the results

Iron Chef July was delicious, as usual.

We had Jana's apple honey goat cheese tarts:

Katelyn's zucchini bread:

Cat's Iron Chef debut was impressive with her honey lime enchiladas:

Laura's honey walnut shrimp almost won her the crown:

And I loved Erica's honey banana walnut concoction.

Wait. Never mind. What I meant to say was that I would have loved Erica's honey banana walnut concoction if she had come. She didn't. We were sad.

But, much to my delight, my grilled peaches won me a second consecutive title. Wahoo!!

PS - The orange honey sherbet was gross. And I made a double batch.

Next month: apples.

iron chef july

Iron Chef July is coming up this Sunday. I'm going for a second crown. Wish me luck.

First up: Grilled peaches with mascarpone and honey

Backup: orange and honey sorbet

help

I have finished all of the books I recently bought from Amazon, and need to buy some more. Problem is, I have no idea what to get. I'll probably order 3 books (at least). What do you recommend?

favorite books of all time

A Separate Peace: There's just something about this book that makes me want to read it over and over and over.

Cold Sassy Tree: I loved reading as a kid, but high school English classes had the unique talent of sucking the joy out of almost every book we read. This is the first book I read for a class that I loved.

Jane Eyre: As I was reading this book, I kept thinking "Hey! She's writing about me!"

The Secret Life of Bees: just because of the part about the pepto-bismol pink house.

East of Eden: Remember at the end how Cate talks about being Alice in Wonderland? If you don't, you should re-read the book, because you are missing out.

These is my Words: I am in love with Captain Jack Elliot.

The Power of One: I am also in love with Peekay.

Mindset: This book is simply brilliant.

The Schools our Children Deserve: It completely changed me

Stargirl: It is sad for me to admit that I would probably act just like the boy in this book.

Atlas Shrugged: I read this right after I finished college, and thought it was just brilliant. I started re-reading it a few years ago, and it annoyed me. But it still makes the list, becuase at the time, it was one of my favorite books ever.

My Name is Asher Lev: Made me want to be an artist.

Tale of Two Cities: It's been a long time since I've read this, but it's a beautiful story.

Bridge to Terabithia: Loved it back in 4th grade. Still love it.

recently

A few weeks ago I went rafting with some friends up in southwest Pennsylvania. It was fun, mostly because everybody fell out of the raft at some point. What made it even more fun was that Jana wore her jellies on the raft, fully expecting them to make it to the end of the river. They did not.

Last weekend, my friend Matt took me to his parents house for the weekend. (Matt is my neighbor whom my sister refers to as tiny dancer, for reasons that would be obvious if you were ever to meet Matt.) Despite the fact that I made it very clear to Matt that this in no way means that we are dating, he was more than happy to let his parents believe that we are. And his brother. And his sisters. And his aunt and uncle. Awkward. That's all I have to say about that.

Now, I know that there's not much more awkard than spending a weekend with a family that thinks you are dating their brother (and who also, by the way, live next door to each other on a road named after their family), but watching your roommate's boyfriend feed her peanuts and milk just might beat it. It's a close race, I know, but I think Laura and Zan take the cake on this one.

But on a brighter note, I am going to Philadelphia this weekend with some friends, and am thoroughly looking forward to some baseball, sightseeing, and good food.

For those of you who were wondering, our trip to Dubai is looking to be one of the best vacations I might ever take. We are going to a waterpark that involves sharks (check it out), learning how to windsurf, riding camels and four-wheeling on our desert safari, going to an ice bar (until I get hypothermia), high tea at Burj al Arab, mall of the emirates (with the indoor ski resort), Burj Dubai water fountains, possibly a day trip to Abu Dhabi, and overall making sure that Troy gets close to zero sleep all week. I'm not sure he knew what he was getting himself into when he invited us. Good thing he's so nice.

Besides, any vacation is bound to be awesome with Jana and her jellies and Phil. (Oh, and Ashley.) And Troy.

And although Dubai is going to be hard to beat, I'm sure going to try. Next summer: maybe Greece?

