"I learned from experience not to run after a boy."
This is from a note the 7th grade teacher next door to me found on the floor. It just makes me laugh.
Learned from experience??
Ah, to be 12 and know it all.
About the third year I was a teacher, I realized that there was no use fighting it. The kids truly do know more than I do. I don't really believe this, but I might as well because I can't convince my students otherwise.
But you know, with true wisdom like the excerpt above...I don't know...maybe we do get dumber with age.
This 30-ish year old is keeping her ears peeled for more gems of wisdom from the young whippersnappers.
September 20, 2005
September 17, 2005
"Dad Says We Can Have Pancakes for Dinner!"
Chris and I went to Denny's for lunch last weekend, but since it was barely noon on Sunday, it seemed okay to have breakfast food instead of lunch. We often eat at those types of cafes where any kind of meal can be ordered at any time of day, and I don't feel compelled to eat the type of foods that match the meal I should be eating at that time of day, but I do often feel guilty. Like my stomach cares. Or the waitress. Or society. Nobody cares! But it usually gives me pause.
So, on this particular Sunday I decide to order pancakes with eggs over-easy. Actually I ordered eggs over-easy because the meal came with hashbrowns, and hashbrowns are best mushed up with runny eggs. With a little ketchup on top. When the food came, I suddenly remembered the best way to eat pancakes was with eggs over-easy between two pancakes. There's something about that buttery pancake taste with eggs. Syrup is an added bonus yet not necessary.
And that just brought back a childhood memory.
Are you with my stream on consciousness, here?
Just out of the blue, I broke into a story to tell Chris (I'm sure he's often confused where these things come from) about how sometimes Dad would come home from work and suggest we have pancakes and eggs for dinner. My brother Tye and I would be so excited because we weren't the type of family that ate pancakes on a regular basis, in fact we were more a cold cereal family. Plus, the idea of having breakfast foods for dinner just seemed so out of the ordinary. Almost taboo.
I flash back to those days when, for some reason, we didn't have dinner planned when Dad arrived home from work. It would be dark outside, so pancake dinners probably happened in the winter. Dad would be in his work clothes, clomping into the house with his muddy work boots, smelling of oil and cold. He would come through the pantry door and ask what was for dinner, and we'd all shrug. (Okay, this part of the story seems weird--like we hadn't a clue what to eat. Where was Mom?) So, he'd say, "Let's have pancakes." So, we'd rush to get the electric skillet out. Gunked and old, it had fried many chickens, bags of potatoes, and only occasionally, bits of liver and onion. (Yuck!) We'd plug it in to warm up, and when it started popping and creaking it's would be ready to go. It only took a few minutes to whip up some batter made from Bisquick, and in just a few minutes after that, we'd be turning out pancakes and eggs. It was all made to order, so on those nights we may have eaten at the table, as we always did as a family for dinner, but it was "Eat it while it's hot!"
To tell it now seems so mundane. Big deal. You ate pancakes for dinner. But then it seemed so special. It wasn't another night of fishsticks and rice. It wasn't chicken and green beans. And it thankfully wasn't another night of hotdish. (I have a gazillion ways to make hotdish.) It was pankcakes. It was special. I was a kid. It was the simple things in life.
Actually, it still is the simple things in life. Perhaps that's why these flashing memories of the strangest things at the strangest times are the best.
So, on this particular Sunday I decide to order pancakes with eggs over-easy. Actually I ordered eggs over-easy because the meal came with hashbrowns, and hashbrowns are best mushed up with runny eggs. With a little ketchup on top. When the food came, I suddenly remembered the best way to eat pancakes was with eggs over-easy between two pancakes. There's something about that buttery pancake taste with eggs. Syrup is an added bonus yet not necessary.
And that just brought back a childhood memory.
Are you with my stream on consciousness, here?
Just out of the blue, I broke into a story to tell Chris (I'm sure he's often confused where these things come from) about how sometimes Dad would come home from work and suggest we have pancakes and eggs for dinner. My brother Tye and I would be so excited because we weren't the type of family that ate pancakes on a regular basis, in fact we were more a cold cereal family. Plus, the idea of having breakfast foods for dinner just seemed so out of the ordinary. Almost taboo.
