Today I was reading to a Pre-K class (4-year-olds). I got to the point in the book where one character was going to give another the BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER. So, I stopped and asked the kids to tell me what they thought that present would be. Most of the answers were fairly typical...a pony, a motorcycle, toys. And then another kid raised his hand. His answer?
"A machine that pops out hands to grab parents with."
The best part? Not even close to the oddest thing that I've heard this kid say.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
How to know if you've completely lost control of a situation
If you walk into a dark room, flip on the light, and your cat raises her head and fixes you with a steely glare--and you hurry to finish what you're doing so you can turn the light off again--you are not the dominant personality in that relationship.
I was halfway downstairs before I realized what had just happened.
I was halfway downstairs before I realized what had just happened.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Success! And then some...
I didn't find flats I was interested in at Target, but I did find these:
I fell in love with them at DSW, and while they were slightly out of my self-imposed price range, I splurged a bit. I wore them tonight...let's hope they dry out well, because right now they're positively dripping. I hate rain. Thank God moving to Seattle is off the table.
I did find this at Target, which I also wore tonight. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so this was absolutely perfect for this evening--a traditional wrap would have been far too dressy, but I needed something to keep myself warm.
I love this thing. I don't know how I lived without it. I actually bought two, one in grey and one in black, because I didn't know which would go better with my outfit. I was intending to return the black one, but I don't think I can resist keeping it. We may have figured out where all of my money goes...
I fell in love with them at DSW, and while they were slightly out of my self-imposed price range, I splurged a bit. I wore them tonight...let's hope they dry out well, because right now they're positively dripping. I hate rain. Thank God moving to Seattle is off the table.
I did find this at Target, which I also wore tonight. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so this was absolutely perfect for this evening--a traditional wrap would have been far too dressy, but I needed something to keep myself warm.
I love this thing. I don't know how I lived without it. I actually bought two, one in grey and one in black, because I didn't know which would go better with my outfit. I was intending to return the black one, but I don't think I can resist keeping it. We may have figured out where all of my money goes...
I have better things to do than spend my afternoon waiting in line.
I wonder how much of our lives we spend waiting in the bank's drive-thru lane. I'm on about 15 minutes right now, and I'm still third in line. Don't these people know I have things to do? I need to run by Target (love that store!) to look for a pair of black flats--I'm broke but I desperately need new shoes. As an aside, can I just note how much I love the fact that broke these days means something completely different than it did five years ago? Having money that it is not prudent to spend is a million times better than legitimately not having the money at all.
But I digress. I've scrubbed the idea of going to the grocery store, but I'm bound and determined to go to the gym today. And I need to pick up my drycleaning, shower and be in DC to meet K. by 7.
Perhaps the bank needs to get a move on.
But I digress. I've scrubbed the idea of going to the grocery store, but I'm bound and determined to go to the gym today. And I need to pick up my drycleaning, shower and be in DC to meet K. by 7.
Perhaps the bank needs to get a move on.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Spring Break Randomness
On Spring Break...
Thank God it's here. I don't think I could have handled another week at work...this is perfect for letting me recharge my batteries and make it through the end of the year. This year has been absolutely brutal.
On television obsessions...
I watched six hours of Chuck last night, and another hour this morning. I love DVDs and online TV. Who wants to wait a week for a new episode? OD on it all at once.
On working out...
I seem to have turned over a new leaf all of a sudden. Today marks the third day in a row I've been to the gym, and the fifth day in a row I've gotten serious premeditated exercise. Let's see if I can keep it up...I went clothes shopping yesterday and I was not happy.
On dinner...
I'm supposed to be in Annapolis in an hour and 15 minutes, and I have not yet showered from the gym. Perhaps I will be late.
Thank God it's here. I don't think I could have handled another week at work...this is perfect for letting me recharge my batteries and make it through the end of the year. This year has been absolutely brutal.
On television obsessions...
I watched six hours of Chuck last night, and another hour this morning. I love DVDs and online TV. Who wants to wait a week for a new episode? OD on it all at once.
On working out...
I seem to have turned over a new leaf all of a sudden. Today marks the third day in a row I've been to the gym, and the fifth day in a row I've gotten serious premeditated exercise. Let's see if I can keep it up...I went clothes shopping yesterday and I was not happy.
On dinner...
I'm supposed to be in Annapolis in an hour and 15 minutes, and I have not yet showered from the gym. Perhaps I will be late.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Another bubble burst...
I've been reading a LOT lately, and much of it has centered on fiction set in England (or among English people) between about 1850 and 1920. I read the descriptions of the parties and such, and every once in awhile I think that it might have been fun to live back then.
