- Lose the 10 pounds
- Starbucks’ Frappuccino drinks become a treat on the weekend (only if I stick with my weekly plan- a weekend reward)
- Cut back on the fast food (meaning I have to cook more at home)
- Work on one house project and one crafty project every week
- (Though end of quarter) Grade assignments in a timely manner
- Stop playing Mafia Wars/excessive checking Facebook
- Make sure my sink is clean every night before going to bed
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Needing to get back on track
Life does seem to get in the way, doesn’t it? This quarter has done me in. I am perfectly content that I have no classes slated for the summer or fall quarters. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been stressed, depressed, sleepless, gained 10 pounds, and haven’t exercised. My To-Do lists are monumental and not completed. My brain is full, and it’s time for a break. It’s time for a clean start.
Usually, with these types of life changes, I’m good for a few weeks, and then I return to my usual behavior. I really need to stick with it this time. If I make it public here, then I am accountable to all of you who read this. If I slack off and return to my lazy, procrastinating ways, I will feel the guilt because I made a promise to myself and to all of you.
This is what I wish to accomplish:
This is quite a bit to change at once. The experts say you are destined to fail if you change too much at once. I’ve learned from the past that will relapse if I change one or change twenty aspects in my life- the quantity doesn’t make a difference. I’m going to have to start planning ahead. I’m going to have to fake it till I make it. I think my family will thank me if I can do all of these things. If I can, then maybe I can add a few more (like writing that book I’ve been meaning to for the past eight years, or getting a social life).
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Of all the days to forget the video camera
The boys and I went to Kaden’s 4th birthday party today. Drake spent most of the party upstairs in the play room (train coma!). I went upstairs to get him. “Drake, they have a piñata.”
“OH MY GOODNESS!”
He frantically tried to turn off the remote controlled train and rushed downstairs. He ever so patiently waited his turn. I laughed so hard as he was swinging the stick. I forget that he’s never really swung a baseball bat. He did connect with the piñata, but it was with the strength of a fly into an elephant. Not much impact. He was far more excited to gather the spoils once the piñata was burst open.
I distinctly recall a birthday party at Chrissy DeMarco’s house. I was able to peek out of the blindfold, so I could tell where the piñata was. I hit that thing so hard that candy flew into the farthest corners of the garage. Good times.
“OH MY GOODNESS!”
He frantically tried to turn off the remote controlled train and rushed downstairs. He ever so patiently waited his turn. I laughed so hard as he was swinging the stick. I forget that he’s never really swung a baseball bat. He did connect with the piñata, but it was with the strength of a fly into an elephant. Not much impact. He was far more excited to gather the spoils once the piñata was burst open.
I distinctly recall a birthday party at Chrissy DeMarco’s house. I was able to peek out of the blindfold, so I could tell where the piñata was. I hit that thing so hard that candy flew into the farthest corners of the garage. Good times.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Go hug a teacher
I don't watch much TV during the day (trying to set a good role model for the boys), but, I stumbled upon Regis and Kelly today after Flynn finished watching monkey. This week is the show's "Top Teachers' Week." The gentleman being honored today was a 37-year veteran English teacher from Iowa (I think). Barnes and Noble gave him a $10,000 gift card, and because he is such a fan of Michael Bublé, he got tickets and backstage passes to the show in New Orleans (plus accommodations). Wow! It just warmed my heart. So many teachers become so run down and cynical from the poor pay and lack of support. I'm glad high profile people have taken it upon themselves to give kudos to those in this noble profession. How does a doctor become a doctor? With the help of a teacher. I may never be as good as this man, but I can strive to be. I get so jaded and cynical (see my last blog post). It's nice to see positive roles models in one's profession. With that said, I have a ton a grading to finish today.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
More educational disservice
I accept that a certain population within my classroom despises formal writing (or any type of writing). I accept that I have a captive audience and that all college students are forced to take composition. I understand this, and I try to smile and go my merry way. This quarter has been different. I have students telling me that they should be doing creative writing, that they want to do whatever they wish, write however they want, and that I should stand back and let it happen. Nothing we do has purpose or value, except for me to assign a letter grade (as stated by a current student).
The current educational system has failed this generation of students in two ways. First, we have fed into their sense of entitlement and selfishness. Oh, just let them read whatever they want, as long as they are reading something. Oh, just let them write whatever they want, as long as they are writing. We can't correct their spelling; it hurts their self-esteem (I'm looking at you, CUSD). Um...no. It isn't about you. If you want to write creatively, take a creative writing class. This a composition course, teaching you the basics you will need to survive college. I guarantee your old-school history professor isn't going to let you write whatever you want. And stop using first person in an academic essay. The essay isn't about you; it's about the topic presented. Why is Tim better at grammar than I? His teachers taught him to diagram sentences. He learned the equations of written language. Why do I have trouble spelling moderately difficult words (like, uh, available)? I cheated on spelling tests. Remember when being educated meant you studied world history and geography and Plato and Sophocles and Shakespeare, and you knew the difference between there, their, and they're?
The second way we have failed students is through high-stakes testing. We have been forced to "teach to the test;" otherwise, we risk losing funding or our own paychecks. The independent learner is going the way of the dodo. Students cannot seem to look critically at their own work. I'll make comments on an essay, pointing out that the student is having issues with possession vs. plural. I'll point the student to the chapter in the text that specifically covers apostrophes. I'll even send them to a humorous website explaining the difference. If I don't point out every time in the essay where that type of mistake happens, only the one instance I pointed out is changed. No, you need to find the plural and/or possessive words and determine if those are actually correct. How will you learn from your mistakes if I am doing all the work for you? The answer is B, but why is it B? Is it enough to know the answer is B? Shouldn't we know why it is that way?
I have two types of students: fresh out of high school and those out of high school for 20+ years. The students who last wrote an essay in the 80s have a stronger writing base than the high schoolers, and their skills haven't been used recently. I'm not saying I no longer want high schoolers in my classroom. I would prefer if they not spread their venom where I can hear/read it. I wasn't a huge fan of math, but Jungle Jane never heard me bitch about it in her classroom.
The current educational system has failed this generation of students in two ways. First, we have fed into their sense of entitlement and selfishness. Oh, just let them read whatever they want, as long as they are reading something. Oh, just let them write whatever they want, as long as they are writing. We can't correct their spelling; it hurts their self-esteem (I'm looking at you, CUSD). Um...no. It isn't about you. If you want to write creatively, take a creative writing class. This a composition course, teaching you the basics you will need to survive college. I guarantee your old-school history professor isn't going to let you write whatever you want. And stop using first person in an academic essay. The essay isn't about you; it's about the topic presented. Why is Tim better at grammar than I? His teachers taught him to diagram sentences. He learned the equations of written language. Why do I have trouble spelling moderately difficult words (like, uh, available)? I cheated on spelling tests. Remember when being educated meant you studied world history and geography and Plato and Sophocles and Shakespeare, and you knew the difference between there, their, and they're?
The second way we have failed students is through high-stakes testing. We have been forced to "teach to the test;" otherwise, we risk losing funding or our own paychecks. The independent learner is going the way of the dodo. Students cannot seem to look critically at their own work. I'll make comments on an essay, pointing out that the student is having issues with possession vs. plural. I'll point the student to the chapter in the text that specifically covers apostrophes. I'll even send them to a humorous website explaining the difference. If I don't point out every time in the essay where that type of mistake happens, only the one instance I pointed out is changed. No, you need to find the plural and/or possessive words and determine if those are actually correct. How will you learn from your mistakes if I am doing all the work for you? The answer is B, but why is it B? Is it enough to know the answer is B? Shouldn't we know why it is that way?
I have two types of students: fresh out of high school and those out of high school for 20+ years. The students who last wrote an essay in the 80s have a stronger writing base than the high schoolers, and their skills haven't been used recently. I'm not saying I no longer want high schoolers in my classroom. I would prefer if they not spread their venom where I can hear/read it. I wasn't a huge fan of math, but Jungle Jane never heard me bitch about it in her classroom.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The lady who rear-ended a bus
On Monday, Mom and I took the boys down to Olympia to visit our rainy day happy place: the Hands On Children's Museum. Drake was focused on a single activity for 20 minutes at a time, and Flynn managed to not put everything into his mouth (except for the fake baked goods-- that boy loves his pastries!) The museum sits on the corner of a busy intersection adjacent to the grounds of the capitol. In front of the door is a street and a light. When we were getting ready to leave, we notice the school bus stopped at the red light... and the compact car that had rear-ended it.
How does one not see a school bus? It's bright orange and bigger than most vehicles on the road. Plus, it was stopped for a light. The bus didn't just jump out and surprise the lady. She must have been texting or chatting away when the accident happened. And if that wasn't enough to ruin someone's day...
Drake would not let us leave until he watched the tow truck take the "smushed" car away. Both boys were enthralled. And, my boys weren't the only ones. Ten little boys (with moms and grandmas in tow) lined the sidewalk watching this lady's car being hauled away. She had an audience during a humiliating moment. I'm glad she couldn't see all the people inside the museum watching her and her ordeal. I felt bad for her because of the crowd that had gathered, but then, she's the one who hit a bus.
