spain, in pictures

This is how we felt when we landed:

After Brian took us on our death tour, we decided to abandon the bikes. But it was naptime in Spain, so we basked in the sunshine while we waited for the bike shop to open up.

We decided that hiking would be safer than darting in front of moving cars. It was beautiful:

While we were in Granada, Ashley decided to dress up as a missionary:

We stuck our feet in the Mediterranean:

Then we were almost attacked by a shark:

I found the geographic center of Spain. I also found a great jacket on sale! Look how cute it is:

The entire main floor of the Prado museum was closed, so we had to find art elsewhere:

my weekend, in pictures

Most of my weekend was spent eating and watching conference in between meals.

Saturday morning, we had aebilskivers for breakfast, stuffed with cream cheese frosting and topped with berry sauce:

For dinner, homemade macaroni and cheese with cheese sauce and steaks marinated in whiskey. I've never been one for homemade mac and cheese, but wow, this was good:

Sunday morning, I made peach french toast (with real french bread):

and chicken bryan with asparagus for dinner:

I think I gained ten pounds.

another story

So, we were sitting around the apartment last week, eating the salads that we had bought for dinner when Julie brings in a box of chocolate and offers every one a piece. Then the following conversation ensued:

Rochelle: Thanks, but I'm trying to be healthy, so I'll pass.

Julie (in a serious tone): But this chocolate is from Switzerland, so it's good for you.

Me: That makes absolutely no sense.

Julie (getting just a bit defensive): Yeah, it does. It's from Switzerland. So it's real chocolate. So it's good for you.

This girl gets stranger every day.

since i've been back

After I slept for a VERY long time, I headed out to DC's cherry blossom festival, where we walked around the tidal basin,

took lots of pictures,

and ate cinnamon almonds. Yum.

Tonight, we're headed out for Sushi. We're trying a new place that we're heard good things about. I'm so excited.

spain

oh, so many stories to tell. we decided that while costa rica was the trip of many adventures, spain was the trip of many stories. such as

• when we walked around the Alhambra for an hour searching for the entrance
• or how, if I had a dollar for every time Brian looked at a map and said "Um, I think we need to go back where we started" my entire trip would be paid for
• or how we rode bikes along the beach in Valencia
• and driving in Spain almost gave me a heart attack

Stay tuned for pictures and details. You won't regret it!

the beast

Since today was the last day of school before spring break, and half of my students had already left for Europe and therefore were not in class, we had contest to see who could build the strongest bridge out of only a few sheets of paper. Here is the winner:

It held 100 lbs of weight without collapsing. It could have kept going, but we ran out of weights. It is named The Beast, for obvious reasons.

I am leaving school in exactly 29 minutes and heading home to pack for my trip to SPAIN!!!

what i've been up to

The majority of my time these days has been consumed with counting down the days until Spring Break and I leave for SPAIN! If you hadn't noticed, it's been kind of all-consuming.

For the sake of well-roundedness, I've taken a few breaks from counting down to listen to non-stop Air Supply and Chicago. I need to defend my title as name-that-cheesey-love-song champion. Brian has no idea what he's getting himself into.

Besides that, I've been reading, enjoying the lovely spring weather, talking kids into signing up for my robotics class, and getting ready for the summer.

numbers

1 - number of weeks until I am in SPAIN

4 - school days left until Spring Break

4.5- average hours of sleep I've been getting per night this week

5- hours of napping Friday afternoon

16-times my roommate and her "boyfriend" have broken up over the past 3 months

5,000 - hours I have spent listening to my roommates complain about each other. Rochelle now calls me "Switzerland". Haha.

tongue in cheek

So last week one of my students left a note on my desk telling me what a great teacher I am and how she learns so much, but still has fun. So nice.

And of course, I hung it up on my bulletin board and made all of my other students read it so they could also appreciate how great I am. I thought it would brighten their day.

Jeff (the same Jeff who lets me call him Betty) has made it his personal mission to win class MVP, and obviously could not be outdone. So he pulled out a piece of paper and with tongue in cheek, wrote the following note:

Dear Ms Reed,

Your work ethic and all-around excellence have continued to impress me daily. Your upbeat attitude and energy infuse the classroom with excitement and adrenaline-pounding anticipation to learn. You give every student an insatiable hunger to want to learn more and more. Great job so far and keep up the good work!

-Betty

spain spain spain

The trip is less than 3 weeks away, and is looking like more fun every single day. So far the plans involve:

• Finding a great deal on a rental car that was a good $150 cheaper than anything else. Same rental company, same car, less money. I don't know how I do it, but I amaze myself with my bargain shopping more and more every day.

• Flying into Madrid on Saturday, and heading down to Granada to see Brian's friends and explore the city. We'll go to church in Granada on Sunday (Easter Sunday), see a little more of the city, and then head out.
  
