A mishmash of the most delicious words
congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word! congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word!
congratulations to myself for making it to the hundredth word!
ugh...i can't let myself get behind again. yesterday was a bbq--and boy, did we oblige. shrimp kebabs, steak, chicken, hot dogs, and hamburgers covered the table in the kitchen, while the countertops overflowed with salads, spicy green beans, and desserts. a dozen screaming kids and their frazzled parents completed the picture. i'm exaggerated a little, but i have to say that i have never seen my house so cluttered with toys and such. i guess this is a small taste of what a teenage party will look like in about ten years. i'm definitely not looking forward to that.
i loved "i dreamed a dream" back in h.s. i actually entertained the thought of using it for an audition for sing, but then i chickened out and joined the backstage crew instead. anyway, i don't think i could have done the song justice. the dreams that i had in h.s. were so fluffy and unrealistic. heartbreak, mourning, and loss hadn't hit me yet. a mere fifteen years later, even though i've lived a little, i still can't say that i dreamed a dream. i still dream my dreams, amidst the busyness; the summer of my life continues...
it's the last entry, the last entry, THE LAST ENTRY OF THE NIGHT! actually, i remember when one of my friends admonished me for writing my e-mails in all caps. i thought that i was just being creative, but she told me that in reality, i was actually screaming my e-mails through cyberspace. this was back in 1999, so netiquette was still new to me. i just got an e-mail from my mother-in-law saying: "CAN YOU BAKE A CAKE FOR YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW'S BIRTHDAY? THE PARTY'S THIS SATURDAY!" it's funny, but i actually winced as i read it.
whew...i'm getting a little tired...but twenty-two entries down...only two more to go. and then i have to go wash the dishes. what a party animal i am. eh...it's only thursday night. tomorrow, i'm going to go see les mis with my husband. it's our date night to the local high school production. i'm pretty excited to see it though, b/c one of my students is playing enjolas, the leader of the rebels. he's a pretty cool kid, but a little on the quiet side, so it'll be pretty interesting watching him belt it out on stage.
the flooding around here has just been so crazy! i have to say that it was pretty nice when we got our early dismissal on monday, but after i drove around route 9, i was really surprised by how much damage there was. i almost got into an accident rubbernecking as i tried to see how badly the streets were flooded. i think the part that shocked me the most was when i passed the driving range and the garden center. both were completely flooded with over a foot of water. small businnesses...a total loss.
i think as i get older, my body just can't take playgrounds anymore. my butt just hurts when i try to sit in a swing or when i slide down the rolling slide. the kids around me, including my daughter, were loving every minute of the awesome playground at the stepping stones museum, but i was grimacing in pain as my daughter convinced me to sit on the swing with her. i was actually relieved when she kicked me off so she could sit there by herself. am i really too old to play?
of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) by e.e. cummings a very nice poem that one of students read during a poetry sharing time that just stuck in my head for some reason. it's one of the few poems that have made it to my wall this year.
on my corkboard:
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear, and whatever is done by only me is your doing my darling) i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows here is the root
one of the coolest dreams i've ever had was in cartoon. i dreamed that there was a seuss-like elephant creature, sitting on a branch, high above a river as the sun set perfectly behind it. it was purple, with an orange tuft of hair on the top of its head, and a seahorse-like tail, hanging down, with the end curled up like a fiddlehead fern. it was just hanging out, with its eyes closed as it appeared to listen to a private song in its head. and then i woke up.
i am so tired even though it's only around 9 o' clock. i think i really wore myself out yesterday. i'm glad that we're going to watch the rest of the brighton beach memoirs movie tomorrow and that my senior classes will be working in groups. i am looking forward to a very relaxing weekend with my friends and family...church should be good. it feels like i haven't gone for a really long time, even though it's only been a week. i just want to sink down into my pillow...
it is so hard finding a nice elegant, but not too formal evening gown. i really don't have any idea what i'm going to wear to my brother-in-law's wedding in june. i'm wearing a traditional korean outfit, a hanbok, during the ceremony, but i have to change dresses for the reception. i was thinking about wearing a simple black sheath, but now i'm trying to find a gray silk chiffon cocktail dress. a smoky gray dress that is not too tight and just sophisticated enough. easier said than done...
we were watching brighton beach memoirs in class today, when one of my students yelled out, "GEORGE!" during the gambling scene, where stanley is shooting pool, one of the hustlers is a young jason alexander. good ol' george costanza. he was actually one of the toughs in the pool hall. it's hard to believe what twenty years will do to a person. i laughed when one of my kids marveled at the fact that he had a head of thick brown hair back then. just you wait, kids...
