Saturday, May 31, 2008

We Had to Gas My Car 0_0

Here's the breakdown for this week's gas trip:

Price: $4.39/per gallon
Total Cost: $61.73


0_0

IMadonnari 2008

Last weekend was the IMadonnari festival. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go because we were in the Bay area. During the week, I also totally forgot about it. Yesterday, we went to check it out. The chalk drawings were a little faded because they had been driven on already. Honestly, the chalk drawings weren't as impressive as last year. I'm hoping next year will be better.


The shadows on her face are so pretty.

I really liked that half of the frog is beneath the pond.


A bear kid with a heart on a string.

It's some chalky tire marks. :)

Wish You Were Here - Incubus

Every Magic Act Has 3 Parts...

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My parents had recommended watching the Prestige awhile ago. We finally got around to watching it. It was really good! I loved all the little plot twists. I really liked how the two-bird illusion motif was carried throughout the movie. My hubster was really impressed with Christian Bale because he looked so different from when he was in the Machinist. I still prefer the Illusionist. With the Prestige, I was able to figure out most of the "surprises" before the big reveal. However, the Illusionist had me guessing until the end. I'm also a big fan of Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. I definitely recommend watching either movies even if you're not that into magicians. The depth of the plot line is so much more than just watching magic tricks be preformed.

p.s.

The movie is so much better than the lame movie poster makes it look.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Wicked

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A couple of years ago, I got Wicked as a birthday gift. I've finally decided to pick it up and read it for this book club. I've read the first fourteen pages and I don't think I'm going to get any further. The stuff in those fourteen pages are gross. The whole bit with the clock sounds like something out of The Aristocrats. (I didn't get through that movie either.) The discussion of the witch's orientation among the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow is bizarre and irrelevant. It's bizarre because I already have preconceived idea of these characters from the original film version of Wizard of Oz. That idea doesn't involve discussing the witch's orientation. Seriously, why is the book so popular? Does the musical include any of this? I'm so confused.

When I Was Young...

My kiddos love to tell stories about when they were younger. This is the way their stories usually start: "When I was younger, around 4 or 5..." Well, they're only 7 or 8 years now. But when they start their stories with that preface, they make it sound like it was ages ago.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Catch Up: Disneyland/Mother's Day '08

As previously mentioned, we went to Disneyland and CA Adventure Park for Mother's Day. Yay for the 2fer tickets, so we got a great deal. For the weekend, we stayed at the Knott's Berry Hotel. We were greeted by Snoopy the first night, which was cute. However, the room was gross. Not terribly gross but not the cleanest either. Overall, we had a good weekend riding our favorite rides such as the Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. I even got my dad to ride Space Mountain with my hubster. Here's some of my favorite pictures:

The lady of the day: my mom.

Whole family at Goofy's Kitchen but not with Goofy.


Hanging out with Dale for breakfast.
Does anyone know who Dale is anymore?


All smiles before we got dizzy on the teacups.


The boys got super soaked.
Trust me, my dad was happy.


Hubster with Mickey while we were hunting for my mom's Sully hat.


They were twinies the rest of the day.
My moms got them new t-shirts because their other ones got soaked earlier.


My hubster the thrill seeker.


I just like the bearded lady on the sign.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Post Secret (May 25)

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I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

If Only It Were True


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Last week, I finally picked up If Only It Were True again. I haven't read it for about two years. However, once I got going it was easy to get back into it. I even remembered exactly why I stopped when I did. I couldn't bear to find out what happened to Arthur at that moment. It was definitely a page turner towards the end. I loved the story. After you get past certain realistic expectations, it's easy to get swept away in the romance. It's nice that it's romantic without being a cheesy Danielle Steel novel. My favorite character is Arthur because he reminds me a lot of my hubster. No matter how cheesy that sounds, it's true. Marc Levy has a French romantic sensibility that reminds me of Love Me if You Dare. He mixes mortality and loss with love and whimsy. If you're a romantic at heart or want some easy summer reading, it's worth picking up.

(Insert Type of Fruit) Walked into a Bar

At our school, most of the kiddos eat super healthy. I see tons of fresh fruits, veggies, and pastas all the time. The most junk foodie that it gets is Pirate's Booty. One of my favorite health snacks are Trader Joe's (Something Fruit) Walked into a Bar, which is a fruit bar. My kiddos also eat them too. Here's what happened:

(Just as I make it to the picnic tables for snack...)