Dubai/Rome trip

Who is coming:

Troy: He is invited mostly because he lives in Dubai and is letting us stay with him. He's nice. Plus, he knows all the cool stuff to do while we're there.

Jana: She's pretty excited to see Troy. And she is funny.

Phil: We decided it's been too long since we've hung out, so if we're going to get together, we may as well do something cool.

Ashley: She invited herself because she was jealous that I was planning a trip without her. Miraculously, she got the time off of work. And she promised to be nice.

Me: Because it wouldn't be nearly as fun without me.

What we're doing:

Desert Safari: Hopefully, Ashley won't die.

The Palms: pretty, pretty beaches.

Jumeirah Mosque: Sounds cool.

The Mall: Troy promised it's way cooler than it sounds. I'm trusting him on this one.

The waterpark: There are waterslides that shoot you uphill!!

and whatever else sounds cool

in Rome:

Visit the Pantheon, Vatican City, Colosseum, Trevi fountain, eat gelato, etc.

happenings...

I just bought a plane ticket to Dubai, with a 3-day stop in Rome on the way home. I realize that three days is not enough for Rome, but I'll make do.

I registered to run in the Ragnar Relay in September with team: Dude, Where's My Van? I will be taking a day off of work for the first time EVER. So worth it. (And yes, I know the team name is cheesey. I don't care.)

Last week, I solidified dates for a road trip to Vermont and Maine for some fly fishing, tubing, camping, hiking, and lobster.

I get to see an old college friend next month for the first time in about 4 years!!

travel

So the other day, I was flipping through my contact list on my phone, and ran across a number I haven't called in 2 1/2 years.

So I called it. And had a delightful chat with an old friend.

And found a new travel partner.

Now my entire mont of August is booked solid with trips to London, Maine, NYC, Houston, and possibly Dubai.

Dear Mabel,

Do you want to be my new bff? You could wear your sparkle shoes, and I'll wear my shiny silver ones. Then we can eat blue slushies together. It'll be awesome.

Love,
Poodle

recipes

since you asked so nicely....

You should probably just go ahead and make a double batch of the sherbet. You will thank me:

Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet

David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

1/3 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

1 lemon, preferably unsprayed

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

• In a medium, non-reactive saucepan, mix the water and sugar.
• Grate the zest of the lemon directly into the saucepan.
• Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved.
• Remove from the heat and let stand until the syrup reaches room temperature.
• Then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
• Whisk the buttermilk into the syrup, then whisk in the lemon juice.
• Freeze according to ice cream maker’s instructions.

For the Parisian Macarons, I used this recipe. They turned out delightful.

more books

Middlesex: Surprisingly engaging. It can be kind of graphic at times, but overall I really loved it.

Me Talk Pretty One Day (by David Sedaris): So far, not my favorite. He makes fun of himself a lot, which usually I am a huge fan of, but it's more depressing than funny.

up next:

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (by Bill Bryson): I haven't started it yet, but I'm expecting it to be light and funny. Good summer reading.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: I hear it's good!

proof

That I actually did win Iron Chef. (Just in case there were doubts.)

Tasting some of the dishes. I was stuffed.

The Iron Chef winner gets to take home the voting box. Yup, we go all out.

amazon

There are three reasons I love ordering books from amazon:

1. They are cheaper than books at Barnes and Noble

2. I always have to order at least three books to qualify for super saver shipping! I'm always looking for excuses to buy more books.

3. Sometimes I forget which books I've ordered, so I get to surprise myself when they arrive.

book reviews

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli (5/5 stars): I'm not sure you will ever find a book that so accurately captures human nature (particularly teenaged human nature). This book is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.

How to Win Friends and Influence People: Not the most enthralling book you'll ever read, and you could probably sum it up in about 1 paragraph, but not bad overall.

Farewell Summer, by Ray Bradbury: I didn't love it as much as I loved Dandelion Wine. Same characters, same author, but somehow not as good. Overall a nice story about growing up and growing old. (Strange ending)

Middlesex: So far, so good. As long as you don't mind reading a book about an inbred family producing a hermaphrodite, you'll love it. Surprisingly funny and refreshing.

iron chef

I made two different items for last week's Iron Chef, to assure myself the win. It totally worked.