• We're spending Monday and part of Tuesday biking and exploring around here:



• Then we're headed out to Valencia to see the City of the Sciences, parks, and other adventures:


• Then back to Madrid to see the Museo del Prado and anything else that looks cool. (The details of this part of the trip are still in the works:

ooh, jealousy

My students are doing a project where they pose a question and try to answer it using physics. Most of them picked Mythbusters-type questions like "can dropping a penny off of a skyscraper really kill someone?" or "how many helium balloons do you need to lift yourself off the ground." One kid, however, decided to test the horsepower of different cars, and see how closely it matches the power output on a closed course. Which means that he has access to multiple cars and a track on which to drive.

So he turned in his preliminary data tables last week, which included the tested horsepower of six different cars, including:

Lexus

Corvette

Aston Martin

and another car I've never even heard of, but which I was informed is worth $1.5 million. It's a good thing he's such a nice kid.

school, school, school

So the few weeks before spring break are generally the most frustrating of the school year. While most of my students get more adorable and lovable every day, those few who are not quite as adorable and lovable get under my skin just a little more every day. And I'm pretty sure I annoy them more every day too. Not a good combination. Lucky for me, I only have about 3 kids who frustrate me, but they are definitely trying their best to get to me. Kids can be sneaky like that.

But on another note, I gave a really tricky quiz in my advanced class today, and they did awesome on it. It's so much fun to watch them struggle with a problem they've never seen before, and then conquer it. (Well, most of them conquered it.)

happy weekend

My weekend turned out fabulous. Fun-filled, excellent weather, good company. Saturday, Rochelle and I went to the japanese robot exhibit. The robot part was just okay. More geared towards kids, but I did learn a lot about Japanese culture. Their development of robots is much different than what you see in the US (not that you see much of it in the US) because of their culture and immigration policies. Fascinating. Along with the robots, however, was a "polka-dot" exhibit because "the universe is full of polka-dot forms." Pretty funny.

Then we headed to Guapo's for a mexican dinner. It was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. I still am craving a Beto's-type restaurant. The fruit tart we had for dessert was just okay. Next time, I am making a homemade lemon tart topped with fruit. Much better.

Sunday, we made a Japanese dinner. (Turns out most of my friends here are Japanese, or love all things Japanese. They're rubbing off on me.) It was make-your-own-squid-ball night. Delicious. They're cooked in an ebilskever pan in the middle of the table. In case you can't tell, I had just woken up from my long, long Sunday nap.

For dessert, Brian made brownies and Merry made a rice cake with pretty flowers on it. Both were a hit.

happy friday!

I need this 3-day weekend like nothing else. I am counting down the minutes till I'm free. I have a fantastic weekend planned.

• wake up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to take my roommate to the airport. she is so lucky to have me around.
• come home and eat the breakfast my other roommate promised me if i would get her out of taking laura to the airport. she's a great cook.
• go to the robot exhibit at the Kennedy Center. it's going to be awesome.
• dinner at guapos before stake conference. mexican restaurants in this city are few and far between, but i've heard great things about this one.
• watching children of heaven and eating a fruit tart to celebrate rochelle's birthday.
• a long, long sunday nap
• homemade japanese food on sunday to continue the birthday celebration
• hopefully finishing a thousand splendid suns and re-reading east of eden
• try to plan an interesting lesson on electromagnetic waves. this could be tricky

58 minutes to go...

a nice break

So sometimes teachers and students all need a break from lecturing and note-taking and the overall brain-numbing that high school sometimes is. For my classes, today was that day. It's Friday. It's sunny and warm outside. Nobody felt like sitting in a desk, and I didn't feel like making them.

So a couple of weeks ago, while we were learning about rotational motion, we did a lab involving angular velocity and moments of inertia of a skateboard. But apparently skateboards are going out of style and razor scooters are the new cool thing to have these days. Who knew? Being the good samaritan that she is, Debbie brought her scooter to class today, so I could learn how to be cool too. Now, for those of you who don't know, 15 teenagers + 1 razor scooter = zero attention span. Even with good, hard-working teenagers like the ones I teach. So I scrapped my lesson plan, roped off the hallway, and gave them "razor scooter challenges" , which involved riding the scooter up and down the hallway and running some calculations. Anything I could think of that did not involve sitting in a desk.

The point of the story is, I love my job.

letters

Dear Penn(sylvania),

Thank you for letting me call you Pennsylvania. And thank you also for tolerating all of the borrowing pens from Penn jokes. I know you probably got tired of them somewhere around the first grade, but I just can't resist.

Also, please take robotics next year. You will love it.

Your favorite teacher,
Ms. Reed



Dear Roommate #1,

I have one more recommendation for getting along with your roommates. When my pay stub falls out of my purse, do not examine it and calculate my yearly salary. And then do not compare it to yours. There's a reason I've never told you how much I make. Because it's none of your business.

Thank you,
Poodle


Dear swim team,

Trust me, I am way more happy than you are that the season is finally over. I am praying that I never have to coach again. However, you are all still delightful children.

Love,
Coach Reed


Dear IRS,

Thank you for the tax return. And for allowing me to itemize my deductions. I am looking forward to a nice fat check in the mail.

Love,
Poodle


Dear DC metro area,

Thank you so much for the beautiful weather recently. While I would still love at least one snow day, the warm sun is fantastic.

