Karma--Right back at ya...

OJ and "guilty" are finally, finally sharing a sentence (no pun intended) in a court of law. This is the weirdest, most-roundabout way for him to get what he deserved 13 years ago, but, hey, it is still a means to an end. I for one, will not miss the smugness he has displayed over the years.

As one message board comment said, "I guess now he won't be able to go from golf course to golf course looking for the 'real' killer..."

Some pictures of our little big boy...

Yesterday my mom babysat my nephew, Alexander. He is getting so big! It is amazing to watch his growth. He's got teeth, he's experimenting with his voice and moving his tongue around, and he LOVES being outside.

When he's outside he's completely different. He notices everything indoors too, but outside he becomes a "serious observer." Yesterday we were showing him how to pick little pieces of grass and bark that were on the ground. Of course, his first instinct was to put everything in his mouth, but after a few "no, no's," he understood.

He'll be 8 months old on October 13--we love our little guy!

Naturally, we watch everything he does and speculate about his future. Based on these pictures, we're thinking that he could have possible careers in:

HORTICULTURE

Or maybe...PUBLIC SPEAKING

And if that doesn't pan out, there's always CIRQUE DE SOLEIL. I'll keep you posted!

A scary thought...

All I can say is, if McCain is elected, I'll be praying for his health. Can you imagine the US in this woman's hands? Nightmare.


Compare the real thing to this...

Lock Down...

Once in a while we get blaring reminders that the neighborhood where I work is not that safe. They usually come in the form of lock downs, which we had today.

A lock down means that there is police activity in the area and that staying inside is the safest place to be. We have to lock the doors, and no one goes out and no one comes in (even if someone is knocking) until we get the "all clear" announcement from the office. Sometimes we will hear sirens and helicopters outside and sometimes nothing at all. Lock downs are communicated to the office by the local police and usually last around half an hour. Two years ago, however, we had a lock down that was several hours long and went 90 minutes beyond the dismissal time at the end of the day. We are not allowed to release students for ANY reason during a lock down and many parents were very upset. That experience was very interesting.

The kids usually take lock downs seriously, although there are always a few that have seen way too many action movies and let their imaginations run wild. I know that I take them very seriously because my classroom is on the end of campus, which is "L-shaped." We're on the tip of the L and separated from the street by only a shoulder-high gate.

Today's lock down started around 9:55am and lasted until 10:30am. Our recess is 10:15-10:30 and I've learned that the best thing for the kids during a lock down is to give them something fun to do. I gave them some puzzle/game time in the room during their recess time inside, but the office arranged for postponed recess times and they were able to play outside anyway.

The reason for the lock down? It turns out that a man was running around wielding a knife at the park across the street from our school. Never a dull moment!

A little catching up...

OK, my blog entries have been pretty frivolous the past couple of days. I'm going to blame it on the heat, because here in Southern CA it has been uncomfortably hot all week. I think global warming is working overtime here.

Aside from that, the things that are on my mind are the same things that a lot of people are thinking about: the upcoming election, the economy that is in the crapper right now, and the general state of our country.

As a teacher, you need to be able to save money, and the economic state of things is weighing on a lot of minds. People's houses are losing a lot of their value (thank goodness mine is hanging in there for now,) banks are cutting down on the available loans, and a lot of colleagues are talking about refinancing--and most of us have been living off of our savings for the past 3 months. It's scary. And, yes, so the Senate passed the tweaked version of the bill that is supposed to "help," but we all know where that $700 billion is going to come from. And we also know that whoever is elected is going to be handed a mop and a pail of dirty water to continue to clean up this mess. Yet in the end, all of us are going to be paying for a long time.

So those are the kinds of things that are on my mind these days. With the 100 degree heat today and the severely weakened economy, they are strong reminders of the kinds of environmental and financial issues our next generation is going to inherit one day. How sad. This country is circling the drain right now.

She's at it again...

Tina Fey reprises her role as Sarah Palin on SNL...

A Day in the Life...

Today was busy, but not especially exciting. Still, here is how it turned out:

Last night I was exhausted after working in my yard for 4 hours yesterday. I fell asleep at 9:20 and woke up this morning at 4:30am. Naturally I couldn't go back to sleep. So I lay there counting sheep and the minutes until my alarm, which rings at 5:12am (although I ignore it for about 1/2 hour.)

