Grading Marathon 2006

Darryl and I have already gone to a Braves game (see post below), and tonight we are going to a wedding, but the rest of my time needs to be spent grading this stack of papers. It isn't that tall, but this stack contains the following, ranked by priority:

1--4 sets of in-class essays from my seniors (this would explain why the stack isn't that tall--most of my seniors think that "multi-paragraph essay" means two paragraphs). While I have many of these--about 100--they shouldn't take long to grade. They aren't a major grade, so I'm spending just a few minutes on each one.

2--1 set of in-class essays from my Pre-AP students. I have 14 of these, but they will probably take a while to grade as I adjust to the AP grading rubric I borrowed/adapted from TimShady.

3--5 sets of short essay responses from the seniors' Canterbury Tales test. I can do these quickly.

4--1 set of vocabulary quizzes from my Pre-AP students. These should be easy to grade.

If I can get ALL of this done (I know--dream on, right?), I will be in GREAT shape at the beginning of the week and will not get anything new to grade until Wednesday, when Canterbury Tales projects are due. :)

I just heard the shot of the pistol, so I better get on my way...

The Braves

Last night, Darryl and I had some great seats--the top part of the lower level, behind home plate--for the Braves game. Darryl's friend Chad got the tickets from one of his clients (or something like that), so the tickets were free. That's a good thing, I guess, because Darryl and I paid plenty of money eating hot dogs (is it just me, or is there nothing a like ball park hot dog?), nachos, and snow cones.

When the Braves blew their 3-run lead, we turned our attention to this guy, who had become much more fun to watch than the game:
Not only did this guy like to holler incomprehensible things all through the game, but we noticed that whenever the Braves played defense, he put on his fielder's glove, and whenever the Braves were at bat, he took off the fielder's glove and put on his batting gloves. Occasionally, he would take a pitcher's stance right before a pitch, and sometimes he swung an imaginary bat. He was hardcore.

All in a weekend

Okay, so it's Tuesday, and I'm just now reporting on the weekend. That's pretty much how my life has felt lately--a bit behind schedule. Anyway, here goes.

The Chocolate Fountain
Saturday, Darryl and I went to a surprise party for our friend Blake, who turned 40 years old. The party was fun, with lots of good food, 80s music, and good friends. (Okay, technically, these were Blake and Jessica's good friends, but we did know a few people there and enjoyed talking with them.) I also enjoyed spending lots of time--too much time--at the chocolate fountain, and I also realized that my favorite thing to dip in the fountain was pretzels. Yum.

The Perfect Coffee and End Tables
Darryl and I had been keeping our eyes open for a new coffee table and new end tables. Our old coffee table had a bottom shelf on it that was a couple of inches from the floor, and unfortunately, that bottom shelf had endured seven years of two dogs sliding across it over and over again. (And on a selfish note, Darryl and I were tired of having to retrieve the dog's ball when it got stuck under that shelf.)

A few weeks ago, Darryl and I found a coffee table we really liked at Costco, of all places, but they didn't have the matching end tables, so we didn't buy it. (We liked these tables because they reminded us of some tables we liked at Crate and Barrel, but at about a third of the price.) Sunday, on a whim, we went into a different Costco that had one end table. We asked one of the clerks if another end table and the coffee table were available at any other Costco, and apparently the quickly selling tables were available at the Costco in Morrow. Soooo, we ended up going to Morrow, and we easily spotted the coffee table. The one end table they had in stock (the "display" table) was a bit harder to find. The clerk looked in the back. He looked in the returns. He looked again in the back. Finally, Darryl , who was just browsing the aisles while waiting for the clerk to return, spotted it on a random shelf above something like canned tomatoes. Only in Costco. :) Anyway, we have our tables. If I had more energy, I would take a photo. I'll try to do that soon. They really are cool tables.

A Good Movie
The movie Ladder 49 had been sitting around on my fake TiVo for about a month, and I finally decided to watch it. I highly recommend it. While the movie does have several "big fire scenes" and the obligatory "close call" scenes, it is primarily about the type of person it takes--as one of the characters says, and I'm paraphrasing here--to run into a fiery building when everyone else is running out. It didn't seem over the top or grandiose; I suspect that the emotions, struggles, and glories were quite accurately portrayed. I made the mistake of watching it before I went to bed, and I had trouble sleeping that night because the movie just affected me that much.

The movie also made me realize how much I like Joaquin Phoenix as an actor. I haven't seen that many movies of his, but I loved Walk the Line (probably my favorite movie last year), and he was just as impressive in this movie. I'm not an acting pro, so I'm not sure if I'm using the right terminology, but he just has a certain intensity about him that gives his characters some intrigue and depth. John Travolta is good in this movie, too. I'm kind of hot and cold on Travolta; sometimes I like him and sometimes I think he's a goofball. His role as a fire chief suits him well, though.

And one more thing...
I went to the gym last night...for the first time since school started. Go me.

I'm still here

I haven't given up the whole blogging thing. The beginning of school always reduces me to this distressed state of thinking that I have too much to do with too little time to do it, so the blogging has fallen a little bit in the priority list. I do plan to post again VERY soon (maybe tonight?), and I can tell you all about my one night affair with a chocolate fountain, Darryl's and my quest for a coffee table and end tables, the moving movie I saw over the weekend, and other random things.

And, just to let you know, I am surviving without power naps.

Jinx

I'm probably jinxing myself, but so far, school is going very well. I haven't graded any significant work from these seniors yet, so I can't really judge their academic abilities, but as far as class behavior goes, they are fairly low maintenance. (I did just jinx myself, didn't I?) I have only one class that presents a real challenge, and their problem is just that the class is big and they really, really, really like to talk. The class is mostly made up of some rowdy (but basically good) boys...and they all have chosen to sit on the front row!

Today, we read "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales. For those of you not familiar with the story, I'll spare you most of the details, but at the end of the story, the knight is presented with a choice: the old, ugly woman he is obligated to marry can remain old and ugly, but faithful, or she can be young and pretty, but unfaithful. The knight tells the old woman that she can make the decision, and as a "reward" for letting her make the decision, he gets the best of both worlds: she is young, pretty, and faithful. At that point, one of my rowdy boys piped up and said, "He won BOTH showcases on The Price is Right!" Hey, at least he was paying attention...

My Pre-AP sophomores are doing well. They are a bit silly, but I like them. The down side is that the class is killing me as far as prep time goes; most of my evenings are spent researching and thinking up different class activities.

Speaking of that, I better get back to it...

The Daily Grind

I'm having a difficult time getting back in the swing of things, and this would explain my lack of posting over the past few days. I had to take 30-minute power naps both Thursday and Friday afternoons--the first two days of school--and I went to bed by 10 Friday evening.

Anyway, here is the nutshell version of the past few days:

• Saturday was a productive day for me. I spent about four hours grading summer reading assignments, split into a morning shift at Atlanta Bread Company and an afternoon shift at Starbucks. Somewhere between the two shifts I enjoyed a power nap and lunch. Oh, that evening, I watched Shall We Dance?, which had been sitting around on my fake TiVo for about a month. I wasn't sure I would like the movie--I'm not a J.Lo fan--but I really found myself enjoying it. I think many people can relate to the need to find a passion for something, and I also felt that the movie gave a poignant--and dare I say almost realistic--portrayal of marriage. And on a trivial note, Richard Gere was especially hot in this movie. (There was one scene beween him and Lopez that made me gag because it was so cheesy, but what "dance" movie isn't complete without the token "sexy" dance scene?)
• Sunday was a day of errands, for the most part, but we did end the day by going to a great "Honey-Do" wedding shower for a friend that Darryl worked with at his old job. The house was beautiful (I want a front porch like that one day), and the food was delicious--chicken skewers, mac n' cheese, squash casserole, deviled eggs, and salad.

Other notes:

• Today was an "off" teaching day for me. I kept getting tongue-tied, and I just felt off my game. I've gotta mix it up tomorrow. Even my Pre-AP class, which has been a delight so far, seemed disorganized and flailing. Geez.
• I'm excited about the return of Celebrity Fit Club on VH1. This is one of my guilty pleasure shows. I like the group this season, pehaps because they include some nostalgic favorites: Tina Yothers from Family Ties, Carnie Wilson from Wilson Phillips (yes, back in the day, I loved me some Wilson Phillips--I had the cassette), and Ted Lange from Love Boat. Awesome.
• My computer has died again. I think the "fix" last time was just a band-aid to get my stuff backed up. While I do feel a bit lost typing this on Darryl's Dell, I'm not as distressed this time around because I learned my lesson from the last crash and saved my stuff on either CDs or a jump drive. I miss my Mac, though.