First up: Parisian Macarons. I've never tried them before, and had no idea what they were supposed to taste like, but it seems like everywhere I look, people are raving about them. So I gave them a shot.

I loved them so much, I made a double batch for our faculty potluck so that I would have plenty of leftovers to take home and share with Katelyn. (She loved them, and I'm totally a sucker for flattery.) Too bad my coworkers ate all of them!!!

The winner: Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet. I considered making my own cones to go along with it, but didn't have time. If you do not own an ice cream maker, go buy one. If you have never had lemon buttermilk sherbet, make some. (In fact, make a double batch. You won't regret it.) This is probably the 5th time I've made it, and it gets better every time.

Next month's ingredient: honey! Any ideas?

hey, Asher,

want to hang out this weekend?

Love,
Poodle

PS - who thinks we should find Ashley a new job so she can have a life again?

awkward

So my roommate just started dating a guy who is almost ten years younger than she is. (She's 32. He's 23.)

He is an intern. He is not finished with college yet. He completely reminds me of one of my students.

Awkward.

dear luvsac,

Sorry to say, but the dining room is so much better without you. You will not be missed.

Love,
Poodle

end

Tomorrow is officially the last day of school. (Which means that I am already acting as though I'm on vacation - lots of reading, staying up late, and as much sunshine as I can get.)

To celebrate the end of the school year, I started a new workout regimen. The plan is to get in great shape by the time school starts in the fall. Let's just say that I'm not sure I'll be able to lift my arms tomorrow. This one is even better than The Firm. Hard to believe, I know. But so true.

what i'm reading

School is ending. In fact, today was the very last day I taught my students anything new. Which means that I now have time to do my own reading. (Yay for summer!) I have already started in on my reading list (and some books that are not on my list, but I read because there was nothing else available.)

Mindset, by Carol Dweck: I know I said this already, but read this book! Especially if you are a parent. Or work with kids. Or know kids. Or know people in general. If you want a copy, I will send you one, that's how much I think you should read it. Best of all, it's research-based.

How to win friends and influence people, by Dale Carnegie: I've never read it because it sounds so cheesey (seriously?) but my therapist friend recommended it. (He's not my therapist. Just a friend who happens to be a therapist.)

Testimony, by Anita Shreve: Mediocre, at best. I bought it at the airport bookstore because it's about drama at a ritzy private school, which I love reading about since I work at a ritzy private school (and they had approximately 3 titles to choose from). It's overly dramatic, even for a high school drama. Don't waste your time.

The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt: I heard it was good. It was cheap. I'll let you know how it goes.

Farewell Summer, by Ray Bradbury: I loved Dandelion Wine (and Farenheit 451). Hopefully this one will be as good as his other books.

Work Hard, Be Nice, by Jay Matthews: About two men who created phenomenal schools and the philosophies they used to establish them. (The KIPP schools. I hear great things about them.)

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli: also heard that it was good, but really know nothing about it.

any other recommendations? I have all kinds of time this summer.

weekend

So I thought that my weekend, full of reading and swimming and getting a spotted sunburn was really fantastic until I came home and found out that Erica ran off and got engaged!!!

Yay, Erica!!! (and Ben. We like you, too!)

Mindset

Read it. You won't regret it.

Moral of the story: If you want your kids (or students) to be smart and talented, do not tell them that they are smart and talented. Instead, tell them how great it is that they're working so hard to accomplish something difficult.

a million little pictures

I just signed up for this project. (Anne recommended it.) Now I need to decide what I want to document.

looking forward

a few things i am looking forward to:

• Memorial Day Weekend. With Ashley!! It will involve rollerblades, lakes, and Mexican food.
• Summer break. (To be kicked off with a nice long nap in the sun)
• Meeting Asher
• Iron Chef June! (Lemon tarts + lemon buttermilk sherbet)
• Lots of long runs through the woods. (I finally started running again - that hasn't happened since last November. Yikes!)
• Reading Mindset by Carol S. Dweck. (It's our faculty summer reading, and looks fabulous!)
• Working my way through my reading list as much as possible this summer
  
• A pedicure. I may get one on my way home from school today. My feet are currently ugly.
• A trip to Maine (also with Ashley)
• 
  

loss

I did not win iron chef on Sunday.