When I got to school I cautiously entered my room, not knowing what shape I would find it after having had a sub on Friday. Happily, it looked intact and the note she left behind was pretty positive. There were 4 kids who needed to be benched for being disruptive, but I can't expect perfection.

We had a productive day, which, for me, ended in a meeting in the principal's office with the 2 administrators. No drama, just a routine meeting to discuss the kids' levels. I even got a little certificate for meeting the required AYP (annual yearly percentage.) I know that sounds insignificant, but when you work this hard, those rare pats on the back are appreciated. Two years in a row, thank you very much!
(Yes, my legal name is Krista. How many of you knew that? And sorry for the black bars and mystery, but this is a public blog...)

After school I went to the car wash and watched a familiar scene--whiny kids asking their mom to buy something and then wearing her out until she said yes. WHY do parents do this?

Despite that, I was in a good mood and tipped the guy who dried my car $5. I went home and watered all my flowers, some which I planted yesterday and a couple that I took from my grandma's house. The yard looks good. Really nice and colorful. I've been wanting to redo it for a while and the weather this weekend was perfect gardening weather.

But wait, there was still more to do. Time to give my mom a perm! Yes, I've been giving her perms since I was about 12 and money was very tight. Now it is just what we do. She even had me give her perms when I was in college 700 miles away. She'd go up and visit with all her perm equipment. It takes about an hour and 15 minutes and she saves around $70 (then she cooks me dinner...)

And now it is the end of a full day. A good day.

Family Party and More Scrapblogging...

Last night we had a wonderful family gathering to celebrate the September birthdays. We had it at my grandparents' house, which is going to be the base of operations for most family functions. By this time next year we may have sold it or, at least, emptied it out. We're trying to create as many memories there as we can until that happens, although it is very strange not having my grandparents in the house. Very strange.

My mom did all the shopping for the party, cousin Laura debuted her very first ice cream cake (which was fabulous,) and my Uncle Bill brought his fire pit and did all the BBQing. He is a master BBQer and we had homemade hamburgers, baked beans, salad, and Trader Joe's potato salad (in an effort to recreate my grandma's potato salad, which is impossible.)

The 12 of us in attendance sat in a circle around the fire pit in the backyard and ate and laughed and mused about the mystery that is life and how time continues to move forward with or without the ones we love. Tito and Tita may not have been there physically, but they were very much on our minds.

As usual when the family gets together (I don't want to brag, but my family is awesome,) 4 hours felt like 30 minutes. We had to do all the cleaning up and tried to leave everything as it was when we arrived, which sounds simple, but it isn't easy maintaining a house that no one lives in.

My mom and I, the last 2 to leave and lock up, did what we have done a lot lately, which is wander around the house still in disbelief that Tito and Tita are gone. I felt Tito's loss a lot when we were in the garage where his tools remain, still impeccably organized. I felt Tita's loss in the kitchen, which no longer has the aromas of foods and flavors only she could create. I still cannot grasp the idea of anyone else living in that house, but I guess as we slowly empty it out it will get a little easier.

One thing I notice is that those of us remaining seem to want to be together more than ever. I guess we have all realized how transitory life is and we don't want to waste any moments together. Normally I would not go out of town on a 2 day weekend, but several family members are making plans to go to the air show in Miramar (by San Diego) in 2 weeks. It sounds fun and I have really been craving family time lately. I'm seriously considering it.

Here at home I'm still experimenting a lot with that Scrapblog site, which is really fun and highly addictive. I'm now going onto the Cutest Blog on the Block site, where I get my layouts, finding the next layout I want to use, and THEN making a header that matches the color scheme. Plus, the holidays are soon to be upon us, which creates a lot of options. Here are some you may see in the near future, including one I did for my friend, Emma, in the UK:

Ahhh....the consistency of inconsistency...

I found this on another blog and had to post it:

Finally! A user-friendly site for greenies like me...

Before I get started, yes, I took the day off today.

Last night I just could not fall asleep. I took Bailey for a walk, I read, I put in a calm movie, I blogged, finally I took a sleeping pill. Nothing worked, not even the sleeping pill, which I pushed right through. It did nothing.