Love,
Poodle

a must-see

Today I watched A Class Divided. Watch it. You won't regret it.

how to confuse high school students

So our school decided that since our kids work so hard (which they do) and the winter is long and cold (which it is) we would give everyone a day off from classes, and prepared a "Beyond the Books" program for today. Which we did not tell our students about until they showed up at school. We herded them into the auditorium for our weekly assembly and the principal told them to take off their ties and untuck their shirts because all classes were cancelled for the day. And then they stared at us in confused, baffled silence. It took a good 15 minutes to convince them that this was not a joke.

unanimous approval

I presented the proposal for my robotics class to the curriculum board today, and they unanimously approved the course! Mainly because it sounded really cool and they don't know enough about robotics to question what I was telling them.

At one point, I mentioned C programming and that I was sure they had all heard of it. They laughed at me. Turns out curriculum committees are not usually made up or programmers.

i love snow and ice

Simply for the 2-hour delayed start. I love working at a school!

the other one

So I have this other roommate. Not the same one that eats my food and tries to curl up on the luvsac with the Elders, but almost as amusing. And she loves to shop.

So she came home from her most recent shopping venture and was showing us all of her new clothes by trying them on. (something much like a fashion show.) After several lovely outfits, she comes into the room wearing a coat. Nothing but a coat. And this coat has a grand total of three buttons.

Um, Laura, I think you forgot to put your pants on.

No. This is a dress.

Now that's where you're wrong. It's actually a coat.

Well, I know that. But I think it's a dress, too.

Trust me. It's not a dress. Not even close. And she's wearing it to church on Sunday. She has thankfully agreed to wear a skirt under the "dress", but no shirt. We're still working on that one.

tips for living with roommates

This post is written especially for my roommate Julie, who sometimes fails to pick up on social cues. Nevertheless, I love her dearly.

1. When the Elders are over, and one of them decides to sit on the luvsac, since we have limited seating and the luvsac happened to be open, do not sit on it with him. Especially do not crawl onto the luvsac and lie down behind the poor Elder. It doesn't matter that you're not touching him. He will be terrified.
2. When your roommate tells you that she made soup and has leftovers, and that you are welcome to help yourself to the leftovers, this offer only applies to that particular batch of soup. It does not apply to all food in the refrigerator, nor does it apply to batches of soup or other food that may or may not be made in the future.
3. When your roommate promises to leave her camera in the living room so that you can load the pictures we took onto the computer, and she forgets to leave the camera out, you probably should not dig through her closet and drawers searching for the camera. Just wait until she comes home. Pretty please.
4. When one of your roommates gets mad at you for the first time, you should probably realize that this is bound to happen. No matter who you are and who you are living with, chances are someone's going to get annoyed at some point. So do not start looking for a new place to live. Buck up and deal with it.
5. Just because the food in the refrigerator is from an asian restaurant does not mean that it belongs to your asian roommate. Sometimes non-asians eat asian food too. So please do not eat it. Those leftovers were so good and that's all I really wanted to eat when I came home.
6. If we are hosting FHE at our apartment and you don't want to come, just tell us. Do not tell us you're taking the trash out and then never come back. And if you do choose to sneak out with the excuse that you're taking out the trash, do not get mad when we laugh at you for sneaking out.

wednesday afternoon ritual

I have this student named James. he has some anxiety issues. Major anxiety issues.

So every wednesday, he comes into my classroom during his study hall so that I can "help" him with his homework.

And every wednesday, I ask him what he needs help with. Just to stick with tradition.

And every wednesday, he tells me he needs me to show him how to do everything.

And again, for purposes of tradition, I patiently (or not so patiently, depending on the week) let him know that I cannot do his homework for him. So he breathes heavily so that I will know just how frustrating I am being.

Then we work through his homework. And every week, it turns out he knows how to do all of the problems without my help.

But every week, his pen runs out of ink. So he yells at it for ruining his life. And scribbles all over his homework in an attempt to get hie pen to work again.

And then we continue working, during which he narrates every. single. step. And somewhere about halfway through he gets mad again, because he forgot to convert units or multiplied wrong or something, and again he starts yelling at anything in general, when he really wants to yell at me. Lucky fo rhim, he would know that heads would roll if he tried yelling at me, so he takes his anger out on the general space around him. During this time, I usually walk out of the room. Because, seriously. It's homework. Get a grip.

But this is our tradition.

robotics

So after finding out that I will be teaching this summer's robotics class, our school's technology coordinator asked me if I'd be interested in adding a robotics class to our regular curriculum. Of course I do. Now I have exactly one week to write a proposal for my class to present to the board to determine whether or not it will fit into our school's budget and vision for the future.

I'm very excited about this. If anybody has ideas for teaching a HS robotics class, please let me know!

whoa

apparently they're desperate in georgia to improve standardized test scores. i wonder how many of them will cheat to get a bonus.

check this out!

