Jumping in with Both Feet

Lovey-Dovey Linkup

2012-02-14T12:27:00.000-06:00

Hi All! I've seen this lil meme floating around the blogosphere thanks to From Mrs. to Mama and I've been totally sucked in to reading everybody's stories. So, for all of you new readers and followers out there, here is the story of Kev and I- a fourteen year saga.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
Kev and I will have been together for five years in May, but we've known each other for almost 14!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
I was dating a very shy baseball player in Kev's grade, and we were hanging out in our high school's lounge. I was a freshman, and Kev was a sophomore. Suddenly, this super personable guy came up and started talking to my shy boyfriend and I. This guy (Kev) was selling frisbees for his business class, and was trying to wheedle us into buying them. While I did not buy a frisbee, I did slowly begin seeing Kev around more and more. Baseball player and I broke up, and Kev and I started talking. That spring, we went on a date with a group of friends to Great America, and Kev was the perfect gentleman- kissing me on the Skywhirl, holding my hand in line, and giving me his Abercrombie long sleeved shirt when I got cold. As the night ended, he promised me that when he got his driver's license in a few weeks, that we would be boyfriend and girlfriend. I was a freshman, about to date an older man with a CAR, and I was through the moon.

Well, the weeks went by. Kev got his car, and suddenly realized he was AWESOME. His 1990 Honda (Jane Honda) became his first love, and the promised for boyfriend-girlfriend status did not materialize. We did, however, become great friends while we dated other people. Through high school, we talked nearly every night on AIM (oh, the good old days), and solved each other's relationship problems. We went to different colleges, made new friends, and talked less.

Fast forward 4 years. I had just finished college and moved back home with my parents. It was Easter, and I saw Kev sign on to AIM (good old technology), and realized we hadn't talked in a long time. We quickly chatted, and set up a date to get together for dinner the following week. When I picked him up in MY car at his parents' house, gone were his Abercrombie t-shirts; he had donned a corduroy blazer and glasses for the occasion. He looked older, wiser, and still had his trademark charm. We had a great date, and I made plans to go visit him in the city the following weekend for his birthday. The rest, as they say, is history. Booze and a four year absence made us quickly realize we had to be together.

3. If married, how long have you been married? We got married on the 4th of July, 2009. It was awesome.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?
We got married with 330 of our close friends and family at Kevin's grade school church. It was huge, rambunctious, fun and very meaningful. My grandparents took the last shuttle back to the hotel with us, we polka-ed, my other grandmother caught the bouquet, and I dropped pizza face down on my dress at 2 am. It was loud and loving, just like us.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share! We call each other shmoop or shmoopsie. I'll call him honey or hot stuff if I want to make him laugh, and he always calls me Colie or Coli-polie.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
He is smart, he is handsome, he makes me laugh, and he challenges me to be my best self every single day.

7. Tell us how he proposed?
That sneaky guy let me plan my own proposal! We had just moved into our first apartment together that week, and he asked me what I felt like doing for our first Friday night at our new place. I decided we should buy fancy ingredients and cook in together. After dinner, he said he had a surprise for dessert, and brought a tray with angel food cake and champagne. Then, he got down on one knee, told me he loved me, and proposed. Afterwards, he said that one of our good friends wanted us to stop out so she could see the ring. We walked to a favorite bar, and he had all of our friends packed inside for a surprise bash.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals? We are generally champagne, sweatpants and heart shaped pizza kind of valentine's day people, but last year he surprised me with a "mystery date" to a fancy dinner and to see Les Miserables downtown. Swoon.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch? We switch it up. The key to good romance is variety.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere? Travel the world, raise a beautiful family of happy kids, and still hold hands when we are in our eighties.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.
Cooking tuna steaks and potatoes for dinner, having some wine, and snuggling on the couch for some movie time.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day? Nope, we're not big Valentine's gift people.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love. Never, ever take each other for granted. Remember you are lucky to be together.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
Family inside jokes, with Kev fitting right in :)

On Being a Hermit

2012-02-13T12:36:00.002-06:00

Recently, I read an excellent article about living alone from the New York Times Basically, this article contends that living alone is more acceptable now than it ever has been in previous social times. It also says that contrary to popular belief, living alone means being more, rather than less social. Long story short, I completely agree with this article. It explains why I'm becoming such a crazy cat lady in my old age.

When I was younger, and lived with roommates, I constantly made plans. No, I wasn't living alone, but I was extremely social. I had each weekend booked up with things to do, and I actively organized lots of plans with my friends. When Kev and I moved in together and got engaged, I swore that we wouldn't become "that married couple." You know the ones. They spend all their time with friends talking about their wedding and then once it is over- POOF. They disappear into a cloud of matching linen sets and formal flatware, never to be heard from again. Indeed, I started this very blog in the hopes of refuting some of those stereotypes. To make matters more complicated, Kev and I had very few local, close friends who were in serious relationships at the time we got married, so they were all happy to predict that big scary changes were coming our way.

Now, after nearly three years of marriage, I'm realizing that my friends were right, to a certain extent. Kev and I have a cozy condo with two cats, and complicated work lives. Kev is still getting his master's degree, and I am still recovering from finishing mine in June (not to mention starting a new job). If we are invited to weekend events, we almost always say yes, but if no invite is forthcoming, well, we get lazy. We stay in. We drink champagne and wear sweatpants and don't get out of bed until noon. Because we can.

I think there is something about having an automatic partner in crime that makes the rest of the world seem a little less pressing. Four years ago, I would have jumped at the chance of a free weekend to organize a big outing to an unusual restaurant or one of Chicago's many fests. Now, it all seems like a lot of effort, when I can use that time to lounge with my favorite person in the world. I would argue that I've gotten less social as a result of living with someone I love, rather than more. I feel some guilt about this. I know I've let some friendships slide and grown apart from some people from whom I was inseparable, but that's life. I know I need to find a happy medium between "us" time and "the world" time, and I know I'm wasting valuable opportunities to venture out in the city. I know that time is ticking before we have kids, and it may never be this easy to get out and about again, but really....I'm just not as motivated as I used to be.

Shacking up has made me a hermit.

Do you think that living with someone you love makes you more or less social? Why?
Are you offended when your cohabitating friends don't call?
Am I a terrible person?

Wordless Wednesday- Foxy Loxy

2012-02-08T12:34:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I like this picture, I just do. Something about the chipped nose, perhaps.

On Being a Sister

2012-02-06T19:23:00.001-06:00

I am an older sister to two younger brothers and a younger sister. They are all unique, amazing individuals in completely different ways. One is in law school, one is in nursing school, and one is a host of wacky things, including thrift store connoisseur and undergrad communications major, probably in that order. Growing up, our house was loud, chaotic, and often veered wildly between angelic and World War Three. My mom had four kids in seven years, and now that I'm an adult, I'm fairly certain she qualifies for sainthood.

As we got older, my siblings became really cool, popular people. They won high school yearbook superlatives. They developed sweet dance moves. They became retreat leaders, prom queens, marathoners, bartenders, and all-around likable people. As I matured, it was hard to not feel eclipsed by them. I count those humans among the most precious people in the world to me, and my life of working, dating, and reading books often seemed rather vanilla by comparison. I'm constantly in awe of their general awesomeness. I'm constantly challenged by their deep thoughts, and reduced to tears by their offbeat hilarity. As such, it is often hard not to feel like a geeky older sister.

While my sister and I often have deep talks about everything from the existence of God to how one can craft the perfect set of reinbeers for Christmas, my brothers are American males in their 20s, and therefore don't talk about their feelings much. Therefore, the following gchat conversation with P made my day today:

P:listening to ben folds while reading. reminds me of your old "on a bender" cd
a golden oldie

me:Such a good one... I still listen to that mix

P: hells yes
your "practicum tunes" were also very good

me
Haha amazing memory for my old mixes....I'm super impressed

P:yes after a few car rides i stole them both for an extended period
that was my first experience with that genre and those artists
that genre and those artists
it was pretty exciting
gonna get some groceries
farewell

me: So glad I could mold your mind

P: haha you paved the way of much of my thought and experience
i am forever grateful

me: Aww that comment just made my day :) love you little bro

While I'm fairly certain that telling my brother I love him and using an emoticon in a text chat will both insure that he isn't that open about his feelings for awhile, I am in awe of the fact that he was listening during all of those long car rides to and fron The University of Iowa. And I guess what I am most awestruck by is the fact that he was listening at all.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this conversation gives me hope. Hope that even when I'm not saying anything big, the ones I love are still watching and learning. That even when I mess up and act like a crabby jerk, these same people in my life know from a lifetime of watching me that it's just a blip in the radar. That some of the moments when I've felt farthest separate emotionally from the people I love, I still managed to reach through the barriers and connect anyway. That even if we seem different on the outside, my family and I are just going to get closer and stronger as we grow. Now, it seems, I'm the one listening to him

It's Not Easy Being Pink

2012-02-02T16:52:00.002-06:00

If you've been out of the loop, you may want to read. this In a nutshell, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a leading breast cancer advocacy and research group, has decided to pull the financial support they give to Planned Parenthood; a press frenzy ignited. Nancy Brinker, Komen's founder, called Planned Parenthood "a dangerous distraction from the work that still remains to be done in ridding the world of breast cancer." At first, I was livid. Now, I'm sad and angry.

Lately, it has been a difficult time to be an equality-minded woman. A few months ago, a proposed boycott of Girl Scout cookies was proposed, because some Girl Scout troops choose to discuss women's health and reproductive options. Other troops let in transsexual young men. Apparently, the right to produce a women's organization that appreciates all humans who choose the female gender, and the right to educate said people on the health options available to them is dangerous. Planned Parenthood, and the health care that it gives to women, many of whom are underprivileged, is dangerous. The underlying message I'm seeing over and over again in the media is that an educated woman is dangerous. And yet, the pink guns that is being peddled in partnership between Smith & Wesson and Komen for the Cure is not a dangerous distraction? What are we going to do, shoot cancer?

I don't understand the pressure on women who want to make informed health choices to defend that right. I don't understand why people who do not share my liberal values or feminist beliefs feel so threatened by my right to choose when I have a baby or to teach the young men and women that I teach about their options for health and self-esteem. When did our views towards women's issues become so polarizing? Five years ago, I would have said that it was a great time to be an American woman. Now, I feel that the strong backlash against liberal women comes from the uncompromising polarity of our political parties. I don't dispute that Komen for the Cure does great things, or that people want the right to teach their daughters about reproductive issues according to their families' values. I just don't understand why we would deny those that want birth control and reproductive health issues discussed in an honest and unbiased way the right to do so. After all, Komen for the Cure started because breast cancer was such a taboo and silent killer. Now STD prevention and birth control may become the next great whisper in secret. I respect others' rights to live their lives as they wish, but I'm sorely disappointed by a move that has resulted in two of the best charities that women have fighting against one another. We came so far as a society that valued women's rights. Why are we backsliding now?

Keep on Keepin' On

2012-02-01T12:37:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was a great day at school I didn't make any progress on my to-do lists of grading, filing and reading. I didn't really get a chance to talk to any other teacher friends. I ate lunch at my desk the way I do every day, and I wasted an entire lunchtime on Pinterest. But you know what I did do well? I had a great day with my students.

For some reason, yesterday was one of those days where everything worked the way it was supposed to. My kiddos came iwth homework done and attitudes ready to contribute to class discussions, and they were suitably thoughtful about a Holocaust simple photoessay we read. In writing conferences and class discussion, I saw evidence of growth, and they even laughed at my jokes. I walked out of school feeling good about myself, and they left my classroom with smiles on their faces.

The truth is that when I started teaching, I really thought that every day would be like yesterday. I chose to be a teacher to build relationships with students. To make them bookaholics. To get to watch them grow. To be the teacher they come back and visit. Therefore, my first few years of teaching were a shock. I got moved from grade-level to grade-level, and each time I had to reinvent the wheel. My elementary kids acted like, well, kids. Things fell off my walls. I screamed at them. I cried to them.

I'd like to say that those types of things don't happen in my classroom now that I've been teaching for five years, but they still do. It's a messy business. Sometimes, my students and I hate each other. Sometimes I am so tired that it takes all of my effort to repress my sarcasm and find my patience. But every so often, a perfect day like yesterday comes. A day to remind myself that this is what it is all about. A day to revel in conversations with my kiddos instead of just wishing that they would leave me alone.

Now, I feel like I can appreciate those days all the more because of their rarity. That I am better equipped to take a step back and figure out how to re-create it. I'm just starting to get wistful enough again to hope that with more experience, I'll be able to create more of these days with my students. After the stress and agony of last year, I'm finally starting to feel like making a leap to a new school with older students was the right choice for me. It's been over a year, but I'm finally approaching the light at the end of the tunnel.

The photo above is courtesy of Hey Girl Teacher one of my favorite daily pick me ups.

***Also, I wrote this whole post yesterday and it got deleted when I went to publish it. Wordless Wednesday will get posted tonight- promise :)

Weekend Update

2012-01-30T16:13:00.000-06:00

I'm not going to lie, I've got a case of the Mondays today. Maybe because I had such an awesome weekend, but still. The older I get, the harder it is for me to bounce back from a super booze-filled weekend. Let me give you a brief re-cap:

Friday night, Kev and I went to go see Rise Against, a band that we've (especially Kev) are getting more and more in to due to the social justice themes happening in their pulsating rock songs. I love a band that shares the same values of equality for all, eating mindfully, and rocking socks off. We were surrounded by mini-vans as we drunkenly staggered to the UIC pavilion after finding a bar with amazing liquor deals, which was weird. Thank goodness my lovely brother in law had enough sense to buy us seats, rather than floor/mosh pit spaces, when he purchased them as our Christmas gift. I'm too freaking old for that nonsense. Overall, it was an amazingly high-energy and thought provoking show.

Saturday, we went to a friend's baby shower. More and more, people around me are announcing pregnancies. Every time someone does, I think "wait, we're too young! Wow!" Then I realize that I am turning 28 my next birthday, which is a perfectly respectable age at which to have a baby. Maybe I'm just immature. For said baby shower for some dear friends, I purchased a Blackhawks outfit similar to this....

....because clearly I enjoy making the babies in my life look like old Italian men. Maybe for his first birthday, I'll get him some gold chains. This kid is certainly lucky to have me in his life.

Saturday night, we went and saw Bye Bye Liver, a semi-improv drinking play that I cannot recommend highly enough. Housed at Fizz restaurant's upstairs stage, this play features hilarious skits about drinking, whole-audience drinking "socials" and a cast that gets progressively drunker as the skit goes on. The ticket stub says "admit one person who should probably let their sponsor know where they are" and that says it all. If you've spent a large amount of time in your life at bars, you'll recognize the behavior they lampoon, and I don't think it was overly promotive of alcoholism. If you are in the Chicago area, you must go see this reasonably priced show with a group of friends. We went for a friend's birthday, but there were also many bachelorette parties and 21st birthday partiers in the crowd. I definitely want to take my younger siblings when they turn 21, and would love to see it again. Plus, they have an awesome hipster guy on a Casio keyboard providing musical backup throughout the show. What's not to love?

Overall, I'd have to say it was a pretty damn good weekend. Today, I'll be heading back to the gym to get my rear in gear after two particularly lackluster weeks of healthy eating/working out. Work is actually calming down somewhat, so I'm feeling a little more able to get back on track with my goals.

What was the best part of your weekend?
What is your favorite item of baby apparel to purchase for a baby shower?
Do you ever get friend crushes?

Found Downtown

2012-01-25T20:58:00.003-06:00

Wordless Wednesday is a meme followed by photographers and lovers of art around the globe. Join in!

Daddy Daughter Date

2012-01-24T15:51:00.000-06:00

One of the weird things about growing up is that you don't often get your family to yourself. One of the mixed blessings of having rheumatoid arthritis, is that if you play it right, you can fix that. Allow me to explain...

Kev and I have known each other since I was fourteen and he sixteen. As soon as he got his driver's license, he would drop by my house at odd times. Right after school. On weekends. 8:00 at night, it didn't matter. It wasn't too long before my parents just accepted him as a normal fixture in our home. When we started dating nine years later, it is entirely possible that he and I were the only two surprised by the outcome.

Now, after two and a half years of marriage, Kev is nearly always by my side when I spend time with my family. We live an hour south of them, and while we try to go home for major events, it's almost always accompanied by my siblings, grandparents, or cousins. While I love this, it makes it kind of rare for us to get some quality couple-to-couple time with my parents. Rarer still are the opportunities to spend time just with my mom or dad. Or just me and my parents. Etc, etc.

After my two year anniversary of my RA diagnosis, I began wheedling my dad into getting checked out by my arthritis doctor. My dad exhibits many of the same symptoms I do, and it seems to be getting worse with age. Finally, I convinced him to go. A few days later, he called me excitedly. "Colie," he gushed, "I got the appointment RIGHT AFTER YOURS for my follow-up! How cool is that?" At the time, I merely laughed. We would certainly be the two youngest people in the waiting room. Maybe we could even get a discount. BOGO? Twofer?

The appointment finally rolled around last night, and I have to admit it was pretty awesome. My dad and I got to hang out in the waiting room together, and catch up on life. My dad sat in on my appointment. As a pediatrician, it meant a lot to have him listen to what the doc was telling me, rather than regurgitating it to him on the phone days later. Afterwards, we went to dinner. We laughed, we joked. Just my daddy and me.

I've been a proud daddy's girl for most of my life. I'm so blessed to have him in my life, and today I find myself strangely grateful to my chronic pain disease for giving me the chance to get him all to myself. Just my daddy and me.

Friday Reads-Love Times Three

2012-01-20T13:31:00.001-06:00

Last weekend, Kev, me, and three of our friends headed up to Wisconsin for a fat kid, sweatpants, green shot drinking, Packers losing weekend. It was awesome. Even more awesome was the fact that somewhere in all the gorging, I managed to wipe the Cheeto dust off of my fingers and finish Love Times Three a book written by four people involved in a polygamous marriage.

I have to admit, the topic of polygamy has intrigued me ever since I read Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer While I firmly believe that people are people, no matter what their views, I've always been sort of skeptical of the assertions that sister-wives (wives who share the same husband) really have a strong, emotional, and equal bond with their shared husband. The women of Love Times Three (heretofore referred to as LTT) really do seem mostly like normal folk. They rely on their shared calendars and BlackBerries to make sure everyone in the home gets where they need to go, they struggle with weight and faith, their teenagers drive them crazy, and they have strong opinions on faith, values, and family time. I respect the fact that these women braved the personal and professional perils to tell their story, after being concerned with all the recent negative media coverage. They are also the inspiration for the HBO series Big Love

The women acknowledge that three wives= three times the drama, but fail to go into real depth when describing their family struggles and sometimes I found everything a bit too peach-keene for my taste. However, one woman asks a question that really made me sit up and take notice:

How is my husband's love for me diminished if he loves another woman just as much? Does it cheapen my relationship with him to know that he has deep and abiding love for another? No, no it does not.

And this, my friends, is how I know I am meant to stay monogamous.

I've learned a lot about marriage in the last two and a half years. I've learned that being selfish doesn't serve anybody. That neither my husband nor myself are perfect. That jealousy comes from insecurity. And yet, I feel blessed every day that Kev and I have entered this agreement together. That come what may, he will love many other people in his lifetime but none with the odd cocktail of passion, silliness, intellectual stimulation and physical need that he loves me with. If I knew he also had another wife living concurrently in the same house as us, I don't think I'd be able to keep myself out of the equation. While I'm sure his relationship would be different with Polygamous Polly than it would be with me, we would all be sharing the title of marriage, and equally responsible for making it work EVEN THOUGH we only knew 2/3 of the story. Yes, parents often realize they can love a second or third child as much as they do the first, but I don't know that I'd be able to offer the same generosity of spirit if it came to another woman joining our covenant.

The vacillation of opinion that I've expressed already in this post (between appreciating that people in this great country are entitled to live their lives as they see fit, that everyone's lives are more normal than they seem, and that I believe that the definition of a marriage changes if you invite more than two people into it) characterizes my experience of reading this book. It wasn't terribly well written, or terribly deep, but it made me feel grateful for the opportunity to grapple with these questions. It also made me grateful to get my husband to myself most nights. Definitely an engaging non-fiction read, if not Pulitzer Prize material.

Are you a jealous partner? Do you agree or disagree with the quote above? Why? Respectful thoughts only, please!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T21:25:00.003-06:00

Wordless Wednesday is a meme followed by photographers and lovers of art around the globe. Join in!

Shifty Eyes

2012-01-17T16:21:00.000-06:00

I've always known that I was an awkward person. When I was in junior high, I once lamented to my mom that I wasn't cool or popular. Sternly, she said me down and said, "Nicole, your father isn't cool. I'm not cool. Chances are, you won't be cool either. Challenge yourself to be something else instead." True story, and words to live by.

But this post isn't about heartwarming memories with mom. It's about the fact that the older I get, the more awkward I realize I really am. I find myself constantly saying "shouldn't I know this by now?" or "really, this still happens when you are 27?"

The big issue I have with myself these days is eye contact. I've realized that I'm really not very good at maintaining eye contact with others. I'm noticing it the most at work. I'm not sure if it is because I am in a new building where I don't know people well yet and I'm still jockeying to figure out my niche, or if it's because I spend most of my time teaching my awkward posse in a fairly secluded basement room, but I've realized that I often don't make or keep eye contact with my colleagues. Today, for example, I met with the Assistant Principal and a Special Ed teacher, both of whom I have spent time with socially and feel fairly comfortable with, to translate a conference call to a Spanish-speaking parent. I spent the whole conversation swiveling between forcing myself to look at the two lovely ladies, and swiveling to thoughtfully address my Spanish comments to the phone. Awk-ward.