So then I started the inevitable..."If I fall asleep now I'll get 7 hours," "If I fall asleep now I'll get 6.5 hours..." And on and on and on...

When it was approaching midnight and my internal dialogue had hit "5 hours," I knew I'd better call in an absence to the school district. We are using a new online system--very cool--called AESOP. You can create your absence, pick a sub, and even attach lesson plans. I did all that and, go figure, then I was able to sleep. Still, my tired body got the amount of sleep it needed.

This morning I was on MySpace and I saw a bulletin from my friend, Sylvia, who was showing her new digital scrapbooking pages. Jealous much. I've been wanting to learn how to do this, put everything I've come across is too difficult for a newbie. But today I went to the site that she used and, lo and behold, I was finally able to do it!

The site is called scrapblog.com and it is SO easy! You can start off with a template and tweak it to your liking, or start with a blank page. I went with the template because this was my first time.

I started off with this:
And changed it to this:
Cool huh?

Another thing I like about this site is, like with Blogger, you can upload your pictures right from your computer instead of going through Photobucket or the like.

Embellishments, like flowers, ribbons, etc., are in a list to the left and you can drag them, resize them, and tilt them however you like.

So far, this is the best site I've seen for easy scrapbooking. Easy is good! Yay!

A Very LONG LONG Day...

I'm very wound up right now. Maybe I can expend some of that extra energy here.

This morning I left for school at 7:20am, my usual time. Tonight was Back to School night from 6-7:30pm. I stayed at school the ENTIRE time. And here it is, 9:30pm and I'm exhausted, yet with my head spinning at the same time.

During those 4 hours between school and the evening event I did about 2 hours of schoolwork--updating a bulletin board, making next week's copies. Then I realized I'd better wind down a little because there was a busy night ahead.

At 4:15 I went to the local Japanese fast food place and bought some dinner. I relaxed in my classroom with the lights off for a while, and then it was time to change and get ready for a crowded school and busy evening.

We all met in the cafeteria for a few minutes while the principal welcomed everyone. It was hot in there and crowded with parents, kids, and kids in strollers. Then each grade level team of teachers was dismissed to their rooms to greet parents.

For the most part it went well, although it is hard to keep your energy up and present to parents. At this school we are expected to have a formal presentation. It sure is easier speaking to the kids than the parents. I always get nervous. Then the parents mingled around the room and looked at some projects we did for tonight.

A couple of parents wanted to use the time for private conferencing, which is always a little nerve-wracking. But, what can you do? I guess I should be happy they are showing interest in their children. It is hard to be positive when you've been at school for almost 13 hours, but everyone means well.

I came home and was very wound up. When talking to parents there is always the fear of saying something that will be misinterpreted. That does happen once in a while. When I came home I called my mom and asked if she wanted to go with me to take Bailey for a walk. It was a good chance to vent and unwind.

I thought.

JUST as I was settling in back home the phone rang. I didn't recognize the number and let it ring. Then my cell phone rang. Same number. I answered and it turned out to be a good friend from college who I hadn't spoken to in about 14 years. That threw me! Happily, my friend is going to be in town next week for a few days and wants to get together. How fun! But yes, I was very surprised!
Still, a long day! And a full one. It is times like this that I wish I had a really good massage chair!

See? That could be me...

Today is what you call...

...A GOOD DAY.

I wish that my mood didn't depend so much on my students, but I'm a teacher and I'm human, and my students are the people with whom I spend the bulk of the day.

Yesterday I was frustrated. They were productive in the morning, but tired and whiny in the afternoon. They didn't participate and made me work extra hard. Result: extra homework for them and a guilt complex for me.

Happily, having older students (I'm liking 5th grade much more than I expected) means a new level of maturity. Despite 3 pages of math, reading, and 20 spelling sentences, almost all of them did it and brought it today. I know, I'm a meanie. But I was even more amazed that many of them admitted that their behavior yesterday was unacceptable. Wow, they're growing up!

Today was the exact opposite of yesterday. We were ultra productive and we had fun because I wasn't using up energy reminding them of class rules. We also unpacked boxes of new materials and got the room cleaned and organized for tomorrow's Back to School Night. That's another good thing about having older kids--they are good helpers.