Time to fix dinner. My goal is to make it through the day with no power nap.

First Day of School

The first thing I did to commemorate the first day of school is I pulled out my "Have coffee, will grade papers" mug out of the back of the cabinet where it has been on "vacation" for the summer. Today it was time for us both to get back to work.

The first day was good, but long. We're trying this thing now where we have advisement every day for ten minutes; today, tomorrow, and on special days like "progress report day," we meet with our advisees for thirty minutes. It seriously felt like another class added to the day, and we already have seven periods! Maybe the ten-minute segment won't seem too bad.

All of my classes were pretty good; one (4th period) has me a little concerned because they were a bit...loud, but at least they weren't "bad"--just loud.

So it was a typical first day--new names, new faces. And I already have a stack of summer reading assignments and summer reading tests to grade for my Pre-AP class.

'Twas the Night Before the First Day of School...

...and I'm hot and tired.

I don't have much to report. Last night we had Open House, so I was able to meet some students and parents. I've been informed by my soon-to-be students that my fourth period will be loud but entertaining, and my seventh period has been described by several people as "interesting." I've had "interesting" seventh periods for two years now--one "interesting" in a good way, one in a not-so-good way. We'll see what this one will be.

I'm also teaching one sophomore Pre-AP class. This is the youngest group I've ever taught, and they just seem so little compared to the seniors. I'm excited about this class and am eager to see what they can do.

Well, I better go...I have clothes to iron and a lunch to pack. Let the fun begin!

Of Pageants and Planning

Saturday I went to the Miss Cobb County Pageant with Max and Tim. While Tim tended to his duties at the judges' table, Max and I got into the pageant spirit by making our predictions and enjoying the festivities. Max has good post about the evening at his site, so I'll just direct you there. I do think our cheesy pic is worth posting again, though.


Yesterday and today have been busy with school planning. Over the weekend, I spent my $100 gift card for teachers, and now I am well stocked with an electric pencil sharpener, my favorite grading pens, a storage bin, post-its, Sharpies, file folders, and dry erase markers. (I didn't get the white board stuff, Jen C, because I thought it might look "suspect" during the audit of teacher purchases that is to take place later this year. I might get that with my own money, though.) Today, our second day back at school, was basically one meeting after another, so I didn't get much work done for my classes. Sigh.

First Day Back

The requests have been pouring in for me to talk about the first day back at school. Well, okay, Jen requested that I talk about the first day back, and who am I to disappoint a reader?

The Highlights:

--I enjoyed seeing everyone--well, almost everyone--again.
--At our annual system-wide meeting, we watched a video about the Code of Ethics by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, complete with over-the-top "reenactments" of situations like teachers making out in the supply room, teachers making sexual advances towards students, teachers climbing out the window during class, and teachers drinking alcohol during class. Certainly we would all agree that these situations are WRONG, but seriously, the whole presentation was like a spoof of a very bad PSA. The whole room was rolling!
--Tim's won the big door prize at the annual Kiwanis teachers' luncheon, which you can read about here.

The Downers:

--I'm not sure who may come across this blog in the future, so I'm not going to say all that I'm feeling about this, but none of the English textbooks or novels were ordered, and who knows if or when we'll get them? (I'll just say that everyone in the English Department did their part as far as this is concerned, so the blame falls elsewhere.) We have textbooks now; we just needed extras. The novel dilemma, though, is making me have to come up with a Plan B for my seniors, as one of the novels, Grendel is scheduled just a few weeks into the semester.
--I discovered that the "work days" before Thursday are really just days packed with meetings.

Not a bad first day. I do have a good bit of work to do still, so I better get back to it.

Happy 40th Anniversary!

Happy 40th Anniversary to my parents! Darryl and I enjoyed getting to spend the evening with them, eating delicious Italian food at Ippolito's followed by wedding cake at the house.

I think being married forty years is extremely impressive; it really requires a depth of commitment that we don't see very much these days. I can definitely say as someone who has been around for 32 of those years that my parents have always demonstrated tremendous respect and love for each other, and I wish them many more happy years together. Happy Anniversary!

The Good Ol' Days of Summer

My summer vacation has officially come to an end. Tomorrow is the first day back for teachers, and next Thursday, the students come.

Here's how I spent my last day of summer: I drove through the Atlanta traffic for a doctor's appointment (fun!); I tidied up around the house; I had lunch with my parents, who are staying a couple of days on their way back home from the mountains; I took a power nap; and my mom and I met my cousin Vicky for a "girls' night" dinner at Outback. Oh, and I topped of the day with a slice of the key lime pie, which is delicious.

So let me reflect on the summer. I originally had set some goals. Let's review:

1. Lose 12 pounds. This didn't happen. In fact, I put on a couple. I'm not thrilled about this, but oh well.
2. Go to the gym/exercise at least 4 times a week. Oddly enough, I did do this most weeks unless we were out of town. I guess I could look at it like this: imagine how much weight I would have gained if I HADN'T gone to the gym at all.
3. Read the books I needed to for school. I mostly accomplished that goal. I left Jen C hanging on Tale of Two Cities, but I did finish all the summer reading books and 1984, and I'm currently reading Grendel and should have it finished over the weekend. I also read several books for fun.
4. Spend time/have good times with friends and family. Check. I did this. From trips to Florida (including Disney World) and having lunches with friends here and there, I do feel I had some great times with everyone this summer.
5. Clean my closet and the garage. Well, I cleaned my closet and the guest room closet, but Darryl and I both agreed that it is just too hot to tackle the garage. We're making that a fall project.

Not too bad. The only one I completely crashed and burned on was the losing twelve pounds thing, but overall, I think I did well.

It's not really the start of school that I'm dreading, but that feeling you get about two weeks in when you are counting down to Labor Day. I guess you can say I'm dreading how I'm going to feel in a few weeks. Maybe I shouldn't think that way, and I should be more positive...maybe I'll have students who love learning and look forward to my class and read with enthusiasm and write well and always have paper and pen and...

We'll see.

Key Lime Pie

Tonight I made Ina Garten's Frozen Key Lime Pie. Max and Tim swear this pie is incredible, so I can't wait to taste it tomorrow. I've been wanting to make it for some time now, but I try to save the desserts for whenever company comes so that Darryl and I don't consume all of it ourselves--neither of us is very good when it comes to moderation and desserts. Let's see...in a week's time, I've made lemon bars, brownies, and now the pie. I have issues.

Movie Endings and Six-Toed Cats

I came across two interesting articles in USA Today.

One is about the Top 50 movie endings of all time, and the other, for you English teacher out there, is about Hemingway's six-toed cats and their fight for freedom. :)

Shopping Progress and Closet Cleaning

With the exception of buying a needing a pair of black shoes, I am pretty much finished with my back-to-school shopping. Ladies, I had some luck yesterday at Stein Mart, where I bought some basic black pants and a really cute/trendy shirt. I also had some luck at Ann Taylor Loft, where there was a MAJOR sale going on. (Thanks for the tip, Kristy!) There, I was able to get a pair of nice khaki pants, a skirt, and a t-shirt to go with it...all on sale. (I know I mentioned in my last post that I've been in a black pants/khaki pants rut for the last several years, but I do consider them to be staples in a wardrobe.) In the middle of all my shopping frenzy, I was able to have lunch with Darryl at Pepperoni's Tavern, a cool place Darryl has discovered since he started his new job. They have delicious pizza.

I was so inspired by my new purchases that I cleaned my closet, and now I have three garbage bags to take to Goodwill. My basic rule of thumb is if I haven't worn it in the past year or so, it goes, with the exception of a couple of things like basic dress suits and dresses. Anyway, my closet looks much better. I could have done before and after pics, but I was too embarrassed over the state of the "before" situation to do that.

Today I need to get a lot of work done for school. I also have to go to the school because I was assigned as a mentor to one of the new teachers, and I have to go to a meeting for that. Fortunately, my mentee was a long-term sub last year while a fellow English teacher was out on maternity leave, so he should be fine. TimShady was my mentor my first year (two years ago), and not only was that my first year of teaching at our school, but it also was my first year of teaching high school, period. I would argue that Tim is still my (unofficial) mentor, as I bombard him with questions all the time. What patience!

And on a random note...what's up with Mel Gibson????