In hallways, or meetings also, I feel like I'm really bad about looking at the people talking to me. I'm not sure if it is that I feel uncomfortable because I don't know them well, or if I feel like my glasses (which I've been sporting recently) are a shield or what, but I'm turning into a bit of a spaz.

Why is it that we find it so awkward to look people in the eyes? Are eyes really the mirror to the soul? Am I shyer than I previously thought? How do you force yourself to look at the people who are talking to you? I call my kids out on it constantly, but I can't seem to do it myself. I don't want to be the weird shifty-eyed girl at work. HELP.

Wordless Wednesday (One Day Late)

2012-01-12T12:31:00.000-06:00

Thus, I have worn leggings and drapey tops for the last week. Christmas is gone but the chub still remains

Fear of Failure

2012-01-10T16:59:00.001-06:00

I am a teacher. i am also the most miserable person in the world to teach.

As the quarter nears completion, my students are stressing about grades. C, one of my trickier pals, checked his grades and bluntly announced "Mrs. G., I'm going to get a C in Science. There's no way I can get a B. I'm bad at Science. So, I'm not even going to try anymore."

As I gave C the whole 'are-you-getting-extra-help-put-in-the-effort-it-will-pay-off speech, I realized who he reminded me of. Myself. I get frustrated easily, and if I'm not immediately good at something, I give up. I tell people I don't want to play pool, or softball, or original Mario brothers, and then I sit lonely and bored on the sidelines while my friends hoot and holler and hustle. I get bored, and depressed, all while maintaining a too-cool facade. I know that with practice I would be a decent player; I also know it is no fun to lose or be the cause of a loss. I'd rather be bored than lose a trivial bar game or make my friends mad. How stupid is that?

Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. Why am I so afraid to be exposed as a fraud that I don't even attempt a single one? Why am I so insecure that I feel my friends and family won't want to play with me if I'm not perfect? Most importantly, why am I infuriated when my students are unwilling to try again after failure, but I'm of the same mindset in my personal life?

I'm done being content with excluding myself. With focusing on the things I'm good at, and hiding from the rest. I'm patient with my students, and now it's time to put in the slow, plodding, patient work on myself. I need to learn how to cultivate a less than perfect, more positive psyche.

Good things are coming for me in 2012- I can feel them. I'm ready to grow and learn. To make mistakes. To stop being such a pain in the ass. To start listening. To be teachable. Now I just need to find someone with the patience to teach me....

28 for the New Year

2012-01-06T09:53:00.000-06:00

Hello Imaginary Friends!

My apologies for yet another list-style post. I promise I'll get back to some actual blog content soon. In the meantime, I've been inspired by other people's to-do lists to accomplish 28 goals for 2012. Why 28? That's how old I'll be on my 2012 birthday this year. Feel free to skim or skip, I know I'm one of 294083905 resolution list posts this week. I'd try to think of something more clever for today, but, well, if I don't write it here, I won't do it.

Fitness and Eating
1. Hire and work with trainer Thwomp (real name: Steve) once a week to make my gym workouts more effective.
2. Track my food and water on SparkPeople at least four times a week to avoid long periods of unhealthy eating.
3. Cook one meal per week- no more letting Kev do it!
4. Try to log 180 minutes of exercise a week. 180/week = 730/month = 8760/year. YAY!
5. Register for and complete a sprint triathlon this summer

Work
6. During the hour after school, when you don't have meetings, grade papers! Avoid those pile ups.
7. Finish Special Education classes (3 to go!)
8. Update certifications- move from initial to standard teaching and add your Reading Specialist degree.

House
9. Print and frame black and white photos. Hang.
10. Write down the money you spend daily.
11. Clean 2 hours per week (ideally divide into 20 minute daily chunks so you don't self-destruct)
12. Get a recycling bin and use it.
13. Sort old books. Take to MarketFresh Books in Evanston to sell. Open account and buy your new books there.
14. Get rid of random crap. Donate or eBay it.

Reading
15. Read 52 books this year.
16. Read 10 non-fiction
17. Read 10 recommended titles from BookLust
18. Finish A-Z and Chunkster reading challenges.
19. Post bite-sized reviews of each book finished on twitter.

Photography
20. Use Groupons for date night photo class and Chicago photo class prior to going to Peru.
21. Practice! Take camera out with you more often!
22. Start a habit of posting nearly wordless posts on blog.

Personal
23. Make a plan to study and practice more Spanish. If you don't use it.....well...you know...
24. Plan a weekend getaway somewhere new in the U.S. with Kev.
25. Do something spiritual daily.
26. Go to mass twice a week.
27. Go to PERU!!!
28. Talk to each grandma once a month.

So there you have it, my big messy list of goals. I'm hoping to do a monthly post where I report progress, a la elefantitas alegres

What new habits are you attempting this year? How will they make life better for you?

Things I Didn't Do on my Winter Break

2012-01-03T19:47:00.000-06:00

1) Blog....obviously. Oopsadoodle

2) Wake up early. Waking up in the dark, I sobbed. Why did awakening at 5:45 in January seem so much darker than awakening at 5:45 in December? Wah.

3) Go to bed sober. Our new trainer at the gym, a stern man shaped somewhat like this vintage Whomp-Whomp made Kev and I write down everything we ate and drank on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. AKA New Year's Eve Eve, New Year's Eve, and Bears Sunday Funday. Ack. After perusing our list, he informed us that we probably consumed 15,000 in our constant holiday graze while buzzed. Whomp-whomp, indeed.

4) Cook often. Though I did make a couscous meal that registered somewhere between pickled herring and pizza-for-breakfast on the delicious scale. I'm hoping next time I can make some tweaks and nudge it closer to the pizza side of things.

5) Stress out. I had a great, relaxing, lazy weekend filled with love and laughter. I acted like a giddy, tipsy toddler with my siblings, an outlaw with my husband, and a micromachine with my friends. It was awesome.

6) Wear pants that buttoned. Sweatpants, hoodies, robes, leggings, and tunics allowed me to live in full denial of my holiday binge.

7) Anything productive. My house was a whirlwind, my professional laptop lounged in my professional bag, and emails went unanswered- all so I could read five books and watch three seasons of How I Met Your Mother. Legen....dary indeed.

8) Find the two facial products that I lost. Goodbye facial serum and day moisturizer. Hello, further Target debts.

9) Look at my credit card or bank statements. Too scary.

10)Travel. That staycation was so flipping worth it

Ten Tidbits

2011-12-15T15:45:00.000-06:00

1) This week, we worked on video book reviews (a la Ebert and Roeper) for our final book projects in one of my LA classes. One of my students, a jolly and portly Asian fellow with a toothy grin, showed up in a starched, collared shirt and a festive tie. He explained that he "wanted to look handsome for Mr. Camera." Love.

2) My camera is slowly collecting dust and this is making me sad. Next week, I am off and Kev is working, and I plan to spend some serious time learning my craft behind the lens. Lord knows the photography on this here blog needs it.

3) I got the cutest tumblers for my mentor teacher, boss, and teaching assistant from Monogram Chick that look like this: (photo stolen from M.Chick- thanks!)

I am now super pissed that I didn't buy one for myself.

4) I am at the stage of Christmas shopping where I am seeing more for myself and less for others. It is getting hard to restrain myself from shopping for me. I'm such a selfish little grinch that way.

5) It is also starting to be the temperature where all I can think of is getting out of the midwest. We're planning to take a big abroad trip this summer (destination TBA, though I think we have it pretty much chosen), and the idea of not getting on a plane until July is frankly depressing.

6) Listen to me- bitch, moan, bitch. It's no wonder this blog has such a teensy following. Thanks for sticking around.

7) In my other LA class, we are working on writing critical reviews by writing food critiques. One day, my co-teacher was explaining some helpful tips for visiting a restaurant, and concluded with "there may be a small caveat to visiting a restaurant with a chatty friend- your notes may not be as thorough." Panicked, a (non-ELL boy) burst out "wait, WAIT! I don't even like seafood and you are asking me to eat CAVIAR- aren't those baby fish?!" Hilarious.

8) It is 50 degrees and rainy here. WTF snow? Where you at?

9) Peppermint Joe-Joes (Trader Joe's Oreos with peppermint candy cream) are my favorite thing in the world. I ate three of them at lunch and I feel no shame. Thank goodness for leggings and Uggs season.

10) Life is good, people. Life is really freaking good this holiday season. To say otherwise would be a lie.

What tidbits are floating around in your brain this week?

How To Kick a Cold

2011-12-14T09:48:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, after a full weekend of holiday party-ing, I woke up with a throat tickle. Attributing it to a weekend full of yelling my witty insights to people in party- crowded rooms, I assumed it was nothing more than residual hoarseness. Alas, I was wrong. By Monday afternoon, I realized I may have a full blown cold on my hands.

The Christmas miracle? Today I am already feeling MUCH better. As a teacher, I have weathered my fare share of viruses that are just strong enough to make you miserable, but not quite strong enough to justify staying home sick and undertaking the loathsome task of writing sub plans. Generally, (knock on wood) I can kick said cold in about 48 hours. How do I do it you ask? Well, here is my arsenal:

First of all, I start chugging water like a madwoman. I am for 100-150 oz of water daily during my sick time. Yes, it is a ton of water. Yes, it makes me pee constantly. But for every little bathroom break I'm having, my body is flushing (hah!) away those nasty germs. It cleanses the system and helps kick my cold to the curb. It's free people, and it works.

Now these next few items will cost a teensy bit of cash, but they are so, so worth it. Most can be found at Walgreens. At work, I am talking constantly, and because of this, my throat gets terribly dry and scratchy. Over the years, I have tested many, many different cough drops, and these Halls Triple Soothing Action Cough Drops do the trick. Those little vapory guys in their assorted mint flavors make my nasty cold infested head into a little steam room. I also love that they come in multiple flavors and are sugar free. When you are consuming 5-6 a day, these things matter.

Next, I always snag the Vick's Sinex Day/Night Combo Pack I love that these bad boys don't require you to sign your life away at the register when purchasing, and having everything in one box is oh-so convenient. The day pills do a great job at opening up the sinuses and relieving headaches, while the night ones knock you out so hard that even your snoring husband won't wake you. Win-win. I use these round the clock, in conjunction with the Zicam Zinc Chewables. I find these to be much less offensively flavored than the dissolving tablets, and I've noticed that if used correctly (every 3 hours during the day, and for 2 days following the absence of cold symptoms) that they really do seem to help shorten the time you are wallowing.

The last three items on my walking dead survival guide are items of necessity. When I have a cold, I'm super paranoid about spreading it to others. Hence the Germ-X. I have a ton of people in and out of my room daily, and I'd hate to get them sick, which will mean I will get sick. It's a vicious cycle. I also hate having nasty cold dragon breath, so I keep Altoids on hand at all time. The zinc chewables leave you with nasty breath, and these certainly help. Lastly, when I'm sick I don't have much of an appetite, so these chocolate-mint Luna Protein Bars, weighing in at about 200 calories each, taste awesome and make sure that I get a good mix of protein and carbs.

So, there you have it. If you are stupid enough to go to work when you are under the weather like I am, use these easy, on the go tricks to get you back to your sassy self in no time. Your body, and your colleagues, will thank you.

I wasn't paid any money to endorse any of these products. I get asked often how I kick colds so fast, so I thought I'd write this post. I am also in no way a medical expert, so if you feel ill you should ALWAYS consult a doctor. Blogs do not have the answers. Doctors do.

'Tis the Season for Your Teacher

2011-12-13T12:50:00.001-06:00

During my last five years of teaching, I have taught many grades in many different types of schools- everything from kindergarten to 8th grade. As such, I have received many different types of gifts from many different families. While I'm not a greedy person, I am always shocked to realize how many parents have a difficult time choosing gifts for their students' teachers. Rather than letting your child choose the gift (I have received Webkins, teddy bears, and Lip Smackers because of this tactic), peruse these lovely options so that your teacher's heart will be warmed this year.

1) Think books! Most classroom teachers purchase books and teaching materials with their own money throughout the school year. Many of these same teachers are avid readers. When I taught elementary school, many thoughtful parents donated their child's favorite book to the classroom library as a holiday gift, or got me gift cards to Barnes and Noble. I've also recently discovered eBookFling, an online book rental community for users of PCs, Macs, Kindles, Nooks, or iPads. For $36 dollars, your teacher can rent one book a month for twelve months. Each title rented appears on your reader or computer for two weeks, then vanishes. Awesome!

2) Skip the lotions and go for office supplies. I'm fortunate enough now to work at a school with more than ample supplies, but I'm still a sucker for a fun notebook, or a fancy clipboard. Paper Source has amazing file folders, fun stapler, scissor, and notepad sets, and cheery organizational tools that any teacher would love!

3) Think about what you know about your child's teacher. Last year, I was teaching with a friend who was recently exploring a vegetarian lifestyle. She was also the teacher to a set of twins. For the holidays, the twins' mom gifted my friend with a few tried-and-true vegetarian cookbooks that they use often in their home. My friend was ecstatic. Does your child's teacher enjoy running? Cooking? Photography? Spa days? What small gifts could you give related to his or her interests?

4) Magazines, magazines, magazines. Almost every male or female I know reads magazines, and subscriptions right now are often less than $20 a year. Rather than splurging on that lotion gift set (of which male or female, every teacher I know has at least 12) go for literacy. Again, make it something that your child's teacher is interested in. If you don't know your child's teacher that well, go for a professional magazine or a current events type magazine. We will thank you. This year, I drew my school's principal in our Secret Santa exchange. I know he loves to run, so each day I've been giving him either a fitness magazine or a protein bar. For the "big gift" at the end of the week, I found a running coolmax long sleeved shirt on super sale. Rumor has it, he is quite pleased with his haul so far. Everyone loves magazines, and everyone hates paying for them.

5) Cold, hard cash. Gift cards to teacher supply stores, general merchandise stores, or the ever popular Visa gift card go a long way. We don't care what the amount is, we just love the inherent splurge promised in the gift card.

Above all else, remember that your child's teacher is an adult. He/she also teachers multiple students. Take ten seconds to go beyond the usual gifting. You will make his or her day!

What tried and true gifts are always a hit in your gift-giving circles?

Friday Reads

2011-12-09T09:52:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody! Can you believe it is time for another fabulous Friday Reads? This weekend, I'm hoping to finally finish the Everlost trilogy. I'm feeling a bit more inspired since hearing Neal Schusterman, the author, speak yesterday, but I'm still needing a little push. Then, to balance out my YA love, I'm going to sit down and read Schindler's List, in order to finally finish the Back to the Classics Challenge that I started earlier this year. I'm still not really sure what I'm planning to do as far as reading challenges, but I will keep you posted.

Last week, I finished reading A Gate at the Stairs by one of my all time favorite authors, Lorrie Moore. True to form, Ms. Moore did NOT disappoint. Her writing, quite frankly, humbles me, and she manages to find the poetic in the mundane. I loved here characters in this book, and the story, about a college student the year after 911 struggling with personal and societal identity crisis, veered into wild turns. Initially, I thought the book would be just another nannying-for-rich-people-helps-student-find-herself tale, but this book was so much more. While reading, I was forced to confront my personal attitudes towards race, war, and stereotyping, and I'm still pondering many of the themes of the book. Although A Gate at the Stairs was published 10 years after Moore's last book, it was hands down worth the wait. If you are an aficionado of thoughtful prose, or a lover of a book with themes that run deep, this is for you. It is the perfect antidote to all of the YA reading I have been doing lately.

What are you reading this week? Be sure to share on twitter with the hashtag #FridayReads to participate in an amazing community!

From the Darndest Places

2011-12-08T12:45:00.001-06:00

It is no secret that I love my job. I am passionate about working with kids and teachers who challenge me, and I often find that I learn as much, or more about life from them than I teach them in return. It's a beautiful thing, and I would never, ever work in another profession.

This week, some great things were brewing in the Language Arts Department (of which I am a teensy, sort of part, since I teach a self-contained ELL LA class). Several teachers have recently participated in a conference, and wanted to de-brief some of their big thoughts. We began discussing our own personal reading and writing lives. Apparently, a presenter at one of the presentations had challenged this national group of Language Arts teachers, saying that if a teacher doesn't have a rich reading or writing life, how do they expect to authentically connect with and ameliorate their students' literacy lives? My mind was blown.

It sounds so simple. We teach. They learn. We coach. They rewrite. They read. We question. But really, it is so much more complex than that. How are we to challenge students to push beyond their previous inhibitions with genre or craft, if we aren't constantly pushing ourselves in new and strange directions? How can we create lifelong learners if we are disengaged with the world around ourselves?

The truth is, I am not often good at this. I come home from work tired, and want to wrap myself in my domestic cocoon rather than engaging with the outside world. On the weekends, I want to spend time with friends, not ponder my intellectual life or challenge myself. But to be a better teacher, I have to get beyond that. I have to do things that scare me. Practice language. Take risks. Write. Rewrite. Learn a skill. Listen. Be TAUGHT. I'm not very good at these things. I break down, I get humiliated, I am a poor sport when asked to participate in a game I'm not good at. I don't try. And yet, I would hate this same behavior in my students.

Self improvement goals come from the darndest places.

Are you a risk taker, or a rut finder?
What are you doing right now to challenge yourself?

10 Things-Randoms

2011-12-07T12:23:00.000-06:00

1) Doesn't this blog look magnificent? I had been wanting to do a major blog overhaul for, well, ever, but don't have the html skills to really pull off doing it. Luckily Jessica at Diamond Doll Design ran a flash sale, and lo and behold, you are looking at the results. Thank goodness for the technologically savvy. I am certainly not one of them. Jessica was amazingly easy and speedy to work with. Huzzah!

2) Last night, I took a walk with a friend and we passed a festive Starbucks. In said Starbucks, there was an approximately four year old boy with his nose pressed up to the window and his tongue out, slowly licking the glass. Yikes.

3) Upon seeing said boy, I quietly thanked the Lord that I no longer teach kindergarten. My junior high kids have the good sense to keep their disgustingness a little more hidden.

4) As previously mentioned, we've been living a 90% vegetarian lifestyle. I've realized that while I have tons of energy, dinner options are limited. Leave a comment if you have a delicious meal for me to concoct.

5) I chopped my hair the Friday after Thanksgiving. Yesterday, had a poll open regarding Katy Perry's new hairdo. Methinks she stole mine. Harumph. See?

6) My mom would keel over if I showed up with platinum and pink hair for the holidays. I think it could be festive.

7) Kev has his fancy schmancy holiday party at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Friday. I may or may not have purchased a new dress that I may or may not now be concerned about fitting into.

8) I googled "ugly christmas sweater shops" and this popped up. What. The. Fudge.

9) I have been dragging myself out of bed this week and getting to school later and later. Oopsies. Bad Colie. Thank goodness traffic has cooperated and I haven't been late.

10) I have a meeting after school with a boss that terrifies me, so I spent way too much time this morning looking for a power outfit. Do other people do this, or am I a weirdo?

What random thoughts are you pondering today?
What does your power outfit look like? Mine almost always involves boots and a cardigan.

Friday Reads

2011-12-02T09:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday all! I spent last week reading Eating Animals, and I already updated you on how it changed my life. Then, for some brain candy, I read Are You There, Vodka? It's me, Chelsea by the sometimes hilarious Ms. Chelsea Handler to empty my brain out. Empty is actually a good word to describe the whole book. The first five essays in it are, well, meh. Not hilarious, not inspiring, and more self-indulgent than anything else. Though the book picks up some steam by the end, I'm still not exactly impressed. Her first book, My Horizontal Life, is much funnier, probably because everyone has awkward sex stories that are relatable. Lord knows I certainly do.

Anyway, this weekend I am going to try and finish two books, one of which I have been positively aching for.

I have a huge writer crush on Lorrie Moore, ever since I read her short stories in my college Creative Writing Workshop course. Bonus points to Ms. Moore for being a college English (not creative writing!) teacher in her professional life. While this means that we have to wait a long time for her books, they are always filled with gorgeous writing, feminist themes, and thought provoking memories. This lady is magic, and inspires me to put a little more extraordinary into the mundane things I write on this here blog.

While I am so stoked for A Gate at the Stairs, it is definitely a book that needs to be savored in a quiet place, and since the bulk of my reading is done on my gray couch, surrounded by my fat cats, with Kev playing video games or watching terrible movies in the background, I also have Everfound, the final book in the Skinjacker trilogy by Neil Schusterman, on the back burner. I have to admit, I read this trilogy on the recommendation of one of the kids in my 8th grade LA class, who ranted and raved about them, and asked me if I had started them every day until I had no choice but to start for my own mental sanity. While I haven't fallen in passionate love with this trilogy (they are a little too over the top for me, and some of the characters could be developed better), I am excited to see how he wraps things up.

Don't forget to tweet your Friday Reads with the hashtag #fridayreads. More importantly, don't forget to read!

What are you reading this weekend?

Vegging Out

2011-11-30T08:46:00.000-06:00

The reason I became a teacher is because I love to read. The reason I went through two years of grad school hell was to better help teacher struggling kids to love it, too. Reading transforms thoughts, reading inspires, reading changes you in ways you can't imagine.

Enter Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals:

In Eating Animals, Foer writes a well researched account of the many factors that have led him to choose vegetarianism for himself and his family, in the hopes that his infant son may one day grow up and understand the philosophies that drive his family's food choices. Foer goes into the practices that drive factory farms, which produce so much of America's meats, and then delves into the mental and physical health repercussions for both people who process animals into our meat, and the effects that factory farming have on our planet as a whole.

Now, I will tell you, I am a bacon girl. A seafood girl. A sandwich piled high with meat gal. But after reading this book, I have gotten a lot more thoughtful about how my food is produced. Kev (the previously staunchest meat-eater I know, who used to make fun of me in our early dating days if I didn't order chicken or meat) inspired me to read this book, and together we have made some big changes to our eating. We've cut out meat entirely from our grocery runs, and we have begun buying free-range eggs (Foer mentions that free-range is essentially a hoax, but in the absence of farmer's markets in the winter, it is what we are doing). From now on, when I do eat meat or seafood, it is going to be for special occasions only, and I am going to make more of a concerted effort to find out where my food is coming from, and at what cost. I think most Americans are woefully out of touch with the food to table process, and I'm thankful that I read this book to help me think about it.

