MERRY CHRISTMAS, FROM H***!

Let It Snow!, originally uploaded by Pink Sherbet Photography.

Temperature was a high of 80 yesterday...EIGHTY! Is it possible that global warming is not really a myth? The air-conditioner went out. A wire burned out or something. When we called maintenance, the guy didn't want to fix it because it's winter and it would violate some repair clause in the lease (Remember the high of 80 part?) I was perplexed (and also sweating... A LOT!) Here's my thought - that policy just won't cut it when my apartment is so hot that I can't get to sleep. I didn't bother to ask him, but I'll bet that the repairman's A/C was running full blast. After a few minutes of brow-beating, he finally caved and fixed the unit. I cranked the air down as far as it would go, buried myself under a couple of quilts, and dreamed of living in a place with four seasons.

SANTA?

Santa Beans, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

Guess how many takes it took to get this shot.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE...

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS 2007, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

The apartment is completely decorated! Woo hoo!

CUT PAPER SNOWFLAKES

Cut Paper Snowflakes, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

Saturday morning, my roommates and I made cut paper snowflakes for the kitchen windows. As we worked, we listened to Christmas records and sat around the kitchen table talking and laughing. Every year, I make snowflakes like these. They're a throwback to the nineties, when I made a batch of Scherenschnitte cuttings as Christmas gifts. Just like real ones, each snowflake is different. My favorites are the ones that surprise me - turning out way better or worse than I expected. Both kinds make me laugh!

GOBBLE! GOBBLE!

Thanksgiving, 1978, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

I woke up this morning, got a bowl of cereal, and planted myself in front of the Macy's parade. How did you spend the first few hours of Turkey Day?

ADVENT COUNTDOWN

Gingerbread Kit, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

Christmas will be here before you know it. It's already in the stores. I know it's still early, but I'm starting to get into the Christmas spirit. JoEllen, Terry and I picked up this kit at Target this weekend and assembled it last night. We also bought a mini live tree there and decorated it for the breakfast table. I found some felt ornaments at Dollar General that are just like the ones I admired at the German Christmas Market last year. Terry picked out some cool mini lights that are frosted globes. And I found some great decorated gingerbread ornaments at Starbucks. Having a week off for Thanksgiving has got me in the mood to kick off Christmas traditions, especially the lazy ones like listening to music and vegging out in front of the TV. I've already watched Rudolf and White Christmas. But some of it is going to take a bit more work. I've also bought my Christmas cards and stamps. Now if I can just make myself go ahead and write and address them. Are you a procrastinator when it comes to cards, early, on time, or do you even send them at all?

STADIUM IN MY MIND

KID VIDEO

DAN IN REAL LIFE

steve carell???, originally uploaded by ashleyv.



I saw Steve Carell's new movie last night and laughed the entire time. I could relate to the character - the way he has to deal with sassy teenagers - and also to being the guy in his large family who ends up sleeping on a cot in the laundry room at family reunions because all the couples get the beds. If you haven't seen the show and need a good laugh, I recommend it.

LOST IN TRANSMISSION

P R N D 4 3 2 L, originally uploaded by Curtis Perry.

My transmission on the Blazer went out in late July, 2005. I fixed it and blamed the problem on the previous owner. Today it's gone out again and I'm staring down the barrel of an over $2 thousand repair bill. Should I just sell the gas guzzler and start making payments on a new one?

THE WAYBACK MACHINE

Sperry Topsiders have come back to the future. No longer forgotten relics from 1986, these puppies are now cutting edge fashion at the Junior High where I work. I noticed that out of all the kids wearing them in 4th period, a few of them didn't have them tied - leaving the long laces hanging free. I didn't want them tripping, so I called over one of the 6th grade girls and showed her how to make a .noose knot. That's the way everyone in my 6th grade class tied them when I was their age (twenty years ago), so I was surprised that none of the parents had passed down this little trick, now that the style has come full circle. The kids now think the knot is the coolest thing ever and are passing it along to the rest of their classmates. I never dreamed I'd become a 6th grade style setter a second time around.

topsiders, originally uploaded by JordanaA.

