Oh, right. That's because it's THREE SEVENTEEN IN THE MORNING and I'm up doing report cards.
Not still up. Just up. I fell asleep around 9:30 last night watching the Deal or No Deal Thanksgiving special (anyone know how much that totally awesome lady in the green shiny shirt won at the end? And anyone love her momma as much as me? "You've got to do something you've never done to get something you've never had. Honey, you've never said no to $45,000, but you've never won a half a million, either! No deal!"). And because my body is programmed, apparently, to wake up after about 5.5 or 6 hours of sleep, I pinged awake at about 2:45am. Good thing, cause I've got a lot of work to do.
Update: It's 7:37am now. The effects of my first hot chocolate have come and gone. I'm nodding off. Time for another shot and then off to work.
Good golly this is gonna be an interesting day...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
I am a minister of reconcilliation for God
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.
As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favour, I heard you, in the day of my salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation!
~ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
This passage overwhelmes me. It speaks of identity. It speaks of the core message of the entire Bible. It speaks of my overwhelmingly huge yet blissfully simple purpose as a Christian. It speaks of my heart's desire for people to know and understand the depth of what God has done for them. This passage speaks. This passage is life.
As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favour, I heard you, in the day of my salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation!
~ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
This passage overwhelmes me. It speaks of identity. It speaks of the core message of the entire Bible. It speaks of my overwhelmingly huge yet blissfully simple purpose as a Christian. It speaks of my heart's desire for people to know and understand the depth of what God has done for them. This passage speaks. This passage is life.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Oh wow.
And as for NaBloPoMo... I'm cutting it a little close, don't ya think?
Yaarg! In my delirium last night I posted at nearly the last minute, then hit save instead of publish and collapsed like the sleep-depraved zombie I was on my
Monday, November 19, 2007
Rebirth, part two: Campfire
It's summertime, and the sun has slipped behind the mountains, bathing the lake in orange as it set. The sky is turning a deep blue now, and campers are making their way up the path to the campfire, their feet crunching the dry gravel beneath them. Their voices are hushed after a twilight discussion, the shouts of the day's activities now subdued and calmed.
Two trees mark the entrance to the campfire area. Rows of rough benches - nothing more than heavy planks on wooden supports - are arranged in a semi circle around this sacred place. Moss-covered boulders, ferns, and scraggly trees rise up the side of the mountain behind them, while the patio lights of the cabins further up the hill pierce through the dark branches. There is a fence closing off the open side of the semi-circle - tall wooden boards painted green, all different lengths, their pointed tops drawing your eyes skyward. Perhaps they were intended to look like the evergreens that surround them. Perhaps they are a reminder to just look up.
Those who like the heat of the fire sit up front, while others scurry to the back row or make sure to sit beside their new-found friend or favourite counsellor. Near or far, everybody is mesmerized by the flames at some point, staring into the blazing, dancing, brightness; lost in the worship, lost in the story, lost in their own thoughts.
As the campfire flickers it sends sparks soaring upwards. My eyes follow them until they disappear, but by then it is not the sparks that have my attention. I crane my neck upwards and stare at the towering trees that surround this little circle of heaven. There is an open patch of now-dark sky directly above the flames. A handful of stars are visible in the opening, and I am in awe.
This is a cathedral. This is where God dwells, where he draws near, where his presence is felt. This is where lives are changed.
This is where my life was changed, over and over again. This is my "God place."
Two trees mark the entrance to the campfire area. Rows of rough benches - nothing more than heavy planks on wooden supports - are arranged in a semi circle around this sacred place. Moss-covered boulders, ferns, and scraggly trees rise up the side of the mountain behind them, while the patio lights of the cabins further up the hill pierce through the dark branches. There is a fence closing off the open side of the semi-circle - tall wooden boards painted green, all different lengths, their pointed tops drawing your eyes skyward. Perhaps they were intended to look like the evergreens that surround them. Perhaps they are a reminder to just look up.
Those who like the heat of the fire sit up front, while others scurry to the back row or make sure to sit beside their new-found friend or favourite counsellor. Near or far, everybody is mesmerized by the flames at some point, staring into the blazing, dancing, brightness; lost in the worship, lost in the story, lost in their own thoughts.
As the campfire flickers it sends sparks soaring upwards. My eyes follow them until they disappear, but by then it is not the sparks that have my attention. I crane my neck upwards and stare at the towering trees that surround this little circle of heaven. There is an open patch of now-dark sky directly above the flames. A handful of stars are visible in the opening, and I am in awe.
This is a cathedral. This is where God dwells, where he draws near, where his presence is felt. This is where lives are changed.
This is where my life was changed, over and over again. This is my "God place."
I am never separated from the love of Christ
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, now any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:35, 37-39
How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That he should give his only son
To make a wretch his treasure
~ Romans 8:35, 37-39
How vast beyond all measure
That he should give his only son
To make a wretch his treasure
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Rebirth, part one
When I was eight years old, my nana and papa gave me a birthday present. I still remember where I was when I got it: the atrium section of the old White Spot in West Vancouver. The gift wasn't much to look at, but it would be one that would change my life. It was a card telling me that they had registered me for summer camp. I would be heading off to Camp Kawkawa for one week once school was out.
The time finally came (it's a long wait for a little kid from the beginning of February till summer!) and my parents drove me out to Surrey to catch the camp bus bound for Hope, the little town where the camp was located. Fearless little monkey that I was, I hopped on a bus full of kids I'd never met before in my life, and waved goodbye to my parents, who were definitely having a harder time saying goodbye than I was. I was off for an adventure!
Little did I know then what an adventure I'd be in for.
I don't remember much of that first week of camp, except vague pictures in my mind of my counsellors - Sudsy and Coke - and one of the crafts we did: leather bookmarks that we decorated with leather stamps... They were so cool!
The next year, of course, I wanted to go back. And the next, and the next. I didn't miss a summer - from kids camps to junior then senior teens. I loved the counsellors there - Bunta, Dewey, Squeak, Bertski, Prem, Link, Chunk, Gump, Squab, Lucy, Derby, Crocket, Festus... the list could go on and on. So many of them made such lasting impacts on my life.
And I met lots of great friends there, too. Every summer my address book would be full of new addresses - people I'd write to every now and then, maybe call on the phone once in a while (back in the days when it was a big deal to call long distance to the next suburb. Definitely no email or facebook to keep in touch back then!). They were all people I couldn't wait to see again the following summer.
The location was beautiful, the water was warm, the food was great (oh Georgy Porgy, you were the best cook!), the skits were hilarious, the activities were always fun. It was there I learned how to have a camera war, how to paddle -and tip! - a canoe, how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to watch the counsellor at the table like a hawk so I wasn't the last one to put my thumb up and be stuck scraping the dishes with "Mr. Scrapey." I learned goofy songs and ridiculous wide games, and I learned that sleeping out on the beach was an amazing experience - unless of course the counsellors woke you up early and told you that you were all going to play a trick on the director and sneak over to the provincial park across the lake via canoe. Let me tell you, 80 kids trying to hide behind two outhouse buildings just doesn't work. Grizzly was M-A-D when he got in the camp boat and came looking for us. Kids were in tears, the lifeguard threw down his whistle and quit, stomping off into the forest. Counsellors were mad, we were terrified of our punishment, and it all blew up... until Grizzly finally told us all that it was all a big joke, he'd planned it all, and YAY! We were going to have a pancake breakfast in the park.
Man, that all sounds so awful written out. It was pretty funny at the time, and I have only warm memories of the famous "Sneak." Maybe that's also because that was also the day I found out that my very first cousin was born (he's in grade 12 now!).
I learned all kinds of things at Camp Kawkawa, but the biggest impact that camp made on me was on my faith. It was there where I felt that my faith really grew the most - where I learned the most about God and about what it meant to be a Christian. It was all around me at home, too, but it somehow seemed that there, between the mountains and at the edge of the lake, away from "normal life" and school and parents and pressures, I could really experience God in ways I never had before.
Every year I left camp on a high. I felt like a new person every time I got home. The thrill would subside, but the lessons remained. It was at camp that I remember Gump sitting with me on the back bench of the campfire, ignoring what was going on around us and stopping to pray for my friend April, who was at camp with me and had just gotten called away to take a phone call about her mom who was very sick. I learned that I can pray any time, anywhere, for anything, regardless of what's going on around me.
I remember Bunta telling me straight up that I had a bad attitude when I kept complaining about the girls in my cabin practicing their cheerleading routines every night. I remember telling her, "You know what? You're right," and being so grateful she called me out on it. Those girls stopped annoying me from that moment on, cause I realized it was really me being the twit. (And funnily enough, one of those girls now is a fairly regular sub at my school!)
I remember Matilda's Bible study sessions one week when I was fourteen. She challenged us to make ourselves available for God. I did, and recommitted my life to Jesus that week. I would say that that was the week when my faith really became my own and I became a Christian because I knew it was what I wanted to do, not becuase my parents told me so.
I remember the campfires - the songs, the stories, the testimonies kids told on the last night of camp about how God had impacted their lives that week at camp. I can see their faces lit with an orange glow as they stood by the fire and told their story - of their life back at home - good, bad, or otherwise, of their struggle with friends, of new commitments they wanted to make, of what God was teaching them. I remember how they impacted me. I shared my stories, too, at the edge of that campfire. Of how God had challenged me, of who I was, who I wanted to be. Of renewed commitments and a refreshed soul.
I remember knowing that I wanted to keep going to camp as long as I could, and when I was too old to be a camper, that I wanted to work there. So when I was sixteen, I applied to work as a Leader In Training...
The time finally came (it's a long wait for a little kid from the beginning of February till summer!) and my parents drove me out to Surrey to catch the camp bus bound for Hope, the little town where the camp was located. Fearless little monkey that I was, I hopped on a bus full of kids I'd never met before in my life, and waved goodbye to my parents, who were definitely having a harder time saying goodbye than I was. I was off for an adventure!
Little did I know then what an adventure I'd be in for.
I don't remember much of that first week of camp, except vague pictures in my mind of my counsellors - Sudsy and Coke - and one of the crafts we did: leather bookmarks that we decorated with leather stamps... They were so cool!
The next year, of course, I wanted to go back. And the next, and the next. I didn't miss a summer - from kids camps to junior then senior teens. I loved the counsellors there - Bunta, Dewey, Squeak, Bertski, Prem, Link, Chunk, Gump, Squab, Lucy, Derby, Crocket, Festus... the list could go on and on. So many of them made such lasting impacts on my life.
And I met lots of great friends there, too. Every summer my address book would be full of new addresses - people I'd write to every now and then, maybe call on the phone once in a while (back in the days when it was a big deal to call long distance to the next suburb. Definitely no email or facebook to keep in touch back then!). They were all people I couldn't wait to see again the following summer.
The location was beautiful, the water was warm, the food was great (oh Georgy Porgy, you were the best cook!), the skits were hilarious, the activities were always fun. It was there I learned how to have a camera war, how to paddle -and tip! - a canoe, how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to watch the counsellor at the table like a hawk so I wasn't the last one to put my thumb up and be stuck scraping the dishes with "Mr. Scrapey." I learned goofy songs and ridiculous wide games, and I learned that sleeping out on the beach was an amazing experience - unless of course the counsellors woke you up early and told you that you were all going to play a trick on the director and sneak over to the provincial park across the lake via canoe. Let me tell you, 80 kids trying to hide behind two outhouse buildings just doesn't work. Grizzly was M-A-D when he got in the camp boat and came looking for us. Kids were in tears, the lifeguard threw down his whistle and quit, stomping off into the forest. Counsellors were mad, we were terrified of our punishment, and it all blew up... until Grizzly finally told us all that it was all a big joke, he'd planned it all, and YAY! We were going to have a pancake breakfast in the park.
Man, that all sounds so awful written out. It was pretty funny at the time, and I have only warm memories of the famous "Sneak." Maybe that's also because that was also the day I found out that my very first cousin was born (he's in grade 12 now!).
I learned all kinds of things at Camp Kawkawa, but the biggest impact that camp made on me was on my faith. It was there where I felt that my faith really grew the most - where I learned the most about God and about what it meant to be a Christian. It was all around me at home, too, but it somehow seemed that there, between the mountains and at the edge of the lake, away from "normal life" and school and parents and pressures, I could really experience God in ways I never had before.
Every year I left camp on a high. I felt like a new person every time I got home. The thrill would subside, but the lessons remained. It was at camp that I remember Gump sitting with me on the back bench of the campfire, ignoring what was going on around us and stopping to pray for my friend April, who was at camp with me and had just gotten called away to take a phone call about her mom who was very sick. I learned that I can pray any time, anywhere, for anything, regardless of what's going on around me.
I remember Bunta telling me straight up that I had a bad attitude when I kept complaining about the girls in my cabin practicing their cheerleading routines every night. I remember telling her, "You know what? You're right," and being so grateful she called me out on it. Those girls stopped annoying me from that moment on, cause I realized it was really me being the twit. (And funnily enough, one of those girls now is a fairly regular sub at my school!)
I remember Matilda's Bible study sessions one week when I was fourteen. She challenged us to make ourselves available for God. I did, and recommitted my life to Jesus that week. I would say that that was the week when my faith really became my own and I became a Christian because I knew it was what I wanted to do, not becuase my parents told me so.
I remember the campfires - the songs, the stories, the testimonies kids told on the last night of camp about how God had impacted their lives that week at camp. I can see their faces lit with an orange glow as they stood by the fire and told their story - of their life back at home - good, bad, or otherwise, of their struggle with friends, of new commitments they wanted to make, of what God was teaching them. I remember how they impacted me. I shared my stories, too, at the edge of that campfire. Of how God had challenged me, of who I was, who I wanted to be. Of renewed commitments and a refreshed soul.