Do you consider yourself a food-aware person? Why or why not?

Have outside forces ever forced you to confront ugly truths about your eating?

Organization? Me?

2011-11-28T16:19:00.000-06:00

Oh, friends, let me tell you. I suck at organization. My house is often hanging on by a thread. My work can quickly disintegrate into a pile of papers if I am not ever vigilant. I am a fly by the seat of the pants person. A procrastinator. Charmingly flighty. A hot mess. Call it what you will, but it drives my loved ones crazy sometimes. Poor Kev.

This year, however, I have a brilliant plan and I can't even believe how proud of myself I am. I made a list on Google Docs of people we needed to buy gifts for, and ideas that I had. THEN I shared it with Kev so that he could add/edit. Let me tell you, just having the list and some ideas jotted down has freed me. It isn't even December yet, and I have more than half of my shopping DONE. All of it was on sale. I am so freaking pumped that I can't even believe it.

More than that, having the extra time has freed me to get organized in other ways. Kev and I have decided that we are going to eat vegetarian (more on that tomorrow), and so today I made a shopping list. I even found two new recipes online and (wait for it) added the ingredients to my list. Holy freaking shit. I don't even know myself anymore.

I know you longtime readers of the blog hear me say all the time that I am turning over a new leaf, but its amazing how these two free, simple, stupid ideas have cleared up so much mental space in my brain. Can it really be that much easier to stay organized? How do I maintain this bliss?

What easy tricks do you used to stay organized? What are some stupid things that you know you should do and never quite get to?

Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

2011-11-27T15:09:00.000-06:00

As a kid, I never really thought about Thanksgiving. It was nice. There were extra mashed potatoes and stuffing to be had. We ate. We thanked. We waited for Santa. The End.

Now, though, Thanksgiving has steadily moved up to my favorite holiday. We don't run around in a crazy Mimosa fueled sprint to see both sides of both of our families. We don't have the pressure of keeping everybody happy, or the need to organize endless lists of gifts for everybody. Instead, we get to spend quality time with the people we love while sleeping late and wearing stretchy pants. We catch up with our college-aged siblings and get coddled by our parents. We stop and think about what we've been through since last year and where we are going.

My students who are new to the U.S. were very perplexed by Thanksgiving, so we did a lesson. Pilgrims, Native Americans, travels to a new land, reasons to be thankful for new experiences. We watched Happy Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown, and the kiddos were perplexed by Lucy's meanness and Snoopy's lack of doglike qualities. Through it all, I was thankful for the new opportunity, and thankful for my professional journeys in the last year. When one of my kids said he was thankful for me, I realized that my own pilgrimage to a new school is starting to look like the best decision I never wanted.

As we started the Thanksgiving lesson, one of my students looked at me thoughtfully. "But, Mrs. Gas," she said, "why do Americans need one day to be thankful? Don't they just feel it always?" A million dollar question that I don't really remember having a good answer for. Why, indeed? Shouldn't we always be this vocal about our gratitude? Why don't we shout to the rooftops our love for our families, our gratitude for our physical situations and our thankfulness for life's changes? This Thanksgiving, I'm most thankful for the reminder to carry that attitude through more of my daily life.

I am truly blessed. Thank you, thank you, thank you to life and love and new friends and old friends, to family and students and kittens for reminding me of it.

Friday Reads Updates and Newbies

2011-11-21T15:47:00.000-06:00

Hey friendlies! Sorry for the lack of posts this week- parent teacher conferences are Monday, so I've been catching up with grading and so forth. Therefore, Friday Reads has now been moved to Monday this week, and I may try to sneak another one in on Friday, since I will be on a blissful Thanksgiving break and will have extra time to read. As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter (@Colie025) and to tweet your own weekend reading material with the hashtag #fridayreads. You can also find me on Goodreads, where I keep an updated record of what I am reading.

As of the last Friday Reads post, I was reading The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer and Positively by Courtney Sheinmel. I have happily finished both of those books, and while both were good, neither left me wowed. In The Uncoupling, a town is inflicted with a mysterious burn out of sex drive as a classic Greek play with similar themes is being rehearsed for and performed. My reading tastes have been leaning toward the fantasy/sci-fi lately, so I was intrigued by the supernatural elements in this realistic fiction book. I loved some of the couples featured (the gym teacher with small children, the married teacher couple), but overall I found their motivations and actions a little unclear. This book may have benefited from having the author explore fewer couples' sexuality in a more in depth manner. I do have a few literary-fiction minded friends that I would recommend this to as a way to dab a toe into supernatural fiction, but overall I wasn't wowed in any significant way, nor did I come away with any new ideas- a sure sign that this wasn't what I had hoped it would be.

Sadly, I felt even more apathetic towardsPositively. While I appreciated that Sheinmel tackled a challenging subject and chose to write about a girl that is HIV positive and struggling with the death of her mother from AIDS. Emmy (the main character) really irritated me, and I found her sudden switch to being at peace with her disease and her mother's death after attending a camp for HIV positive girls unbelievable. I think Sheinmel could have done a better job making Emmy's story more realistic, and that it all ended a little too neatly at the end. I would have liked to see some more research evident in the story, and the side characters were a little flat. I'm glad I have the book to add to my YA library at school, but I don't think I will be strongly recommending it to many students. Rats.

Since these books, I've also finished The Night Circus (loved loved loved) and The Leftovers (also fab). This week, I'm pouncing on finishing Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (who I have a huge crush on) and Everwild by Neil Schusterman who is coming to our school in December. More reports on those later this week.

Happy Reading!

What are you reading? Do you like this bookish talk, or should I go back to my usual crazy antics? Are you a reader? Would you like to be?

Rewards, Sweet Rewards

2011-11-15T22:06:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, I've been known to make terrible decisions. Like going out on a Sunday to watch the Bears game, staying through both lunch and dinner, and consuming at least 10 beers in the 6 hour span, plus shots. On a Sunday. During the school year.All of these things happened on Sunday. One of Kev's best friends, a guy he has known since kindergarten and an awesomely hilarious human being, came down from the suburbs. One of our other good friends, who Kev and I both met around the same time in high school, also came out. Together, we became a superhuman excuse for one another, and collectively decided to shun the fact that we had to work freaking early in the morning. The bar was just crowded enough to be fun and bring out the Miller Lite/Chi radio station folks to bribe us into staying, but just chill enough that we could catch up with one another. I haven't laughed so hard in quite some time. (Actually, that's a lie. I have at least one good face hurting laugh every day. It's sort of one of my guiding principles in life.)Sometimes the universe works in funny ways. Sometimes when you are in a beer and fried food coma, you hear your name being called by the Miller Lite girls. Sometimes you win TWO FREE TICKETS to the Bears game this SUNDAY in the Miller Lite PARTY DECK!!!! (random capitalization completely necessary)It just goes to show you that even if you've never won anything in your whole life of this nature, if you keep entering anyways, you will be rewarded. It also goes to show you, that sometimes God smiles on a little mischief.

It also went to show Kev that he should not make pacts while drunk with his friends. I say this because he apparently promised them that we would flip a coin to see who got the extra ticket, rather than automatically giving it to him.At least he can pick his friend Brian and I up from the game as our DD.

10 Things Thursday

2011-11-10T12:42:00.000-06:00

1) Today, when one of my students asked what American teenagers listen to, we had an epic debate on American music. Thank you Spotify. I love working with junior high kids- they have so many opinions and so many passions!

2) Thanks to one of my students, my professional laptop now also looks like this:

3) The first flurries of winter coincided with the first time I busted out my Ugg boots for the winter. Coincidence? I think not.

4) Thank you, veterans, for your service. Thank you, public schools for giving me tomorrow off to sleep late in commemoration.

5) I hate Penn State. Stupid institutions. The lack of social morals and responsibility is really disturbing me.

6) My co-teacher who I love just asked me if I like sushi. Apparently, her husband is a sushi chef and frequently brings rolls home. Uuuhh...yeah....I'm all about that.

7) We are throwing my parents a 30th anniversary party tomorrow night at their house. While the details were stressful to pull together, I am so beyond excited to celebrate with my family and all of my favorite people. This is going to be awesome. I now consider my parents the anti-Kardashians.

8) Kev is having a hellish time with the end of his quarter. Group projects never work out well for anybody. Ever. I am staunchly anti-group project. Especially for adults. Grrr....can't wait until Thanksgiving break when we can spend some quality time together.

9) I've been strongly considering a blog makeover. I think I could get more readers if I didn't have such a ghetto header, but I also don'tknow enough about HTML to fix things. I also can't decide on what kinds of graphics, etc. I would use....comment with ideas!

10) My mom just asked me for ideas for Christmas shopping. I was able to come up with a list pretty quickly. Kind of scary. Actually, I guess that's a good thing since it means I haven't been going out and buying myself this stuff. Right? Right?

What random thoughts are on your mind today?

Fantastic Facebook

2011-11-09T12:42:00.000-06:00

Oh, Facebook. For as much idiocy as I find on your stupid network, which I check more than any human really should, sometimes there are amazing gems to be found. Like these (sources included in photo):

It would be so much easier not to make fun of them if I knew what their concrete plans for change were....

This happens to me constantly. #Colieprobz If Kev knew how many morsels could be found in there, he would be in heaven. For more reasons than one.

Yes, Kim Kardashian. Divorce is tragic. For people who got married for real reasons. Maybe if she had more crumbs in her boobs, her marriage would have survived. Big amen to this one.

Or maybe if they had gotten hot more.....I love puns.

Best thing about facebook- the amount of awesome book nerds who live there.

Indeed, freaking awesome.

Thank you, Facebook.

Social Justice

2011-11-08T20:29:00.000-06:00

via

First of all- thanks to all you friendlies out there who talked to me about last week's depression post. Honestly, there are a few reasons I write this blog. One of them being that it's cheaper than therapy. Often, I start writing about things that I need to think out for myself, and voila the answer works itself out.

Today was one of those rare days where I attended a professional development workshop and I walked away dazzled. I participated in an amazing workshop for ELL teachers given by a woman who has been in the business since 1974. She was energetic. She was passionate. She was real. I want to carry her around in my pocket all the time. So many of the things she said resonated with me, and she delivered her thoughts with so much love.

One thing stood out to me in particular. Dr. Guzman said that you can't be an ELL teacher without the hunger for social justice for your students. She noted that part of our job is to make sure that our students are enveloped in and protected by the great laws that the United States has for our ELL students. She said that we can't just be satisfied by giving them a good education- that we must work every day to make sure they have an equal opportunity for success, for social participation, and for the opportunity to help enrich and open their native English speaking peers' minds.

Yes, I thought this is why I teach.

Then, I took this concept back to my own life. Although I feel I've gotten myself out of my recent funk, I know I can slip back easily. Even though I have more than I ever thought possible for myself in my life, I'm hot tempered. I'm jealous. I can get whiny. I'm stubborn. I think it comes with the territory of being intelligent, passionate, and opinionated. In short, I'm a lot to handle. But if I really want to find peace within myself, I need to make sure that I am treating myself with justice. Because a lot has been given to me, a lot is expected of me, as the saying goes. I need to pour my energy more into working for others, into making things better and not worse, and to focus on all of the things I do have, and suddenly all this popularity and has vs have not bullshit will fall by the wayside. I also need to be fair to myself- I need to know when I need to give myself a break, and I need to give it. I know when I need to give my friends a break, too, and I need to give that as well. If you want peace, Nicole, you need to start working harder at justice.

Who would have thought the time I spent writing sub plans yesterday would have turned out to be so, so worth it?

You Can't Have It All

2011-11-03T12:36:00.000-05:00

I've been in kind of a funk lately, and I'm not sure why.

Thanks, Hyperbole and a Half

I'm not even really sure why, but part of the reason I write this blog is that it's cheaper than therapy, and writing has always been an opportunity for me to channel my emotions.

Anyways, I have a lot of friends who are pregnant roaming around incubating feti. A. Lot. Those of my friends who are married without kids, like Kev and I, are starting to talk about when they are having them. It's like every time I check Facebook, a giant "YOU ARE ALMOST THIRTY" sign starts blinking at me. Ack. I am so not ready for children, and Kev and I have a timeline that is going to work for us, but still. People are moving on, and their time will be limited, and I'm scared that I'm going to be left in the dust for playgroups. Woe is me.

My friends who are single, or dating someone but not married, on the other hand, seem to be getting closer and closer, and I'm not always sure where I fit in. I love them, and I'm pretty sure that they love me, but I keep finding out about times they have all spent together without me, and it makes me sad. Kev and I have a crazy busy life, and I can't often make it out, but I want to. I really, really want to. I snapped at a friend about it while I was in a drunken stupor, and I feel like such an ass about it now. Seriously, Colie, grow the eff up.

I guess that's just it, really. Growing up is hard. For all of the really important things in life, I've gotten more than I ever would have dreamed of. I have a beautiful, albiet messy, home. A great family. A passionate, wonderful and challenging husband. Friends that I adore. But it's really hard for me to realize that I can't have it all ALL the time. I won't always be included. I won't always include others. People may come and go from my life, and that just has to be okay. Growing up is freaking hard, but it has come with some of the best rewards so far that I've ever experienced. I have to let go, and trust that it will all work out. It's okay, I'm okay, and changes are okay. Now, I must go remind myself to quit being so damn selfish :)

Paaarrrrrghty!

2011-11-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

I love my friends for many reasons. They are smart, funny, sassy, creative, outgoing and always push the boundaries of good taste and good grown up behavior. On the other hand, they can pull it together when a situation arises. They are loyal, loving, and empathetic.

However, we're going to talk about the crazy, sassy qualities today.

This is the pirate ship that my lovely friend Coco rented for her 30th birthday party. Her birthday is October 30th, so she always throw really kicking Halloween parties, and this one was no exception. We ate. We drank. I remember the ship being a good time. Don't remember much else, oops.

This is my friend, Patrick, and I. He is a bar of pirate's gold, and I am a gold digger. Kev refuses to dress up with me ever since I had the brilliant idea of being a couple from the short-lived VH1 show Tool Academy. It was awesome, and now he says we can't top it so he won't even try. Harumph.

This is my friend, Carl, and I doing some awesome pillaging of some Bud Light.

And last, but not least, this is Kev, Coco and I on the ship, being awesome. I love that girl and probably would not have survived my wedding without her. Happy 30th, Coco!

Full Disclosure: I was not paid in any way for this advertisement of the totally rad awesome Gypsy Rose II, but I wholeheartedly endorse this ship. The top picture of the ship is from their website . I wholeheartedly recommend this for fun of all ages if you are ever in St. Louis, MO. You don't even have to be drunken idiots like we were!

Friday Reads!

2011-10-21T08:07:00.000-05:00

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been totally book obsessed. I started reading very young (Thanks Mom and Dad!), and not only did I love to read, but I'm told I loved to physically play with my books- stacking them into piles, sorting them by color, character, or genre. I love books.

Recently, my favorite book blogger introduced me to Friday Reads on twitter. Basically, Rebecca and some bookish friends have been working to promote literacy and awareness of the written word by having people tweet what they are reading each Friday. Reading not your thing? They have Friday Listens too, for the books on tape crowd. Simply tweet what you are reading: book, magazine, website, newspaper, textbook, children's book with the hashtag #fridayreads for some good reading karma. Show that you care about reading, that it is important, and celebrate how awesome reading is with a big group of people.

I've decided to take this concept and share my thoughts about what I'm reading, or things I love about reading, every Friday. Hopefully, you enjoy checking out what I'm dabbling into, and feel free to comment with thoughts or recommendations. Can't get enough? Follow me on GoodReads for more scoops.

Without further ado, here's what I'm reading this Friday!

Since starting my new job, I've found myself reading a young adult book simultaneously with a regular novel or book. I've been so fortunate to work with students who are constantly recommending titles to me, and interested in what I have to say about them. This week, I'm reading The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer (quirky fiction about a town in which the women are all cursed with having their sex drive eliminated as the town high school puts on a production of a Greek tragicomedy with similar themes) and Positively by Courtney Sheinmel, about a girl who is HIV positive and begins to come to terms with her disease. I'm about 100 pages into Uncoupling, and I'm loving it. It is quirky and original, and the quotes about reading and society's evolution are not to be missed. I haven't started Positively yet, but I'm looking forward to doing so.

What are you reading this Friday? Comment here!

Happy Friday everyone!

10 Things This Thursday

2011-10-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

1) This week has been crazy at work. I was out all of Tuesday morning for a meeting, we had a half day with the students and meetings all afternoon, and meetings all day again tomorrow. Not to mention, we are a week away from the end of the quarter, so it's just a mad rush to finish things up. My kiddos and school continue to be great- I really love working with the older kids, and my new staff is mellow and kind. Work life is good.

2) I've spent a lot of time in the past week with my gal pals. You know, the ones that you can go two months without seeing (literally) and then you sit and talk for four hours straight as if you saw each other every day. Or the ones that you are pretty sure are yourself, just in another body. I love my girls. Nothing can take away Kev's and my bond, but a girl has GOT to have girlfriends in life.

3) I've been really, really bad about working out this week. Like, I haven't worked out since Friday. Oopsadoodle. I did, however, go buy myself some protein powder today. I'm just not sure if I'm getting enough in my regular diet, and I figure it can't hurt, especially with my crazy immune system.

4) Speaking of, on World Arthritis Day I posted a facebook message:

which led to a co-worker of mine with JRA commenting. We got together yesterday morning to compare treatments/doctors/experiences and it was awesome. I've never met anybody who is struggling with this before, and it was nice to have someone who got it.

5) Although, if I'm being honest, my dad has RA, but he's too stubborn to see a doctor. Doctors make the worst patients, and he is proving it. Must.get.him.some.help.

6) One of my students asked me today why I have cats, since all they do is hide. To be honest, sometimes I wish my furbabies would hide a little more.

7) Today Felix jumped up on the sink while I was getting ready. I pushed him off and he landed in the toilet. He is still peeved with me 11 hours later. I am the worst cat mother ever.

8) Speaking of mothers, my life is being inundated with babies lately. People I didn't think were having babies soon are. People who want babies can't. My facebook feed is full of uteri (score! that IS the plural! Thanks for making me feel smart, spellcheck)

9) When I hear these things, all I can think of is, "Man, I am freaking old. Aren't we too young to do this?" 30 is creeping up on us, folks. It's scary and good all at the same time.

10) I love blogging, even if I don't get to do it often. It's my pensive, my brain dump, and its awesome. Thanks for reading!

Day Off

2011-10-10T12:38:00.000-05:00

My house is messy. Like, really messy. And yet, I have my feet up.

You know why? Because I have the day off today. I can sit here in my underpants wearing one of Kevin's t-shirts and get things cleaned up at my own pace. Because today is MY day. And Felix?

Well, he doesn't seem to mind.

In all honesty, I'm a pretty terrible wife in terms of housekeeping. My biggest flaw is that I say I'm going to do something around here, and I just don't follow through. It's not an attractive quality, believe me. I AM planning on cleaning today in a bit. But maybe while watching trashy t.v. that Kev doesn't like. I can fold laundry while watching and tidy on the breaks.

Yeah....that should be my plan. Of course!

In all honesty, while I love my husband, I also love the random three day weekends I get as a teacher. I can work out, clean up, get my life back in order, AND sleep in. I can work at my own place. I can putter, lounge, peruse, and organize without having to explain the order I'm doing things in to anybody else.

Don't get me wrong- I adore being married. It is my proudest achievement, and my favorite title. But sometimes, I need time at home alone. I think that when people get married, there is an idea of forced togetherness that is sometimes really hard to live up to. I think the happiest couples that I know are the ones who know how to give each other space, and time to themselves, and to just let each other be. I'm pretty darn stubborn and independent, and sometimes I like the space to just do my thing. Make my own schedule. Remember who I was, and who I want to be.

And if I can put this shithole back together today? More power to me.

Happy Columbus Day!

Here's to the Nerds

2011-10-06T20:50:00.001-05:00

I did something really brave this week, people. I spent three days and two nights at outdoor education with the sixth graders from my school. I ate with them, shared bunk beds in a room with my (still very new to me) colleagues, and I didn't get to take the edge off with any alcohol either. Luckily, the weather was beautiful, and I realized how much I really do enjoy being out and about in a camping type environment.

Beautiful view looking East.

Same location, looking North and South. A true test of my ability to find zen in the midst of chaos.

Before I left, Kev told me he thought it was super strange that our school expects teachers to give up their lives for three days for an extremely (less than minimum wage) minimal extra duty stipend. He thought it was even stranger when I came home and told him that I had enjoyed myself.

My mom even called to check in and make sure I had survived. I told her that I had, and explained some of the quotes from kids that had made me laugh. Mom skipped a beat and then replied

"Colie, I thought you were insane when you left elementary teaching to willingly work at a junior high, but you know what? I think all your students, especially your super awkward nerdy ones, are so lucky to have you to appreciate your inner nerd. I think you are so good at it because you never really lost yours."

And you know what? She's right. I think this world would be a much better place if we all embraced our inner nerds. If we celebrated the weirdos, acknowledged the anti-grace of the klutz. I'm not really good at a lot of things. I have very little patience with myself and I don't like to work hard at things I'm not good at. I have a bad temper. I gossip.

But I'm really good at being different. I'm a fantastic nerd. And maybe, I can be okay with that if it helps an awkward kid at the most terrible stage of life start to see that they are okay too.

What "aha" moments have you gotten from your families? What geeky things do you love?

