My Fantasy Team is named Double D

I have great kickers, someone told me to always get two kickers in case one kicks the bucket, and the pats defense. DelHomme the man and Roethlisberger are my Qbs. It's a weird stock league so there wasn't a draft.

Rachana is in town and we are having a great time. The best Indian food, team iron horse trivia (we won first place!), bbq with the gang at A and A's. And then today we're going to a crab feast and to live it up in the more of Balt. It is really great to have Monday off, I will be catching up and doing some fun stuff around the house in order to get ready for another week in school.

First (& 2nd) Day of School With Students

Things are going extremely well so far. I am very happy with my students, my schedule, my attitude. Unlike a lot of other people, the beginning of school is my favorite because I don't have preconceived opinions of the students or piles of grading I'm not doing. It is also nice to not have grad school yet so I can jump into teaching and then jump into my studies next week. It is also nice to have a long weekend to look forward to. Happy first day of second grade Crash (aka booger)! I hope you really love compound words Maestra heard you talking about. Also, the girls should love school as well this year.

I rarely bother you with lesson plans but here's what you would have done in my classes so far this year. In Forensics: Sketch a crime scene, test sample if it is blood, identify counterfeit and real dollar bills, and fill out an identification card including a fingerprint. In AP Environmental: Conduct a field study to count biodiversity of organisms within a hula hoop and record temperature and weather patterns.

FYI this is the new wing, where I teach. Second floor

travel list

even though I love the list of travels I should take below, I know that on this silly salary and extravagant lifestyle (ha) I cannot afford them all. But hopefully I can see them someday.

Shattered Memories

My roomie nicknamed me a target. A target for breaking stuff and dropping lit cigarretes, used to be referred to as "pulling a paige". I haven't broken a glass in awhile, and even earned kudos from roomie on this fact Thursday night at Red Brick Station. Inspired by Vanilla Basil most recent post about travels I must count myself as extremely lucky to have traveled so much in my life so far. Upon these travels I tend to collect stuff (books mostly) and after a few moves I have misplaced a lot of them. Some of my favorites are my swim suit cover up worn when I went swimming with sea lions and penguins in the Galapagos, my copy of Dracula from Cambridge England, my beach mat from Cambridge MD, my Hofbrau house green sweatshirt from Germany, my Fez carpet and my favorite collection of Hotel Ashtrays from Morocco. If I didn't break it in Marseilles, and didn't break it in Oman, I even didn't break it in Casablanca ... I'm sure you would bet 10,000 francs that I would break it and I did break my favorite Moroccan ashtray today, the one from Hotel La Mamounia. Churchill called it " themost beautiful place in the world."

Places I still have to see
Italy: Coliseum, Parthenon
Greece: To replace Renee Zarkos' dad's prayer beads from 5th grade project
Hungary; Budapest (and perhaps Prague Castle District)
Netherlands: Anne Frank's House
Romania: Count Dracula's Castle
Spain: Basque Bilbao Museum
Portugal: so I can say "the Plane to Lisbon"
Iceland: for the ice ice baby
Egypt: Nile Cruise, Aswan Dam, Abu Simbel, Pyramids of Giza
Kenya: The Masai Mara
Tanzania: Safari
China: Lhasa (Tibet), Three Gorges Dam, Warriors of Xi'an, Hong Kong, Beijing
India: Uttar Pradesh Taj Mahal & Varanasi
Cambodia: The Silver Pagoda and Angkor Wat
Jordan: Petra
Fiji; Um Fiji, to see the coconuts
New Zealand: To Zorb down a mountain and find the lord of the rings
Mexico: Teotihuacan & Monarch Butterfly migration Michoacan Feb/Mar
Guatamala: Tikal
Peru: Machu Picchu
Chile: Easter Island
Mali: Timbuktu for the mosques and to say "I'm going to Timbuktu how about you?"