Someone else did. They also made cinnamon rolls. They were not cooked.

To redeem myself, I brought the leftovers to my students. They told me they were the best cinnamon rolls they have ever eaten. (Sometimes they lie, but sometimes I'm okay with that.)

so...

1. I have this student. He's brilliant. (And totally socially awkward.) He just got rejected from his three top colleges. (Mainly because he's totally socially awkward.) He got mad and put a virus on the school computers that replaces all files with documents named Satan1, Satan2, etc. I think one day this kid is going to completely snap.

2. Today was our very last track meet of the season! (Which is good, because I was about ready to snap.) I almost crashed the bus on the way home from Alexandria. (Don't worry, everyone's okay.)

3. I really think I'm going to win Iron Chef this month. II know I said that last month, but I really mean it this time...) I'm making cinnamon rolls. Who would not love cinnamon rolls?!?

4. I had no idea that The Office started at 8:30 this week!! Good thing I can watch it on NBC.com!!

5. My students took their AP exam on Monday. Some of them did really well. Some of them didn't study. They did not do so well.

question

Would you still be friends with me if I wore this shirt in public? Because I totally want it:

happenings

One of our students brought some sea monkeys to school a few weeks ago, and they have since been living in my classroom. The male sea monkeys grew (very noticeable) testicles last week which has been a source of never-ending entertainment for my students. (So glad I don't teach health.)

The mud run a few weeks ago was quite fun, but not nearly as muddy as the Roanoke run.




I did not win Iron Chef April. I thought for sure I would, but no luck. However, the peanut butter fondue was a little piece of heaven in a bowl. Next month's ingredient: potatoes. I need to find a winner. Sweet potato ice cream, maybe? Who knows.



My students take their AP exam on Monday. My job is just about done.

rubiks

I bought a Rubik's cube a few months ago for $1. Then promptly forgot about it.

This week, I found it and brought it to school with me, just for fun.

My students are obsessed with trying to solve it.

I am obsessed with trying to solve it before they do. (I think I'll win...)

favor (pretty please?)

If any of you need something fun to do this afternoon:

Go to this website.

Save all of the documents and powerpoints on the website. (Make sure you save as and rename them)

Email them to me.

You will receive a prize. And be my new best friend. (What more could you want?)

robot

Speaking of robots, this is what we're currently building in my robotics class. (Not exactly a robot, but still....)

roboman

This is me standing with my co-worker. He decided to dress up like a robot. I just finished track practice. Classy.

dear students,

Whining and trying are so not the same thing.

Love,
Ms. Reed

numbers

13 - school days until the AP exam. I seem to be the only one concerned about that.

19 - school days until the seniors are gone forever. I am definitely not the only one excited about that.

3 - days until the mud run.

5 - times I have lost my keys in the past month.

0 - number of track meets this year involving good weather

4 - days until Iron Chef April! (I'm making peanut butter filled chocolate-covered pretzels - I even found a recipe that promises to make the peanut butter taste just like reeces peanut butter cups. I think I might win this one!)

prom.

So I chapheroned our school prom this weekend. Mostly it was very fun, for several reasons.

First, the food was fantastic. That's all that need to be said about that.

Second, I love high school drama. It is quite possibly the best thing about my job. This year, there was only one visible couple fight (I think this is a record) and only one girl ran out crying. (Typical.) So I would call prom a smashing success.

hate

Yesterday, the weather was like this:

Today, this is what it looked like outside:

We were supposed to have a track meet today. What a perfect day for a meet! Instead, they decided to move it to yesterday. Remember how yesterday it looked like this? And did you notice that that is hail and not just rain? (I did.)

So why did they change the met to yesterday, when today would have been perfectly pleasant?

Because they hate me, that's why.

addict

This game is totally addictive. Seriously. We played it in my class today, and it was a hit.

I had to pretend to be mad that my kids were playing it during psychology. (I wasn't really mad.)

Tomorrow, we get to play again to see how forces, fields, velocity, and energy are related. Stay tuned.

remebering

So, remember how nice and sunny and beautiful it was during the Cherry blossom 5k last week? Remember how I was running in a tank top and capris?

Yeah, me too. Sunshine makes me so happy.

But then yesterday during our track meet, it snowed. I was not prepared. I'm pretty sure I almost died.

The end.

PS - I need a nap in a bad way. And some hot soup.

cherry

This weekend we had the most beautiful weather I've seen in months. We all headed downtown to run the Cherry Blossom 5k. (Katelyn and Anne ran the 10-mile run because they are actually in shape. I am not.) My time was slow. That's what happens when I don't run for six months.

See how pretty the cherry blossoms are? And how warm and sunshiny it was outside? ahh...

Ben came along to be our photographer/packmule. I am totally nominating him as my full-time photographer. You can't even tell what a funky stride I have when I run. (This was right around mile 3)

Nobody looks quite as awesome after a race as they do before. Except for Erica, thanks to her pose.

coveting

I am totally coveting this house. I want to buy it. According to Ashley's economist friends, now is the time to buy.

Holy crap.

I need to buy a book on how to buy a house. Turns out I know nothing about it. And live in a pricey area.

in case you were wondering

Coming back to school after spring break is way harder for teachers than it is for students. Trust me on this one. It has been a long week.

It started off when, thanks to the fact that I insist on wearing heels to work every day, my laptop fell from the table and went splat! on the floor. I cried a little bit inside. My students laughed a lot (not inside).

Luckily, my school was kind enough to serve vegan breaded nuggets for lunch that day! Things are looking up. (I tried to take a picture for my scrapbook, but I forgot to bring my camera to school. Oh, snap.)

But it has been cold and rainy all week. Cold and rainy means the kite festival was not as festive as usual. (It's hard to fly kites in the rain.) Cold and rainy also means that track practice is less than fun.

But it's supposed to get sunny this weekend! Things are looking up again.

take the good with the bad

The Good:

• I am still on spring break!
• Troy is coming home in two weeks! (I had to put this under 'the good' because, although Troy really pretends not to miss us, I know deep down he does. And it totally boosts his ego when we pretend to miss him.) Hi, Troy.
• In exacly 1 month and 14 days, I will no longer have to deal with seniors.
• I am competing in another mud run in less than a month!
• I called my friend a fartbucket today. Instead of accusing me of being immature (which I am) she laughed so hard she cried.
• Everybody is pregnant. (Not me, but everybody else.)
• Certain people make me laugh really, really hard.

The bad:

• I woke up early this morning (6:30) because I had an appointment to get my car checked. Too bad they forgot to tell me that their workers are on vacation.
• It is rainy here. And cold. Is a warm sunshiny spring break really too much to ask?

trip

San Francisco was fun.

There was lots of sunshine.

More wind than I really cared for.

Not quite as much food as I had hoped for. (But the food I had was delicious.)

And yes, I am still a vegan. It is delightful.

break

Spring break started yesterday. It is glorious.

And in just one hour, I am headed to the airport for a trip to San Francisco. If I have things my way, my vacation will consist mostly of food and sunshine.

Dear Bexar,

I am back, and better than ever.

Although the "better than ever" part is debatable. But I am back.

Don't worry, I didn't really go anywhere. I've been here the whole time.

Love,
Poodle

Dear February,

Where did you go?

Love,
Poodle

imagine

One of my students came to class today with an imaginary friend. Just because he knew it would annoy me.

It worked.

update

because it's been a while.

1. Swim team is officially over. I got thrown in the pool. Twice. I was ready for the first one and wore my swimsuit. I was not prepared the second time. All I can say is, it's a really good thing the other coach brought me some clothes to change into. Really. If I had to drive the bus home in 20 degree weather in soaking wet clothes, somebody would have died.