The Flat Earth Society "Deprogramming the masses since 1547": some of my students told me to check out their website, and it's awesome! (in it's own way, of course)

So apparently there's an abundance of "evidence" indicating that the earth is flat. It's clearly a disk surrounded by walls of ice, and the whole so-called "round earth" theory is just a government conspiracy. What exactly they're trying to accomplish by leading us to believe the earth is round is admittedly unclear, but the government has been known to do some pretty strange things.

I found out about this when I asked my students what gravity is and was told that gravity does not actually exist. The earth is a flat disk that is accelerating upward. Duh.

So we're spending class tomorrow going over their "scientific data and measurements" and debating whether or not we believe that the earth is in fact flat. I can't wait.

Check out their FAQ page. It's unbelievably funny.

movie reviews

The Power of One: If you've read the book, you will think that this is quite possibly one of the worst movies ever made. If you have not read the book, you will think that this is quite possibly one of the best movies ever made. quite the conundrum. lucky for me, i've read the book so i know just how great peekay really is (i think i want to marry him) and just how fantastic the real story is.

The Kite Runner: two thumbs up. whether or not you've read the book, it is beautifully made. it follows the story, and while the character development is not quite what i would have liked, the ideas and emotions are presented nicely.

Juno: funny. watch it. teenagers make me laugh so hard. this is why i love my job.

PS I Love You: Oh, my gosh. I was not expecting much from this movie, but it was fantastic. While it's a tragic story, it's all about hope and moving on. With a story like this, it easily could have crossed the line into overly sappy and pathetic, but magically it did not. another must-see.

great idea

so i have this roommate whom i love. i'm pretty convinced that we were twins separated at birth. except for the fact that i look exactly like my mother. and that i'm not japanese. but whatever. the point is, she's great. so we're always talking about restaurants that we should try, but when it's time to go out to eat, it's so hard to make a decision. so we've made a restaurant box. it's simple. take a jar (or a plastic pumpkin - whichever you have on hand), write the names of all the restaurants you want to try. then when you feel like eating out, pick a name and you're set. how brilliant is that?

resolution update

so remember how i was going to eat less frozen food this eyar, in an attempt to be healthy? well, all i've got to say is that it's a good thing i have an asian roommate who makes me go to the korean store with her. because today at the korean market, they were having FRUIT HAPPY HOUR!! Which mean that i could buy bananas for $.25/lb, and containers of blackberries for $.89 each! And 8 tangerines for $1.00. And then i bought some japanese rice and japanese crackers, just because i was so pleased with the korean market.

and just as an update, i still love the elliptical.

next on my list (because there's always a list)

Into the Wild: i just bought it from amazon, and can't wait to read it! It's a perfect book to read during the busy school year, because it's not too long and apparently fantastic. that's the word on the street, anyway.

What's Science Ever Done for Us? what The Simpsons can teach us about physics, robots, life, and the universe. all reviews indicate that it is accessible and entertaining. instead of turning a great show into a boring science lesson, the author explains all concepts quickly, clearly, and with humor so as not to ruin the fun. i'm ordering it next week.

A Thousand Splendid Suns: by the author of The Kite Runner. Will it be as good? I'll find out soon enough!

Inside Teaching: How Classroom Life Undermines Reform - i'm curious to hear what the author has to say, and it would give me more of a background going into the educational policy classes i'm starting this fall. I've read and excerpt, and if nothing else, it's clearly written.

What is the What: By the same author of Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. His writing style is so raw, i'm curious to see how he approaches a book of this nature. i wonder how (or if) his style will change when it's not an autobiography.

more book reviews

13: Thirteen Stories about the agony and ecstasy of being 13 - nice, quick read. it's kind of funny to remember how traumatic middle school can be. most of the stories were well-written, and adequately capture teenaged personalities. while certainly not the most intellectually stimulating, it's a refreshing read.

The Kite Runner: fantastic story about forgiveness and repentance. The main character is a boy named Amir, but by the end you realize the story is actually about his best friend, who remained in the background. The characters and plot were developed beautifully. A must-read.

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold - so far, so good. I'm only about half-way through, but it's getting better and better. I'll fill you in later.

go green

so our school was on the local news a couple months back because we purchase more than 50% of our energy from renewable resources. we're awesome.

something else awesome about our school is that in the fall, all of the apples that we serve are picked at a nearby orchard, where the apple cider we serve is also made. De-licious!

and the most awesome part is that our headmaster has a stationary bike in his basement that he hooked up to a machine that grinds wheat (or other things) while he bikes. and then we use that wheat for our lunches. this all makes me feel very much like i'm living in san francisco, except for the fact that DC is more fun.

crazy, crazy

So yesterday, one of my students asked me if I was "one of those crazy mormons." Which is kind of a taboo thing to ask your teacher. Except that by crazy mormon, he meant one of those mormons who goes bungee jumping and skydiving on vacation, like Doug's family does.

That is much better than the kind of crazy I was thinking of. Like that girl who once got mad and told me that "Jesus never would have done that to me."

Yikes.

one more happy note

just to round things off...