I remember knowing that I wanted to keep going to camp as long as I could, and when I was too old to be a camper, that I wanted to work there. So when I was sixteen, I applied to work as a Leader In Training...
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Your turn!
So I totally thieved this off of Anne, who ripped it off of Heather Anne (holy cow, go read her blog of November 16. Like, NOW. Nearly made me cry!), who in turn stole it from someone else (whose name does not include the name Anne). But it's fun (and you all know how much I like fun! And parenthetical statements, apparently).
So, here's the drill, if you brain didn't just explode from that last paragraph. (Too! Many! Thoughts! At! Once!) Leave your answers to the following questions in the comments. Be sure to comment ANONYMOUSLY (don't forget and click enter automatically!). Then I'll try to guess who you are. Won't that be fun? :)
Here we go (are you ready?):
1. One secret.
2. One compliment.
3. One non-compliment.
4. One love note, but it does not have to be for me.
5. Lyrics to a song.
6. How old you are.
7. How long we've been friends.
8. And a hint to who you are.
(And no, I won't use statcounter to help me figure it out!)
That's it. No more parentheses (I promise!).
So, here's the drill, if you brain didn't just explode from that last paragraph. (Too! Many! Thoughts! At! Once!) Leave your answers to the following questions in the comments. Be sure to comment ANONYMOUSLY (don't forget and click enter automatically!). Then I'll try to guess who you are. Won't that be fun? :)
Here we go (are you ready?):
1. One secret.
2. One compliment.
3. One non-compliment.
4. One love note, but it does not have to be for me.
5. Lyrics to a song.
6. How old you are.
7. How long we've been friends.
8. And a hint to who you are.
(And no, I won't use statcounter to help me figure it out!)
That's it. No more parentheses (I promise!).
Friday, November 16, 2007
I am a citizen of heaven
But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a saviour who comes from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Philipians 3:20
I am a stanger here, I don't fit in, I'm out of place
I am a citizen of heaven and it's obvious to see
That I belong with you
Don't want to settle or get too aquanted with this life
Got to keep on looking up, cause He's coming soon
And then I will be
Heavenbound
~Phatfish
I am a citizen of heaven and it's obvious to see
That I belong with you
Don't want to settle or get too aquanted with this life
Got to keep on looking up, cause He's coming soon
And then I will be
Heavenbound
~Phatfish
Thursday, November 15, 2007
I am...
... tired, grumpy, getting sick, completely fed up, nearly burned out, and absolutely amazed I didn't walk out of my job right smack dab in the middle of the day today.
No, seriously.
I have had e-nough. ENOUGH! I would REALLY REALLY REALLY like a day - just ONE! -where I'm not dealing with kids (ok, that kid) dumping sand in someone's hair, pouring milk on their head, throwing blocks at other children, splashing water in people's faces, breaking kid's lego creations, pushing/shoving/kicking, stealing other kid's belongings, lying about what's been done, blaming other kids... shall I go on? Here's to a better day tomorrow. Man, not even nearly four hours of dancing - two lessons and a dance - got me out of this mood, and that's sayin' something.
So no, no real "I am" post today. I am... really glad God's not keeping track.
Goodnight.
No, seriously.
I have had e-nough. ENOUGH! I would REALLY REALLY REALLY like a day - just ONE! -where I'm not dealing with kids (ok, that kid) dumping sand in someone's hair, pouring milk on their head, throwing blocks at other children, splashing water in people's faces, breaking kid's lego creations, pushing/shoving/kicking, stealing other kid's belongings, lying about what's been done, blaming other kids... shall I go on? Here's to a better day tomorrow. Man, not even nearly four hours of dancing - two lessons and a dance - got me out of this mood, and that's sayin' something.
So no, no real "I am" post today. I am... really glad God's not keeping track.
Goodnight.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Because I'm tired of hearing myself talk about school and dancing
I have a life, really! I do!
In bold is what's happened in 2007 so far:
*Updated to clarify: I have NOT done everything on this list! The bolded ones are ones I've done in 2007. The ones in italics I've done, but not in 2007. Them plain ol' list items? Never done. Is that clearer? ;)
- lost a friend
- stayed single the whole year
- kissed someone new
- kissed in a car
- kissed in the snow
- kissed in the rain
- fell in love
- had your heart broken
- broke someone else's heart
- had a stalker
- questioned your sexual orientation
- came out of the closet
- got married
- had a divorce
- dated someone you'll never forget
- done something you've regretted (why are these listed so close together?)
- lost your first love
- lost faith in love
- kissed under mistletoe
- shoplifted
- caught a shoplifter
- got a promotion
- got a pay raise
- changed jobs
- lost your job
- quit your job
- applied for a job
- dated a co-worker
- dated your boss
- got fired from your job
- did something you were proud of
- discovered a new talent
- were involved in something you'll never forget
- painted a picture
- wrote a poem
- ran a mile
- listened to music you couln't stand
- double dipped
- skinny-dipped
- went to a sleepover
- went camping
- threw a surprise party
- had a party thrown for you (there's still time! It's not too late!)
- laughed till you cried
- laughed till you peed in your pants
- slept the whole day
- flirted with a boy/girl/boyfriend/girlfriend
- visited a different country
- cooked a disastrous meal
- lost something important to you
- got a gift you adore
- realized something new about yourself
- tripped over a coffee table
- dyed your hair
- came close to losing your life
- someone close to you died
- went to a party
- drank alcohol
- drank alcohol underage
- did drug(s)
- got drunk (well, close, anyway. I've still never been full out drunk)
- got arrested
- read a great book
- saw a great movie
- pretended to like someone (isn't that called 'sales'? :)
- saw a movie so scary that it made you cry
- saw one of your favorite band/artist live
- saw someone famous in person
- did something you want to tell everyone
- enjoyed this year overall
In bold is what's happened in 2007 so far:
*Updated to clarify: I have NOT done everything on this list! The bolded ones are ones I've done in 2007. The ones in italics I've done, but not in 2007. Them plain ol' list items? Never done. Is that clearer? ;)
- lost a friend
- stayed single the whole year
- kissed someone new
- kissed in a car
- kissed in the snow
- kissed in the rain
- fell in love
- had your heart broken
- broke someone else's heart
- had a stalker
- questioned your sexual orientation
- came out of the closet
- got married
- had a divorce
- dated someone you'll never forget
- done something you've regretted (why are these listed so close together?)
- lost your first love
- lost faith in love
- kissed under mistletoe
- shoplifted
- caught a shoplifter
- got a promotion
- got a pay raise
- changed jobs
- lost your job
- quit your job
- applied for a job
- dated a co-worker
- dated your boss
- got fired from your job
- did something you were proud of
- discovered a new talent
- were involved in something you'll never forget
- painted a picture
- wrote a poem
- ran a mile
- listened to music you couln't stand
- double dipped
- skinny-dipped
- went to a sleepover
- went camping
- threw a surprise party
- had a party thrown for you (there's still time! It's not too late!)
- laughed till you cried
- laughed till you peed in your pants
- slept the whole day
- flirted with a boy/girl/boyfriend/girlfriend
- visited a different country
- cooked a disastrous meal
- lost something important to you
- got a gift you adore
- realized something new about yourself
- tripped over a coffee table
- dyed your hair
- came close to losing your life
- someone close to you died
- went to a party
- drank alcohol
- drank alcohol underage
- did drug(s)
- got drunk (well, close, anyway. I've still never been full out drunk)
- got arrested
- read a great book
- saw a great movie
- pretended to like someone (isn't that called 'sales'? :)
- saw a movie so scary that it made you cry
- saw one of your favorite band/artist live
- saw someone famous in person
- did something you want to tell everyone
- enjoyed this year overall
I am free forever from condemnation
Therefore there is now no conemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and of death. ~ Romand 8:1-2
Paraphrased from Rob Bell's "The Gods Aren't Angry" tour:
So what is repentance? In the Old Testament it was always paired with joy, with celebration. It was realizing that, "I've missed it... until NOW! And of course I'll rearrange my life accordingly!" Repentance is realizing that what's required has ALREADY BEEN DONE. Any ritual or any belief that doesn't tap you into the celebration of the reconcilliation of all things is simply not Christian. ANYTHING that creates guilt in us or tells us we are not enough is not from God.
Paraphrased from Rob Bell's "The Gods Aren't Angry" tour:
So what is repentance? In the Old Testament it was always paired with joy, with celebration. It was realizing that, "I've missed it... until NOW! And of course I'll rearrange my life accordingly!" Repentance is realizing that what's required has ALREADY BEEN DONE. Any ritual or any belief that doesn't tap you into the celebration of the reconcilliation of all things is simply not Christian. ANYTHING that creates guilt in us or tells us we are not enough is not from God.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sea to Sky pics!
Click any picture to enlarge it. See the full set here.
The first night saw lots of dancing and lots of goofing around. I'm dancing here with Chris, Jason, and JR, respectively.
Competition time! I particularly like the shot of me appearing to sniff my armpit right in front of Jordan Frisbee, the best WCS dancer there IS (and not a bad looking one at that! D'oh!)
Lots of open dancing. I love the photo of the girl spinning!
Nooooo, we're not having fun at ALL!
Watching the pros blew my mind! Here's Myles and Tessa, performing their 2007 routine. I've linked to that video a few times before. Seeing it in person was phenomenal! The next one is Tessa and Kyle Redd. How I captured that moment I have no idea, but I'm sure glad I did! :)
Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollman - the top westies in the world. Kyle Redd and Sarah VannDrake - my favourite workshop presenters for sure. I really love their style, too! And they're so gosh darn SWEET!
Jessica Cox and Myles Munroe More spinning from Jordan and Tatiana (Tatiana is known for her awesome spins)
We stayed out till 4am on Saturday night. Wacky things go on at 4am. Like dance fighting. Wade and Ken had a smackdown. Michael's already nearly asleep, Ruth is just very, very, happy, and Chris has already asked me about 16 times if we could stop taking pictures and GO ALREADY! so I'm very grateful he's smiling in this picture!
Three thirty am. We then kept dancing for another half an hour. If you can call it that...
Lots of eating out, lots of workshops!
As if the weekend wasn't enough, Jason, Ruth, Michael, and I each did a private lesson with Kyle Redd (center) on Monday. We went out for dessert afterwards, and just had to keep dancing. So we did. In the restaurant. The bartenders clapped for us! :D
Ian, Stephanie, Jason, Ruth, Chris, Ken, Wade, Yvonne, and more!
Ian, Stephanie, Jason, Ruth, Chris, Ken, Wade, Yvonne, and more!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Dance nerd
... and proud of it!
One great thing about going to Sea to Sky - the dance convention I attended a few weeks ago - was that I got to know a bunch of people that I see at dances around town a lot better. In particular I got to know some of the girls, which I haven't had as much of a chance to do because, well, I don't dance with the girls!
The weekend - my oh my, I haven't posted pictures, have I? - had large groups of us out for lunch or dinner discussing the various workshops and things we had learned. I think my favourite point was our dinner on the last day. There were maybe eight of us, all ridiculously exhausted and buzzing like crazy (buzzING, not buzzED! :P ) after such an intense, awesome weekend. We were sitting around the table at the Cactus Club and enjoying the groove of the music, all with only half an ear on the conversation because we were all counting "one, two, three and four, five and six" in our heads. Almost simultaneously, we all started raising our hands, pulsing them to the beat, mapping out the phrases of the music as we had done in one of our musicology workshops. When we got to the top of the phrase and dropped our hands to start again, we all kinda realized what we were doing, and probably how we looked to everybody else around us. Everybody busted out laughing, realizing we had spent the whole meal making ridiculous dance jokes and waving our hands around in the air in unison.
FAN-tastic!
Friday night I had another "dance nerd" moment. One of my friends just had knee surgery about two and a half weeks ago, so she's at home on the couch day in and day out feeling pretty bored. (Hi, Ruth!) I went over with a big bag-o-fun stuff to do - movies, games, ice cream - and it ended up being three of us as our friend Chris came over to hang out, too. We spent a good chunk of the evening talking about the pros and their style, discussing footwork variations and the totally gutsy move Chris tried on Tessa (the best westie dancer there IS in Canada), and watching west coast swing videos on YouTube.
It was the ultimate in dance nerdiness, and I loved it!
I'll post some pics of Sea To Sky later this week. Gotta spread out the posts, don'tcha know! ;)
One great thing about going to Sea to Sky - the dance convention I attended a few weeks ago - was that I got to know a bunch of people that I see at dances around town a lot better. In particular I got to know some of the girls, which I haven't had as much of a chance to do because, well, I don't dance with the girls!
The weekend - my oh my, I haven't posted pictures, have I? - had large groups of us out for lunch or dinner discussing the various workshops and things we had learned. I think my favourite point was our dinner on the last day. There were maybe eight of us, all ridiculously exhausted and buzzing like crazy (buzzING, not buzzED! :P ) after such an intense, awesome weekend. We were sitting around the table at the Cactus Club and enjoying the groove of the music, all with only half an ear on the conversation because we were all counting "one, two, three and four, five and six" in our heads. Almost simultaneously, we all started raising our hands, pulsing them to the beat, mapping out the phrases of the music as we had done in one of our musicology workshops. When we got to the top of the phrase and dropped our hands to start again, we all kinda realized what we were doing, and probably how we looked to everybody else around us. Everybody busted out laughing, realizing we had spent the whole meal making ridiculous dance jokes and waving our hands around in the air in unison.
FAN-tastic!
Friday night I had another "dance nerd" moment. One of my friends just had knee surgery about two and a half weeks ago, so she's at home on the couch day in and day out feeling pretty bored. (Hi, Ruth!) I went over with a big bag-o-fun stuff to do - movies, games, ice cream - and it ended up being three of us as our friend Chris came over to hang out, too. We spent a good chunk of the evening talking about the pros and their style, discussing footwork variations and the totally gutsy move Chris tried on Tessa (the best westie dancer there IS in Canada), and watching west coast swing videos on YouTube.
It was the ultimate in dance nerdiness, and I loved it!
I'll post some pics of Sea To Sky later this week. Gotta spread out the posts, don'tcha know! ;)
I am part of the body of Christ
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and although all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ... Now [all of] you are part of the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27
This whole passage talks about how each part of the body has its own role, it's own job, each important to the functionning of the body. I can't help but wonder sometimes what my role is. As I was thinking of this, the following song came to mind, taken directly from Micah 6:8.
He has shown thee, O [wo]man
What is good and what the Lord requires of thee:
But to do justly
and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with thy God.
This whole passage talks about how each part of the body has its own role, it's own job, each important to the functionning of the body. I can't help but wonder sometimes what my role is. As I was thinking of this, the following song came to mind, taken directly from Micah 6:8.
What is good and what the Lord requires of thee:
But to do justly
and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with thy God.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
I am the salt and light of the world
You are the salt of the Earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer useful for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, nobody lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to the whole house. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
~ Matthew 5:13-17
Christian or not, I dare you to watch this and NOT be grinning from ear to ear by the end! :D
~ Matthew 5:13-17
Christian or not, I dare you to watch this and NOT be grinning from ear to ear by the end! :D
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Opinions of others
I like to think that I really don't care what other people think. But that's a lie, plain and simple. That's something that's become even more apparent over the last six days as I've started this "I am" series.
I've wondered if I should post it. I've considered setting up a separate blog for it. I've wondered if people will stay away from my blog becuase it's "just a bunch of religious crap" all of a sudden (to quote someone talking about a different blog they were reading).
I care what people will think. I know I shouldn't, but I do. I know there are many of you who read my blog who don't share my beliefs - friends, co-workers, fellow bloggers... I keep thinking that you must think I'm crazy. But why? (Both why would you think that, and why would I think that you think that... I think I think too much, you think? :P )
A big reason that I am doing this series (see how I feel the need to justify?) is not to toot my own horn cause "look at me, aren't I great!" Honestly, it's because I am sick and tired of not acting like the person I want to be, the person I was created to be. I've forgotten who I am. Reminding myself of how God sees me helps me act more consistently with that identity. Not to mention that posting every day keeps me on track, helps me to be sure that I do it. (So if I miss a day, give me heck!!!) Cause I'm just THAT disciplined! Heh. *groan*
It's funny that today's "I am" statement is "I am a witness.*" I guess that's some pretty good confirmation that I should keep doing these posts, hey? :)
But also, it's got me thinking. It's really easy to write up a verse, type out a few lines of a song. Letting my life speak is a whole other ball game. Having a clear view of who I am, of who I want to be, will help.
_____________________________
* I get the statements and the scripture from a list a friend gave me. There always seems to be a song that pops into my head as I'm thinking and praying about the verse, so I post that, too. Just in case you were wondering! :P
I've wondered if I should post it. I've considered setting up a separate blog for it. I've wondered if people will stay away from my blog becuase it's "just a bunch of religious crap" all of a sudden (to quote someone talking about a different blog they were reading).
I care what people will think. I know I shouldn't, but I do. I know there are many of you who read my blog who don't share my beliefs - friends, co-workers, fellow bloggers... I keep thinking that you must think I'm crazy. But why? (Both why would you think that, and why would I think that you think that... I think I think too much, you think? :P )
A big reason that I am doing this series (see how I feel the need to justify?) is not to toot my own horn cause "look at me, aren't I great!" Honestly, it's because I am sick and tired of not acting like the person I want to be, the person I was created to be. I've forgotten who I am. Reminding myself of how God sees me helps me act more consistently with that identity. Not to mention that posting every day keeps me on track, helps me to be sure that I do it. (So if I miss a day, give me heck!!!) Cause I'm just THAT disciplined! Heh. *groan*
It's funny that today's "I am" statement is "I am a witness.*" I guess that's some pretty good confirmation that I should keep doing these posts, hey? :)
But also, it's got me thinking. It's really easy to write up a verse, type out a few lines of a song. Letting my life speak is a whole other ball game. Having a clear view of who I am, of who I want to be, will help.
_____________________________
* I get the statements and the scripture from a list a friend gave me. There always seems to be a song that pops into my head as I'm thinking and praying about the verse, so I post that, too. Just in case you were wondering! :P
I am a witness for Christ
But you will receive power when the holy spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ~ Acts 1:8
I will shout to the North and the South
Sing to the East and the West
Jesus is Saviour to all
Lord of heaven and earth
Sing to the East and the West
Jesus is Saviour to all
Lord of heaven and earth
Friday, November 09, 2007
I am a saint
This makes me guffaw out loud. Stick with me here...
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ... ~Ephesians 1:1
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints... ~Romans 1:7
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy/called to be saints... ~1 Corinthians 1:2
I've gotta say, I have trouble with this one. Saint? Holy? Even knowing that it means "set apart for God," still I can't get away from the notion of some perfect, sinless being with a halo over her head, fluttering around on a cloud. But over and over in the Bible, not just in the openings of letters like I've quoted here, people who have put their faith in God are referred to as saints, are referred to as holy.
I struggle with it, too, because of how self-righteous it sounds to call myself a saint. I feel that I am quite the opposite. But it's a different definition of saint. Being a saint is to be set apart for God's purpose. It's giving up what I want for my life, knowing that God's plan has so much more, is so much more reflective of who I really am.
I guess that's the beauty of learning who I am according to God. To call ME a saint? Yeah right. But He names me far before I am worthy of the name. He calls me out to be the person I was created to be, and won't give up until I truly AM that person. Wow. That's grace for you.
... be confident of this, the He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 1:6
Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord.
I long to be holy,
Set apart for You my master,
Ready to do Your will.
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ... ~Ephesians 1:1
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints... ~Romans 1:7
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy/called to be saints... ~1 Corinthians 1:2
I've gotta say, I have trouble with this one. Saint? Holy? Even knowing that it means "set apart for God," still I can't get away from the notion of some perfect, sinless being with a halo over her head, fluttering around on a cloud. But over and over in the Bible, not just in the openings of letters like I've quoted here, people who have put their faith in God are referred to as saints, are referred to as holy.
I struggle with it, too, because of how self-righteous it sounds to call myself a saint. I feel that I am quite the opposite. But it's a different definition of saint. Being a saint is to be set apart for God's purpose. It's giving up what I want for my life, knowing that God's plan has so much more, is so much more reflective of who I really am.
I guess that's the beauty of learning who I am according to God. To call ME a saint? Yeah right. But He names me far before I am worthy of the name. He calls me out to be the person I was created to be, and won't give up until I truly AM that person. Wow. That's grace for you.
... be confident of this, the He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 1:6
My heart's one desire
Set apart for You, Lord.
I long to be holy,
Set apart for You my master,
Ready to do Your will.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Eureka!
Getting into these kids heads is always an adventure, but I made a discovery today.
Most times when we do any writing, we brainstorm first and we write the kids ideas or keywords on the chart paper for them to refer to. The rule is that they have to be able to read what they write, so they're not supposed to choose something if they can't read it. Well one of my grade ones is ALWAYS choosing to write things she can't read. I've been trying to figure it out - can she not read ANYthing? That's not it. Does she forget the rule? Nope, she can tell it back to me.
Today I was looking at her writing and decided to look on the chart to see what she had copied. That's when I made my discovery. Everything she had written was written in red on the chart paper. Red is her favourite colour, so she's been copying everything in that colour.
D'OH!
I'll be running interference starting tomorrow. Heeheehee!
Most times when we do any writing, we brainstorm first and we write the kids ideas or keywords on the chart paper for them to refer to. The rule is that they have to be able to read what they write, so they're not supposed to choose something if they can't read it. Well one of my grade ones is ALWAYS choosing to write things she can't read. I've been trying to figure it out - can she not read ANYthing? That's not it. Does she forget the rule? Nope, she can tell it back to me.
Today I was looking at her writing and decided to look on the chart to see what she had copied. That's when I made my discovery. Everything she had written was written in red on the chart paper. Red is her favourite colour, so she's been copying everything in that colour.
D'OH!
I'll be running interference starting tomorrow. Heeheehee!
I am bought with a price
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore, honour God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
King of all days, oh, so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor...
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross I'll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross.
~ Chris Tomlin
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor...
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
~ Chris Tomlin
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
It's just like Christmas!!!
Oh Scholastic Book Clubs, how I love thee!
Anyone else know what I'm talking about? There is a publishing company here in Canada (are they in the States, too?) that publishes all kinds of kids books, teacher resources, classroom supplies, and so on and so forth. Every month they send out fliers to participating teachers to send home with their students. The kids look through the fliers and, should they so desire, order books. Filling out the forms, collecting the money, and ordering is kind of a pain - just one more thing I've got to fiddle with - BUT! With every order I get free picks depending on how much the total is. I get to pick a book or two for free! Who doesn't love free stuff???
But the even bigger jackpot are the bonus coupons. Again, depending on the size of the order and how many orders have been placed in the school year, I get bonus coupons when the books arrive. The coupons are good for anything that scholastic puts out - furniture, posters, fancy pencils, software, and BOOKS! Books galore!
Last year I did Scholastic for both my class and another class, so I ended up getting a lot of coupons. I wanted to save them up and do a big order closer the end of the year, but by that time, I didn't know what grade I would be teaching. No point in ordering a bunch of intermediate English books if I was going to be teaching primary French Immersion.
So I held off. Till now. I just received my just-over FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR order of books.
I! AM! SO! EXCITED!!!!!!!
I have nearly 100 books and CDs to go along with 20 of them for listening centers - picture books, non-fiction books, counting books, alphabet books, Caldecott Medal books, Robert Munsch books. Twenty-five books in a series called "The Best Me I Can Be" books - all with titles like "I am a good friend," or "I make good choices," or "I am respectful," or "I am creative." (heh, sound familiar?) I'm SO excited to teach social responsibility through these books! I have a 16 book series on holidays and special days, with posters to go with them. Halloween, Ramadan, Diwali, Easter, Earth Day, 100 Day, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year...
Books! Books! Beautiful books! Oh how I can't wait to dive into them!
Now if only I could find a place in my classroom to KEEP them all!
Anyone else know what I'm talking about? There is a publishing company here in Canada (are they in the States, too?) that publishes all kinds of kids books, teacher resources, classroom supplies, and so on and so forth. Every month they send out fliers to participating teachers to send home with their students. The kids look through the fliers and, should they so desire, order books. Filling out the forms, collecting the money, and ordering is kind of a pain - just one more thing I've got to fiddle with - BUT! With every order I get free picks depending on how much the total is. I get to pick a book or two for free! Who doesn't love free stuff???
But the even bigger jackpot are the bonus coupons. Again, depending on the size of the order and how many orders have been placed in the school year, I get bonus coupons when the books arrive. The coupons are good for anything that scholastic puts out - furniture, posters, fancy pencils, software, and BOOKS! Books galore!
Last year I did Scholastic for both my class and another class, so I ended up getting a lot of coupons. I wanted to save them up and do a big order closer the end of the year, but by that time, I didn't know what grade I would be teaching. No point in ordering a bunch of intermediate English books if I was going to be teaching primary French Immersion.
So I held off. Till now. I just received my just-over FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR order of books.
I! AM! SO! EXCITED!!!!!!!
I have nearly 100 books and CDs to go along with 20 of them for listening centers - picture books, non-fiction books, counting books, alphabet books, Caldecott Medal books, Robert Munsch books. Twenty-five books in a series called "The Best Me I Can Be" books - all with titles like "I am a good friend," or "I make good choices," or "I am respectful," or "I am creative." (heh, sound familiar?) I'm SO excited to teach social responsibility through these books! I have a 16 book series on holidays and special days, with posters to go with them. Halloween, Ramadan, Diwali, Easter, Earth Day, 100 Day, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year...
Books! Books! Beautiful books! Oh how I can't wait to dive into them!
Now if only I could find a place in my classroom to KEEP them all!
I am one in spirit with the Lord
But [she] who unites [her]self with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:17
One in spirit. What exactly does that mean? I will love the things God loves, weep over the things he weeps over, be angered as he is over injustice, then be moved to action. I will love the people around me no matter who they are, show mercy, be generous. I will be quick to forgive, for heaven only knows I am forgiven for failing at all of these.
1 Corinthians 6:17
One in spirit. What exactly does that mean? I will love the things God loves, weep over the things he weeps over, be angered as he is over injustice, then be moved to action. I will love the people around me no matter who they are, show mercy, be generous. I will be quick to forgive, for heaven only knows I am forgiven for failing at all of these.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
I am Christ's Friend
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his father's business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15
Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel I'm moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in the secret place
Cause Your love is extravagant
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
is the love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known;
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again
~ Casting Crowns
John 15:15
Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel I'm moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in the secret place
Cause Your love is extravagant
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
is the love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known;
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again
~ Casting Crowns
Monday, November 05, 2007
A question of identity
Life is insane. It rattles along at breakneck speeds, and is so unforgiving in a lot of ways. There's no way to go back, no pause button, no end to the messages it throws at us. There's no end to the messages I create about myself, either. Fact or fiction, I tell myself who I am every second of every day.
Accomplished a goal? I feel great. "I am successful."
I say something I regret? I am ashamed. "I am cruel."
Somebody thanks me for something I did? "I am making a difference."
I lay on the couch for 'just one more show' when I know I should get up and move my body? "I am undisciplined."
Do something I never thought I could? "I am strong."
See someone who's got it all together (or seems to!)? "I am never going to measure up."
And on and on it goes... "I am not good enough. I am good at what I do. I am better than her. I am lazy. I am trying my best."