2. Track season starts Tuesday. I bought myself a new pair of pants to wear to practices. They're awesome. I'm actually a little excited about track.

3. Today was our first monthly Iron Chef: Connecticut Ave competition. Everyone made a different dish that somehow incorporated strawberries and we all voted on the winner. The meal was surprisingly delicious. Katelyn won with her apple/cheese quesadillas with strawberry dipping sauce. So good.

4. Ryan came over and offered to carry my strawberries and banana concoction to the dinner. Then he claimed it as his own. Charming.

5. I bought a plane ticket to visit Ashley in Dallas. It's going to be awesome.

6. I'm going to see the Peking acrobats on Friday. We have great seats.

stretch

So, good news. This is our last week of swim practice.

Which means we have had some super productive practices recently. Ahem.

So, my kids have been wondering if it's really possible to fit an entire person inside of a swim cap. Rumor has it, you can. But they just don't seem quite stretchy enough. Now, since I'm an educator and all, and want to encourage curiosity, we obviously had to test it out ourselves. What kind of self-respecting scientist relies on wikipedia to answer these kinds of questions?

Turns out, they are stretchy enough. Awesome.

on being a vegan

It's official. I've crossed over to the dark side, and have officially followed a vegan diet for two whole days. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. Claire has all kinds of vegan recipes that she's sharing with me, and we're checking out the vegan bakery next week.

First up: vegan chili. It's cold here, I love chili, and it's easy. I'm easing myself into the whole vegan cooking thing. I think this is going to be fun.

my weekend

So this weekend is going to be super awesome. I can't wait. Let me tell you about it.

Tonight, I get to stay at work until 9 pm to watch our school's winter musical.

Tomorrow, I get to go to a swim meet until 9 pm.

Saturday, I get to wake up at 5 am for another swim meet. (Yay!) The meet will last until about 2 pm, after which I will head over to my student's house for a team luncheon. After which we will head back to the pool for more swim meet.

I'm practically giddy with excitement.

dear friends who wear shoe size 9.5

I have a sad story for you. But this sad story just might have a happy ending.

So JCrew was having an awesome sale last week. Really, totally awesome.

So awesome, in fact, that these boots, which normally sell for $350, I bought for $50!!!! And even though the only size was a 9.5, and I wear a 9, I bought them anyway. Because who in their right mind would pass up a deal like that?! Not me, that's for sure. (Aren't they beautiful!?) I love them a lot.

But here's where the sad part of the story comes in. As hard as I tried, they just don't fit me. And trust me, I tried really, really hard to make them fit.

So, if you wear a size 9.5, and you want a pair of really nice, genuine leather boots, they're yours for a mere $50 (plus shipping)! (They look great with jeans and skirts.) Otherwise, I'm selling them on ebay for a profit.

snow

This is the very reason I get to leave work at 1:00 today. And the reason I don't have to drive to the swim meet I've been dreading.

I love snow.

don't laugh

But I just might be going vegan. I know, I know. Vegans are annoying. And a little bit crazy. (Seriously, how is milking a cow bad for anybody?) But my friend Claire came over tonight (with dinner!) because she's the best visiting teacher ever, and she bore her testimony of how veganism improves your skin 100%. And I will do just about anything for porcelain skin. (Claire also bore her testimony of charity so as not to be sacreligious or anything.)

I still can eat some sushi. And couscous. And sweet potato fries! And Trader Joe's sells vegan cookies, which for me is a must. Plus, it might be a fun experiment. Don't laugh.

good day

Today is a good day, for two main reasons:

1. Due to the 4-day weekend, there are only 2 work days left this week.
2. I learned how to change my own car battery. It's a piece of cake.

9 degrees

That's how cold it was yesterday. But we still got up at 4 am because, as boring as history books are, it's kind of cool when you're there.



Notice how it's still pitch black outside?

Katelyn was trying to get everyone on the platform to join in the official Obama cheer. I'm pretty sure she made it up. When I say O, you say BAMA, O-BAMA, O-BAMA! Conveniently enough, it also works for Oprah, in case you want to cheer for her too.