WELL, THAT WAS PRETTY RANDOM.

Been meaning to blog since getting back from Birmingham, so I'll just cram it all into one posting. First, a rant. Not in the mood for a rant? Skip to paragraph 2. I'm now totally fed up with the lack of things to do on the Coast. While at my sister's for the 4 day weekend, I went biking on a spiffy trail and also walking at a beautiful garden. I found all kinds of cool foods at World Bazaar. And we shopped at Aldi, too. THAT'S RIGHT, Birmingham is so cool that they now have one of my favorite German groceries right there in town. Saves a lot on airfare if you suddenly crave stollen. I also got some Speculaas, vollkorn biscuits, and Bahlsen hearts. I loaded up on marzipan and bought a chocolate advent calendar, too. When I got home, I felt lousy that there's nothing that nice down here. I wish they'd stop building all these stupid condos and put in a decent bike trail someplace. I miss the one down by the boardwalk! There's nothing to do here. I want to go do something. I miss Funtime USA! I miss the bumper boats! Can't they at least build a putt putt place? What are all the vacationing kids going to do here now, spend all their time at the casino arcades? The only thing left to do is walk on the no longer pretty beach or eat at some overpriced buffet.

This afternoon, I got a little relief. Ryan's theatre department put on a show - a romantic comedy. So it got me out of the house. Thanks for that, Ryan. I especially needed a reason to go out this afternoon since my air-conditioning has been on the blink the last two days. Last night, Terry and I played Risk (to curb our boredom), but it was so hot I could barely concentrate on the game! The maintenance guy came by and put some more gas in it, so I think it's good to go now. You'd think that by late October, it would be cool enough to go without a/c, but not so in South MS.

It's 10 days until I leave for Camp with the 8th graders. We'll be in AL from Wed through late Sunday night at a Science Camp. At first I was reluctant to be a chaperone, but now I've gotten used to the idea and am starting to look forward to it. The kids are beside themselves with excitement, so that's helping me get into it. School is so busy now, I'm surprised I have time to ever get bored. I'm trying to not be a work-a-holic, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of having a social life since returning. I'm just at the point of having down time with nothing really to do. I guess I should enjoy that while it lasts. At first, work was kind of freaking me out. Junior High is more of a change from Elementary than I was expecting. But I'm getting more involved and I'm getting to know the kids better, and that's helping. I am working with the newspaper staff and the drama club. We just put the finishing touches on this year's first edition, and we'll distribute it this week. I hope we caught all the typos. In drama club, we are in the middle of casting for the winter show - a musical variation of Dickens' Christmas Carol.

The 8th graders put on their production of Hamlet on Friday. It was an OK performance, but it was hard to enjoy it because the kids in the audience were being so rude. It gave me an idea for a video short. It would be neat to have some really bad kid actors putting on Hamlet and to have the real drama in the video going on in the audience - along some of the same themes as the ones in Hamlet, but in modern terms. Maybe I'll file that idea away for later.

My brother's family will be coming over from Germany this month. I can't wait to see them! He emailed asking what kind of chocolate to bring me. I had to tell him to skip it, since I already went overboard at Aldi over here. Hopefully, he'll bring me some, anyway.

FALL BREAK

Fall Leaves, originally uploaded by Poundstone.

We have fall break this week! I'm averaging the kids' grades and wrapping up the quarter today and tomorrow. I have staff development training Wednesday (the kids have a holiday that day). And then Thursday morning I'm hitting the road - headed to my sister's house. I haven't seen her family in months. I think my last visit with them was January! I can't wait to see them! I'm counting down the hours. How is it that I've lost track of time and waited this long to see them?