Miss I-: Mrs. T----, look what I have! (holding up the bar) What kind do you have?
Me: I have the same one! (holding up the bar)
Miss I-: (huge smile) Yesss! We have the same one!

Miss. I- has been waiting for awhile for us to have the same exact fruity flavor at the same time. Oh, how I'm going to miss Miss. I-. It's really fun when you can make someone's day by just having the same kind of snack.

p.s.
Woops. I forgot to buy the bars this week. Miss. I- might be bummed out tomorrow. :(

Thursday, May 22, 2008

I <3 Fresh Oregano

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Recently, I've discovered my love for fresh oregano. I've never been too impressed with oregano since we've always used the dried stuff. Fresh oregano is beyond amazing! It's even more tasty than fresh basil. It's got this sweet and spicy herb flavor. Why would anyone want use that cheap confetti dried oregano crap? Why do tons of recipes suggest using it? I love to top pasta with balsamic salad dressing and fresh oregano. Super tasty. Super fresh. Just delicious! Now, I'm growing two types of oregano along with my cilantro and basil. All my plants are thriving! Yay! For once, a productive-non-plant-killing spring and summer! Actual pictures of the garden to come...

Where is the Zookeeper?

With only 10 days left with my kiddos, they're totally going cuckoo on me. This is just a general warning for anyone who is considering working with kiddos. Towards the end of the school year, the kids you have grown to love aren't exactly the same kiddos. Whether its because of anxiety or an overload of anticipation for summer, they start arguing amongst each other a little bit more. They're a little less motivated to finish their work. They're a little less interested in listening to anyone in charge. I totally had the same experience last year with my daycare kiddos but just attributed it to my specific group of kids. Nope, it's just part of the end of the year process. Wish me luck. I still have 10 days of being a zookeeper in this cuckoo zoo.

For Those Who Aren't Peach Colored...

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While I was banished to supply order purgatory and painfully entering each order into a spreadsheet, I came across Multicultural Crayons aka Skin Tone Colored Crayons. Apparently, these crayons are designed to cover the skin tone spectrum. At first, I found them totally offensive. I suppose that initial assumption is due to poor marketing.

After I thought about it some more, I realized that I never liked to use the brown color to color pictures of myself in school. It didn't seem to match my skin tone. I'm definitely brown but not that shade brown. Fortunately, I did finally figure out that the right shade of brown for me is burnt sienna. Maybe, multicultural crayons aren't that bad. Just don't put a picture of a bunch of brown kids on the box. :P


Tuesday, May 20, 2008

That's Ambassador Hello Kitty to You



TOKYO (AP) — Hello Kitty — Japan's ubiquitous ambassador of cute — has built up an impressive resume over the years. Global marketing phenom. Fashion diva. Pop culture icon. Now the moonfaced feline can add "government envoy" to the list. The tourism ministry on Monday named Hello Kitty as its choice to represent the country in China and Hong Kong, two places where she is wildly popular among kids and young women. continue>>

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Post Secret (May 18)

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Disney's Perfect Answers

A conversation I overheard outside of the Haunted Mansion when we were at Disneyland last weekend.

Disneyland Park-Goer: Did this ride just open? (because the line was unbelievably short)
Disney Employee: Umm....this isn't a ride. It's a house. And, it was built in the 1950s.

The Disney employee gave that response with the straightest face. It was hilarious. I swear that Disney employees have a handbook of answers that they must memorize. These answers are always perfect and often repeated by several employees. My favorite response is "It's Disney magic," which works well for any prodding question.

Until I get my pictures from last weekend transfered, here's an oldie but goodie picture from summer 2005.

What's Your Super Power?

We watched an episode of Monk a few weeks ago in which Monk revealed one of special talents. When someone uses his back to write on a piece of paper, he can remember what that person wrote. His assistant, Natalie, was throughly impressed and said it's like a super power. lol.

After watching that episode, I noticed that my hubster has a super power as well. His super power is detecting flat tires on other cars. He's noticed a couple at his company's parking lot. He even noticed one on a car that we drove by.

My super power? Not quite sure. Maybe, it's knowing all the kiddos at my school by name?

