A Funny Thing Happened on Coronado Island...

• Me (points to small, dark house): "I would even live in that one."  Megan: "What? It looks like a hobbit house." [Truth be told, I want to live at the Del!]

• The guy we rented bikes from at Little Sam's told us not to ride on the sidewalks, since the cops really crack down on that considering the island is so safe and they have nothing better to do. That night at Peohe's restaurant, cops swarmed the dock outside our window and handcuffed two people with guns drawn. 

• Megan (reading sign at Lil' Piggy's Bar-B-Q): "'Please don't feed the birds.' Well, clearly someone did."

• Me (to random older guy): "Can you do me a favor?" Guy: "Sure! I mean...well, that depends what it is..."

• Me (to elementary kid looking into the bay): "See any whales yet?"

• First kayaking experience! By myself! And the tour guide! For two hours! Luckily, he was really interesting to talk to. :)

• Me (reading sign): "'The Little Club.' That IS a little club..."

• Random older guy walking on sidewalk shouted: "WOW! GORGEOUS EYES!" Well, thank you!

• Megan: "I want to have a destination wedding." Me: "I want to have A wedding."

Movies to Be Seen

The Way, Way Back

Looks like a hilarious coming-of-age film to follow up my love for The Kings of Summer. Definitely taking the sibs to see this while they're here in July. The Way, Way Back opens July 5th.

Despicable Me 2

Yesssss! I loved the first one and can't wait for the sequel Despicable Me 2 to open July 3rd.

Fruitvale Station

The story of Oscar Grant and NYE 2008 comes out July 12th. A Sundance fave, can't wait to see Fruitvale Station.

Salinger

I suppose I'll have to cave and finally finish The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger looks good; the documentary opens September 6th.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Casey Affleck's eyes can make me melt, and this film looks like a heartbreaker. Ain't Them Bodies Saints opens August 16th.

About Time

McAdams is fabulous, and Gleeson seems like a lovable geek in the love story About Time. And they have excellent choice in music for the trailer. Opens November 1st.

30 Days of Thanks

I accepted a challenge: post a status of "thanks" for one thing in my life every day for the entire month of November. (In case you haven't noticed from the lack of blogging between January 2011 and today, I tend to slack on long-term writing commitments.) But, 'tis the season for miracles, and....I DID IT! Just never mind the fact that Days 28-30 were posted December 2nd.

Day 1
I'm thankful for my awesome Bully Busters crew who participated in the 3K Unite Against Bullying and won the prize for most team members! Shout outs to Cara, Chrissy, Colleen, Kerry, MaDonna, and Tamaron who were great sports and donned fairy wings!


Day 2
I'm so grateful for the students who take the time to say "thank you", give you a hug, or let you know you made a difference in some way. It always comes out of the blue, and it's always the best appreciation there is!


Day 3
I'm thankful for author Ralph Fletcher's Writing with Purpose conference, which required me to revisit a happy memory:

Sometimes I remember
the good old days.

Loading up the red Escort
with the yellow donut, Coppertone, and the cooler,

driving to Sandy Beach

and lugging our gear to the shore.

My hair in a bun,
Mom slathered on the sunscreen.

Making sand castles, floating in the lake,
and buying snacks at the shack.

I still can't imagine
anything better than that.


Day 4
So grateful for phenomenal music!! It speaks to the soul!


Day 5
I'm thankful for my dad, whose birthday is today. Despite incredible odds, he's done very well for himself and done the best he could for me.


Day 6
I am thankful I have the right to vote, among a multitude of privileges not bestowed upon women in other countries.


Day 7
Today, I'm grateful for much-needed drinks & laughter with a good friend.


Day 8
I'm so lucky to have a man in my life who asks questions like, "How could I have better said that?" Seriously appreciate the time and effort he puts into communicating with me and teaching me to be a better person as well! #endgush


Day 9
I'm thankful I'll get to experience some true fall weather tonight and tomorrow...right here in Chandler! Finally!!


Day 10
I'm grateful for the survivors of the Holocaust who continue to share their stories with the world in an effort to teach love, respect, and tolerance. I was fortunate to hear Oskar Knoblauch's story today.


Day 11
I'm thankful for all the men and women veterans--past, present, and future!


Day 13
I'm so thankful for this temperamental-ball-of-fur. Boo Radley has lived in NINE different homes with me, endured a cross-country road trip, and put up with my erratic schedule for the last 11 years. He's my baby, my Boo-Bear, my Moo-Goo, my Booregard, my Boojangles, my Boozer, my Boogles, my Boo. ♥


Day 14
I'm thankful my principal dropped off a Dr Pepper for me "just because" today! On days when it's hard to find a reason to be a teacher when we're facing extreme budget cuts, it's good to remember that I'm fortunate enough to have great administrators.


