Day 130 - Madame Wendell

Earlier this week a French teacher at our school stopped by my classroom to show me the papers pictured here.  Please know that the students who wrote these papers are great kids.  The assignment required them to write about their science teacher.

There's some confusion concerning the color of my eyes and hair - brown? black?  I'm nice, creative, serious but not malicious or painful (thank goodness) and funny.  I love the fact that I'm intelligent or, according to one, very, very, very brilliant!  Finally, I can be described in any of the following ways:

 1) neither large nor small
 2) neither thin nor large
 3) large and thin
 4) tall

Day 129 - Outside Kitty Moves In

Over the course of the past week, Outside Kitty has finally decided she is ready to move in. It's only taken her about one and a half years.  Nobody is more excited about this than Grady.  He's always ready to play, he follows her every move and he genuinely adores her. She will be getting a new name and since my other pet names follow a Celtic theme (Grady, Skye and Finnegan), current names in the running include Aila, Bridget, Callie, Fiona, Maeve, Nola and Siobhan. Thoughts? Other ideas?

Day 128 - Meniscus

The meniscus is that curve liquids generate as they climb up the sides of a container (also an anatomical structure in your knees).  In order to get an accurate volume reading one must look at the bottom of the meniscus and that means getting down at eye level.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of one of my students doing just that because he was wearing this ridiculous hat today.

Day 127 - Pushing My Luck

December has come and gone and I still haven't gotten my new tabs.  As my sister and I like to say, "I'm running a teensy bit behind."  Left work today in the hope that I'd make it to a licensing place in Kirkland only to get there right as they closed.  Not that it really mattered because as I got back in the car, I noticed I needed to get an emission test.  Here's hoping that tomorrow I am able to get to the emissions station AND the licensing place before I get stopped by the law.  I'll be watching my rear view mirror very closely tomorrow.  Rachel, please don't tell your husband on me.

Day 126 - Back to Reality

It was my first day back at school today and almost everything about it was hard.  The inability to sleep last night, the ungodly hour at which I had to get up, the traffic, the constant interactions and decisions that come with teaching. . .to name a few.  What was great about today?  Seeing the kids again and the fact that it was pj day.  This is what I wore to work. Stylish isn't it?

Day 125 - Neighborhood Tragedy

I came across this makeshift memorial today as I was walking the dog.  I remembered seeing the story on the news.  On December 28th at 5:30 pm, a 37 y.o. man was fatally stabbed in the parking lot of the elementary school a block from my house.  As frightening as this is to many of you, it angers me.  My neighborhood is like many others. . .it has great neighbors and questionable neighbors.  I am a questionable neighbor's worst nightmare because I walk out in broad daylight and write down license plate numbers.  I take pictures of suspicious activity in full view of the participants.  Maybe things like this should scare me but they don't.  If only I'd been able to do something to help this man.

Day 124 - Welcome 2011

New Years Day wouldn't be the same without getting up early to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade.  We always did this as a family when I was growing up and I continue to do it to this day.  While I don't consider myself a parade fan, I hope be in California some year to actually see it.  Also love making muffins because they're quick, easily modified if necessary and so satisfying.  This recipe is one I found online and it's become one of my favorites - Banana Chocolate Chip!