Simple Pleasures

Things that make me happy:
Kicking slush clumps from my car wheels
When my kitties lie on their backs
Stepping on frozen puddles with those bubbles in them that crack underfoot
Seeing cardinals in the backyard
Petting my kitties just below their ears - where the fur is supersoft
Cheese
The smell of my Christmas-scented Glade plug-in
The sound that my stove makes when the gas catches fire
Sitting in bed and reading before I go to sleep
Thunderstorms
Finding kitty and bunny tracks in the snow when I leave for work
Hot beverages on a Sunday afternoon
Cracking the top of a creme brulee
Bacon

It's that time again

For the top albums of 2008!
I already voted on The Current's website, so here are the ones I chose. I have starred my top 3.
Adele: 19
*Atmosphere: When Life Gives You Lemons…
Cold War Kids: Loyalty To Loyalty
Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
Gary Louris: Vagabonds
*Jeremy Messersmith: The Silver City
Kings Of Leon: Only By The Night
*Martha Wainwright: I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too
Mates Of State: Re-Arrange Us
Nada Surf: Lucky
The Raconteurs: Consolers Of The lonely
Ray Lamontagne: Gossip In The Grain
She & Him: Volume One
Shearwater: Rook
The Submarines: Honeysuckle Weeks
Tapes 'n Tapes: Walk It Off
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
Weezer: Weezer (Red Album)

These are definitely not the only albums I liked, but these have received the most airplay.
This year because I didn't go to Lollapalooza, I only saw 3 of these groups/artists live. But they weren't the only shows I went to. Maybe soon I will publish my Top Live Shows of 2008.

Back in the Saddle

Today was my first day teaching full-time after having my student teacher. He'll still be in for the next couple days, but he's wrapping up his grades and spending time observing some other teachers. We'll see how worn down I am in a couple weeks when I have a massive stack of AP essays to grade. Oh, well. I guess that's what I signed on for when I became an English teacher.

We just got back from our annual hockey weekend in Duluth, so it was good to be back on the lake. A bunch of us still go up for a Bulldog series each winter; this time it was vs. UND. Both games were really good (tied on Friday, UMD win on Saturday), and it was nice to see some of my Duluth friends. But the funny part is that as soon as we got to our seats on Friday night, I hear "Mrs. L!" coming from behind me. Yes, it was the entire boys hockey team. About 1/2 of them are current or former students, so I had to stop by and chat with them. They were on a trip to play against Hermantown for the weekend. A couple of them did ask me where I was for the entire second period, but I did not inform them that I was at the Curling Club. :)

So now it's in for the long holiday haul... We're going up to Two Harbors Thursday and doing dinner with my family on Saturday or Sunday. This will be the first time my sister has visited in at least 3 years, so it will be good to see her. Also, I have to meet the mysterious fiance of my youngest sister, while I try to be on my best behavior.

And I think it's about time to start making boozy truffles again. Mmmmm.

Looking for some addresses~

If I do not have your address (that's many of my college pals), and you would like a Christmas card from me, send me an email with your contact info!
Also, if you know of a good place to buy some eco-friendly cards, I would appreciate some tips. I have already started looking online and some of these places are ridiculously expensive (but probably meant for business customers).

T-minus 10 days until Turkey!

The documentary has aired!

My Japanese television debut was a smashing success, apparently, and if you know Japanese, you can check this out. If you don't know Japanese, you can still see this picture of me skyping with a teacher in CA from my beautiful green office.


The crew said that there was no way a television audience would believe that that was my actual home, not a film studio. I guess they don't have Slimer-green paint in Japan. My self-critique: my posture in that picture is horrible! If only I could have channeled my inner Amber.
Next time.

I still haven't seen the film, but I should receive it in the mail soon. My students want to have a red-carpet premiere. We'll have to see about that...

If I had a flag right now,

I'd wave it. Can't remember the last time I could really say that I was proud to be an American. I mean really, truly proud. I have always thought of my nationality as more Irish, or German, or English than American; I have also always thought of nationality as something that you're just born with, that you didn't have a say in. Like, am I proud to have brown hair? Myopia? Size 8 1/2 feet? Being "American" has been like that to me. To some people this is perhaps blasphemy. Love it or leave it. Yeah, I've heard a lot of those sentiments in the past 7 years. But I like to think I have a more adult love for my country.

Remember when you were a child and your parents could do no wrong? You would yell at any kid who said something like, "Your mom is a dork," or "Your dad smells funny," or whatever stupid little kids say. You would lose recess privileges for a week because you threw mud at him, or kicked her in the shins. That's the way I feel a lot of people love their country. It's a blind love, not rooted in what our country really is, right or wrong. Lash out at the naysayers. If you don't like it, then get out.