Cat Stevens was right about saturday nights

I got some money cuz I just got paid, oh how I wish I had someone to talk to I'm in an awful way

There is another good line in that song... had a strange resemblance to a cat named frankenstein...

Apparent Guardian

I have no idea why I am so fond of bookshelves. I have many in my bedroom and many in my classroom and for some reason, if the books are in the right place on the shelves, then I am a together person. However, if the wrong books are on the right shelves, this can make a woman insane! I do not need 100 textbooks from 1990. Same goes with my desk. I can have a gigantic inbox (no jokes here) a pile that goes all the way to my shoulders, but don't even think about moving my post-its.

Wednesday is always science day in the county, so everyone you have ever taught with or worked with in science is there to say hello. It's a little hard, I even had a few people not say hello back (Joe and Nancy can you believe it?). There was a guest speaker who was an astronaut showing us his pictures from space (how 1985) but it was really cool. My favorite was Mt. Everest.
And then I went to a wonderful lunch with Biology girls at Panera Bread, then back to the classroom to get ready. Chili found a typo on a document I have been giving to parents for 3 years (that I got from Nancy and didn't proof read). Permission is required from apparent/guardian. Now - the context could still work. The obvious parent, the one that feeds you, needs to give you permission to go on a walk. Apparently, Mt. Everest is the big one.

Thursday is giant meeting day, so praise the iPhone and expect email.

I took the Poem off the Blog

"No Return...Like a dog curling for sleep"... by William Matthews
I also forgot to mention that I was asked 5 times "What's your last name going to be this year?" and 4 times "How's the dog?" and 1 time from cute boy "I went to your rival high school in the City of Salt, when did you graduate? I graduated in 2001" boy
"I graduated from college in 2001" me
"Did you know John so and so he was your grade" boy
"Umm no I'm old, it took me awhile I got married" me... awkward pause with Coach Iron Horse laughing in the distance...

I will never stop being awkward.

First Day of School Sans Students

I had forgotten what my alarm clock sounded like! I had a lovely drive to work, saw the same guy walking the same two dogs, the same horse, the same parking spot etc etc. It was nice to be back in my classroom. I was certain I wouldn't have everyone staring at me at this faculty meeting because 1) I wasn't new 2) I wasn't crying and then oops, I had to stand up and report for my table! No worries. The principal threw us a great crab feast after school at a nearby park, it was really great except I absolutely hate picking crabs which makes me very unMaryland like. But you get sticky and my throat closes up. How many times will until I learn... leads me to borrow this idea and suggest a Song of the Day: Feel it all by Feist.

Our thoughts are with TNT. We're on call for anything you may need. No worries gentlemen, this too shall pass. Love ya both and see you really soon.
So I dedicate this song to you both!

Don't Think Twice

There ain't no use to sit and wonder why and I've been sitting here a year

The Breakup: A Portrait of Dignity | Funny Jokes at JibJab

HOW TO BREAK UP WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND... | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Worried November

The election is just upon us, changing of the tide it feels like. But I have had the same conversation with 5 people in the Baby boom range*(4 of them "liberal democrats") and they really won't vote for Obama. They fear him, like they feared sharing water fountains**, and it is really really sad. But since I also heard "I'm not very good" at (please don't suggest this could be a fill in the blank) I'm not very good at discussing politics.

But there are 3 things that make me POSITIVE I am voting for the right person for the job. 1) Women 2) Environment 3) Energy. BTW Big Daddy

* I should probably hang with people my own age more often
**This is why I'm not good at discussions, for some reason Econtrario can pull it off without a hitch. Probably because he surrounds it with boring baseball stats.

I can blog I can blog

Ok, that was a painfully long experience of not being able to blog, and now I can, I don't have much to say :) Also it was a painful experience of having an Olympic hangover or as they say on MASH The Wrath of Grapes. Watching the episode when Pierce quits drinking for a week because of a large bar tab. Don't get any silly ideas.