Then I remember. I'm Irish. I would have been the parlormaid.
Crap.
Then I remember. I'm Irish. I would have been the parlormaid.
Crap.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Better Days
I don't write often about work. At least once every couple of days, something happens that I think would make a great blog post, but I'm a pretty lazy blogger. I'm trying to get better, but usually I just forget.
Today, I had a bad day at work. And as I was thinking about the fact that teaching has such high highs and such low lows, I thought about the fact that I should probably write down some of the things that aren't bad so that I can look to them when I have a day like today.**
This story actually happened last Friday. In celebration of Black History Month, we had a troupe of African drummers and dancers in for an assembly. I attended with class made up of 3- and 4-year-olds, since the assembly fell during their library time. The program was pretty great--all of the kids, regardless of age, were engaged, and it's hard to find something that will do that with kids ranging from 3-11. And then the stiltwalker came out.
I'd heard that there was a stiltwalker, and I had pictured...a guy on stilts. In fact, he was a guy on stilts dressed in a raffia skirt, pants that covered the stilts, a brightly colored shirt and what basically amounted to a hood over his head, with a hat on top. When I first saw him, he made me jump a bit. So naturally he scared the bejesus out of the younger kids.
As soon as he passed by me, one of the girls from the class I was with made a beeline for me, tears streaming down her cheeks. She crawled up into my lap and cried. Then I looked behind me and saw two little girls from another class clinging to each other and sobbing, so I had them come over. There was no room on my lap, so they stood next to my chair, pressed up against my side. All three of them were quite upset.
The stiltwalker made one circuit of the multi-purpose room then sat down on an upright piano in the corner. The kids calmed down a bit, but would not take their eyes off him or sit back down in their seats. They relaxed a little after about ten minutes, and I had just gotten them sitting down when he stood up again. I saw the girl who'd been on my lap stiffen and reach out and clutch the side of the bench she sat on, so I put my hand on her shoulder. She turned around and dove for my lap.
You may be thinking "But this is a terrible story! Those kids were terrified!" And yes, they were. And I'd prefer that they hadn't been. But one of the things that I like about my job--the thing that keeps me going through the bad days--is those moments when I know I've had an impact on a kid. And in this case, I could make a scary situation a little less scary. It's different from having a student tell me that the book I suggested for them was perfect, but still hits the same spot.
**Nothing catastrophic happened today. I just had a class that refused to get it together, and turned what should have been a pretty awesome lesson into total crap.
Today, I had a bad day at work. And as I was thinking about the fact that teaching has such high highs and such low lows, I thought about the fact that I should probably write down some of the things that aren't bad so that I can look to them when I have a day like today.**
This story actually happened last Friday. In celebration of Black History Month, we had a troupe of African drummers and dancers in for an assembly. I attended with class made up of 3- and 4-year-olds, since the assembly fell during their library time. The program was pretty great--all of the kids, regardless of age, were engaged, and it's hard to find something that will do that with kids ranging from 3-11. And then the stiltwalker came out.
I'd heard that there was a stiltwalker, and I had pictured...a guy on stilts. In fact, he was a guy on stilts dressed in a raffia skirt, pants that covered the stilts, a brightly colored shirt and what basically amounted to a hood over his head, with a hat on top. When I first saw him, he made me jump a bit. So naturally he scared the bejesus out of the younger kids.
As soon as he passed by me, one of the girls from the class I was with made a beeline for me, tears streaming down her cheeks. She crawled up into my lap and cried. Then I looked behind me and saw two little girls from another class clinging to each other and sobbing, so I had them come over. There was no room on my lap, so they stood next to my chair, pressed up against my side. All three of them were quite upset.
The stiltwalker made one circuit of the multi-purpose room then sat down on an upright piano in the corner. The kids calmed down a bit, but would not take their eyes off him or sit back down in their seats. They relaxed a little after about ten minutes, and I had just gotten them sitting down when he stood up again. I saw the girl who'd been on my lap stiffen and reach out and clutch the side of the bench she sat on, so I put my hand on her shoulder. She turned around and dove for my lap.
You may be thinking "But this is a terrible story! Those kids were terrified!" And yes, they were. And I'd prefer that they hadn't been. But one of the things that I like about my job--the thing that keeps me going through the bad days--is those moments when I know I've had an impact on a kid. And in this case, I could make a scary situation a little less scary. It's different from having a student tell me that the book I suggested for them was perfect, but still hits the same spot.
**Nothing catastrophic happened today. I just had a class that refused to get it together, and turned what should have been a pretty awesome lesson into total crap.
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