Friday, May 16, 2008

Because They're Trying to Make a Comeback

Apparently, New Kids on the Block is joining the 90's pop group bandwagon by having some sort of reunion/comeback tour thing. Remember when New Kids on the Block were uber popular? Well, they were. Here's the proof and it's deliciously cheesy:



Use King Fu Every Day

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Today, we watched Shaolin Soccer. I've been wanting to watch it ever since we saw the preview for it at the Palm Theatre ages ago. I had an inkling I would enjoy it since I loved Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle. It's a classic underdog story with a kung fu movie twist. Stephen Chow has a great sense of humor and knows how to use kung fu movie styles for maximum hilarity. The underlying love story was really cute, especially when Iron Leg's love interest mends his shoes with all sorts of overly cute Japanese character patches. My favorite character was the tubby Light Foot brother. However, I would still recommend Kung Fu Hustle over Shaolin Soccer any day.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

From Poem of the Week

I absolutely love the Poem of the Week blog. There are a lot of my favorite poems posted on it. There are also some that I haven't read and wished that I have heard of them sooner. Here's this week's post:

The Hand

The teacher asks a question.
You know the answer, you suspect
you are the only one in the classroom
who knows the answer, because the person
in question is yourself, and on that
you are the greatest living authority,
but you don’t raise your hand.
You raise the top of your desk
and take out an apple.
You look out the window.
You don’t raise your hand and there is
some essential beauty in your fingers,
which aren’t even drumming, but lie
flat and peaceful.
The teacher repeats the question.
Outside the window, on an overhanging branch,
a robin is ruffling its feathers
and spring is in the air.

-Mary Ruefle

I really enjoyed this poem because I was that student. Many of my teachers knew that I was that kind of student. For instance, Ms. Johnson had once said that I knew a lot of the answers and had good interpretations, but I was too hesitant to share them with others. As a teacher-to-be, it's really interesting being around kiddos and reflecting on what kind of student I was. It's also weird seeing yourself in some students. Lastly, I'm learning how it feels dealing with students like me from a teacher point of view. I must say it's pretty frustrating.

Pet Peeve 1 & 2

This week, I'm on kitchen duty. After tying shoes and fetching plastic spoons all day, it's seriously the last thing I would ever want to do.

Pet Peeve #1: Doing Other People's Dishes

If not being tired after a long booger-filled day is enough, I've been doing other people's dishes. It's such a bummer. I'm the youngest at work, and I'm fully capable of doing my own dishes. Why can't they?

Pet Peeve #2: Arriving to a Mess in the Morning

I leave the dish rack completely empty and counters clean at the end of the day. When I arrive the next morning, the dish rack is overflowing and the counters have coffee grounds and pastry crumbs strewn across them. For those reasons, it ends up looking like I haven't done anything. Grrr....

Post Secret (May 11)

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

17 More Days

I have 17 more days with my kiddos. Isn't that unbelievable? This year has gone by quicker than I could have ever imagined. During the quiet moments at work, I find myself looking around and trying to focus on enjoying being there. Being at this school with my kiddos and my teacher has been one of the best experiences I've ever had. That last day is definitely going to be a bittersweet day. I'm looking forward to moving on to grad school, but I'm also going to miss everyone terribly. I hope the kiddos continue to grow to reach their full potential. They're such wonderful little people!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

What's Your Favorite Kind of Dog?

Me: What's your favorite kind of dog?
Mr. J-: I don't know (then walks off)

(A minute later, Mr. J- returns.)

Mr. J-: I like the kind of dog that doesn't smell like dog.
Me: (laughs) Really?
Mr. J-: Yea because my brother and dad are allergic to dog smell.
Me: Oh okay. I just thought that you didn't like stinky dogs. What kind of dog doesn't smell like dog?
Mr. J-: I don't know. I just saw one once.

Beware of 'The Tinkler'

On any given day here at "O, The Oprah Magazine," there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 69 very talented, extremely detail oriented, high-energy, hardworking women and men all doing their jobs and doing them well. I love a few of them, I like a lot of them, I despise one of them. She is the Magneto to my Wolverine, the Saruman to my Frodo, the Dr. Octopus to my Spiderman. I call her The Tinkler. (from O, The Oprah Magazine) continue

Always Proofread

In science, my kiddos were working on a moth vs. butterfly comparison worksheet. They had to identify the moths and butterflies and label them accordingly. I was over looking Mr. G-'s worksheet to make sure that he was on task when I noticed that every butterfly was labeled as a "buttfly." Of course, I was laughing only on the inside. After I told him, he managed to squish an "er" in order to make it spelled correctly.

