The Ice Storm.

So when I think about an "ice storm" I think of something that looks like this:



What I learned after going through the debacle that was The District's ice storm last night, is that ice storms just looks like rain from the inside of the car. It isn't until you get out of the car that you see the foot long icicle perpendicular to your antenna. I also learned that it sucks to be stuck in traffic during an ice storm.

I left school right at 4:30 so that I could rush to my polling place to vote before I left for the College of William & Mary. I was going to be doing recruitment for the school there and was actually very excited for the opportunity to represent my school. Sad to say that after 5 hours of "driving" I was a mere 10 miles away from school -- just barely into Arlington, VA. Keep in mind that the entire trip was supposed to take 3 hours.

Three of the interstates I needed to use were closed and the surface streets were not moving at all. I somehow made it to the hotel after 9 and a half hours. Fortunately, I did meet and interview some promising candidates -- so ultimately worth many freak-outs and some sleep deprivation.

Obligated.

So am I obligated to watch a sub-par sitcom just because someone I know is in it? Last night, Jamie and I sat down to watch "Welcome to the Captain" to see a high school classmate's new show. This is a huge deal because Jamie and I rarely have time to sit down together much less watch television together. Add to this the fact that we already watched the Super Bowl together and you have quite the quality time spent in front of network television. That is how dedicated we are to our high school "alma mater".


Maybe it's unfair to say that it is sub-par. But I worry that the show thinks it is funnier than it actually is. Hopefully, the critics will like it, because Fran truly is a phenomenal and dedicated actor and it's nice to see him in the main role.

My Fifteen Minutes.

I return triumphantly from my hiatus to share this piece of news. Yes, The Washington Post spent a day in my classroom and spoke to my kids and those tiny little quotes at the end of the article are what we have to show for it. Of course, we also have those adorable pictures of my students. Trust me: they are not as cute at hour 40 of their weekly learning.

Also. It's crazy to see me quoted as "Long". So weird.

A "proper" update on my life is coming soon. Don't get your hopes up though...it has been pretty uneventful...

American Wusses.

One thing I have learned by watching The New American Gladiators (it was accident, I swear!) is that Americans are a bunch of pansies. Not a single contender -- or "gladiator" has anything on a Ninja Warrior.

I know it's harder than it looks, but the stuff on Ninja Warrior looks really hard. None of this running up a conveyor belt with the aid of a rope. In Japan, you must run against the conveyor belt using your own stamina and strength!

Of course, I also would have difficulty doing much of anything requiring physical exertion so...

Back from the Beach.

And we're back! We actually got back last night after a pretty smooth flight -- no delays, no cancellations. We even got to sit behind Jimmy Fallon and his new wife! I presume they were just getting back from their wedding in the Caribbean. They were very lovey and adorable and now I look upon Mr. Fallon more favorably and can forgive the fact that he tends to laugh during every SNL skit.

As always, the Bahamas did not disappoint. It was gorgeous -- of course -- and it definitely provided me with the break that I needed. I only did work on one of my days there. The rest of the time was spent swimming, snorkeling, cruising around in the boat, getting tan, reading, and good ol' family fun.



I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and have some exciting plans for the New Year.

There is so much to share about the trip, but it's hard to know where to start. I guess I can let the pictures tell the story instead.

Bahamas Ahoy!

I am officially a free woman for the rest of 2007! Tomorrow, Jamie, Scott and I will be taking the flight to Miami and a final destination of the Bahamas. Most excellent. As the first official Holiday Season as a married couple, Jamie and I will be spending the holidays with his side.

I will take tons of pictures. I will say "hello" to our dear friend, Piggybank Telephone Car. And I will definitely be getting some much needed rest and repose. I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season among the ones they love. Check back here on the 31st for some pictures and stories...

Whose Cuisine Reigned Supreme?

Yesterday, was Jamie's Iron Chef birthday party. We played host to a group of 14 people (including 6 judges) which officially made it our largest dinner party to date. I think that 14 will pretty much be our limit.

Jamie -- being the birthday boy and all -- was the Iron Chef along with his sous chefs Leah and Dan. I was the challenger with Mollie and Angie. Our secret ingredients were two of Jamie's favorites: goat cheese and chocolate. It was a fight to the death. And no, we didn't have to incorporate both ingredients in all of our dishes.

The Iron Chef's Menu: First Course (Trio of Appetizers)

• Mille Feuille with Two Goat Cheeses
• Phyllo Knots with Spinach and Goat Cheese
• Mushrooms Stuffed with Goat Cheese

The Challenger's Menu: First Course (Trio of Appetizers)

• Chocolate Stout Ale - sure we didn't brew our own beer, but clever nonetheless
• Pizzettes with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese (and homemade dough)
  
• Crispy Potato Slices with Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese

The Pizzettes before going into the oven...