As tired as I was yesterday after school, today I feel satisfied and refreshed. I look forward to more days like today.

2 Reviews for the Price of One...

Somehow, with all the school craziness, I managed to watch 2 movies this week. Actually I watch more TV while I'm working than when I'm on summer vacation. Sometimes I just don't have the energy for anything else. And, thanks to Netflix, there's always something new headed for my mailbox. (Don't have cable--don't need it or want it.)

The 2 films I saw this week couldn't be more different, the famous Bette Davis movie, ALL ABOUT EVE, and the months-old-family-film, NIM'S ISLAND.
ALL ABOUT EVE was made in 1950, and is #16 on the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 Greatest Films of All Time. I have heard about it for years and decided to give it a try. I watched it with my mom over 3 nights and, although I can't see myself wanting to see it again or to own it, it was certainly riveting.

Bette Davis plays a 40 year old theater actress named Margo Channing, who is introduced one night to a starry-eyed fan named Eve Harrington, played by Anne Baxter. Eve has heartfelt stories of her childhood, tragic marriage, and aspirations. Margo takes pity on her and gives her a job as her assistant, and, before you know it, Eve has found a way to enter every aspect of Margo's life. You realize there is nothing innocent about her.

I won't go into more details about the story, but it is very good. Most of us have known someone who is manipulative, passive-aggressive, dishonest, and knows their audience all too well. We all hope that karma will teach people like that a lesson one day. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. To add insult to injury, some of us have known people like that who manage to get everything they want at the expense of others yet no one realizes it except a few people. They are the worst, because they cloak everything in innocence. Eve is like that. (I had a roommate like that one semester in college. It was maddening.)

I found the film's ending very satisfying, yet completely not what I expected. That is the sign of a great film. The supporting characters were very good. My favorite was George Sanders, who plays a greasy critic named Addison DeWitt. Only at the end do you discover whether DeWitt is a good guy or bad guy. Sanders won an Oscar for his portrayal of the character, whose dialogue drips out of him with that great voice of his. (He is the voice of the tiger, Shere Khan, in Disney's 1967 JUNGLE BOOK.)

ALL ABOUT EVE comes highly recommended from me. You'll get more and more frustrated as the movie continues, then gasp with surprise at the ending, then sigh with relief yet leave with questions. You'll also see a short cameo by a young Marilyn Monroe. As Bette Davis says partway into the film:


On the other end of the spectrum, is NIM'S ISLAND, with Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, and Gerard Butler. OK, confession, I only rented this to see Gerard Butler, who has made me weak in the knees since The Phantom of the Opera, but I was surprisingly pleased with this film as a whole.

Abigail Breslin and Dakota Fanning are probably the 2 hottest child actors around these days, but I like Abigail Breslin much better. She's a kid who doesn't act like an adult, as I have seen Dakota Fanning do when she is interviewed. Let's face it, no one likes a pretentious pre-teen.

Breslin plays Nim, the 11 year old daughter of research scientist, Jack Rusoe. Together they live on an island whose coordinates only they know. Their only contact with the outside world is the internet and the supply ship that they meet several hundred yards out to sea every few months.

Jodie Foster is a modern-day version of Kathleen Turner's character in Romancing the Stone. An agoraphobic who lives in San Francisco, she lives on Progresso Soup as she writes the adventures of Alex Rover, a play on her own name, Alexandra Rover.

On the same day that Jack leaves Nim for what is supposed to be a 2 day expedition to study glowing plankton, Alexandra emails him for information on volcanoes to use in her next book. Nim answers her and they begin to correspond. When bad weather hits and Jack is seemingly lost at sea, Nim pleads with "Alex" Rover to come and help her. Alexandra forces herself to confront her fears with the help of her alter ego, Alex (also played by Gerard Butler, looking very "Indiana Jones.") Needless to say, she is not what Nim was expecting when she finds the island.

It's corny in the retelling, but fun in the watching. I get pretty bored with kids' movies, but this one had my attention the entire time. Everyone has struggles and fears to overcome, whether it is a sinking boat, leaving the house, or finding their dad. Nim's animal friends are cute and make just enough appearances to be fun but not ridiculous. And, of course, let's not forget about the big cruise ship trying to claim Nim's island for its own. This side story could've really ruined the movie, but the writers keep it in just long enough to keep the action moving forward.

