Monthly Archives: July 2011

Jul27

Summer 2011 Books

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Summer 2011 Books

This summer I have disappointed my goals of reading. I love getting into new series and finding great books, especially ones that I can share with my students. This summer hasn’t left a lot of time for that.

What I have read:

I had a Rick Riordan kick at the end of the year (since we read The Lightening Thief for a fun unit to end the school year). This kick included:

-The Red Pyramid (first time to read)

The Red Pyramid

-The Throne of Fire (book AFTER Red Pyramid, first time for me to read)

Throne of Fire

-Percy Jackson and the Olympians books 2-5 (I have read these…well, more than once or twice each!)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

-Then I have been itching to re-read the Fablehaven series, which I’ve gotten maybe 40 pgs into…(But it’s great. Like, if you are missing you some Harry Potter, this can almost fill the void in your life.)

Fablehaven

I had the chance to sample a few new books:

Write Beside Them (For CTWP, so not necessarily for fun, but still good)

Write Beside Them

The Help (First time to read, totally recommend it)

The Help

I still want to read but haven’t been able to get myself started on for whatever reason:

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner

The Lost Hero

Lost Hero

And now, I realize, I have TWO WEEKS before I officially go back to the school year. And the best parts of my summers are being able to read new, fun books. And I don’t even know what I am looking for.

So that leads me to the question: Anybody have some good reads recently?

I want to celebrate the end of the summer in a good way. My niche is definitely fantasy and sci-fi, but as shown by my love for The Help, I am capable of falling in love with books other than that genre!

Jul27

The Allegory of the AC Circuit Breaker

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The Allegory of the AC Circuit Breaker

Two summers ago, when we first bought our house, the weather decided to make a run for making the record of the most days over 100 degrees. As you might imagine, it was hot. Jared and I were still euphoric about moving into our first home, so we didn’t let the heat stop us from starting to move our things from our apartment to the house.

That is, until the AC stopped working.

Even though we had the controls set to mid-seventies inside the house, the temperature rose into the eighties, and eventually, the nineties in the afternoon. And there is not much motivating about moving and cleaning up things in a house that is trying to cook you alive as you do so. As we investigated, we realized the problem wasn’t with the controls, but that the AC unit itself. It wouldn’t turn on.

Jared’s first thought was perhaps that it was a circuit breaker issue, but when we looked at the box in the garage, there was nothing labeled for the AC. So we did the next natural thing when you have a home warranty that is mandatory to get when you are buying your home: we called for an AC guy to come look at our unit.

A few days later, he showed up, and after about 15 minutes, decided that there’s nothing wrong with the unit and it must have been something with the circut breaker. Jared explained the dilemma about nothing being in the garage labeled for AC. The AC guy just stifled a laugh, shook his head with amusement, and walked us around the house, to point us to the circut controls that are on the OUTSIDE of the house.

Until that moment, we did NOT know that box even existed. He opened it, pointed to the somewhat clearly labeled AC part, flipped the switch, and immediately the AC unit turned on. We paid the guy, and thought it was over.

Until a few days later, when the AC stopped working again. We flipped it again. Then the next day. And the next day. And the next day. Then it increasingly got worse and worse, to the point where it would only last a few minutes, if we were lucky. So like the smart people we were, we called the electrician, who when he came, opened up the box, and showed us the circut breaker (or what was left, at least):

AC Circut Breaker 1     AC Circut Breaker 2

The electrician held up this charred piece of plastic and metal next to a new, bigger and better breaker. He then patiently explained to me that the circuit breaker was technically the required # load for the job, but a solid, good breaker that would be capable of standing up to the load that was needed (especially in one of the hottest summers ever) would be nearly twice as thick as this one. This poor guy just couldn’t take the load it was labeled for. He then put in the bigger breaker, same # caliber as the other one but twice the size.

Our AC has been amazing ever since.

I bring this up though, because lately, I feel like I’m the fried circuit breaker. Despite the many things I’ve done to “flip the switch” to get things back on track, it’s not enough. Even the positive experiences I do have only last a short while before it runs out.My metaphorical batteries are run dry (apparently, I didn’t get Energizer brand) and every task I do takes so much more energy than I could have ever predicted. Getting up out of bed in the morning is a chore.

And teaching… All my previous years, I was excited to go back. Even after my month in June, and YWC, and a few weeks rest, I am unsure if I am doing the right thing. If I’m even GOOD enough to do it. I’m plagued with all kinds of doubts. Example: If I was GOOD enough to be a teacher, wouldn’t I be able to teach a grade level I want? If I was GOOD enough, wouldn’t have somebody at a high school taken me on by now?

Generally we want to be the hero (or heroines) of our tale. Somebody brilliant, brave, talented, who can stand up to any challenge thrown at us. The Harry Potter, Bella Swan, Ender Wiggin, Aragorn,  Kendra or Seth Sorenson of our own life.