The Iron Chef's Menu: Second Course

• Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chocolate Ravioli with Red Pepper Sauce

The Challenger's Menu: Second Course

• Apple and Walnut Salad with Goat Cheese
• Agnolotti with a Sweet Pea and Goat Cheese Filling

It should be noted at this point that our agnolotti had character. It is hard to roll your own pasta when you have never ever done it before.

Iron Chef's Menu: Final Course

• Goat Cheese Tiramisu with Chocolate Lady Fingers and Homemade "Chocolate Waves"

The Challenger's Menu: Final Course (a quartet of desserts - we are all bakers after all)

• Goat Cheese Cheescake with a Chocolate Sauce and Caramel Doodad
• Chocolate Volcano Babycakes with Brandy Whipped Cream
• Homemade Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles
• Hot Chocolate

The Goat Cheesecake Birthday Cake.

Whose cuisine reigned supreme??

The Challengers! Despite the Iron Chef team's originality and ability to incorporate both ingredients in all of the dishes (although, it was just a dusting of cocoa powder in some -- ahem), we took it on taste. Just barely.

Poor, poor Iron Chef. Losing on his own non-birthday.

The party was awesome and I had a blast with Mollie and Angie. Despite time-pressure and minor mishaps, we were having giggle-fits pretty much the entire time. Sure we may have set the fire alarm off once, lost an egg to the cold, hard, ground, and had a cheesecake casualty. It was all in good fun. Besides, I heard there was a chocolate explosion on the Iron Chef's kitchen wall.


We also learned a valuable lesson: when selecting a secret ingredient, do not choose one that is uber-expensive. Next time, we're doing potatoes. I also learned that I need to get one of those new cameras with a food setting. Because none of the pictures of our food really came out. Sadness.

Another Junior.

A bunch has happened, and I plan on updating the masses soon, but I wanted to share this little thing that happened at school today. I got bitten by a Kindergartner. While this, of course, is an area for concern in and of itself -- what with the various unpleasant infections that could follow -- I would like to focus on WHO bit me. (And before you comment, yes, I did get it checked by a doctor and have taken the necessary blood tests and vaccines).

His name is James Long Jr. Ever since I found out about the existence of little James, I was predisposed to like him, despite all of the horror stories. It should be noted that I have never had a James in my class that did not prove to be the most difficult challenge of the year...in fact, I made a point of not including the one James in 2nd grade on my class roster. Good thing, too, because he turned out to be so difficult he had to be transferred out of our school within a month.

ANYWAY. This James is in kindergarten and was climbing the fence during recess. He had made it halfway up the fence and there being nothing but a long fall on the other side, I immediately demanded that he get down. Of course, he did not like it when I pulled him down and he bit my finger. Luckily my nail prevented any serious damage.

But! James Long Jr.! I know that both James and Long are very common names, but are the chances that we would have a James Long Jr. when the normal names around here are Redeemed and Pristine? Sadly the Junior could use some lessons from my James Long on how to treat me nicely...

Holiday Redux.

I have been meaning to post about the various holidays we've been having, but have been pretty overwhelmed with other things. Before I get back to work today though, I thought I would take the time to post some pictures that I've been holding onto. Here's one of our pumpkin from Halloween...


...looking at the picture now, I see that it is definitely reminiscent of Strong Bad from the future.

Thanksgiving was a blast! We had Scott over and a couple of Jamie's other friends from Law School. All in all, our biggest Thanksgiving group yet! My new endeavor for the year was brining my turkey.


Having heard only good things about the results, I thought it would be worth the trouble. I'm telling you now, it is worth it. I will be brining my turkey for years to come and just messing around with the flavoring because that was one seriously moist turkey. Despite a roasting setback -- I thought the oven was on for two hours when, in fact, it was not -- the turkey was still juicy.

Jamie made some yummy curried butternut squash with a cilantro yogurt sauce, and of course we had the sweet potatoes, some green beans and shallots, buttermilk biscuits, and stuffing. Dessert was pumpkin pie with a homemade crust and an apple toffee cake. Pretty delish. And, having no Thanksgiving decor pieces, we threw together a centerpiece using various fall foods. I thought it came out festive-looking...


Since Thanksgiving we have discovered the XM radio has five temporary channels dedicated to Christmas music and it has been putting me in the mood for some serious Christmas mirth. Consequently, Jamie and I went to get our first Christmas tree! Artificial, of course (don't worry, dad!). So while it lacks the yummy smell, I think it will be a little safer from our cats.

Although, it looks as though Junior is a little scared of the tree for now (but notice it's reflection in her eyes...) and is more interested in its box.