I liked it. I would show it to my students and recommend it to parents. It is rated PG, but the only thing I saw were 2 very quick "damns." The story is good and redefines what it means to be a hero. It also shows a spunky kid who relies on her imagination, something kids today use all too rarely.


2 movies, 2 recommendations, but 2 different audiences.

Only one person could play Sarah Palin...

...Tina Fey. I like her more all the time. Both Palin and Hillary Clinton are targets in this sketch, but it is hilarious. Tina Fey's accent is dead-on!

The Amazing Smart Board...

Last year we had the most interesting staff meeting I've ever attended when 2 teachers on our tech committee introduced us to Smart Boards, the interactive white board. Of the 30+ teachers at our school of 1,000 students, only about 7 of them received a Smart Board last year. But this week I'll be getting mine and I have renewed interest in them.

What is a Smart Board? It looks like a white board and can be used as one with marker, but it isn't a good idea. It also comes with 4 "smart" markers, which leave a colored digital image behind. You can also write with your finger if you like.

They come with software and are ideal for Power Point (although, computer savvy as I am, I have never learned how to do a Power Point presentation.)

They also come with a projector, which you can hook up to your laptop. When you project an image from the internet, your finger works as the mouse and you can do a lesson right on the board.

I'm a little nervous about the time it will take to get comfortable with the Smart Board and the tech committee hasn't scheduled any trainings for us yet, but I am pretty good at learning technological things on my own. I know that a big part of their attraction is their novelty. I'm counting on that when I get one, because I find that some kids are having more and more trouble paying attention simply because they lose interest.

It is sad, but true. Our kids go home to their iPods, video games, cell phones, and computers, which are much more interesting and interactive than school. I work in a disadvantaged neighborhood, but the kids still have all these things. I'm hoping that using the Smart Board once in a while will help renew kids' interest in school. Last year I saw a classroom demo in a friend's room where they use a Smart Board and the kids (2nd grade) were riveted.

Here are some demos I found on You Tube. They are pretty cool...

The past...in the future...

I've been very lazy about writing long, involved posts because I've just been so dang tired this week. It takes a while to build up the endurance necessary to get back into the swing of things at school--a 5-day week and a longer schedule. And, once again, I'm not going to write a long post. But my friend, Bobby, posted this video he found on MySpace and it is very clever.

Yes, it is supposed to be a joke!

A LOOK AT BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO IN THE PAST...

A 9/11 Moment of Silence...

It seems like ages ago and recently all at the same time, but anyone can remember where they were when they heard about the tragedies that occurred on September 11, 2001.

I was working at my first school in Los Angeles, the school day had not started yet, and a co-worker came up to me and told me what had happened. It seemed surreal from the beginning, and no matter how many times you see the footage and hear a news commentary of those planes hitting the Twin Towers, it is hard to believe.

People like myself, who have never been to New York and have no relatives there, still felt like America rallied together after that horrible day. Yet there were some (Bush) who took advantage of our fear and used it to their own end.

Now, 7 years later, my students, who were 3 and 4 years old when 9/11 happened, categorize the event with other historical moments they neither saw nor remember.

But America will never forget. And it is our responsibility to make sure of that.

Introducing...

my 5th grade class for the 2008-2009 school year. All 33 of them! You can also go HERE to visit our classroom site.

Sebastian--Rest in Peace

After 2 weeks of searching for my mom's beautiful cat, Sebastian, we finally found him today. Unfortunately, we found his remains in a hidden corner of my mom's backyard. Poor baby.

We adopted him as a kitten when he was found in the carport of my apartment building 10 years ago. He's always been a great cat--more like a dog than a cat--and most of our dogs have treated him like one of their own.

We think that he was sick for a little while, but his symptoms were very vague. We'll never know exactly what happened.

Bye, Sebas. You'll be truly missed.

This hits home...

Today my mom and I went to the cemetery where my grandparents are laid to rest. My grandma's name was finally added to the marker. Seeing it there in black and white really added to the reality of the situation. Tito and Tita are gone. It feels so strange: