Have You Ever Heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons.

Yesterday was the last day before Spring Break.  We took our midterm the day before, so Thursday was movie day.  I brought in three movies (National Treasure, School of Rock, and Princess Bride) for students to choose from.

My fourth period said "What's Princess Bride?"  After I told them a brief plot summary (and after a few peers promised them it was awesome), they chose to watch it.

Princess Bride (1987)

First, a little back story.  Princess Bride is my all-time favorite movie.  I first saw this movie when I was maybe five or six years old, and it's only gotten better since (now that I can understand more of the witty dialogue).  This is collectively my family's favorite movie, and quotes from it are integrated into many of our conversations.  The most significant case of this was when my uncle Jim was getting married and the preacher started the ceremony by saying "Love!" to which my aunt mouthed to my mom (her sister) "Twoo wuv."  Yep, most important day of their brother's life, and they're sitting on the pew shaking in silent laughter.

Ok, back to yesterday.  I was so young the first time I saw the movie that I didn't understand a lot of it.  Yesterday, though, I really enjoyed watching my students experience it for the first time.  At one point (during the scene where the Man in Black is wrestling Fezzik), one student gasped "He's the guy she fell in love with, isn't he!?!"  I just smiled and shrugged and let the story unfold.  I watched them chuckle when Buttercup threw herself down the hill after shoving Wesley.  I listened to them groan in disappointment when the bell rang, signifying Spring Break, because they didn't want to stop watching.  I watched them fall in love with the movie I've loved most of my life.

Teachers hope to make differences in their students lives.  True, I never set out to expose a new generation to my favorite movie, but hey, I'll take any life-changing I can get.

Hair

A few months ago, I was blogging about me and Jason (shocking, I know) through the years.  As I added pictures, I noticed how much he had changed his appearance... gelled spiky hair, buzz cut, clean-shaven, 5:00 shadow, to *shudder* mustache and goatee.  On the other hand, I looked the same... medium-brown curly hair in every picture.

2008: Wedding Rehearsal Dinner...

I had some highlights for the wedding, but medium brown and curly.

2009: Memorial Day Cookout

I had gotten rid of the highlights (and gone through a semi-traumatic copper red phase), but look, medium brown and curly...

2010: Jake's Graduation/Benny's Birthday/Sara's Going Away Party

Had a big hair cut, but look, same hair (and same shirt... how embarrassing!)

2011: Sporting my new lab coat

Starting to notice a hair trend yet?

Ok, there is a reason for sharing all of this, I promise.  After noticing my lack of a "hair style" for the past, oh, forever, I called up my hairdresser from Jamesville and booked an appointment for over spring break.  He asked what was it for (as in, cut, color, etc.) and I said "something drastic, but I don't know what."  I do get my hair cut here in Raleigh, but no one knows my hair better than John, so if I'm going to do something crazy, he's going to be on the other side of those scissors.

Here's my hair a few weeks ago before church:

The question is, what should I do with it?  I've already had two people weigh in (voting for "DON'T CUT IT!!!" and "go blond again!").  What do you think?  For real... I'm asking for opinions.  

Painting Pottery

A while back, Amanda and I painted pottery.  We've done this before (I painted a platter with West Virginia colors for her husband Joe's birthday), and this time I decided I wanted to paint a figurine.

Amanda went with a little jewelry/knick-knack box shaped like a cupcake.

I found a dinosaur... an adorable one at that!  You paint several coats onto the pottery, and then pick it up later when they have fired and glazed it.  Here was my dinosaur when I left him...

And here he is after!  Everybody, meet Herbert!  Herbert made his debut at school on Monday, sitting on my bookshelf away from the curious hands of 96 teenagers.  Here's hoping he'll have a long life!

What a cutie!  Even if Jason keeps asking me why he looks so nervous... :)

Chocolate Cake

This past weekend, we were supposed to bring dessert over to Joe and Amanda's house.  I wanted something chocolate, and I found this recipe online.  After testing it out, it's yummy enough I want to share it.

"Too Much Chocolate" Cake


1 package Devil's Food Cake mix
1 5.9oz package (large box) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water (I used 1/2&1/2 because Jason's philosophy is why add water when you can add 1/2&1/2)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I added 1.5 cups semisweet and 0.5 cups bittersweet because that's what I had)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together everything but the chocolate chips.  Stir in the chips after everything is well-mixed.  Pour into a Bundt pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Cool cake in the pan (I did about 15-20 minutes, though now I notice the recipe says an hour and a half... oops!) and then invert onto a cooling rack until room temperature.

Seriously, this is delicious!  You definitely want something to cut the sweetness, like coffee, milk, or strawberry ice cream!

Bulgogi and Ping Pong

Jason and I went over to our friends Joe and Amanda's house for dinner and ping pong on Saturday.  We had bulgogi, which is a Korean dish that I can best describe as lettuce wraps and veggie sides.

crab rangoons... made with real crab meat!

Bulgogi -- pork, beef, rice, and lettuce wraps, with veggie sides like a cucumber relish and cooked spinach

After dinner, the guys went out in the garage and played ping pong.  Can you tell Jason was pumped?  PS, J&I gave Joe that awesome mustache shirt.

Amanda and I opted to stay inside, play with Contessa and Norman, and gab.

Then, we went out and watched the guys play for a while.

Great night, great friends, great food!

Playing with Oliver

Did I mention I've named my new camera Oliver?  I don't know, it looked like an "Oliver" to me.  On of my camera's new features is that you can choose only certain colors to show up.  For instance, on green setting, only green stuff shows up at color, and everything else is black and white.  Here's a few "just for fun" shots.

New Camera!

Last week, Jason surprised me by buying me a new camera!  For a while now, I've been frustrated by the limitations of my point-and-shoot, mostly struggling with background/foreground focus and also the shutter delay (which was REALLY apparent when I was trying to photograph an energetic toddler!).  Here it is, a Sony 5N.

Even though I've been really busy recently, Jason convinced me to go on two photo trips this weekend -- one to the Arboretum and one to Eno River State Park.  Here are a few shots...

Arboretum:

Eno River State Park:

More to come later, but I'm really excited about this camera.  If you're a point-and-shoot person who is scared to switch over to "fancy" cameras, this is a really easy transition.  I've only had it a week, but I highly recommend!

"For a Good Cause" Doesn't Begin to Describe

I first met Shannon and Lee Dingle years ago in our Sunday School class at church.  They had a little girl named Jocelyn.  Shortly after meeting them, they had their second child, Robbie.  They're a really great family, but they're not stopping at four.

Recently, Shannon shared on her blog, http://www.dinglefest.com/, that their family was adopting a little girl from Taiwan!  I can't begin to do justice to this wonderful story, so I really recommend perusing Shannon's blog to learn more.  I'd start here, read here to find out more about Zoe Amanda, and then go here to have your heart warmed.

Adoption is a really great thing, and such a great way to give a good life and a loving family to someone.  It's also another addition to your family, someone else for you to love!  One of the big issues with adopting from Taiwan is the expense.  The Dingles need to raise $23,000 for their little girl.

How can you help?  I'm so glad you asked!  One, if you are a believer in prayer (like I am!), please pray for the adoption process.  Do you feel led to give?  Check out Shannon's blog for more information on that.  Do you like chicken?  The excitement of an auction and the strategy involved in it?  Well, have I got the event for you!  This Thursday night, you can eat at the Chick-Fil-A in Falls Village, and part of each sale will go to the Dingles adoption fund.  Stick around for the silent auction and bid on some fun things for a good cause.

What things are up for auction?  Oh man, what ISN'T?!?  A weekend mountain getaway, stays at three different Triangle locations of Embassy Suites, tons of different gift cards, and several artsy/craftsy things.  Oh yeah, and one free project by Paint by Letters!  So all you folks that have popped out a baby recently or would like to get someone a hand-painted gift, get your bid on this Thursday!

Not Raleigh folks?  Shannon is leaving the auction open a few days on her blog for people to bid there.

A Day in the Life

It must be awesome to be a little kid.  Especially a little kid that gets to spend a lot of time at Grandma's (Ya-Ya's?  We're still unsure what she calls my mom) house.  Here's a brief glimpse at an Addi day.

Saturday morning: Mom's at work, so Addison and her dad have some one-on-one time before she's dropped off at her Grandparent Davenports' house at 10:30.

11:00 Addi has said hello to everyone (including the dogs) and made sure all her toys are out.  Time for a stroll around town in her wagon!  It was a bit chilly, so we bundled her up a bit.

12:00 Lunch at the Cypress Grill.  While everyone else waited for their lunches, Addison went ahead and had a butter appetizer.  As in, dip-finger-in-butter-container-and-lick-finger.  Yum!

Saturday early afternoon: play with Easter egg decals, play her xylophone with a plastic spoon, and pick out some books to be read to her.