How does one not see a school bus? It's bright orange and bigger than most vehicles on the road. Plus, it was stopped for a light. The bus didn't just jump out and surprise the lady. She must have been texting or chatting away when the accident happened. And if that wasn't enough to ruin someone's day...
Drake would not let us leave until he watched the tow truck take the "smushed" car away. Both boys were enthralled. And, my boys weren't the only ones. Ten little boys (with moms and grandmas in tow) lined the sidewalk watching this lady's car being hauled away. She had an audience during a humiliating moment. I'm glad she couldn't see all the people inside the museum watching her and her ordeal. I felt bad for her because of the crowd that had gathered, but then, she's the one who hit a bus.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
To be or not to be
I finally finished the RSC's newest interpretation of Hamlet. Even if you aren't a Shakespeare fan, this is an awesome show. David Tennant (Doctor Who) is Hamlet. If you need someone to play someone playing someone who has gone cuckoo-bananas, he's the man. Wow! He made the language seem natural and modern. Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard) is Claudius. We almost always see him in a good-guy role; he made an excellent villain. Wow! He also managed to make the language modern and natural. As many times as I have read and watched the play, I picked up some new understanding of the play from the performances of these two men.
I've always been of fan of Shakespeare. I was that weirdo in high school. My students always fought me about the Bard, but this interpretation, I believe, would change their perception. It wasn't overdone and pompous, as many of the film versions are. (I love you, Kenneth Branagh, but, come on. Your Hamlet was waaaayyy over the top.) It even had some new themes to explore: public life vs. private life; and how we behave when no one is watching, when we think no one is watching, and when we know someone is watching.
I think it's time to dust off the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. I would download it to the Kindle, but I would get annoyed going back and forth with the footnotes.
I've always been of fan of Shakespeare. I was that weirdo in high school. My students always fought me about the Bard, but this interpretation, I believe, would change their perception. It wasn't overdone and pompous, as many of the film versions are. (I love you, Kenneth Branagh, but, come on. Your Hamlet was waaaayyy over the top.) It even had some new themes to explore: public life vs. private life; and how we behave when no one is watching, when we think no one is watching, and when we know someone is watching.
I think it's time to dust off the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. I would download it to the Kindle, but I would get annoyed going back and forth with the footnotes.
Children's Television
I accidently saw a bit of Dora the Explorer. Is this what children's television has come to? Holy crap! I could hear my brain cells dying. Thankfully, my boys don't like the show. I'd have to shoot myself if they wanted to watch it every day. Even Sesame Street sucks now. The best part is now "Elmo's World," and that used to be the worst. Remember the "Muppet News Flash"? That was a funny bit. *Sigh*
We need to return to a world when Saturday morning cartoons meant four hours of Bugs Bunny. We learned so much from these cartoons. They weren't just a half hour commercial. We learned about culture and diversity. We learned about opera and bulls and gravity and the ACME Corporation. We also learned educational things during the commercial breaks. Conjunction Junction- what's your function? How many of us can still sing those songs? I can! (I can also sing the PSA for hepatitis prevention, but that's a different story.) Today's children are missing out on so much.
Thankfully, the boys love Curious George. The show is funny, written to amuse kids and adults. (A nod to the Warner Bros. classics, I presume.) I do have some outstanding questions/issues about the Man with the Yellow Hat. We don't know what he does for a living, but he rides a subway to get there. He owns an apartment in town, a house in the country, and a convertible. How does he afford all of that? He's friends with Professor Wiseman, but is he "friends" with her? On the hottest day of the year, he still wears a long sleeved shirt, tie, and a hat. Has he any sense? He lives with a monkey. Does he have some deeper issues that we don't see? Why all the yellow? No one looks good in that color.
We need to return to a world when Saturday morning cartoons meant four hours of Bugs Bunny. We learned so much from these cartoons. They weren't just a half hour commercial. We learned about culture and diversity. We learned about opera and bulls and gravity and the ACME Corporation. We also learned educational things during the commercial breaks. Conjunction Junction- what's your function? How many of us can still sing those songs? I can! (I can also sing the PSA for hepatitis prevention, but that's a different story.) Today's children are missing out on so much.
Thankfully, the boys love Curious George. The show is funny, written to amuse kids and adults. (A nod to the Warner Bros. classics, I presume.) I do have some outstanding questions/issues about the Man with the Yellow Hat. We don't know what he does for a living, but he rides a subway to get there. He owns an apartment in town, a house in the country, and a convertible. How does he afford all of that? He's friends with Professor Wiseman, but is he "friends" with her? On the hottest day of the year, he still wears a long sleeved shirt, tie, and a hat. Has he any sense? He lives with a monkey. Does he have some deeper issues that we don't see? Why all the yellow? No one looks good in that color.