And I am told who I am countless times in a day, too. Sometimes it builds me up, sometimes it tears me down. But the voices - from inside or out - are loud. Deafening, almost. And they drown out the one voice who tells me who I really am - God's.
I'm constantly looking for comfort, looking for identity, looking for validation in all kinds of places. It's a very human thing to do. But I've been neglecting to go back to the One who tells me who I was created to be - my creator Himself.
So I've decided to take this month (and a bit) to remember who God says I am. To hear His voice over all the others. I'll be doing some journaling on my own, but each day I'll post the statement and the scripture I'm looking at, and maybe a thought or two, a song, or anything else that might be relevant. (And yes, that's above the NaBloPoMo challenge! Gee, I sure know how to over commit myself, hey? :P )
Join me, won't you? Because after all, God created you to be all these things, too.
Accomplished a goal? I feel great. "I am successful."
I say something I regret? I am ashamed. "I am cruel."
Somebody thanks me for something I did? "I am making a difference."
I lay on the couch for 'just one more show' when I know I should get up and move my body? "I am undisciplined."
Do something I never thought I could? "I am strong."
See someone who's got it all together (or seems to!)? "I am never going to measure up."
And on and on it goes... "I am not good enough. I am good at what I do. I am better than her. I am lazy. I am trying my best."
And I am told who I am countless times in a day, too. Sometimes it builds me up, sometimes it tears me down. But the voices - from inside or out - are loud. Deafening, almost. And they drown out the one voice who tells me who I really am - God's.
I'm constantly looking for comfort, looking for identity, looking for validation in all kinds of places. It's a very human thing to do. But I've been neglecting to go back to the One who tells me who I was created to be - my creator Himself.
So I've decided to take this month (and a bit) to remember who God says I am. To hear His voice over all the others. I'll be doing some journaling on my own, but each day I'll post the statement and the scripture I'm looking at, and maybe a thought or two, a song, or anything else that might be relevant. (And yes, that's above the NaBloPoMo challenge! Gee, I sure know how to over commit myself, hey? :P )
Join me, won't you? Because after all, God created you to be all these things, too.
I am a child of God
"Yet to those who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12
With every breath,
with every thought
From what is seen,
to the deepest part
I offer all that I've come to be
to know Your love fathering me
Father You're all I need
my soul's sufficiency
My strength when I am weak
the love that carries me
Your arms enfold me,
till I am only
a child of God
~Kathryn Scott
With every breath,
with every thought
From what is seen,
to the deepest part
I offer all that I've come to be
to know Your love fathering me
Father You're all I need
my soul's sufficiency
My strength when I am weak
the love that carries me
Your arms enfold me,
till I am only
a child of God
~Kathryn Scott
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Oh sweet happy day of joyfulness!
Ok, losing things really sucks. Especially when you KNOW that they are around somewhere, but you just can't seem to find them ANYWHERE. Especially when they are kinda rather important things, like, oh, I don't know, your KEYS. Or things that you just can't get back, like the memory card full of super crazy awesome pictures of the Emerson Drive concert you went to in the summer, pics of your friends from Australia attempting to ride a tandem bike around the seawall in Stanley Park, or of your new classroom all set up and ready to go before the kids came in and destroyed began using it.
The keys have been lost for about a week and a half, and I've been using my spare set, hoping and praying that my original set is in the house somewhere (and not in the hands of some ne'er do well who is waiting for just the right time to come on in and ROB ME BLIND). I've looked through all the pockets in my jackets, all over my table and desk, and all manner of other weird places where my keys might possibly be. I've gone through my purse at least a dozen times.
And the memory card? I've looked in every camera case pocket, both cameras, all over my desk and shelf, and among all the stuff on my kitchen table. It's been missing for at least six weeks. I've even gone and bought a replacement card.
You're probably getting the idea right now that my house is not exactly perfectly tidy and clutter-free, and that if I kept it neater, gee, maybe I wouldn't lose things so often. Well, normally I DON'T lose things, and, well... SHADDUP!!! :P
Anyhoo.
Last night as I was digging around in my purse for my spare set of car keys, I grabbed a key and pulled it out. Lo and behold, THERE WERE MY ORIGINAL SET OF KEYS! What the??? SCORE! How I managed to miss them the 55 billion times I looked through my purse is beyond me.
My theory? They went on a secret vacation to Mexico and only just got back. They didn't want to get in trouble for running away without so much as a note, so they slipped back stealthily into my purse when I wasn't looking. Yep. That's DEFINITELY what happened.
And then, just now, as I was checking email, a wee little corner of blue plastic caught my eye on my desk. Could it be? I lifted off the papers it was hiding underneath, and VOILA! My memory card! Apparently the paper monsters on my desk decided to eat it, but were unable to digest it, so kindly spat it back up for me, pictures intact and everything.
Woohoo! I'm doing a wee little dance of joy!
Now, as all things happen in threes... I'm gonna start looking for that million dollars I'm SURE I lost around here SOMEWHERE!
~ This post has been brought to you by the EXCESSIVE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS.
The keys have been lost for about a week and a half, and I've been using my spare set, hoping and praying that my original set is in the house somewhere (and not in the hands of some ne'er do well who is waiting for just the right time to come on in and ROB ME BLIND). I've looked through all the pockets in my jackets, all over my table and desk, and all manner of other weird places where my keys might possibly be. I've gone through my purse at least a dozen times.
And the memory card? I've looked in every camera case pocket, both cameras, all over my desk and shelf, and among all the stuff on my kitchen table. It's been missing for at least six weeks. I've even gone and bought a replacement card.
You're probably getting the idea right now that my house is not exactly perfectly tidy and clutter-free, and that if I kept it neater, gee, maybe I wouldn't lose things so often. Well, normally I DON'T lose things, and, well... SHADDUP!!! :P
Anyhoo.
Last night as I was digging around in my purse for my spare set of car keys, I grabbed a key and pulled it out. Lo and behold, THERE WERE MY ORIGINAL SET OF KEYS! What the??? SCORE! How I managed to miss them the 55 billion times I looked through my purse is beyond me.
My theory? They went on a secret vacation to Mexico and only just got back. They didn't want to get in trouble for running away without so much as a note, so they slipped back stealthily into my purse when I wasn't looking. Yep. That's DEFINITELY what happened.
And then, just now, as I was checking email, a wee little corner of blue plastic caught my eye on my desk. Could it be? I lifted off the papers it was hiding underneath, and VOILA! My memory card! Apparently the paper monsters on my desk decided to eat it, but were unable to digest it, so kindly spat it back up for me, pictures intact and everything.
Woohoo! I'm doing a wee little dance of joy!
Now, as all things happen in threes... I'm gonna start looking for that million dollars I'm SURE I lost around here SOMEWHERE!
~ This post has been brought to you by the EXCESSIVE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Welcome to Melissa!
She's been commenting on my blog for a while now - often with wise words, encouragement, or humour, always with kindness. She's emailed me about some posts, and I've enjoyed talking with ehr back and forth that way, too. You've never seen her blog, though, because she didn't have one.
Apparently a few people have been harassing - er, I mean encouraging - her to start up her own blog, but she's been holding out on us...
Until now!
The newest blogger on the block has taken up the NaBloPoMo challenge to begin her new blogging career, and not only is she trying to post once a day, noooo. That would be too simple. She's aiming for TWICE! She's posting about something she's thankful for in the morning (FABULOUS idea, no?), then posting something else in the evening.
So there will be no shortage of things to read on her blog, let me tell you! And? This girl can write, and is FUNNY!
Go check out her blog, and be sure to leave a comment for her - comments make us happy!
Melissa's Place: Part of Everything. Go say hello!
(and I was totally gonna post about this BEFORE she wrote that awesome post, really! (even if she DOES call me freakish! ;) Hee hee hee! Just teasin, Melissa!)
Apparently a few people have been harassing - er, I mean encouraging - her to start up her own blog, but she's been holding out on us...
Until now!
The newest blogger on the block has taken up the NaBloPoMo challenge to begin her new blogging career, and not only is she trying to post once a day, noooo. That would be too simple. She's aiming for TWICE! She's posting about something she's thankful for in the morning (FABULOUS idea, no?), then posting something else in the evening.
So there will be no shortage of things to read on her blog, let me tell you! And? This girl can write, and is FUNNY!
Go check out her blog, and be sure to leave a comment for her - comments make us happy!
Melissa's Place: Part of Everything. Go say hello!
(and I was totally gonna post about this BEFORE she wrote that awesome post, really! (even if she DOES call me freakish! ;) Hee hee hee! Just teasin, Melissa!)
Friday, November 02, 2007
Colour for a dreary day
Remember this day? When I drove all the way down to Stanley Park to take pictures, only to discover that my camera wasn't actually in my camera case? Well, I decided to go back and get it after all, and I had a very relaxing afternoon playing around with my camera, capturing some of fall's splendor. These are a few samples; click here to see the rest of the set or click any image to see a larger version. 
How to have an awesome day
Step one: Go to a professional development conference that is totally inspiring and get some renewed enthusiasm and refreshed sense of purpose, and be delighted with a musical group that pretty much solidifies the desire to go to Africa. Soon.
Step two: Go back to work and put on the new CD of said musical group and clean the heck out of your classroom. Clean and uncluttered (ok, LESS cluttered) is SUCH a good feeling.
Step three: Take not one, but TWO hours of dance classes. (Rhonda! I missed you there!)
Step four: Head out with some friends to a coffee house to see two friends play a gig. Tap your foot, laugh, and enjoy the casual atmosphere.
Step five: Join said friends and other various cool people at a dessert house and have Belgian chocolate tea. Chocolate tea!
Step six: Arrive home to a warm, cozy house, do a wee bit 'o bloggin, and fall asleep.
Oh yes. This is livin'!
Step two: Go back to work and put on the new CD of said musical group and clean the heck out of your classroom. Clean and uncluttered (ok, LESS cluttered) is SUCH a good feeling.
Step three: Take not one, but TWO hours of dance classes. (Rhonda! I missed you there!)
Step four: Head out with some friends to a coffee house to see two friends play a gig. Tap your foot, laugh, and enjoy the casual atmosphere.
Step five: Join said friends and other various cool people at a dessert house and have Belgian chocolate tea. Chocolate tea!
Step six: Arrive home to a warm, cozy house, do a wee bit 'o bloggin, and fall asleep.
Oh yes. This is livin'!
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Well maybe if you slapped a bikini on it...
Monday morning was the pumpkin patch day at school. Every year, the parent advisory committee brings in 800 pumkins and scatters them all over our back field. The kids all then go out and pick their pumpkin, to be used to all manner of activities in the classroom.
In our room, we wrote about our pumpkins, we measured our pumpkins, we weighed our pumpkins, we drew our pumpkins, and we drew ON our pumpkins. No carving. Nooooo carving. Twenty 6 and 7 year olds with knives? Nuh-uh, not gonna happen. We did, however, have a carving demonstration hosted my moi with our class pumpkin. SO FUN! I got to totally gross the kids out with 'pumkin brains.' Heeheehee!
So one lesson, we were brainstorming describing words to complete the sentence "My pumpkin is..." and the kids were coming up qll kinds of creative words. We then completed the sentece "My pumkin is not..." and one kid said "alive."
"Well, that's true. Our pumpkins aren't alive anymore."
"They were alive before?"
"Well yes..." at which point I launched into a teachable moment about where pumkins come from, that they are a plant, and that all plants are alive until you pick them. "Just like flowers."
So of course, you can tell the wheels are turning and one boy looks up with wide eyes and asks, "So we killed our pumkins?!?"
Uhhh...
"Well, yes, but that's what they're for!" Killing. Pumpkins are for killing. Good one, Hillary.
You can bet that every kid wrote, "My pumpkin is DEAD." in their descriptions. My pumpkin is big, orange, and DEAD." Well, ok, not EVERY kid. There was that one grade two girl who put her hand up to ask, "Miss Hillary, how do you spell 'sexy?' "
Whaaa?!?!
"Sweetie, your pumpkin isn't sexy. Choose a different word."
In our room, we wrote about our pumpkins, we measured our pumpkins, we weighed our pumpkins, we drew our pumpkins, and we drew ON our pumpkins. No carving. Nooooo carving. Twenty 6 and 7 year olds with knives? Nuh-uh, not gonna happen. We did, however, have a carving demonstration hosted my moi with our class pumpkin. SO FUN! I got to totally gross the kids out with 'pumkin brains.' Heeheehee!
So one lesson, we were brainstorming describing words to complete the sentence "My pumpkin is..." and the kids were coming up qll kinds of creative words. We then completed the sentece "My pumkin is not..." and one kid said "alive."
"Well, that's true. Our pumpkins aren't alive anymore."
"They were alive before?"
"Well yes..." at which point I launched into a teachable moment about where pumkins come from, that they are a plant, and that all plants are alive until you pick them. "Just like flowers."
So of course, you can tell the wheels are turning and one boy looks up with wide eyes and asks, "So we killed our pumkins?!?"
Uhhh...
"Well, yes, but that's what they're for!" Killing. Pumpkins are for killing. Good one, Hillary.
You can bet that every kid wrote, "My pumpkin is DEAD." in their descriptions. My pumpkin is big, orange, and DEAD." Well, ok, not EVERY kid. There was that one grade two girl who put her hand up to ask, "Miss Hillary, how do you spell 'sexy?' "
Whaaa?!?!
"Sweetie, your pumpkin isn't sexy. Choose a different word."
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween!
Any guesses as to what the heck I am??? UPDATED: Katrina totally guessed it! I'm C12 H22 O11!!! A sucrose molecule. Duh!
Ok, ok, so I'm not as smart (or as funny!) as Katrina, whose guess that was. Yeppers, it's a gumball machine! C12 H22 O11 woould have been SO much better. Next year.