Day 15
I'm thankful for the genuine kindnesses of others: a cookout lunch, a movie ticket to Breaking Dawn, paid conference fees, unnecessary notes of gratitude ...


Day 16
I'm so grateful for B O O K S!!


Day 17
I am thankful for lazy, lazy days.


Day 18
I'm thankful for my sister, Sarah, and her witty (aka biting) sense of humor.
Me: "Find out what Mom wants for Christmas."
Sarah: "She said slippers."
Me: "That's lame. P.S. I already bought her slippers."
Sarah: "P.S. Apparently she doesn't like them."


Day 19
Every day, but especially today, I'm thankful for Randle. A year ago today he took me out on our first date. My life is infinitely better with him in it!


Day 20
I'm grateful for the knowledge I gained today. 1) Becky has the world's best apple pie recipe. 2) Apple seeds contain cyanide, so, you shouldn't eat them...anymore... 3) If you hit Becky with flour, she'll hit you back worse. :)


Days 21-25
I'm thankful for long weekends to rejuvenate the soul; the welcoming by others to partake in their Thanksgiving traditions; restaurants that continue to provide a nostalgic dining experience, when "going out to dinner" was an event, not a five-minute drive-through; movies--fantastic, fabulous films; and my first hot air balloon ride (even though our captain wasn't the Wizard of Oz, the movie is now on TV, and that can't be a coincidence!!).


Day 26
I'm grateful for the hilarious moments in class...
Me: "Students, in what situations might you use low-key lighting?"
Student: "In a whore house."
Me: "Uh, you mean HORROR house."
Student: "Yup--a whore house."
Me: "Okay, let's work on pronunciation..."


Day 27
I'm grateful for toddlers. Yup, those miniature people who have their own baby-babble, chubby cheeks, and temper-tantrums. There's nothing like listening to a kiddo try out new words and giggle like silly. Thanks for making my day, Emma Lou!


Days 28, 29 & 30
I'm thankful for my brother Daniel. He is one of the funniest people I know and I can't imagine life without my baby bro.
I'm grateful for my students. They allow me to experience being a pseudo-parent every day.
I'm thankful for moments of pure happiness that bring tears to your eyes. Of all the gifts we can receive this time of year, genuine happiness is chief among them.

Places You'd Like to Visit

Ahh, vacation. How I love thee. Here are a few places I desperately want to see...

1. Machu Picchu: I can't imagine a more intriguing place to visit. Unless Atlantis is for real...
2. Italy: I've always wanted to see Venice ever since I saw the movie Only You.
3. Egypt: Ancient Egypt fascinates me! I love learning about the pyramids, pharaohs, hieroglyphics, etc.
4. New Zealand: I once had a plan to study in New Zealand for a semester. That never happened.
5. Ireland: Truth is, I want to run into Bono!
6. England: Another semester abroad I never achieved.
7. France: Who doesn't want to visit France? Oh, and Johnny Depp lives there...
8. Washington State: Twilight-induced.
9. North Carolina: I haven't spent much time on the Southeast Coast.
10. Germany: I want to visit the Holocaust memorials/museums.

Leaders You Are Inspired By

"Leader" and "inspiration" seem to go hand-in-hand. What's a leader who isn't inspiring? And if one is an inspiration, then is he/she not a leader if some way? Of course.

Rosa Parks--She was tired on the bus that day--that's why she didn't move. And I admire the fact that she never kept that a secret.
Martin Luther King, Jr.--A wise man of peace. So much to learn from him.
Nelson Mandela--Talk about a man of integrity.
Rep. Gordon Hintz--He convinces me that there are politicians who CARE!
Mary Daly--An amazing feminist and author.
Bono--His dedication to causes stretches over decades and has never been a publicity stunt.
Ryan Milbrath--He's practically perfect in every way. (It's kind-of sickening.) His writing, teaching, and general intelligence astounds me.
Deborah Ellis--A writer who exposes the atrocities of Third World countries.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton--Stoic, articulate, and grounded.
Gloria Steinem--Another woman of courage.

Things Beyond My Grasp of Understanding

I'm not a fan of this list topic what-so-ever. Probably because I have a hard time not being good great at anything I attempt to do or learn. This could account for why I quit cheerleading after my freshman year. (Or it was the anxiety... probably both.) So, making a list of things I can't understand sounded positively dreadful to me. I rebelled by listing only nine things, instead of the mandated ten. And you won't find any links in this post. (Like I'd want you to research the topic and actually know more about it than ME!)