Scene from the Supermarket.

As a result of having to stay at work past 8pm (the day before a holiday break mind you), Man Boo and I didn't get around to our supermarket shopping until around 10pm. I have decided that this is going to be my new favorite time to go grocery shopping as there are not even crowds there in the days before Thanksgiving. Awesome.

What was potentially even more awesome was this mini-scene from the checkout line. Man Boo had to return some overpriced cereal (I swear it said 4 for $10!) so he went back into the checkout when a little blonde in some short short short (!) running shorts came up next to him.

Running Blonde: [checks Jamie out from top to bottom]
Me: [sensing awesomeness pretends to not be with Jamie and "searches" for someone else in the crowd]
Man Boo: [clueless]
RB: [looks at register] $6.50 for a box a cereal!
MB: I know.
RB: [flirty voice] That's crazy. How expensive were the other cereals?? [bats eyelashes]
MB: [not noticing the flirtitude] I don't know.
RB: [clearly trying to find a way to continue conversation -- perhaps regretting the cereal question]
MB: [oblivious]

This continued, but my cover was busted when Man Boo put something in my cart and I was annoyed that the potential for awesomeness was not realized. Later, as we walked to the car:

M: You know that little blonde was flirting with you! I wanted to see what would happened but you spoiled it!
MB: She was not flirting with me. She just thought the cereal was expensive.
M: She was flirting with you.
MB: No she wasn't. You're weird.

[five minutes later]

MB: [excitedly] Wait a minute. She WAS flirting with me!!!

Most of the time, I feel so fortunate that I found Jamie before someone else could. Very rarely, do I feel like he is fortunate too because he would be so clueless on the dating scene. But, this was one of those moments.

Disturbing.

This has to be quick because I'm running a bath right now, but here is a note that I intercepted from Chawntae:

I Love you you are very sexy! you are my man Boo and I'm have a Bady by You and it is a GIRL [underlined] by your Boo! I Love you! I [heart] U

Despite the fact that this note is very disturbing coming from a 7-year old, "Man Boo" is my new favorite word. Jamie will heretofore be referred to as "Man Boo" on this blog.

Good night.

The Go Ahead.

Finally got the blessing to share the wonderful news...my maid of honor, Abby, just got engaged. ENGAGED! If you knew Abby and her fiance, you'd know that this is a wonderful, beautiful, thing and that this is the best news ever.

So between babies, Bar, and the best ever engagement this has been quite a great weekend.

All-Around Goodness.

So some pretty great things have been happening lately. I have been holding off on sharing much of the great things as they are not really my great things to share. But, people, these are BIG things...and I've gotten the "okay" for most of them now...

FIRST, my wonderful bridesmaid, Eileen, had her baby last Tuesday! A perfect, gorgeous little girl. I finally got to see her today -- I was supposed to last week, but then that whole neck thing happened and I had to reschedule. Here she is in all of her adorable glory...


Never mind that both Jamie and I look sleep-deprived...that is one cute baby. So the birth of Baby Veronica was definitely highlight number one.

Highlight number two from yesterday cannot be shared yet...but check back soon because once I get the "okay" I will be shouting it from the rooftops.

Soon after highlight number two, Jamie and I went to the Opera to see Don Giovanni. During the intermission we learned that JAMIE PASSED THE CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM. So, yes, California and D.C. have yet another lawyer. While I knew all along that he would pass -- it was really great to know for certain that the supercomputer taking care of all the grading didn't crash. It's also a relief to know that all of that studying over the summer paid off...

When we came home after the opera, Jamie set up my new Tivo and it's honestly the most amazing thing. Life is good.

Meant To Be.

The kids today were great. I taught. They learned. So it should have been a good day...except for the fact that a first-grader projectile vomited on me within minutes of the start of the school day. Then there was the fact that it was Picture Day...and I had barf in my shoes.

Thursdays are miserable because I don't have any time away from my kids -- no break, no lunch, no planning period. I didn't go to the bathroom between the hours of 7am and 5pm. So it was a pretty bad day.

Then I got home and was reminded of how lucky and happy I am in other areas of my life. I have a horrible habit of being more excited about giving birthday gifts to Jamie than he is to receive them. When I have what I think is an especially good one, I can't even wait until December. That was the case for this year when I got him this:

It's XM Radio! How much would Jamie like XM Radio?? A LOT. So I was very excited to get it to him -- especially since I thought of it right after his last birthday. That is a full year of waiting, people. So he got it on Tuesday (I'm lame, I know). So, as Jamie and I wallowed in the greatness of this gift, I jokingly told him that he should buy me my equivalent...Tivo. He scoffed.

But inside, he cringed because he had already bought me my birthday present which was this...