So today i didn't hate swim practice as much as usual, because we were in the weightroom and i got to work out instead of babysit! hoorah! i love the elliptical with most of my heart and soul.

and on another happy note

i bought myself a plane ticket to Madrid!!! and it was $200 cheaper than the last time I checked prices. the countdown is on for spring break 2008!

things i hate in 2008

1. Coaching swim team. It wouldn't be so bad if I were paid extra for it, or if practice were right after school so I have the evening to work or play or relax. But practice is until NINE O'CLOCK PM!!! Even on FRIDAY NIGHT! Apparently they think I don't have a life. Or that our kids don't have lives. And then they think that I'm a good enough driver to drive a school bus into DC. News flash: I'm not a good enough driver to drive anything into DC, much less a bus full of teenagers.

2. I can't really think of anything else.

So on a happier note, I love my classes more every day. This is usually the time of year when teachers and students get on each others nerves. A lot. Instead, we like each other more and more every single day. Hooray!

2008 Resolutions

1. Take 2 educational policy classes this fall
2. Save $XXX dollars. I'll keep the exact number to myself.
3. Get my article published.
4. Eliminate anything unnecessary that is cluttering my life
5. Eat less frozen food. This is where quesadillas come in.

national christmas tree

so my neighbors and i headed downtown to see the national christmas tree, since we live in DC and haven't seen it yet. it's enormous.

I love this picture:

And just to prove that I was really there:

Further proof, if you're a skeptical sort that needs more convincing:

And the White House, just for fun:

Me and my roommate Julie:

Book Wish List

yet again... so many books, so little time

A Thousand Splendid Suns: By the author of The Kite Runner. I hear it's nothing like The Kite Runner, but that it's just as good.

13: Thirteen Stories that Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen: Being thirteen pretty much sucks. They are strange, strange people living in a strange, strange environment called middle school.

Emotions Revealed: The same friend that recommended The Prince has read a lot by Paul Ekman. Apparently it is really really easy to read people if you just know the tricks. I thought he was bluffing until he proved that he could tell me exactly what I was thinking at any given moment. He was alarmingly good at it. I need in on this!

The Evolution of Useful Things: Stories like these could be useful as a segue through my class I should be teaching this summer. (I can only teach it if there is enough interest to fill up the classes...)

some updates

#1: School is out!! Friday was our last day, and I am FREE until January 7!!! We spent the last two days of class building towers and other engineering-esque projects so we wouldn't all go crazy waiting for the final bell to ring.

#2: Our first book club meeting was a success. Everybody liked the book, except for Julie, who at least pretended to. How nice of her. And we ate the chocolates my students gave me for Christmas, and the homemade biscotti that Rochelle baked. Now I need to find The Story of Opal. This one is proving more difficult.

#3: I started reading The Prince, by Machiavelli. It's my friend's favorite book, and I agreed to read it as long as he would read The Schools Our Children Deserve, since that's one of my favorite books. He wasn't thrilled with the arrangement, but it turns out I'm pretty good at making him do what I want.

#4: I am finally going home tomorrow! I get to play with my nieces and nephew, buy them presents, and overall convince them that I am their favorite person on earth.

#5: I woke up early yesterday to brave the outlet malls. We arrived as soon as the stores opened, missed all of the crowds, and partook in all of the early bird specials. I finished my Christmas shopping and then bought myself two pairs of pants for $7.50 each, a sweater for $9.00, and another pair of pants for $3.50. I love bargain shopping.

do you have enough ideas yet, mom?

and this CD would be perfect for my stocking. kasey chambers is my hero.

please don't hate me

but i really want a pair of these boots.

i know they're ugly. hence the name ugg. but boy, oh, boy do they look warm and cozy. and i've realized in the past few days, what with the snow, and the snow delays, and driving the bus in the snow, and going to the Redskins game in the snow, that i need a WARM pair of shoes if i'm going to survive to my 28th birthday. and i would really like to turn 28.

so here they are. these ones are expensive, but there are some cheap knock-offs all over the place that will also be warm. i prefer the tall variety. brown or sand.

stocking stuffers

per mom's request

MAC brow set: my eyebrows need SO much help. seriously.

Black tights. It snowed for the first time today, and it is COLD! Some in winter white and charcoal would be nice, too.

i also really love this coat. although it might be a little big for a stocking. and i might need something hooded for those crazy snow days.

and WARM winter clothes. a pair of sweatpants from my school, as cheesey as that sounds. and of course, i always could use some more books.

book club

book #1: The Kite Runner. My roommate bought it for me for my birthday (she's the best) and i can't wait to read it.

book #2: The Story of Opal. According to Matt (one of the book club co-founders), it demonstrates why we're told to be like children. sounds interesting

book #3: The Count of Monte Cristo: i can't wait to read it again! it's been a few years, and the story is great. i think i'll love it even more the second time around, now that i know the overall plot and can absorb more.

book #4: East of Eden. also an old favorite. everyone should read it. as long as you can handle some of the details...

this is how i impress my students

when we have a discussion in class about how it is physically impossible to eat six saltine crackers in one minute, because the salt dries out your mouth so much, i challenge them to a saltine eat-off.



and then during lunch, we collect all of the saltines we can find and i proceed to eat six in less than a minute. without a sip of water.



now i'm pretty much their hero.