i just have to rave about the best salsa i've ever had. newman's own peach salsa is incredible! one of my coworkers brought it in for some reason and in less than a day, the whole jar was polished off. i've tried other peach salsas, but newman's own just kicks their butts. i've tried to spread the word about the salsa and it seems to be working. i actually have a jar in the fridge, but unfortunately, i don't have any chips to go with it. sigh.
i have three containers of paint in front of me. i have a cinderella cell phone case to my right and a glittery princess phone to my left. my digital camera is on my right, in front of the phone case and on the right side of the camera is a package of tylenol. in front of the paint, there is a roll of painter's tape. on top of that is a survey about whether or not i liked how the museum handled rh's birthday party.
i've been having all sorts of problems with my computer at work ever since i had the tech people install google earth in my classroom. i love google earth, but if my computer monitor refuses to turn on, then the whole thing is futile. the only conclusion we apparently have is that if i hook up the computer monitor to the t.v., the monitor doesn't work. now the question is, powerpoint capability vs. google earth? i'm afraid to find out if i have to choose....
this gift, she carried her phone around the house. at one point in the day, she came in to my study, casually took out her phone, flipped it open, and proceeded to have a conversation that went something like this: "ok, uh huh, ok, bye bye." after she finished, she carefully put her phone into her purse, swung the purse over her shoulder and sauntered out of the room. i'm wondering if i should be worried. is this an indicator of things to come?
one of the things that my daughter got for her birthday was a metallic pink cell phone toy. there's a big loopy "P" on the front of the phone and when you flip it up, cinderella looks at you from the screen with a demure princess-appropriate smile. the phone came with a bright pink case with pink clear plastic beads adorning the clasp and plastic hearts creating a chain so you can tote your matching phone in style. the day that rh got
sky, only to plummet to the earth, skittering painfully across the pavement. After another tiring hour, we gave up and went inside. the next day, as i was driving home from work, i saw a bunch of kids staring up into the sky. three of them had launched their kites, so far up you had to squint heavenward to see them. as i drew closer, one of them noticed my car and graciously raised his kite string so i could pass. showoff.
a couple of weeks ago, after we got back from a trip to the maritime aquarium (great place to take the kids!), we tried to fly a kite in our front yard. that article from new york magazine, entitled "i, citidiot", came to mind as we ran up and down our street like maniacs, trying to get this kite emblazoned with fish (why?) into the air. the neighborhood kids laughed as they watched the kite tentatively make its way into the
it's hard writing 20+ entries at one go. i'm glad that it's my husband's turn to give rh a bath and that i finished grading three sets of short stories. now i finally have some breathing room. i have to say that it's nice to be able to write. i've just been reading so much stuff that i've forgotten what my own writing voice sounds like. i don't think i could ever write a novel, but these entries will do.
i know i liked the maryland area a lot when we went down to d.c. a couple of years ago to hear my brother-in-law play at the kennedy center, but i never dreamed that my husband would ever entertain the idea of moving down there. i can't believe that he's thinking about putting his practice on the market and joining a group in maryland. it's been tough starting a new business, but still. btw, happy april fool's day! heehee...
i got attacked by a smidgeon of wanderlust a couple of weeks back. i think i had travel envy when two of my friends went to london for a couple of days. i know that i just went to mexico last year, but i really do miss traveling to wild and wonderful places. my husband's parents offered to watch rh for two weeks next summer so we could go to korea. that should be really interesting. the possibities...
i have to confess...after less than a month of careful cultivation, i ended up killing my eggling. so sad...i left it at school for a long three day weekend and all of the beautiful phlox seedlings were dead. it's not really my fault. we ended up having a snow day, so i couldn't get into the school to save my eggling. all of that waiting for nothing! i don't know how gardeners do it. it's so sad...
i finally did it. after years of wondering why edmund was so mesmerized by the wonder of turkish delight, i finally caved in and ordered some turkish delight. amazon.com is really such a great thing. it came in the mail yesterday. it kind of tastes like sweet rice cakes, with powdered sugar. i don't really care for the rose flavored ones, but i do like the pistachio turkish delight. i think i could get addicted too...
i think the more i get to know students, the more i realize how different their lives are from my own. i had them write a creative writing piece based on "girl" by jamaica kincaid. in it, they had to share the rules that they lived by. some of them were told to come home by 1:30 in the morning. where the heck do you go until 1:30 in the morning on a school night?
running around with rh during her birthday party was fun. i was pretty stressed out from organizing everything, but the kids had fun, the parents had fun, and at the end of it all, i had fun too. i'm already planning what i should do for her birthday next year. i should become a children's event planner. actually, i'd rather not deal with the headaches that come with dealing with parents. birthdays are touchy...
twenty four more entries to go! well, i'll start off with some happy thoughts. watching rh running around the room with chocolate ice cream dripping off of her face is just fun. i can't believe that she's already three! i feel like that my life was turned upside down so quickly when she was born, shaken up, and then put right. everything kind of setted into place like snow in a snow globe...
thanks to a kick in the butt by marmelade and toast, i've decided to mend my ways and get back into this word count journal thing. whew...i have a lot of catching up to do! all of the red dates make me kind of nervous. =) sometimes it's just easier to pretend that i haven't really missed any days...but then it just becomes that much harder to catch up when you accept reality...
