Tomorrow's gonna be a great day. Do you know why?
1. Brendan and I celebrate our four-month wedding anniversary.
2. It's Neil Diamond night on American Idol.
It can't get any better than that.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Oh, the Joys of Coffee
I've been thinking a lot about student teaching lately. Exactly one year ago this week I tearfully finished up my last day at a local high school, and I'm meeting up with my cooperating teacher in a few days to catch up. I can't wait. As I was reminiscing, I remembered this rather hilarious incident from my student teaching days that I just had to share.
My cooperating teacher and I had a standing appointment with the coffee pot in the teacher's workroom everyday before school. We'd pour our coffee (which I usually needed after waking up at 6:00 a.m.), she'd check her box, and we'd head to first period.
One morning she was running late and didn't have time to run her morning errands, so she asked me to check her box, retrieve the day's copies, and bring her some coffee while she taught class. So, I dutifully visited the copy room, grabbed the mail from her box, and ventured to the coffee machine.
My hands were full with mail and copies, and I attempted to balance everything under my arms as I poured the coffee into a Styrofoam cup. I say "attempted" for a reason. Somewhere in the process, I poured an entire carafe of coffee onto the floor while aiming for that little cup. The liquid showed dark brown against the blue carpet and quickly formed a stain the size of a large beach ball. I immediately looked to my left and right, and thankfully I was the only person in the workroom. I was slightly panicking at this point, thinking through the best way to explain how exactly I managed to pour a full pitcher of coffee on the floor, when something came to me.
I peeked into the secretary's office next door and quietly said, "Um, someone spilled some coffee on the floor in the workroom. I just wanted to let you know."
"Oh dear!" she replied. "Thank you for telling me. We'll get someone right on that."
The stain remained on the floor for the rest of the semester.
My cooperating teacher and I had a standing appointment with the coffee pot in the teacher's workroom everyday before school. We'd pour our coffee (which I usually needed after waking up at 6:00 a.m.), she'd check her box, and we'd head to first period.
One morning she was running late and didn't have time to run her morning errands, so she asked me to check her box, retrieve the day's copies, and bring her some coffee while she taught class. So, I dutifully visited the copy room, grabbed the mail from her box, and ventured to the coffee machine.
My hands were full with mail and copies, and I attempted to balance everything under my arms as I poured the coffee into a Styrofoam cup. I say "attempted" for a reason. Somewhere in the process, I poured an entire carafe of coffee onto the floor while aiming for that little cup. The liquid showed dark brown against the blue carpet and quickly formed a stain the size of a large beach ball. I immediately looked to my left and right, and thankfully I was the only person in the workroom. I was slightly panicking at this point, thinking through the best way to explain how exactly I managed to pour a full pitcher of coffee on the floor, when something came to me.
I peeked into the secretary's office next door and quietly said, "Um, someone spilled some coffee on the floor in the workroom. I just wanted to let you know."
"Oh dear!" she replied. "Thank you for telling me. We'll get someone right on that."
The stain remained on the floor for the rest of the semester.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
My Next Two Weeks
School is raining down on me. Seriously.
I have about ten days to finish and turn in a total of 35 pages in papers, and create and present a ten-minute PowerPoint show. My only consolation is that it'll all be over after those ten horrid days.
It's times like these that a fast-forward button on life would be pretty darn useful.
I have about ten days to finish and turn in a total of 35 pages in papers, and create and present a ten-minute PowerPoint show. My only consolation is that it'll all be over after those ten horrid days.
It's times like these that a fast-forward button on life would be pretty darn useful.
Friday, April 18, 2008
9 Things You May Not Know About Me
1. In middle school, I was in band for a brief period. I wanted so badly to play the flute, because all the cool girls played flute, but I got stuck with the baritone horn, thanks to my band instructor; he said my big lips prevented me from playing it. I was crushed, but I ending up being darn good on the baritone.
2. I love poodles. My family has always had poodles, and they're such wonderful pets. Call me an old lady, but I really want to have one when Brendan and I get a dog.
3. I have really small toenails. I mean, freakishly-small toenails. Whenever I get a pedicure, the nail person always gives me a funny look and laughs when she first sees my feet.
4. The children's book Love You Forever makes me cry every single time.
5. In high school I played a Puerto Rican in West Side Story, if you can believe that. They only cast me for the role because I could sing, so I was Consuelo, the blond-haired, green-eyed Puerto Rican.
6. I love yoga. I started practicing it in college when I took a summer course, and I've loved it ever since. Some day, I'd love to be a licensed yoga teacher and teach some classes part-time.
7. I judge people by their poor grammar. Not in a mean way, but it really bugs me when people mess up things like "I" and "me" or "who" and "whom;" it's like nails on a chalk board. I guess that's why I became an English major.