But right now, all I am is a broken circuit breaker, trying to make it one day at a time.

Jul23

What’s on YOUR grocery list?

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What’s on YOUR grocery list?

The other week, Jared wanted me to get him some Goo-Gone for his bike. Since I was planning on going to Michaels for picture frames (and if you show your teacher ID you get 15% off–Woohoo!), and  Michaels is next door to Target, I thought I’d kill two birds with one driving trip.

After buying before-mentioned picture frames (and a few other things that distracted me while I was at Michaels), I dropped the purchases off in my car and went into Target. And naturally, since I didn’t know where the Goo Gone was to be located, I went in the entrance furthest away from where I wanted to be and walked through most of the store before I found it. And on the way to finding the Goo Gone, I came across THE CUTEST maxi-style deep purple dress. Then the following thought process ensued:

Well, it can’t hurt to try it on. Oh, wow! It actually fits! Oh… $29.99. But I have lost 10 lbs recently… and my school colors are black and purple- this is totally showing school spirit. And I haven’t gotten myself a dress in a really long time… Okay. Now, where’s that thing I came here to buy?

Don’t even pretend that doesn’t happen to you when you go into the store. Moments like that are part of the human experience.

So I was standing in line with a dress and Goo Gone. There were only two lines open because apparently 6:00 PM on a Friday evening is not a hot shopping time. I got in the shorter line with two people ahead of me (that only turned out to be shorter because a woman had a million coupons that they were scanning). While we were waiting, the lady in front of me turned around, looked at what I had put on the check out stand, and said “Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one with totally random purchases!”

Touché.

I never really think too much what other people think about my grocery list (except maybe for those awkward buys like girly time of month sort of things). But I’ve started noticing other people’s purchases more. Like the people tonight that bought about 10 lean cuisine meals and a couple packs of off-brand Coke. Or the time when I saw somebody in the “Express: 10 Items or Less” line buy two items, wine and something from the meat counter, which cost about $127.00. Gourmet, anyone?

So, this was tonight’s list:

Produce: strawberries, mangos/pears/pink lady apples (all of which we couldn’t find, even though the store ad said they were on sale?), red bell peppers, zucchini, squash, salad, cabbage, kale, mushrooms, thyme, basil, asparagus, green onions, red onion, guacamole, and bananas

Dairy: Mozzarella cheese, yogurt–plain, vanilla, strawberry, and cups (all light/fat-free kinds), eggs, fat free half-and-half (isn’t that a little ironic?) and pudding

Grains/baking/cereal: whole wheat flour, whole wheat couscous, steel cut oats, and bittersweet (65% cocoa or more) chocolate.

And the rest: sugar free jam, garbanzo beans, Excedrin for tension headaches, frozen fruit, frozen brocoli, whole wheat filo dough, and saffron.

So what does that say about me? No idea. But the wallet hurts because all that produce. SO NOT CHEAP. With all those complaints going on about rising obesity rates and how our generation isn’t expected to live as long as our parents, you’d think the answer is obvious. We could start fighting against obesity by making it a little more affordable to eat healthy, universe!

Oh, and by the way, those of you who are expert homemakers probably already knew this, but SAFFRON? O. M. G. It was $15.89 for .01 oz of saffron filaments. For those of us who struggle with math, that’s $1,589 PER OUNCE. You. Are. Kidding. Me. We made an educated decision and didn’t get it. When we got home, I decided to do some research. And now I get it, but I am still buying my saffron online from now on. Got it here, instead.

Saffron Crocus

Lesson learned, universe. And I got to learn some new, useless trivia to add to the clutter that’s spread throughout the recesses of my brain.

Jul18

My love affair with Harry Potter

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My love affair with Harry Potter

I am admittedly a Pottermaniac.

So, when I say it was an emotional weekend because I watched the Harry Potter 7.5 movie, it’s a little complicated.

Let me explain:

I had heard about the series off and on, but was skeptical about how great they were, really. I mean, everyone goes on and on about Justin Beiber, and I just don’t get it. (PLEASE DON’T THROW ANYTHING AT ME OR LEAVE AWFUL COMMENTS BECAUSE OF THAT!) So I hesitated on trying to read them.

What changed my mind? Well, way back when I was about 14, one of my awesome cousins, Amy, was visiting our house. Instead of hanging with me, she had her full attention in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And every fifteen minutes or so, she would start laughing out loud. She would try to explain something to me, but like any time you haven’t read the book and gotten to know the characters, I just couldn’t appreciate it like she could. I started to feel really left out.

So what can you do? I immediately grabbed a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and I was lost. Within a few days, I had voraciously sped through all the first four Harry Potter books.  I fell in love with the various characters, the humorous writing, the allusions to all sorts of mythologies. I then joined the nearly four year wait for the fifth book to come out.