Hiatus Ended

2011-10-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't blogged in over a month because I've been busy, and also because I've been in a creative funk. I think I put too much pressure on myself to design lovely blog posts with pictures and fun designs and such, but really that's not how it needs to be. The blogs I love are ones that have fab content, ideas that inspire me, but mostly people just being themselves.

Quite frankly, I haven't been making enough time lately for the things that make my heart sing. Things like good quality unplanned exercise, reading books instead of skimming the internet. Eating lunch in the teacher's lounge instead of hiding at my desk trying frantically to get things done. Really talking to my husband, and even better listening. Reaching out to old friends. Writing what I feel regardless of perfection.

When the world crowds in on me and the house gets messy, the to-do lists pile up, and I'm confronted with lots of evidence that I'm not perfect, it paralyzes me. I spend way too much money shopping online looking for things to make me better, instead of focusing on how to make myself better. I'm mad at myself, so I'm mean to other people. The stress makes my RA flair, and I hobble about like a surly crone. It's not cool.

I slowed things down a notch the last few weekends, and I've decided to return to blogging. It helps me feel like myself. I'm going to read more, and get myself back to the gym for some unstructured workouts, rather than regimented training. I'm going to get outside, take pictures, and hone my craft. I'm going to start focusing on a few things, instead of running around like a madwoman. I'm going to cook. I'm not going to go to events that I'm not excited about.

I'm back, bitches, and I'm myself again. And I'm going to be better than ever

Ten Things Friday

2011-09-02T11:52:00.000-05:00

I was at school late for open house yesterday, and you know I already pushed it back from Tuesday, so I thought...meh....I'll post it today.

1) In case you couldn't tell from my rambles, school has started. I love my new job, but holy cow it's exhausting. I've been in bed before 9:30 more times than a gal in her twenties should.

2) Speaking of age, the older I get, the more I appreciate an early bedtime. Kev and I have been going to bed super early and reading until we go to sleep. The quiet is bliss.

3) Kev and I went grocery shopping at our favorite local Mexican grocery on Monday. We were terrible about grocery shopping this summer, and I forgot how nice it is to have many food options each night.

4) Because we hadn't grocery shopped, we'd been eating garbage foods all summer. I didn't lose a single pound despite training for a freaking half marathon. Oops.

5) I saw a number on the scale that was terrifying yesterday. See above.

6)Thank goodness my sister and I decided to do a half together at the end of October. I may need it.

7) Teaching junior high is awesome. They understand sarcasm, and their awkwardness makes me feel so much better about myself.

8) Although, I will admit, I don't think I could do some of their math homework. I need to re-learn the rules of positive and negative numbers.

9) Or do I? When do I really need to know if a quotient will be positive or negative in a given equation?

10) On my birthday, I found a sheet of kitten pictures on my desk.

If that's not a junior high sign of affection, I don't know what is.

Growing Up....Together

2011-08-30T20:35:00.000-05:00

**Ten Things Tuesday is coming tomorrow because I wrote the post and then left it on my work computer and now I'm at home. Oops.

Kev and I have a unique story in many ways, in that we were high school sweethearts that never really dated. We met when I was a freshman and Kev was a sophomore, when he tried to sell a frisbee to my then-boyfriend and I. I think we declined. Then-boyfriend and I broke up a few weeks later, and I began an epic AIM flirtation each night that ended with a magical date at Great America and the promise that when Kev got his license the following week, that I would be his girlfriend. The license was acquired, and with it, the realization that sophomores with cars are way too cool for freshman girls. Through it all, though, we continued our nightly AIM conversations. We talked about his girlfriend, my boyfriends, and argued about books, bands, and people we both knew.

Although we didn't date, and went to different colleges, we got together to catch up the summer after I finished college and the rest, as they say, was history.

Kev and I, first summer dating, 2007

When I look back at our year of dating, our year of engagement and our first year of marriage, I remember endless nights at bars. Spending time with a core group of friends every weekend that got bigger as we spent more time together. Date nights where we wore sweatpants and champagne and played video games and Jeopardy against each other. We were out nearly constantly, and we looked forward to meeting up with the group, getting belligerent, and then coming home and gossiping about it the next morning.

Now, though, things have changed.

Somewhere in the subsequent two years, Kev and I have grown up. I'm not sure if it's the fact that we have a place of our own now, or that we started grad school, or that we just appreciate each other more, but cooking a dinner in and hanging out on our deck with a glass of wine has replaced the rounds of shots. We've become a little slower to recover from the nights we do get crazy, and we are better at saying no if we just don't feel like going out.

And you know what? It's pretty heavenly. I really, really like being more grown up and slowing down. If the last four years have brought about this much change, the next four and the four after that will be pretty good too.

I really, really love being married to the guy I'm married to.

Us, June 2011, making a rare appearance at the bar we used to nearly live at.

New Job = Crazy Busy

2011-08-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day of school, an Institute Day where I sat in lots of meetings designed to get me pumped for a new school year. The people at my new job seem awesome, although the workload is shocking and overwhelming. I came home today with a whopping headache, threw up from the nausea that ensued, took a nap, and then finished a rad book, and now I think I'm ready for tomorrow. I'm equal parts thrilled and terrified, but for now, I'm trying to be.....

Source: reddit.com via Beck on Pinterest

....more Ginny than Bella.

Thank you imgur
Longer post tomorrow, until then, goodnight friends

Finisher

2011-08-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

Oh, friends. After all of my lamenting that I wasn't prepared, I went in and did it. I came. I saw. I conquered. I finished the Rock N' Roll Half Marathon in 2:26.

Now, I know that this is not the fastest time, or even the time I was hoping for when I started training. But is it a time I'm proud of? Yes, undoubtably. Would I run this race again, even though it meant training during one of the hottest summers in recent Chicago history? Yes. Was it worth attending a bar crawl for four hours the night before and not touching any alcohol in preparation? Also yes.

Overall, I was really pleased with the course itself. I thought running through the loop was fun, and ending with glimpses of the lakefront was also great. I thought the course itself was extremely well organized, with lots of water stations, drizzle stations, bands,and mile markers staggered about. Somehow the locations of all of these things seemed to break up the miles for me, so that it went by a lot faster than I thought it would. I also ran my first race with a pace group, whom I stumbled upon at around mile 6. The group was running with a pacer from Fleet Feet Sports, a great running store in Chicago. The girl had us running 5 minutes and walking one with a goal time of 2:30. I think the run-walk strategy also helped to distract me, and I got to hear a lot of random conversations about people's daughters' periods and such. Strange, but interesting.

My one beef about this race as a whole was the incredibly long gear check wait at the finish. I had to wait nearly 15 minute in the line- way too long when I still had my hot boyfriend (yes, I try to get away with calling Kev that still) to find. Special thanks to him for showing up at the finish line at 9:00 am after staying out until almost one the night before at previously mentioned bar crawl.

Finishing this race (my first formal one in two years, since my pre-RA days) was big for me. Last year, I had a terrible year professionally at work, with lots of drama. I let myself get bogged down, and I wasn't always the best that I could have been for the students. I know, also, that my biggest problem is follow-through. I say I will do something, but often I wait until it is convenient for me, or until I have to at the very last minute (hello, training). When I was diagnosed with RA, I thought my running days were over. And yet, I put my mind to something, and even though I wasn't perfectly in shape, I went for it. Despite my 10 pill a day RA regiment, I did it. Despite my self-doubts, I did it. And through it all, I learned that the only one standing in my way is myself.

I'm hoping to take this mentality into the back-to-school portion of August. I want to have a kickass year. More on that tomorrow.

Family Vacation

2011-08-12T12:40:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you a little bit about my family. I am the oldest of four kids (spawned in seven years, no less). My parents are quirky, hilarious, and still happily in love after thirty years of marriage. My mom recently graduated from a three year masters' program in clinical nursing. Kev fits right in. We are pretty awesome.

To celebrate my mom's recent graduation, we headed up to my parents' lake house on a teensy lake in Wisconsin. Kev stayed for the first weekend, and I decided to stay a few extra days. Because, you know, I can. Go summer vacation. During this extended period of time with all of us in one place. I made the following observations.

Water trampolines are awesome.

I am getting too old to wander around without makeup on. Especially compared to my model-esque younger sister.

Going on vacation with my parents automatically makes me act like a child. I think I left this glass of blackberry lemonade out all day long, much to my mother's consternation.

The Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, Wisconsin makes the best bloody marys ever. Oh, and smoked string cheese. String cheese that tastes like summer sausage? Yes, please.

The lake is unbelievably beautiful.

I hope my dad catches the big one someday. His perseverance is amazing.

I love my weirdo family. Why must you all go back to schools far away when summer ends?

What are your favorite family vacation memories?
Do you regress around your family? Or are you still adults around them?

Ten Things Tuesday

2011-08-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

This photo is random, just like our usual Tuesday chats.

1. I am feeling incredibly lazy today, which is sad because I was super productive yesterday. My to-do list is not shrinking. Nor is my ass, because I'm also not running today apparently. Curses.

2. I discovered an ab machine at the fancy new gym I joined. You kneel on this thing and then rotate a bunch of weights to work the obliques and abdominals. Today it hurts to breath. Maybe this will be the cure for the slight beer/food belly I am sporting.

3. I filled out a ton of paperwork yesterday for my new job, and holy crap is it weird to have everything filled out as Nicole Gas. Even though it's been two years, I still find it kind of crazy to see my new last name in print, especially when I have to fill out big things.

4. It's also weird to put Kev as my emergency contact and not my mommy. He's terrible about picking up his phone. I hope in case of emergency that I won't lose my ability to text him, otherwise he'll never know to panic.

5. I was just looking through my blog stats and somebody found my website by googling stripper poles. I have so many questions that I'm afraid to ask about that. Yikes.

6. I just started reading Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad today and it's awesome. I would love to make a soundtrack to that book- music is just so alive on it. I'm also a sucker for a good book told from multiple perspectives. That's totally my jam.

7. I have to run ten miles tomorrow. Ew. I'm really hoping my mojo will come back and I can get up and do it in the morning so I can take a nap before going to a friend's cookout at night. My eight miler on Friday went pretty well, so I'm hoping this one will too. Eek. The half marathon is less than two weeks away.

8.I feel like every time I go on facebook someone I am friends with is announcing a pregnancy. I'm okay with this, but for the love of all things holy please, people, refrain from making an ultrasound photo your profile pic. I have no need to see your uterus. Thanks.

9. I just remembered why I'm so unproductive today. Kev and I had a bottle of wine at dinner, then went to play bar trivia with some friends, where I had way more than the one beer I was going to allow myself. Damn you, summer, you sneaky minx.

10. I have spent way too many calories and dollars on stupid things this summer. Off to go find some moderation.

Here Comes August

2011-08-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

Today is August 1st, people. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I am a teacher. You also know that I had a very rough year at my old school, that ended in me taking on a new position. Next year, I'm going from teaching sheltered English Kindergarten to junior high ELL. The two work environments so far seem to be completely different from one another, and honestly, that might be just what my career needs right now. A fresh start, a new challenge, new friends and frenemies at work.

The arrival of August usually inspires a mix of dread and hope in my teacher friends and I. After six weeks of relaxation, occasional babysitting, drinking more than usual, and spending way too much money, I'm growing excited for the routine that the school year brings to my life. I'm looking forward to the challenges and mental puzzles that come with learning a new curriculum, and I can't wait to get to know and love my new students. And yet, August also makes me feel a little nostalgic. Another summer is winding down. I should have read more books, done more photographing, spent less time on pinterest (let me know if you want an invite). I should have blogged more, spent more time with my grandparents. Ran more. Drank less. The list goes on.

Teaching is one of the few jobs that comes with its own New Year, separate from the calendar. Each August, we go back into our classrooms with new resolutions, new ideas. We vow to be more patient, less gossipy. More focused, less stressed. Give more feedback, give fewer sarcastic remarks. We, as teachers, want to develop systems for ourselves that really work, that allow us to work smarter, so that we can juggle the balance between teaching and being part of our own families. All of these resolutions brew all summer, and then really start in August.

If you are a teacher, what are your new year's resolutions? If you are a parent or friend of a teacher/student, what do you think my resolutions should be this year?

Happy August!

Harry Freaking Potter

2011-07-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

I've been in a slight depression lately, because the last Harry Potter movie is out and about. I saw it. It was good. Actually, it reminded me of my real depression after I finished the last Harry Potter book.

Have I ever told you about my reading of the last Harry Potter book? It came out while I was on a monthlong trip to Costa Rica shortly after Kev and I started dating. I was brushing up on my Spanish before starting my job teaching bilingual ed. I was super sad that I would be missing the release, but Kev promised to buy me a copy of the book. Even better, he promised to wait to read it until I got home, so that we could read it together and talk about the ending.

"What a guy," I thought.

Until we were chatting late one night, and he revealed that he had opened the book to read the description on the inside front flap and accidentally read the first 150 pages. Then he got a beer and accidentally finished the book.

I love that he gets that into reading. I love that he didn't spoil the ending for me. I hate that he didn't wait for me.

Luckily, he redeemed himself today with this video he found. No need to thank me.

Tuesday Things

2011-07-19T17:47:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends! I'm back. See? I told you I wouldn't abandon you in your time of summer unproductivity need? You're welcome.

Without further ado, here are ten things I'm thinking this Tuesday.

1) Today while I was babysitting my cutie pants distant cousins, we played with water guns. Chicago is in the middle of a heat wave, thus making the water guns awesome. I had an amazingly good time, and I'm glad that water gun fights are one of those things that don't get less fun or cool with age. Also, a two year old getting hit with water guns makes hilarious faces. Just sayin'.

2) I discovered Picasa yesterday. In a rare show of productivity, I backed up all of our photos from 2007 (when we first started dating) onwards. It's awesome, and easy. Goodbye flickr. Hello Picasa.

3) Looking at all my photos re-ignited my need to take some more. Pictures are freaking awesome, no? Somewhere after our wedding Kev and I stopped taking pictures together, which makes me rather sad as we are never going to look this young and hot again. SOMEBODY TAKE OUR FREAKING PICTURE PLEASE. thank you.

4) Thoughts of the upcoming school year are starting to creep in, which leads me to believe I'm starting to get excited. I'm sort of nervous excited. What if I don't make any friends? What if the kids won't play nice with me? What if everyone thinks (more like finds out) I'm a total spaz? Yikes.

5) It's so freaking hot. I really need to make some gazpacho. This is definitely gazpacho weather. My cats and I are all shedding like crazy. Praise the Lord that we are in a place with central air conditioning.

6) My mom has been strongly hinting that I am too old (at almost age 27) to wear a bikini. Is this true? Mine has nautical stripes on it...not ruffles or flowers. Doesn't that make it more mature?

7) This heat wave is killing any momentum I had for half marathon training. I fear this race is going to suck. Tonight I'm going to go consult my favorite running book to re-vamp my plan. Yeeps. How do you get motivated to work out?

8) Summer makes me compulsively spend money. Today I went to Target for the L and T to make BLTs tonight and came home with some new undies, a new (more modest) bathing suit top to rotate into the above mentioned bikini set, a new nightgown (starting an obsession- they are like sundresses you sleep in!) and pajama pants. What's my issue?

9) I have a new obsession with Vitamin String Quartet. They are a group that does orchestral interpretations of pop songs. I'm super obsessed. If I let my kids listen to them while we work next year, will that make me cool in the junior high world?

10) I missed you imaginary friends out there. I'm ready to get back to a regular scheduled routine.

Catchup Post

2011-07-17T11:30:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe I've let a month go by without blogging. I am a terrible person. Here's the thing: as a teacher, I still have summers off. You would think that this would mean that I have expert knowledge on how to structure my time to do fun things, while also doing all the things (photography, half marathon training, etc) that I SAY I am going to do. Truthfully? notsomuch. I always end up spending the first half of my summer in complete sloth and the second half of the summer trying to get all the stuff done that I said I would do all summer long. Oops. I've missed all of you invisible friends though :)

So, here is what the first half of my summer looked like:

Kev and I went to Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland to visit our friends Paul and Amanda. We did the museum thing (loved the Newseum and Smithsonian American History), the Mall (loved the WWII memorial) and got to see the marine band play on the Capitol's steps. We ate dinner together every night, spent the weekend at a fabulous house on the Chesapeake, and it was fabulous. I wish Paul and Amanda lived closer, or that Kev had summers off so we could travel more. I've also decided that if we ever left the midwest, I'd definitely move southeast. I freaking love that area.

I've also been babysitting a ton for my cousins. I totally forgot how awesome it is to work for a day and get handed a fistful of cash at the end of the day as a direct result of your labors. Also, is there anything better than hanging out with little kids in the summer? Parks = awesome. Popsicles = awesome. Sprinklers = awesome. Naps = awesome. Kids rule. I've also gotten a good tan from playing outside with them. Winner, winner.

When I'm not kid wrangling or travelling, I've been enjoying all the fabulousness that summer in Chicago brings. Baseball games, free movies in the park, drinking on porches, watching Kev's terrible softball team (sorry, Great Balls of Friar, but it's true), and generally making mayhem.

So, fret not, I am alive and I'll be getting back to a regular blogging schedule this week. Thanks for coming back after the hiatus!

Where Was I?

2011-06-17T08:52:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the end of my first week of summer! I'm not going to apologize for my brief blogging hiatus because I've been doing really, really important things. I have a personal feeling that summer can't start without a few important to-dos being checked off the list. Such as:

Going to a ridiculously hot concert where you are going to sweat your buns off. My besties since first grade, my main squeeze, and I headed to see Dispatch in Millenium Park last week. It was hot as balls. It was full of seventeen year olds drinking and smoking pounds of inappropriate things. It was full of super awesome summer music. It was full of besties. And most important, it was at the most beautiful place to see a show in the city.

See?

I've also been babysitting/tutoring my cousins a TON. One set lives a mile away from me, the other in my parents' neighborhood. I have watched some hip new cartoons (What the HELL is Dinosaur Train? A baby T-Rex hatches out of a Veloceraptor mom's eggs and rather than assume the mom is a ho they go on a Dinosaur Train? I'm confused. Also, veloceraptor is not in my spell-check. Weird) I have colored, I have played soccer, I have demanded that my older cousins go outside instead of playing Wii all day. I have made some fat cash to spend on sundresses, I mean, paying off my loans. Very relaxing.

Kev and I also went up north last weekend with Kev's high school dudes and their sig others. I love those humans. We wore sweatpants all weekend, made campfires, ate smores, and drank delicious Wisconsin beers. It was awesome, and relaxing. I can't believe I've had so many awesome people in my life for such a long time. If you would have told me 10 years ago that Kev and I would be married, and how many CHS people would stand up in our wedding and be generally awesome, I would have laughed. Life is funny like that....

Despite the fact that I have NOT been training for the half-marathon, eating healthy, blogging, or generally thinking about work, it has been an awesome start to summer. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go get ready for this afternoon's Cubs v Yankees game, to which I have free tickets for one of my besties and myself.

I don't think I could EVER work all 12 months out of the year :)

Graduations

2011-06-07T11:58:00.000-05:00

Last week was my last day of grad school. Today was kindergarten graduation for my sprouts. Things are changing and coming to an end, and to be honest, I've been in such a swirl of last minute to-do lists, that I haven't really had time to sit down and reflect.

This morning, I got to watch my kiddos onstage. It was the first time that we had tried to do a music show and graduation with ALL the kindergarteners, and I have to say, they were fantastic. They came dressed up, gelled down, and extra-obedient. Some of my rowdy kiddos were downright solemn. It was nearly miraculous. After the ceremony, my toughest student today sidled up to me. This was a boy that cut people with scissors, had problems nearly everywhere he went, and made me want to cry on more than one occasion. But then, he stopped me in my tracks today for something good. He gave me this:

Something about the bamboo heart, from a boy who just yesterday had drawn a monster in his kindergarten memory book when asked to draw a picture of me (little hilarious jerk) made me pause. To me, it meant that deep down even if he couldn't say it, he wanted me to know he cares. He loves me. He even picked it out for me all by himself.

This year was a hard year in lots of ways for me. I fought some battles, won some, lost some. I chose to move on from a group of people that love and support me, knowing something better had to be out there. I hit rock bottom and came back up. But I also got straight As in grad school, taught my kiddos to read and write, learned to find wells of strength and dignity I didn't know I possessed, and was shown how many people believe in me and in what I do for students.

With one action today, my rowdy punk changed the way I'll remember him. I'm not going to remember the times he sneezed on me, or kicked other students, or looked at me and said "no, I'm not doing that." Instead, he'll be the boy with the bamboo, who reminded me that the kids who need the most patience from you are often the ones that you end up making the biggest impact on.

I hope as I "graduate" my current school, that people remember me similarly. I know I demanded a lot of patience from people at times, just as I gave infinite amounts to the naysayers at my school. When it comes right down to it, however, I hope people remember me as somebody with a big heart.

Maybe graduation isn't just for kindergarteners after all :)

A Day on the Lake

2011-05-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

One of these beers is not like the other.....one of these beers has been in the sun too long.

*** If your brain does not think in song like mine does, that should have been sung to "One of these things is not like the other" a la Sesame Street circa 1988.***

ANYHOO, Kev and I went up to my parents' lake house for the first lake weekend of the summer this past weekend. It was rad. I loved the chance to get away with my family and my best guy in the midst of the final days of the school year and masters program. Most of the weekend was cool and crisp, but yesterday, just after my parents left, the sun came out to say hello. Kev and I decided to take the boat out. We had a fabulous day on the lake with lots of sunshine, moderate SPF and beers, and minimal stress. I finished the last 400 pages of a 461 page book (She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb for my chunkster challenge) and lounged in the sun. We ate a picnic lunch at sea and soaked up the rays of the second real day that has felt like summer since last October. All was well and good until......