Separate Peace and Far From Heaven

Yesterday, after my couple of hours of shopping, I did some hardcore class prep for the 10th Grade Pre-AP class. I went back and reviewed A Separate Peace, and man, do I wish we were reading that book during the year instead of just reviewing it as summer reading. That is such a great book, and I can't believe I hadn't read it until the beginning of this summer. I'm very curious to see how the students liked it. If they hated it (and how could they?), I'll be crushed. I found some cool things online to share with the students, such as an essay by John Knowles in which he talks about his own experiences at prep school and how they contributed to the novel. Cool stuff.

I also rented a few movies from Blockbuster. (Listen, if you go to Blockbuster frequently and you aren't a rewards member, you need to become one. I rented three movies for the cost of one.) My choices should show you that I wasn't really "sold" on any movie when I went there: Zoolander (I've never seen it--gasp!--and I was kind of in the mood for a goofy Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson flick), High Fidelity (another one I haven't seen--double gasp--and I love me some John Cusack), and Far From Heaven, mainly because I either read or saw an interview with Julianne Moore recently where she said that it was perhaps the movie she is most proud of, and I'd never seen it before. I ended up watching Far From Heaven, and I thought it was really good. I remember that Julianne Moore was nominated for an Academy Award for this movie, and that, in my opinion, was a well-deserved nomination. I also thought that Dennis Quaid was wonderful in the movie as well. I recommend it.

The Way of the Skirt

I did some back-to-school shopping yesterday and managed to find a skirt, and I also bought a few v-neck t-shirts that can go with everything (including the skirt).

I think I'm going to wear more skirts because this is what I've discovered: they are much cooler than pants, especially in 90+-degree weather. A couple of weeks ago, I found two other skirts, and I really like those. This will also get me out of my khaki pants/black pants rut that I've been in for oh, like six years. I'm assuming that these skirts are "in," considering that I see them at about every store I go to.

I still need a couple more things, so I think I'll tackle the shopping again today.

Judging from the comments on my last post, I'm not the only one suffering from fashion woes. Ladies, maybe we should open a shop for the late 20's/early 30's crowd.

Dog Sitting and Other Things

After staying at our house last night, my parents left this morning for their anniversary trip. We're keeping their dog, Archie the Cocker Spaniel, while they're gone. There are two bits of information about Archie that could make this week interesting: 1) Archie has never, and I mean NEVER, spent a night away from my parents since they got him five years ago; and 2) Archie hates Darryl. I'll let you know how that goes.

Today I went to Buckhead to have lunch with my friend Casi at Maggiano's, and we spent a little bit of time browsing through Lenox Mall. After I came home, Darryl and I did a little bit of shopping for some new clothes for him.

I also need to buy some new clothes for school, but I feel like I'm between age groups. Clothes either look too "teenage-y/college-y," or else they look too "old." Where are the hip, affordable, work-appropriate clothes for women in their early 30's???

Cleaning House

I don't have too much to report about the past couple of days. My parents are coming tomorrow on their way to their anniversary vacation destination, so I've been doing some cleaning. You know how it is--"company's coming cleaning" is different from "normal" cleaning. I also made lemon bars and brownies. I always figure that well-fed house guests are happy house guests.

Hmm. That's about it. I'm still working on school stuff, and as always, I feel there is too much to do, too little time.

The Much-Needed Haircut

Today I FINALLY got a haircut. I didn't realize how long it had been since I had one until I came across the receipt from the last time I had it cut...four months ago!! I don't think I have ever gone that long without at least a trim.

So I ended up cutting several inches off. This isn't the greatest pic, but you get the idea.

I did a bit of reading for school today, but that was about all I could muster the energy to do. I don't know if it was the weather (HOT!) or the absence of my morning coffee (I forgot to pick up some at the store yesterday), but I felt sluggish all day. Oh, well.

Starbucks the Office

Forget the room in our house labeled "the office"--my office is really a table in Starbucks. When I was teaching in Louisiana, I discovered that I actually get more work done in a coffee house than I do anywhere else. (I must pay homage here to my favorite coffee joints of all time, the great CC's coffee houses that can be found on almost every corner in the Baton Rouge area.) Fortunately, there is a Starbucks not too far from my house, so for the past two days, I've packed up all my school stuff and my laptop to work on my lesson plans. The cool thing about this Starbucks is that wi-fi is free because the Atlanta Bread Company next door has free wi-fi. Aha!

Aside from the work I did on lesson plans, I don't have much to report about today. Oh, there was a brief exciting episode where I chased the garbage truck down the road (while pulling the gargantuan green garbage can, of course) to get him to empty our garbage. He came much earlier than usual, so the can wasn't out yet. Well, now that I type it, I realize it isn't that exciting. Maybe you should've been there.

Gilmore Girls Scoop

If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls, you might be interested in this report from Michael Ausiello at TVGuide.com. The article does reveal a few spoilers, so don't read it if you don't want to know what's going to happen, at least in the season premiere. Ausiello, a huge GG fan himself, has read the script for the first episode and describes it as "great." Some of the tidbits he does reveal makes me think that there may be hope for this show to redeem itself.

Mission Accomplished!

I had a productive weekend! Yay me! I actually completed two of the household projects I had mentioned--Darryl and I moved the bookcase and some books to school, and I also cleaned out the guest room closet. We even went above and beyond those projects; this "cleaning up and cleaning out" mode of thinking compelled us to clean, organize, and downsize our office space. We have this ridiculously huge computer desk that is falling apart from about, oh, six moves, and we don't have much use for it now that we have laptops. Our bargain of the weekend was a smaller computer cart that we bought on the sidewalk outside Office Depot for $12. (For some reason that Darryl, the tech wiz, can explain to you, we still need to keep our clunky desktop, but we can at least put in on this cart that takes up about a third of the space the huge office desk does.)

In addition, I finished reading Of Mice and Men. Granted, you may not be impressed because it isn't that long of a book, but it is still one I had to read for my pre-AP class. Next is Old Man and the Sea, and I must get back to Tale of Two Cities. Jen C has left me in the dust on that one! Fortunately, TOTC doesn't come up on the syllabus until November, but I would like to get a head start on it.

I'm hoping this weekend has given me some momentum to have a super-productive week.

School Supplies and Things to Do

As most Georgians know, the governor is issuing a $100 gift card to each teacher to spend on school supplies during tax-free weekend (August 4-6). Can I tell you how much this excites me? I love buying school supplies, and I've been making a list of things I should buy. These are some things I'm considering, but I'd love some input--especially from the teachers out there:

1. A new electric pencil sharpener (actually, this is a "must buy")
2. Pens
3. Pencils
4. Post-its (perhaps a cheaper, knock-off sticky note) for my honor (and maybe my regular) students to make notes in their books
5. Large writing tablets (you know--the big "display" kind)
6. "Alligator" clips
7. Fresh paper/border for my bulletin board

Any other ideas?

Now, about things to do...I really want to have a productive weekend. When I think of all the things I need to do before school starts, my heart rate begins to speed up. I still have a couple of books to read, and I need to plan out my pre-AP class for first semester. I also have some projects that I need to do, such as cleaning out my closet, sorting through my books and cleaning out a bookcase I want to take to my classroom, and cleaning out the guest room closet. Of course, not all of that is going to get done this weekend, but I resolve right here and now to 1) read; 2) work on my class planning; and 3) do one of the three home projects.

Let the weekend fun begin!

The workshop blues

Well, my appreciation for this AP workshop is starting to wane. Because I'm new to this AP stuff (and technically, I'm "pre-AP"), the information has been helpful, and the teacher has been good--I mean, I've been sitting in a desk for seven hours a day, and I haven't nodded off once. But now I'm tired: my hands are tired from taking notes, my rear is tired from sitting in a plastic chair, and my brain is tired from thinking up new strategies and analyzing literature. I'm done.

And that's all that's going on in my life this week. Once I get this workshop done, I have to work like a fiend to plan my pre-AP class for this semester.

And Jen, if you're reading this...Tale of Two Cities is currently collecting a thin coating of dust on my nightstand. :(

Posting may be scarce this week...

I am attending an AP workshop this week, so you can assume that's pretty much what is consuming my days and my energy. It has been refreshing to be in a workshop where I'm learning things I can actually use in my classroom. (Those who have heard me complain about the courses I had to take to become "highly qualified" know that I am really over-tired of classes, workshops, lectures, whatever that are useless and boring.) Max and Tim are in another class at the same location, so it has been great having them as lunch buddies.