But then when you get older, you see those flaws in your parents. You realize they lied to you about your cat running away (it still hurts), or that they lose their tempers too easily, or whatever. But you love them anyway. For who they really are, not some idealized Normal Rockwell portrait. That is the love I think people should have for their country; it's deeper, more meaningful. Real love means seeing someone's positive and negative qualities. You love them in spite of the negative, and always with the notion that there is potential for greatness within all of us. We may not always treat the other countries all that nice on the playground of diplomacy, and our policies may hurt those who are most vulnerable, but every once in a while, we really do get to be that "shining city on a hill" that Winthrop hoped we would become. And I think Lincoln was on the mark when he said that we should work to form a "more perfect union" because we're not perfect yet. And it's the hubris of blind patriotism that says that we already are.

Yes, there have been moments when I have felt that warmth deep down in my gut, and a wave of patriotic sentiment has swept over me. The Olympics always seem to do that for me, for some reason. But now as I feel tears of pride looming constantly just under the surface, I have a real reason to be proud. Because today, the nations of the world look again to our country as a leader, an agent for good in the world. The country that I always loved, in spite of the bad things, has that potential for greatness once again. And I knew that it would redeem itself, so my faith during the dark times has been justified.

An update - on several themes

Since music is just about my favorite thing on the planet, I would be remiss if I failed to blog about my recent musical adventures.
In the past few weeks, I have attended a few lovely concerts (all at different venues, even).
First was The Fratellis at First Ave. The show was lots of fun, except for the women standing in front of us who danced in a horrible way that suggested little control of their bodies and poor coordination (think Elaine on Seinfeld). Concerts would be so much better sometimes if it weren't for the other fans. Sheesh.

Then it was off to the Weezer show at the Excel. For those of you not from this neck of the woods, it's the same arena that recently hosted the RNC. So it was big. But since I got awesome tickets via iTunes presale, it was phenomenal. I would even venture to say that it was better than the last Weezer show I saw - in the same arena with Kaiser Chiefs and Foo Fighters. We came fashionably late so as to miss some Angels and Something-or-other band and Tokyo Police Club, which we obviously had no interest in seeing. I was grateful that the band played lots of old mixed in with the new, and I saw them play some songs that I had never seen live ("Suzanne," "Pink Triangle," "Across the Sea(?)" etc.). But like the previous show, there were some d-bags sitting near us. Namely, this guy who kept telling me, "Oh, they're going to play [song] next. I saw the set-list before the show." Well, he was never right, and I just rolled my eyes. I guess when you get great seats, putting up with a toolshed is unavoidable.

The third and most recent show was Ray LaMontagne at the State Theater. I won tickets, literally, by being caller 10 on The Current, and I brought my lovely friend Heather. The show was tons of fun, but I preferred the time we spent before the show at The Chambers lounge catching up and drinking the most delicious ginger-spiked margarita. This is one of those places that I dismissed as pretentious until I actually went there. Yes, $6 for a Miller Lite is quite steep, especially if you have ever been to NW Sconie, but the ambiance is worth the bit extra. In my opinion. I will have to go this winter when they have the outdoor Ice Bar open. If you haven't been, I would recommend it as the perfect place to bring a girlfriend when you need to do some serious dishing and pretty-people-watching. And the appetizers were superdelicious.

My next concert endeavor: Jeremy Messersmith at the Turf Club on November 7. If you want to go, too, give me a holler. You say you're unfamiliar with my darling Jeremy? He's only the most talented (aside from my beloved DW) singer-songwriter in MPLS. His recent album "The Silver City" is without a doubt my favorite album of 2008. And it's not just all the awesome Twin Cities references in his music. There is something amazing about his music and the way he sings it. If you didn't know better, you could easily mistake him for Elliot Smith (on Prozac). If you want to see the comparison, listen to Jeremy's "Franklin Avenue" and Elliot's "Pretty (Ugly Before)" or "Twilight." It always astounds me when great artists can marry an aching sadness with undiluted joy. It's like that clear beam of sunlight through an overcast sky. The result is some damn good music.
And trust me; if I were easily swayed by the Twin Cities references, then I would be a Hold Steady fan. And I'm not.

Aside from that, my current frequently played music includes the following:
The new and old Rachael Yamagata albums
Old Replacements albums
The new Kings of Leon (especially the track "Sex on Fire" - so good. Achingly good.)
Ray LaMontagne, since I saw him last
Cary Brothers (seems to be good fall music)
And Jeremy.

In non-music news, I enjoyed spending most of my workday today at the Metrodome watching my students win state in girls soccer. Lots of fun. And for those of you who don't work with teenagers, maybe you think they're hoodlums or scary weirdos in stupid baseball caps with flat brims. For those of us who do work with them, we know that there is nothing more heartwarming than the moments when they are just so cute. It could be the funny "rollercoaster ride" cheer-thing they were doing, or the student of mine who held up a banner that simply said "Awesome," but I am having one of those times professionally that I am finding so much joy in these amazing young people that I work with. Perhaps it is because my student teacher is taking all of the day-to-day "crap" off my hands that I have time to sit back, look at the big picture, and truly appreciate the career that I insanely felt drawn to.