8. I'm a forensic science nerd. I'm obsessed with shows like CSI and Medical Detectives, and as weird as it sounds I'm fascinated by stuff like that. I could never be a forensic scientist in real life, though, because the tedium of cataloging a crime scene and the like would drive me crazy; I'm a very macro person and can't handle small, detail-oriented tasks.
9. I'm obsessed with cake. Really, I am. Some people crave chips and salsa or ice cream; I crave cake. It's my very favorite dessert. Naturally, our wedding cake was very important to me. The cake is one of the best parts of a wedding, and I can't stand it when I wait in line at a reception, only to receive a lousy piece of cake. So, we visited about six places for wedding cake until we finally found the one that was up to my standards. And it was perfect!
2. I love poodles. My family has always had poodles, and they're such wonderful pets. Call me an old lady, but I really want to have one when Brendan and I get a dog.
3. I have really small toenails. I mean, freakishly-small toenails. Whenever I get a pedicure, the nail person always gives me a funny look and laughs when she first sees my feet.
4. The children's book Love You Forever makes me cry every single time.
5. In high school I played a Puerto Rican in West Side Story, if you can believe that. They only cast me for the role because I could sing, so I was Consuelo, the blond-haired, green-eyed Puerto Rican.
6. I love yoga. I started practicing it in college when I took a summer course, and I've loved it ever since. Some day, I'd love to be a licensed yoga teacher and teach some classes part-time.
7. I judge people by their poor grammar. Not in a mean way, but it really bugs me when people mess up things like "I" and "me" or "who" and "whom;" it's like nails on a chalk board. I guess that's why I became an English major.
8. I'm a forensic science nerd. I'm obsessed with shows like CSI and Medical Detectives, and as weird as it sounds I'm fascinated by stuff like that. I could never be a forensic scientist in real life, though, because the tedium of cataloging a crime scene and the like would drive me crazy; I'm a very macro person and can't handle small, detail-oriented tasks.
9. I'm obsessed with cake. Really, I am. Some people crave chips and salsa or ice cream; I crave cake. It's my very favorite dessert. Naturally, our wedding cake was very important to me. The cake is one of the best parts of a wedding, and I can't stand it when I wait in line at a reception, only to receive a lousy piece of cake. So, we visited about six places for wedding cake until we finally found the one that was up to my standards. And it was perfect!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Idolatry, Part II
Pardon my brief digression into American Idol territory...
A few notes from watching Idol last night:
David Cook = A.ma.zing. And he gets extra points in my book for singing my favorite Mariah song.
Kristy Lee Cook = Gone. Golly, I hope so.
David Archuleta = The new American Idol, according to my calculations. And I think I'm okay with that. You can conquer the world with the power of millions of squealing teenage girls behind you.
A few notes from watching Idol last night:
David Cook = A.ma.zing. And he gets extra points in my book for singing my favorite Mariah song.
Kristy Lee Cook = Gone. Golly, I hope so.
David Archuleta = The new American Idol, according to my calculations. And I think I'm okay with that. You can conquer the world with the power of millions of squealing teenage girls behind you.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Rainy Days and Mondays
I got caught in an utter deluge today.
If you've ever lived in (or been remotely near) West Texas, you know how unpredictable and ridiculous the weather is. Outside your window, the blue sky will be dotted with wispy white clouds, letting through soft, dappled sunlight. And then, ten minutes later, the sky will redden with dust and the wind will thrash about, producing what looks like the Second Coming. I experienced something very similar as I left class today.
As I walked out of the Ad building, I noticed through the window that it was raining. "No biggie," I thought, "I can get a little wet since I don't have anywhere to be." It was as if the rain heard me, because I opened the door and walked into a complete downpour. The cold, splashy run to my car was miserable, and after I had triumphantly shut the car door I could still feel driplets of water running down my back. What's worse, right as I turned into the driveway the rain completely stopped, and the sun was out again. Sigh.
I walked in the door literally soaked to the skin. Brendan gave me a funny look because outside it was sunny and dry, but I looked like a wet dog. My hair was as wet as if I had just stepped out of the shower, and my clothes stuck to me like pancake syrup on skin. Inky rivulets ran down my cheeks as my mascara bled. I think my purse is still drying out.
Thanks, Abilene. That's one thing I won't miss when I leave you.
If you've ever lived in (or been remotely near) West Texas, you know how unpredictable and ridiculous the weather is. Outside your window, the blue sky will be dotted with wispy white clouds, letting through soft, dappled sunlight. And then, ten minutes later, the sky will redden with dust and the wind will thrash about, producing what looks like the Second Coming. I experienced something very similar as I left class today.
As I walked out of the Ad building, I noticed through the window that it was raining. "No biggie," I thought, "I can get a little wet since I don't have anywhere to be." It was as if the rain heard me, because I opened the door and walked into a complete downpour. The cold, splashy run to my car was miserable, and after I had triumphantly shut the car door I could still feel driplets of water running down my back. What's worse, right as I turned into the driveway the rain completely stopped, and the sun was out again. Sigh.