Whoa. I guess this is what happens when you're waylaid by a stomach virus for almost a week. I think there will be a lot of copying and pasting this week. I know that's cheating, but when I've missed almost a week's worth of entries, I just have to cut corners. Scoff if you must, but if you had the type of week that I've had, you wouldn't be so judgmental.
Whoa. I guess this is what happens when you're waylaid by a stomach virus for almost a week. I think there will be a lot of copying and pasting this week. I know that's cheating, but when I've missed almost a week's worth of entries, I just have to cut corners. Scoff if you must, but if you had the type of week that I've had, you wouldn't be so
Whoa. I guess this is what happens when you're waylaid by a stomach virus for almost a week. I think there will be a lot of copying and pasting this week. I know that's cheating, but when I've missed almost a week's worth of entries, I just have to cut corners. Scoff if you must, but if you had the type of week that I've had, you wouldn't be
Whoa. I guess this is what happens when you're waylaid by a stomach virus for almost a week. I think there will be a lot of copying and pasting this week. I know that's cheating, but when I've missed almost a week's worth of entries, I just have to cut corners. Scoff if you must, but if you had the type of week that I've had, you wouldn't
Whoa. I guess this is what happens when you're waylaid by a stomach virus for almost a week. I think there will be a lot of copying and pasting this week. I know that's cheating, but when I've missed almost a week's worth of entries, I just have to cut corners. Scoff if you must, but if you had the type of week that I've had, you
Whoa. I guess this is what happens when you're waylaid by a stomach virus for almost a week. I think there will be a lot of copying and pasting this week. I know that's cheating, but when I've missed almost a week's worth of entries, I just have to cut corners. Scoff if you must, but if you had the type of week that I've had
Poor kid. Her grandparents came up to hang out with their only grandchild, but her stomach virus acted up with a vengeance. I actually I took a sick day for tomorrow, so hopefully she'll be able to relax a little bit and get better. Maybe I'll be able to get some grading done. I guess this bug decided to stay for an extra 24 hours.
Things not to feed your child after they have suffered from a 24 hour stomach virus: curry rice, chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream, bologna, cinnamon applesauce, seaweed and rice rolls (plain kimbop), brownies, strawberry milk, Pocky crackers, two raw carrots, and some cheese. Granted, she took a nibble or a sip of each thing instead of gorging on all of it, but still...
Early morning phone call from the snow chain; an unexpected snow day; puking child; puking Dog #1; puking Dog #2; trying to get electrolytes into my daughter: "Mmm...lemonade! Don't you want to drink some lemonade? Try some. TRY SOME DELICIOUS LEMONADE!" (How do you make Gatorade look enticing to a 2 year old?); watching the snow pile up, inch by inch; little relief.
The teacher told me that my daughter was listless all day. At one point, she curled up on the floor with her blanket in the corner of the classroom. Apparently there is a bug going around. Despite this heads-up, brilliant me decided that it would be OK to take her to the mall. Well, it was confirmed...in living color. She's definitely sick.
Today, I tried to grade whenever I had a free moment. I've gone through eighty poems so far and approximately 45 Crime and Punishment essays. I have twelve CP essays left, but I'm planning to collect eighty short stories and 65 poetry exams tomorrow. I have no idea why I'm torturing myself like this. It's going to be a long month.
The next day, I ended up picking up some sushi at Neko, where they messed up my order and gave me two salmon skin rolls instead of one eel and avocado roll and one salmon skin roll. I was kind of annoyed, especially since I hadn't eaten anything since 10:30 a.m. and it was getting late for dinner. Grumble, grumble.
All I have been doing for the past three days is going to work, teaching, coming home, and going out to grade for three to four hours. The first day, I ended up going to Panera, getting an iced green tea and a You Pick Two combination. The Asian salad was great, but they messed up my sandwich order...