Tonight they were dinner buddies as well. After our workshop, we went to Piebar, where we had a delicious antipasto platter, fried polenta (a new food for me, but yummy), and pizzas of various kinds.

And about D's new job--even though he says it is overwhelming, he thinks he is going to like it. Yay!

The weekend and the week ahead

It's been a good weekend. I did some much needed cleaning while I watched VH1's World Series of Pop Culture. VH1 always has the ability to suck me in to whatever they are showing; I can't tell you how many times I've seen I Love the 70's or I Love the 80's, and yes, I've even seen I Love the 90's.

Last night, Darryl and I met Darryl's Uncle Sandy and Aunt Carol Sue, who are in town from Florida for a few days, Fleming's. We really enjoyed seeing them, and the food was good, too.

Today I did a little shopping and ran some errands. This week, I'll be attending an AP workshop, so today's routine reminded me of my typical Sundays during the school year: doing laundry, buying lunch meat for packed lunches, setting the coffee maker to go off at 5:15 (ugh), packing my school bag. I hope The View can survive without me this week.

This is also a big week for Darryl, who is starting a new job tomorrow. We're both really excited about this; the work is more in line with the kind of IT work he likes to do, and his commute time has been cut by at least two-thirds. Go Darryl!

And this is random . . . but I am in SERIOUS need of a haircut, and I don't really have a good answer for why I haven't gotten one yet. After a while, I realized that I'm so close to the beginning of the school year that I might as well wait another week or two so I can have that "fresh" back-to-school haircut. The other option is to continue to let it grow and then make a long braid so that I can be "that weird teacher with the long braid." Shouldn't every school have one of those teachers?

Hemingway

I finished Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms last night. Most. Depressing. Book. Ever. But why should that surprise me? It's Hemingway, after all. Let's see...how many of Hemingway's characters drink cognac for breakfast and appear to be shells of an empty existence? But that is one of the reasons I like Hemingway: There's something about the ominous sadness and desperation in his novels and characters that intrigues me.

I haven't read Hemingway in a while, not since grad school. I had a professor at West Florida who was (and still is) very passionate (some would say "obsessed") about Hemingway, and I took this professor's course--probably to fulfill an American Lit requirement--and the whole course was Hemingway. And I enjoyed it. This professor's quizzes were ridiculously nit-picky (I think I made a 20 on the first one), but he taught me an appreciation of subtext, how Hemingway implies something much deeper in his simplistic dialogue and descriptions. (One of my favorite short stories that is a more overt example of this is "Hills Like White Elephants.") While I certainly had some complaints about the professor--he was a bit of a chauvinist and he made us watch way too many videos about bullfighting in Spain--in the end, he cultivated in me an appreciation of Hemingway that continues still.

New Book Club Selection and Other Things

Today my book club met to discuss Anita Shreve's A Wedding in December, a book that I gave a "thumbs down" to in an earlier post. As a group, we gave the book a C-, feeling that the characters were annoying brats. A couple of ladies in the group had read some of her other books and felt that this one was very poor in comparison. I haven't read any of Shreve's books except this one. Our next book is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, but I told the group I might have to bow out on that one in order to finish reading some things I need to read for school.

On a different note, last night I had dinner with Lisa, a friend from a law firm I worked at when Darryl and I first moved to Georgia several years ago. Anyway, I hadn't seen Lisa in about six months (too long!), and we had a great time chatting it up at Monterrey's, a Mexican restaurant that used to be one of our favorite dining spots. She's getting married in November (yay!), I enjoyed hearing her plans. I can't wait for the big event!

And one other random thing...if you are a fan of Food Network, you HAVE to watch Paula's European Vacation. It's hilarious! I've decided I want to go to Europe with Paula because we seem to share a common belief: traveling=eating. Seriously, you need to catch it--it's a hoot!

Latest Pet Peeve...and More about the View

I don't know if this is something new or if it is something that has been going on for awhile and I just haven't been subjected to it before, but my latest pet peeve is doctors' offices leaving appoint reminder voicemails that request I call to confirm I received the reminder. What happened to the good ol' days when the office just left a reminder? Now I have to call to say I got the reminder? This has happened to me twice this summer, and both times were a hassle.

Earlier in June, I had this happen with my dentist. When I called to confirm my reminder, I got a voicemail that told me NOT to leave a message, but to call back later. After about five tries throughout the day, someone finally answered the phone. Then yesterday, when I called to confirm a different doctor's reminder, I was transferred to five different departments, including the ER! Then when I finally got to the "right" person, and I just told her I was calling to confirm, she said, "Okay," to which I replied, "Don't you need my name?"

I'm sure there is a good reason why doctors' offices are doing this now--maybe too many people weren't showing up and were insisting they were never reminded...I don't know. But if the offices have to do this, the least they can do is have a system in place to receive the call. That's not to much to ask, is it???

On a completely different note...I am addicted to The View now. Listen, if you want some daytime drama, don't turn on the soaps--turn on Barbara Walters's debacle. I'm convinced that there is a plan to replace the youngest member of the team, the conservative Elisabeth Hasselback. I'm sure guests are booked weeks in advance, but since Star's departure, it seems that the guests have been one super-liberal guest (like Sandra Bernhardt) after another, and super-conservative Elisabeth takes the bait every single time and ends up getting into a little catfight with each one--and BW has to intervene every time. I can't wait to see what happens when Rosie joins this group!

Even though I've never been a big View fan--well, at least until now--one of the things I did like about the show is that the panel was made of different women from different walks of life who offer different--dare I say it?--views. I just think that to make the youngest (and more inexperienced) one the "conservative" one is like leading the lamb to the slaughter. I've also noticed that whenever the ladies are seated on the couch with a guest and there are too many people to get in the camera shot, Elisabeth is always the one cut out of the shot. Coincidence? I think not. I'm betting the Elisabeth doesn't make it through the year.

Movie with Friends (and a little about TV)

Wow--I'm really original with my titles, aren't I?

Today I saw The Devil Wears Prada with my friends Tiffanie and Sheri. I enjoyed the movie--it was fun, light, good--and even though there were some key differences between the book and movie, I didn't walk away thinking, "Oh, the book was sooo much better." I thought the changes that were made were interesting, and I definitely recommend seeing it (and reading it, for that matter).

Speaking of viewing pleasures, I have made it a practice to watch some vintage Gilmore Girls episodes while I'm cooking or cleaning in the kitchen. Right now, I'm in the middle of Season 2, and I'm reminded of how good the show really used to be and how much it stunk last season. I'm loving Rory in her days at Chilton, pink-faced and bright-eyed with her mind set on Harvard. I'm hoping that the 7th, and likely final, season will get back on track and end on a high note.

And now that ABC is reairing Season One of Grey's Anatomy, I've been watching that. I feel like it is one of those shows that the rest of the world is watching except me. I've watched two episodes so far, and I liked them. I may have to put this show on my Fake TiVo Season Pass.

I'm also reading A Farewell to Arms...and I'm not hating it.

Happier Now!

I'm not sure what Darryl did to my laptop (I was still asleep this morning when he worked the miracle), but he somehow got it running long enough to retrieve all my pics, data, and iTunes! He says I still need to get a new hard drive because mine is shot, but words can't express how thrilled I am to have all my stuff! Thanks, Darryl!!!!

This Weekend

Well, the low point of this weekend is happening as I type. I'm on Darryl's computer because the hard drive on mine is apparently fried. This is not good. Darryl says it is possible to send off the hard drive to retrieve everything on it, and I'm going to have to do that. I have tons of pictures (this is what I'm most upset about), school documents, and other stuff that I do NOT want to lose. And, of course, I'm mad at myself for not backing all this up. Aarrrgghh.

Other than that, the weekend has been pretty uneventful. Darryl and I have just hung out, going random places like Barnes & Noble, TJ Maxx, Publix, Borders...just killing time. Tonight I fixed the crockpot BBQ featured on Max's blog, and it was really good. Sometimes weekends spent just piddling around are nice.

Until the computer crashes.

Random Ramblings

Rambling Point 1: I am gullible. I fell for a big ol' gimmick. A few days ago, I received a call telling me that I had won a 3-day, 2-night stay at a luxury resort, and all I had to do was go to KIS Golf at Discovery Mills to pick up my prize. The lady on the phone told me that there was no catch, that I had genuinely won this vacation, that I was under no obligation to buy anything, yadda yadda yadda. Now, the reason I thought I might have actually WON something was that I had filled out an entry form for this prize at the mall. (The grand prize was a pimped-out golf cart that I was planning to sell on e-bay if I won.)

