saturday 9

Miss Independent

1) The song begins with Kelly describing a woman who is "independent" and "self-sufficient." Are you feeling especially independent and self-sufficient this morning? Or is there a particular task on your to-do list that you wish you had help with? I wish I was handy with car stuff

2) Kelly especially enjoys that this song was a hit, because she had to argue with the record company to even include it on her album. Tell us about a time you're glad fought to get your way. I'm glad I fought to get my way with the re-certification committee at school! They wanted to reject all (well, almost all) of my workshop hours because of a paperwork miscommunication.

3) The video depicts a very lively party that spills from the house to the pool area. What's the last party you attended? Was it held indoors, outdoors, or did the revelers enjoy themselves both inside and outside? It was an indoor dinner party at my friend's house in Portsmouth--we had so much food and fun!

4)The partiers are playing with "silly string." Have you ever indulged in a "silly string" battle? I have, on numerous occasions

5) Kelly Clarkson has a new daytime talk show. Who hosted the last entertainment talk show (as opposed to news) that you watched? I can't remember watching one--in quite a while

6) Kelly Clarkson told a foodie website that one of her favorite foods is sushi (especially California rolls). She said she's surprised how fond she is of it, since as a kid, sushi is a food she wouldn't even try. Tell us about something you had to be convinced to try, or do, that you were surprised to find you enjoyed. Oh, my gosh, I'm drawing a blank!

7) In 2003, when "Miss Independent" was released, Microsoft and Sony were furiously competing for gamers' attention. Do you own Playstation or Xbox, neither or both? I have not played any games like that since the age of Atari

8) Also in 2003, the best-selling cookbook was The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. It features foolproof recipes for old favorites like waffles, pancakes, flat breads and crackers. When you look for a new recipe, are you searching for an easier/better way to make something familiar, or are you more likely looking to try something new? in all honesty, I don't bake/cook anymore. But I do love looking at recipes. So, I guess I dream about what it would be like to try recipes--mostly soups.

9) Random question: Which has gotten you in more trouble -- love or money? money

the friday 56

The Friday 56

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.

I'm reading Only Ever Her.

"I know," she says, and her voice is very small. "But can I just stay here awhile with you?"

And he says ok. Of course. She can stay as long as she wants.

three on thursday

Click here to play along

Thing one: Saturday I get to see my friend John Cariani in his play being staged in Portland. It's going to be a great adventure.

Thing two: It's going to be a girlfriend weekend--heading to Portland and Portsmouth. Let the fun begin!

Thing three: Lymphedema treatment went well--unfortunately, I didn't wrap the bandages tightly enough and they got wet so I had to remove them. I felt like a dimwit.

unraveled wednesday

Join Kat @ AsKatKnits for some fun!

In the middle of The Photographer Hat and in the middle of Only Ever Her.

let the treatments begin!

Lymphedema treatments begin!

ten things tuesday

Ten things about today:

Two things that I am grateful for today:
1) It was amusing to exchange a series of emails with Dad.
2) I had so much fun at my voice lesson yesterday. I can't wait to go back! We spent some time talking about our music backgrounds then we did some warm-ups and scales. I can't wait to go back.

Two things that made today great:
3) I picked out yarn for my next project--it's squishy and gorgeous!
4) One of my students brought her dog to school today--I'm not sure what arrangements she had to make, but he was such a cutie!

Two things I did well today:
5) I got right out of bed and was early/on time for school even though I had a shitty night's sleep.
6) I was super productive today and got a lot of work done--it's so hard to plan for substitutes--and I'm out twice this week.

Two things that I could have done better today:
7) I could have graded more papers.
8) I could have reined in the noisy class. Instead, I let them screw around. They're juniors in high school and it's their grade, if they choose not to do the classwork it's not really worth a fight.