So goodbye for now. Enjoy a warm fall beverage.
And don't forget to vote.

Boo!

Forget haunted houses. Check this out if you want a Halloween scare.

Surprise of a lifetime

I was in my usual 5 a.m. haze on the couch until husband was reading Twitter and said, "Your sister's engaged?" How's that for a wake-up? I sure hope I'll get to meet this young man sometime soon.
This has definitely been an interesting day.

I'm kind of a big deal in Japan.

This afternoon I played host to a film crew from NHK, Japan's version of the BBC, and my darling husband had to go elsewhere to watch football. Poor guy.
It's kind of a cool thing-- my students and I are being featured in a documentary called Education 2.0 about the use of emerging technologies in American education. They're interviewing me and my students and filming my classes for most of this week. So here's what we did today:
The crew arrived at my house at about 11, set up some lighting and such, and started filming. I answered a bunch of questions about Curriki, how I use technology in my classroom, and plagiarism with students copying things off the internet. Then I had a Skype video-chat session with a teacher in CA who has used some of my curriculum in her classroom. They taped everything, which will get edited down substantially, but our segment will play a prominent role in the finished product.
My students, as you can imagine are pretty excited to be "stars." In fact, when I told them that the documentary was for Japanese television, they were even more thrilled. I think they all have visions of being dubbed over in Japanese with wacky-sounding voices. They have also insisted that we get t-shirts advertising our new star status that proclaim: AP English Language - We're kind of a big deal in Japan. Now that things are quiet, I have to get a few papers graded. I haven't turned over those duties completely to the student teacher quite yet.
And there isn't a new episode of Mad Men on, so I should be able to do it without much distraction. Maybe.

Peace and quiet

The carnival of delegate buses and protesters and police in riot gear is finally over. *sigh of relief* And good riddance. It was quite easy to tell who the out-of-town Repubs were: white, old, male, and sporting haircuts that scream "No way am I letting a gay man touch my hair!"
A few items to note:
According to NPR (and republished on dailykos.com), the DNC claimed to have the most diverse convention in history. So here's how the numbers stack up:
DNC:
Minority delegates: 44%
Black: 24%
Hispanic: 12%
Women: just >50%

RNC:
Black delegates: 1.5% (36 total)
Hispanic: 5%
Male: 68%
Female: 32%

Median age at either convention: 54

And here's what I thought about the little I actually saw od the RNC: Giuliani should just go away forever, Palin deserved a severe beating for her blatantly false attacks and horrible hockey mom jokes, and Cindy McCain's outfit cost 1.58 times the value of my house.

And for those of you who wonder if everything that was said in the convention speeches was based in actual truth, Politifact researches claims made on both sides. Apparently, so few things ring as absolute fact or fiction, that they have to show on a dial how true the claim actually is.

Welcome, Republicans!

I saw this yesterday along 494 by the airport.

Who knew the State Fair is a bastion of politically subversive farm-related plant art?

At the State Fair I counted about 7 pieces in the Crop Art category that specifically attacked Republicans. All these works were made out of various grains and seeds. Examples include:
Elephants shitting on the Constitution
Barack Obama cleaning up after elephant shit that was labeled with things like "Iraq War"
A Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who spin-off with anti-McCain, pro-Obama messages
A favorite was in the Scarecrow category - a GWB scarecrow with a pinocchio nose, a flight-suit labeled AWOL, a missile with the word Fear on it, and a puppet of Norm Coleman.
Strangely, no anti-Dem art. Another fairgoer reminded me that it's the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party. Oh, yeah.
SO wish I'd had my camera with me.

P.S. If you're not ripping on Rep's, apparently your inspiration for crop art is Jesus, Ray Romano, or Bernie Mac.

The Reunion

Saturday was the much-anticipated 10-year reunion for T-G, and it was definitely not what I expected.
First of all, way more people actually remembered me than I thought would, and seeing faces I haven't seen in 10 years brought back lots of memories. A big group of us headed out together so we knew that we'd have people to talk when we arrived, but before long, we had all split up to talk to everyone. There were a few people I had lost track of over the years that I was looking forward to connecting with, and they were the first ones I saw when I walked in the room! Granted, much of the conversation was along the lines of "What have you been up to the last 10 years?" but it was still fun.
For those of you CSS folks, I saw Kyle R. (since I graduated with his wife), and it was fun to reminisce about college and hear about his teaching experiences in Duluth.
It generally feels like a big part of who I was 10 years ago has been reopened, perhaps to renewed friendships; however, there are some "chapters" that have perhaps been closed now. The term closure seems cliche, but there were some questions that were definitely answered last night, and some things I won't be wondering about any more. It's a bittersweet feeling -- comforting and sad at the same time. And I never thought a high school reunion could do all that for me.