Well, after watching a 45-minute video about KIS Golf (which is basically a company that sells custom-made golf clubs, golf simulators, and travel club memberships) and getting a 45-minute hassling from a sales guy, we got a pamphlet about the resort weekend, which involves so many hoops to jump through, it isn't worth it. We also got a $25 gift card to Outback, which we used immediately to get some dessert. (I'll talk about the dessert later.) We weren't really angry about it (Darryl, I think, knew we were in for a sales pitch but went along to humor me) because the whole presentation was just so funny. The film was like a classic infomercial--our favorite part was when they said the golf simulator doubled as a home entertainment systerm. I don't know if everyone is familiar with a golf simulator (I take my golf lessons on one), but it is basically a big film screen that you hit the ball into, and it tells you all kinds of stuff about your swing. Well, just imagine a big film screen and video projector, not unlike a regular film screen and projector you would see for any kind of presentation, as your home entertainment system. What an eyesore! What a hoot!

Rambling Point 2: If you haven't had the Chocolate Tower at Outback, try it. It's delicious--moist layers of chocolate cake with rich chocolate filling. Yum!

Rambling Point 3: I have got to get this diet under control! No more Chocolate Tower! I have a month to get the scale to go in the other direction.

Rambling Point 4: I finished Anita Shreve's A Wedding in December. I hated it. The characters were annoying, and the whole plot was about "what might've beens" instead of the "here and now." I know there are some passionate Shreve fans out there, so I'm hoping that her other works are better. I'm not inclined to give them a chance anytime soon, though.

Prada, Fireworks, and Golf

This is what I've been up to since we got back from Orlando:

1) I finished The Devil Wears Prada. I liked this book. Like Jen C, I felt it was slow in a few places, but overall, it was an entertaining read. I plan to see the movie with a couple of girlfriends next week.

2) I saw fireworks. Our town (not the play, but our actual town) does fireworks on the 3rd, and we saw them. They were good, but they needed music--they're just not the same without Ray Charles singing "Georgia" and "America the Beautiful"... and, of course you have to have Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." :) One day, I want to brave the people and the heat and go to Centennial Park for the fireworks.

3) I played my first game of golf. Granted, it was just nine holes of a Par 3 course, but it was a game nonetheless. We didn't keep score, but Darryl very obviously won. I have to say that I'm really, really bad, but I did get more of a feel of the game with each hole; I'm hoping I'll get better the more I play. The highlight of the game was when I made a 35- to 40-foot putt. Anyway, here's a picture of me at the very first hole, my first hole of golf ever. When I'm touring with Annika on the LPGA circuit, you can print this out, and I'll autograph it for you to sell on e-bay.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Nope, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but I've been to "the happiest place on earth"...Disney World! Darryl and I went with Darryl's family to Orlando on the first ever family vacation. There were ten of us: Darryl and me; Darryl's dad (Benny); Darryl's brother (Dayton), wife (Daphne), and their two kids (Cameron, 8, and Savannah, 5); Darryl's sister (Ashley), her husband (Wayne), and their daughter (Madison, 16 months). Got all that?

We had a great time staying at the Pop Century Resort at Disney World. Let me tell you, if you are planning to go to DW, even for just one day, it is completely worth it to stay at one of their hotels. Even though our hotel was not close enough to use the monorail system, we did have the use of a bus that took us anywhere we wanted to go on the Disney property, and the day we went to the Magic Kingdom, we really enjoyed whizzing past the cars and being taken right to the gate.

Thursday, Darryl and I drove to Florida and met up with his family in Lake City. The trip was pretty uneventful until we got about 50 miles from Orlando, where the traffic was stopped for about 45 minutes because of a tree that fell in the road. This is a picture of Cameron and Savannah passing time in the car until we could start moving again:

Once we (finally) made it to Orlando and checked in at the hotel, we went to Downtown Disney. Darryl got into the Disney spirit a bit early and (reluctantly) agreed to let me post this pic:


Friday was our big day at the Magic Kingdom. Here's a picture of all of us in front of the oh-so-magical Cinderella's Castle:

And here we are on Splash Mountain. (I am actually riding with my niece Savannah, but you can't see her because she chose to "enjoy" Splash Mountain with her face buried in Aunt Amy's knee.)


Here are some other various shots of my nieces and nephew--I'm just showing them off because I think they happen to be pretty cute:


One of the things I realized about Disney World is that it is one of those places that seemed much bigger when I was a kid. Now it doesn't seem nearly as overwhelming, and rides that were once thrilling to me, such as the Peter Pan ride, seemed kind of, well, dinky. That being said, however, I have to say that it was fun seeing the kids get really excited about everything. One of the thrills for me was that I rode Space Mountain (twice!), something I had never done before because I was too little the last time I was at DW. And I'll never forget how little Madison danced and clapped her hands and oohed and aahed at "It's a Small World," which is still great, by the way. I also was surprised that the park wasn't as unbearably hot as I was anticipating, and I think the longest we had to wait for a ride was about 20 minutes--not too bad.

Saturday, we went to Sea World. If you haven't been there lately, it has changed a good bit. Sure, Shamu is there as well as all his other sea friends, but there are now a couple of thrilling rides (such as the roller coaster Kraken, which was pretty much was the conclusion of Wayne's and my thrill seeking for the trip because of its nauseating effects, if you get my drift). I do have some good Sea World pics, but I'm tired of loading pics to my blog. I may post some more tomorrow.

Anyway, we came back today after a really fun time with our family. I'll leave you with one last pic of Madison as she was leaving the hotel pool. That girl LOVES water and is already really good at kicking her legs and propelling herself where she wants to go. This picture is so cute I couldn't resist posting it:

And what I actually did today (besides watch The View and GMA)

Today has actually been a pretty busy day. The highlight was a wonderful lunch with my friend Tiffanie at Aqua Terra. Tiffanie is also a teacher (a media specialist, to be exact), and she is also enjoying the life of leisure during the summer. :) It was a great time of just catching up, and we have plans to do more of this before school starts.

Afterwards, I did some things to get ready for another trip to Florida tomorrow. We're meeting Darryl's family in Orlando, so I've been packing, running to the store for last-minute things, baking requested brownies and cookies to munch on. My last tomato recipe was a Tomato Tart, which was a flop. It was good in theory--pie crust, garlic drizzled with olive oil, tomatoes, fontina cheese--but the end product was a watery glop of tomato and cheese. Oh, well. Well, I better go--I'm blogging between cooking cycles and packing. I still have lots to do...

Catfight!

Okay, I already said in a post several weeks ago that I don't really watch The View, but man, I'm into this whole catfight between Star and Barbara! Yeeowww!

Yesterday, I did watch The View because Charlie Gibson was on, and I "heart" Charlie Gibson. (My eyes did get a little moist this morning as he said his goodbyes on GMA.) Anyway, I heard Star's announcement that she was leaving the show, and I wasn't all that shocked because the rumors had been circulating for several months. But when I read some comments on a website later in the day (USA Today, I think) where she was was badmouthing how she had been treated at the show, I have to confess I TiVoed The View today to see the fallout.

Doesn't Star know that you don't badmouth your boss until after you're gone? Apparently, Barbara Wah-Wah is a big force to be reckoned with, because this morning, as you may already know, there no Star on the show (pun kind of intended), and Babs said something along the lines of, and I'm paraphrasing here, "We gave Star an opportunity to leave with dignity, but she chose another path." Take that, Star!

I think we still have several rounds left in this fight...I love it! (Maybe I should ask myself, Why do I love it? I'm the least confrontational person I know. Hmmm.)

John Cusack is 40??????

Seriously, Lloyd Dobler, I mean, John Cusack is 40??? What??? Anyway, if you are a fan of Cusack, you might enjoy this article that lists 40 Reasons to Love John Cusack.

Cuckoos and Tomatoes

Darryl and I are probably turning into pure lycopene with all the tomatoes and watermelon we've eaten lately. I love summer fruits and vegetables!

Tonight I fixed two more tomato recipes: Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa: Family Style, and stewed tomatoes with okra. First, the pasta was really more of a pasta salad, a mixture of "regular" chopped tomatoes, pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives (yum), and mozzerella chunks. Darryl said it was "not bad," which is a pretty high rating from him, considering he isn't a big pasta salad fan. I thought it was very good and will probably make it again. I realize that stewed tomatoes with okra probably sounds gross to those out there who hate both okra and tomatoes, but to those of us who love both, it's a southern delicacy.