Two things I will do to make the rest of the day great:
9) I will use the Balance app's Wind Down feature to get myself ready for bed.
10) It's a good night to knit and listen to a book. Everyone suggests turning off electronics an hour before bedtime.

horoscope

January 13, 2020
Choosing Patience
Scorpio Daily Horoscope

You may feel adventurous and inclined to explore possibilities today. Perhaps you are opening yourself up to new ideas. New thoughts or life paths may reveal themselves through conversations with others or in your mind as you process your thoughts. It may serve you to consider each idea carefully today before making any decisions. While there is value in following our impulses, tempering our urges with introspection can ensure that we are making choices that are active rather than reactive. Patience is a valuable virtue that can allow you the freedom to explore all of your options; it is harder to gain that freedom when you act on the first possibility that excites you.

Practicing patience allows us to make the best possible choices. When we take time to make a decision, we have the room to examine our projected course of action from all angles. We aren't influenced by our emotions or the circumstances of the moment and can make decisions with calm detachment. We can then take the time to explore how our lives will shift if we make a particular choice. When relevant information comes to light, we are able to incorporate these new factors into our thought process. Be patient, think things over, and collect information that applies to the choices you may be considering today, and you will make a solid and well-informed decision when you are ready.

currently

I am...

Reading: Only Ever Her

Listening to: Sebben Crudele I think my voice teacher wants me to sing this

Loving: I've been having so much fun with my students--I need to crank up the rigor a notch without them realizing

Thinking: about how I'm going to schedule in everything I have to do this week... I'll be out of the classroom for 2 days and have meetings or appointments every day after school

Feeling: slightly overwhelmed

Celebrating: my first voice lesson today--it was so much fun! We talked about singing and I did some warm-ups and scales

Grateful for: inspiration and ideas for keeping school fresh

Weather: currently 17 degrees with a "real feel" of 8

Enjoying: a relaxing evening so I can get organized!

A quote I want to share: I need to remember this!

sunday stealing

(click the icon to play along)

Food Meme

01. CHEESE or CHOCOLATE? cheese
02. BLUEBERRIES or STRAWBERRIES? strawberries
03. COFFEE or TEA? coffee
04. CORN MUFFIN or ENGLISH MUFFIN? English muffin
05. PANCAKES or FRENCH TOAST? pancakes
06. YOGURT or CREAM CHEESE? cream cheese
07. RICE or PASTA? pasta
08. CAKE or PIE? cake
09. GROUND BEEF or GROUND TURKEY? doesn't matter
10. HOT DOGS or HAMBURGERS? hamburgers
11. JELLY or MARMALADE? jelly
12. AMERICAN CHEESE or SWISS CHEESE? doesn't matter
13. DIET SODA or NO SODA? no soda
14. LEMONADE or ICED TEA? mixed together
15. CHERRIES or GRAPES? grapes
16. CHOCOLATE QUIK or STRAWBERRY QUIK? chocolate
17. WAFFLES or PANCAKES? pancakes
18. WHITE BREAD or WHOLE-GRAIN/WHEAT BREAD? whole-grain/wheat bread
19. PEAS or CARROTS? carrots
20. PUDDING or FRUIT-FLAVORED GELATIN? pudding
21. COLD CEREAL or HOT CEREAL? doesn't matter
22. KETCHUP or MUSTARD? ketchup
23. MUSTARD or MAYONNAISE? doesn't matter
24. MAYONNAISE or KETCHUP? ketchup
25. BLACK OLIVES or GREEN OLIVES? doesn't matter
26. ONION or GARLIC? onion
27. PLAIN BARBECUE or BARBECUE WITH SAUCE? I don't understand this
28. SCRAMBLED EGGS or FRIED EGGS? scrambled
29. EGGS or EGG REPLACEMENTS? eggs
30. MEAT or VEGETABLES? meat
31. CHINESE TAKE-OUT or PIZZA? pizza
32. SUSHI or DELI SANDWICH? deli sandwich
33. WHITE CLAM CHOWDER or RED CLAM CHOWDER? neither
34. KEY LIME PIE or LEMON MERANGUE PIE? neither
35. PIE & ICE CREAM or CAKE & ICE CREAM? neither
36. WHIPPED CREAM or CAKE FROSTING? it depends on what's beneath it
37. HONEY or MAPLE SYRUP? maple syrup only if it's REAL

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.