
If you look down the page a post or two, you will see a list of 5 New Year's Resolutions. Well, I'm not a very good resolution keeper. I've already blown number one and number two. I've really worked on numbers three and four. Five....well, I'm not nearly where I want to be in my book, but I've still kept it. Meatloaf once said Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. Well, I guess Three Out of Five Ain't Bad, Neither! (Sorry about the horrible grammar. YIKES!!!!)
Holiday Break, Part II
I must be a kid magnet! To get to my parents and back, I had to take a total of 4 flights. On each flight there were a few kids. You guessed it, they all sat near me. On the first flight, it was kinda funny. The little girl about 3 sitting behind me was all excited. She kept yelling "Hairplane, Hairplane, Hairplane, Mommy, Hairplane." Then, right before we took off, I felt these little bitty fingers tickling me on my rib cage. She had stuck her fingers between the outer wall and my seat and was tickling me. I couldn't help but laugh--even though I didn't want her mom to yell at her.
When I got back to Houston, I was in for a shock! All that could go well, didn't. First, I see my "bag" on the carousel. I grab it and realize that isn't mine. I load it back on and wait. I see another bag that looks like mine. This time, I looked carefully first. Nope, not mine. I wait. Then, I see it. It is coming down the conveyor belt. AND THE BOTTOM ZIPPER IS BROKEN!!! My blue jeans and a couple of shirts are showing. (If I lost anything, which I don't think I did, it was just socks.) I fix the zipper enough to roll out of the airport. As I'm walking, a metal piece of molding on a column falls off the column and hits me in the back. I look at it on the floor and decide "It hit me! I'm not picking it up." I left it there and wandered out of the airport to meet the shuttle to my car. The lady drives up, and I go to board. Usually, the driver helps you with your luggage and you give them a small tip--$1 to $2 per bag. This driver didn't budge. (Ok, no tip for you!) But then, she didn't open the doors all of the way. My carry-on bag catches the door and proceeds to close both of them ON ME! She quickly grabbed the handle before I could hurt myself.
YIKES!!!!!
It's good to be home....but very tiring......which is why it has taken so long to post again.
That and I haven't had much to say......
When I got back to Houston, I was in for a shock! All that could go well, didn't. First, I see my "bag" on the carousel. I grab it and realize that isn't mine. I load it back on and wait. I see another bag that looks like mine. This time, I looked carefully first. Nope, not mine. I wait. Then, I see it. It is coming down the conveyor belt. AND THE BOTTOM ZIPPER IS BROKEN!!! My blue jeans and a couple of shirts are showing. (If I lost anything, which I don't think I did, it was just socks.) I fix the zipper enough to roll out of the airport. As I'm walking, a metal piece of molding on a column falls off the column and hits me in the back. I look at it on the floor and decide "It hit me! I'm not picking it up." I left it there and wandered out of the airport to meet the shuttle to my car. The lady drives up, and I go to board. Usually, the driver helps you with your luggage and you give them a small tip--$1 to $2 per bag. This driver didn't budge. (Ok, no tip for you!) But then, she didn't open the doors all of the way. My carry-on bag catches the door and proceeds to close both of them ON ME! She quickly grabbed the handle before I could hurt myself.
YIKES!!!!!
It's good to be home....but very tiring......which is why it has taken so long to post again.
That and I haven't had much to say......
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Holiday Break, part I.
As you know, I spent the holiday break visiting my parents in Missouri. Yes, I refer to it as misery, but that is more just a joke than anything. A little background....
I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Our town had a population of around 80,000 people--and was joined to the next town, which was joined to the next town, etc.--all the way to Chicago. My hometown has since grown A LOT! After I graduated from college, my parents and I moved to a little-itty-bitty-teensy-weensy-town in Missouri--population 247. Yes, you read that correctly! The new town has a couple of churches and a funeral home and a post office. The nearest grocery store is 12 miles away. (To give you another more topical reference, my cell phone only worked when I roamed the living room or the back yard. And then, I could only send text messages--no phone calls! If we went to the end of the dirt road, there was NO SERVICE at all!!!!!)
Now for my trip....