Today was mostly a day of doing laundry, but I did manage to watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Last year, a student of mine who is extremely passionate about films made a list of about 50 movies that he felt I needed to watch in my lifetime, and this one was near the top of his list. Anyway, it took me a while to get into the movie (it didn't help that I had to pause every once in a while to transfer or hang laundry), but from about the midpoint on, I found it very intriguing--and I loved the ending. (Those English teachers out there--do you find that in the summer, your brain kind of shuts down when it comes to finding the right word? Intriguing isn't really what I want to say, but I can't think of right adjective!)

Max's post about "classic movies" reminded me of just how many "classics" I haven't seen. I think I may be the only person over the age of 30 in this country who hasn't seen any Rocky movies. I have seen all the Star Wars movies, though. :)

Next Book Club Read and Dinner with Friends

The informal book club that I'm in met yesterday and discussed Vanishing Acts--everyone for the most part felt the same way about the book that I did. Our next read is Anita Shreve's A Wedding in December. I've never read any of her books, either, but her book The Pilot's Wife is very well known. I'll let you know how Wedding is after I read it.

I'm currently reading The Devil Wears Prada, and so far I'm enjoying it. After reading this one and the Shreve book, I need to focus again on books for school. I think I'm waiting to see how long I can put off Tale of Two Cities.

Last night, Darryl and I had dinner with our friends Blake and Jessica, and afterwards we all went to a nearby coffee house for coffee. It was fun catching up with them. Great evening!

Movies, Books, and Tomatoes: The Weekend in a Nutshell

Basically, this was my weekend:

1) I finished the book Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. The plot involves a thirty-something-year-old woman who finds out, after her father's arrest, that she was kidnapped when she was four years old. First, I'll say that the story was interesting; I didn't have to force myself to read it. However, there were places that made me roll my eyes, such as the author's extremely overt attempts to incorporate symbolism/metaphors/analogies, as well as her depiction of prison, which included rap lyrics by some of the inmates of the cell block. The book gets a mixed review from me.

2) Darryl and I saw two movies this weekend. Yesterday, we saw Cars. When I was a kid, I wasn't really into cartoons, but I think I'm making up for it in my adult years. Anyway, it was really good. It was a long movie--a full two hours--but very enjoyable.

Today, and I'm almost ashamed to type this, we saw The Lakehouse. When the trailers for this movie first ran, I swore I would not see this movie. I can't stand Keanu, and the movie seemed hokey. But, doggone it, I like Sandra Bullock, and with every talk show interview I see with her, I like her even more. I think Sandy and I could be friends, going to Starbucks and watching chick movies together. :) So I was suckered in by Sandy's appeal...and the movie was bad. I will say that Keanu wasn't too bad in this movie, and the movie was okay for me until about a third of the way through. My main issue with it is the movie never explains why these two people can communicate two years apart; I wanted that explanation. Willing suspension of disbelief can only take me so far. (I can believe in a world populated only by cars, though.)

3) The Tomato Recipe of the Day was tomatoes broiled with olive oil and feta. This one was super-delicious and extremely easy. The recipe called for fresh oregano, but I left that out because I'm not a huge oregano fan. Seriously, tomatoes+feta=perfection.

You can tell it's a lazy Sunday afternoon when...

...you do this kind of mindless research:

Keith Urban--5'10"
Nicole Kidman--5'10 1/2"

Tom Cruise--5'7"

What Diet????

This weekend is going to be one culinary creation after another as I attempt to get rid of some tomatoes. I spent some time sifting through my cookbooks and came up with some that look pretty good. Tonight was a double whammy--stuffed bell peppers (which enabled me to finish off my peppers), and fried green tomatoes. (The other food item on the plate is creamed corn--frozen, I must confess.) The bell pepper recipe was one of Emeril's; the only change I made was I used all beef instead of a mixture of beef and pork. I thought the peppers were really good, and Darryl and I both agree that we liked them even better than the chicken and corn peppers I made the other night. The fried green tomato recipe came from the Blue Willow Inn Cookbook that I had, and the tomatoes were delicious. I had eaten fried green tomatoes before, but I had never made them.

I'm not too sure that I'm going to lose 12 pounds this summer. I really, really like to cook, so that is hurting the dieting effort somewhat. I am exercising a good bit, though, and I'm drinking lots of water and eating "light" through the day, so maybe it will all balance out somehow (wishful thinking, I'm sure).

Driving Miss Daisy

Today I had the pleasure of driving Miss Daisy, the Weimaraner featured on the left, to the allergy vet. (Yes, vets specialize in areas just like people doctors do. I learned this several years ago when I had to take my dog to a doggy ophthalmologist.) Daisy is actually my cousin Vicky's dog, but because Daisy is a good-sized girl, Vicky needed a little help getting her to the vet. I have to say that Daisy was very well behaved, especially considering that the session with the doctor didn't look like much fun.

This picture was taken after the doctor visit, when Daisy was much less stressed.

Miss Georgia Prelims

Thanks to the generosity of TimShady, who had an available ticket, I was able to watch one of the Miss Georgia preliminary competitions last night. Before I get to far into this post, I want to clarify that I'm not a "pageant crazy" person, but I have always been a fan of both the Miss America and the (now-defunct?) America's Junior Miss pageant systems, primarily because these are two pageants that reward talent and academics. Anyway, I picked last night's competition to go to because the talent pool for that evening seemed to be the most promising. I'm not going to recap all the winners and such because TimShady has already covered this on his blog, but I will say that my first "real" pageant experience was quite enjoyable. The talent was really good; apparently it was the night of the "opera divas," my favorite being the contestant who sang "Nessun Dorma"--she was one of the two talent winners. (I didn't realize until after the pageant that she is only 18, a fact that makes me even more impressed with her.)

I also enjoyed just people watching. Those pageant fans are devoted, y'all. I told TimShady that I wished I had both a crown AND a light-up scepter, because apparently those are big-ticket items when it comes to pageant viewing. Maybe one day...

Stuffed Peppers--Chicken and Corn

Inspired by the culinary creations of TimShady and Max (and also by the bell peppers sitting on my kitchen table), I decided to try a new recipe I found in an old Southern Living cookbook. These are Peppers Stuffed with Chicken and Corn, and they were really good--definitely a recipe I would make again. The peppers were stuffed, obviously, with chicken and corn, but the mixture also contained green chiles, onion, bread crumbs, taco seasoning, and pepperjack cheese. Delicious! Later this week, I'm going to try the traditional stuffed peppers, which I've never made before.

This morning, I went out to a nearby driving range and hit a bucket of golf balls. It was the first time I had gone to a driving range A) alone, and B) on a weekday, and it was very peaceful and quiet. I'm determined to get some practice sessions in before my last lesson in a couple of weeks. I have learned one thing about golf: It's much tougher than it looks. And I haven't made it past the driving range yet. Yep, that's right--I haven't even played a game yet. I'm hoping to play in the next few weeks; that will definitely make an interesting blog entry in the future.

Florida, Day 5--Happy Father's Day! (And Going Home)

Today I was able to spend Father's Day with my dad before heading back home to Atlanta. I'm not really a gushy, sentimental person, but I will just say that he is a wonderful father who has always worked hard and made sacrifices to provide for his family, and I am very thankful for that. He's a wonderful guy, and I am fortunate to have him for a dad. I'm glad we were able to spend some time together over the past few days.

After lunch, Darryl and I headed home. While I enjoyed spending some time with my family over the past few days, I admit it will feel good to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Florida, Days 3 and 4--Got Tomatoes?

As I'm typing this post (or at least trying to), I have my 16-month-old niece sitting on one side, rubbing baby lotion on my arm, and Darryl on the other side, trying to play peek-a-boo with her. We'll see how far I get...

Anyway, now that I'm into this blogging thing, I'm starting to do some things partly because I think they'll make good blog material. ("Good" might be a stretch--maybe just "different" blog material.) Take today, for example. I went with my parents to a farm where customers pick their own tomatoes. You know what? It actually was fun. We ended up picking four 5-gallon buckets of tomatoes as well as some bell peppers. I think I might attempt making fried green tomatoes and stuffed bell peppers this week. (If anyone wants a few tomatoes, let me know--obviously, I have plenty.)

Tonight, Darryl and I went with Darryl's dad, sister, brother-in-law, and niece to Captain Anderson's at Panama City Beach. I haven't been there in probably five years, but the food was really good and we enjoyed looking at the (expensive) boats at the docks afterwards. Here are a few pictures...

