Ummm, my bad.

Is it possible that so much time has passed since the last time I paid attention to my blog? So much for that dedication to writing regularly that I made in the beginning.

Note to self... must tack blog writing onto list of new year's resolutions... right there with losing 15 pounds, finding a new job, joining a gym or regularly attending Zumba and resolving to keep new years resolutions.

In brief, the past few months have been crazy. A bit of the randomness...

I quit my job, which (let's be honest) I hated. Good riddance MHS. I am currently in a job that I really enjoy, yet I am having a difficult time adjusting to the change in finances. (Thus, the reason for the new year's resolution stated above).

I moved in with my fab boyfriend, which has been amazing! Really, I so thought we'd be biting each others' heads off a week in, but this has been surprisingly easy. Home life is definitely the highlight my world these days!

My sweet little Penny pictured in posts long ago, just turned 1! Oh, how time has flown. And, true to 1st birthdays everywhere, she had a birthday cake, we blew out candles, I sang "Happy Birthday." Only the best for my little girl.

I am pretty stoked that the first six months of 2010 are filled with at least one trip away a month. Travel was a resolution of last new year.... glad I'm finally getting on that.

I turned 30 recently. Don't get excited... I was not. But, thankfully, I have the best beau ever who planned a fab Hilton Head Island weekend... full of boat rides and nice dinners and walks on the beach. 30 came in fabulously... definitely a sign that things are looking up all-around.

For now, I am looking very forward to spending NYE in one of my favorite places (Washington, DC) and looking very forward to a stellar 2010.

Promise to be committed, peeps. Chat with you soon.

Catching up... well, a little bit.

WOW! It's been a while. Some catching up to speed is necessary...

So, I got a dog! Her name is Penny, and I am convinced she is the cutest, sweetest, most well-behaved puppy ever! There's a little barking situation we're dealing with during the day time, but hey, she's a dog.



In other the news, the biggest stress of my life... Speech and Debate... is FINALLY coming to a close. Thank the lord! I manage to still have issues pop up in my day, but for the most part I can breathe now... and go back to being me... and enjoying free weekends. What were those like, again?

Next week... in nine days, actually... I am going to MIAMI! My first spring break vacay since college... Cancun '02, to be exact. And, I am stoked! Good fun! Good beach time! Great peeps! And, one of the most thrilling things... SALSA DANCING.

And, while I wish I could dive into more of the happenings of the past few weeks, I am currently hiding at my computer while chaperoning a fundraiser for Speech and Debate. (I said it was ALMOST over!)

And, I must leave now to stop the kids who are not working, and instead, reenacting their favorite High School Musical renditions. Please know that this is not the high school norm, but that there are a select few Wildcat-obsessed kiddies running around here.

wow...

i swear i didn't forget about my blog. i've just been so busy, i can barely breathe... and it sucks! but, no worries... there is light at the end of the tunnel!

in the meantime, a new post... one thing i've become extremely aware of these days, is how completely clueless some people are... clueless to the world... allowing completely retarded things to come out of their mouth. A few examples from my students:

A student... a senior... asked me the other day why "artistic" had so many meanings. "What do you mean?" I asked. "You know, as in artsy and like those kids who have problems."

While discussing a line from poetry, which read "though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass..." A student asks, "Ms. D, isn't that a sweetener?"

While debating in a student congress, a bill to build a border wall between the US and Mexico, a student makes the comment, "like the Jews."


SERIOUSLY?!?!? Remind me again why I have this job??

West Virginia! Wild and Wonderful...

I went snow skiing this weekend in West Virginia! And, what a great time! Catching up with old friends... spending time in the mountains... playing in the snow... but, looking no where near as fabulous as this woman while skiing.


Skiing is hard! And, after 10 minutes I was ready to kick off my skis and meet up with my friends a few hours later at the lodge bar. And, I should go ahead an apologize for all the f-bombs dropped around tiny ears. Sorry, parents, of all the little kids skiing last weekend in West Virginia... apologies for my unfortunate potty-mouth, but in my defense, I was experiencing both stress and anger.


I did, however, get some schooling from some wonderful teachers. Enter my friends / saints for the weekend:

Thanks their support... and tolerance!... I turned out to be a pretty okay skier. Even managing to fly, almost literally, down an intermediate slope by the end of my second day. And, I love skiing now... love it! Can't wait to go again. I need to remember to plan a massage appointment immediately upon my return to town, but the adventures were well worth all the sore muscle pains in the week that followed.

Note to self... live a little... travel... don't be scared to try new things... and, when playing "circle of death" stay away from the liquor drinks!

Radio...

Upstate South Carolina has a tiny claim to fame tucked away in Anderson... Radio, the permanent mascot and team-supporter of TL Hanna High School (and the leading role for Cuba Gooding, Jr. circa 2004). Radio's story is a touching one, and everyone within the TL Hanna school community sees to accept and respect this man.

Today, I thought of Radio as I was preparing for a weekend, school activity. I have the grand pleasure (sarcasm!) of escorting a group of students to TL Hanna High School this Saturday for a speech and debate competition. And, today as I was preparing paperwork and such, thinking of Radio... a kid made a joke.

ME: You know, Hanna is the real-life setting for the movie Radio.

KID: Oh, Miss D, I bet by now they call him iPod.

Um... snuggies?

I'm sorry, but what is this? And, better question... why the heck are they so popular?

Upon seeing my first snuggie commercial, I thought these things were a crazy joke... one of those ridiculous infomercials advertising junk that nobody really buys, which will someday end up in one of those "As Seen on TV" stores.