We couldn't get the boat started to get back in and head back home. I'll spare you the grunting, swearing, sunburning and panic that ensued to say that I am proud that Kev and I managed the ordeal by making a plan, not screaming at each other, and getting the boat towed back to my parents' place. I will also say that I am glad to have such a strapping, able-bodied, tall husband that was able to stand near the shore and push the boat up to a stranger's dock so that we could tie it up and call for help. I will also tell you that I now have created a rule that I am not allowed on a boat without my phone again. Nothing like a broken boat and a sunburn to make you realize how much less of an adult you are than you thought you were. Good thing I had my partner in crime by my side.

Fill in the Blank Friday

2011-05-27T15:03:00.000-05:00

Kev and I like to sing via gchat to each other when moments are boring at work. This is rare for me, but fun when it happens. See if you can name how many terrible top 40 songs we "sang" today.

me: FRIDAY FRIDAY
gotta get down on FRIDAY
Kevin: ha ha ha
ohhh YEAH
me: half an hour and I will be out like a trout
uns uns uns
Kevin: YEEEEAH BOY
me: I cannot wait
Kevin: Bump some Pitbull/TPain Hey baby
me: ooooh baby bay-bah
nananananaNAHna

We are pretty cool, I know. Wanna know what else is pretty cool? Fill in the blank Friday, brought to you by Lauren Link up or comment to play along :)

1. If I could get away somewhere for the weekend I would go to Napa Valley, California. It has to be warmer than 40 degrees there. I could drink outside with Kev-o, eat fancy shmancy foods, wear a sundress, and get to see lots of it with just one long weekend. It would be pretty bangin'. Although Kev and I are going up to the lake tomorrow-Monday, so that will be a pretty close second place.

2. Something I often rant about is how messy my house is. Although I must say I rarely feel moved to really do anything significant about it. I really need to do a little more each day so it doesn't pile up and leave me smothered by cat hair. Yeesh.

3. One item I need to have in my fridge at all time is salsa. I am salsa obsessed. I love to have a few different kinds so I can spice up my meal with whatever I'm in the mood for. I almost always have ranch as well. Lots of things (pretzels, pizza, turkey sandwiches with lettuce) taste better with ranch.

4. My "life-saving" product is Pond's makeup wipes. They smell fantastical and get all of your make up off at night. Boots No 7 also makes a great brand. For some reason, I'm so lazy that I see actually washing my face as a chore- these do great after workouts or before bed.

5. A friend is someone who loves you because you are a weirdo and not in spite of it. To quote CoCo Chanel "To be irreplaceable you have to be different." I love all my weirdo friends.

6. If I could write my own blank it would be Something that I was scared of as a kid that still makes me nervous is________________ For me, it's worms. No doubt, hands down. Those things are skeevy,

7. My favorite kind of art is a toss up between paintings and photography. So maybe something mixed-media would be my real favorite. I am in awe of painting, because I have no idea how to do it and most paintings are so alive, but I am fascinated by all kinds of photography.

Happy Friday! Partyin' Partyin' YEAH

Sweat Lessons

2011-05-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

Today was a brutal day. Things were awful at work, and I came out in tears over a committee meeting in which things somehow went terribly wrong. I firmly believe that the worst feeling in the world is discussing a problem with people, and seeing a solution that would work, but being so flustered by the emotions of the situation that you can't really get your words out to help the situation. That's exactly what happened to me today and it was rad. Not.

Thankfully, I had registered for an hour long weight lifting circuit class with a dear friend who always gives me perspective. What I love about this class is that it moves quickly and has a lot of variety, so that the hour flies by. I also love that it leaves me sore the next day. I'm sort of a masochist when it comes to my workouts. If I'm not sore the next day, the whole workout seems a waste. Maybe that's why I run.

Anyways, I've had one foot off the workout and healthy living wagon for a while now, and some pounds I lost have slowly been finding me. My head was cloudy while the instructor was explaining the circuits, and I was a little sloppy. It was also an instructor I hadn't experienced before, and he was a bit stern. While it's too early to tell if I'll be sore tomorrow, I will say that being taught by somebody I didn't know at all who was none too kind left me with some lasting lessons that I would like to share with you all today. Namely:

1) If you really pay attention the first time, you will be shamed much less frequently later on when you have forgotten all the things that you were pretending to listen to earlier. Feigning interest does not actually mean you have absorbed the information you should have. And man, that makes me feel like an ass when that happens.

2) It really is true that when teaching somebody something new, your praise for them should outweigh your criticism. By the end of the lesson I was seriously craving some positive reinforcement. I was definitely the elephant in the room today, and I grew to dread each time the instructor walked by. My butt was too high while holding my plank pose, then it was too low. My feet were farther than shoulder width apart. Our "active rest" station was really a plank station in disguise. The resting should last one to two seconds max. Ack. I definitely need to remember to give my kids more love. It sucks when you try to do something new, and nobody sees how hard you are trying. Lesson learned, kindergarteners. I'm going to praise your pants off tomorrow.

3) It is a much better idea to maintain being in good shape than to take three weeks off due to bronchitis, then a cough, then remembering how much coughing sucked last week. Take it from me, people.

4) A good workout can make a bad day go away.

TGTIF people.

Fill in the Blank Friday

2011-05-20T14:53:00.001-05:00

Usually on Fridays, I do Five Things Fridays, but I'm getting kind of sick of the routine. Not to mention all of my posts are incredibly random anyways. To change things up a bit, I decided to link up with Lauren and give you some randomness in a new and different way. So here you go! Want to play? Link it up!

1. People always tell me I look like........Minnie Driver. I think its the big boobs and big lips thing. Or the unruly mane of lion hair. Although, my dad swears I look like Angelina Jolie. If I was a parent, I don't know that I would admit that to myself. Maybe I need some tattoos.....

2. Friends don't let friends........moan about needing to lose weight if it's not really necessary. They also don't let friends say something negative about themselves without saying something positive. Friends also shouldn't let friends be picky eaters. Friends know how to talk friends into and out of bad decisions.

3. A sunny day is perfect for........reading outside, drinking outside, or taking pictures outside. A sunny day is also perfect for aww-ing over people's cute puppies or babies. Or both, apparently, if you live in my neighborhood. Some families just hog all the cuteness.

4. My favorite accessories are ........my wedding band and engagement ring. I love, love, love, love them. I also adore the Pandora bracelet that my mother-in-law got me and that my family keeps adding on to.

5. If I could afford it I would ..........take an international vacation every single year, forever. I'd make sure I got in 3-4 good airplane-worthy trips a year. I get stir-crazy if I don't have a trip planned.

6. The cure for boredom is to............... get out of your house. Go for a walk, bike-ride or drive. Take a book with you- if you can't find a cool place to go, you can go read in a park or a coffee shop.

7. I am currently "in like" with .... I'm slowly welcoming more salads in to my life. I've discovered that if I add a lot of stuff to them, that it doesn't taste like rabbit food. I'm also in like with some new running shorts I got from Target. They are tight like bike shorts but on the longer side to prevent chub-rub. I'm hoping I can grow to love them as I run more. I'm also currently only "in like" with my students. Usually I love them but they are getting the May crazies, and I'm losing my mind.

How would you answer these questions?

Disturbing Dreams

2011-05-19T19:54:00.000-05:00

Hello long lost friends. I haven't posted in ten days, and have been getting many a text reminding me so, which makes me a very bad friend indeed. Kev and I have been living in chaos lately, what with the upcoming end of quarter in grad school, end of my school year, and general emergence back into the social scene after a long winter of hibernation. Things have been downright busy and disturbing around here, including our bedroom.

See? Yikes. Kev and I have ordered a new, big kid bedroom set, which comes tomorrow. However, because our new QUEEN-SIZED (!!!!) mattress arrived and my brother claimed our old bed for his college apartment, we are temporarily sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Like meth dealers. (Sorry if you are a meth dealer, but it's true. You all sleep on mattresses in your dens.)

Now, sleeping in such minimal conditions has its perks. When you lay down and gaze up at the ceiling, the fan sort of looks like a UFO.

(Sidenote: should I say "a UFO" or 'an UFO'? I know 'an' follows the vowel rule, but an UFO sounds awkward. Help.)

Also, from this vantage point your room looks ENORMOUS, since the door appears to be very, very far away.

Best of all, sleeping on the floor has induced strange, strange dreams in both Kev and I. The past few nights I have dreamt that I was a 50s housewife, wearing gloves in the supermarket. I have also dreamt that all the floors in our apartment were trampolines, which was a much more inspiring vision.

Kev's dream was much more fabulous. He dreamt that he surprised me with a baby seal, which he kept in our bathtub so that he could swim. Sadly, however, I was furious, because I felt that he was trying to torment me with heartbreak, since clearly a baby seal would grow out of the bathtub in a few short months. I feel that if this happened in real life, I would find a way to make it work, though. Baby seals are really freaking cute, and a big seal would be pretty rad. I also feel bad that Kev was picturing me mad in his dreams. Have we really been married so long that I nag him in his dreams instead of fill him with lust or joy? Sigh.

Thanks for tolerating the long delay, folks. I promise to get back to my regular 3-4 times a week schedule soon. In the mean time, what bizarre dreams have you had lately?

Fun-Sized

2011-05-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, it's tough to be fun-sized.

For example, when you go to a favorite sushi place and realize that they've redone the bathrooms in a trendy unisex style that fails to differentiate for the petite woman.

How is a lady supposed to make sure no inappropriate cleavage is showing? Or check to make sure that she doesn't have bunches where there shouldn't be?

I guess the lady in question should return to her gal pal and consume as much wine as possible. At least, it worked for me.

Seis de Kevin

2011-05-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

Today is a big day, people. See? Even Kev has been anxiously awaiting it.

Today is the date of birth of one Mr. Kevin G. Huzzah! Huzzah! Let the people exalt. However, Kev gets extremely concerned on this day, because he feels that cinco de mayo steals all of his birthday thunder. He frets about this rightfully. Yesterday, a student brought me homemade tamales for cinco de mayo. Today, nobody has brought me any food at work.

But, I digress.

Kev demands that his birthday be called 'seis de Kevin' and that it be celebrated in a style much grander than cinco de mayo. Therefore, I shall now make a list for you of six things I love about my husband, the birthday boy.

1) Kev makes anything fun. He is the best partner in crime a gal could ever have. We have laughed harder at the grocery store than more people probably do in a month. He also uses this fabulous sense of humor to humor my whims, which I appreciate. He even loves puns. Furthermore, Kev also has the best laugh ever. Really, it's more of a giggle, but that doesn't sound burly. So laugh it is. Even if I don't think something is funny, it's impossible to stay mad at him because of that laugh. Trust me, I've tried, too.

2) Kev has the widest range of interests of anyone I know. He's a rabid sports fan, he loves to cook, he is a talented artist, he reads avidly. He loves anything to do with history. I love that he's curious about the world, and can talk intelligently on such a wide array of topics.

3) I've seen the kid grow up. Because we've been friends since high school, I've seen many incarnations of this guy. He's made bad choices, good choices. He's been an athlete, a world traveler, a pre-med student, a business man, and so many things in between. It amazes me to think of how far he's come since we've met. It's even more amazing to think of how much more we're going to experience together and change together as the years pass. I feel privileged to have been a small part of that.

4) Kev pretends to hate our cats. Back when he used to contribute to this blog, he even write a whole post about our "hell spawn." However, he really, really, adores them. I am told they have epic chats in the morning before he goes to work. Kev always makes sure to buy them the good food, not the cheaper stuff I try to get away with. He worries about them when we go out of town. The old softy.

5) The man loves ice cream and is 'meh' about cake. As am I. I love that he sees the pure joy in making an unexpected stop for ice cream, and can appreciate the joy of sitting on the deck splitting a pint. Love, love, love. Believe it or not, it's a rare quality in a guy.

6) I don't know how to put this into words, but we're never bored together. We talk, we chill, we watch good (Mad Men) and terrible (Teen Mom) tv together. We read side by side. Having him in my life has made things better in every way possible. I'm blessed beyond words.

If you see KG today, be sure to give him a big hug and sing Happy Birthday really loud. He likes that. Happy 28th my dear!

Photography Update

2011-05-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

I took this photo about a month ago, while I was on spring break. A friend and I headed downtown with our cameras and got artsy with our bad selves. Throughout the day I think my photography skills got better. I took a few duds, but a lot of shots I really liked. And that's when it hit me.

To be a better photographer, I need to PRACTICE. Duh. I constantly tell my students that if you want to learn to do something that is hard for you, you need to practice, practice, practice. That if something is hard, then you need to work harder to make it happen for you. And yet, I haven't quite been able to apply these lessons to my own photography.

I think the problem is time. I'm not making time to take the camera out and wander. I'm not making time to complete the MCP photo challenges that I wanted to do. Grad school and work are getting in my way. To top it all off, it's been raining, and really, there are only so many things you can photograph in your home. Especially if you only have two crotchety cats rather than cute babies or something. Maybe I'll get really good at self-portraits.

So I ask you photo people out there: what websites/tutorials/books helped you unleash your inner shutterbug? Help!

Mental Space

2011-04-28T18:21:00.000-05:00

Oh, hello strangers. I'm sorry I haven't written in a whole week, my mental space has been cluttered. My thesis was due on Tuesday, and I spent Monday writing, editing, polishing, and getting things under control. It feels phenomenal to be able to see the finish line on my grad school horizon.

Along with seeing the finish line on grad school, though comes seeing the finish line at my current job. I've been feeling low about it lately, possibly the lowest I've felt since realizing I should leave. It's hard. I love many of the people I work with. Now that the announcements have been made about who is teaching in what positions next year, the general public knows that I'm leaving, and are processing the information in a way I processed it many moons ago. I've been truly touched by the number of people that have come to me to say that they will miss me, that they love the way I work with my students, that they feel I am an amazing teacher. On the other end of the spectrum, two of the people that made it necessary for me to go have been unspeakably cruel. Ignoring me. Not asking my opinion regarding instructional decisions being made for my students for next year. Calling me unprofessional and disappointing to my face over something trivial. All of it. Knowing I had so many people that loved and supported me in a place I'm about to leave. Knowing that people I work with daily have such a misconstrued opinion of my motives. Not knowing what I'm walking into next year.

All in all, I think the change will be good for me. I walked into my current school feeling cocky, with six months of teaching experience under my belt, sure that I was God's gift to teaching. Over the last four years, I've learned to be humble about my skills, to admit my mistakes, to grieve for and laugh with my students without letting the tough times define me as a person. I've learned how schools really work, about special ed and gifted ed and ELL and native language transfer and more acronyms than one profession should really have. I've learned how to take marker stains off of almost any thing. I've also learned that I am a force to be reckoned with, while also learning to choose my battles wisely. Yet, on some level, I think that on some level, my current co-workers will always see me as that disorganized, impulsive 22 year old, and not the thoughtful, hard-working teacher I've grown into. Maybe moving on will help me to find my voice as a teacher, in a way I've only really begun learning how to do this year.

Processing all of these upheavals in my career has been taking up a lot of mental space. I'm only now starting to clear the cobwebs that two years of accelerated grad school and school changes have left behind. Writing this long post today really helped me to put my emotions in check. So thanks for reading, friends.

First Comes Love, Then Comes?

2011-04-21T14:54:00.000-05:00

One of my co workers recently had a baby, a beautiful little girl with a head full of hair and some chubby cheeks. Her husband is also a teacher in our school district, and together they sent a video to their students of them with the baby. It was the cutest. I happened to be in the room when the video was played, picking up first grade students for their ELL time. Walking back to our classroom after watching the video, the following discussion was had between students I, E, and myself.

I: Mrs. Gas, do you have a baby?
Me: No babies, just you guys.
I: Not US! You need a baby that you can keep in your house.
Me: Someday I will, but not today.
I: You are too skinny to have a baby. Your baby will be too small if you have it right now. (Note: I am NOT pregnant. I am also not making this conversation up.)
E: You need to eat a lot with your husband to get a baby.
I: Yeah. Eat together. Do the eating. Do it in the kitchen. Do it in your bed. Do it in the bathroom maybe. My mom does it all the time. That's why we have lots of babies.
E: Then, you need to bring the baby to us after you get super fat and it jumps out. We can play with it for you.

It's good to know my unborn children are in such good hands.

Shipping Mysteries

2011-04-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

I love online shopping. It is ridiculously convenient, especially since I am crazy busy these days with grad school and other assorted mayhem. Of course, I prefer to shop locally when I can, but for my chain stores like Express, AE, or Toms, it's sometimes easier to go online. I love many, many things about the city, but often when I want to shop at one particular store, I find it easier to do so online, since I get too lazy to take public trans and too skeptical to try and find a place to park my shiny red Focus.

Of course, online shopping comes with hazards. Clothes that don't fit the way I imagined. Mishaps with what has actually been shipped, versus what was ordered. Thankfully, I tend to have very positive shipping experiences when I do shop online. I also love to track the packages and see when they are coming in. Recently, though, with Old Navy, I had a package tracking mystery. Check out the dates and locations of this package below:

This really, really boggles my mind. My package started in Ohio, went to Georgia, came up to Highwood, and then decided to CHANGE LOCATIONS and go back to Atlanta? Maybe the weather wasn't warm enough for it. I'm totally stumped. Good thing I only ordered some basic tank tops and not anything really valuable.

How does this shipping stuff work, anyway? Postal workers of the world, please explain it to me. Mil gracias.

My Morning Warm Up

2011-04-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

As I alluded to yesterday, I'm not the greatest morning person. In fact, I hate mornings. My brain needs until about 10 am to wake up- which is a major buzz kill when you are a teacher and have to be "on" as soon as the kids walk in. To help my brain wake up, I've had a very similar routine for the past four years upon arrival to my classroom that I thought I'd share.

The first thing I do when I walk in the door is to do a quick temperature check. My room is used after school by the homework club, and has a fire door that leads to the outside. Because of this, my room is often freezing or boiling, depending upon the whims of the teachers using the room or how many people have snuck in and out of my door to avoid being caught by our principal.

Next, I fill my gigantic water bottle. As a result of my Game On! diet days, I have become extremely concerned with making sure I get 100 ounces of water over the course of the day. My "suitcase of water" as my friends on staff have dubbed it, is a giant hot pink water bottle with a straw from Target that holds 50 ounces, which I try to drink over the course of a school day.

After that, I go for some brain candy and skim the headlines of People.com I'm a sucker for anything royal wedding related, or related to the gals from Teen Mom. I also have a strange love for the Kardashians and Bethenny from Real Housewives of something. Don't know why. Can't explain it. But somehow, this morning dose of brain candy helps me to get my ideas flowing and my mind in order.

Following my brain candy, I go to swagbucks.com. This site is totally rad. For doing simple searches, they reward you randomly with "swagbucks" totally FREE dollars that you can spend on different things. Although my heart belongs to google for searching, I try to do a few searches a day on this site to earn my bucks. Typically I earn one buck a day for voting in the daily poll, one buck a day for checking the surveys, and a few for searching. I tend to save mine for $5 Amazon gift cards or for free magazine subscriptions. Score!

All of this takes about ten minutes. The rest of my morning (typically about an hour before the students arrive) is spent in a frenzy of coping morning routine or assignment papers:

and trying to find my happy place. If it's a Friday, we have a staff provided breakfast in the lounge, where I go try to get a few minutes of grown up time in before the kiddos come. If I have extra time, I'll browse a blog or two on my Google reader before the kiddos come in. (Let me know if you want to know what I'm reading on the interwebs.) It's funny, but having the routine I do lets my body go on autopilot for a few extra minutes while my mind wakes up. Often, I find myself subconsciously brainstorming activities and tweaking the plans I've made to get things done.

Am I weird? What websites do you visit first thing? What routines at work could you not function without?

Laments

2011-04-18T12:08:00.000-05:00

This weekend was super fabulous. Kev and I met up with some friends at one of our favorite places on Friday to watch the sad, sad opening series of the Blackhawks playoffs. Let me tell you friends, it has only gotten worse since Friday, too. Stupid Canucks and their stupid physical playing. Or, more accurately, stupid salary cap for forcing us to get rid of my boyfriend and role model for defensive playing:

(Thanks, ESPN)

See how he is using his booty to prevent scoring opportunities? That's how I solve all my floor hockey woes, too! I also use that move to close overstuffed kindergarten lockers and kitchen cabinets. My booty is multi-talented. See how Buff has a Hawks jersey on? That's how it should be.

Anyways, I digress. So, I had a major lament on Saturday when it was cold enough to necessitate my trusty sweater boots with a dress and leggings combo instead of the sultry sandals I had planned for my date night outfit with Kev. I moaned, I groaned, but I persevered so that we could visit a favorite restaurant and check out a new bar nearby. (Sidenote: this bar has my favorite beer, Victoria, ON TAP. Totally rad.)

However, the above lamenting is nothing compared to the laments I have regarding today's weather.

It is April 18th and there is snow on the ground. Snow that makes my trusty sweater boots once again necessary, instead of the cute five dollar dress I have been yearning to wear. Aggggghhhhh. Woe is me. Lament. Lament.

At least my kindergarteners are eternal optimists. The weather discussion of the day during morning calendar yielded this consensus:

My fingers are crossed.

5 Things Friday

2011-04-15T17:09:00.000-05:00

1) The above scene made ma laugh out loud this morning. Which is a hard thing to do, because I am a beast in the morning. I hate them all. I do, however, believe that this is the politest house near us. They also have a sign on their gate that says "please close me." Although, I must admit, I think I now qualify as a large pet because I stepped right where the sign gently admonished me not to in order to capture this photo. Oopsie.

2) Why does my entire facebook feed revolve around people getting pregnant, their babies, or their uteri? (uterus-es? what the butt is the plural of that wretched word?) Facebook might as well just have put a big magenta sign on my home page that says "YOU ARE GETTING CLOSER TO THIRTY! BEWARE!" Yeesh.