It's a TIVO! Jamie assures me that the only reason he gave it to me early was because he didn't want me to think that he bought it as a result of our conversation. So once again, I read his mind (the last time being when he was going to propose to me).

Jamie and I are so in synch. It's almost like the time we both bought each other picnic baskets for our anniversary. Except this is more awesome because -- honestly -- TIVO!

The day is less sucky now. Hooray.

Neck Pains.

Sorry for the long hiatus. Again.

This weekend was a glorious long weekend because of Veteran's Day yesterday. Sadly, I didn't get to enjoy too much of it.

Friday morning as I was getting ready for work my neck decided to spaz out. Literally. My neck made a LOUD crack noise and then I could no longer move my head in any direction. It was painful. After some crying and much stressing over how late I would be, Jamie finally called the boss and let her know that I would be calling in my first sick day.

Eventually I made it to the doctor's office and sat in that waiting room for a couple hours. Only to be told that I needed to get to the emergency room for some x-rays. After several more hours in the emergency room, an IV full of painkillers, and a few x-rays later they deduced that I had a muscle spasm. Apparently, all the stress from work has made me incredibly tense in my shoulders and neck. So much so that my vertebrae is absolutely straight (not normal), rather than curved (normal). Sadness.

But, I quickly learned that sitting in the emergency room can be wildly entertaining -- that is, after they have given you the necessary painkillers. While I know the curtain separations are more of a space-saving/flexible module thing, it also allows for some great eavesdropping. Excellent.

The rest of my weekend sped by as I puttered around with my neck brace and heating pad. We hosted a yummy brunch for Jamie's singing group (Lawcapella -- *sigh*). I made homemade bagels and cinnamon buns and we had lox, fruit, and eggs and then I got treated to a free concert as the group rehearsed.

Okay. Now my shoulders are dying. Time for a bath.

I promise, I'll actually write about interesting stuff soon.

Because Jamie'd Appreciate It.

Keep on it until the very end. I have not watched SNL in a very, very long time.

4 Minutes and 36 Seconds.

That was the length of the phone call I just received. And that was all of the time it took to erase all of the trepidation, exhaustion, and regret of the past 3+ years of teaching.

Dre'Kwon's mother called me to thank me for changing his life.

You may remember Dre'Kwon from here or here. Needless to say he is a character and was easily one of my more challenging and exciting students. Anyway, Dre'Kwon's mother told me that when he was held back in third grade two years ago, she was certain he would end up in jail. He had been involved in fights, had failed all of his academic subjects, and had been suspended too many times to count. Then he was in my class and all that changed (albeit, not immediately) and she told me that now he's an honor student.

She had gotten a letter in the mail at the beginning of the school year, saying that Dre'Kwon had gotten top scores on the MSA (the big standardized test). She told me she got a letter today that said that Dre'Kwon is now categorically "gifted" after further testing. She told me that I believed in him before even she did and that she would never make that mistake again.

When I spoke to Dre'Kwon he told me the first person he thought of when he saw the letter was me. Then he started to cry. And then I couldn't stop crying. (I still haven't).

At the end of our conversation, Dre'Kwon's mother told me that I not only made him a better student, but had made her a better mother. She actually said "you was the best teacher he ever had. And, you was the best teacher I ever had."

Seriously. I'm a wreck right now.

Maybe I'm a Little Tired...

...but I laughed and laughed when I saw this.

There is nothing better than Japanese T.V.

And now, for a little snippet of dialogue from today...

Joevontae: Halloween is my favorite part of the year! It's even better than my birthday!

Class: [sounds of agreement]

Christopher: [moodily pouting]

Mrs. Long: What's wrong, Christopher? You don't like Halloween?

C: No!

Mrs. L: That's okay, but why not?

C: Because I do all the work but my dad eats all of my candy.

Probably true and sad -- in a hilarious way. When I told this story to Jamie, he rubbed his hands together in preemptive glee at being able to raid his unborn child's candy sack...

Weekend Round-Up

Last weekend, Jamie and I made the trip up to the Big Apple. While we were there for less than 24 hours, we got to see a lot of people and have a lot of fun. We went up for a wedding -- which awesomely took place on a farm in the middle of Queens. Seriously. How awesome is that?




















The wedding was beautiful and I may have cried during the ceremony. Just maybe. And of course it was great to see some of our old friends...


In an effort to save some cash, Jamie and I looked for a cheap motel somewhere near the wedding site. Of course, we neglected to consider that that would mean the motel would be located in Queens, NY. QUEENS of Coming to America fame. I didn't think of this until just before we arrived in NY, at which point Jess assured me that Queens was a big, big place.

She was right. And our motel was adjacent to the Police Station -- which could be a good or a bad thing.