I FOUND A SUMMER JOB!!!

now i don't have to work at anthropologie for $8 an hour. and i can afford this trip to SPAIN i'm planning over spring break.

i get to teach a summer class on engineering design/robotics. i'm pretty sure this is my dream. it pays well, it only 3 hours a day, and each class only lasts two weeks. i get to teach 3-6 classes. wahoo!!!

this leaves plenty of time for sleeping in, reading, and playing in DC. and i don't have to go through any sort of crappy application or interview process.

the moral of the story is: be friends with me. i bring good luck.

dump

today i made the mistake of using the phrase "dumping loads" in one of my questions in physics. and then the class reverted back to second grade for a few minutes. and by a few minutes, i mean the rest of class.

(we were talking about torque and looked at a picture of a dump truck that had tipped over backwards while "dumping loads". haha)

more books on my list

The Story of Opal: This is the first book that my book club will be reading next month. Have I mentioned that I just started a book club?

Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids: American Teenagers, Schools, and the Culture of Consumption: Next on my list after I finish The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager. Seriously, teenagers are fascinating.

William-Sonoma: The Kids Cookbook: Because, seriously, I don't have time to cook. And when I do have time, I don't really feel like cooking. So I need quick, easy recipes so I can stop eating frozen pizzas.

Survival of the Sickest: It comes highly recommended. Sounds like an interesting science book.

What the Best College Teachers Do: It got good reviews, and supposedly has research to back up its claims.

more to come....

"siked"

so i just got an email from one of my students:

"Ms. Reed, I am seriously so siked about this exam tomorrow! I'm not kidding."

and now i pretty much love this girl.

a great book

for anyone who works with teenagers, is raising teenagers, is or once was a teenager.

The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager

okay, so i'll admit that i'm only on chapter 2, but i'm already loving it. so much insight into teenagers, what their lives are like, and the restrictions (good or bad) that our current culture imposes on them. the only disappointment is that it was written in 1999, so facebook and text messaging and some of the recent teenageer-isms are missing. but seriously, read it. it'll make you laugh and make you love teenagers.

my favorite parts so far:

Indeed, if there is any one thing that can make sex dull for teenagers, it is to teach it in high school. So true.

and, to everyone's surprise:

In other words, teenagers are just like people.

book reviews, long overdue

The Power of One: So I totally have a crush on Peekay. Too bad he's fictional. This is one of the most inspirational books I've ever read without even an ounce of cheese. I could read it over and over again.

A Walk in the Woods: So funny. It made me want to hike the beginning of the Appalachain trail over and over again just so I can meet some of these people who try it out.

It's going to make you have, like, you know, a heart thing. Like when your heart stops beating and you, you know, die?

You mean a heart attack?

Yeah, I think that's it.

Slaughterhouse Five: Very unconventional war book. I think I'd read more history books if they were written like this. Although I couldn't really get into it as much as I wish I had.

Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Eh. It was alright. Nothing is really as developed as I would have liked, so it's kind of a choppy read. But I guess that's what I should have expected from a reporter. They find one source that says what they like and move on. Funny thing is, that's what he makes fun of the whole book. Oopsies.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Sad story, but still kind of a feel-good book at the same time. Well-written. I'd recommend it.

Don't try This at Home - The Physics of Hollywood Movies: Every physics teacher should own this book. It's the best resource I've found in a really long time. Don't read it if you don't like movies to be spoiled.

The Teaching Gap: Totally changed the way I teach. I'm trying to talk my roommate into reading it. It makes me want to get into curriculum development.

more stuff i like

mainly because it's easier to decide what i want for Christmas than it is to figure out what to buy Brandon for christmas. Seriously.

This Jacket:

and a sweater like unto this one:

and i kind of like these boots:

actually, i love these boots.

and i need to read this book:

and this is one of my favorite movies of all time. Seriously. Everyone should watch it. Who could not love Danny Deckchair?

And this book has been on my list for a very long time, and i haven't read enough teaching books lately.

and i would like anything of the lavender vanilla variety from bath and body works. hand soap, pillow spray, hand cream, whatever.

three day weekends

oh, how i love you.

okay, mom

Okay, mom. Here's a partial birthday list:

From American Eagle (and all on sale):

This Sweater (xs):


These Pants (size 2 long):

This shirt (xs)

This shirt:

And this shirt:

Then I would also like these sheets. 800 Thread count in light blue for a full-sized bed.

And maybe a blanket like this for my bed:

This mattress topper is TOTALLY on sale. Almost 80% off!!!

And I could also use a large chest for storing my shoes, and another bookcase for my books. There's a chest that I found at Target for $60, but I can't find it online.

And I need a plain colored turtleneck. You can pick the color. Anything but black, because I have black already.

And I would really like to read this book Emotional Intelligence.

And I would pay good money for a batch of your eclairs.

Unfortunately, Anthropologie won't let me copy their pictures right now. But they're expensive anyway.