Lottery numbers, please
I'm not greedy. I don't need millions and millions of dollars. I just need enough to put a new roof on my house, a new fence around my yard, new paint and trim on my garage, pay down the mortgage so PMI goes away, and pay off Tim's student loan. Well, maybe a little extra to pay for tuition for my PhD and for the boys to go to private school would be nice. I'm not looking to wallpaper the bathroom in Picassos or install a solid gold bidet. That would look tacky.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Birthday e-mail from Jack in the Box
I received the following e-mail from JITB in honor of my birthday. I love companies with a sense of humor. And those who send me coupons for free cake.
Hey Kristi Walker,
This is Jack Box wishing you a Happy Birthday. You know, when you think about it, your birthday is really just like your own personal anniversary. So kick back, relax, maybe take yourself out for dinner, maybe a movie and then buy yourself something really nice. Like a helicopter, or an endangered tiger. Have a nice day.
-Jack
Hey Kristi Walker,
This is Jack Box wishing you a Happy Birthday. You know, when you think about it, your birthday is really just like your own personal anniversary. So kick back, relax, maybe take yourself out for dinner, maybe a movie and then buy yourself something really nice. Like a helicopter, or an endangered tiger. Have a nice day.
-Jack
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Crazy scrapbooking ladies
Yesterday, I spent my entire day at a nearby scrapbooking store to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day. (I know...I know...) I don't get much time or opportunity to scrap since I had two boys, so I like to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. I have made a couple of observations.
1- I am usually one of the thinnest people at the event. (I wasn't yesterday; that honor goes to the twelve-year-old.) I'm also usually one of the thinnest people at JoAnn's whenever I am there. I'm not a runway-size-0-soaking-wet-model. But, my ass does fit into a chair completely. Are these women fat because they craft, or do they craft because they are fat?
2-The vast majority of these ladies take upwards of four (yes, FOUR) hours to finish a page. Holy cow! I don't have that kind of time. In the ten hours I was there, I finished 30 pages, and took breaks for lunch, dinner, snacks, to get rid of my massive headache, and to tuck my kids in at bedtime. The other three ladies at my table: one finished 3 single pages, and two finished 2 double pages. Yes, all of their work leaves mine in the dust. I would much rather spend my time creating memories than chronicling them.
3- The day I begin scrapbooking about scrapbooking is the day to shoot me. That's when I've crossed over into Crazy Scrapbook Lady Land. Seriously. At least 10 brought cameras and took "action" shots. Action meaning "look at these piles of crap on everyone's table and see all the people with their heads down working." And the piles of materials. Mounds and mounds of stuff. The lady behind me had a Rolodex filled with design layout templates. A freakin' Rolodex.
It's an odd hobby, I know. But, it has, strangely enough, curbed my pack rat tendencies. No longer do I have boxes of stuff for the sake of having boxes of stuff. Now, I have boxes of stuff to scrapbook.
1- I am usually one of the thinnest people at the event. (I wasn't yesterday; that honor goes to the twelve-year-old.) I'm also usually one of the thinnest people at JoAnn's whenever I am there. I'm not a runway-size-0-soaking-wet-model. But, my ass does fit into a chair completely. Are these women fat because they craft, or do they craft because they are fat?
2-The vast majority of these ladies take upwards of four (yes, FOUR) hours to finish a page. Holy cow! I don't have that kind of time. In the ten hours I was there, I finished 30 pages, and took breaks for lunch, dinner, snacks, to get rid of my massive headache, and to tuck my kids in at bedtime. The other three ladies at my table: one finished 3 single pages, and two finished 2 double pages. Yes, all of their work leaves mine in the dust. I would much rather spend my time creating memories than chronicling them.
3- The day I begin scrapbooking about scrapbooking is the day to shoot me. That's when I've crossed over into Crazy Scrapbook Lady Land. Seriously. At least 10 brought cameras and took "action" shots. Action meaning "look at these piles of crap on everyone's table and see all the people with their heads down working." And the piles of materials. Mounds and mounds of stuff. The lady behind me had a Rolodex filled with design layout templates. A freakin' Rolodex.
It's an odd hobby, I know. But, it has, strangely enough, curbed my pack rat tendencies. No longer do I have boxes of stuff for the sake of having boxes of stuff. Now, I have boxes of stuff to scrapbook.
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