Monday, October 29, 2007
NaBloPoMo
It's coming! National Blog Posting Month! Where all kinda of crazies - ummm... I mean bloggers - take up the challenge to post every day for the whole month of November. Seriously, I keep worrying I'm gonna forget to post on the very first day and then be "out." Somebody remind me or something! hehe!
Also!
I'd love to know which of you are doing it (all of you! you should ALL do it!). I already know about Anne and Jenn, but what of the rest of you? So if you've signed up already, please let me know via the comments and we can give eachother moral support (aka comments! Those are really what kept me going last year!). And if you haven't... what are you still here for? Go sign up!
Also!
I'd love to know which of you are doing it (all of you! you should ALL do it!). I already know about Anne and Jenn, but what of the rest of you? So if you've signed up already, please let me know via the comments and we can give eachother moral support (aka comments! Those are really what kept me going last year!). And if you haven't... what are you still here for? Go sign up!
Leftovers, anyone?
Well I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is, I don't have any funny stories to tell about exploding turkeys or gravy all over the ceiling. The good news is that that's cause I totally pulled off a full blown turkey dinner! Sah WEET! heehee!
Turkey, stuffing, I roasted some garlic for the mashed potaoes, gravy and cranberry sauce from scratch, steamed veggies... and homemade pumpkin pie for dessert! (ok, so I cheated with a tenderflake crust, but whatever.)
I have buckets of leftovers, enough to last me through the week and also to freeze. Yippee!
Turkey, stuffing, I roasted some garlic for the mashed potaoes, gravy and cranberry sauce from scratch, steamed veggies... and homemade pumpkin pie for dessert! (ok, so I cheated with a tenderflake crust, but whatever.)
I have buckets of leftovers, enough to last me through the week and also to freeze. Yippee!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Now's the time to learn!
I've gotten a few comments and emails about all my dancing posts and videos, so I thought I'd send an open invite to all you blogosphere folks who live in the Vancouver area...
There's a new West Coast Swing class starting this Thursday, if anyone wants to learn! It's taught by Myles and Tessa (whose videos I'm always linking to!). They teach in sessions - a new one begins every 4 weeks. If you're interested, check out this link - it's got some more info. (If it's too small, hold your muose over the image and click the orange "expand" box on the bottom right corner).
I'm doing the beginner class to fill in the holes in my basics (of which there are many!) So who wants to come dance with me?!?!? :)
(and no, I get no perks for referring people! I just think it's fun, and think you'll think so too! :) Heehee!)
There's a new West Coast Swing class starting this Thursday, if anyone wants to learn! It's taught by Myles and Tessa (whose videos I'm always linking to!). They teach in sessions - a new one begins every 4 weeks. If you're interested, check out this link - it's got some more info. (If it's too small, hold your muose over the image and click the orange "expand" box on the bottom right corner).
I'm doing the beginner class to fill in the holes in my basics (of which there are many!) So who wants to come dance with me?!?!? :)
(and no, I get no perks for referring people! I just think it's fun, and think you'll think so too! :) Heehee!)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Little Miss Grumpy Pants
And after yesterday's post... now I'm sick. Full blown, can't-talk, sore-throat, achy-body, heavy-head s-i-c-k. And cause I left without prepping for the day yesterday, I have to go in. Go me.
This is me, flapping my hands, stomping my feet: I DON'T WANNA!!!
I can't wait for tonight - hot tea, warm blanket, fluff movie watched from in bed, asleep by 8 if I'm lucky.
Wow, I'm such a whiner!
This is me, flapping my hands, stomping my feet: I DON'T WANNA!!!
I can't wait for tonight - hot tea, warm blanket, fluff movie watched from in bed, asleep by 8 if I'm lucky.
Wow, I'm such a whiner!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wit's end
This week has been one of those weeks. You know: THOSE weeks. Where you're completely pooped by recess and you've exhausted any and all manner of strategies to get certain kids in your class to just. listen. please!
I've had it. H-A-D, had it.
I am enjoying this level, but I have got myself a challenging little class here. They are cuties, and there are the moments that I cling to that remind me of why I'm enjoying teaching this level, and I'm excited to try out a new independent working structure I learned at a workshop last Friday... all those things are good. But it's the nagging, the reminding, the disciplining, the always trying to match correction with positive feedback, the constant reigning in of the feeling that I would just like to blow my top at times with a few of them that is utterly and completely exhausting. It's being SO frustrated, but still staying even keel, staying fair, staying calm. I swear, teachers should get oscars for all the acting they do!
[rant removed, but if you missed it, it was a doozy] At least the vice principal is supportive and works with some of the more challenging kids every chance she gets. She is AMAZING. Goldstar for her! I SO appreciate her support. Because seriously. I'm going insane here.
Blah.
I'm blogging this because hopefully it'll bring my stress level down and I can actually get some work done around here. Cause I've been talking and wandering and staring at my computer screen aimlessly and haven't been able to wrap my brain around any form of work for the two hours since school ended.
All's I can say is, thank goodness it's Friday tomorrow. We're done at noon (yippee for a modified week!), and then a relaxing weekend, including some dancing - of course! - and ending with me attempting to cook my very first turkey.
Heh. That may just be some good blog fodder right there!
You know what? THIS turkey is outta here. My desk and teacher table are a mess, and I'm only marginally prepared for tomorrow, but my brain is zonked. I'll deal with it in the morning. Right now I'm getting out to enjoy a walk in the sunshine.
Zippity doo dah!
I've had it. H-A-D, had it.
I am enjoying this level, but I have got myself a challenging little class here. They are cuties, and there are the moments that I cling to that remind me of why I'm enjoying teaching this level, and I'm excited to try out a new independent working structure I learned at a workshop last Friday... all those things are good. But it's the nagging, the reminding, the disciplining, the always trying to match correction with positive feedback, the constant reigning in of the feeling that I would just like to blow my top at times with a few of them that is utterly and completely exhausting. It's being SO frustrated, but still staying even keel, staying fair, staying calm. I swear, teachers should get oscars for all the acting they do!
[rant removed, but if you missed it, it was a doozy] At least the vice principal is supportive and works with some of the more challenging kids every chance she gets. She is AMAZING. Goldstar for her! I SO appreciate her support. Because seriously. I'm going insane here.
Blah.
I'm blogging this because hopefully it'll bring my stress level down and I can actually get some work done around here. Cause I've been talking and wandering and staring at my computer screen aimlessly and haven't been able to wrap my brain around any form of work for the two hours since school ended.
All's I can say is, thank goodness it's Friday tomorrow. We're done at noon (yippee for a modified week!), and then a relaxing weekend, including some dancing - of course! - and ending with me attempting to cook my very first turkey.
Heh. That may just be some good blog fodder right there!
You know what? THIS turkey is outta here. My desk and teacher table are a mess, and I'm only marginally prepared for tomorrow, but my brain is zonked. I'll deal with it in the morning. Right now I'm getting out to enjoy a walk in the sunshine.
Zippity doo dah!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Oh my poor feeties....
From 4pm Friday to 4pm Sunday, I spent 29 hours in dance workshops, watching competitions, and dancing. That's not counting lunch, that's not counting the 45 min nap I had to tak at 6:30 Saturday evening so that I wouldn't collapse, that's not counting sleep, what little there was of it. Twenty-nine hours of dance in fourty-eight hours.
My feet hurt. But I am on such a high right now! And it's not even over, because Kyle Redd, one of the pros, had so many requests for private lessons that he changed his flight to Wednesday morning and is doing lessons all of today and tomorrow, too. So I jumped on the "me too!" train and have a lesson with him this evening.
Squeeeee!
...... Aaaand, update to this, even before I published the post... my friend Jason needs a follower for HIS lesson tonight, so I'm going along to his lesson, too, immediately after mine. It's Jason's lesson, he just needs a body. So instead, I get TWO hours of lessons for the price of one.
Double squeeeeee!
My feet hurt. But I am on such a high right now! And it's not even over, because Kyle Redd, one of the pros, had so many requests for private lessons that he changed his flight to Wednesday morning and is doing lessons all of today and tomorrow, too. So I jumped on the "me too!" train and have a lesson with him this evening.
Squeeeee!
...... Aaaand, update to this, even before I published the post... my friend Jason needs a follower for HIS lesson tonight, so I'm going along to his lesson, too, immediately after mine. It's Jason's lesson, he just needs a body. So instead, I get TWO hours of lessons for the price of one.
Double squeeeeee!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Best Weekend of Awesomeness EVER
I am SO ridiculously excited about this weekend you can't even believe it.
I haven't written about dance for a while now. That doesn't mean I haven't been going, though! I haven't done my Sunday night classes since the end of July, partly cause of being away a lot in August, and then come the fall, I really wanted to work on brushing up on my technique and breaking any bad habits I'd developed before I continued to learn some new moves. I've been going dancing at LEAST once a week, and now I've signed up for something a little more intense...
So remember when I got all star-struck about dancing with Tessa a few weeks ago? Well I heard that her and Myles were having a special on a series of six private lessons, so I went in with a friend and splurged. I've had two lessons with Tessa so far, and they have been BRUTAL (in a good way, but totally intense! Isn't that clear?!). Nothing like having the Canadian champion of west coast swing (WCS) telling you to go ahead and dance with your partner, knowing that she is standing there looking on, taking mental notes about every little thing you do. Eekers!
Turns out she had a lot to critique. Uhm, yeah. It turns out I didn't even know how to put my FEET down on the FLOOR properly, and I apparently dance like Priscilla Pelvis. *snort* More on that one later, and on my homework from the first two lessons: 1) Dance with your fridge and 2) Stick a ruler down your pants. Suffice it to say that there's a whole lot of basics I need to work on.
So what does all that have to do with this weekend, you ask? Well. Let me tell you.
I'm going to my first ever dance convention. Kinda like dance camp. Except awesome-er.
It's an entire weekend of dancing, workshops, competitions and demos. As if that's not cool enough, the thing that's so exciting about it is that the best WCS dancers in the WORLD are coming. The top four couples, and many many other well known names - both from here and elsewhere - will be competing and giving workshops. If you search on YouTube for "west coast swing," you will see the names Jordan and Tatiana, Kyle and Sarah, Parker and Jessica, and Myles and Tessa come up over and over. They are ALL going to be there! Squeeee!!! And yes, I've gotten over my star-struck phase! ... mostly, anyway! ;) I'm excited to get to learn from these dancers and see them compete. They are absolutely amazing. (Their names link to a video of each, for some context. If anything, check out Myles and Tessa's. The first link is to a choreographed routine (they won!) and the second is to an improvised one.)
From 3pm Friday till the wee hours of the morning (I think they shut the dance down at 5am), then from 9am Saturday into the wee hours again, and then again from about 10am on Sunday till 6pm, I'll be dancing, learning, dancing, watching competitions, and dancing again. SO! FUN! (Then at 7:30 Sunday night, I'm going to see Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift, and Brad Paisley from freakin' ROW 25 on the FLOOR!!!!!! Not really about dancing, but also part of the Best Weekend of Awesomeness EVER, so it totally counts!)
But even MORE fun (and excruciatingly terrifying)??? I'm going to enter my first ever dance competition on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!! Holy SHNEIKE!!! I'm entering the novice level Jack and Jill competition, which is where dancers sign up as either a leader or a follower, and then draw a random partner to compete with. Dancers are judged as individuals in the preliminaries, then as a couple in the finals. I'm not expecting to get into the finals, but still the experience will be totally worth it! I'm gonna dance with a number on my butt, baby!
Man, if you told high school me - whose only dancing experience was grudgingly doing the mandatory square dance unit in PE - that I'd be COMPETING in a DANCE contest? Wow, that would have been the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard in my entire life.
But that's me! Totally ridiculous. And TOTALLY PUMPED for this weekend.
WAAAAHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
UPDATE: Here's a video, cause I know you probably didn't click on those links! :) This is Myles and Tessa last month. The dance is totally improvised.
Update to the update: And just cause I can't stop... this one (NOT in the links above) is them doing Lindy Hop for the first two mins, then West Coast Swing. THIS is a fun video. It makes me grin every time. How she moves her body like that is beyond me.
I haven't written about dance for a while now. That doesn't mean I haven't been going, though! I haven't done my Sunday night classes since the end of July, partly cause of being away a lot in August, and then come the fall, I really wanted to work on brushing up on my technique and breaking any bad habits I'd developed before I continued to learn some new moves. I've been going dancing at LEAST once a week, and now I've signed up for something a little more intense...
So remember when I got all star-struck about dancing with Tessa a few weeks ago? Well I heard that her and Myles were having a special on a series of six private lessons, so I went in with a friend and splurged. I've had two lessons with Tessa so far, and they have been BRUTAL (in a good way, but totally intense! Isn't that clear?!). Nothing like having the Canadian champion of west coast swing (WCS) telling you to go ahead and dance with your partner, knowing that she is standing there looking on, taking mental notes about every little thing you do. Eekers!
Turns out she had a lot to critique. Uhm, yeah. It turns out I didn't even know how to put my FEET down on the FLOOR properly, and I apparently dance like Priscilla Pelvis. *snort* More on that one later, and on my homework from the first two lessons: 1) Dance with your fridge and 2) Stick a ruler down your pants. Suffice it to say that there's a whole lot of basics I need to work on.
So what does all that have to do with this weekend, you ask? Well. Let me tell you.
I'm going to my first ever dance convention. Kinda like dance camp. Except awesome-er.
It's an entire weekend of dancing, workshops, competitions and demos. As if that's not cool enough, the thing that's so exciting about it is that the best WCS dancers in the WORLD are coming. The top four couples, and many many other well known names - both from here and elsewhere - will be competing and giving workshops. If you search on YouTube for "west coast swing," you will see the names Jordan and Tatiana, Kyle and Sarah, Parker and Jessica, and Myles and Tessa come up over and over. They are ALL going to be there! Squeeee!!! And yes, I've gotten over my star-struck phase! ... mostly, anyway! ;) I'm excited to get to learn from these dancers and see them compete. They are absolutely amazing. (Their names link to a video of each, for some context. If anything, check out Myles and Tessa's. The first link is to a choreographed routine (they won!) and the second is to an improvised one.)