If you need more ideas, i've got plenty. Thanks, mom!

facebook

so we had an assembly today dedicated to facebook, in which our school counselor informed us all that the biggest danger of facebook is your pride. then she showed us this video. I just about died. then she showed us this video and then this. a little bit funny, but so sad.

dear madre la bomba

thanks for the gift card. it has been put to good use. and by "good use" i mean i bought a pair of completely unnecessary rain boots. but they will keep my feet warm and dry as i make the long hike from my car to my classroom on cold rainy mornings.

you're the best.

love, poodle

birthday list

my birthday is less than a month away. and besides having a joint birthday party with my roommate, i also get my very own personal party. i'm pretty sure it's going to involve sushi, bananas foster chimichangas, and a pinata. and probably some other stuff. i'm still deciding.

in addition to this joint party and personal party, i will be buying myself some presents. because i deserve them. these gifts might include:

• an awesome pair of brown knee boots
• a memory foam mattress topper
• sweaters from Anthropologie
• a nice pair of flats to wear with my winter work pants
• a new pair of winter work pants. preferably from Anthropologie
• blackout blinds for my room
• a light blue throw blanket for my bed
• some tights to wear with skirts in the wintertime
• listerine

name calling

So I have a student named Jeff. I call him Betty. To my surprise, he still likes me. The end.

congrats, baby and little brandon.

my baby sister is engaged! Stop by her blog (and his blog) and tell them congratulations. and check out the gorgeous ring she designed for herself.

i am most especially happy about this wedding because i get to help pick the bridesmaid dresses, and i pretty much love any excuse to buy a pretty dress.

my book came!

yesterday. in the mail. a week earlier than they said. i'm already loving them.

great news

My department head came into my class the other day for a formal evaluation. Just to make sure I'm actually teaching. She filled out an evaluation form, on which she gave me ALL excellent ratings. She has never given a new teacher excellent ratings on everything. Pretty good for my self esteem.

My school gave me my very own tablet laptop. WHOO!!! This will be put to great use. (Namely, Office reruns, Facebook, blogging, etc.) Haha.

4-day weeks make me happy.

weekend recap

Even though I had a 3-day weekend, it was jam packed. I'm not even rested.

Friday, I went to the mall with Sarah, and showed her the beauty of MAC cosmetics. She's hooked. Our neighbor went ballistic when my roommate parked in her spot. I told her she was acting like a child, then ran inside and locked the door, because it's really not a good idea to piss off an enormous angry woman.

Saturday I graded lots and lots of lab reports, ran errands, then watched the DC United soccer team lose. (Hi, Justin!) I'm pretty convinced that soccer is the best sport on the planet. How is it that every other country figured that out before we did?

Sunday was church, an awesome dinner of frozen pizza and peanut butter rice krispie treats. My roommate invited everyone she knows to our house on Sunday night. Then she left in the middle of the evening because there was another party that sounded like more fun. This girl gets stranger every day.

Yesterday I continued grading, planned a lesson, went to lunch with my roommate, and hosted the best FHE all year. Dodgeball was a hit. I am now eagerly awaiting my amazon delivery of:

Don't try this at home: The Physics of Hollywood Movies
The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
and Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity

I'm so excited to read!!!

Books... because I have nothing else to say

Bold those you’ve read.
Italicize books you have started but couldn’t (or just didn't) finish.
Add an asterisk* to those you have read more than once.
Underline those on your To Be Read list.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi: A Novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveller’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange - underline
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible*
1984 - underline
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray - seriously SO GOOD
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Ubervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes
The God of Small Things - underline
A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - underline
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-Five - strange, but pretty good
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - underline
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - gag. never read it.
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers
The Agony and the Ecstasy - reading it now
Feed - best book ever
And so many more...

weekend recap

So even though I couldn't make it to the Turkish festival, it was still a good weekend. Friday I participated in our school's homecoming festivities. The soccer game was great, and we won in overtime. I even had time to watch a movie when I got home Friday. Saturday, I went to a picnic where I consumed way too many caramel apples and donuts, ran into someone I used to know, then went shopping with friends. I bought a skirt on sale for $10 at Banana Republic. I'm wearing it right now. Very cute. I tried to begin the comments that I have to write on each student by tomorrow morning, but got pretty much zero work done. Oops.

Sunday was church, then dinner with friends, and a nap. Awesome.

bummer

So I tried to go to a bluegrass concert last night, but my neighbors took their dear sweet time getting ready, and it sold out before we got there.

And then I was supposed to go to the Turkish festival this weekend with my Turkish friend and his Turkish friends. But then he remembered that the festival is Sunday, and not Saturday like he said.

But it's homecoming weekend. And instead of a homecoming football game, there's a homecoming soccer game. Pretty awesome.

busy bee

Okay, so seriously, I'm busy. I'm averaging 4.5 hours of sleep a night (besides weekends, obviously), and it's not just because I'm working all the time. There's the weekly Office party (as in the TV show, not a work party), way too much shopping, making friends, blah, blah, blah.