But, this thing keeps popping up, and worst... it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I heard on the Today Show this morning that the snuggie has grossed millions. In addition to folks racing to acquire a snuggie, comedians are adding it into their jokes and bits. While I am in agreement with this thing being funny and the root of a good joke, I am not okay with this thing becoming anything close to popular culture... heaven forbid people start wearing them in public.

Wait... I think they already have!

No matter the warmth, people... this is a blanket... with sleeves... that makes you look like you're wearing a tent. Put down the snuggie... and go back to the sleevless blankets. Because, you look ridiculous... and, not in a good way!

Jack Bauer...

I LOVE 24... love it... am convinced this is one of the best shows of all time! I am constantly on the edge of my seat... constantly waiting for what's coming next, wanting to see who's going to die or what terrorist attack is about to happen next on American soil (totally scared about how all of this could really happen in our world today)... all while some love story lingers between Jack and his interest of the season (enter new cute FBI agent he's won over to the side of CTU). But, the most amazing thing about 24, is what this man can accomplish in a day.

In ONE day, he manages to capture terrorists, fall in love, save the country, converse with the leaders of the free world... and the list goes on. Not to mention that he looks quite good doing it... can't we all admit Kiefer's gotten better with age?

As I sit here, taking a break from grading papers, realizing I never stopped moving today yet wondering what exactly I accomplished... my mind floats to Jack.

And, how I need just a little something of what that man's got. So, my Monday TV addiction is now justified... time management skill development.

Gotta' be something more...

I was sitting in a meeting today, a teacher meeting, learning new vocabulary strategies to try with students (which were actually the same vocabulary strategies you hear 100 times in the teaching profession, but presented each time in make-over fashion to look like the new cool thing in education), and the conversation among older teachers strayed from vocabulary to food. And, not just any food but sweet food... desserts, chocolate... indulgent foods. And, when asked by the vocabulary-strategy-teacher who was playing off their silliness to provide a "label" or theme to the group of "vocabulary" they were throwing around, these teachers came up with the following: escape, pleasure, happiness, indulge.

Dear Lord, please tell me that we do not bust our tails everyday, only to grow to look forward to chocolate? I mean, these ladies were borderline orgasmic at the table discussing their "escape" with chocolate.

And, can I just go ahead and put it out there that, that will NEVER be me.

I'm sure things change as we get older... I know they do... every year, I notice something new that is changing. But, I vow to myself never to become so comfortable, so settled, that I look forward to chocolate as my big thrill.

Travel. Now, that's an escape. An escape I don't take advantage of enough. An advantage, I plan to work on taking advantage of more often! I want to visit friends... and go out... and experience the places I live and where I am in my life, no matter the age. How can we get so busy or settled or old or detached in our lives that all of that thrill of living gets replaced with dessert?

To each his own, right? But, this girl chooses to "indulge" in something of a different flavor!

WEAR your music...

Compliments of email alerts from Skirt! Magazine, I have discovered a fab new jewelry company that I feel I must bring to your attention. WearYourMusic.org

At Wear Your Music, you can buy bracelets made from the guitar strings of your favorite artists. From John Mayer, to Ani DiFranco, to Jack Johnson, to Willie Nelson... you can find a plethora of artist options. AND, proceeds go to charity.

You can't go wrong, here. Helping the world and supporting the artists you love. And, their trinkets do not stop with bracelets. Great idea, WearYourMusic.org

I say, Rock On!

What happened to our kids???

I teach high school English. And, I entered the profession to be a positive influence in the lives of children and to help them acquire and keep a respect, maybe even an interest, for literature and the arts. To say that maintaining these ideals isn't always easy in an actual classroom, would be an understatement. But, I am still hopeful... and, I still try to reach everyone with my passion for literature, 'life on paper' as I like to call it.

But, maintaining that passion is very hard when you read things like "he should have tooken..." in a SENIOR's essay. Yes, I teach seniors who still can't avoid writing things like "tooken" on their papers. I also had a student recently who began a formal essay on a Shakespeare play with, "See here, let me tell you something about my boy Macbeth..."

Why is this okay?? What happened to grammar in the lives of school children?

I have taken two years off of teaching, and this is my first year back after a stint in another industry. I taught previously in what some would consider a rough school, and it pains me to admit that even in a better a school and in a better school district, that I have noticed kids getting worse academically. Of course, there are the really strong students, but the college prep students I teach have a much different attitude towards school than I remember having when I was in their shoes.

So, in keeping with what seems to be the theme of 2009, we need a CHANGE America.

Just write...

I would love to be a writer. At least, that's what I like to tell myself. Sometimes I think about how wonderful it could be to leave behind this world of teaching school children (who often drive me completely nuts) and trade it in for the life of Carrie Bradshaw. You know... the column, the big city life, the shoes... I'll take all of that, please.


And, I have spurts of enthusiasm where I contact writer friends and actively seek freelance opportunities, but lately, that enthusiasm has taken a back seat to busy working days. Today, however, I've decided that needs to change. And, while I really do not expect (or want, necessarily) to begin writing for the New York Observer, I stumbled recently across an old gift from a very dear friend that made me realize I wanted to be writing again... regularly.


A Christmas or so ago, my sweet friend Erica gave me a journal, a gift that I still think of as one of my most favorite gifts... mainly because of the quote on the cover. (As someone who takes great pleasure in the insight on the side of a Starbucks cup, I am very much a 'quote' girl.) And, this quote, so simple, has reminded me to do again what I've always loved... "If you want to be a writer, write." Simple, huh? And, eye opening.


So, I have decided again, to write. Even if it is just silly, imperfect ranting. Even if it's a little ridiculous. But, I've decided to jump on this Internet bandwagon of blogging and send a voice out into the world. And, whatever it is... you can be sure that it won't be boring.