Things I am Afraid Of

At this moment, these are my panic-inducing, up-at-night thoughts:
The Republicans are coming. They will clog our freeways and bars.
Teacher workshop is next week.
I think Norm Coleman might win.
I don't know when I will have time to go to the State Fair. And it might be filled with Republicans.
One of my AP classes is way too big.
My grandpa is not getting better.
I am giving up control of my classroom (student teacher).
I don't know what to wear to the reunion next weekend.
Doctor's appt. next week... don't know what they will do to me, but I'm pretty sure it will include a needle.
The Republicans again.

Cabin Weekend = Fun

Got back from the ever-swanky Crosslake, MN, yesterday afternoon, and I know now why this is a highlight of my summer every year. Benny's family has a cabin up there and one weekend a year we reserve it, rent a boat from Al's, drink beer, and lay out in the sun. We got the same excellent pontoon that we had last summer, complete with lots of cushy lounge seats and a "changing booth" that we use primarily for peeping on other boaters. Most of our boat-day is spent cruising around the lakes chain and hitting up the bars that have docks. Fortunately I was not the only female again this year, thanks to Nora. Listening to a bunch of guys talking nonstop about cougars and milfs can get a little old. Also fortunately, we did not get into trouble with the lake cops this year (last time it was illegal bottle rockets and bow-riding).
A few things I learned this year at the cabin:
1. I am really good at Racko. Really good.
2. Apparently, it is legal to enter a PT Cruiser in a "classic" car show.
3. Firefighters are good at roasting pigs.
4. There is some sort of fancy pontoon that looks to hold about 25 people and has a fricken' wet bar on it. I didn't even bother finding out how much it costs to rent.
5. My husband will probably never let me stop at Treasure City on the way to the cabin, no matter how much I plead.
6. Although setting up a badminton court in the middle of a sandbar sounds like a good idea, it might be a little more complicated than you'd expect.
7. Shuttlecocks float.

My Summer Soundtrack

Here's what I've been listening to all summer. No Lollapalooza for me this year, so I had to get my fix of new music via the iTunes.

#1 favorite of the summer: Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings, Too - with an album title like that, you know it's got to be good

British females: Where did they all come from? It's a good time to be a female solo artist in the UK right now, I think. Adele, Estelle, Duffy, etc. It's not bad. Especially love the Estelle track "American Boy." Think I might have to play that one really loud on the pontoon this weekend.


Weezer - Red - Can't ever get enough Rivers Cuomo. I don't think I've been in love with a musician this much since ca. 1988 when I had a huge thing for Jordan Knight.

She & Him - Volume 1 - Hollywood starlet who makes an album that doesn't suck-- a rare occasion, indeed (sorry, Scarlett).

Los Campesinos - Hold On Now, Youngster... - The hubby got me hooked on this one. Can you not love a song entitled "You! Me! Dancing!"?

Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons... - Love the hometown boys. Love this album. Almost makes me wish I was an ex-stripper living off food stamps. Okay, no, it doesn't.

Summer... almost... over?

Where did it go? My summer vacation feels like it just began. Usually around this time of year, I start remembering my favorite students and looking forward to seeing them (and my favorite coworkers) again. I have been working intensely on school stuff (graduate credits, AP curriculum, my grant for online curriculum development), and have been actually going to work to get it done, so I almost feel like I'm back to work already.

Plus, I've been waking up much earlier. My motivation: SBTB reruns on TBS at 7 and 7:30 every morning. Why do I like that show so much? It's supposed to just be a joke to love it (Oh no! Jessie is addicted to caffeine pills! What will the gang do?), but I feel disappointed if I miss an episode. I also feel disappointed that they show The College Years episodes on Friday. Yick.

But here's one more thing to look forward to: A Student Teacher. Yes, I have taken the plunge and accepted my first slave laborer. It's kind of interesting: the young man who will be working with me both graduated from my high school and my college. For some reason, he's chosen to finish up down here instead of in Duluth. My former principal is in charge of the Ed. program at the St. Paul campus, so he asked if I'd want to work with this student. How could I say no? It will be so nice not to have the massive paper load from my 2 writing-intensive courses that I'll be managing. A whole semester of freedom from essays? Heaven.

I feel naked

like someone can read my innermost thoughts and feelings, perhaps more aware of my own motives that I am. How is this possible? Apparently all white people (like me) follow a predictable pattern of behavior. We like the same things and hate the same things, and we have the same hypocritical contradictions. I find it funny, disturbing, and demoralizing all at once.
Please to enjoy: Stuff White People Like
The more I read, the more I find that I am apparently just like everyone else (who is white).

Home!

Aside from a few weekend trips up north, I am through traveling for the summer. It has been realy disorienting to be away for nearly the entire month of June. My summer vacation is 1/3 over and I have done a lot, but it doesn't feel that way. It has been cool seeing how much my garden has changed every time I come home. I think I have about 60 tomatoes out there (although some are grape tomatoes), now I have some peppers growing, and the shallots are getting massive.
My week in Florida was pretty awesome. I spent the time studying Zora Neale Hurston, FL native and Harlem Renaissance author. I am excited to teach Hurston now because I have so many new ideas about how to approach her work. The conference was in Winter Park, a posh suburb of Orlando, on the campus of Rollins College, a small liberal-arts school. The campus was absolutely beautiful. I'll post some pictures soon.
I also have to share this, since I found it recently linked on Vita.mn. Many of you probably know that I worked at Circus Pizza in high school-- a Chuck E. Cheese type place. We had these robots that performed in the dining room, and now someone has programmed them to play recent hit songs. Totally hilarious.