The next morning Jamie and I got up bright and early [give stink-eye to Jamie] to make the trip into Brooklyn to meet some friends for brunch. Despite the fact that we had planned our brunch for 11am, Jamie made sure we left our motel at 9:15am "just in case there's traffic". Sure enough, we were in Park Slopes at 9:40am. So we wandered around and took in the sights.

Sadly, I used up the battery in my camera before meeting up with Jess and Anne Louise so I don't have any pictures of that part of the trip...but it happened! Really! And we ate a delicious breakfast with bottomless mimosas! So great.

We had to return to reality and it was back to work. Today was especially eventful because I had my very first annual throw up. It could have been worse. Poor Cornelius had been complaining of a headache all morning, but managed to do all of his work despite clear discomfort. I was proud of him. As he had not complained of any stomach discomfort, I didn't think twice as he delved into his lunch. I was happy to see him feeling better during recess and running around. Then, during our science "exploration" he worked well with his team as they investigated air bubbles. It wasn't until we had passed in all of our materials that he unleashed the most vomit I have ever seen come out a 7 year old. Ever.

Poor Neal. Still, he managed it like a champ: ignoring the other kids' exclamations of disgust, somehow avoiding getting anything on his clothes, and not even shedding one tear. It was truly the very best situation that could have possibly been. The class was on the empty playground doing an experiment that involved basins of water (good for floor cleanup), paper towels, and none of my classroom or carpet.

Let's hope that will be the last of these.

The Month That Was.

Oh goodness. I've been bad about updating lately. And it's not that I don't have fun things to share with you all -- I really do! It's more about the lack of time and the fact that I have been doing most of my work from my "work" computer and therefore do not have access to my digital pictures. Sorry friend(s).

Work has been hectic and I am definitely feeling overworked and underpaid -- the resting state for most public school educators. Still, I'm hoping that I will see some real growth from my students this year.

But I'll post about them later.

Instead, I want to talk about the shining beacon of light in each of my weeks...the weekend. A few weekends ago (I know, so bad that I am just NOW posting about it) I got to see my lovely friends Abby and Samir in Cleveland. Despite the fact that it took us a good long time to get there by car, our gracious hosts made good use of every minute of our stay and we got to see a lot. We even got to eat some uber-tasty food at Momocho (which, Abby and Samir, is categorically "Modern Mexico" food).


















The weekend after, Jamie and I braved a backpacking trip on Assateague Island. Which kicked my ass (a-teague). While Jamie had assured me it would be a flat, easy hike, neither he nor I knew that it was actually a flat, "easy" hike on sand. Friends, sand is not easy to hike on. Not with hiking boots and a heavy backpack. To make matters worse, it was a beach that people could drive to with their OTVs so there were enough people frolicking in the surf with their Diet Cokes and puppies to make me hate my life a little.

BUT, as we hiked we got further away from the crowds, and we eventually found a place on the bay that was very nice -- if not infested with the largest mosquitoes ever. We got to make a campfire and sleep under the stars in our new tent. It was quite beautiful.

And! There were wild horses meandering around! Sure they liked to stay by the car-camping sites and not so much in the backcountry, but we got to see a few. In the end, the miles and miles hiked on sand was worth it.

Last weekend we had the last BBQ of the year before the weather changed. Which it did, sort of...and this upcoming weekend, Jamie and I are scooting to New York for a wedding and to see some of our old friends. Cannot. Wait. I will try to be much better about posting in upcoming weeks.

To conclude, I would like to share with you a video for some new "you tube" baby that I am actually sort of in love with. Her name is Marie Digby.

Maybe it's because she's of mixed Japanese descent (like me!), or maybe it's because she's from the San Fernando Valley (like me!). Or, maybe I just like that she is able to take ultra-poppy songs and play them with actual talent. There is something slightly hilarious about an acoustic version of Britney Spears' "Gimme More". And yes, she write her own songs too, but I wanted to really hit home the poppiness.

Scrabble Queen.

As a testament to a woman's ability to multitask, I have always found that I am much more productive when it comes to lesson-planning when I am watching something. Today, I watched a few episodes of Felicity and finished up all of my lesson plans for the week of the 24th by 3pm. This left me relatively free for the rest of the afternoon.

As it was a glorious day outside, Jamie and I opted to walk to the park and play Scrabble. Amid the many, many children riding around on bikes with training wheels (which are different from tricycles as Jamie pointed out) and dogs running around playing with stuff. Seeing all the kids running around and people with dogs made me feel less old -- which is a blessing since I've felt really old ever since getting married.

After I kicked some tail in Scrabble, Jamie had to buy me dinner so we went to Cuban Food.

All in all: it was a good Sunday afternoon.