Saturday mid-afternoon: The adults have become exhausted, but Addison's still a little ball of energy.  Step 1: rock herself in the rocking chair, all the while saying "Rock, rock.  Rock, rock.  Rock, rock."

Step 2: Read herself a book because Grandma and Pa are busy, and Aunt Meg just keeps taking pictures.

Step 3: Convince Aunt Meg to play crayons with her.  As she scribbled away, I drew her a capital "A" and said, "Addison, that's an A.  That's the first letter of your name."  You know what my brilliant niece did?  She showed me the A that Grandma had drawn for her some other day!!!  I can't believe I actually got a picture of her outwitting me.  This girl is sharp as a tack!

Jamesville Weekend

Going to try and keep this short, since I'm crazy-behind at work, and this is my planning period.  A little over a week ago, I headed east for a solo trip to Jamesville.  I was there for a baby shower, so Jason could not be persuaded to come along.  What did this trip entail?  I had two requests -- to see Addison and to eat fish.

My town is located on the Roanoke River, and we have two seasonal seafood restaurants.  I ordered a small rock plate (rock is a type of striped bass) with stewed potatoes, hush puppies, and slaw.  Cost?  $6.95.  Insanely good deal!  Daddy also ordered a side of herring, so I got one of those.  Jamesville is kind of known for our herring.  That's why we have the Herring Festival each Easter weekend.  However, if you order it, you have to put the Southern twang on it and say it like the bird: "heron."  Pronounce the "g" and they'll know you're from out of town.

Mom doesn't usually keep Addison on Saturdays, but they made special plans so I could see her.  That girl is a handful, but an adorable handful!  I'll have a longer Addi-only post later, but here's a sneak peak:

Like I said, I was in Jamesville for a shower.  My high school friend Kyle and his wife Amy were having a shower at Kyle's home church.  They're both Wake County-ers now, and I get to see them every week at church.  I had asked Amy if I could paint letters for their baby girl, Grace Ann.  She excitedly agreed!

Her colors are lavender and white, and I just came up with the patterns.  I think Grace Ann will approve! :)

What a Week!

Hi folks, just writing today to let you know I have not abandoned you or this blog.  This week has just been insane!

This has been a really lab-heavy week, which means lots of planning, setting up, tearing down, and setting up for the next day.  Wednesday, a lab that was supposed to take the rest of class was done with about 30-40 minutes to spare.  Enter Bill Nye.  Always a life-saver... except I had planned to show him the next day instead!  Enter creating a last-minute worksheet and making copies yesterday morning before students started showing up!

Today is my interview for the teaching award thing.  This week, I needed to put together a portfolio to bring with me.  I kept shrugging it off.  I keep a large portfolio of everything we do in class, so I figured the portfolio would practically make itself.  Wrong.  I was at school til 6:00 yesterday putting it together.  Being gone today also means I have a substitute teacher.  This is my first time having a sub, so I was running around yesterday asking what I needed to leave the sub and also trying to clean up/put away stuff so the sub would be able to FIND my lesson plans on my desk.

Missing today also means that I lose my planning period and any potential after-school productivity.  So this morning, I planned out what we're doing Monday after notes (yes, I'm THAT behind!) and worked a bit more on my Exploring Light Extravaganza planned for next Thursday.  Other things I've done this morning (yes, between when I get to school at 6:00 and now): I wrote up Monday's activity, glued some craft sticks together to represent polarizing filters, replaced the air fresheners in my room so it wouldn't smell like sewage (that's a whole other issue!), and printed off tests to put in for copies.

One more indicator of what my week has been like... this morning, I ironed a pair of khaki pants on the floor.  I've been too busy this week to do it before today, and our ironing board also serves as a catch-all in our guest room, so I didn't have time to clean it off.  So yep, 5:30 this morning I was ironing pants on my floor.  I wonder if that will come up in my interview... :)

Stay tuned for next week.  I visited family next week, so I should have some good Addison pictures to share. You know... once I get a chance to look at them!!!

Good News

I debated today's post a lot... that's why it's 10:35 and I just am getting around to it.

Why is it I jump on here and post about successful new recipes or fun trips, but I hesitated today?  Well, because I wasn't sure if this was bragging or just sharing good news.  "Good news" won out.

I'm a new teacher.  A new teacher at a really good school.  At the end of January, I got a call at home from my principal letting me know that the administration had chosen me to represent our school for the Diane Kent-Parker award (an award for first year teachers).  I was flabbergasted!