The metro ride wasn't nearly as bad as reporters tried to make it sound. We got on the first train that came by, and even got seats! (Well, Ryan got a seat but was nice enough to give it to me.)



This is the last picture we have with Erica and Anne. Turns out, they are way cooler and way more important than we are, so they got to sit on the podium with Barack and everybody else. Okay, maybe not next to Barack, but they were pretty darn close. (Check out the picture Anne got!. Whoa.) I decided I need to start hanging out with Anne more. Not only is she awesome, but she has connections.


See Yo-Yo Ma? And see the girl in the purplse scarf behind Yo-Yo Ma to the left? That would be Erica. And Anne is next to her.

While our view wasn't quite the same as Erica and Anne's, it was not bad.




There were lots of snipers.

And tons of people. (Glad I wasn't way back there!)


Before we could get to our seats, we had to wait in a long line. For about 3 hours. And then wait another 3 hours for the inauguration to actually start. After 5 minutes, Laura was about to give up and go home. It was cold. I guilted her into staying. And let her sleep on me.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow at noon, I will be here:

Watching the 56th Presidential Inauguration.

It is going to be freezing. But so totally worth it. (See what the river looks like today?!)

erica (a week and a half late)

Last week was Erica's birthday. She turned 27, so we all went out for Mexican food. Yum.

There are lots of really great things about Erica, but one of my favorite things about her is her hair. Seriously. Check it out! That is some great hair. I've had hair envy for awhile now.

It's also really great that she let me call her Cripple Hipple when her leg was broken. She's nice. Too bad she has to be all smart and go away to law school. That's going to be a bummer.

parents

Sometimes I hate parents. Sometimes I love them. Today, I love them, mainly because of this email:

"To the good people who toil with Jake Starke on a daily basis, I wanted you to know that you will be able to ease into your long weekend as I am taking Jake out of school on Friday. I believe that there is one exception that Ms. Reed has taken pity on the little boy and may allow him to take his Physics test Friday during his first period study hall after which we will head north. I apologize for disrespecting the school calendar but I want Jake to think positively about colleges, so we are going to tour some in New York and Vermont. And then go skiing. I gather that I have no standing to take him out at this time so must beg for your mercy. "

Dear Mabel,

I miss you and your pink shoes. When can I come back to play play-doh with you? Maybe I'll even bring some of my shiny shoes and we can have a fashion show.

And we should totally invite Caroline over for a slumber party! Won't that be the most fun?!

Love,
Your favorite aunt Poodle

news

So my roommate has a new boyfriend.

He pretty much is Michael Scott.

And that's all I have to say about that.

just for charlotte

because i used to call her Charlotte the Harlot and she's still friends with me. She's nice.

Books to Read:

Teaching Introductory Physics: Okay, snooze, I know. But remember that physics class you took with me once when I convinced you that you wanted to be an engineer? That was fun. And it's honestly one of the best books I've read in a very long time. I take it with me everywhere I go.

The Promise, by Chaim Potok: It's the sequel to The Chosen, which is one of my favorite books of all time. I didn't love it quite as much as The Chosen, but it's still good.

A Long way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier: if you're particular about writing styles (which i sometimes am) you might not love it, but everybody should read this book at some point in their lives.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: a year of food life: pretty interesting.

The Brighter Side of Human Nature, by Alfie Kohn: I've read several of his books, and they get repetitive after you read more than two (he starts to repeat the same stories) but if you've never read anything by Alfie Kohn, you should. It's inspiring.

must-read

has anyone else read this website? #115 is one of my favorites.

Dear people who were just now invited to read my blog,

Um, yeah. Sorry.

Don't think that I forgot about you. I was just letting the anticipation build. Or something.

Love,
Poodle

a mexican christmas

So, the picture uploader thingy is being really slow and, as it turns out, I'm not that patient. I'll have more later.