3) We are going to one of my favorite dive-y northside bars tonight to watch the Blackhawks playoff game. All I can think about is eating my body weight in their fried pickles and buffalo chicken tenders. Thank God I went to an abs class yesterday. I think I have the soul of a 12 year old overweight boy. Or any of the kids from the movie Heavyweights. I love my inner fat kid. Or at least accept it.

4) Felix (orange cat) pushed out the screen from our second story window this morning and sat on the sill wrestling and playing chicken with Dante (black and white cat). Good thing we have two cats just in case an accident happens.... Our neighbors, I fear, think we are insane and/or permit our cats to do such things. Kev was ticked, to say the least.

5) Speaking of my dearest husband, his 28th birthday is coming up and I have NO idea what to get him, as the art supplies that I thought were such a brilliant gift for Christmas have gotten zero use. Message/email me if you have suggestions.

Happy Friday!

Rock 'n' Roll

2011-04-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

Spring is my favorite time of year for many reasons. I love living in Chicago and trying to figure out what the weather will do. Will I wear flip flops? Snow boots? It makes a really nice spring day even better because we don't take it for granted out here in the Windy City. Mostly, though, spring means that a new running season has started.

Last summer I took a little hiatus from running. With my RA, I wasn't really sure if I'd be able to train for anything serious, and quite frankly, I was sick of running and training. This year, though, I'm back in action, and I'm training for something exciting.

Excuse the crappy banner picture, folks. I just don't really have another pic to go with this at the moment. I'm registered and training for the Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Chicago! I love to run. I love the pacing, the pushing yourself, the opportunity to be alone and just listen to my music and plan routes that let me check out different parts of the city. I love the squeaky clean feeling you get in your lungs when you are done running. I love having a schedule to work out to, especially in the summer when I need extra structure. Love. Love. Love.

I started my training on Monday, when I ran a whopping three miles. I used this as a little test, to check out where my body was at. You know what? I rocked it. I think all of my Game-on diet and exercising and cleaning up my act this winter helped me do more than just drop 12 pounds. I think (gasp) it ACTUALLY MADE ME MORE FIT! So, yesterday I ran 4 and finished two minutes above my goal pace. Woop woop! Today is a day off since I have grad school, but I am feeling absurdly proud of myself. I also like to know that I am doing something good, since summer is coming and I plan on spending as much of it on or near the water as humanly possible. Plus, with Kev getting up early to workout in the mornings now, I feel like less of a slacker if I get a good run in.

I'm planning another post in the near future about running tunes, but I have to ask. What is your favorite running/workout song? I'd love some new tunes for my new lil baby iPod.

Happy Spring!

Senior Slide

2011-04-10T17:11:00.000-05:00

Oh, friends. It was 75 degrees out today after a long, cold blizzard-filled winter in Chicago. Kev and I went for a walk after church, and then I came home and did grad school homework. Really, if I'm honest with myself, I should still be doing said homework instead of sitting around with magazines. Senior slide has hit full force with me this last term of grad school. I have a thesis to write and one more class to take, and somehow I cannot seem to get motivated in the slightest to finish any of it. I'm the laziest of lazy beasts.

Spring is definitely in the air. The countdowns to summer break (42 days!) have begun, and soon my principal will announce staffing for next year-which will not include me. It's hard to believe that in 8 weeks I will be finishing grad school and ending the last four great years I spent at my former school. Next year I'll be moving to a new place, with new people, and I'll have left the kindergarten world behind for the world of junior high ELL. I have to keep reminding myself that change is good. My friends are also all moving on- moving to new, far, neighborhoods. Seeing us less. It's a strange, crazy season in my life right now, and I'm alternately thrilled and terrified.

5 Things Friday

2011-04-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

1) I am meeting up with one of my favorite people and bestest friends tonight for sushi. Not the chill, byob sushi by my place, but a trendy sushi place in my old trendy neighborhood. I am greatly looking forward to some swanky drinks. I'm not, however, in the mood to look terribly cute. Skinny jeans, t-shirt and scarf it will be!

2) Speaking of jeans I have a terrible pair of mom-ish jeans with wide legs that were in style about five years ago. Even though they are hideous, I keep them around to wear on Friday jeans day at work. Today, however, they busted a hole in the upper thigh. Thankfully, you can't see them. Also thankfully, I'll be working with older students next year so I can buy a cute pair of trouser jeans without fear that they will end up ruined by purple glue stick. Junior high teaching may have more secret joys than I realize.

3) I need to learn how to use manual focus on my camera. Last week I went downtown and practiced shooting. While I ended up with some cool pics that I will post soon, I somehow couldn't get the camera to capture the vision I saw. This is for sure my fault. Reading and practice would help. Being done with grad school would give me the time to do so. Good thing June is around the corner....

4) My parents came to school today to talk to my kindergarteners for "community helpers" (career) week. They are a doctor and a nurse. It was really weird to hear them call me Mrs. Gas. Even though everyone else at school has been for almost two school years. So odd.

5) Speaking of Mr. Gas: the other day, Kev asked me a tough question. Namely, if I were to be stranded on a desert island with only three ice cream flavors to eat, what would I choose? I chose Moose Tracks (fudge and peanut butter cup chunks in vanilla) dark chocolate fudge, and vanilla with raspberries. Kev argued that vanilla with raspberries is not a flavor. I disagree. I know there is a raspberry vanilla swirl out there somewhere, and that is what I would want. Kev picked strawberry (his fave), moose tracks, and cookie dough, arguing that if you got sick of ice cream, you could get the cookie taste. I love the way that man's mind works. What would you choose?

Spoils of Shopping

2011-04-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

I love to shop. Always have. As a baby, my mom and grandma would take me shopping, and when I fell asleep they would just buy me pajamas and keep on going. However, I don't let myself near most major stores for fear of going overboard, so I frequently go on binges at my favorite store of all time...Target.

I talk about Target so often, in fact, that all I have to do is mention that I went shopping, or that I got something from the classroom, and a few teensy Mexican children will curiously ask "a Tar-git?" or "did you buy Target yesterday?" Let me tell you, the joys of kindergarten ESL teaching are many.

Back to Target. I talked my sweet, loving, adoring, devastatingly handsome husband into the necessity of a new ipod for me for the running season. Specifically, the new ipod nano with the handy teensy size and little clip to put on my shirt or pants while I run. I also pointed out that if i purchased said ipod at my favorite location of my favorite store, I would save 5% with my Target visa (I know, it's a sickness. They don't even pay me to write with this level of passion) and I would ALSO be in the suburbs, just avoiding the obscene Cook county taxes. Double win. So I came home with this....

(Please excuse the blurries. I was trying to take the photo with my phone. Plus, the blurries hide my hideously swollen hands. I haven't been being very nice to my arthritis lately, and it shows. Thank you for putting up with my semi-intentional terrible photography so you can see my new toy.)

Now, this is freaking sweet. Seriously freaking freaking sweet. I cannot wait to go on my very first run of the running season tomorrow with this bad boy. BUT THEN...the day got better. I happened to stop by the clearance rack to see if there were any fabulous pieces of clothing. (Kev, remember how much you loooooove me? and how you ENCOURAGED me to go to Target??? I do) Behold....a cute teacher dress!

Covers the goodie bits, cute color, slight style, long skirt so I can sit on the floor with my peanuts- this dress needed to be purchased. And, wait for it.....IT ONLY COST $5.05. YES! YES! YES! A win for everybody. A five dollar dress....and a 5 dollar times a billion ipod. Rock on.

Dante even likes it.

Triple win.

Date My Friends...If You Dare

2011-04-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

Lately, my friends and I have been on a bit of a hiatus. Nobody's fault, but it's true. Many of my friends have new significant others/jobs/apartments, and it seems that we are all growing up a bit, and becoming more absorbed in doing our own things.

For a long time, Kev and I were among the few of our friends in significant relationships. When we got married, I heard a lot of "Oh, when you're married, you will never come out." "You're going to be so much busier after you get married." "You're going to move far away and just stay in together all the time." "You will never let Kev out." Believe me, I've heard it all.

Now, though, my friends are starting to look at things through their own (mostly) rosy relationship-tinted eyes. As the old (one and a half years!) married couple, people often ask me if I like their new-found dating partner. The truth is that I almost always like the new people in our group, because they usually meet the criteria I've set forth below.

I want my friends with people who make them a priority. With a boy or a girl who plans fab dates for them, is happy and sad right along with my friend, even if not always in agreement. This person needs to be flexible, as when he/she gets introduced to me and Kev, Kev will probably harass them. The ideal dater of a friend of mine must therefore must have a hearty sense of humor. Most of all, I want to see my friends with people who make them happier than they've ever been before. Even if they are wearing sweatpants.

....because really, I've found a great guy like that, so I want, more than anything, for my friends to be as happy as I am. And who doesn't like sweatpants?

Soothing Repetition

2011-04-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

I'm slowly working my way through the MCP 52 photo challenges, and one of the assignments was to photograph around the theme "soothing repetition." I had a hard time thinking of things for this challenge. Initially, I wanted to shoot a bunch of churches, or something to do with prayer, because that has soothing qualities for me. However, when I started taking pictures, I started thinking about sunsets. The day comes, and it's often crazy. Then things start to slow down, Kev comes home from work, and we end the day together. Somehow, during the sunset, the day's troubles melt away, and we end up just us, together. Calming each other. Hence, today's photos of sunsets. Enjoy!

Spring Break!

2011-03-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

I've been on spring break all week, and it has been awesome. I've done a ton of lounging, and have mowed my way through the first two books in The Hunger Games trilogy. Oh, friends. Read them immediately. A strong female character to be the anti-Bella Swan that is still relatable, action, romance, these books have it all. I'm mildly obsessed. I'm also super pissed that they whitewashed the characters for the movie version, but that's another post for another time.

Now I realize, you might be thinking "Why Nicole, with all this free time, wouldn't it be wise to update your blog more frequently than you usually do?" and I hear you. I meant to bombard with my usual posting schedule and more but I....didn't. Because I've been sitting on my couch. See?

I'm also being stalked by cats, which is more terrifying than it sounds. I'm fairly certain Dante is judging me for not working while Daddy slaves away in his office all week.

Sometimes, it's so terrifying that I have to flee outside, get on the el, and head off to poke around new places in the sunshine. Today, I'm headed out with my fancy camera to take some pics of the city, and then probably finishing Citizen Girl, a book that ended up being much more chick-lit than I usually prefer. Meh.

If you are rivited by this post of my exciting staycation, follow me on Twitter @colie025, where I will be giving hot updates under the hashtag #springbreakbitches. Also, as a personal favor, if you have a gmail account, please oh please would you follow this 'lil blog? It helps me figure out how many people are reading, and my goal is to hit 50 followers by the end of 2011. So do it, I won't bite. Hard.

5 Things Friday

2011-03-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

1) Today, in exactly one hour, spring break will commence. To say that my heart will fill with joy when the final bell rings will be an understatement. I'm going to have an epic staycation at home filled with photo taking, pumpin' workouts, and hopefully some healthy eating. Even though as I write this I am eating a smore. I can always start tomorrow. Besides, I'm still seeing snow when I go grocery shopping (see below) so I'm not too concerned about getting into a swimsuit just yet.

2) My students earned a good behavior party today during which we watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. In this fine epic film, the chihuahuas get married and have babies, but unfortunately the dad just wants to play with his pups instead of being a responsible parent. I would say it was the worst movie I've ever seen, but my dearest husband did subject me to the awfulness of 300, which I haven't yet forgiven him for. This was a close second however.

3) I'm about to start the Hunger Games trilogy over break. I cannot wait. I'm planning on doing a LOT of couch time in the coming days. I'm also going to start Ahab's Wife soon, and I cannot wait. It looks chunky and delicious. Hurray for having time to read books.

4) Speaking of time to read, I start my LAST GRAD SCHOOL CLASS for my masters on Wednesday. Yes, people, my VERY LAST ONE. I am one thesis and one 10 week class from being an officially licensed reading specialist. Booyah Grandma.

5) I can nevr spell the word license. Or exercise. Or Chihuahua. Because of that this has been a particularly difficult 5 Things Friday post to write. Epic fail. Blame it on the spring break brain.

Huzzah

2011-03-23T18:38:00.000-05:00

Life these days is pretty freaking good. After all the drama with work and my decision to leave my current school, I have a new job! It's a junior high ELL position a bit closer to our house than my former job, and the pay and benefits are bangin. I didn't realize how stressed I was about next year until I fell asleep last night and slept without waking up.

Going through the drama and emerging victorious has made me realize how truly blessed I am to have Kev by my side. Whether discussing best and worst case scenarios with him through the decision making process or surprising me with some freaking delicious cookies (pictured above) and dinners out, I've realized how awesome it is to be married to him. This is one of the first big decisions we've made since buying our house, and we survived and came out better than we thought we would. I'm slowly learning that decision making is one of the hardest and best parts of being married. I have my best guy to celebrate with, commiserate with, and grow with, and I like to think we are making each other better people because of it.

Oh, and did I mention that spring break is a mere two work days away? Even though we aren't going anywhere, and Kev has to work all week, I'm really looking forward to the time off. I'm hoping to get things in order around the house, start my half-marathon training, and catch up on all the photo challenges I've slacked on over the past few weeks. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. I mean, seriously, I'm not asking for sundress weather yet, but fleece and jeans weather would be greatly accepted.

Overall, things are going great in our neck of the woods. I'm proud of the way we are growing together, I'm relieved to be gainfully employed in a career that always makes me think, and I've got a great family, awesome friends, and a kicken husband to celebrate with. Huzzah, indeed.

Goals

2011-03-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

I reached into the depths of my work bag today and pulled these out:

Perhaps I need to get more organized.

5 Quick Things

2011-03-17T19:43:00.001-05:00

1) I've been crazy busy with work lately, as it is report card and parent teacher conference time. I'm really proud of myself though. I feel like I tackled some tough discussions this time (bullying, lack of attendance, recommending a child repeat kindergarten, and domestic issues to name a few) and I did it with grace. I'm so blessed to work with such great parents and for the first time ALL OF MY PARENTS SHOWED UP FOR THEIR SCHEDULED TIME!!! Woop woop.

2) I think spring is finally starting to arrive to Chicago. I wore a dress to school today without freezing my patooties off. I even threw on some open toed shoes. It was awesome. See? Sun.

3) Kev and I are starting to feel like roommates. Stupid grad school raining on our fun. While I love my friends, I feel a date night might be in order soon. Time to start planning something mysterious and fascinating where I can utterly charm my guy.

4) All of the sundresses in stores right now are taunting me and its not fair. Yes, it's getting warmer, but it's still not warm enough to be ogling the potential lounge-ability of the dresses. Harumph. STOP TAUNTING ME TARGET.

5) I'm in a real conundrum about a job offer. Do I take it even though it isn't my ideal position? Or do I hold out hoping one of the other places I applied pans out? Door Number One? Door Number Two? Ack. Being a grown up stinks sometimes.

Alright friends, off to do my LAST CONFERENCE of the school year. The life of a teacher....so glamorous. I can't wait to get in my car and drive, drive, drive.

March Classics Challenge Update

2011-03-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm a bit of a book nerd who loves to read anything, but sometimes needs a bit of a nudge to get more reading fiber in her diet. As I've alluded to before, I'm participating in three reading challenges this year: The What's in a Name" challenge, the Chunkster Challenge and the Classics Challenge I'll be posting a more general monthly reading wrap-up at the end of the month, but here's the progress I've made and some bite-sized notes on each book that I've read for the classics challenge.

Yes, I also realize that I haven't been posting as regularly lately. It's report card and parent teacher conference time, people. I'll try to get back to a regular posting schedule later this week. I swear.

Classics Challenge Requirements:
1) A Banned Book- ??
2) A Book with a Wartime Setting (can be any war)-??

3) A Pulitzer Prize (Fiction) Winner or Runner Up: To Kill a Mockingbird- I hadn't read this book since I had to read it back to back years in eighth grade AND freshman year of high school, but I got so much more out of it as an adult. Awe-inspiring, beautiful and full of life lessons in a story that moves at just the right pace.

4) A Children’s/Young Adult Classic-Farenheit 451- I would never have picked this book up without this challenge, and I'm so, so, glad I did. It is on my list of favorites of all time. Haunting, beautiful tale written in the 1940s about the dangers in a world where books are forgotten. Prophetic and wonderful.

5) 19th Century Classic--
6) 20th Century Classic-- The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton- This book, about a girl who loves the champagne life on a ramen noodle budget hit a little too close to home. I loved the tragically flawed character of Lily Barth, but the book moved a little too slowly at times.

7) A Book you think should be considered a 21st Century Classic-
8) Re-Read a book from your High School/College Classes -

I'm planning on re-reading The Great Gatsby because I love it as my re-read, and I haven't quite decided on my other options. Does anybody have any strong opinions on a book that you think SHOULD be considered a 21st century classic? I haven't quite decided mine yet, but I'll keep you posted when I do.

Happy Reading!

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T14:09:00.000-06:00

As a catholic school girl for one third of my total years of education, and a Catholic for my 26 years here on Earth, today is a big day. Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, Catholics (and, I think, many Christians as well) give something up for the 40 days of Lent in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice for us.

I always greet this day with a bit of dread. I never quite know what to give up. I mean, 40 days is a long time. I'm just not good at the self-sacrifice thing. At all. Which, I suppose is the point, if you get down to it. I remember sitting in church during one Sunday of Lent when I was in eighth grade and the priest announced that really, Lent was actually longer than 40 days because the Sundays didn't count. I was overjoyed when I realized this meant I had a cheat day each week on which I could eat sweets. My mom, on the other day, was less than thrilled by the advent of the cheat day.

It has been interesting to read Facebook today. Most of my friends are also some type of Catholic/Christian, and the messages have been interesting. I've seen a lot of people posting about giving up pop/sweets/all carbs/treats/alcohol. Good for them. I, on the other hand, feel that I do not have enough willpower to think in such absolutes after my rounds of Game-On dieting this summer and fall, so I've decided to make other sacrifices.

For Lent this year, I'm going to church once a week. I'm thinking that weekday night masses might be the best for my schedule, but who knows, maybe I'll even pop in of a Sunday. Growing up, my parents made sure we were at mass, well, religiously. Since I've been a grown up, I've slid on this. Considering I'm job hunting, getting into the final stages of a school year, and in the final stages of grad school, I'm thinking some quiet space to listen might be exactly what I need these next forty days.

I'm also giving up unnecessary shopping. You know what I'm talking about. That cute cheap(ish) t-shirt that jumps in the cart when you swear you were only at Target to buy cat litter? Those Goldfish that appear in your hand when you were in the gas station paying for your gas? That shampoo that makes your hair super shiny but you can only buy when you are at the salon so you HAVE to get it every time even though you don't need it? I'm a terrible sucker for those types of things and it has to stop. Lent, here I go.

By no means am I suggesting that you are remiss if you don't observe Lent or give things up. I just know for me, it seems to be helpful to have a regularly scheduled time on the calendar to do so. Wish me luck. Goldfish would be really delicious right now, and its only day one.

Cookie Monster

2011-03-07T15:06:00.001-06:00

This weekend, Kev and I had a killer dinner party on Saturday for a few friends complete with fancy shmancy cocktails, a delicious corn chowder, and some fab steak fajitas with tomatillo sauce. All of these tasty treats were cooked by my fabulous husband. Have I mentioned that I am the luckiest girl in the world because I have a husband who likes to cook? Because I am.

Because I was feeling so lucky, I was also feeling generous, and busted out the remainder of our Girl Scout cookies for dessert. Together we consumed some of these:

And some of these:

But none of these, because they are Kev's favorite and thus already consumed:

Pictures courtesy of mentalfloss.com and leantowardsthesun.blogspot.com as I was too busy eating to whip out my own camera

I was feeling all contented and hostess-y and mellow as I bid my guests adieu. Then I closed the front door, reached for the boxes of cookies only to realize that they were all empty. All of them. Gone.

Thus, today I was forced to compose this frantic email to one of my dinner guests this morning:

Hey Lady,

You said a girl scout might be coming by your office today taking orders. If so... I need some replacements:
3 boxes thin mints
3 boxes samoas
1 box tagalongs

Please, please order these for me and I will give you cash. Yep, we're fatties.

me

The worst part is that I'm not even ashamed.

It Never Ends

2011-03-04T23:56:00.001-06:00

Yep, it's late. I realize this. I just got home from an after work happy hour that ended now, at close to midnight. No, this is not a reason to call teachers irresponsible either. Harumph. Also yes, I'm probably irresponsibly blogging. So there.

Kev and I had planned to spend tonight staying in. We spent last weekend in Madison toasting my sister's 21st birthday, and tomorrow we are having a dinner party for some of our favorite people. Accordingly, we decided to stay in tonight for a date night with wine. Until I got these messages yesterday:

Kevin: Do you have plans tomorrow night (1st Friday club?)
me: nope
zero plans
Kevin: My coworker Alex has a bday party
at The WHistler
me: nice!
Kevin: it's in Logan Square
me: we have a work happy hour after school
so I probably won't be home til 530 or 6ish
Kevin: Sweet - would you want to go with me?
me: totally!
Kevin: or is your happy hour going to be like last time
me: no, its not

(Sidenote the "last time" Kev is referring to is the blizzard, when we knew we would have the snow day off. We got rowdy on a Tuesday, which is a foreign concept for teachers (and therefore spouses of teachers) and it was awesome)

The interwebs are a hard place to have a change of heart. I didn't see Kev last night because of his grad school, and therefore spent most of today trying to puzzle out whether he really wanted me to come meet up, or he needed space. The sad part of all of this is that it wasn't an issue either way. I was just confused because I couldn't read his tone over computer, and tried to back up because I didn't want to be the obnoxious wife tagging along. I ended up having an unexpectedly great night with my coworkers, and all was well.