BIRTHDAYS, LATE NITE YOUTUBE, AND OTHER SIGNS OF LIFE

I'm up really late (really early?) waiting for my nephew and his friend. They went to a concert in New Orleans and are crashing here before driving home in the morning. Looking for a way to kill the time, I'm checking youtube to catch up on the latest. The site just surprised me by turning up a gem, a young singer with the handle matthewlukesandoval. In this video, his diction and mannerisms remind me of my friend Stefan (who is celebrating his birthday this week), so I'm posting it here. Stefan is also a musician; maybe I can convince him to post a few songs.



Here's a bonus vid, thrown in for good measure

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Sea oats on Biloxi Beach, originally uploaded by ~ Sailor ~.

Today is my mama's 72nd birthday. We had the best phone conversation this morning. I was a little sad when I woke up, but by the call's end she had me laughing until my side's ached. That's my mom!

Terry, Jo, and I took the dog down to the beach this afternoon. We walked in the surf for a while. It's the third time I've been down to the water since Katrina. When I lived on the beach, I used to run the shoreline once in the morning and once at night. It's hard to go down there now, but I may start forcing myself so I can get used to seeing it the way it is now. Plus I could use the exercise. I'm shifting from post-Katrina depression eating back into a healthier lifestyle.

Before we headed out, we walked down to the end of the pier. We talked to some fishermen, and while we were there, one of the guys caught a big Red Drum. I'd never seen one before. It was about 3 feet, and, sure enough, it made a drumming noise.

Walking back down the pier, the sun and wind dried our feet and the dog's hair. Then we hopped into the car and drove up to Marble Slab. I had a Birthday Cake milkshake and only ended up taking a few sips before I trashed it. I guess my loss of appetite was a natural response to all those memories I'd just experienced of being in shape and running twice a day. That's my goal for this month - to finally start using the gym at my new apartment. And to go down to the beach more. And laugh!

PHIL IN THE CIRCLE

I know I haven't blogged in about a hundred million years, but this clip is worth posting, so I'm breaking my streak:

ONLINE NATION

Anybody can be on TV these days. Need proof? Check this out:

THE CUPBOARD IS BARE

I'm happy to be coming back to a top-notch, supportive school district and community. Despite that blessing, I'm a little bit freaked this week because my new classroom is a void: no books, no student computers, no art or school supplies. Yikes!

I don't even have a stapler or a pair of scissors; my desk is empty, without so much as a box of paper clips. I had to scrounge around and beg a filing cabinet from another teacher who had two. I know the principal, my department, and the parents will work together to help me gather resources this semester, BUT what am I supposed to do the first few weeks of school while those wheels are set into motion? I guess it's time to put on my creative thinking cap. They expect me to spin straw into gold. Anybody got any straw?

NEW KEY

Lock Down
Originally uploaded by Andrew Jalali

I've been assigned a classroom! Tomorrow morning, I'm driving over to pick up my key and see what resources are left in the room. I'm expecting tumble weeds and maybe a skull. I'm afraid that I may be stuck with the bare bones listed on the inventory (desks, a file cabinet, a TV, & a set of dictionaries, if I'm lucky). When the previous teacher left, I assume she either took everything else, or the neighboring teachers swept in like vultures and picked the room clean. I see a trip to the thrift store in my future.

I found out I'll be teaching 6th and 8th graders. The broad topics I've been assigned to cover the first semester are leadership, forensic science, space, and independent study. I've taught elementary units on all 4 topics, and I'm looking forward to modifying and building on them now that I have older students. I also found out that I'll be planning my lessons with another teacher who will be covering the same topics with her students. I hope to meet her soon, as I'm eager to get started. The students report August 3rd!

I don't know about you, but I remember when school started after Labor Day. Ah, the good old days...

SIMPSONIZE ME

Simpsons Avatar, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

To promote the new Simpsons Movie coming out in 10 days, you can now make a Simpson-style Avatar of yourself at a couple of websites. The first is the Official Simpsons Movie site. The other is the Burger King Simsonizer. I ran across some of the avatars on flickr - there are even a couple of groups that just formed for them. I tried the online movie one. It's not a striking resemblance, but it was fun to make.