Good Intentions.

So I was very excited that this might be the first Saturday in over a month when I wouldn't have to go to school/work. I got all of my copies done and my classroom ready for Monday. I wake up bright and early this morning, have my breakfast, read my news...at 9am, sharp, I'm ready to start planning and...

I forgot my freaking Teacher's Manuals at school.

I had assumed they were in my bag because I had every single other book in my bag. But no. They are sitting at school. I called to see if anyone was at the building, and no. There is the possibility that some construction people may be there this afternoon so I am going to have to stake out the building. On my used-to-be-free Saturday.

In the meantime, I will work on the progress reports for my students...the ones that are due on Monday after 11 days of teaching. This school is hard core.

Burning Question.

I promise I will stop posting videos soon -- but Jason's comment reminded me of a question I had been wanting to pose for a while. Since Jamie and I don't have fancy cable, the only access we have to Flight of the Conchords is what they give us on YouTube.

I don't know what the premise of the show is -- but I gather that it is a random assortment of music videos strung together loosely by some vague storyline. While I am a fan of pretty much every song, the following two are my favorites. (I know these videos are nothing new, but you know you want to watch them anyway because they are always funny).

I cannot decide on which I like more, though...opinions?

And of course, the classic:

Okay. Done with the videos for a while. I promise. Unless there is a gem.

Sweet Distraction.

Because I cannot bring myself to write about work...I give you some immature humor. If you watch the whole thing, you won't be sorry.

Maybe I'll post again soon with some actual news on what is going on in my life...

Internet Killed the Video Star.

It's Sunday and that means it's time for some procrastination!

Maybe the fact that I have seen nearly all of these videos -- and even linked to some of them in this blog -- should be an indication that I spend too much time procrastinating on the internet. Still, I like the internet video commemorating all the other internet video people. It's very meta.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Apparently, here at the Long household (that's weird to say) shaving a sad excuse for a beard is the perfect opportunity for some hair-tomfoolery. Jamie's singing group will be performing at a 9/11 Memorial Service on Tuesday, and so Jamie decided that it was time for the "beard" to go.

I think he is trying to put off helping me at school on a SATURDAY (ETD was 20 minutes ago) because he decided to play around with his face, to wit I give you: 'Stache Attack!

The "Mountain Man".



The Skeevy Casanova.














The Ned Flanders.

Apparently Jamie has never seen an episode of The Simpsons as he does not know that this is clearly not a good Ned Flanders impression. Ned Flanders has FOUR fingers, Jamie! FOUR!

Now I can I see my husband's face again so I am happy. Also, I know that I am very lucky to have a husband who does not mind making a fool of himself for the sake of our friends and family. Okay, off to school...

P.S. Jamie came up with the punny title. Not mine!

To the Bone.

Let me begin by saying I love my new school. It is a positive environment for our students, and I believe that we will really be able to make a difference in the lives of all of the young girls and boys that walk through our halls.

But...dammit do my feet hurt. Never in my life have I worked as hard as I have been working for the past week. And sadly, I have to report that I feel like a first-year teacher all over again -- a feeling that I had never intended to revisit. There is something to be said for building something like this from the ground up.

I get to school at 6:30 in the morning and usually leave well past 6:30pm. My first few days/nights I definitely didn't get out of the building during the single-digit hours going home only to sleep for a measly few hours.

I have always felt that the Teacher Union in Baltimore City was the reason for many of the public school system's problems. Despite being a paying member of said Union, I rarely agreed with their practices and felt a great sense of freedom when I resigned from Baltimore City Public Schools and stopped being a member of the Teacher's Union.

I no longer am a member of a Teacher's Union...and as much as I regret to admit it...I think that they may have had a point. A teensy-itsy-bitsy point. Like having a period for lunch is good. Also, having a time to pee during the day is also good. Oh, and being able to sit down for a little while is also good. As it is, I am with my kids every single minute of the day. I am with them for breakfast. I am with them for lunch, recess and until they get picked up at (sometimes) 5pm. I take them to the bathroom twice and I look longingly at the toilets knowing full well, that I will not be going to the bathroom for several more hours.

As soon as the last child leaves, I am overwhelmed by the simultaneous urge to eat something and to use the restroom and I have to decide which is more important. I left my lunch at home once, and didn't even know I had left it at home until I got home and saw it sitting on the kitchen counter. I don't even know why I make a lunch anymore, as I usually just recycle the same sandwich from day to day.

I love my school. But I also love my feet. I must find the most comfortable shoes on the planet and somehow make them cute enough to be business casual.

Okay. I'm done with the rant. And if anyone from school is reading this: please don't fire me. I really am committed to our kids and to our school. Honest.

Mountain Man.

