currently

I am...

Reading: I just realized that I am not enjoying the book I'm currently reading.  So, why not DNF it?  I've invested so much time in it already; I may as well finish.

Listening to: the ringing in my ears

Thinking:  about nothing in particular

Feeling:  happy tired

Celebrating:  today was a very good day

Grateful for: getting back into the groove of school

Enjoying:  I felt comfortable in my outfit today

Weather:  65° and sunny

A quote I want to share: 

happy day 31

8/31: Today I am happy.  I woke up happy; the weather is perfect; I had meaningful conversations while on morning duty; classes went well; and I'm home on my comfy couch.

More importantly--where did the month go?

happy day 30

8/30:  Fresh sheets.

sunday stealing

 

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Survey Time!

1. What will you remember from August 2026? I started my last year of teaching!  My last first day of school; last school picture day; last bloodborne pathogens video training; last ALICE training (school violence scenarios)

2. When will you start your holiday shopping? I have already begun picking up little things

3. Where did you meet the person you fell the hardest for? he was walking down the street and I was with my high school friends--I pointed to him and said something along the lines of "he will be mine"

4. Where did you meet your best friend? we were in a freind group in high school but got to be besties in college

5. Share a fact about the last person who texted you. you would never expect her to be a Big Brother fan

6. EXTRA! EXTRA! Since June's DIY meme was such fun, let's do it again. Please close out this post with a question for your fellow Sunday thieves. Hopefully we'll have enough responses for a September DIY. 

What's a completely useless piece of trivia that permanently lives in your head?

What song immediately transports you back to high school?

If you had to be trapped in a TV show universe for a month, which one are you surviving?

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.

happy day 29

8/29: It was a beautiful, sunny day (mid-70s) with just the touch of a breeze. 

saturday 9

Animal Crackers in My Soup

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month Saturday 9 will be tasty, featuring songs with food in the title.

1) Do you eat soup all year round, or do you consider it a seasonal dish? it's mostly seasonal, although, rainy days count

2) Gazpacho is a popular cold soup. Made with water-rich tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers, it's considered a good choice for hot weather because it's hydrating. What are your favorite summertime foods? I make a wicked gazpacho!  And strawberry spinach salad is a favorite summertime food

3) This week, Shirley Temple sings of the delights of having crackers in her soup. How often do you add crackers to your soup: always, sometimes, never? regularly--but only certain types of crackers

4) "Animal Crackers in My Soup" was the big musical number in the 1935 movie Curly Top. Shirley played Elizabeth, who helps her older sister find love with a handsome millionaire. Have you ever played matchmaker? If yes, were your efforts successful? a time or two, it's hard to work with teenagers and not feel the urge to matchmake!  And there are two married couples that started out in my classroom

5) Gertrude Temple, Shirley's mother, was her daughter's onset hairstylist, creating the famous "curly top" with pin curls. What's your hair care regimen? twice a year I get perms, and two other times I get a trim; I use WEN cleansing conditioner and conditioning mousse and air dry

6) Bartenders are still called upon to create the non-alcoholic Shirley Temple, made with ginger ale, lemon-lime soda, and grenadine. What's the most recent alcoholic beverage you drank? I can't even remember, it's been so long!

7) In 1935, when this song was popular, Amelia Earhart flew from Honolulu to Oakland, California. Are you a nervous flyer? no, I'm not

8) Also in 1935, The Hoover Dam was dedicated. Today it's a popular tourist attraction, with more than 7 million visitors each year. Have you ever been to Las Vegas? no, I haven't

9) Random question: You get a spur-of-the-moment invitation to a meal with your best friend. Could you go wearing what you have on right now? absolutely!

happy day 28

8/28:  In my email today was a special promotion from Spectrum for being a loyal customer:  Amazon Prime membership at no cost.

three on thursday

 

Thing 1:  it's been a meeting-filled week.  All but one day after school, I've had scheduled meetings.

Thing 2:  the weekend is going to fly by.  With Breakfast Club and book group and laundry!  Phew!

Thing 3:  there is a new filtered water fountain at school.  It works well.  I'm taking full advantage of it.

happy day 27

8/27: I had a very nice day at school.  It was busy and slightly overwhelming but I'm getting back into the groove.

happy day 26

8/26:  The Dolly Parton Covers playlist on Spotify.  Her rendition of "Stairway to Heaven" is amazing!  I'm only sorry that it took her death for me to discover this playlist.  I have several others, especially duets, saved.

currently

I am...