So here are a few things that have happened in the past week:

• One of my students got his feet stuck in his lab stool. He started falling over, grabbed his neighbor, and hopped back and forth with the stool between his legs. I'm still laughing.
• One of my students told me that I'm "doing much better" at explaining concepts. Whatever that's supposed to mean.
• Every single student passed my first test. I love these kids.
• I am going to a friend's cabin this weekend to watch conference. I realize that it's just the same watching it at home, but it sounds way cooler to say I watched it at a cabin.
• We started our Movie Physics unit today. The kids love it. Hallelujah for that. It should last about 2 months.
• My pink fur dice were lost in the scavenger hunt we did yesterday in one of my classes. Sad.
• It's Friday. I'm going home.
  

good news

I got to watch The Office last night. WHOO!!! I skipped out of back-to-school night early. Hehe. They loved me anyway.

And then I showed up at school at 6:55 this morning and had a student sitting outside my door waiting for me. (They had their first test today.)

And we're doing an awesome lab in physics next week.

I need a nap.

a few more things

• One of my students had a bottle of fart spray in his back pack yesterday. It exploded during class.
• Tomorrow night is back-to-school night. It is also the season premiere of The Office. They obviously did not ask for my opinion when scheduling back-to-school night.
• Things I lost in my move: a skirt, half of my sanity, and a wedding gift I bought back in June. I suck.
• I am in charge of family home evening in our ward. So anyone who has any ideas (ahem, Katie) please help me. I'm desperate.
• Today we had a delayed opening at school. Great chance to sleep in. Except that the academic dean scheduled a meeting with me for 7:00 am. AM meaning, in the morning. She didn't even show up.
  
• We played a totally awesome game in my physics class today. They loved it. Huge success.
  

okay, fine

Katie's right. I'm not nearly as busy or important as I make myself sound. So to fill you in on what's happening:

• The students at this school are not at all intimidated by adults. Not even a little. I think I like that.
• My job is less stressful, but much busier than I thought it would be. And lots of fun
• I have a bright orange LuvSac in my living room. That's about all I can say about that. I'm working on a plan to move it to the basement without hurting my crazy roommate's feelings.
• I love Loehmann's with all my heart and soul.
• I officially have a retirement account! And even though my retirement money is taken before I get my paycheck, it is still significantly larger than last year's paycheck. And I am paying significantly less in rent, and significantly less on food (since I eat enormous lunches every day, courtesy of BS.)*
• The weather is beautiful.
  
• My roommate thinks I'm totally vain and materialistic. She's probably right.
• My bangs are finally long enough to wear without getting laughed at. I love them.
• In one week, I have cut my daily commute from 30 minutes down to 20 minutes. Backroads are my new best friends.
• I bought myself a beautiful coat from Anthropologie as a back-to-school gift to myself. Totally on sale, and probably the prettiest thing I've ever owned. I also bought a $200 dress on sale for $30. Bargains are also my best friends.
• I went to Ann Taylor Loft and bought a pair of pants, a shirt, three necklaces, and two pairs of earrings. Whoever can guess closest to how much my total bill was wins a prize. And by prize I mean the glory of knowing you're a better guesser than anyone else.

BS is my school. Haha.

sorry for the lapse

I'm keeping busy. But for those who are curious, my school is awesome, my students are brilliant and funny, and my apartment is starting to look cute.

That's all I have time for .

so things just keep getting better

I just found out that next week, I get to accompany the seniors on an overnight rock climbing trip.

And by "seniors" I mean 17-year-olds, not senior citizens. Although I'm not sure which would make for a more interesting trip...

now accepting

So there's a man standing on a particular corner that I pass on my way to work every day with a sign that says "Now accepting Visa/MC/American Express." Clever, and not a little bit sad.

But on a brighter note, my school gave me a computer and classes finally start on Tuesday.

soapbox

Okay, guys. News flash. The fact that marketers slap the name "Einstein" on their product does not make their movies educational. Just a hunch, but I think if he were alive, he might be insulted. And I'm pretty sure that staring at a television screen is not highly educational.

Unless educational is defined as "modeling after our education system." Because staring blankly in front of them is what children do in school every freaking day.

I'm not really sure who decides what goes on in schools, but I'm pretty sure they've never met a child.

So did you know...

That live explosives from WWII training can still be found along some hiking trails in West Virginia? And that if you should find any of these live explosives, you should not touch them, but rather contact a park ranger immediately?

Well, I do.

I also know that there are aggressive bears along some hiking trails in West Virginia, one of which attacked a family in their tent, a man who was innocently hiking and minding his own personal business, and a few other people, all in the course of a couple of days. That is one busy bear.

So we found a different trail. The end.

more love

So there are so many really great things about DC that you don't figure out until you move here. I think I've already done more in the past 2 weeks than I did the entire time I was in Georgia. Such as checking out Alexandria and learning all about its history, checking out Pentagon City, learning about the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and backpacking in West Virginia.

DC loves teachers!

I get discounts at Ann Taylor, the gym, and free checking at banks that otherwise would not offer free checking. I love this city!