Today, my daughter went to her very first Broadway show--Beauty and the Beast. She was surprisingly focused and quiet during the entire show, which was really impressive for a child of two. She loved the "Be Our Guest" segment, with the spinning plates and the dancing utensils. Her grandparents had a blast hanging out with their only grandkid.
Some things that really stood out at Saturday's meeting were Google Earth, Google Lit Trips, and the Google Teacher Academy. I was literally blown away by all of these free resources, and even more impressed with the Google headquarters. FREE child care on every floor, where all the walls are made out of glass? I'm so jealous.
It's freezing outside, but I'm already thinking about warmer weather: cherry blossom festival, dining al fresco, weddings, birthday parties, walking around quaint towns, going on road trips to far flung theme parks, chasing after my daughter outdoors, going to BBQ festivals with crazy meat-loving friends, fairs, farm markets, putting my down jacket away for the season...
words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words
Sleepy, tired, need to catch up with my zzzzzzzzs, exhausted, bleary-eyed, somnolent, sluggish, languid, torpid, weary, fatigued, worn out, ready to drop, zonked, tuckered out, ready to pull my covers up to my chin and drift off to dreamland. Even though I only watched my husband play hockey today, I feel like I played...
I was so tempted to cut off my hair today, but my hairdresser convinced me to keep going until summer. I only have two inches to go before I reach the required 10" necessary to donate. Even though it's for a good cause, I can't but help feel like Medusa all the time.
As I drove my daughter home from gymnastics, she stared out the window at the darkening sky. I noticed that she was creating poetry: Mommy? / Why are the clouds standing still? / The wind is blowing the clouds away / The leaves are touching the sky / Look / The trees are reaching for the sky.
What I won't miss doing when I retire in 1,000,000 years: photocopying ten page packets as a line of disgruntled teachers grows exponentially behind me, filling out all the paperwork that magically appears in my mailbox at the end of the day, grading 120 papers, and waking up early.
Running on three hours of sleep, but fueled by a grande chai latte, I entered rck, ready to amass all the knowledge I could about that newfangled concept--TECHNOLOGY. Apparently, I am years, even decades behind on what is possible: videoconferencing with museums, Second Life, iMovie, Illumination. It keeps on going...
Technology Conference tomorrow! I'm looking at: What Wikis Mean to Modern Instruction, Windows Movie Maker, Podcasting in Education, Exploring the Human Condition, Directing Your Own iMovie, You Thought You Knew It All! Microsoft Word for Teachers, and the virtual learning space in Second Life workshop. This should be inspiring.
One of the best pieces of advice someone ever gave me was travel as much as possible before responsibilities tie you down. London was fantastic, Senegal was fascinating, and Korea was my Wonderland. I think I'm a bit nostalgic for the days when travel was relaxing and doable. =)
Choose one of the following: Student needs to read outside of class. Work is satisfactory and meets expectations. Student often comes late to class, causing a disruption. Is a pleasure to have in class. Works hard but finds course difficult. Has grade range between 90-95 =progress reports!
Quote from Eats, Shoots & Leaves: "It is generally accepted that familiar contractions such as bus (omnibus), flu (influenza), phone (telephone), photo (photograph) and cello (violoncello) no longer require apologetic apostrophes." I wonder why the apostrophe got dropped along the way. Change, change, change...English is cool.
In not so many words: "I must have it!" she declared. "It just looks so delicious, nutritious, splendicious, and every other -ious out there!" So, I sighed / cried / lied, but I then finally gave in and let her reach up and eat the snowman's nose.
Beloved by my sisters: strong, true, smart, creative, strong-willed, no b.s., honest, steadfast, wise and super mom, heartful, thoughtful, open-minded, and loyal. I was surprised by some attributes, shocked by others, but all in all, I think it turned out pretty accurately. Interesting stuff.
"5:00 a.m. It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a cry rang out! I rushed to the room, to see my daughter sitting up in bed in tears. She murmured that she was scared of bees." Snoopy, you have nothing on me!
Desk: A line of frosty trees is neatly divided into three sections, topped with a plastic windowshade, complete with dangling cord. Dozens of books are precariously piled up, leaning ever so gradually to the right. A lone thesaurus props up the stack.
More words around me: support, observance, unsupported, awesome, no refunds, intelligent, signing, birthday, journal, stuff, thanks, serene, wednesday, figures, activity, small, undermine, ink, mousing, extended, team, promotional, woe, middle, myths, august, fiction, warren, hammer, stones, worship, lived, theatre, appreciate, and processing
Fantastik, Windex, Tilex, Comet, Dawn, Cascade, Clorox, Lysol, Glass Plus, Swiffer, 409, Bon Ami, Joy, Jet-Dry, Ajax, Mr. Clean, Soft Scrub, Pine Sol, Scrubbing Bubbles, Drano, and Liquid Plumr. Why can't any of these products clean my house for me?