Reading: I just finished my book and have yet to start a new one

Listening to: nothing, sweet nothing

Thinking:  making plans for Labor Day weekend--I'm heading out of town!

Feeling:  tired

Celebrating:  I'm awake after 9 o'clock!

Grateful for: a great start to the school year

Enjoying:  getting to know my students--I have bigger classes than I have had in the past five years, so it's an adjustment

Weather:  60° and partly cloudy

A quote I want to share: 

happy day 24 & 25

8/24:  I could easily solve my dad's computer problem.

8/25:  I've been working diligently to modify the capstone project for some very needy special education/life skills students.  When I shared my plans with the ed tech support in my class (there to support those students), she literally cried.  I think I created a pathway to success!

finished reading

What convinced me to pick up a book about ocean survival? I’m certainly no seafarer. Yet this account of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey had me completely hooked. The descriptions of the weather, the oppressive isolation, the eerie sounds at sea, and the sheer strength of a marriage under pressure were riveting. I rooted for Maurice and Maralyn with every page, cheering them on even as their physical strength disintegrated around them. The tension of catching sharks and turtles, the desperation for fresh water, and the rawness of their suffering were all crafted with incredible storytelling.

From the publisher:

The electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits.

Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away?

Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But Maurice began to study nautical navigation. Maralyn made detailed lists of provisions. And in June 1972, they set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves.

What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can’t run away from themselves.

Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.

finished re-reading

My school book group chose this book because I raved about it; the least I could do was a reread.  Here's the link to my original thoughts.  The book was still powerful, challenging, and beautiful.

happy day 23

8/23:  A lazy day.  I did make mint chocolate swirl ice cream with my favorite kitchen gadget.

sunday stealing

 

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They Say It's Your Birthday...

Wikipedia Meme

Here's how to play. Search for your birthday (month and day only) at Wikipedia and then share what else happened that day.

First, what is your birthday (month/day)? October 29

Now, go to Wikipedia and list:

1) Four historic events 

1. Wall Street Crash of '29
2. Hurricane Sandy made landfall
3. John Glenn returned to space
4. Founding of the Red Cross in 1863: Representatives from 18 nations met in Geneva to establish the International Committee of the Red Cross.

2) Three births

1. Winona Ryder
2. Bob Ross
3. Tracee Ellis Ross

3) Two deaths

1. Terri Garr
2. Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers

4) One holiday or observance 

1. National Hermit Day

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.

happy day 21 & 22

8/21:  One of my students is teaching me "brain rot" terms so that I'll be current with the lingo.  We're having a good chuckle about it.

8/22:  I had breakfast with my Breakfast Club and an excellent conversation.  When I got home, I did some deep cleaning.  Then I rewarded  myself with an afternoon/evening of reading time.

saturday 9

Shoo Fly Pie (and Apple Pan Dowdy)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month Saturday 9 will be tasty, featuring songs with food in the title.

1) Shoo fly pie got its name from Shoo Fly the Boxing Mule. After the Civil War, the mule who could box was such a popular circus attraction that a molasses manufacturer started featuring him on their packaging. Since molasses is the key ingredient of this pie recipe, homemakers just began referring to it as "shoo fly pie." If we looked, would we find molasses in your kitchen? no, no molasses

2) Apple pan dowdy is another uniquely American recipe from the 19th century. It's like apple pie, except it only has a top crust, which is broken up. Apples are a good source of fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidants. Do you consider nutrition when choosing a dessert? Or are you just all about how it tastes? just how it tastes

3) The lyrics describe these two desserts as the ultimate comfort foods, able to make "the sun come out when the heavens are cloudy." Do you find that the foods you crave change with your mood? oh--for sure!!!

4) Singer June Christy pleads with her mama to whip up this "wonderful stuff." Did your mother have a dish you often requested? yes--either cinnamon rolls or red velvet cake

5) June was born in Springfield, Illinois' capital. Have you been to your state's capital city? many times!

6) June spent years singing with Stan Kenton's Orchestra. At one point, she gave 38 performances in 35 towns in 35 days. That's a busy schedule! Do you thrive on activity? Or do you find yourself rejuvenated by quiet time? as I get older, I like my quiet time

7) In 1946, when this record was popular, bikinis were first seen in Paris fashion shows. How often have you worn your swimsuit this summer? not even once (you're welcome)

8) Also in 1946, Elias Tupper invented Tupperware, a plastic container with an airtight top that's great for preserving leftovers. Are there any leftovers in your refrigerator right now? no

9) Random question: Is there a day of the week that goes by faster than the others? Saturday