The reason that I'm blogging about all of this now amidst a healthy buzz is because while relating my story about potential plans for this evening one of my coworkers looked at me and said "Wow, I didn't realize awkward moments still happened after marriage." Until she said it, I hadn't had that realization either. And you know what? It's all okay.

I'm good with the uncertainty, because it means my boy will be home later. I have the confidence and independence to make other plans because I have a safety net that will come home eventually, even if it means I will go to bed and see him in the morning. At this point, half of the fun of being out separately is that we can have a gossipy catch up tomorrow morning. Despite my sometimes misgivings, we thrive on letting each other make our own space separately. I feel this is one of the ways we have grown together the last year that we've been married. Awkward moments still do happen, and I'm getting better at embracing them as a wife. I've learned over time that the best part of being married is that I have someone who loves me for my awkwardness, and not for my constantly date ready state of preparation. Oddly enough, I'm good with that for now.

Happy Weekend!

MCP Project 52-Week 3

2011-03-03T21:21:00.001-06:00

Yep, I'm behind, but I'm okay with it. Ideally, the challenge is designed to spend a week photographing a theme, and then posting your results. I haven't really gotten up the courage to submit any of my photos to the actual blog, mostly because the featured photos tend to be by professional photographers. You know, not teachers...real photographers.

Despite my insecurities, I am learning a lot from this challenge on my own. I've been using my Droid camera more, simply because I don't always have the space in my purse for my big camera. I've become one of those crazy people that stops in the middle of the street to whip out my camera and take a photo. The pics below are a mix of Droid snaps and pics with my big kid camera. Below, here are my interpretations of the theme "Shades of gray." I used this assignment to really look for interesting textures in the day to day of my life, with some interesting results.

From the walk to the train after work, these next few are taken with my phone cam:

Later in the week, when I was at home with the fancy camera:

Still in the mood for more gray? Check out the winning photos from the actual challenge here!

Oscar Commentary

2011-03-02T15:30:00.000-06:00

Sunday night, after an eventful weekend in Madison toasting my sister's 21st birthday, Kev and I came home and flopped on the couch. Being the elderly folks that we are, we were exhausted from a weekend of trying to keep up with college kids while drinking. Luckily, the Oscars were on.

I love the Oscars, mostly for the outfits. I love to see what people are wearing, although I rarely watch the movies that are up for awards. (I did watch The King's Speech and loved every minute of it. Huzzah for Colin Firth.) Below, some actual texts exchanged between my mom and I during the show. We like to pretend we are Joan and Melissa Rivers.

Regarding this: (pic from starandstyle.com)

Me: Yikes on the Mila Kunis neckline
M: Looked like her boobs were tattooed. Your sister loved it.
Me: Definite tattoo0-age. Or pasties.

Later....
Me: Colin Firth better win or I will be in a snit.
M: A bloody snit?
Me: Indeed

Regarding Nicole Kidman's white dress and red shoe combo:
Me: Love Nicole's red shoes
M: Ugly dress though. At least Hugh is hot
Me: Kev just said the same thing. About Hugh.

On Oprah:
Me: Oprah has some hideous makeup
Mom: Oprah looks great. She's got some big girls! (Momspeak for boobs)

On Jennifer Hudson:
Me: Jennifer Hudson looks amazing. Love the color.
M: Holy cow. J Hud is beautiful. Implants?
Me: Real. She's the current weight watchers spokeswoman and has lost a crapload of weight. That color is unreal on her.
M: After this, they will all be signing up for WW tomorrow.

Back to Halle:
Mom: Halle rocks it every time.
Me: Agreed. Flawless.
Mom: Between our people mag talks and this text stream I've never felt so deliciously shallow.
Me: Agreed. Awesome way to power down the brain before the weekend ends.

Sometimes, it's great to have a mom and sisters. As much as I love my husband, I don't think he would have offered quite the running commentary I needed. Although he would have at least as many boob comments. Every married girl needs her ladies to keep it real.

Epiphany

2011-02-23T15:20:00.000-06:00

I'm really good at to-do lists, as you can tell. I really, really like to color code them, and I spend some time each Monday making lists for the week. My problem, as you can see, is follow through. Again, I refer you to the picture above. I have crossed off only a few items, and it's shameful.

I bring this up because I was walking by a student of mine this afternoon while he was working with a specialist in the afternoon. As I passed, the student was wrapping his teensy fingers around another child's throat. Instantly, both his teaching assistant and I responded.

"J, say you are sorry. Make sure you tell the other person what you are sorry for. Remember, sorry means you are going to try your best not to make that mistake anymore."

Later...

"J, you can make better choices than that. I know you are upset about your punishment, but you chose that by the way you acted."

I sound GREAT when I am dishing out redirection to my students. Harder, is taking my own advice. So, here you go.

I am sorry for not completing the things on my to do list in a timely manner. I will try harder to use my time more productively. I am sorry to myself for making choices that stress me out because of how much I have to do, or lead me to neglect the many important relationships in my life in favor of things that are silly.

My epiphany today was a pretty big one. If I treated myself the way I treat my students, I'd dole out some tough love that would inspire change. If I followed my own advice, I'd be able to focus and take my time to do things the right way because I wouldn't constantly be rushing. I'd be able to use my time in more meaningful ways, whether it be spending time with friends and family or crossing items off my to do list. I am going to try harder to be the kind of person who really follows through. Hopefully, this public declaration will help.

I guess I'm pretty smart after all.....

Slow Down

2011-02-17T22:06:00.000-06:00

I read a lot of thought-provoking things today. It all started with my morning Google Reader browse whilst I walked to the train. Rebecca from The Book Lady's Blog about the bankruptcy of Borders, and thoughts on where this leaves the book industry as a whole. I also finished Fahrenheit 451- a book I had never experienced before, and also deals with the questions of literature's value in a technology-driven world.

When thinking about Borders, and books, I often end up thinking about my job. I love my students immensely, and when I think about myself at that age, what I remember most are books. I'm not sure I can say the same for my students. While I don't think they will grow into the kind of adults that shun fiction and non-fiction in favor of wall-sized tv. However, I will say that I have had to encourage reading stamina in my students in a way that I'm not sure people my age had to be coaxed into. With my kids at school, we've practiced, over and over and over, the art of finding a quiet place to read, and several ways to read a book. I've timed the whole class many times to see how long we could read for. At the same time, in my personal life, I find myself making less time for reading and more time for other things. I catch myself refreshing my facebook over and over again, just to see if anything is new. I find myself now, on my Thursday date night with myself, with the tv on in the background, and even blogging has been difficult for me to maintain focus on.

Now, more than ever before, we as a society are making decisions from a wide menu of options. Will we internet browse? Catch up on the DVR? Text friends? Speed off to the mall or to town to check out the latest options there? I know after reading Rebecca's blog today, as well as the news coverage, I started thinking about the choices I am making with my time and my money. As we advance in technology, it is getting easier to ignore the power of books and education to help us make informed decisions. NCLB has made teaching a numbers game looking for results FAST. We use technology to help us find answers and to entertain us and to connect us FAST. We support big businesses because it is FAST. However, the really important things take time. Building reading stamina. Losing yourself in a book to find the answers you are looking for. Maintaining relationships with people you love, and continuing to hold them close as time passes. Holding yourself accountable for your life decisions. All slow things.

I'd like to challenge myself (and you) to build some slow, thoughtful habits. I'm hoping to use the long weekend coming up to become a more thoughtful decision maker. I'd like to slowly build more stamina to use the technology I have in a more thoughtful way, to spend some time in a quiet house with a good book each day, and to really connect with my husband and the many other people I love. I'd like to start spending my money in ways that allow me to connect with and support businesses and causes that are meaningful. I feel that making these changes, in my own small way, will help me to feel more at ease with the directions I see things moving in my career and in society. Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast.

Travel Through Food

2011-02-16T15:45:00.001-06:00

I have a bad case of the February itchies. You know the ones I'm talking about. As far as I'm concerned the only good things about February are birthdays of many people I love and the fact that it's a short month. That's it. Right now I'm hungering for travel to places I can't quite afford. I'm yearning for sundress season, and I consider it downright offensive that Target, that mecca that is usually my happy place, is showing bikinis and sundresses right when you walk in. What jerks. Recent uncertainties about work have made me reluctant to book a trip for spring break, so I've turned to other comforts.

Namely, food. What is it about food that instantly takes us to an exotic place? Take last weekend, for example. On Friday, Kev and I ordered from a new Indian/Chinese restaurant that just opened not too far from my home. I ordered my standard Palak Paneer, threw on my sweatpants, and feasted. You know what? It legitimately helped. For an evening I wasn't stuck in the cold, worried about my job, or antsy to get out of the city I mostly love. The break in routine helps.

The best part, though, was definitely this:

I mean, who doesn't love a smiley on top of free samosas?

Saturday Kev and I went to a fancy dinner at a phenomenal place in the loop: Weber Grill. I had never been there, and it was a place that is usually out of our random dinners out price range. We dressed up, we ate steak and seafood, and we got Thanksgiving dinner full. After, we went to the always fabulous Les Miserables and lost ourselves in France for the evening.

I think this weekend and the fabulous food we ate really helped me turn a corner in my February blahs. No, my problems are not solved by any means. Yes, I would still love to be somewhere fabulous and warm and exotic wearing a free flowing uniform of sundresses and flip flops. Sometimes, though all it takes is a break in the routine, culinary and otherwise, to remind you that there are bigger things out there than the petty shit that may be bringing you down. I am better than the way these last few months has made me feel. I am stronger than the drama that has been cluttering my life. I am a fabulous person who can bloom in any climate, and I will make it through this winter and find my invincible spring inside. I am more kick ass than February, that's for darn sure.

Now excuse me while I go spread my awesomeness.

Being Tough is Hard to Do

2011-02-10T20:13:00.000-06:00

February is a tough month around these parts. As a teacher, you're kind of stuck. The kids are crazy from having to stay inside in the subzero temps. The administration is freaking out about ISAT, next year, and insane amounts of data that don't always make sense. To add insult to injury, Target (and all of my other favorite stores) have started rolling out my adored sundresses and flip flops, and I'm still imprisoned in sweats that Kev could fit in and hoodies that transport fatty snacks. It's not an attractive time.

Yesterday, my friend E and I were discussing ways to get out of these winter doldrums, and we decided we needed some projects. We decided to do two polar opposite things:

1) Learn to crochet so we can make baby blankets for other people's babies. (Babies seem to be everywhere in my life. I swear, every time I load up my Facebook I see a new fetus in my feed. What's up with THAT?)

2) Try some new physical stuff. So today, we cashed in a Groupon that we had both bought ages ago and headed to boxing.

Yes, boxing. I can't even believe I did it. Me, who spends so much time at the arthritis clinic that everyone there knows me as "the young kid with the really nice blood" went to boxing. I knew I was in trouble when a beautiful, perky blonde girl with the most perfect calf muscles I had ever seen greeted me at the door and made me sign not one, but TWO waivers. I nervously asked her if she had any tips for newcomers.

"Oh no! This is the best place in the entire world and Robbie is THE BEST. You'll be fiiiiiiiine." she chirped. Her perkiness made me re-assess the situation. Here are the things I saw:

1) BOYS. I have never, ever been to a workout class with boys in it before. Sure, there's been the occasional muscular karma type dude in my yoga classes, and I've had an occasional greyhound hiding in the back of my spin class, but these were real BOYS. The kind who wrestle and drink beer and wear cutoff t-shirts and grunt while they do their knuckle pushups. They were warming up on bags right near mine. Yikes.

2) An Australian hyper man in red satin shorts swinging like an orangutang from the rafters our body bags were swinging from. Literally. Swinging. From. The. Rafters. Clearly, he had not been chasing kindergarteners around all day.

3) My terrified and crotchety eyes looking back at me in the mirror. I walked out of work crabby to the max today from work. Stupid state-mandated testing. Stupid people not believing in me. Stupid me not believing in myself. I was doomed.

I changed, then she grabbed my hands and started wrapping them. Then I got to wear the coolest things ever:

For the next 60 minutes, I huffed, puffed and punched a gigantic black bag. It almost knocked me over sometimes. I almost knocked it out sometimes. Through it all, a super spastic Australian man named Robbie prodded us onward while yelling things like "Higher! Kill it! Jab at the body, jab at the head! Men don't like love handles, but women HATE love handles! THROW AWAY YOUR LOVE HANDLES!" You know what? I loved it.

I walked out of that gym feeling better than I had in the last few weeks. I think I proved to myself that I could do it. And if I can box, I can certainly find a job that will make me happy, find the time to pay more attention to the details that escape me in every day life, and be a kinder person. I felt like I was going to die, I cheated on a few push ups, but I did it, and I want to do it again.

I tell you what, though, this being tough is really hard work. There were some really tough people in that class today, and I worked really hard to pretend to be tough too so that they didn't beat me up. Now I'm sleepy. Thank God for my snuggly clothes and well-loved blankets, because I'm pooped. Punching is HARD. Punching hard things is REALLY HARD. I feel the only way to remedy this situation is to sit on the couch, eat a pizza lean pocket, and call it a day with my favorite Teen Moms. After all, let us not forget it is Thursday. Our crochet project might be the way to go until these shoulders of mine stop aching. I wish they would stop tattling on me while I'm trying to hang on to my inner badass.

Oscar De La Hoya never had these problems......

Snow Mania

2011-02-08T19:46:00.000-06:00

It has been really snowy up in here. Last week, Chicago got hit with its third biggest blizzard in its recorded history and it was awesome. I freaking love snow, and I also really freaking love that snow day feelings never go away no matter how old you are. Last week, I got not one, but TWO snow days (Wednesday and Thursday) and Kev got one work from home day, which was pretty quiet for him. Last night, we got another inch and a half of snow, and I was half an hour late to grad school because of it. Yeesh. I'm a little relieved that no snow is expected for the next five days, mostly because we are running out of places to put it around here. Not to mention people are downright surly about their parking spots. Let me give you some photos to illustrate.

I guess I can see why people would put chairs in their parking spots after digging this out....

I mean there was a lot of snow. Definitely too much snow for fun-sized people.

I will say, though, it makes things look extremely pretty. Especially at the end of the day.

And lastly, and most importantly, all this snow means I got to spend extra time last week with my hot boyfriend. As an added bonus, the internet was out at our place, which means we had a legitimate excuse not to do grad school homework. That's why we're smiling so big.

I must say, I really like the snow. If it's going to be this cold, we might as well get some beautiful snow out of it. Epic weather, battling the elements, and the unpredictability of what is coming are some of the reasons I love Chicago weather.

Although, I'd also like to put in a request to the Big Guy Upstairs. Can we please get about 1 inch of snow each week so it stays looking pretty? City snow gets ugly awfully fast....

2010 Reading Challenge: Numero Dos

2011-02-07T22:18:00.001-06:00

So yeah, here comes part two. 5 whole days later. Ooopsies. My goal this week is to get caught up with posts I have planned, so if I inundate your feed, so sorry.

The second reading challenge I did last year was also fairly simple. I needed to read 10 award winners, from whatever prize I liked. I went into this a bit skeptically, but ended up reading some of my favorite books of the year as a result. Here are some down and dirty thoughts on what I read.

1) The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell- (Arthur C. Clarke Award) This book blew my mind. To this day, I'm not sure if I would recommend it, mostly because I'm still not sure that I have spent enough time thinking about it to come to my own conclusions. I loved it, but I definitely want to read it again to sort my feelings out and let the themes marinade more. On my re-visit list for summer. (Side note: my kindergarteners hate reading books more than one time, even though I try to convince them often that it's like spending time with friends. Maybe they're not buying it because of the rash of kicking sprees our "friends" in our class have been having lately. Yikes.)

2) Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (Costa Book Award) I really read this book mostly because it was chosen as the Chicago Reads book of the year. I love the concept of the whole city having one big book club, and while I didn't really end up discussing this book with anybody, it packed a quiet punch for being such a slim, easy read. The themes of immigration and reinvention made me think about my students and the reasons behind their moves, as well as the person I am growing into as their teacher. Still waters run deep in this one.

3) Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (National Book Award Winner)- I devoured this one during a rainy Saturday on a small lake in Wisconsin and loved it. I'm a sucker for literary fiction told from alternating viewpoints and I loved how McCann managed to develop his characters so well when each only narrated such a small portion of the book as a whole. I also loved that much of the book was about the World Trade Center pre 9/11. I'll be passing this one to my bookish friends for sure.

4) A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines (National Book Critics Circle Award) Generally, I dislike books chosen by Oprah for her book club, and for some reason, this one was no exception. One would think I would have loved this story, as I love reading about civil rights and racial struggles, as well as the power of education to make things better, but meh. The book dragged on a little for me, and it seemed to repeat itself a lot. I forced myself to finish this one. (Side note: I am an absolute book monogamist, and I almost always finish a book once I start it, even if I don't like the book. Blame it on the Catholic guilt.)

5) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Pulitzer Prize Winner) I adored this book. I love a great sweeping epic novel, and this reminded me of one of my favorite authors in the genre, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I know a lot of people who refused to give this book a chance because of its hermaphroditic plot, but I'm so glad that I wasn't one of them. This might be my favorite book from this challenge. Such passion. Such thoughtfulness. Such simplicity in the heartbreaking narration. Love. Love. Love.

6) Tinkers by Paul Harding (Pulitzer Prize Winner) I really didn't like this book. I feel like Harding tried to hard for gorgeous writing and sacrificed plot as a result. It jumped around between times too much for me, and some of the connections drawn between the main character and his father were kind of obvious. Blah.

7) Vernon God Little by Pierre DBC (Booker Prize) This was another book I went into with high hopes, but it fell short. I understand that it's supposed to be a satire of sorts, but it just felt gimmicky and strange. I also found it to be unnecessarily crude for shock value, which surprises me to say because I'm generally not a prude about such things. Meh. If you want a book that raises great questions about school violence, pick up The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. The first book to bring me to tears as I finished it since I read Where the Red Fern Grows.

8) Oh. My. God. I don't think I labeled a book on my list as being Award Winner #8. I skipped straight from 7 to 9 in my records. Therefore, I'm just realizing now that I didn't actually finish this challenge at all but that I lied to myself. AGGREWRJAGOWJGHGGHAGJFGGGGGGGGHHHHHH. Epic fail. Maybe people are just skimming this and I'll still look super smart. On to......

9) The BLind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Booker Prize) This was my first experience with Atwood, and I loved it. The twists and turns in the plot centering around two sisters were fantastic and left me shocked and gasping. I also loved that the narration was sprinkled with articles covering the fictional events in the plot. Atwood juggles first and third person narration with brilliance. I wish I had written this book. Maybe I can count this for numbers 8 and 9....

10) The Finkler Question. That dreaded question won the Booker prize this year, and I have to say, (and said it in the last post) I hated almost everything about that book. I was disappointed that it was so bad too, because my reviews of books that have won that award in the past were generally positive. Yeesh.

This will be the last of the bookish posts for awhile. Do people like them? Not like them? I personally am digging the little bite sized review formats for each book, because I like to save my in depth opinions for people who care to read such things or have read the book as well. Do people want more books? Less books? More of my silly life? More of my mediocre photography? Drop me a line and let me know.

Reading Wrap-Up 2010: Part 1

2011-02-02T17:18:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know we are 1/12th of the way through 2011, but I needed a good chunk of time to compose my wrap-ups of the reading challenges that I did last year. This was my first foray into the world of reading challenges, and I loved both the requirements of the challenges I chose and the books that I was exposed to because of it. Without further ado, here are my notes on the books I read for the first challenge of the two that I completed last year. Want more reading updates? Friend me on GoodReads (username: nicolegas) or Twitter (@Colie025) for the latest scoops on my reading life.

The first reading challenge I signed up for over a year ago was the 2010 reading challenge. The premise of this challenge was simple: read 10 books published in 2010. I have to say that this was probably my favorite of the two reading challenges, because it exposed me to some great new books by authors I had never read before. Here's what I read:

1) Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert- I expected to love this book, all about the institution of marriage and full of definitions of marriage by people from around the globe. However, my affection for this book was tarnished by Gilbert's grouchy attitude. Her whining about having to get married got tiresome after awhile, and I didn't find her thoughts totally genuine. Overall, kind of meh.

2) Imperfect Birds: A novel by Anne Lamott- I LOVE Anne Lamott and can't recommend her books enough. This book was no exception. The writing and characters were quietly gorgeous and lovely, the plot kept me engaged, and the powerful bittersweet themes of mistakes, redemption, drug use, and aging really packed a punch. Love, love, love Anne Lamott and this book.

3)The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson- The Millenium trilogy was one of the few sets of books that Kev and I agree on. i was less than impressed with the amount of graphic battle in the first two books, but the treachery and deceit in this book, plus the closure inherent in the book itself, made it my favorite of the three. I'm a sucker for secret government plots, and so this was right up my alley.

4) Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman- After reading this book, I really wanted to take Kerman out for a drink and chat her up. Her narration of prison life was breezy enough to make this feel like a vacation read, but there was enough emotional depth to make it academically engaging. I do wish that Kerman had talked a little more about what led to her imprisonment in the first place. Everyone likes hearing good girl gone bad tales.

5) House Rules by Jodi Piccoult- I am a sucker for Piccoult's books. Yes, I know they are a bit fluffy, and her writing is not the greatest, but the themes she writes about keep me coming back every time. This book, about an autistic boy accused of a crime was a good brain candy read, although her books are so stinking predictable it's ridiculous. Flew through it when I needed a brain break, and it served its purpose well.

6) The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michelle Young-Stone- This book got a lot of hype by my web pal Rebecca, and rightfully so. It was my hands down favorite book I read for either of my challenges last year. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, and I have begged my bookish friends to read it, too. One of those rare books that I picked up and could not put down. Go get it. Please.

7) Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris- This book was awful. I forced myself to finish it out of respect for how much I love Sedaris normally but the unnecessary violence and sarcastic animal characters did nothing for me. I have no idea what purpose Sedaris was trying to achieve, but it didn't do it for me. Did I miss something here? Yikes.

8) The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer- I received this book as part of LibraryThing's early reviewer program, and it was wonderful. I love a plot that twists and turns, and I love even more tales of complicated loves and mysterious losses. Lovely, heart wrenching writing and characters that were gloriously real and alive with faults, this was a great read.

9) Room by Emma Donoghue-There has been a lot of hype about this book. While I hated the phony narration of the main character, watching his mother's fight to keep them alive inside while locked in their own world was enough to make me read this entire book in one afternoon. I got sucked into this book the same way Law and Order: SVU always grabs me. How are there people in the world that would really do such things? How do victims cope? This one haunted me for a long time. Sidenote: Kev read it and never finished it. His hatred of this book was cause for some extremely spirited debate between us for quite some time.

10) The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobsen- If it hadn't been December and this book hadn't also been an award winner, which allowed me to double-dip with my other challenge, I would have never finished this book. I'm all for obnoxious book characters, but the main character in this book was so irritating that I found myself rooting against him. The book was overly long, tried too hard to have poetic language, and had characters who dragged the book down. Yikes.

Well, friends, there you have it. Look for upcoming posts about my second reading challenge of 2010, as well as the three (yes, 3) challenges I'm participating in this year. Happy reading!

Crazy Jobs

2011-02-01T12:00:00.003-06:00

The talk of my crazy job today is the weather. Because Chicago is about to be hit with a crazy thundersnow of epic blizzarding proportions, school has already been canceled for tomorrow. Although we're not announcing it to the kiddos until closer to the end of the day, murmurs are afoot. I, for one, am just plain excited. Sure, this cancellation means that we'll have to make up a day at the end of the year, but right now is a miserable time to be at school, what with the darkness in the morning, the looming pressures of high stakes testing, and drama going on about job placement next year, so I'm happy to stay home in my robe reading books, catching up on homework, working out, and generally lounging.

This morning I was so excited about the snow that I bounded out of bed, which is a rather strange occurrence for a confirmed morning crabass like myself. Even more strangely, Kev was up and chatty at the same time, and we started talking a little bit about the many differences between our jobs. Kev noted that his bosses know that he takes the Metra to work, and that they would probably expect him to come in tomorrow regardless of weather. I voted that he lobby hard to "work from home."

I'm fascinated by people that can work from home, or people that have different jobs than mine. My favorite thing to do is to ask people about their jobs, which my husband and friends think is a terribly odd trait. However, it's a good reminder for me that not everyone's jobs come with the perks of snow days and summers off, but are also not full of whining kids and administrators who play favorites. Besides, if I didn't ask, I would have never found out about my friend who is a physician assistant. Her whole job is to assist with robot performed surgeries. Basically, she moves internal organs out of the way while a doctor uses a nintendo-like remote to guide a robot to perform precise surgeries.

That's freaking awesome.

So, moral of the story, I hope you remember today to try and find ways to value the positives of your job more than the negative, and to appreciate the people in your life who are unsung heroes in their jobs. This unsung hero will be home tomorrow, using her snow day to count the many reasons she loves her job. Happy Tuesday!

Around the House

2011-01-27T18:55:00.008-06:00

Kev has class on Thursdays, which means that I spend Thursdays alone with whatever plans I make. This might make me the worst wife ever, but I sort of like the odd weeknight at home alone. Generally, I spend these nights on the couch with the cats and a book, avoiding my to-do lists and alternating between reading and watching my guilty pleasure tv that Kev abhors. (Strange side note: while Kev is a gigantic Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 fan, he will not watch more than 10 seconds of 16 and Pregnant. He says that actually seeing how young the girls are while they are physically pregnant gives him the creeps. I find this odd.)

Today, though, I finally did something I've not been making time for, and played with our new camera. Yes, for Christmas we were lucky enough to receive enough Amazon gift cards to make buying our dream camera. I am ecstatic, and true to my secret love of all things reading and research, spent some copious interweb time looking for some help getting my creative itch scratched. While I want to use my camera a LOT, I just don't think I'm ready for the traditional photo a day, 365 challenge. However, this blog has a great weekly photo challenge, and I figured that I could at least do that.

Or so I thought. Oops. Somehow, we are now on Week 4, and I spent tonight working on Week One's assignment. Big oops. So, while I'm hoping to catch up with the rest of my photo procrastinating this weekend, here are my favorite shots from Week 1's challenge: Around the House.

While I'm not crazy about my iron being in this shot, it does have three of my favorite things about our home in it: our orange curtains, our dining room light fixture, and our arched doorways. When I think about going home, this is one of the mental pictures I have.

This picture makes me laugh really hard because it so perfectly sums up Kev's and my eating habits. Top shelf full of tamales, lean pockets, chocolate and Ben and Jerry's: mine. Bottom shelf full of meat: Kev.

This picture was just born out of curiosity about shooting with no flash out a dark window. To me, it is Chicago. Porches, exposed brick, and kind of a strange finish. I also like the funk factor of my patterned scarf's reflection on the glass.

I love glasses. They just say "good times ahead" to me. Or maybe that's just the liquid I fill these guys with talking.

I'm not brave enough yet to attempt self portraits, but I kind of like the strangeness of my three paned bathroom mirror. It's sort of eerie, no? Definitely the scariest elbow I've seen all day.

Now if you'll excuse me, I am running late for my usual Thursday night Lean Pocket, pajama and pregnant teen Thursdays. TGIT.

Little Life Updates

2011-01-25T12:55:00.005-06:00

I had a few whole big posts in the works, but then I realized that I probably won't have time today after school to do the kind of life update and reading update and photo updating that I'd like to, so those posts will have to wait for other days this week. For now, here is a teensy list of items floating around my brain.

1) I like the cold, but I wish you could exercise outside in it. I love the snow, and bundling up in blankets, and the sheer adventure of wondering if you will survive when you step out the door, but I wish it was bike riding season, or running season. I know people do both of those things in the winter, but I'm just not willing to risk my life in such ways.

2) Kev and I had a fabulous day on Saturday. We had no plans all day, hung out in our wicked awesome bathrobes (which truly do deserve their own post), read books, played video games, and went out on a fabulously wonderful date to the sushi place near our house, where we drank wine and solved the world's problems. I love my partner in crime.

3) Things have been tough at work lately. Without getting into it, there has been a whole lot of drama. Luckily, instead of letting it bring me down, I'm letting it give me the courage to explore my options and I'm finding some great ones. I've also found a support system of people I never knew were cheering me on ready to help. And of course, I have my man by my side (see #2) and a whole passel of friends to take my mind off things. Life is good, despite the mayhem, and I'm oddly grateful to be going through what I'm going through.

4) I have some kicking reading challenges lined up this year, which also deserve their own blog post, and I'm having a great time with them.

5) I also get to walk my Godpuppy today. He's a corgi and he's silly. More on that later.

6) I'm getting absurdly into the skinny jeans and boots look, although I have a strong belief that people need to wear butt-covering shirts with such apparel. I have seen far too many adult women running around without pants and it makes me uncomfortable. I like to choose whose buns I get to see and when I see them, thanks. What's with that, anyway?

Well, my friends, I know this wasn't much of a post after the two week hiatus, but given a terrifying to do list at work, homework, and a friend's birthday party tonight, it's the best you are going to get today. Happy Tuesday

Confession

2011-01-11T12:32:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to hell....because of mixed nuts.

Let me explain.

Two years ago, our school piloted being a peanut free school. This meant no staff or students were permitted to bring any peanuts, tree nuts, or products with peanuts or tree nuts (like many granola bars) to school. We were told to abstain in order to protect the kids in our building who have allergies to these kinds of nuts. Students who brought items with peanuts (like peanut butter sandwiches) were forced to sit at a separate table away from the other students. All students had (and still have) to clean their hands with cleaning and de-germing wipes. Teaching assistants were turned into searching machines, sniffing out traces of nuts.

After some parent outcry, they lifted the ban last year, and we were "encouraged to abstain" from bringing nuts. We have big yellow signs on every door with notes from our district superintendent encouraging us not to bring these items to school. The kids are still wiping down before they start the day and at lunch, but now it's the allergy kids who sit at their own table (with friends who have sanctioned lunches).
As for me? I've become a nut felon. Most of the time, I try to eat according to a healthy eating plan, and this plan recommends that we eat a thumb sized serving of a healthy fat (like nuts or olives) after each meal. So, deep in the depths of the bottom drawer of my desk, which is inside the tiny office in my classroom, I have a jar of cashews and macadamias.

Although my nuts are hidden, I still feel guilty enough about this to devote a whole blog post to it. Why? I make sure to wipe down my hands after I eat the teensy serving of nuts twice a day, and none of the students that are in my classroom throughout the day are allergic. Most of the students in our school are allergic to peanuts, not tree nuts. And yet, I can't shake this guilty feeling.

Tell me your thoughts. Am I insane for feeling guilty about this? Or do I need a good punch in the face for eating my nuts so cavalierly? I need some outside perspective on this one.

2011

2011-01-06T21:01:00.003-06:00

I was going to write a big blog post complete with a picture from each month of 2010, along with some thoughts. However, I realized something: we have big gaps (Jan-May, in particular) with NO photos. Yipes. So instead, here is my resolution for 2011:quiet focus.

In 2010, I feel like Kev and I really settled into being married. We stopped worrying about what our friends thought if we missed or made plans (were we weird because we were the only married couple and we still went out a lot? were we weird if we wanted to stay in?) We also started to really look towards our future. We both started grad school, we bought our condo, and we made more solid plans for our finances. We started eating healthier. We lost some weight. We gained some exercise. (By the way, I'm hoping to learn how to spell the word exercise right on the first try in 2011. It always takes me three tries. Exersize. Excersics. Exercise. Damn.)

You know what I learned in 2010? Growing up isn't half bad. I love the home we're building. I love watching our mish-mosh of college furniture slowly disappear as we hunt for the perfect items for our new place. I love talking about what we might be when we grow up. I love learning things from Kev, like how to jump a car. I love laughing at our 8 trillion weird jokes and arguing over the 8 trillion pieces of clothing all over our bedroom floor. I've realized that I love my life-and sometimes that means not worrying about where that makes me stand in relation to my friends. I'm always going to be awkward, and unique and different and strange. Because as Coco Chanel once said "to be irreplaceable, you have to be different."

So, for 2011, my goals are fairly simple. I want to get back to the goal weight I achieved this summer (damn you, Polish food, cookies, and oodles of wine that added 4 holiday pounds to my gut). I want to quit procrastinating, and focus on achieving a few meaningful things each day at work and at home, and I want to take a few pictures each week to remind myself how lucky I really, really am.

Happy 2011 to all of my family and friends. Whether I see you every day or once every few years, I'm blessed to have you in my life.

Ten Things for Tuesday

2011-01-04T19:12:00.003-06:00

***I planned on doing a long post about what we did over break and New Years, but I'm tired from getting back to work and quite frankly sick of reading other people's posts about how they are too fat, so you're getting this instead.

1) I want to go to Florida to spend some time with my grandparents over spring break. The airfare is not cooperating with this plan. Boo hiss.

2) I'm playing a round of Game-On Diet with my co-workers to start 2011 off right. Fortunately, it's holding me accountable. Unfortunately, eating healthy serving sizes is leaving me STARVING after binge-ing all of break.

3) Today I had a great day at school! My two lowest students (who happen to be sisters) both showed flashes of brilliance today and used more English than I've heard them use before. Sometimes I think I have the greatest job in the whole world.

4) Kev had a major disappointment today. Oddly, it reminded me how much I adore him, because I hurt worse for him than I think he ended up feeling for himself.

5) I love the All-State Mayhem commercials. I still giggle every time I see the high school texting one. I want them to keep airing forever.

6) After a month-long hiatus, I went back to my normal routine of walking my former neighbor's dog. I opened the door and he came running to me. I think he was happier to see me after Christmas break than my students were.

7) I'm absurdly excited that Teen Mom 2 is going to happen. This show also makes me absurdly thankful that I didn't have a child when I was 16. Especially since that child would be 10 now. Yikes.

8) Kev has his 10 year reunion this summer. I'm already a little stressed about what to wear. I hope I can find a fantastic sundress for the occasion, especially since we went to the same high school and I'll know a majority of the people there.

9) I know a lot of people that think that Facebook has made high school reunions obsolete. This makes me sad. What about all the people that I don't stalk on Facebook? What about all the people that are going to appear much more or less normal in person than they do on Facebook? So many questions.....

10)I'm officially addicted to swap.com., which has yielded me a gigantic to-be-read pile that Kev is starting to comment on. I'd better finish my trashy vampire book tonight so I can start reading some big kid books again.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Getting the Magic Back

2010-12-14T13:38:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year, folks. Not Christmastime, not holidays in general. It's the time of year where my students start to drive me a little crazy.

Now, don't get me wrong. My kiddos are just as cute and hard-working as ever. Easily distracted by mentions of the upcoming holidays, sure, but mostly fine. It's me that's the problem. I'm frustrated that our winter benchmark scores aren't higher, worried about the ongoing evaluations I have to submit to as part of being a non-tenured teacher, and antsy for the two week long break that begins next week but still seems so very far away. Last week, I found myself getting downright snippy over stupid things. I even uttered the phrase "shame on you" to two of my students who were food fighting at snack time. Seriously, I said "shame on you" to two students who are still learning English and are clearly a few generations behind any person that would actually be shamed by that phrase. Except for me, of course. I shamed myself by using it. But I digress.

The good news is, I got my mojo back with my kids at the unlikeliest of places: a field trip. Today, we spent the whole kindergarten morning at the Chicago Botanic Garden Wonderland Express, and it was, quite frankly awesome. I had lots of parents show up to help supervise, the kids were fairly well behaved, and we were all in awe over the tons of model trains, hothouse plants, and Christmas trees that we saw. The museum even had a scavenger hunt bingo sheet for the kids to mark with stickers to help them focus on specific things throughout the museum. It was awesome.

Like married life, I sometimes find myself looking for ways to keep the magic alive with my kids. Spending 8 hours a day with tiny, pesky, humans is a lot. Sometimes it's easy to see their flaws instead of what they are: developing humans who are learning one day at a time to make their worlds better. Days like today remind me that when I find myself in a rut with them, that it's time to start something new, so that I can see the best sides of them. One of my naughtiest kids even begged me to sit by him on the bus today, and asked me to hold his hand throughout the exhibits. Say it with me: awwww.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and bored with the routine. It's easy to take the people in your life, both under and over five feet tall, for granted. It's harder to do something unexpected, to break out of the norm and shrug off the responsibilities for a day to get out there and remind yourself why, exactly, you continue to fight so hard for the people that you have in your life. But it's so, so, worth it.

I think I might even survive these next three days :)

It's Really Here!

2010-12-07T15:14:00.002-06:00

Well, folks, I'm writing to you today from the comfort of my couch, where I have been laid up with some sort of heinous stomach virus for the last 24 hours. I would have posted sooner, since I have lots of time on my hands between trips to the bathroom, however I thought that the N key was broken on my computer. Luckily, I whacked it really hard, and it seems to be working. nnnnnn. Yep, we're good to go.

Christmas season has arrived and arrived hard at the Gas house this year. We're stoked. Gifts have been purchased and requested. As usual, my gifts to Kev are probably going to be my favorites that I buy for anyone in my family. He doesn't like to give me a lot of hints as to what he wants, which I take as a personal challenge, however I think I usually guess well. I'll catch you up on what I got him after Christmas, of course.

I'm not going to lie, the first few Christmases Kev and I spent together were kind of tricky. There were a lot of negotiations about scheduling (as in: we can miss Christmas morning at my house to go to your house, but then I will NOT miss Christmas Eve at my Grandmas, etc.) There were also a lot of awkward figuring out of roles. Should I bring a beverage or dish the way real adults do? Do I claim a seat at the kid table even though I married into this family? Why are Kev's cousins making fun of me because I volunteered to help with the clean-up? Tricky business. However, I feel like we've settled in a bit. This is the third Christmas I'll be celebrating with both sets of parents, and we've fallen into a rhythm.

What this means is, I've decided that this is the Christmas that we're going to extend to our home. Now that we have a home that we'll be in for the next 5+ years, we're decorating. Stockings are up. We have a teensy tree that the cats miraculously haven't ruined yet, and I demanded that we celebrate St. Nicholas night on December 6th and fill each other's stockings. Every year since we've been dating, we go downtown to see the Daily Center Christmas tree. Slowly, very slowly, we're inching into building traditions of our own. While Kev thought I was kind of strange at first for demanding a tree and St. Nick's night, he agreed Sunday night after opening stockings that he loved it, and it's something we need to keep. Starting little traditions between the two of us has so far been one of the best things about being married. It confirms once again that I have a partner in crime. It's weird, and adult-ish, but also super fun.

Did anyone else need to take some time to get into a Christmas rhythm with their other half? Do any of you have a holiday tradition or event that you would demand a significant other to participate in? Or are we crazy? Let us know.

Blessed

2010-11-30T15:49:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, and this year was no exception. Fun with my crazy siblings (home from college), our crazy college friends (home from being adults) and spending quality time with the crazy adults that played a large part of my childhood (explains a lot about me). However, a few things happened last night that made me really feel how lucky I am. First of all, we put up our very first tree together. It's a 4 foot tall fake one, and we don't have any ornaments to put on it, but a little ribbon and some dollar store glitter globes did the trick. We also put up our stockings (new from last Christmas) and are getting ready to find a home for the beautiful manger my grandma has bought us. That's actually a good story...for another day.

A family that we are excellent friends with has been hit by a tragedy, and we found out about it last night. The contrast between the sad texts and the happy environment really reminded me how lucky I am for the following:

-Laughter every day
-Knowing every day that I am loved, sometimes for good reasons, and sometimes for no reason at all
-a home that is safe and comfortable
-friends from all walks of life
-my education, even when I complain about it (ahem, grad school)
-the fact that I get to educate others
-stupid kittens that snuggle and entertain
-financial stability in these uncertain times
-a job that challenges, frustrates and inspires me, all daily

Happy Holidays! There's lots to be thankful for, and not just on Thanksgiving. Chances are, if you are reading this, you're on my thankful list. So thanks, just for being you.

Great Escape

2010-11-23T14:55:00.002-06:00

Last weekend, Kev and I went to the wedding of two awesome friends of ours. The groom had stood up in our wedding, and we adore both of them. Even better, we've known then for a very long time, so we were able to sneak out to the suburbs for a weekend of behaving poorly and dancing the night away.

We came back early on Sunday, since we had grad school homework to do and a house to get in order. As we walked up our courtyard, it appeared that the screen of our second-story living room was out. "Yikes," I said to Kev, "I really hope that the screen doesn't have a big hole in it." "I know," said Kev, "Otherwise the kitties would be very cold."

We walked into the lobby of our building to find two things. 1) Our screen, and 2) a sign.

FOUND CAT (LOBBY)
ORANGE AND WHITE
LARGE

We walked in and hunted around our place. There was Dante, hissing beneath a couch and being his generally crochety self. No Felix. Disturbing, since the only route of escape would have been out the SECOND STORY WINDOW.

We called the number on the sign and walked into the condo of the woman across the hall. We'd never met before. Turns out, we'd never met because she is a cat woman in every sense of the word. Embroidered cat pillows, framed cat wall art, three cat condos all taller than I am, six cats. I couldn't even look at Kev while we were in there. It was amazing and terrifying, all at the same time. Last but not least, hiding in her bathroom, Felix.

In the weeks since, Felix has seemed fine, although I doubt we'd be able to tell a difference from his usual stupidly happy behavior. Moral of the story: While you are off behaving irresponsibly in a hotel, your cats will behave irresponsibly at home. Being a pet owner is not for the faint of heart.

Ways I Know I'm Getting Old

2010-11-08T21:34:00.003-06:00

-I have a headache spawned from work stresses, not booze.
-I'm thinking about going to bed at 9:45 to remedy this problem, rather than going out to a bar. Because again, it's some sort of strange sober headache.
-I am only on page 72 of a book I started a week ago.
-I've worn heels out to events without people calling me ahead of time demanding that I do so.
-I saw one of my second grade students wearing a neon comic-book print rain slicker with aviators and plaid pants. I told him he looked like Elton John. He responded "Who's that?"
-I just heard that New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys are touring together and performing mash-ups of their greatest hits. I squealed in delight while driving my Focus.
-I'm going to a wedding this week, which made me realize that if I am ever the head bridesmaid at a wedding, I will be known as the "Matron of Honor." Ew, ew, ew.

Somebody help me.

The Joys of Photography

2010-11-05T13:42:00.006-05:00

Recently, we went to Vegas for our friends' wedding. They had an awesome, low key ceremony that was perfect for the two of them, and as a wedding gift, we borrowed one of Kev's coworkers' fancy shmancy camera so that we could commemorate their big day. Before taking the camera to the Vegas wedding, Kev, his dad, and I headed up to Minnesota to visit Kev's younger siblings at college. I spent an afternoon with the camera and I am now officially addicted. As previously mentioned, I'm trying to become more of a creative, artsy person, and I feel this may help. Unfortunately, the camera is way out of our price range, so I guess I'll just have to post wistfully about how awesome having it was, and then hope somebody reads this and takes pity on me. Preferably somebody with a generous heart, a softness for chatterboxes like myself, and lots of cold, hard cash.

I mean, this camera takes very relaxing pictures of tress:

It also takes pictures of delicious grapes at vineyards:

It can document snazzy fashion choices:

Best of all, it has a multi-frame feature which allows you to take multiple shots with a single push of the button. This option is especially helpful for archiving important moments in sporting events. For example, when Kev's dad out putted Kev in frisbee golf:

That last photo alone should be enough evidence. Have I convinced you that I need this yet?