1. Geometry. O, how I loathe this subject. Thank God Mr. Teska passed me with a D for "determined", though he probably intended the D to stand for "dumb".
2. Men & the Maid of Honor Curse. I took a dating-personality test once and it told me I'm the "Maid of Honor"--literally and figuratively. This is the woman men want to marry, for she is nearly perfect in every way (ala Mary Poppins), but she ends up being perpetually single (ala Mary Poppins). Oh my God...I just realized...I'm MARY FRICKIN' POPPINS!!!!
3. Mental Illness. The cruelest joke nature ever played. Nearly impossible to "fix" and so incredibly misunderstood by so many.
4. Mortgages, Investments, Loans, etc. How do people learn about this stuff? Do your parents sit you down and explain it? Did I miss this course in college? Totally clueless in Arizona.
5. Philosophy. Is this a chair because it's a chair? or because I call it a chair? Who cares. It's a chair! By the time I unravel the written mess you've created, I've forgotten the question.
6. Religion. I'm curious, shocked, and puzzled all at once.
7. The Holocaust. As best as one can who hasn't experienced something first-hand: I know what happened; I know why it happened. I still can't understand how it happened.
8. 'isms. Racism, sexism, homophobic-ism (okay, I made that last one up, but it needed to fit-in with the rest of the "isms"--pun intended.)
9. Morning People. WHAT IS WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?!

Books That Made Me Cry

I cringed when I saw the list topic. "List books that made you cry." Really? Can't I have an....easier topic? Well, here's why I balked: I didn't think I could do it! And if I couldn't list ten books that made rivers run down my cheeks, what kind of avid-reading-language-arts-teacher would I be?! The irony is that I'm a total bawl-baby; I weep just thinking sad thoughts. I sobbed through the last half of Titanic and the entire half-hour drive home! But sad sob stories in books just don't do it for me... Imagine my surprise when I did, indeed, list ten reads that made me misty. *sniff, sniff* In fact, I threw in another five just to prove I AM a book-lover!

1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I remember next to nothing about this book except for this amazing friendship between a boy and his two dogs. Oh, and the fact that I cried big crocodile tears toward the end.
2. The Pact by Jodi Picoult. I read this book during Spring Break of 2007. I was broken-hearted, and maybe that added to the pain of this story, but I vividly recall sobbing throughout parts of this.
3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. Note to Self: Do not read break-up stories when suffering your own break-up! As depressing as it was, Meyer captured Bella's pain perfectly.
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The oppression and abuse torture of women in this book is almost unbearable, but it is a heartwarming story in its own way. It's one of my all-time favorites.
5. PostSecret by Frank Warren. I've been fascinated with Warren's books and postcard blog for the past six years. I was starstruck when I met him at Changing Hands Bookstore in the fall of 2007. The first book he published contains a postcard of a flower with missing petals. I loved the secret and completely identified with it. The postcard inspired a priceless artwork I created for a literature course. I lost the piece... :(
6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. Any book related to the Holocaust can bring me to tears, and this fictional story was no exception. My heart literally hurt when I finished this story. Note: The movie doesn't do the book justice.
7. I Am Not Your Victim: Anatomy of Domestic Violence by Beth Sipe and Evelyn J. Hall. This book was required reading for a college course I took titled Domestic Violence. One of the best courses of my college career, though also the most exhausting. Sipe's book is her own story of survival, but the journey to "survivor" was horrific.
8. Survival by Magda Herzberger. Herzberger's account of surviving several death camps during the Holocaust is rich with vivid details. Her spirit is just...incredible. Knowing Magda personally and having her speak at my school twice has been one of the most amazing experiences. I'm so fortunate to have met her!
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. There are a few moments in this book that pull at one's heartstrings, but there's one part, in particular, that just takes one's breath away.
10. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. Another one of my all-time favorite books! I just LOVE this book! So touching...
11. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer. I read this book in one sitting and cried my eyes out.
12. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs (aka Linda Brent). I've read this book several times and I even wrote part of my English thesis paper on it. It's heartbreaking that Jacobs was forced to live in a garret (i.e. crawlspace) for years to escape slavery and torture.
13. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Excellent book and one of my favorites as a kid. The friendship between Jess and Leslie is unforgettable.
14. The Pigman by Paul Zindel. I couldn't help but think of Stella, an elderly woman I delivered prescriptions to in high school, or my grandpa, who doesn't have any "friends" to my knowledge, while I read this book. Another of my favorites as a kid.
15. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. The movie doesn't do this book justice, and it's almost difficult to follow the movie if you haven't read the book. This story stayed with me long after I closed the book.