Before Christmas actually came, we drove out to Cholula and Puebla where we ate some fried grasshoppers (less disgiusting than you might think)

sat on an elephant (because sometimes mom still thinks that we're five years old. That may be because we sometimes act five, but that's beside the point.)

and saw some ruins.

Then we came back to Mexico city for Christmas eve and Christmas day. We made all of our regular Christmas treats for caroling. We were planning on singing Feliz Navidad (because it's the only Christmas song we know in Spanish) but when mom ended up singing what essentially translates into "I want your anus (and happiness)" we decided to forego the song and just deliver plates of food instead. Smart move, if you ask me.

Christmas day, we opened stockings

and took a pinata to the kids at the refugio.

Later, we went to the Zocalo, which during the holidays is a lot like Disneyworld. Except way better, because Disneyworld just isn't that fun. Sorry, but it's not. All in all, not a bad trip so far.

glorious freedom

only two classes left, and i am free for 16 whole days. no more ball jokes or other teenaged antics.

today is the last day of school, and i have received some delightful gifts from several very generous students. these include:

• a $100 gift card to Nordstrom. what should i buy? some shoes? a pair of designer jeans? too many choices
• a gorgeous blue cashmere scarf
• another blue scarf (apparently they're big this season)
• a barnes and noble gift card (awesome)
• lots of chocolates
• candles
• earrings

Today we have our faculty holiday party at our headmaster's house. i am going simply because the door prize is an all-expense paid trip for 4 to cape cod. i am determined that i am going to win.

i am a member of "the reason" which is a club that provides a reason to get up early on saturday mornings. tomorrow morning we are baking sugar cookies to leave on people's doorsteps.

then i'm watching mamma mia with rochelle. and attending the mandarin branch christmas party. i'm going for the food.

not that interesting

to most of you, anyway. probably my mom will pretend to be interested, because that's what moms do. but a math teacher guy wrote this, and i am happy to say that i can (mostly) answer yes. (except for on some days when i'm annoyed. and yes, i am feeling pretty smug with myself right now, thank you very much....)

Evolution of an Educator:

At first, your students don't know anything because you teach poorly, and you know this. Then, you become happily aware that some students are learning. You know that other students still aren't, but you are pedagogically nearsighted and can make only blurry distinctions between the two camps. Your teaching improves and the ranks of the Is Learning camp swells and you know the members of the Isn't Learning camp by name. You develop better methods of tracking achievement and you know exactly what the students who aren't learning haven't learned. Moreover, as you teach, you begin to anticipate the material that will confuse these students. You realize that your intervention can effectively transfer a student from one camp to the other. At a certain point, the technical challenges to increasing student achievement disappear, but the moral challenge remains. Will you do it? Every day, every hour, every student for 180 days, will you do it?

teenagers....

So we're building roller coasters in my class this week. Which is mostly really fun. The only problem is, we're using marbles (which the boys prefer to call balls - for obvious teenaged boy reasons).

Some of the marbles are too big to fit in the tracks that we're using. According to Ryan, Jeff's balls are too big. I thought about asking him how he would know that, but I don't want to encourage this.

We're also using cups for support. Ha. That's freaking hilarious.

Heaven help me. I better get a great Christmas bonus this year.

final exams

So I always give the same bonus question on all of my final exams:

"Explain any concept that we learned this year that was not addressed on the exam."

It gives the kids an opportunity to explain the stuff they studied but that I didn't ask about. Some of them impress me with their knowledge. Some do not. I always get a few interesting responses.

Some of them are blatantly butt-kissing: "I learned that I love physics and that Ms. Reed is the best teacher ever!"

Right. Sure you did.

Some of them are a little funny: "I learned that Michael Scott burned his foot on a George Foreman grill because he likes the smell of fresh-cooked bacon in the morning."

I think I talk about The Office just a little too much.

And my personal favorite: "I learned that Ms. Reed really likes candy."

Awesome.

words to live by

Yesterday, I received this email:

sometimes i underestimate how freakin' awesome you are. then i repent. today i repented.

Love,
Your Repentant Sister

I'm pretty sure I'm going to make my students read it today.

Never forget this. Ever.

The end.