From 3pm Friday till the wee hours of the morning (I think they shut the dance down at 5am), then from 9am Saturday into the wee hours again, and then again from about 10am on Sunday till 6pm, I'll be dancing, learning, dancing, watching competitions, and dancing again. SO! FUN! (Then at 7:30 Sunday night, I'm going to see Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift, and Brad Paisley from freakin' ROW 25 on the FLOOR!!!!!! Not really about dancing, but also part of the Best Weekend of Awesomeness EVER, so it totally counts!)
But even MORE fun (and excruciatingly terrifying)??? I'm going to enter my first ever dance competition on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!! Holy SHNEIKE!!! I'm entering the novice level Jack and Jill competition, which is where dancers sign up as either a leader or a follower, and then draw a random partner to compete with. Dancers are judged as individuals in the preliminaries, then as a couple in the finals. I'm not expecting to get into the finals, but still the experience will be totally worth it! I'm gonna dance with a number on my butt, baby!
Man, if you told high school me - whose only dancing experience was grudgingly doing the mandatory square dance unit in PE - that I'd be COMPETING in a DANCE contest? Wow, that would have been the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard in my entire life.
But that's me! Totally ridiculous. And TOTALLY PUMPED for this weekend.
WAAAAHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
UPDATE: Here's a video, cause I know you probably didn't click on those links! :) This is Myles and Tessa last month. The dance is totally improvised.
Update to the update: And just cause I can't stop... this one (NOT in the links above) is them doing Lindy Hop for the first two mins, then West Coast Swing. THIS is a fun video. It makes me grin every time. How she moves her body like that is beyond me.
Training
When you don't train, and then you run a marathon, you're gonna hurt. Or even a half marathon. I have a friend who's stubborn as anything - I love him for it - and he signed up for a half marathon that happened two weeks ago. He didn't end up training for it at all, really. Now me? I would have just bailed. (So good to know I hold to my commitments, eh?) But not him. He took a plane over to Victoria and ran the dang thing anyway. Under his goal time. And beat every one of his friends who did the race.
And then couldn't walk for nearly a week afterwards.
So I'm gonna use him for inspiration. But not for a half marathon. Heck no, that's crazy talk. Seriously. I would die. Colapsed-on-the-pavement-never-to-be-seen-again kinda die. Instead I'm talking about something much nerdier. And I'm ok with that.
It's NaBloPoMo time again, folks. National Blog Posting Month. For the month of November, I will post every single day. Why? Well I ask you, why not? I did it last year, and while it made me go slightly insane, I did finished! Whether doing it now and acutally KNOWING what I'm getting myself into is crazier than just signing up blind is yet to be seen.
But I'm stubborn like that.
Who else is with me? Click the badge for more information and sign yerself all up now, ya hear?
And then couldn't walk for nearly a week afterwards.
So I'm gonna use him for inspiration. But not for a half marathon. Heck no, that's crazy talk. Seriously. I would die. Colapsed-on-the-pavement-never-to-be-seen-again kinda die. Instead I'm talking about something much nerdier. And I'm ok with that.
It's NaBloPoMo time again, folks. National Blog Posting Month. For the month of November, I will post every single day. Why? Well I ask you, why not? I did it last year, and while it made me go slightly insane, I did finished! Whether doing it now and acutally KNOWING what I'm getting myself into is crazier than just signing up blind is yet to be seen.
But I'm stubborn like that.
Who else is with me? Click the badge for more information and sign yerself all up now, ya hear?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Swifty I'm not
I seem to be on a roll here...
Today after church I planned on driving down to Stanley Park to go for a walk and to take some pictures of the fall leaves... just a lazy afternoon in the park enjoying the sunshine. I had grabbed my camera bag, a jacket, and a pair of runners before I left for church, and I was all ready to go. I drove from church across the city towards the park.
As I neared Stanley Park, driving along English Bay, there were people walking, biking, and rollerblading along the seawall, countless sailboats out in the water, golden leaves drifting down in the breeze. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I love this time of year.
I rounded the corner, and a large red and white sail caught my eye. There was a viking ship out in the water!! You know - brown boat, curled up at the front and back, with a tall sail in the middle, vertical bands of red and white billowing out as the wind caught it... And people in the boat rowing! Definitely a photo opportunity.
As I was stopped at a red light, I dug around in the backseat for my camera bag, thinking that if I couldn't find parking right away, I could snap on my zoom lens and take a shot or two at the next light. So I hauled my bag into the front seat and unzipped it... only to find my camera was not there.
I was using it last night, and neglected to think that, "Uh, you have to put it back in the BAG if you want to actually take any pictures, Hillary!"
So now I'm home, back across the city again - albeit with a free and healthier lunch than I would have had otherwise - and debating if I really want to drive all the way down there again, to capture the natural beauty that I'm destroying by gallivanting all over creation in my car.
Erg.
Surely google's got some good pictures that'll do me? Bah! Sooo not the point.
Today after church I planned on driving down to Stanley Park to go for a walk and to take some pictures of the fall leaves... just a lazy afternoon in the park enjoying the sunshine. I had grabbed my camera bag, a jacket, and a pair of runners before I left for church, and I was all ready to go. I drove from church across the city towards the park.
As I neared Stanley Park, driving along English Bay, there were people walking, biking, and rollerblading along the seawall, countless sailboats out in the water, golden leaves drifting down in the breeze. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I love this time of year.
I rounded the corner, and a large red and white sail caught my eye. There was a viking ship out in the water!! You know - brown boat, curled up at the front and back, with a tall sail in the middle, vertical bands of red and white billowing out as the wind caught it... And people in the boat rowing! Definitely a photo opportunity.
As I was stopped at a red light, I dug around in the backseat for my camera bag, thinking that if I couldn't find parking right away, I could snap on my zoom lens and take a shot or two at the next light. So I hauled my bag into the front seat and unzipped it... only to find my camera was not there.
I was using it last night, and neglected to think that, "Uh, you have to put it back in the BAG if you want to actually take any pictures, Hillary!"
So now I'm home, back across the city again - albeit with a free and healthier lunch than I would have had otherwise - and debating if I really want to drive all the way down there again, to capture the natural beauty that I'm destroying by gallivanting all over creation in my car.
Erg.
Surely google's got some good pictures that'll do me? Bah! Sooo not the point.
Graceful like an ox
I got to the dance a little late tonight, but as soon as I got there I saw a group of friends from my church who had come along to try out some west coast swing. Two had done it before, but the rest of them had never done it, so they came early for the lesson. Which, whoops, wasn't west coast swing, but rather nightclub two step, a very graceful, dance, done to slower music. Step-step gllliiiide, step-step gllliiiide. (The description not doin' it for you? Try this. And don't be scared by the cowboy hats - it's not a country dance!) I've picked up the basic step and a few moves jsut from dancing it when they throw them in there in the west coast swing rotation, and I really like it.
Friends: Yeah, it wasn't even a swing lesson, it was night clup two step.
Me: Oh no! But oooh, I love that dance, it's so elegant, so smooth!
Friends: yeah, it looks really pretty.
Me: It is!
Now, you have to know me - I very frequently act out what I say. So I begin to do the basic step as I talk: Step-step gllliiide, step-step.... CRASH!
As I smoothly, gracefully, elegantly glliiiiided backwards, I TOTALLY body checked some poor woman walking to her seat.
Good thing I have reflexes like a cat! I was able to grab her arm to steady her and keep her from falling.
Though in doing that, I miiiight have then stepped on her foot.
Friends: Yeah, it wasn't even a swing lesson, it was night clup two step.
Me: Oh no! But oooh, I love that dance, it's so elegant, so smooth!
Friends: yeah, it looks really pretty.
Me: It is!
Now, you have to know me - I very frequently act out what I say. So I begin to do the basic step as I talk: Step-step gllliiide, step-step.... CRASH!
As I smoothly, gracefully, elegantly glliiiiided backwards, I TOTALLY body checked some poor woman walking to her seat.
Good thing I have reflexes like a cat! I was able to grab her arm to steady her and keep her from falling.
Though in doing that, I miiiight have then stepped on her foot.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The GRRRR factor
It's a good thing it's been a few hours since I thought about writing this post, or there may have been some obscenities involved.
RAGA!!!!
Back in February, I got a parking ticket downtown after dance one Sunday night. It was a STUPID parking ticket, cause the signs were TOTALLY not clear and it looked like it was free to park after 6 on weekends. I am not the only one who interpreted the sign this way. There were at least 6 others who scrutinized the sign with me at various times and agreed that, yes, indeed, parking was free after six.
So great was my assurance that I was right that I went down and took photos of the sign, sent them to the parking company, and told them that I was disputing my ticket. Of course, after sending the signs away, I saw that, yes, actually I DID have to pay after six. BUT IT WAS STILL UNCLEAR! And I hold to that to this day. They have since changed the signs. And upped the rates. D'oh.
Anyway.
The ticket was for something like 45 bucks, and $65 if I didn't pay it within a week or something. Well, I was contesting the ticket, so they told me that it wouldn't go up.
But then I got no answer from them about my email. One week went by, then two, then three. Four. Five. Then I got a letter from the parking company stating that I now owed $75 - the higher ticket price, plus interest and fees for who-knows-what.
So I emailed back, stating rather bluntly that, uh, no, I had contested, and hadn't heard from them in five weeks. So they emailed me back on April 12, complete with no less than 4 condescending paragraphs about private property, right to collect revenue, legal blahbitty blah, I had infringed, yadda yadda yadda. Yeah, whatever buddy. Shaddup. At the end of the email (and it was LONG!) they said they'd accept payment for $26.75 so long as I paid it within 7 days.
So I did. Fine. Got an email, thanks for paying, here's your confirmation number, done. Finito. Or so I thought.
Around mid May I began getting calls from a collection agency (which, as the recorded voice never actually said what it was about - "a very important business matter" - I had no idea and just hung up on them every time, so didn't actually know it was a collection agency till maybe July sometime.). They called every. single. day. I got letters. The amount was now up to ninety-something.
I called in July and they told me the details of my ticket, which wasn't even with the right parking company. Clearly they were on crack, so I decided to ignore them. And still they called.
Around September I got fed up with the calls and called them back to tell them to get lost, I'd paid eons ago. Of course, by this time, I was getting more threatening calls from a DIFFERENT collection agency saying that my credit rating was affected, I'd be taken to court, and all that blahbitty blah blah.
So I called the original collections agency again. I was not rude, but I was not polite, either. I've paid this flippin' thing, I have email confirmations to prove the mount we settled on, and that I'd paid, where do I send it off to?
I got the fax number, prepared the documents, and faxed it off with a cover letter saying in no uncertain terms that they were to stop calling me immediately, and repair any damage to my credit rating, and inform me in writing via email when this had happened.
That was about a month ago. No email, but really, I wasn't expecting one anyway. But no more phone calls, either.
Until last week. More threatening phone calls. Now the amount is $125. Usually they're on my machine, but the robot got me home tonight. I called. I left a message (which ticked me off, too, as their stupid rigmarole voicemail thing took me almost TEN minutes before it rang through to an agent, and by that time they were closed. They weren't closed when I called in the first place). I left an aaaangry message.
Honestly, WHAT do I have to do to get these ........ [words you don't want to hear] off my back?????
ARG! I'm SOOO angry! Just leave me the heck alone!
Blah. Somehow barfing all that up on my blog makes things feel better. But seriously. If they call me back again....
In other, happier news, one of my kidlets totally cracked me up today - and a real live crack up, not just one of those "over enthusiastic for the sake of the kid" kind of laughs.
In their writing books (journals) today, I told them that they were to imagine that they were a turkey, and that the farmer was looking forward to a yummy Thanksgiving dinner. They, as the turkey, had to tell the farmer why he shouldn't eat them, or maybe who or what to eat instead. So complete with ESL grammar and kid spelling (which I don't have here to replicate, I'm just going with the gist of the grammar), here's what one grade two boy wrote:
"I'm a turkey. If the farmer want to eat me, I tell him you don't want to eat me, I'm too skinny. You should go eat Mr Chicken. If he say no, then go ask Mrs Cow. If he say no, then go ask Mr Pig. If he say no, you can go eat rice."
Laughing, I asked, "Really? Rice!"
To which he replied, "Yeah. Rice can't talk back."
RAGA!!!!
Back in February, I got a parking ticket downtown after dance one Sunday night. It was a STUPID parking ticket, cause the signs were TOTALLY not clear and it looked like it was free to park after 6 on weekends. I am not the only one who interpreted the sign this way. There were at least 6 others who scrutinized the sign with me at various times and agreed that, yes, indeed, parking was free after six.
So great was my assurance that I was right that I went down and took photos of the sign, sent them to the parking company, and told them that I was disputing my ticket. Of course, after sending the signs away, I saw that, yes, actually I DID have to pay after six. BUT IT WAS STILL UNCLEAR! And I hold to that to this day. They have since changed the signs. And upped the rates. D'oh.
Anyway.
The ticket was for something like 45 bucks, and $65 if I didn't pay it within a week or something. Well, I was contesting the ticket, so they told me that it wouldn't go up.
But then I got no answer from them about my email. One week went by, then two, then three. Four. Five. Then I got a letter from the parking company stating that I now owed $75 - the higher ticket price, plus interest and fees for who-knows-what.
So I emailed back, stating rather bluntly that, uh, no, I had contested, and hadn't heard from them in five weeks. So they emailed me back on April 12, complete with no less than 4 condescending paragraphs about private property, right to collect revenue, legal blahbitty blah, I had infringed, yadda yadda yadda. Yeah, whatever buddy. Shaddup. At the end of the email (and it was LONG!) they said they'd accept payment for $26.75 so long as I paid it within 7 days.