(By the way, this would be a great place to say that there are NO hard feelings about being ignored by Amy for Harry Potter. I GET IT. I only feel indebted to you for opening my eyes to an amazing series.)

So, for the fifth, sixth, and seventh books, I was one of THOSE people who attended the midnight release parties at Barnes and Nobles to be one of the first to know what was next in the series. Because if I didn’t know, as soon as possible, I JUST MIGHT SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST! (I really hope you all know that feeling–the excitement, tension, and relief that come with being so entranced with something magical like this.)

I even dragged Jared along to those last two. We were dating during the sixth book’s release, and had just been married for a few months with the seventh. And let me tell you, that is true love. Standing in a line with a bunch of people dressed up in ridiculous costumes because you are supporting the girl you love’s obsession for something other than you.

(And since his sister, Sarah, and my two younger brothers were both just as in love with the series, it wasn’t like he had much better to do than play card games with us. Like sleep or play video games. I am sure that I will regret this aside sometime later when he reads this post, but I couldn’t help myself. But I digress.)

So I read those books, and I cried at some point in every one of those books, Goblet of Fire and on. And the tears only increased in frequency with each new book, too. Like, only the end of book four, when Voldemort comes back and Cedric dies, kinda sad. (What?! Lord Voldemort returns in full force?! Really, have you have been living under a rock all this time?) So that was only a little bit of the end. By The Deathly Hallows, I think I cried off and on through most of the beginning and then nonstop through the last half of the book.

So with that history in mind, I have a love-hate relationship with the movies that drives anybody watching them with me crazy. Because the books are just so much more in depth and the movies just can’t get all of that in there, or focus on weird parts that I don’t think are integral. What do you expect? I AM an English teacher, after all.

And I know the movies can’t get it all in unless they do extended editions that are four hours long, like the Lord of the Rings series, meaning by the end it’s TWELVE hours. And most people don’t really have the endurance for that, especially when they might not have read the book. So you have to cut some details. I GET IT, PROMISE. But the movies, even the best of the series, all have flaws. This one was no different. It wasn’t bad, at all. It was actually pretty good, for the most part.

But, the movie was more of a hollow echo of all those powerful emotions I felt when back in July 2007, as I finally reached the end of a masterfully written tale. It was over, then, for me. Because no other format can truly cover this story that is the very picture of the word epic. As in, when you look up “epic” in the dictionary, next to where it states, “heroic; majestic; impressively great” you will find a picture of JK Rowling or one of the Harry Potter covers.

All Saturday evening, I relived the ghost of this tale, felt moved by the ghostly echoes of the powerful waves that sweep over me whenever I read the book. And when you have had a love affair with a story like this for over a decade, that can be emotionally draining.

My hats off to you, J.K. Rowling, for being able to create a world that has swept over this world with such power. I can only hope that some day, I could write with such power, beauty, and creativity as you have.

Harry Potter

Jul18

YWC Day 1

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YWC Day 1

Because I wasn’t busy enough this summer, right?

I actually wasn’t going to do the Young Writer’s Camp this summer, but I was asked to do it. Part of me was flattered at the time, but now I am thinking it’s just because they couldn’t find enough people who were qualified for it to volunteer. (By the way, I DO get paid for it!) So for the next week, I will be going to a local high school from 7:30-12:30 to work with 6th, 7th and 8th graders on how to become better writers. Woohoo!

I did not want to get up this morning. I didn’t sleep well. Fortunately, I didn’t have any of the typical teacher nightmares that usually happen when I know I’m about to get a new group of kids to teach. Like, not knowing where I’m supposed to go, walking in late, not having anything planned for a lesson, having repeat students from years before, or not knowing anybody’s name and looking like an idiot. Oh, and then there’s the part where I APPARENTLY AM NOT WEARING ENOUGH CLOTHING. Ugh.

So nothing like that. Just my typical run of the mill weird insomnia and stupid dogs deciding that 2:00 AM is an acceptable time to whine at the door until we let them outside.

I also had a sort of emotional weekend. Nothing life threatening, but for an anxiety-ridden person like me,  it was enough to make me stressed out. I might have to do a blog post on all those things separately, later on. I started to try and put it in here, but it was going to take awhile. So to sum it up: Harry Potter movie 7.5, late night noisy neighbors, and a fire ant invasion in our family room. Throw in a bout of PMS, and it was a recipe for disaster.

The camp itself was actually pretty good. The normal awkwardness of the first day got over pretty quickly, and the most of the kids were really good.

The group of kids I have are split about half and half. By saying half-and-half, I mean half are there because they like writing and want to be there.  Then there’s the half there because their parents think they need extra writing help. If anything, it’ll make for some interesting activities.

So, all in all, it was a pretty good first day. Especially because I’ve never done anything quite like this before.