I flash back to those days when, for some reason, we didn't have dinner planned when Dad arrived home from work. It would be dark outside, so pancake dinners probably happened in the winter. Dad would be in his work clothes, clomping into the house with his muddy work boots, smelling of oil and cold. He would come through the pantry door and ask what was for dinner, and we'd all shrug. (Okay, this part of the story seems weird--like we hadn't a clue what to eat. Where was Mom?) So, he'd say, "Let's have pancakes." So, we'd rush to get the electric skillet out. Gunked and old, it had fried many chickens, bags of potatoes, and only occasionally, bits of liver and onion. (Yuck!) We'd plug it in to warm up, and when it started popping and creaking it's would be ready to go. It only took a few minutes to whip up some batter made from Bisquick, and in just a few minutes after that, we'd be turning out pancakes and eggs. It was all made to order, so on those nights we may have eaten at the table, as we always did as a family for dinner, but it was "Eat it while it's hot!"
To tell it now seems so mundane. Big deal. You ate pancakes for dinner. But then it seemed so special. It wasn't another night of fishsticks and rice. It wasn't chicken and green beans. And it thankfully wasn't another night of hotdish. (I have a gazillion ways to make hotdish.) It was pankcakes. It was special. I was a kid. It was the simple things in life.
Actually, it still is the simple things in life. Perhaps that's why these flashing memories of the strangest things at the strangest times are the best.
September 5, 2005
Cruel Shoes
The day before school started I was doing some last minute shopping at the mall. I was searching for some cool clothing that look professional. I found a cute outfit at Mervyn's that was not practical at all. Well, maybe not an outfit because I don't think I'll wear the pieces together, although I could. The black crops are cute--as if I need another pair of black pants. The pink satin cami is way cute and perfect for the pinstrip suit I bought earlier this summer, although I am still not sure about wearing tops that look like lingerie. The black shrug wasn't practical at all considering it was 105 degrees outside when I bought it.
But it was while I was walking out of Mervyn's on the way to the parking lot that I found the cutest shoes! They're like Mary Jane dress shoes, tennis shoes, and they're SKECHERS! I never met a Skechers I didn't like, and I decided these were perfect!
But it was while I was walking out of Mervyn's on the way to the parking lot that I found the cutest shoes! They're like Mary Jane dress shoes, tennis shoes, and they're SKECHERS! I never met a Skechers I didn't like, and I decided these were perfect!
That was before I wore them. By 7:00 a.m.on the first day of school--an hour before even school started--I was crippled. Some of my helpful friends said, "Put on some bandaids." I did. Shortly after 7:00 a.m. They rubbed off. Cheap-ass bandaids. Another one said, "Girl, you're shoes are too big, that's why you have blisters." No, I was walking with my toes shoved up front so IT WOULDN'T RUB ANYMORE. There were never any blisters. Just open wounds. 
So, what's a girl to do besides suffer? Grin and bear it? All in the name of fashion, yesiree! Well, fashion for one day because for the rest of the week I had to find something professional to wear with my leather sandals. And I'm sure at some points I was neither both professional nor fashionable. Sigh. So much for trying.
The root of this shoe problem is that my feet are not used to being trapped. My heels are going to bleed no matter what shoes I put on--no matter how long I've had them or how painful it was to break my feet into them the first time. It's not just back-to-school time, it's TOUGHEN-UP-MY-FEET-FOR-REGULAR-SHOES time. So, wish me luck as I befriend the devil that lives in my shoes. Gotta dash now to Rite-Aid and stock up on band-aids.
My new favorite shoes. Aren't they cool? No, they're cruel.
Sigh.
August 19, 2005
Overheard Conversation
Today when I was posing as a mom at the park with my step-kid, I overheard the conversations of some of the mommies there. There was one mommy who was particularly talkative in asking the other mommies about what preschools they'd looked into.
That conversation later turned to not wanting to put her child in public schools here, and this was something the other mommies agreed with. Since I wasn't included in this conversation, although I was just a few feet away and none of the mommies knew each other prior to this morning at the park, I didn't feel like I could give my two cents. Well, I couldn't give my two cents and not have some sort of brawl, which is so not appropriate at the park on a Friday morning in front of a handful of preschoolers.
