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.