So I did. Fine. Got an email, thanks for paying, here's your confirmation number, done. Finito. Or so I thought.
Around mid May I began getting calls from a collection agency (which, as the recorded voice never actually said what it was about - "a very important business matter" - I had no idea and just hung up on them every time, so didn't actually know it was a collection agency till maybe July sometime.). They called every. single. day. I got letters. The amount was now up to ninety-something.
I called in July and they told me the details of my ticket, which wasn't even with the right parking company. Clearly they were on crack, so I decided to ignore them. And still they called.
Around September I got fed up with the calls and called them back to tell them to get lost, I'd paid eons ago. Of course, by this time, I was getting more threatening calls from a DIFFERENT collection agency saying that my credit rating was affected, I'd be taken to court, and all that blahbitty blah blah.
So I called the original collections agency again. I was not rude, but I was not polite, either. I've paid this flippin' thing, I have email confirmations to prove the mount we settled on, and that I'd paid, where do I send it off to?
I got the fax number, prepared the documents, and faxed it off with a cover letter saying in no uncertain terms that they were to stop calling me immediately, and repair any damage to my credit rating, and inform me in writing via email when this had happened.
That was about a month ago. No email, but really, I wasn't expecting one anyway. But no more phone calls, either.
Until last week. More threatening phone calls. Now the amount is $125. Usually they're on my machine, but the robot got me home tonight. I called. I left a message (which ticked me off, too, as their stupid rigmarole voicemail thing took me almost TEN minutes before it rang through to an agent, and by that time they were closed. They weren't closed when I called in the first place). I left an aaaangry message.
Honestly, WHAT do I have to do to get these ........ [words you don't want to hear] off my back?????
ARG! I'm SOOO angry! Just leave me the heck alone!
Blah. Somehow barfing all that up on my blog makes things feel better. But seriously. If they call me back again....
In other, happier news, one of my kidlets totally cracked me up today - and a real live crack up, not just one of those "over enthusiastic for the sake of the kid" kind of laughs.
In their writing books (journals) today, I told them that they were to imagine that they were a turkey, and that the farmer was looking forward to a yummy Thanksgiving dinner. They, as the turkey, had to tell the farmer why he shouldn't eat them, or maybe who or what to eat instead. So complete with ESL grammar and kid spelling (which I don't have here to replicate, I'm just going with the gist of the grammar), here's what one grade two boy wrote:
"I'm a turkey. If the farmer want to eat me, I tell him you don't want to eat me, I'm too skinny. You should go eat Mr Chicken. If he say no, then go ask Mrs Cow. If he say no, then go ask Mr Pig. If he say no, you can go eat rice."
Laughing, I asked, "Really? Rice!"
To which he replied, "Yeah. Rice can't talk back."
Monday, October 01, 2007
Ideas and Odes
So I know I haven't been doing much but posting videos and such lately. My head seems to be so full of thoughts lately - I get an idea for a blog post once every 3.2 seconds, I swear! - that it's overwhelming to write it all down! That and I've been busy like a madwoman lately.
Here's some snippets of what's going on in my mind lately. These thoughts are sooo underdeveloped. I wish I had time to chew on them,, write about them, mull them over. For now, they're snippets...
- Mexico. Yeah, yeah, I still haven't written anything about that. It's apalling, really. I find that the farther away in time of the actual event, the more it is impacting me. It certainly gives a new frame of reference for what we have and what we take for granted. And it's made me think a lot about Missions. Doing them, issues surrounding missions, how to continue to contribute in my daily life...
- Rich. Connected to Mexico, I guess, are a whole bunch of thoughts about wealth. We talked about it at Resonate (the young adults meeting at my church) tonight, too. Some thoughts that stick in my mind: We have to be careful not the think that OUR world here in North America reflects THE world. And all those bumper stickers that say "God bless America?" (which could very well say "God bless Canada") We already ARE blessed. Beyond measure. We are blessed so that we can pass that on. How exactly am I doing that in my life? (answer: I'm not - not nearly enough).
- Thanksgiving. For us Canadians, it's coming up this weekend. I spent an hour after school today writing out Thanksgiving songs and poems to work on this week. Thank you for this, thank you for that... and you know, it struck me: just who are we asking these kids to thank? It makes me think of that little poem we used to say at school camp:
Oh the Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need
The sun and the rain and the appleseed
The Lord is good to me
Johnny Appleseed
Amen.
Who knows when, but they changed it to "Oh the earth is good to me..." It makes me sad. Be thankful, be thankful... Oh how I wish I could point to the Giver of every good gift.
- The voice of Jesus. I went to a seminar given by Gordon T. Smith this weekend on learing to listen to the voice of Jesus. That probably sounds all freaky-deaky to some of you, but it was really down to earth. He talked about basically four ways that God speaks to us. First, he tells us he loves us. Everything hinges on his deep, unconditional love. "Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Second, he calls us to turn - away from sin, to confess, to live by who we were created to be. Third, he calls us to truth - to know truth, to speak truth, to teach truth. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Finally, he calls us to listen in times of choice. How do you know what God is calling you to do? How do you know it's God?
Man, that is such a pathetic summary for a Friday and Saturday workshop that left me feeling like I was trying to drink from a fire hose. Sooo much stuff there. Overwhelming. I'd highly, highly recommend two of his books (I've heard him speak on both topics and own both books. I'll be reading them shortly) - The Voice of Jesus and Courage and Calling.
- Professional development. Speaking of drinking from a firehose... Part of being new to a grade and a whole program (primary) is that I tend to overload myself with workshops and professinal development. It's good, becuse at this stage of the game, even workshops that seasoned pros go to and are like, "meh, I know all this" I drink up. I'm enrolled in an eight session after-school literacy workshop that meets once a month, and am also one of four staff who will be spending three full days at seminars dealing with "Understanding by Design" and "Differentiated Instruction." Basically it's about how to plan for teaching so that students actually UNDERSTAND what you are teaching, instead of just following some crazy set of rules that they've memorized. Good stuff, but sooo intense. In one sense, I love the learning curve, but in another, it's utterly exhausing. Oh well, at least for that last one I get to go spend one day every few months at a fancy-shmancy golf course with super-nummy catered food.
BLAM!
Sorry. Just trying to wake you up. I got all boring and rambly for a minute there.
Ok, now for the fun stuff which was the actual point of this post, but apparently I needed a brain dump tonight.
This here is an ode to all the mommies out there. You have amazing, amazing jobs, and you also have the incredible capacity to laugh at yourselves. Perhaps through tears at times, but laughing all the same. Hope you enjoy these.
(watch it right to the end credits!!)
Thanks to Jean and Vodkarella for posting these!
Here's some snippets of what's going on in my mind lately. These thoughts are sooo underdeveloped. I wish I had time to chew on them,, write about them, mull them over. For now, they're snippets...
- Mexico. Yeah, yeah, I still haven't written anything about that. It's apalling, really. I find that the farther away in time of the actual event, the more it is impacting me. It certainly gives a new frame of reference for what we have and what we take for granted. And it's made me think a lot about Missions. Doing them, issues surrounding missions, how to continue to contribute in my daily life...
- Rich. Connected to Mexico, I guess, are a whole bunch of thoughts about wealth. We talked about it at Resonate (the young adults meeting at my church) tonight, too. Some thoughts that stick in my mind: We have to be careful not the think that OUR world here in North America reflects THE world. And all those bumper stickers that say "God bless America?" (which could very well say "God bless Canada") We already ARE blessed. Beyond measure. We are blessed so that we can pass that on. How exactly am I doing that in my life? (answer: I'm not - not nearly enough).
- Thanksgiving. For us Canadians, it's coming up this weekend. I spent an hour after school today writing out Thanksgiving songs and poems to work on this week. Thank you for this, thank you for that... and you know, it struck me: just who are we asking these kids to thank? It makes me think of that little poem we used to say at school camp:
Oh the Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need
The sun and the rain and the appleseed
The Lord is good to me
Johnny Appleseed
Amen.
Who knows when, but they changed it to "Oh the earth is good to me..." It makes me sad. Be thankful, be thankful... Oh how I wish I could point to the Giver of every good gift.
- The voice of Jesus. I went to a seminar given by Gordon T. Smith this weekend on learing to listen to the voice of Jesus. That probably sounds all freaky-deaky to some of you, but it was really down to earth. He talked about basically four ways that God speaks to us. First, he tells us he loves us. Everything hinges on his deep, unconditional love. "Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Second, he calls us to turn - away from sin, to confess, to live by who we were created to be. Third, he calls us to truth - to know truth, to speak truth, to teach truth. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Finally, he calls us to listen in times of choice. How do you know what God is calling you to do? How do you know it's God?
Man, that is such a pathetic summary for a Friday and Saturday workshop that left me feeling like I was trying to drink from a fire hose. Sooo much stuff there. Overwhelming. I'd highly, highly recommend two of his books (I've heard him speak on both topics and own both books. I'll be reading them shortly) - The Voice of Jesus and Courage and Calling.
- Professional development. Speaking of drinking from a firehose... Part of being new to a grade and a whole program (primary) is that I tend to overload myself with workshops and professinal development. It's good, becuse at this stage of the game, even workshops that seasoned pros go to and are like, "meh, I know all this" I drink up. I'm enrolled in an eight session after-school literacy workshop that meets once a month, and am also one of four staff who will be spending three full days at seminars dealing with "Understanding by Design" and "Differentiated Instruction." Basically it's about how to plan for teaching so that students actually UNDERSTAND what you are teaching, instead of just following some crazy set of rules that they've memorized. Good stuff, but sooo intense. In one sense, I love the learning curve, but in another, it's utterly exhausing. Oh well, at least for that last one I get to go spend one day every few months at a fancy-shmancy golf course with super-nummy catered food.
BLAM!
Sorry. Just trying to wake you up. I got all boring and rambly for a minute there.
Ok, now for the fun stuff which was the actual point of this post, but apparently I needed a brain dump tonight.
This here is an ode to all the mommies out there. You have amazing, amazing jobs, and you also have the incredible capacity to laugh at yourselves. Perhaps through tears at times, but laughing all the same. Hope you enjoy these.
(watch it right to the end credits!!)
Thanks to Jean and Vodkarella for posting these!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Get Back! Get Back, Jonathan!
And this, folks is why I love Facebook. Ah, just checking my homepage, oh look, a bunch of friends have posted new profile pics. Then I see that Jonathan, a friend of mine from church, has a new profile picture. It's of him... and... WHAT? REALLY? No WAY!
When... how... really?!?!??!
I do some morestalking looking around in his profile and find this. OH. MY. WORD. I am laughing my BUTT off. Especially cause he makes Bob Barker run away in fear. Check out this clip. Yes, Sarah, even you! ;)
When... how... really?!?!??!
I do some more
Monday, September 24, 2007
Fruit Flies!
AAUUURRGGHHHH!
Is it just me, or is there an over-abundance of fruit flies this year? Seriously! They are EV-ERY-WHERE. I'm blaming this ding dang dong Vancouver garbage strike that's now in, what, the eighth week? The little suckers have lots to feed on, what with there being no garbage pickup and all.
I've tried bowls of vinegar and funnels into a bottle with a little bit of red wine at the bottom. I've tried that bug paper that they supposedly stick to. I've tried temper tantrums. I've tried reasoning with them. Heck, I've even tried cleaning up my kitchen! Nothing seems to work.
Until now. You see, my house is very quickly nearing "fruit fly free" status. And lucky you, I'm going to share my secret!
Don't go calling PETI (people for the ethical treatment of insects!) on me, cause come on, letting them drown in alcohol or acid or letting them get stuck to a big gooey sheet of paper till they flap themselves to death is just as bad.
Follow these simple steps to fruit fly freedom.
1. Be sure you have rid your kitchen counters and sink of anything fruit flies might like to munch on.
2. Get out a cookie tray and cover it with tin foil.
3. Lay out all kinds of fruit fly treats. I find bananas and/or a bowl of vinegar and fruit juice are especially good.
4. Put the tray in your oven in the morning before you go to work, leaving the oven door slightly ajar.
5. Let the little buggers find their feast while you work away gleefully, knowing that your little visitors are on their way to fruit fly heaven.
6. When you get home from work, promptly go to your oven and WHOUMP the door shut. Be quick about it. They can sense you from a mile away and if you disturb them before you get the door closed, they WILL all swarm your face and try to take! you! down! by flying up your nose and making you swat madly in a flailing arm dance that really, no human should ever be seen doing.
Uh, not that I know this from experience. I'm just sayin'.
7. Turn on your oven. 350, 400, it doesn't really matter. When your house begins to smell like banana cream pie, or when the little light goes off to say it's hot, go turn your oven off. The toasted little critters will be no longer.
8. Repeat as necessary.
9. Do that dance of joy, and for the love of all things holy, COVER UP YOUR FRUIT!
NB: If you use a bowl of vinegar and fruit juice, be sure it's oven safe! And don't forget to thoroughly sweep out your oven afterwards, unless you're lookin' for that little bit of extra protein in your chocolate chip cookies!
Is it just me, or is there an over-abundance of fruit flies this year? Seriously! They are EV-ERY-WHERE. I'm blaming this ding dang dong Vancouver garbage strike that's now in, what, the eighth week? The little suckers have lots to feed on, what with there being no garbage pickup and all.
I've tried bowls of vinegar and funnels into a bottle with a little bit of red wine at the bottom. I've tried that bug paper that they supposedly stick to. I've tried temper tantrums. I've tried reasoning with them. Heck, I've even tried cleaning up my kitchen! Nothing seems to work.
Until now. You see, my house is very quickly nearing "fruit fly free" status. And lucky you, I'm going to share my secret!