As they say it is raining in Baltimore. I'm so glad Little Hands and Booger are home from the hospital, it will be better now they are home.

The list of places I'm moving to if Obama loses. Bangkok, Belize, Botswana, Bali, Belarus... McSame is McStoopid.

Got Junk?

Ok, this service is fantastic! Go online, pick a time, they come and take all of the stuff you don't want, and it goes away. I literally now only have 1 box of pictures and A LOT of clothes in the basement. Also, the neighbors came out and we talked and talked and comingled our junk. Now the basement that was filled with boxes of dead marriages doesn't look so bad, and hey there might be room for more :)

Water Falls and so do Arches

Reading the paper, blogging, knowing the end of movies, watching PGA, and watching the olympics...crossword puzzling, taking a nap... celebrating 6 days as a veg... My favorite quote from yesterday "I don't read Henry Miller aloud to just anybody, that's why we're BFF". Favorite Commerical from the Commercialization Here I got soul... I can't figure out how Econtrario puts in the vids

Mercury levels huge in Great Salt Lake (possible thesis topic for masters Env. Sci?)
Wall arch falls in Arches National Park (saw this with Maestra on our trip to Moab)
Crash in hospital with rash and fever (feel better kid) (Photo msnbc.com)

Olympics

I enjoyed the opening ceremonies, however, I felt the camera work and excessive self-advertising by NBC was very terrible. Yes, I was going to boycott the opening ceremonies, but I'm glad I didn't. We will be talking about China for the next 100 years as the major force in our global system. We may as well allow people to see that the commies can accomplish goals similar to our own, like watching the last season of ER and buyin cars :)

I went to the zoo today, another place I thought I would boycott. I will post pics soon, I took them on the actual camera and can't find the cable to get the photos off. CC (ms cotton) and I went for a free teacher day, we got in early and saw all the animals without anyone around. Baby Elephant Samson was very cute, otters, penguins, turtles, giraffes, rhino, but no polar bear, no chimps. But we did get to hear the lion roar! Awesome.

Roomie and I played new Olympic betting match that should be began during the opening ceremonies. Roomie picked total number of medals each country would win and I took either over or under that number. Here are some highlights (we did do every country)
Greece 2 over.
USA 98 over
Israel 3.5 over
Japan 20 under
Hong kong 7 under
Cuba 14 over
China 64 over
Canada 38 under
Germany 64 under
Brazil 2.4 over
Russia 57 under
India 7.5 under
Great Britain 25.5 under
Venezuela 6 over
France 18.5 under
Czech republic 14.5 over
Italy 23.5 under
Australia 19.5 over

Last Day of Fellowship 8.8.8

Had a wonderful send off from Cambridge by Pale Ale, No Banana, et al. We went to a nice restaurant in Easton (West of Cambridge) that had an oven! Brick that is. Whiskey-Ginger said "I even like musicals now, like I want to see Pippen, I don't know what it's about". KJ's reply? "Perhaps it's about Scottie". Pippen that is. No laugh. There was a chuckle from BirthdaY BoY, but he admittedly was laughing about something else. So to all of my miscommunications in the land of Science! I had a great time and am honored to have had this opportunity.

Olympic Eve "Made In China"

Photo KSL
Great show on PBS last night about China. On the eve of the summer olympics opening ceremonies, I remember the energy and excitement I felt that winter in Salt Lake 2002. The entire world watching our city, the world symbols of the torch and the olympic rings on the mountain I would watch as I drove to my first year of teaching job that winter. I do not miss driving in snow (MD teachers usually get the day off for snow:) but I do fondly remember driving over the highway with those rings glowing and the torch flame. I also remember the feeling to "wake up and find out that you are the eyes of the world". And I hope that the eyes of the world look upon China, they have 1 B more people than us, increasing their middle class faster than the 50s here, AND have absolutely ZERO environmental legislation. I will be using China as a theme for the environmental classes this year to compare to US. So take a deep breath of not so clean air and enjoy the commercial event of the summer, while buying China made products from Evil Mart. I will. Mostly so I don't have to watch ESPN yammer on about F**ing Brett Fn Favre (JETS??? jets jets jets, you jest)