I know I said I would blog about school/work...but I still can't bring myself to do it yet. Instead, I will post about the return of my darling husband. He got back from his backpacking trip to the Sawtooth Mountains and brought back pictures and more facial hair.

Kind of hilarious.

I have to buckle down and do some work now -- but I think it is a safe bet that I will be posting again soon to tell you about the first days of school...if only to procrastinate from the work. For now, let's just say that I have never worked so hard in my life.

Sore Feet.

I can't muster up the energy to go into a description of how the first day went -- instead I'll post a recap of the week tomorrow. And of course, here are pictures of the final arrangement of my classroom...




I include this picture so that you can get a feel for my new set of names. My favorite name is Joevontae. It is also interesting to note that the people with the "normal" names were no-shows today (ie; Jordan, Carlos, David, Will, etc.)


I saved the best for last. One of our school goals is to have all of our elementary students leaving with a determination to graduate from college. So, we all chose a college to represent -- mine, of course, is Williams. I ordered a banner and whatnot from Goff's, but in the meantime I had to get something for outside our room. I now present, the single best part of my classroom...

That purple cow is a masterpiece.

Slow Progress.

This has got to be short since I have a lot of work to do tonight and not much night left to do it in. Just wanted to update you all on my progress. I had a hard time sleeping last night and probably got around 3 hours of sleep last night. I got to school at 6:30am and left it at 6:30pm. I'm tired. But there is so much work to be done.

Here is my room on it's second day...getting closer, but I still don't have some of the crucial pieces of furniture.


I found a way to put all of my desks together so that they can actually fit. Of course, after all of that work -- and those desks are not all that light -- we learned that they were going to wax our floors tomorrow thereby moving all of the desks back out of our classrooms. Why they must wax the floors tomorrow (the day before our 3rd graders come) and make it so that we may not enter our rooms is beyond me. Although this is the same logic that goes for most everything in our education system. Oh well. More pictures soon.

New Era.

I have been holding off on writing about school/work because there is just so much to talk about. But, with the first day right around the corner, I figured I should update my friends and family with what has been consuming my post-wedding life.

Looking back at my blog I realize I never even mentioned that I found a new job. I did! It's very exciting for two reasons: 1) it is in D.C. so I will not have to drive 2 hours each day to get to and from work and 2) this school is amazing.

Before the wedding, I was somewhat anxious about finding a job closer to home. I did my research, sent out my resume and waited. And interviewed. And waited. And waited. I hadn't heard from anywhere for a while and was beginning to envision myself as unemployed and pathetic. Then for some reason I got a bunch of offers from different places on one afternoon and I was immediately drawn to one school in particular. It was a start-up public charter school connected to a very successful middle school.

I was officially hired for my new job as the 2nd grade Lead Teacher a few days before my wedding. It was all very sudden...my new boss came to watch me teach, we went to dinner that night and I was hired.

I have been doing various projects for the school over the summer and started the official training on August 5th. The staff is amazing -- everyone is so dedicated to education, intelligent, and motivated. All was going great except that we didn't actually have our building yet. It is a brand new school and the warehouse we were using was undergoing some serious renovations. Needless to say we were all pretty anxious since school was starting THIS WEEK.

But last Friday...we got in. And it looks incredible.
















Seriously. There is so much light and so much color. It is just going to be such a inviting environment for our students and our families.

Today, we were able to start putting our things in our rooms. All by my lonesome [gives evil eye to Jamie] I managed to carry all my stuff from the car and up that big ol' flight of stairs and to my room. Which incidentally was 1/3 the size of my old room...so I had way too much stuff. I wasn't even sure how my student desks would fit in the room (as the Lead Teacher I would have the inclusion class which means I would probably have more children join my class as the year progressed). I admit that I began to panic. And the boss saw me panicking.

She ultimately decided to have me switch to a bigger room currently occupied by another teacher who had moved from Jamaica and as a result did not have tons of stuff. She told me that it was her decision since I was the Grade Level Leader and because I would have more students...but I feel so guilty. My colleague was so great about it and I hope she was honestly not upset by it.

The worst part was that I was not panicked because I had so much stuff -- honestly, I would have just stuffed it in a closet -- but rather that I did not understand how to possibly fit all 20 students in that classroom. Which is a problem regardless of how much stuff you bring in...

Anyway, despite the overwhelming guilt...I am very excited to begin the new school year. Here are some "before" pictures of my new classroom...



So those student desks were the bane of my existence today. Although they are very cool and conducive to collaborative work...they are just so big. So fitting 20 of those in my room was quite the task. Anyway, I'll be taking more pictures as I set the room up. Hopefully there will be some good progress...Kids are coming on Thursday!

Barooooooooo!