Another funny website

I also first saw this one years ago, and it's still classic. ("Epic" as my 17-year-old brother would say). If you don't grasp the concept of satire, then skip it.

I never do this, but

I have 2 posts in one day. I just wanted to share a favorite website that I've recently rediscovered: I Am With You Always. This website makes me giggle uncontrollably-- especially the Golfer picture (where are Jesus' legs?!?). I think Erin A. may especially appreciate these *wink*wink*
If this speaks to you, please comment, since I'm trying to "witness" to y'all.
hee hee hee

Two Down, One to Go...

I have arrived home for a few days between trips 2 and 3.
As promised, here are some photos from my trips. Unfortunately, I can't share more from Jamaica since my students are in the pics, and that is a definite no-no. If I did this right, there are a couple boxes on the right side with my Flickr photos from the trip. I am new to the Flickr thing, so we'll have to see if my technical knowhow is satisfactory.

I am feeling much more tan, but I haven't seen anyone (except husband) since I got back, so I have yet to compare my bronze glory with any other pasty Minnesotans. Aside from the tanning, here are a couple points to share from my trips:
1. Cruzan Rum recently purchased Absolut vodka, so it's ridiculously cheap in the VI. Anyone want to come over for bloodys and cosmos? I have a fully-stocked bar for sure.
2. St. John is my favorite place in the Caribbean, and it was great to go back. I visited two places that I previously hadn't: Trunk Bay (which has an underwater snorkel trail through a huge reef), and the Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins. The snorkeling was great at Trunk, and the sand was so fine-- somewhere between sugar and flour. Annaberg was fascinating; what I find most compelling is the story of the slave revolt of 1633. The island had about 10 times more slaves than white people, so it was inevitable. Slaves held the island until 1634 when the military came in to restore order. Needless to say, it ended tragically: over 500 slaves committed suicide by jumping off the cliffs at Annaberg, rather than be taken alive.
3. In Jamaica, I loved the Bob Marley museum. It is housed in his former home; the recording studio is still used by his children.
4. When I asked my students what they would miss about Jamiaca, they said, "Everything!" I had a great group of kids with me, and the Kingston Rotarians and Interactors were incredibly hospitable. We all were homesick for Jamaica as soon as we landed in MN.

I'm going to sign out for now. My first glass of delicious homebrew is starting to get warm. It's an ESB, and although I would like it a little hoppier, it tastes pretty darn good, if I do say so...

Hello from Jamaica!

I'm currently on the first of my three June excursions. So far, Jamaica is pretty awesome. Apart from the strange silent mosquitos that are eating me alive while I sleep (and biting my inner thighs?), everything is copacetic-- I mean "irie."
Two students and I are staying with a Rotarian named Andre who is something of a local celebrity. For those of you who are from the TC, he's like the Denny Hecker of Kingston, but in his early 30's, and he also has a nightly radio show. We're staying in his house up in the Red Hills neighborhood, which we've been told is the Beverly Hills of Jamaica. The houses are beautiful, but the thing that makes Andre's house amazing is the outdoor living area. He has a huge bar/patio, pool and hot tub, and an upper lawn that provides an amazing view of the city of Kingston and the harbor. It has the same sort of flavor as the Playboy mansion, but without the debauchery.
Tomorrow is our beach day, which the girls are particularly excited about, and I can't say that I'm not eagerly anticipating a morning of tanning. We have also learned that the Rotarians have planned a night of clubbing, and my students are giddy about that, as well.
Well, I had better sign off. I'll be back to MN on Friday night, and on Tuesday, it's off to the VI. When I return home, I'll be sure to upload some photos.
Cheers!

Happy to be a teacher

Here's all the news from Sarah-land that's fit to print.
Just got a new laptop (MacBook to replace our iMac), and it's taking me a while to get used to this keyboard. Fortunately it's not like other laptop keyboards, which I despise. Now I'll be able to take notes with something other than my mass of legal pads when I go to educational conferences and events. Some departments in my school have laptops, but since English is pretty stationary with only a couple of us sharing classrooms, they decided to go with the crummy, gigantic Dell monstrosities we have in our classrooms. God, I hate PCs.

Anywho, I just had the most awesome day ever. A fellow English teacher and I had four of our students win a statewide essay contest. The 25 winning students and their teachers were invited to a private reception with Thomas Friedman since his book The World is Flat was the subject of the the contest. We also got to bring our principal and assistant principal, who were completely thrilled. In addition to the reception for the essay winners, we also attended the educational forum afterward, which was attended by about 900 business and education leaders from around the state, but primarily the TC area. It was a $300 a head event, so the food was pretty darn awesome.