I immediately told Jason, then called my folks and emailed the sisters.  I emailed my mentor teacher the next day, and told my teaching bestie across the hall.  And that's it.  I didn't run down the halls screaming the news, and it's not like "Hey, I wonder who will be new teacher of the year?" comes up much in conversation.  Anyway, my principal wrote a recommendation letter and I had to write an essay.  Everything was shipped to Central Office, and I didn't think much more about it... until yesterday.

It turns out I've been selected as one of 14 semifinalists.  I have to go interview with a selection committee next week, and I'm super nervous!  Anyway, I thought I'd share with y'all because if you care enough to read this inane blog on a regular basis, you must care about me a lot.  So yep, semifinalist.  That's the big news. :)

5 Strangest Things -- In My Closet

Yes, I've decided to make a week out of these...

A few things to know before we press on today:
~I live in a townhouse.  Storage is at a minimum.
~We have four closets in our house.  The linen closet really is devoted to towels and sheets.  The guest room closet mostly holds luggage and odds and ends we rarely need.  The closet downstairs is one giant mountain of stuff (from coats to crafts to wrapping paper to card table).
~Today's post is specifically about our bedroom closet.

And now, the 5 strangest things in my closet.

~Old clothes that I should get rid of but don't.  This isn't really strange.  Everyone has these clothes.  It is strange for me though because I frequently give to goodwill.  Sure, I've got the bridesmaid dress/cocktail dress I've only worn twice (once as the bridesmaid, once to a fancy wedding).  I've got the sweaters that are thick and itchy, but could be good if NC ever gets cold again.  But then I have the $30 suit (two things that should never go in a sentence together) from Target that is too big.  It's also old.  I wore it to my Enthalpy interview back in 2006.  I have holey shirts that cost me $8 that I keep around because they still work underneath t-shirts.  Hmm, starting to think maybe I shouldn't share all these details...

*frantically changing the subject*

~2 Sombreros.  I stole one from my mom's house (I think Kara got it for one of her birthdays) and Jason purchased the other one last May for the annual mustache party.

The problem is, what do you do with them now?  You can't bend them, they're not flat... hey, I know!  We'll store them on the top shelf of our closet!

~2 Ping Pong Paddles.  Not weird that we have these (Jason's all about some ping pong!), but why are they in our closet?

~12 Photo Albums.  I've always been a camera nut.  Events never really happened unless you have photos to prove it, right?  When I moved in with Jason, there was limited room for my stuff.  Where to put my 12 photo albums?  Top shelf of closet!

~Bright yellow, smiley-face, Joe Boxer tool box.  My dad gave this to me for college.  As silly as it looks, it has some really good tools in it (hammer, screwdriver with assorted... bits?  Is that the right word?, staple gun, etc.)  I do have a handyman now, but when it's a quick-fix that I can handle, I head for the Joe Boxer.

5 Strangest Things -- In My Fridge

I have some strange things in my fridge, but when I took inventory, I was actually surprised at how many of some items I have.  So here's today's list...

4: Number of milk products... 2 gallon jugs of 1%, one carton of 1/2&1/2 (for my morning coffee... and for yummy, creamy muffins), and 1 bottle of buttermilk.  Jason has gotten REALLY into making buttermilk biscuits recently, and they are tasty!  I'll keep buying the supplies for biscuits as long as he's willing to make them.

3: Number of jars of homemade pickles.  Mom supplied us with red pickles (think cinnamon-y sweet), bread and butter pickles, and ... salad pickles?  I don't know what to call the last ones, but since I use them as sweet pickles in chicken salad, I'm going with "salad" pickles... until I get an email from Mom later today correcting me. :)

16: Number of yogurt containers.  Jason used to be strictly a ham-and-cheese man at lunch.  Now, he's strictly yogurt and granola.  I've started eating Greek yogurt a couple of days a week as well.  Little Megan quirk: I hate yogurt.  It has a weird consistency to it.  Greek yogurt (which is much firmer and thicker) seems to be ok, though I usually throw pecans into it to make it more palatable.

1: Number of packages of wonton wrappers.  Yep, we still have these from the Feast from the East.  Are they still good?  Probably not.  Why haven't I thrown them away yet?  Beats me.

3: Kinds of cheeses.  Extra sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and some hard cheese that's similar to Parmesan without being as pricey.  Wait, this isn't strange for me.... it's strange that I don't have MORE kinds of cheese right now!

5 Strangest Things -- In My Pantry

As I was putting away groceries last night, I realized I have some strange things in my pantry.  Sure, "strange" could be "Hmm, I know that's several years old, but I still won't throw it away.  Isn't that strange?"  I decided to go with "I bet this isn't something found in everyone's cabinets" as my definition.