So apparently Cody just wigs out for more than I had originally thought. I promise (barring extreme cases) that this will be the last one of these...I just had to put this one on because it is. so. cute.

Not What You Expected.

Remember that time when I was arguably torturing my poor Cody? I found another video that makes him search for the distressed kitty...except it's not quite a kitty. I found this to be awesome...and weird.

The Cat's Will Play.

When Jamie's away I get to do a lot of things I normally wouldn't be able to do. I get to watch "Good Eats" while I'm getting ready for bed, I can cook chicken, and most importantly, I get to rent movies from Netflix that only I would love.

Case in point: last night I watched "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken". A much beloved and fondly remembered movie from my childhood.


Is this a classic film? No. Is this movie so cheesy it's cringe-worthy? Yes. Is this a movie that is so bad that it's great? Absolutely. As a kid, I remember thinking that it was the most incredible story because it was true. As an adult, it was more exciting to see Jake Ryan in his last film role. It was also exciting when I realized that the girl who plays Sonora Webster was also in Scent of a Woman and she tangoed with Al Pacino.

It was a very good choice for a "Jamie's Gone" movie rental. Now if only Netflix carried The Flight of Dragons. That would be the ultimate sans-Jamie rental...

A Call for Help.

Right now, Jamie is probably pitching a tent somewhere in the Idaho wilderness. He's backpacking there with his friend, Jason, and I'm sure he is having a great time not being eaten by bears. Meanwhile, I've been working hard over here getting ready for the new school year. It was probably the best and the worst time for Jamie to go away since I'd be too busy to actually spend time with him, but it's also a time when I am most stressed out and a pleasant, smiling face would be a huge comfort.

Last night I realized that this stretch of time will be the longest I go without speaking to Jamie since junior year in college when he went to Australia. And even then, it was only for the portion of his overseas trip that he was staying with an aboriginal tribe which was probably only a week long. So it was comparable to this stretch of time.

I would say I was doing pretty well without him for the past few days...that is until tonight. Among Jamie's many duties in my life is one nightly routine that is very crucial. Every (or nearly every) night I misplace my phone. It is Jamie's duty to call the missing phone so that I can track it down by following the dulcet tones of the Indiana Jones theme song.

Needless to say I cannot find my phone and I am now fearing that I left it on the bus or the metro today. The absence of phone leaves me feeling very vulnerable and helpless. So, kind reader, if you are reading this post right this second (11:24pm) give me a ring and help me find my phone. Otherwise, tomorrow evening would be optimal.

...I miss my husband...

The Front Fell Off.

I know it has been far too long without a post but I have been busy with school. I'll leave that update for a later post. In the meantime, I would like to share this video I found today of an Australian Senator being questioned about an oil spill.

Clearly this has to be skit........but what if it's not? Either way it's hilarious. If any of you "older" types who were actually alive when this oil spill happened to clear that up for me I would be forever in your debt.

Cat Nap.

Ever since we got back from our trip, Cody and Junior have been staying pretty close to us. Every once in a while, Cody will lay down for a nap. If no one is around when he wakes up, he'll do his pitiful "howling meow" until we call him.

One of the results of having our cats following us around is that they nap in weird places. One of Cody's favorite spots as of late is right next to my computer. It does not look like the most comfortable spot though...


Poor guy is squished up against the window and through the hole puncher. All so that he can hear the comforting type of my keyboard. Actually, I just think he likes the coolness window and metal on his big fur coat.

Also, it's probably an improvement over the alternative...

Notice how Junior pauses for approximately 6 seconds after Cody yelps before going back in for more. What an adorable jerkface.

Back to Reality.

Jamie and I got back from our honeymoon late last night. Of course, because Jamie and I are unable to travel alone together without problems, we had delays. For a while I was worried we would miss our connection because of the delays and because we had to go through customs before making the switch. Thankfully, Canadian airports are much more efficiently run than airports in the U.S...Miami. We and our luggage made it passed customs and then we ran through the airport to get to the gate on time. Of course, our second flight was also delayed. But we're back! The kitties meowed their welcome and just kept on meowing.

So, on the flight back from Canada, I learned something awesome. Actually, it's probably not awesome to most people, but dammit it is for me. Months and months ago this video came out:

Of course, I am a dork and watched the crucial parts of cuteness over and over again. What I found out yesterday was that those little celebrity otters were the otters we saw in Vancouver.



Very cool.

In not so cool news, my car got effin' keyed again. This time someone scratched a not-so-nice word in big letters on the hood. Boo. Let's hope that the DC Metropolitan Police are more helpful than Baltimore School Police -- although they won't even come to see the car. I just have to wait for them to get back to me in order to file a report. This does not bode well...