So the students, my coworker, and I got to listen to Friedman speak for a while, and during this time he mostly answered the students' questions. Then we got our certificates and posed for our picture with him. At the big event, we were divided up among a few tables with various business and education people. There were people representing Century College, Winona State, MNSCU, and some businesses at my table. They were very cool people and obviously used to this kind of networking event.

Now to the Friedman speech. I have not always agreed with everything he has to say about globalization and such, but his speech was phenomenal. Although many think he just touts math and science and the idea that all American youth should become engineers, he had some amazing things to say about the need for liberal arts education. He stressed the importance of art and creativity, and the message was very positive. It was not doomsday prophesy like other highly-paid speakers I have heard...

I left the event inspired, and I will definitely view Friedman in a different light from now on. Just as awesome as the event was the ride home. These four teenagers didn't stop talking the whole way back about how much fun they had and how awesome everything was. There's nothing quite like excited teenagers. It reminds me that this is why I went into education in the first place.

The Sad State of Affairs

As a teacher, I know that it's impossible to tell students to do one thing if you're going to do another.  Example: it would not work if I told my students to sit quietly if I sat on the phone in the back of the room chatting with a friend.  So where am I going with this?

In pondering the ever-present dilemma of public education in our country (i.e. we say it's important and yet underfund it), I have come to a conclusion:  Our administration is full of hypocrites and liars.  Nothing new, I know, but case in point:

A friend and coworker recently was named as a recipient of a huge national award.  So he was flown out to D.C. with teachers from every other state, and they had this whole agenda planned: Smithsonian, monuments, etc.  But the climax of the week-long event was a private reception with President Bush and a tour of the White House.  Each award winner would also receive a signed commendation from Bush.  

So he sends me a text the other night.  The reception with the President was cancelled.  Why?  Did he have to fly to Iraq to call off the war?  Was hiding in a secret bunker because of a terrorist threat?  Did Laura have the flu? Not quite.

Nope.  He had to meet with Super Bowl XLII Champions, the New York Football Giants.  Weak.  Seriously weak.  Our whole country is like those schools where the jocks and the dropouts are the popular ones (or Presidents) and the ones who work hard and achieve in other areas are brushed aside and never celebrated.

So while teachers are getting laid off and schools are having their funding cut because of poor test scores, our president says thanks to those who are working hard every day by canceling on them and hanging out with the football team.

But it wasn't so bad for my friend.  At least he got to meet Dick Cheney.

Well, it's official...

I will be gone for nearly the entire month of June.  I got accepted to the NEH Conference in Florida, and then I have a service trip with students and a family vacation.  I don't especially love the idea of being gone so much, but when you have the chance for opportunities like this, it's kind of stupid to turn them down!

Although I just finished the most stressful week in a while, I am so in love with my job right now.  Our school is working on implementing a new engineering magnet program that will be slowly phased-in, starting next year.  What does that have to do with Language Arts?  Well, although some view it as a threat to our department (because if the students load up on STEM classes, then they're not taking English), I am seeing it as a pretty amazing opportunity to do something that hasn't been done before.  I met with a coworker and a professor from the U of M yesterday to develop projects in connection to literature that we teach.  The projects require students to use different engineering skills and they relate to different outcomes and models of engineering.  It was one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my teaching career!  By the end of the meeting, we were already planning future activities... Julius Caesar will never be the same.  I think this could easily translate into a paper.  Me-- a published author?  This professor will be in our building one day a week next year and I'm already excited to work with her.  She's using our high school as a model for a huge project she's working on, and she'll be working closely with us as we get this program up and running.  Sorry to bore those of you who aren't connected with the teaching profession...

Well, I had better get going.  I have a private sale event at a boutique in Stillwater to raise money for my service trip.  I hope we make tons of $$$!

Lazy Day

Since I did ALL my grading while administering the ACT yesterday morning, I have allowed myself to be completely lazy for the remainder of the weekend.  I finished the final season of Sex in the City (a bit behind on the times, I know); I watched Becoming Jane this morning while the spouse was at soccer (much better than expected); later today, I plan to resume reading The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell.  I love her.  If I would switch-hit for anyone, it might be her.  TMI?

It seems that spring is making a comeback after our snow and slush last week.  There will be some sort of meat cooking in our backyard in the next couple days.  We assembled the grill a few weekends back, and it enormous!  The husband bought it online (like he does with everything) because it was half off in December, so we had this massive box in the garage all winter.  After we unpacked all 7,000 parts and spent the entire day in the driveway, we emerged with a stainless steel beast that is as big as our love-seat.   It has a shelf, a cupboard, a side-burner... it's ridiculous.  There's even a griddle so you can cook pancakes and eggs on your grill.  Seriously.

