Prom

So last night I went to our prom. This is the second year that I've gone (my official job is checking in the kids as they come in), and I really enjoy it. I have a tendency to get really frustrated with my students at this point in the semester, and seeing them all dressed up and having a good time softens my heart towards them a little bit.

I didn't take any pictures, mainly because I'm not really extroverted enough to say, "Okay, everyone...let me take your picture." I may try to get bold enough with that next year, though. I'll work up to it.

I don't really have much to report about it. It went well, no major dramas or scenes. Some of the girls were dressed, well, a little too provocatively, but I would say the vast majority were appropriately dressed and very classy. I'm a bit dismayed, however, by the apparent comeback of the white tux. Ugh.

My own charm school

This morning, while I was making some lemon bars, I had the TV on VH1. Every time a promo came on for the new show Charm School, I couldn't help thinking of my 5th period class.

A first for today...

I can say that in all my teaching career, I've never uttered these words until today:

"Jeff, put your pet bat back in your briefcase."

One of my students hit a bat last night with his car and decided to bring it in a Ziploc to school. Gross.

And yes, he does carry a briefcase to school. He's an interesting kid.

I "Heart" Apolo

I have a schoolgirl crush on Apolo Anton Ohno. Sure, he's only 25, but if you watch this video, you'll see that my love is completely justified.

We can all breathe a sigh of relief...

Sanjaya's gone!!!!

Martina on Idol/The Bachelor

My mom isn't a fan of my "TV posts" (her words: "You write too much about TV"), but oh well...

Martina McBride is going to be on Idol tonight, and I'm psyched. Now, I'm not a big country music fan, but I do love me some Martina. She's not too "twangy" (my main complaint about most country music), and her voice is incredible. If you haven't really listened to her before because she's a "country" artist, you might give her a shot. You might like her. I also think I just want to hang out with her and watch girl movies and eat brownies. She seems like that kind of girl.

And on another TV note...why is The Bachelor still on? I must confess, I watched the first couple of seasons, but I gave up on it when it seemed that the couples just broke up two weeks later. Last night, though, I just left the TV on after Dancing with the Stars while I was packing my lunch and such, and I had the biggest laugh over these girls who were competing for this guy by participating in some kind of boot camp workout. One girl fell and hurt her ankle, and who dashes to her rescue but The Bachelor himself, with rose in hand? And you could tell that all the other girls hated her because she was getting the extra attention. Hilarious. Isn't this 2007?

Random bits of this and that

--I finally finished grading those senior research papers. I honestly expected the harps the sound and a choir of angels to break forth in song. I thought I'd never finish those things.
--I had a weird dream the other night that I was Jennifer Hudson. It was really strange.
--I don't know if you watch Dancing with the Stars, but Apolo and Julianne were INCREDIBLE tonight.
--It doesn't even seem appropriate to put this in the same post, but man, how upsetting is the Virginia Tech shooting? I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around that. My thoughts and prayers are definitely with all those faculty, students, and their families. (And while I've heard much criticism of the campus police for the way everything was handled, it does make me wonder how on earth an open college campus could be "secured." There is no intercom system, email is not immediately accessible to everyone at every moment, and there are tons of entrances and exits.) How tragic.

I don't know about you...

but I know I'm going to sleep much better tonight now that I know who the father of Anna Nicole's baby is.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is having a good Easter. Darryl and I went to the early church service today followed by lunch at the Smith House, where we seated at a table with one of the chattiest ten-year-old girls I've ever seen. She apparently saw Darryl as a captive audience and talked to him the entire time.

The rest of my Spring Break was good. Darryl was able to leave work early at his job Friday, so we just spent the day going here and there. I did get a good bit of grading done--not as much as I originally had hoped, but I made a really good dent in it. (This is quite an improvement over breaks I've had in the past where I didn't grade a single paper.) I think I should finish up the rest this week.

So now we're at the point in the year that I consider the "home stretch." The next vacation will be summer vacation, and the end is in sight. You know what I dread most about going back to school tomorrow? Getting up at 5:00. Yuck.

Spring Break--Thursday

I was a little better with the grading today, getting right to it this morning by grading a class set of Earnest tests. I graded a few papers this afternoon. Tomorrow needs to be a marathon.

I had lunch with my cousin Vicky at one of my favorite local restaurants (their chicken salad is delicious), so that was an enjoyable break from grading.

Tonight, Darryl and I went to The Capital Grille for our belated anniversary dinner. I usually don't get too excited over soup, but one of the reasons I wanted to go there is that their French Onion Soup is to die for. Delicious. I had the filet and Darryl had the ribeye; we split a side of mashed potatoes, and our dessert--cheesecake with fresh strawberries--was a freebie because we were celebrating. (A couple of years ago, they gave me free chocolate cake because it was my birthday. Nice. You don't even have to suffer the humiliation of the singing waiters and waitresses.)

Not a bad day. Tomorrow...grading. :(

Idol Stinks

I can't believe Gina had the least number of votes. I didn't think she was the best necessarily, but I liked her, and I thought she had an okay night last night. How bittersweet that her swan song had to be "Smile."

So Gina is gone. Sanjaya stays. Haley stays. Phil stays. Whatever.

Spring Break--Wednesday

I've graded a few papers, not as many as I should have. I still plan to grade more, though, while I watch the too-long results show of Idol. I did get to have lunch with Darryl today, however, and I had a much-needed haircut, so it wasn't a complete waste of a day.

Oh, here's one observation from the senior career papers that I've graded: If you are planning to go into the Christian ministry, maybe you should learn to capitalize God. I'm just saying.

Spring Break--Monday and Tuesday

Man, have I enjoyed having a break this week. I've enjoyed sleeping in, catching up on some TiVo, taking care of odds and ends...it's been nice. I think it has made me long for summer vacation even more!

I do, however, need to grade some papers. Very badly. I'm telling you this because I vow right here and now that I will grade papers tomorrow.

Other tidbits:

--I finally watched the movie Supersize Me. Yep, I'm a little late on that one, but I found it quite interesting. While I was fascinated with Spurlock's ability to eat McDonald's for 30 days (gross!), what I found even more intriguing was some of the other "side stories" and information...like the story about the alternative school somewhere (sorry--can't remember where) that switched to a healthy menu in the cafeteria, and administrators and teachers noticed a marked change for the better in the behavior of the kids. I can't help thinking that maybe there is a bit of a connection between my students' lethargic behavior 6th period and the "chicken rings," mashed potatoes, and cookies they have eaten right before class. Anyway...

--Apolo is still my favorite on Dancing with the Stars.

--Um, yeah, that's about it.