I really had a great time. I like to spoil my parents so they were in for a few surprises. We hung out and watched TV--if you can call it that. When older generations talk about us flipping through channels and having ADD, I'm going to protest loudly and let them observe my parents! In the span of 5 minutes, we could watch up to 15 different channels. Don't get too involved with a show--it won't last long! By the end of my trip, I felt confident enough to go on The Price Is Right and be a winner!!!!!! I think I watched a part of every football/basketball/hockey game that was televised along with every Hallmark/Lifetime made for TV movie. Don't forget to include every NEWS program that came on.
I also spent time catching up on my reading. I read the following books (pages in parentheses).
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (563)
Foul Play by Janet Evanovich (228)
Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica (246)
Secrets of My Hollywood Life On Location by Jen Calonita (229)
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (629)
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (284)
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (about 90 pages)
I shared this with someone, and she asked if I spent time visiting or just reading. BOTH!!!
I'll share more later. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!
I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Our town had a population of around 80,000 people--and was joined to the next town, which was joined to the next town, etc.--all the way to Chicago. My hometown has since grown A LOT! After I graduated from college, my parents and I moved to a little-itty-bitty-teensy-weensy-town in Missouri--population 247. Yes, you read that correctly! The new town has a couple of churches and a funeral home and a post office. The nearest grocery store is 12 miles away. (To give you another more topical reference, my cell phone only worked when I roamed the living room or the back yard. And then, I could only send text messages--no phone calls! If we went to the end of the dirt road, there was NO SERVICE at all!!!!!)
Now for my trip....
I really had a great time. I like to spoil my parents so they were in for a few surprises. We hung out and watched TV--if you can call it that. When older generations talk about us flipping through channels and having ADD, I'm going to protest loudly and let them observe my parents! In the span of 5 minutes, we could watch up to 15 different channels. Don't get too involved with a show--it won't last long! By the end of my trip, I felt confident enough to go on The Price Is Right and be a winner!!!!!! I think I watched a part of every football/basketball/hockey game that was televised along with every Hallmark/Lifetime made for TV movie. Don't forget to include every NEWS program that came on.
I also spent time catching up on my reading. I read the following books (pages in parentheses).
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (563)
Foul Play by Janet Evanovich (228)
Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica (246)
Secrets of My Hollywood Life On Location by Jen Calonita (229)
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (629)
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (284)
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (about 90 pages)
I shared this with someone, and she asked if I spent time visiting or just reading. BOTH!!!
I'll share more later. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!
Something New....
That girl has been using The Muter for a while, and I thought I would give it a try. Here goes!
1. Remember/acknowledge birthdays of people near and dear to me. I tend to remember and sometimes acknowledge this...at the beginning of the year, it is easier....it gets harder toward the end.
2. Acknowlege said birthdays early--or at least on time. (This last year, I sent birthday cards/gifts up to 9 months after the fact...Yeah, not good.
3. Be more organized at school. I have done a pretty good job so far--but now that I don't have a student teacher to pawn some of the work off on (or who will teach will I do the boring stuff) I have to do this myself.
4. Get more sleep. I tend to average 5-6 hours during week...sometimes more, sometimes less. Not a good thing.
5. hmmmm....I know--READ MORE! (my mom will groan when she reads this...check out other entries to figure out why.) I enjoy reading, but sometimes that is the first thing that gets knocked out when time is short.
1. Remember/acknowledge birthdays of people near and dear to me. I tend to remember and sometimes acknowledge this...at the beginning of the year, it is easier....it gets harder toward the end.
2. Acknowlege said birthdays early--or at least on time. (This last year, I sent birthday cards/gifts up to 9 months after the fact...Yeah, not good.
3. Be more organized at school. I have done a pretty good job so far--but now that I don't have a student teacher to pawn some of the work off on (or who will teach will I do the boring stuff) I have to do this myself.
4. Get more sleep. I tend to average 5-6 hours during week...sometimes more, sometimes less. Not a good thing.
5. hmmmm....I know--READ MORE! (my mom will groan when she reads this...check out other entries to figure out why.) I enjoy reading, but sometimes that is the first thing that gets knocked out when time is short.
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