In other recent news, we had hubby's art opening last weekend.  He was one of 30 artists asked to create a poster for Artcrank, an annual show at a bike store-coffee shop-art gallery downtown.  There was a line around the block all night, so we spent a bunch of the time on the sidewalk out front drinking the delicious free beer.  We saw some people buying the poster, so we'll see if they sell out by the end of the show.  It ended up being a pretty darn fun night, and any excuse to wear a dress is a good time for me.  At the beginning of last week, we also found out that Bizzle's nominated for a Webby which is basically the Oscars of web design.  Go online and vote for him!  It's the "Dinners Made Easy" email advertising for General Mills.  If he wins, we get to go to NY for the awards ceremony!  

And not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm up for Teacher of the Year in my district.  The nomination came completely as a surprise; in fact, when I was told, the first word out of my mouth was "Crap." Not a disappointed "Crap"-- a surprised "Crap."  I have no delusions that I will win, but it's cool to be nominated.  The other two nominees from the high school are two of my BTFs (Best Teacher Friends), so the three of us are having a bit of fun with it.  We joke about bringing in headshots for autograph signings and getting our heads carved out of butter and such.  They haven't formally announced the nominees yet, so it's like our little secret for now.

Now if the weather stays nice, everything will be copacetic.

Out like a lion? Seriously?

Remember making those cute little lion and lamb art projects in elementary school to celebrate March?  They probably involved cotton balls, maybe some pipe cleaners for the lion's whiskers.  Well, the whole lion-lamb thing is just a cruel joke.  6 inches of snow on Opening Day.  It sucks the big one.  And we were just doing yard work this weekend and trying to figure out what was growing in our gardens.  (By the way, we seriously found PEANUTS growing by the air conditioner.  Peanuts!  With roots!)

I'd better not complain about the weather anymore. I don't want to be one of those people who never has anything better to say about my northern clime. So I'll take you all down memory lane for a moment.  Erin A's Ireland pics brought back some amazing and hilarious memories of 2000.    I thought I'd post my top 8 in honor of Cottage 8 (in no particular order).

1.  Let's have a bake sale to Save Mumia (or that monkey... what was his name?)

2.  Dinner at Bunratty when we all got trashed on mead because the nuns kept refilling our glasses every five minutes.  I seriously remember Large Marge saying, "Drink up!"

3.  Garlic chips at the chipper.  What could be better after a night of Smithwicks and Bulmers?

4.  Irish TV: Den 2 with Socky and Dustin and that cute guy who talked the the puppets, Bouli, Top 30 Hits,  and Father Ted (which I have on DVD-- including the "My Lovely Horse" episode)

5.  Stuffing J-Nell's bed with clothes and shoes to make it look like random people were sleeping in her bed.  Then waiting in Sarah's room for her to get back from the disco and find them.

6.  Peat fires (A tip for those of you who were there: the coal that they use to light a hookah smells exactly like a peat fire.  No kidding.  Now go buy a hookah.)

7.  Maniac 2000.  Yeah, yeah, funky yeah!

8.  This blog tastes like Baby Jesus.

Finally Finished

So here are my first knitting photos.  This is the shrug sweater I made for Baby Audrey.  It's an Australian merino wool and pattern from Cleckheaton.

According to the pattern, here's what it looks like on an actual baby:

So on to the next project.  I have no idea what that'll be yet.  The knitting may have to go on the back burner if the snow keeps melting.  There will be plenty of yard-work to do soon, and I have no idea what is in store since we only moved in November.  It will be an adventure to see what sprouts up, and I will probably have to call in my dad to do some consulting work.

Any advice from the gardeners out there?

I'd like to thank the Academy...

Sarah, thanks for choosing me to accept this very prestigious Meme Award.  I could not have done it without my beautiful iMac, my wonderful husband, and Finnegan's Irish Amber.

And the rules are:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

So here are the six random facts about me:

1.  I really hate sitting in seats that other people have just gotten out of.  There is something that creeps me out about other people's butt-warmth.

2.  I think the reason that I don't like dogs is that my neighbors' giant dog Rhino used to chase me around the neighborhood.  He wasn't mean and never attacked, but it was scary to me as a kid.

3.  I try to like sushi, but the stuff with raw fish makes me gag.  I know it's not very sophisticated of me, but I can't help it!  Give me a California roll, or salmon skin, or anything.  Just not the squishy raw parts.

4.  I really like grammar.  I think it's because I completely understand the rules and finer points.  It's like a secret language that only a few can speak.  I could talk about predicate nominatives and dangling participles all day.  And yes, I confess, I ALWAYS notice other peoples' grammatical/spelling/mechanical errors.  And sometimes I do get judgmental about it. (Sorry!)

5.  In order of preference: 1.  Face-to-face communication, 2.  Email,  3. Other written correspondence, 4.  Phone.  When I was 14, you couldn't pry me away from my parents' cordless, but now it's more of an event planning device than a tool for catching up or having long talks.

6.  Since B and I have been together (which has been 9 years!), I have been all over the world without him: Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, California, Seattle, New York, and so on.  I confess that I've enjoyed it.  It's nice being out on my own, but now I'm tired of it.  I'd rather have him with me. But unless he starts getting his summers off, too, I will probably still have to do some travel alone.