How do people who have not yet enrolled their children in school have such bad opinions of the public school system?
In another part of the conversation, the talkative woman said that her next car would be a Hummer. Gas is currently $2.75 a gallon.
These are the people who have good value judgements.
That conversation later turned to not wanting to put her child in public schools here, and this was something the other mommies agreed with. Since I wasn't included in this conversation, although I was just a few feet away and none of the mommies knew each other prior to this morning at the park, I didn't feel like I could give my two cents. Well, I couldn't give my two cents and not have some sort of brawl, which is so not appropriate at the park on a Friday morning in front of a handful of preschoolers.
How do people who have not yet enrolled their children in school have such bad opinions of the public school system?
In another part of the conversation, the talkative woman said that her next car would be a Hummer. Gas is currently $2.75 a gallon.
These are the people who have good value judgements.
August 15, 2005
Interrogation by a Four-Year Old
What are you doing that for?
What would you do if a dump truck drove here?
What would you do if fourth and fifth graders were here?
What would you do if your school was preschool?
Can I have ice cream?
Do you have any birds?
Do you like cats?
What if I had a dog this big [size of his hand] and put it in this box?
Do you know who wants a doggie?
Do you have Dr. DooDoo 2?
Can I use a scissor to cut these off?
Can I use a scissor to cut these off?
How come?
Is it alright if I rip these off?
Can I put a trash bag in here?
Could I have a snack?
How come they are so noisy upstairs?
Why do we have to take a bath?
But why can't we stay up?
Can we stay out here to watch the movie?
Huh?
Huh, Kris?
When we take a bath can we come back out here to watch a movie?
Huh?
Why do the people upstairs make noise?
What if the roof is cracking and the person falls down?
What if this is upstairs and that was downstairs?
That'd be funny, huh?
Do we have to take a bath now?
What would you do if a dump truck drove here?
What would you do if fourth and fifth graders were here?
What would you do if your school was preschool?
Can I have ice cream?
Do you have any birds?
Do you like cats?
What if I had a dog this big [size of his hand] and put it in this box?
Do you know who wants a doggie?
Do you have Dr. DooDoo 2?
Can I use a scissor to cut these off?
Can I use a scissor to cut these off?
How come?
Is it alright if I rip these off?
Can I put a trash bag in here?
Could I have a snack?
How come they are so noisy upstairs?
Why do we have to take a bath?
But why can't we stay up?
Can we stay out here to watch the movie?
Huh?
Huh, Kris?
When we take a bath can we come back out here to watch a movie?
Huh?
Why do the people upstairs make noise?
What if the roof is cracking and the person falls down?
What if this is upstairs and that was downstairs?
That'd be funny, huh?
Do we have to take a bath now?
August 8, 2005
'Tis the Season for Cool Office Supplies
This weekend my sweetie and I were in one of those Office______ stores. I can never remember if it's Max or Depot. Whatever. Tons of office supplies. I know it's a dangerous place, but I really needed a press board folder, and that's the only place I was going to find it. Things were going pretty well. I resisted all the special "Back to School" displays. We were on our way to the check-out when my sweetie points out folders for a nickel! Seriously! I paid a dime each (for about 50 of them) at Target last weekend. You know I couldn't pass up some cheap-ass folders! I might need them in my classroom. And then it all begins...
ARG!
It's bad enough that I have a major obsession with office supplies, but being married to somebody who is also obsessed is just rotten luck. That type of insanity needs a gauge! Of course it makes sense to stock up because as soon as the Back-to-School selling season is over, loose leaf notebook paper goes from TWO BITS to TWO BUCKS. Let me grab my cool new purple $1 calculator...that's about a 800% mark-up. Is that right? I dunno. Anyway, any fool who can do basic math--or not--should realize this is the time to STOCK UP!
So that means, folders, paper, notebooks, pencils, markers, scissors, rulers, Bic Pens, pencil sharpeners, erasers, Post-Its, oh and highlighters! And that's just for me! Oh! And I gotta get some more of those cool highlighters! The ones like my husband bought a few weeks ago. No we can't share! Look how lovely they are:
ARG!