Don't go calling PETI (people for the ethical treatment of insects!) on me, cause come on, letting them drown in alcohol or acid or letting them get stuck to a big gooey sheet of paper till they flap themselves to death is just as bad.
Follow these simple steps to fruit fly freedom.
1. Be sure you have rid your kitchen counters and sink of anything fruit flies might like to munch on.
2. Get out a cookie tray and cover it with tin foil.
3. Lay out all kinds of fruit fly treats. I find bananas and/or a bowl of vinegar and fruit juice are especially good.
4. Put the tray in your oven in the morning before you go to work, leaving the oven door slightly ajar.
5. Let the little buggers find their feast while you work away gleefully, knowing that your little visitors are on their way to fruit fly heaven.
6. When you get home from work, promptly go to your oven and WHOUMP the door shut. Be quick about it. They can sense you from a mile away and if you disturb them before you get the door closed, they WILL all swarm your face and try to take! you! down! by flying up your nose and making you swat madly in a flailing arm dance that really, no human should ever be seen doing.
Uh, not that I know this from experience. I'm just sayin'.
7. Turn on your oven. 350, 400, it doesn't really matter. When your house begins to smell like banana cream pie, or when the little light goes off to say it's hot, go turn your oven off. The toasted little critters will be no longer.
8. Repeat as necessary.
9. Do that dance of joy, and for the love of all things holy, COVER UP YOUR FRUIT!
NB: If you use a bowl of vinegar and fruit juice, be sure it's oven safe! And don't forget to thoroughly sweep out your oven afterwards, unless you're lookin' for that little bit of extra protein in your chocolate chip cookies!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sing it, Amen, Hallelujah!
Well, I've joined the church choir. I love singing, and really miss being a part of a music-making ensemble (I played the clarinet and alto sax for years). So I'm slightly intimidated, especially as I had to AUDITION!! (how great would I feel if I got CUT from the church choir???) and as I felt rather over my head the first rehearsal, but I think it's gonna be fun. Lots of choral numbers, and lots of good ol' gospel... I'm looking forward to it! Here's one of the songs we started working on. It's not us, nd I'm not sure how we're doing the solo part, but it'll give you a bit of an idea...
It makes me wanna sway and clap already! hehe!
It makes me wanna sway and clap already! hehe!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Three weeks in
I can't believe I'm saying this, but this year's back to school season has been I think the least stressful one yet. And trust me, that's not the way I thought it was going to be.
I spent the whole week before school started in my classroom getting set up. Or rather, going through all the mass quantities of stuff that the previous teacher had left for me to use. She left our school to take a non-enrolling job in another district (which means she doesn't have her own class) and since she wouldn't need it and knew I was new to teaching primary - and mostly cause she's a fantabulously terrifical person - she left me pretty much EVERYTHING she had to use. Posters on the walls. Resources in the teacher cabinet. Art supplies in the cupboards. Toys and mass quantities of manipulatives on the shelves. She even left me her personal collection of illustrated, laminated poems written out on chart paper in perfect primary printing. (Yes, Tammi, I'm taking good care of them!) My room is STOCKED. All I really had to do was go through everything so that I just knew what was there. I can not TELL you how grateful I am for that, and how much stress it has relieved.
And then there are my teaching partners, Vicky and Sharon. One teaches grade one, one teaches grade two, and they are both amazingly helpful. They always have time for me and my myriads of questions. They have given me copies of whatever they are doing and encourage me along SO much. They have helped shape my attitude towards my job this year for SURE. Sharon is constantly telling me, "You know, I think you're going to like this more than you think."
And she's right.
Shhh! Don't tell anybody, but I think I just might be a primary teacher at heart!
I can't get over how blessed I feel. I am SO grateful for the support and encouragement. (and I don't think these three teachers read my blog, so if they do, I'll be slightly embarrassed. But hello! And thank you!)
From a strict "job" perspective, yes, there's a lot of prep, but it's all fun and low-stress prep. I enjoy the crafty little projects and have fun with finding poems and writing cutsie little rhymes out on sentence strips. I mean come on, my last Friday night consisted of gluing paper pencil labels on writing books, cutting out brightly coloured cardstock stars, and writing out a few poems, all done in front of a movie with a friend and a margarita in hand.
What? School work... relaxing???
And of course, the marking is easy peasy lemon squeezy.
But what I really love are the kids! (as I should!) My class is SO cute! Yes, there are a few behaviour challenges (oy VEY) but still... they are CUTIES! For example...
- Lenny.* He's a very serious little fellow in grade two. He tries his best in his work, is neat and tidy, and is very prim and proper. And obsessed with germs. In PE the other day, another boy asked if Lenny would be his partner. Lenny gave him the cocked-head, one-squinty-eye look with his index finger pointed at the other boy and asked, "Do you wash your hands all the time?" Ha! The partners weren't even going to have to touch each other. And Kiddo, that ball you're holding? WAAAY more germs on that sucker than on your partner, I guaranTEE it.
- Krissie. She's in grade one, and smart as a whip. She usually wears her hair in pigtails, which adds to the cuteness. Her birthday is on October third. I know this because ANY time we talk about birthdays, or October, or the number three (and the number three comes up a lot: One two three, look at me. Three chances. Three reading groups. And you know... counting!) she tells me in her little squeaky voice, "MY birthday is on October third! I'm gonna be SIX!" I tell her the same thing every time. "Wooow! It sounds like you're getting excited!!" I love it!
- Dylan. He's in grade one and has next to no impulse control, but is super SUPER cute. For example, that kid cannot WALK anywhere. He runs. All the time. A little shuffling-foot flailing-arm run. The other day when he was picked up for LAC, he and his thundering feet TORE across the classroom to the door, then realized something. Putting his finger to his pursed lips, he said (or rather yelled, cause just like this kid has one speed - full steam ahead - he has one volume: blaring), "OUP! Ah fuggot tah wuk!" (I forgot to walk.) Instead of the teacher saying, "Go back and walk, please," he promptly turned himSELF around, ran halfway back across the classroom, and then walked to the door for LAC. I just about peed myself laughing.
Dylan aslo has a rather heartwarming habit. Every time I read the class a story, he's sitting "criss-cross-applesauce" on the carpet, and he sits waaay up high, puffs his little chest out, purses his lips into a cutie kid smile, and applauds! Stiff and quick claps a-way up in front of his face. He's the only one, and he does it every. single. time. How can you not love that??? (I've tried bowing slightly and saying, "Oh, thaaank you!" and leaving a pause for the other kids to join in. Anyone? Anyone? Clearly we have some training to do! Teeheehee!)
- Raymond. On Thursday, I was in a rush leaving the house in the morning, and I didn't have time to blow dry my hair. I had to resort to the 'aim the heat vents at my face and comb my hair out with my fingers all the way to work' technique. More effective than you would think, actually. But what it does is leave my hair a little more poofy than I have it usually. Well, usually, it's pulled back. Now when the bell rings, the kids come in and put their stuff away then come to the carpet for reading time. I was talking to another student when little grade one Raymond came up to me while I was talking to another student. "Miss Hillary, Miss Hillary, Miss Hillary, Miss Hillary, Miss Hill - " "Just a minute please, Raymond, I'm talking to someone right now." (ah yes. I AM in primary now, aren't I?) So Raymond just stood there waiting quietly, his little hands clasped in front of him. When I was done, I turned to him with a smile. "Yes Raymond? Thank you for waiting."
Eyes big, he looked up at me. "Miss Hillary, you buuutiful."
AH hahaha! Melt. My. Heart.
"Oooh, thaank you, Raymond, What a kind thing to say!" At which point Dylan, hearing the praise Raymond was getting and not wanting to miss out, piped up. "Yeah! You bootiful!" Laughing, I thanked Dylan, too. And then, for the rest of Thursday and all of Friday, too, Dylan piped up with "You bootiful!" at random times throughout the day. Like just when I've finally gotten everyone quiet in the lineup, or listening at the carpet. I've had to stop saying thank you cause now it's just becoming a distraction. But seriously. I'll take that distraction any time! hehe! Raymond's initial one was the best, though. Adorable.
Oh there are so many more. These kids are awesome!
______________________
* All student's names changed
I spent the whole week before school started in my classroom getting set up. Or rather, going through all the mass quantities of stuff that the previous teacher had left for me to use. She left our school to take a non-enrolling job in another district (which means she doesn't have her own class) and since she wouldn't need it and knew I was new to teaching primary - and mostly cause she's a fantabulously terrifical person - she left me pretty much EVERYTHING she had to use. Posters on the walls. Resources in the teacher cabinet. Art supplies in the cupboards. Toys and mass quantities of manipulatives on the shelves. She even left me her personal collection of illustrated, laminated poems written out on chart paper in perfect primary printing. (Yes, Tammi, I'm taking good care of them!) My room is STOCKED. All I really had to do was go through everything so that I just knew what was there. I can not TELL you how grateful I am for that, and how much stress it has relieved.
And then there are my teaching partners, Vicky and Sharon. One teaches grade one, one teaches grade two, and they are both amazingly helpful. They always have time for me and my myriads of questions. They have given me copies of whatever they are doing and encourage me along SO much. They have helped shape my attitude towards my job this year for SURE. Sharon is constantly telling me, "You know, I think you're going to like this more than you think."
And she's right.
Shhh! Don't tell anybody, but I think I just might be a primary teacher at heart!
I can't get over how blessed I feel. I am SO grateful for the support and encouragement. (and I don't think these three teachers read my blog, so if they do, I'll be slightly embarrassed. But hello! And thank you!)
From a strict "job" perspective, yes, there's a lot of prep, but it's all fun and low-stress prep. I enjoy the crafty little projects and have fun with finding poems and writing cutsie little rhymes out on sentence strips. I mean come on, my last Friday night consisted of gluing paper pencil labels on writing books, cutting out brightly coloured cardstock stars, and writing out a few poems, all done in front of a movie with a friend and a margarita in hand.
What? School work... relaxing???
And of course, the marking is easy peasy lemon squeezy.
But what I really love are the kids! (as I should!) My class is SO cute! Yes, there are a few behaviour challenges (oy VEY) but still... they are CUTIES! For example...
- Lenny.* He's a very serious little fellow in grade two. He tries his best in his work, is neat and tidy, and is very prim and proper. And obsessed with germs. In PE the other day, another boy asked if Lenny would be his partner. Lenny gave him the cocked-head, one-squinty-eye look with his index finger pointed at the other boy and asked, "Do you wash your hands all the time?" Ha! The partners weren't even going to have to touch each other. And Kiddo, that ball you're holding? WAAAY more germs on that sucker than on your partner, I guaranTEE it.
- Krissie. She's in grade one, and smart as a whip. She usually wears her hair in pigtails, which adds to the cuteness. Her birthday is on October third. I know this because ANY time we talk about birthdays, or October, or the number three (and the number three comes up a lot: One two three, look at me. Three chances. Three reading groups. And you know... counting!) she tells me in her little squeaky voice, "MY birthday is on October third! I'm gonna be SIX!" I tell her the same thing every time. "Wooow! It sounds like you're getting excited!!" I love it!
- Dylan. He's in grade one and has next to no impulse control, but is super SUPER cute. For example, that kid cannot WALK anywhere. He runs. All the time. A little shuffling-foot flailing-arm run. The other day when he was picked up for LAC, he and his thundering feet TORE across the classroom to the door, then realized something. Putting his finger to his pursed lips, he said (or rather yelled, cause just like this kid has one speed - full steam ahead - he has one volume: blaring), "OUP! Ah fuggot tah wuk!" (I forgot to walk.) Instead of the teacher saying, "Go back and walk, please," he promptly turned himSELF around, ran halfway back across the classroom, and then walked to the door for LAC. I just about peed myself laughing.
Dylan aslo has a rather heartwarming habit. Every time I read the class a story, he's sitting "criss-cross-applesauce" on the carpet, and he sits waaay up high, puffs his little chest out, purses his lips into a cutie kid smile, and applauds! Stiff and quick claps a-way up in front of his face. He's the only one, and he does it every. single. time. How can you not love that??? (I've tried bowing slightly and saying, "Oh, thaaank you!" and leaving a pause for the other kids to join in. Anyone? Anyone? Clearly we have some training to do! Teeheehee!)
- Raymond. On Thursday, I was in a rush leaving the house in the morning, and I didn't have time to blow dry my hair. I had to resort to the 'aim the heat vents at my face and comb my hair out with my fingers all the way to work' technique. More effective than you would think, actually. But what it does is leave my hair a little more poofy than I have it usually. Well, usually, it's pulled back. Now when the bell rings, the kids come in and put their stuff away then come to the carpet for reading time. I was talking to another student when little grade one Raymond came up to me while I was talking to another student. "Miss Hillary, Miss Hillary, Miss Hillary, Miss Hillary, Miss Hill - " "Just a minute please, Raymond, I'm talking to someone right now." (ah yes. I AM in primary now, aren't I?) So Raymond just stood there waiting quietly, his little hands clasped in front of him. When I was done, I turned to him with a smile. "Yes Raymond? Thank you for waiting."
Eyes big, he looked up at me. "Miss Hillary, you buuutiful."
AH hahaha! Melt. My. Heart.
"Oooh, thaank you, Raymond, What a kind thing to say!" At which point Dylan, hearing the praise Raymond was getting and not wanting to miss out, piped up. "Yeah! You bootiful!" Laughing, I thanked Dylan, too. And then, for the rest of Thursday and all of Friday, too, Dylan piped up with "You bootiful!" at random times throughout the day. Like just when I've finally gotten everyone quiet in the lineup, or listening at the carpet. I've had to stop saying thank you cause now it's just becoming a distraction. But seriously. I'll take that distraction any time! hehe! Raymond's initial one was the best, though. Adorable.
Oh there are so many more. These kids are awesome!
______________________
* All student's names changed
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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