Since I'm still a bit new at this, I'll tag Mike, Erin S., Erin A., and Trent.  Will they all participate?  I doubt it, but I guess them's the rules.

P.S.  Happy Belated St. Paddy's!

The Unveiling

So here's the newly remodeled office. It's been "done" for a while, but this is the first time I've taken pics. I say "done" because I'm sure we'll keep modifying it here and there.

Next to the computer is the print I had framed for my darling spouse for Valentine's Day. The frame perfectly matches the furniture, and the mat looks great with the other orange accents in the room. The color inspiration came from the shadow boxes B bought me for Christmas. Then he decided on the paint colors; the wall behind the computer is actually a shade darker than the other three. I think it still feels a bit empty, but it's a start.
If I had a few grand to blow on the room, I'd buy an Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair to finish out the room. Even without cash like that to spend, I still think I'd like to put in a white, modern-looking armchair.

In music news, I've got the Louis XIV concert (again) on my calendar for late March and Nada Surf for early April. Lollapalooza tickets go on sale soon, too.  It looks like I will likely make the trip to Chicago for the fourth straight year.  B and I are trying to get tickets for the sold-out Hotel Cafe Tour since our dear hometown boy, Dan Wilson, is on the tour.  Guess we'll have to keep checking Craigslist.

In travel news, if things go according to plan, I may not be in the state of MN for most of June.  I'm going to Jamaica with students for a service trip on the 7th.  Then for a week or two, it's family vacation in the Virgin Islands.  Finally, I've applied for a conference on Zora Neale Hurston in central Florida for a week at the end of June.  My suitcase is going to get a workout! And I'll have enough frequent flyer miles for another trip!

My favorite things...

Right now, here are the things that are rocking my world:

5.  The new green paint in our office.  It's still wet as I write this, but it's awesome!  It's a cross between Slimer from Ghostbusters and the Green Giant.  Bright, crazy, and totally awesome with the white moulding and doors in the room.  The furniture is all white and modern, as well, with some orange, blue, and yellow accents throughout the room.  This is what happens when you marry an artist.

4.  The Archer Farms dinner in a box things that Bizzle picked up at Super Target.  Easy, yummy.  What's not to love?

3.  Valentine's Day surprises.  Brook surprised me with dinner at a very delicious, romantic Italian restaurant in our neighborhood.  I am going to surprise him by having a print framed.  He bought it years ago at the Northern Waters Smokehouse in Duluth, but he never got around to framing it.  It will be a belated, but unexpected gift.

2.  Hot beverages.  Damn it, groundhog!  Why did you doom us to 6 more weeks of winter?  I guess I'll have to keep chugging hot whiskeys until it gets above freezing.

1.  My friend's new baby.  Audrey was born on Tuesday, and I'm so excited!  Love the name, too.

Also looking forward to getting a facial with Kersten at the Aveda Institute next weekend.  How awesome is it that my birthday present to her is also a gift to me?  That sounded kind of selfish, but oh well.

Bad me!

I have been horrible with remembering to post and all.  Plus our too good to be true MPLS city wireless has turned out to be... well, too good to be true.  We hope that we can soon get an upgraded antenna that will help us to pick up the signal better, but it has been spotty at best.

Things in teacher-land have been hectic.  We just started a new semester last week so I had tons of new kiddos to get to know.  My sophomores seem to be pretty cool kids; one pain in the butt, but I am pretty sure I can alleviate that problem soon.  Today we played with play-doh, so the kids were all pumped.  Yes, play-doh.  It was a goofy vocab review activity, but you'd be surprised how much the faces of these 16-year-olds light up when I whip out the case and start passing around tubs.  "Oooh!  Pass me the pink!"  "Look at this, Mrs. L!  I made an impenetrable wall!"  Totally cute.  It reminds me of the days when roomies in Groves 6D would sit on the stoop and blow bubbles when we were too stressed about final exams.  I am a firm believer in the need for all of us to revive that inner-child from time to time.

Otherwise, things have been chugging along.  The social life has been all fun and exciting.  We've had parties and events every weekend, it seems.  Between birthday and work parties, fancy ladies' dinner nights, concerts, and such, I haven't had time to get bored.  Meeting new people has got to be one of my favorite things, and there have been plenty of opportunities.  My friend has been entertaining an overseas employee of his company, so we've spent some time with our new Parisian friend lately.  Most recently, three of us went to the Louis XIV, Hot Hot Heat, and Editors concert at the Fine Line.  I had seen Louis and Editors before, but not in a small venue.  I actually had never been to a show at the Fine Line before.  It was pretty darn fun, but much of that was due to the great company I had.  The show itself could have been better if the bands weren't so rushed to crank out the hits and get off the stage so the next group could perform.  I like the single-headliner shows better for that reason.  But our French pal kept buying bottles of wine, so I didn't mind too much.

Well, I will bid adieu.  Stay warm out there!