Lesson: Always Proofread!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Ridiculously Adorably Nutty

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Post Secret (May 4)

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Book Inventory

As previously noted, I love to read. However, I'm a fickle reader. I'll buy books and not read them for years. Sometimes, I'll buy a book, drop it, then pick it up again months later. Since I'm trying to wrap up a bunch of loose ends before grad school exile, I decided to take a book inventory.

Started Reading but Abandoned:

If Only It Were True
Roanoke
Broken Music
The Inner Life

Own but Haven't Started:

Guns, Germs and Steel
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wicked
Kafka by the Shore

With all these books sitting around, what am I to do? I think I'm going to try to finish up If Only It Were True and The Inner Life. Maybe finish Roanoke. Give away Broken Music? I honestly only got Broken Music on a whim because it was in the bargain section at Barnes and Noble. I started it when we were on vacation and didn't find it that interesting.

As for those books I haven't started yet, I might wait and read it with my hubster or my book club some time. Otherwise, they're going to have to wait a little longer on the shelf. I just got Emma and I'm dying to read it. I also found my copy of Anne Frank's Diary and want to read that too. Oy, so many good books and so little time.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Catch Up: Cambria Getaway Weeekend

Our new favorite beach to get beautiful rocks.

This is where we went tide pooling.

A little crab friend who has molted.

Our first time seeing a sea urchin while tide pooling.

Our beach goodies that we took home.

While my hubster carved he asked, "Do you want BT or BCT?"
I decided "BT" would save him some time.

Ducky filled window at the drug store in the East village.

"Don't let your dog relieve itself in my yard!" sign

A random life size lion lawn decoration.

The Original Gummy Bears

http://www.theonlinecandyshop.com/ProductImages/blackforestgummibears.jpg

On Saturday, we had to get something small to break our cash. What did we pick? Black Forest Gummy Bears. They are so much better than any generic grocery store brand. My hubster likes them because they don't taste sooo artificial. I like them because of their soft texture. Even the cashier asked us where we found them because she can never find them and they're her favorite.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Sarcasm

For Charlotte's Web, the kiddos have to pick a sentence (they call it quotes) and have to describe what it means. It's definitely one of the highlights of my day. I get to have really interesting conversations with Mr. J- about his interpretations and quotation selections. This is our conversation from today:

Mr. J-: I need help selecting a quote.
Me: Okay. How about "Some Pig!"? It's the first message that Charlotte wrote in her web.
Mr. J-: Okay. But what does it mean?
Me: Here's an example. (picks up his pencil) Wow, Mr. J-, this is some pencil!
Mr. J-: (smiles) But some people say it sarcastically. (pauses) But not Charlotte.
Me: (completely amazed) Why not Charlotte?
Mr. J-: (uses obvious tone) Because she likes him (meaning Wilbur).

I was thoroughly impressed. Can you believe a 7 year old picking up on the concept of sarcasm? Some adults still don't even get it! This kiddo constantly amazes me. From first impressions, you wouldn't think he's amazing, but he is. It's these kinds of moments that it's even more wonderful to work with kiddos.

Cal Poly Profs are the Best

When I was in the midst of the UCSB application process, I had to get a couple of letters of recommendation. I decided to ask one of my professors from Poly, who had helped me with my Senior Project. I also took this amazing Modern Poetry in Translation with him. I loved that class even though it totally kicked my derriere. Of course, I emailed him to let him know my good news. This is the amazing encouraging response:

Wow, you really got it goin', B-... Congrats Big time!!! I'm proud of you...and I know this will help generations of students to come, all of whom will feel your compassion and intelligence... Way to go! --K

By the way, I got the response the very next day. It came even quicker than when I used to email him about class. lol. This response demonstrates exactly why I want to become a teacher. I've been so inspired by many of my teachers. I want to to pass along these sentiments of encouragement and enthusiasm to others. :)

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Not So Super

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Confessions of a Superhero is a documentary that follows the lives of four individuals who dress up as movie characters and pose for pictures with tourists. As many of them admit throughout the movie, it's glorified panhandling. All of them want to be movie stars, but most of them don't have the talent or charisma to make it. The movie has a melancholy whimsical quality. I enjoyed it, probably because I'm really interested in memoirs right now. I always think it's interesting to learn how other people choose to live their lives. I would have never known these people existed if I hadn't watched the movie. Now, I'm kind of curious and want to go to Chinese Mann Theater to see for myself. My favorite character was the Hulk. I thought he was the most realistic of the bunch. Overall, it was pretty intriguing.