This is Darryl's dad, Benny, with our niece, Madison.


This is Darryl's sister (Ashley), her husband (Wayne), and Madison:

And, just for kicks, here's a picture of Darryl and me:

That was today. Yesterday, I went with my mother to Panama City to do a little shopping, and last night, I went with my parents to meet my Uncle Tim and Aunt Winifred at another seafood restaurant, Parramore's. It was good to see them, too. (FYI--Darryl is absent from some of these Florida posts because he, too, was catching up with some of his family on "his side." While I've been shopping, visiting my grandmother, and such, he has been fishing with Haywood, visiting with his cousin Hayes, and hanging out with his sister and dad.)

Well, Madison has gone home, my arm smells like baby lotion, and I'm ready to call it a day.

Florida, Day 2--Long Day's Journey Into Night

Yesterday, "Day 2," was a loooooong day, but a good one. My mother and I got up bright and early and headed to Pensacola (almost a 3-hour drive) to see my grandmother. I don't see my grandmother as much as I did when Darryl and I lived in Baton Rouge and just had to go a half mile off I-10 to see her. Anyway, it was good to see her. We ate lunch at one of her favorite places, Applebee's, then had ice cream at Marble Slab Creamery (the diet went completely out the window at this point) and did a bit of shopping.

My mother and I went through Destin on the way home and did some shopping at the outlets. There's nothing more motivating for a diet than trying on pants or shorts--am I right?

We didn't get home until about 9:30 central time--I'm still adjusting to the time change, so it felt later to me. (I am the worst about adjusting to time changes. About the time I get used to the change, it's time to go back home!)

I feel I've failed as a blogger because I've yet to take any pictures. I'm hoping to get some good ones over the next couple of days.

Florida, Day 1

Darryl and I made it to Florida. The trip itself was uneventful (traffic didn't stop even once as we were leaving Atlanta!), but that's a good thing.

I'm not sure how often I will get to post while I'm here--I'm hoping I'll get to post a bit each day, but Internet access isn't as quick, and I'm not sure how much patience I have.

My mother also prepared a delicious "Southern" dinner--chicken, pork roast, creamed corn, okra, field peas, fried cornbread, and pound cake. Technically, I'm still on my "diet," but my goal for the rest of this week is just not to gain any weight. :) (I exercised my willpower and said "no" to the pound cake. What am I thinking?)

Book Club Lite and Other Things

I didn't post anything yesterday because by the time I remembered that I hadn't written anything for the day, my eyelids kept closing as I was watching TV.

A few girlfriends of mine decided to start a book club, and our first meeting was yesterday. Get all thoughts of Oprah's Book Club out of your mind; we're not intending to read anything life changing or deep. One friend, Jessica, even went as far as to say, "No symbolism!" Our first pick is Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. I have never read any of her books, so I don't even know what to expect. I have to confess that I'm not really as knowledgeable about current books as I should be. I always feel that I'm reading things to consider for future classes, or else I'm reading student papers. In the middle of the school year, if I have spare time in the evening and have a choice of watching TV or reading a book, I usually pick the TV. Anyway, I'm considering this "current" book my "break" from the books I need to read for school.

I took another golf lesson today. I have just one more left, and I'm not doing that one until I've had a chance to practice some over the next couple of weeks.

I should have some different types of posts over the next few days. Tomorrow, Darryl and I are going to visit family in Florida, so I hope to at least have some good pics to show.

The Tony Awards

I always enjoy watching The Tony Awards because of the musical numbers, and it is also my only opportunity--for the moment, anyway--to catch glimpses of shows with the original casts. I'm always quite envious (not in an angry, bitter way) of my colleague TimShady, who has seen Rent with the original cast, Kiss of the Spider Woman with Vanessa Williams, and The Producers with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane. (Any plans to see The Pajama Game with Harry Connick, Jr., TimShady?) I need connections!

Anyway, I at least try to catch the shows when they tour, and I know that I want to see Jersey Boys. As I watched the Jersey Boys number during the Tonys, I was reminded of when my mother took reluctant me to see Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons when they came through Panama City. I was probably about fifteen. The main thing I remember is that my mother was quite dismayed by how old they looked, and I mainly wanted to hear them sing "Grease is the Word," which they did. Seventeen years later, I now know more of their songs, and Jersey Boys looks like an enjoyable show.

Please forgive me for not linking to every show here; it requires too much effort than I have energy for at the moment. It's bedtime.

Lazy Saturday

Today wasn't quite as action-packed as last Saturday (Renaissance Festival, Braves game), but it was a nice day nonetheless.

Darryl and I went to see The Breakup. (The website has an ad on it for "National Breakup Day," which apparently was June 2. Who knew? Click on the ad--it's funny.) The movie was okay; to me, it seemed very messy with some laughs here and there. I've read that the ending was re-shot (is that the correct word?) after the original ending didn't fare well with audiences in some initial screenings. Now, in the last scene of the movie, Vince Vaughn is noticeably thinner and Jennifer Aniston's hair is noticeably longer, and both characters make a point of mentioning those changes. I just found it amusing.

Then we went to Barnes & Noble and read.

I finished A Separate Peace and thought it was wonderful. I'm looking forward to talking about it with my future 10th grade pre-AP class.

Can this weekend get any more exciting? Can you stand it?

Like sands through the hourglass...

I don't have much to report about today--I didn't even get out of the house much except to run a couple of errands; my love for Community Coffee runs so deeply that I made a special trip to Ingles just to restock.

I made a blueberry cobbler. I've stayed on my "eating healthy" kick all week, but I did try some of the cobbler. It was good. I should probably make one for Hoyt.

I started A Separate Peace and am already about halfway through it. I love it--definitely my type of book so far.

I watched Meredith Viera's goodbye roast on The View. I'm not really sure why I watched it; I have never liked The View. I really think Today should have just moved Ann Curry, whom I like much better than Viera (and Katie, for that matter) into the co-anchor chair. But really none of this matters to me anyway because I prefer Team Charlie, Diane, and Robin on GMA. Now that I think of it, this whole discussion is pointless because I don't even get to watch any of these shows during the school year, when teachers don't have it easy.

Thoughts on 1984

Yesterday's post was devoted to my 1984 nightmare, but I really didn't write about my thoughts on the book. (No nightmares last night--whew!)

Overall, I liked the book, even though 1984 isn't really "my type" of book. Some passages were a bit dry, but other places were so riveting that I had a difficult time putting it down. It did take me a long time to read this book, mainly because I made the mistake of putting the book down during the dry passages and often decided I would rather blog, watch TV, etc. than read.

Anyway, as I was reading, I was trying to think about it from my students' perspective. Will they like it? (I do make a point early on in the school year, though, that there is a difference between "liking" and "appreciating.") Will they find it weird? Intriguing? Challenging or too difficult? Far fetched? For that last one, I saved the May 22nd Newsweek that reads on the cover, "Spying on Your Calls: Is It Legal? What Else Don't We Know?" I certainly don't want to take an alarmist approach with my students, but I do want them to think about connections between Orwell's society and our own.

If any of you have read or taught 1984, what are your thoughts?

1984: Not for those wanting a restful night's sleep

It has been a long time since a book caused me to have nightmares--not since Island of the Blue Dolphins, which I read in probably the 5th grade, and I didn't even finish it because I couldn't bear to read any more of it. (I'll just say that separation from family and complete isolation were paralyzing fears when I was that age.)

And then I read 1984. Last night, I made the rather unfortunate choice of making my "stopping point" for the evening right after the big climactic scene (spoiler alert) where Winston and Julia are captured by the Thought Police for rebelling against the Party.

So in my dreams last night, I was being chased by the Thought Police for what seemed like hours. At one point, I stopped my car at a railroad crossing and ran. Throughout the chase, various friends, Darryl, and even a couple of students handed me slips of paper with important messages on them (this was a communication method used in the book), and I would have to hide from the "eyes" of the telescreen to read my secret messages.

I finished 1984 a couple of hours ago, and I'm letting a little more time pass before heading to bed. I read some even more disturbing passages this evening, and I really don't want to dream about being torturned until I confess I love Big Brother.

Our 75-Year-Old Yard Man

Right this minute, I'm sitting at my laptop in my air-conditioned house, watching our 75-year-old yard man cut the grass:


This is Hoyt. He lives across the street. When our (cheap) lawn mower died months ago, he offered to cut our grass at a very reasonable rate. He cuts the grass for our retired next-door neighbor, Steve, as well. My fear is that Hoyt is going to collapse from heat stroke while cutting our grass.

(I took the picture through the window. Is that wrong?)

The Heart Gallery

Very rarely will you find posts on my blog about news items (I'm not as much of a newshound as Darryl is), but this story recently featured on 20/20 grabbed my attention.

It was a story about The Heart Gallery, a project geared to help older kids get out of the foster care system and into permanent adoptive homes. Since the inception of The Heart Gallery, adoption rates of older kids have increased 280 percent.

What is this project exactly? It's simple. A photographer observed that the photographs often shown to prospective adoptive parents looked like "mug shots"--photos much like school pictures, expressionless faces against a fake background. A team of renowned photographers decided that these kids needed photos that showed their spirit and their personalities, and thus, The Heart Gallery was born.

I love when a simple idea has a huge impact--you know, those ideas that make you think, "Why didn't someone think of this before?"

Anyway, you should check out the story. You should also clink on the link on the side of the page to look at some of the pics from The Heart Gallery; they're incredible.

Out and about

I'm really tired, so it's going to be a numbered list today.

1) Went to the gym
2) Went to the dentist for a cleaning
3) Took a golf lesson
4) Had dinner/ran errands with Darryl

I'll try to come up with something more interesting to write about tomorrow--and I'll try to post it before 11:00 p.m. when I'm way too tired . . .

One of the things I like about living in a big city...

...is that I can go somewhere looking like a complete mess, and chances are I won't run into anyone I know. This morning, I had to go to Wal-Mart (ugh), and I wanted to go early--before 8 a.m.--to beat the crowds. There I was, standing in the non-crowded Wal-Mart, in capri workout pants, an old t-shirt, a baseball cap, and no make-up. Such freedom. I grew up in a small town where I could always count on running into someone I knew at the local IGA, so I felt the need to look "presentable." Small towns have their charm, but sometimes anonymity is good.

Today was uneventful, perhaps best summed up by a short list. (If you are wondering why I am even posting at all, you should look at my first post, where I declared that I was going to chronicle my summer vacation, exciting or not.) So here is the day:

1) Went to Wal-mart. The place isn't crowded at 7:30.
2) Went to the gym. One day I'm going to post a rant about women who dress up for the gym. 3) Straightened up clutter around the house.
4) Watched an episode of The Office.
5) Took a 20-minute power nap. (Is it really a "power nap" when you aren't really resting up for anything? I have taken power naps before a long grading session, but this was a nap to rest up for nothing.)

I think I'm going to read 1984 before going to bed. Ah, the life of leisure.

Blueberry Yum-Yum and Stranded at Sea (or Rather, on Lake)

This morning, I made two desserts for a social gathering/lake party with our community group from church. One dessert was my apparently famous brownies, which, I swear y'all, are just Betty Crocker's Fudge Brownie Mix made exactly according to the recipe and baked in an 8x8 pan. The other dessert is one I grew up calling Blueberry Yum-Yum, although now it has a more dignified name like "Blueberry Cream Cheese Dessert." I like the name Blueberry Yum-Yum better. Anyway, I took a boring picture of my two desserts side by side, but then I decided to take a picture of my dog, Abby, who was sitting quietly next to the kitchen table. When Abby realized I was preoccupied with adjusting my camera, this is what happened:

I managed to yell at her to get down just before her tongue hit the Yum-Yum. (If you have ever eaten any of my culinary creations and are now worried that they were perhaps tainted with doggy saliva, just know that I always place the food in the middle of the table so she can't get to it--today I let my guard down to get a picture of the food--and I'm a bit obsessive compulsive about kitchen germs, so I would never distribute tainted food.)

Anyway, we went to the party. Jake, the guy who was hosting the party, wanted to take us out on his boat. It looked for a while like it wouldn't happen because he had problems getting the boat to crank. He finally was able to start the boat, and the boat was going to be fine as long as he kept it running. When we got several miles from the dock, Jake slowed down almost to a stop in order for us to look at these amazing houses being built on Lake Lanier. All of a sudden, what does Jake's two-year-old son do? He reaches over and turns off the boat! I thought for a second that Jake was going to throw him overboard; I know I was tempted. (Just kidding--how can you blame a cute two year old?) To finish this story in more of a Cliff's Note fashion...after several failed attempts to call people on the cell phone, after being pulled in to the closest dock by a passing boat, Jake gave the ignition one last try, and it miraculously cranked. This all took, of course, about thirty minutes that seemed more like three hours. (I think I would be a pathetic contestant on Survivor.) At that point, we just went on back to Jake's and decided we had had enough of the lake for one day.

Jousting and baseball

Today my friend Casi and I experienced two very different forms of entertainment that Atlanta has to offer: the Georgia Renaissance Festival and an Atlanta Braves baseball game.

I had never been to a Renaissance Festival before, but it was definitely...surreal. Knights, (buxom) wenches, maidens, troubadors, and the like roamed the village, peddling their wares--everything from costumes to floral headpieces to a ride in a pirate ship.

I indulged in some fried macaroni and cheese on a stick. (The "diet" doesn't start until Monday.) It was tasty.

The best part, however, was people watching. Some people take the Renaissance Festival very seriously. Consider, for example, the people sitting in front of us as we watched the Tortugas Twins Comedy Act:


After a couple of hours at the Festival, Casi and I went to the Braves game. Casi had the tickets from last night's rained-out game, so this was an unexpected treat. The seats were in the Lexus Level, so we had a good view of the field while sitting in the shade. Even though my next husband, Javy Lopez, is no longer with the Braves, going to a Braves game is still one of my favorite things to do in Atlanta. I'm not even a big sports nut; I just love going to baseball games--the fans, the field, the ball park food, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," the cheesy between-inning contests--I love it all. Another bonus today: the weather was perfect, high 70s with a light breeze.

Not a bad way to begin the summer.

Looking Forward

The longest post-planning session in history finally ended today, so I'm officially on summer vacation.

I do have some summer goals, and these I am sharing just for the accountability factor. Forgive the unoriginal title.

Amy's Summer Goals

1. Lose 12 Pounds. Originally, my plan was to lose 10, but last weekend (The Great Wall of Chocolate, Smith House) gave me two more to lose.
2. Go to the gym/exercise at least 4 times a week. This should help out goal number one. Also, I found an article in SELF about how to achieve "coconut shoulders" (you know, the rounded, mucular top of the arm that all svelte celebrities have) with just one exercise. I'm doing the exercise. I'll keep you posted on my "coconut shoulder" progress.
3. Read the books on the blog posted below.
4. Spend time/have good times with friends and family. I feel a little strange posting that because I don't see friends and family as a "project." Still, I don't want the summer to pass me by without getting in some quality time.
5. Clean my closet and the garage. Both are embarrassing. Really.

Books, books, and more books

One of the things I'll be doing this summer is reading. This fall, I'm taking on the new challenge of teaching a Pre-AP 10th Grade English class, and I must confess, I have either A) never read these books, or B) read them so long ago that I definitely need to refresh my memory.

These are the ones that I MUST read this summer, as they are the books assigned for summer reading:
1. A Separate Peace--I'm going to make a big 'ol confession here and admit that I have never read this book. I'm looking forward to reading it, though.
2. A Farewell to Arms--This is one that I started reading "for fun" when I was in high school, made it about halfway through, and never finished. I took a Hemingway course in grad school, and while my professor had us read everything from Death in the Afternoon to For Whom the Bell Tolls, he dismissed Farewell as "rubbish."
3. The Old Man and the Sea--I last read this one when I was in the 10th grade.
4. Of Mice and Men--I've read this one, too, but a long time ago.

Other books I should try to read before the busy-ness of the semester takes over even though these books don't come up until later in the year:
5. A Tale of Two Cities--I hate Dickens. Because of that, I haven't read this book. I have a feeling that I will be living "the worst of times" as I read it.
6. Julius Caesar--Not my favorite Shakespeare play, but I can deal with it.

AND, other books I need to read because I would like to use them with my seniors:
7. Grendel--I have read just part of it, and while I'm not crazy about it yet, I do think I will be able to do some cool things with it as a follow-up to Beowulf.
8. 1984--I'm reading this now. At first, I was a bit lukewarm about it, but now I'm really into it (I'm about halfway through).

Does anyone have any strong feelings about these? You get bonus points if you can get me psyched up about Tale of Two Cities.

Blogging is taking over my life!!!

I have just spent the last hour reading blogs, commenting on blogs, and responding to comments left on my blog! If I'm not careful, I'm going to miss The Office marathon!!!