Answers blowing in the wind, Eyes squinting in the sun

The answer to question below is that perhaps hypothetically I would have been surprised at one's revulsion of hypotheticals. Hey another great example of past being prologue (or frequently repeated sayings being frequently repeated:)

The lab went to lunch today it was beautiful on the river. The experiment worked again today,I had 12/16 seedlings float in two trials outdoors and 3/6 indoors. Hooray! Been a Veg for 48+hrs. May have to consume chicken for dinner, I don't want to be rude or let it go to waste (yet to my waist!) Pierce (PS) be careful here big daddy.

Depends on the time zone

It may have been late night for you, but the sun was coming up here. I only have one question... What if we had met now and not 15 years ago? (Gasp at length of time) "Now that we're all wise and sh*t"

Mr. Bigstuff, Who do you think you are?

Heard this song on the way down here this morning "Oh Yeah! You're never gonna get my love". Hopefully I still have a roomate when I get done with this fellowship.

OK well, I have been an official veg for 24 hours +. I was almost a vegan until I remembered I had my very last quad grande white chocolate mocha latte from starbucks Monday morning and THEN my roomate at the Marsh house brought a cheesecake. Even though I declined her delicious smelling chicken curry for a veggie burger, before I knew what was happening, I had eaten the piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake factory deliciousness. Oh well, let them eat cake :) Nice diet.

Don't Laugh

Health has been on my mind of late with hospital visits past and those scheduled soon... I'm officially on a diet + walking. It is official because I have blogged about it, so it has to be real :) I will talk about it here and it may be boring, but I need to do something, and it may actually help me cook instead of wait till I'm so hungry I order from 33 pizza or go to Chick-fil-a or (my personal favorite...) go to dinner with wine and club sandwiches. This is not in keeping with my philosophies (however very much in line with my last 10 years lifestyle) nor cool like other bloggers who are always talking about buying local and their farmers market finds. With help from the 40 year old Vegan, and Vanillabasil's new vegetarian masterpieces, I am going to give this a go.

Peanut Butter Jellyfish Time in the Sunday Times

(NYTIMES, 2008)
I do enjoy reading the Times online.

The big plan was to go to Boordy for a concert with Big Daddy and Teachers. This was cancelled in route due to possible thunderstorms feared by Superman Teacher and his girl (not quite lois lane like, probably wouldn't smoke and eat cheeseburgers like lois but I did win a bottle of boordy on the null hypothesis of their possible engagement). So went to the Irish Pub instead, had a nice time. T was being T but I didn't take it to heart too much. Roomie and I are working on the issues, but it still is a little weird, also not taking it to heart. They are both nuts. Southern Belle called which cheered me up immensly and she and Southern Beau are on my team and want me to come visit soon. I am still worried about Little Hands. I hope she can play scrabble online with me soon.

It could be a twin thing

My head hurts. It is probably directly correlated to the KJ consumption, but I feel terrible that Little Hands feels unwell. I may be having sympathy inflammed meninges. It may be too soon to joke about but she should change her blog name to little hands big meninges. Lets hope she feels better real soon, and gets some much deserved rest. I swear she does more in one hour than I do all week. This is when it is the hardest to be away from home.

The sources of angst and hair that roomie has solved by putting all the couch cushions perpendicular? Luke, Leia, Han. Leia actually has many names like the Other Cat. Mama, Vamp-panda, Who'stheBaby'sMama, and Mean one. Han also has a few names, Hanz, Baby, Tiny, and recently added My Straw (everytime he sees a straw in a glass of water, he knocks it out of the glass). Oh, and Luke is just Luke with a mighty cool hand.