~Arby's Sauce Packets.  Not sure the last time I brought Arby's home, so this probably matches both definitions of strange.  Strangest part is that they're located on the bottom shelf, along with pitchers, plastic cutlery, and other assorted non-food items.

~Dried Apricots.  Tasty, but probably not in everyone's pantry.

~Jar of Pimento Peppers.  A while back, Jason and I made my dad's famous pimento cheese recipe.  We bought two jars (since we had no idea how much we needed), and now we have one left, just hanging out in the pantry.

What?  Doesn't everyone have a jar in their pantry?

~Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs.  Because I'm in charge of grocery shopping, and sometimes I forget I'm an adult.

~Cherry Pie Filling.  Courtesy of Mom.  She gave us a Jello No-Bake Cheesecake, but we ended up not using the jar of pie filling on top.  Now what do we do with it?



Your turn.  Raid your pantry and share the strangest things you find.

Mo' Drama

Hi there.  Are you sitting at your work desk, bored with the mundane paperwork and company-wide emails that fill your 40-hour week?  Is this your moment of solitude while the little ones watch "Phineas and Ferb" for the 100th time this week?  Well never fear, things are NEVER dull in Mrs. Self's classroom!!!

Some highlights from 1st period today... (yes, all of this happened before 9:15 in the morning)
~We started the day by doing the wave (to represent how only energy, and not matter, travels in waves)
~I squeezed in a 10-minute lab after notes before my juniors had to leave to register for the ACT
~This lab involved pouring water into aluminum pie plates, which we all discovered together (oops!) had holes in them... good thing I was quick on my feet and ran across the hallway to get some acrylic boxes from the stockroom!
~My 8 (yes, 8) remaining sophomores and seniors continued to work quietly until a guy and girl decided to curse each other out
~After that situation was remedied, the room was silent and tense, so Bill Nye to the rescue!
~At the end of class, a student came up to my desk to get birthday ideas for her mom (whose bday is tomorrow) and I got to discuss the deliciousness that is Hibachi food with the rest of the students

Happy Friday, folks!  May you have a day full of crests and troughs (little wave humor there) that makes you appreciate the weekend all the more!!!

Lifelong Learner

Teachers are supposed to be "lifelong learners," meaning that we need to keep up with developments in our fields (although I doubt math changes all that often), teaching techniques, technology (dreaded by every teacher), etc.  I don't know about being a "lifelong" learner, but my students definitely teach me new things every day...

LMSs -- short for people who constantly post "like my status" on Facebook.  "Like my status if you love Katy Perry!"  "Like my status if you think I'm hot!"  "Like my status if..." ... hopefully you get the picture.
SMH -- short for "shaking my head" as in, "I'm shaking my head in disbelief at how stupid my classmate's question just was..."
Beavis and Butthead will never die -- I actually heard a kid quoting "Cornholio" the other day.  PS, if you don't know what this is, consider yourself lucky.  It's not worth googling to find out.
Movie Day -- loved by every student.  It also causes students to ask if we can watch the most ridiculous movies... no, we're not going to watch "Saw IV" in school.  No, we're not going to watch "The Hangover II." Geez!  (PS, we're having movie day because I have 1st period for 4 HOURS next week while other students take the ACT.  We're watching "Mr. Holland's Opus" because it's good, it's school-approved, and it everso loosely ties in with the sound waves we're discussing the next day)


Teachers are great tie-breakers.  If two students are debating a topic, they'll call you over as a neutral party to break the tie.
Students see teachers as an infinite pool of knowledge. They have a wealth of questions, and they expect us to know all the answers!!!  In the past two days, I've been asked how permanent magnets are made (which was actually a topic we were discussing in class), whether dark nail polish makes your skin look lighter or darker,  and where do hiccups come from. (I actually take great pride that my students ask me these questions and that I usually know the answers)


Cool points (even from geeky students) make me feel like I'm in the "in-crowd."  We were talking about magnetism the other day, and a student asked if there is enough magnetism in us to be attracted to a magnet.  I said no, that though we have iron in our bodies, it's not enough to attract us to a magnet.  A student in the front brought up a scene in X-Men 2 where Magneto magnetically pulls the iron out of a person.  I immediately replied that that was true, but that Mystique had injected him with extra iron.  Another student told me that it was really cool that I had seen that movie. (score!)  It totally didn't matter that the rest of the class were rolling their eyes...

What have you learned today?