No matter what I tell myself the night before, I always go to sleep right around 11:15. Granted, this is much better than my pre-baby bedtime of 1-2 a.m, but I really need to set my internal clock back...
A moment to remember: I was holding a friend's baby and feeding him his bottle when my daughter quickly walked over, looked at me with horrified eyes, wailed, "You're MY mommy!", and began to sob huge, heartbreaking tears.
my stomach is killing me...perhaps it's the maryland crab cake, chicken breast with wilted greens and crispy jicama salad, and chocolate cake i had for lunch today at equus. what a great restaurant. too bad i'm sick...
brioche french toast topped with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries; home fries with maple bacon and scrambled eggs, with two slices of freshly baked bread; nutella and banana-filled crepes; breakfast quesadilla; why is my refrigerator empty?
At least I didn't have school on Wednesday and Thursday. I definitely needed the time to work on my audit. I'm about halfway done and then I plan on celebrating by eating a good meal...=)
It's like the germs just keep on swirling around and around, getting both of us in cycles. He had a 105 temperature on Valentine's Day, and now I'm getting really congested. Sigh. Not fun...
We have a two hour delay for tomorrow and we're supposed to find out if there's a school closing by 6:30 a.m. Talk about waiting with bated breath... It was a long day...
SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!! My kids have predicted anywhere from three to sixteen inches. The best headline I've seen so far is from Gothamist: "Big Freakin' Weather Mess Ahead". I am sleeping in!
...borogoves/ And the mome raths outgrabe. My favorite parts are "One, two! One, two! And through and through/ The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!" and "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"...aah, the memories...
...of you who are not familiar with this delightful poem, a small taste... 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves/ Did gyre and gimble in the wabe/ All mimsy were the...
I was listening to Poetry Speaks! (for children) in the car on the way home...and I was reintroduced to "The Jabberwocky", one of my favorite nonsense poems. For those
said my husband, who worriedly monitored me throughout the night. "Your whangdoodle muggamugga is all out of whack." "???" "Your maxillary nerve, the nerve dentists numb before pulling teeth..."
It felt like I had gotten a massive dose of novocaine in my face. Bell's palsy? Stroke? Brain tumor? I cried myself awake all night. "Don't worry,"
does get better. I was grading papers in front of the computer, when the right side of my face (right around the cheekbone) went completely numb.
I think this is going to be a three day entry--now I have 78 words to play with! My excuse: I was sick. But it
"I've got to potty; Now I'm going to my potty party now!" My daughter's new DVD just arrived. Who wrote these lyrics? Help me!
The tree of heaven; golden pennies falling into a can nailed to the floor; Johnny Nolan singing as he walks up the stairs...
My arms and legs feel wobbly, like a newborn foal, but in a nauseating way...nothing cute about it at all...I'm so sick.
No wispy flakes of snow to greet me this morning; smacked in the face with seething ingratitude; this is my Friday.
Literary/poetic terms that twist the tongue: onomatopoeia, stichomythia, synecdoche, alliteration, enjambment, ottava rima, alexandrine, spenserian sonnet, aposeopesis, deus ex machina
SNOW: lethargy slinking into my limbs, drifting into delicious dreams as I hear the most beautiful words: "Two-hour delay!"
pink (rosy, blush, candy, seashell, sunset) + eye (vision, clear, center, knowledge, bright) = not as nice as it sounds
the satisfaction of winning with a 66-point word (torrents)... how sublime...especially since I beat snobier de fiend
the way my throat feels at this very moment: a twisted burr of barbed wire, stuck
Collecting weird and wonderful words: pinkberry, kyotofu, apoop, gardyloo, chimerical, cystitis, petering, yekko, fritters, boobah
the best-laid plans...30 mini quiches, 120 papers, and a cold. not what i expected.
say any of these names five times fast: raskolnikov, svidrigailov, razumihin, lebeziatnikov, avdotya
New words emerge from this plethora of papers: thier, sucess, carys, begining
A glorious chase: ephemeral, magical, captivating, joyous...she stopped short and looked...
Overheard: How old are you? I'm five and five quarters!
words I see: louvered, erudite, more-than-competent, support, taken, complimentary
Dia: Beacon--colossal, immense, gargantuan, tranquil, mind-boggling, eerily peaceful
flurry slurry slorry snorry snowy -- I cheated
Ode to Dahl: Splendiforus, scrumdiddlyumptious, phwisst!
I already forgot to write!
I got my Eggling!
the livelong day
eradicating ennui
Smorgasbord