It's bad enough that I have a major obsession with office supplies, but being married to somebody who is also obsessed is just rotten luck. That type of insanity needs a gauge! Of course it makes sense to stock up because as soon as the Back-to-School selling season is over, loose leaf notebook paper goes from TWO BITS to TWO BUCKS. Let me grab my cool new purple $1 calculator...that's about a 800% mark-up. Is that right? I dunno. Anyway, any fool who can do basic math--or not--should realize this is the time to STOCK UP!
So that means, folders, paper, notebooks, pencils, markers, scissors, rulers, Bic Pens, pencil sharpeners, erasers, Post-Its, oh and highlighters! And that's just for me! Oh! And I gotta get some more of those cool highlighters! The ones like my husband bought a few weeks ago. No we can't share! Look how lovely they are:
Aren't they beeeeeaaaaauuuuutiful?
Teeny tiny!
And they write so nice and bright.
Oh, it's a office supply lover's dream come true!
Is there a 12-step program for this?
Office Supply Buyers Anonymous?
OSBA?
August 5, 2005
Why Did You Come to This Site?
Because...
(a) you're a friend.
(b) you're my parents and you love me.
(c) you received an e-mail saying, "Check this out!"
(d) you went surfing through Blogspot for answers about life.
If you answered a, b, or c, this post is for you. If you answered d, you can stick around or browse around. Whatever.
First of all, thank you all for stopping by for a visit. That reminds me of Frost. Hehehe.
Anyway, from talking to many of you I know you are among the 68% of online Americans who don't even know what a blog is. If you're here. You're experiencing a blog RIGHT NOW!
A blog is a web-based publication that is published in reverse chronological order. The newest post is the first one you see, aye? It's short for Web log. A person who maintains a blog is called blogger, and the act of maintaining a blog is called blogging. There will be test on this Friday. Okay? Can we move on to important stuff? It'll be fun, I promise!
The largest use of blogs is probably by journalists--both professional and wannabes. To me, it's a little overwhelming deciding on who has the most accurate news. I mean I already distrust journalists and their spinning. I could just discount all of the blog journalists out there, but some of them have much integrity. So, yeah for them!
There are also quite a few blogs out there that act as forums or discussion boards for workplaces and learning environments. This is a really great format to get news and information out within a workplace--not to mention for people to post opinions, ideas, and concerns. Great communication tool! I wonder how it would be if my workplace used blogs instead of 20 e-mails a day to post important news. Hmmm. Would it be more efficient? And then the learning environment usage. That's a big reason why I am here trying out this blogging stuff, but I'm still working that out. There will be more posts on some ideas I might have on how to use it in my classroom. Or read the one I wrote recently.
There are a lot of blogs out there that are selling things or are like a destination from a search engine. Those irritate me. I wouldn't even mention them except I keep bumping into them on my Internet travels. Beware!
Some people are using blogs to keep in touch with family and friends from afar. Better than e-mail! Post it once. Then everyone comes to your blog to check out what's new. This idea really warms my heart! You can see your grandchildren grow up from hundreds of miles away after all! I wonder if this might be the new scrapbooking?
A lot of blogs are for people like me who want to express themselves artistically, whether it be through writing or visual art. I've been quite inspired this summer, so I hope to maintain some writing--maybe just creative thoughts on everyday topics. It's a free way to publish myself--even if nobody except my husband reads it. "Honey! Go to my blog! I just posted!" As if he couldn't just read over my shoulder. It's more for my enjoyment, I guess.
Although I am really excited by my new project, blogs have been around a long time. Some web designers who linked interesting websites started it all. But you know, those guys and gals are always way ahead of the rest of us. They're probably going around saying, "Blogs! That's so 1999!" and using some other really cool technology we cannot even fathom. Now there are so many blogging sites out there that it was a little overwhelming to decide where to go. Blogger is the best known blogging tool. (Diaryland and Pitas were apparently the first, though.) So, I stuck with what is most popular. Oh, and I happened to buy a book because I didn't know if I'd figure it out. Turns out it wasn't TOO challenging.