I walked in the door literally soaked to the skin. Brendan gave me a funny look because outside it was sunny and dry, but I looked like a wet dog. My hair was as wet as if I had just stepped out of the shower, and my clothes stuck to me like pancake syrup on skin. Inky rivulets ran down my cheeks as my mascara bled. I think my purse is still drying out.
Thanks, Abilene. That's one thing I won't miss when I leave you.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Idolatry
Three things I learned from tonight's American Idol:
1. When Dolly Parton is in a room, everyone else looks sort of drab.
2. Ryan Seacrest can make a sobbing, heartbroken contestant smile and sing her (or his) heart out.
3. America's a sucker for a pretty girl who sings country music (for better, or for worse).
1. When Dolly Parton is in a room, everyone else looks sort of drab.
2. Ryan Seacrest can make a sobbing, heartbroken contestant smile and sing her (or his) heart out.
3. America's a sucker for a pretty girl who sings country music (for better, or for worse).
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Summer, Summer, Summertime
Summer is on the horizon, and I'm so ready for a break. In about 1.5 months I'll be one-half of a Master (of English), which means only one more year left of school! In honor of the impending holiday, I'm counting down the top-five things I'm looking forward to this summer.
1. Abilene in the summertime - I love Abilene in the summer months, and this will be my third summer to spend in town. During the school year, Abilene is filled with thousands of college students flitting around. Most of them clear out in the summer, and the town magically becomes calm and laid-back.
2. Cajun Cones - Anyone who's lived in Abilene knows how awesome these snow cones are. These are not your typical snow cones, mind you. They are hand-made in a tiny shack in the United parking lot, and offer such flavors as Fuzzy Navel, Old-Fashioned Ice Cream, and I Don't Know But It's Good. (And they always give you extra syrup if you ask, which earns points in my book.) More than anything, though, summer to me means Cajun Cones with Brendan. It's our place during the summer, usually in conjunction with the park, to goof off and spend time together.
3. My summer job - I'm working a full-time office job on campus this summer, which will be a welcome change of pace from the erratic hours, classes, and homework of this semester. I'm so excited that I can leave work at work at not have to bring anything home.
4. Clay and Heather's wedding - My big brother is getting married on
August 2! Heather is a wonderful woman who'll make an excellent addition to our family. I'm a groom's attendant, meaning I'll stand on Clay's side. I think that's pretty awesome.
5. Our first married vacation - "But wait," you protest, "what about your honeymoon!" Technically our honeymoon was our first trip together, but anyone who's actually been on a honeymoon knows that it's not your typical vacation. When you leave for your honeymoon you tell yourself, "This must be the most amazing vacation ever! We must do as much as we can so we can have the best time ever, and take as many pictures as humanly possible so we can remember it as the best vacation ever!!"
Consequently our honeymoon, while wonderful, was busy. At Disney World I kept thinking, "We have to keep moving and doing things, because I have to make memories!" For our next vacation, I'm looking forward to sleeping in, not having a schedule, and just enjoying my husband.
1. Abilene in the summertime - I love Abilene in the summer months, and this will be my third summer to spend in town. During the school year, Abilene is filled with thousands of college students flitting around. Most of them clear out in the summer, and the town magically becomes calm and laid-back.
2. Cajun Cones - Anyone who's lived in Abilene knows how awesome these snow cones are. These are not your typical snow cones, mind you. They are hand-made in a tiny shack in the United parking lot, and offer such flavors as Fuzzy Navel, Old-Fashioned Ice Cream, and I Don't Know But It's Good. (And they always give you extra syrup if you ask, which earns points in my book.) More than anything, though, summer to me means Cajun Cones with Brendan. It's our place during the summer, usually in conjunction with the park, to goof off and spend time together.
3. My summer job - I'm working a full-time office job on campus this summer, which will be a welcome change of pace from the erratic hours, classes, and homework of this semester. I'm so excited that I can leave work at work at not have to bring anything home.
4. Clay and Heather's wedding - My big brother is getting married on
August 2! Heather is a wonderful woman who'll make an excellent addition to our family. I'm a groom's attendant, meaning I'll stand on Clay's side. I think that's pretty awesome.
5. Our first married vacation - "But wait," you protest, "what about your honeymoon!" Technically our honeymoon was our first trip together, but anyone who's actually been on a honeymoon knows that it's not your typical vacation. When you leave for your honeymoon you tell yourself, "This must be the most amazing vacation ever! We must do as much as we can so we can have the best time ever, and take as many pictures as humanly possible so we can remember it as the best vacation ever!!"
Consequently our honeymoon, while wonderful, was busy. At Disney World I kept thinking, "We have to keep moving and doing things, because I have to make memories!" For our next vacation, I'm looking forward to sleeping in, not having a schedule, and just enjoying my husband.
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