If any of you are interested in trying out blogging--or have a blog, let me know! I'll figure out how to post a link to your page. (It's on page 41 of my book.) That's how people find a lot of blogs--by the links they find from other blogs. How do you let me know? Leave a comment. Under each posting you can comment. So, don't be voyuers. At least say hi!
Thanks for stopping by!
If you want to see some other blogs, good and bad, look at the top of screen. There is a button that says NEXT BLOG. It will randomly take you through other blogs at blogspot.com. You'll see the good and the bad--not to mention maybe even learn some new languages along the way.
But...
If you really could care less about blogging, you're not the only one!
(a) you're a friend.
(b) you're my parents and you love me.
(c) you received an e-mail saying, "Check this out!"
(d) you went surfing through Blogspot for answers about life.
If you answered a, b, or c, this post is for you. If you answered d, you can stick around or browse around. Whatever.
First of all, thank you all for stopping by for a visit. That reminds me of Frost. Hehehe.
Anyway, from talking to many of you I know you are among the 68% of online Americans who don't even know what a blog is. If you're here. You're experiencing a blog RIGHT NOW!
A blog is a web-based publication that is published in reverse chronological order. The newest post is the first one you see, aye? It's short for Web log. A person who maintains a blog is called blogger, and the act of maintaining a blog is called blogging. There will be test on this Friday. Okay? Can we move on to important stuff? It'll be fun, I promise!
The largest use of blogs is probably by journalists--both professional and wannabes. To me, it's a little overwhelming deciding on who has the most accurate news. I mean I already distrust journalists and their spinning. I could just discount all of the blog journalists out there, but some of them have much integrity. So, yeah for them!
There are also quite a few blogs out there that act as forums or discussion boards for workplaces and learning environments. This is a really great format to get news and information out within a workplace--not to mention for people to post opinions, ideas, and concerns. Great communication tool! I wonder how it would be if my workplace used blogs instead of 20 e-mails a day to post important news. Hmmm. Would it be more efficient? And then the learning environment usage. That's a big reason why I am here trying out this blogging stuff, but I'm still working that out. There will be more posts on some ideas I might have on how to use it in my classroom. Or read the one I wrote recently.
There are a lot of blogs out there that are selling things or are like a destination from a search engine. Those irritate me. I wouldn't even mention them except I keep bumping into them on my Internet travels. Beware!
Some people are using blogs to keep in touch with family and friends from afar. Better than e-mail! Post it once. Then everyone comes to your blog to check out what's new. This idea really warms my heart! You can see your grandchildren grow up from hundreds of miles away after all! I wonder if this might be the new scrapbooking?
A lot of blogs are for people like me who want to express themselves artistically, whether it be through writing or visual art. I've been quite inspired this summer, so I hope to maintain some writing--maybe just creative thoughts on everyday topics. It's a free way to publish myself--even if nobody except my husband reads it. "Honey! Go to my blog! I just posted!" As if he couldn't just read over my shoulder. It's more for my enjoyment, I guess.
Although I am really excited by my new project, blogs have been around a long time. Some web designers who linked interesting websites started it all. But you know, those guys and gals are always way ahead of the rest of us. They're probably going around saying, "Blogs! That's so 1999!" and using some other really cool technology we cannot even fathom. Now there are so many blogging sites out there that it was a little overwhelming to decide where to go. Blogger is the best known blogging tool. (Diaryland and Pitas were apparently the first, though.) So, I stuck with what is most popular. Oh, and I happened to buy a book because I didn't know if I'd figure it out. Turns out it wasn't TOO challenging.
If any of you are interested in trying out blogging--or have a blog, let me know! I'll figure out how to post a link to your page. (It's on page 41 of my book.) That's how people find a lot of blogs--by the links they find from other blogs. How do you let me know? Leave a comment. Under each posting you can comment. So, don't be voyuers. At least say hi!
Thanks for stopping by!
If you want to see some other blogs, good and bad, look at the top of screen. There is a button that says NEXT BLOG. It will randomly take you through other blogs at blogspot.com. You'll see the good and the bad--not to mention maybe even learn some new languages along the way.
But...
If you really could care less about blogging, you're not the only one!
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