Miscellaneous Missives

When we left for the game, it was raining. When we returned from the game, it was snowing. In between I was able to make fun of Vikings' fans who were more entertained throwing paper airplanes and booing their team. We also won Lucky Charms for sitting in section 232!

Today was my day for multiple errands. In the middle I decided to stop by SA to grab a fountain Diet Pepsi. Since I skipped the Milk Duds, it was more of a snack than an actual meal. Anyway, I had to ask the attendant to change the Diet Pepsi. As I turned to go back toward the machine, this white haired skinny little man almost knocked me over trying to get to my previous place in line. "My bad," he muttered as I politely (actually polite, yes) said, "excuse me." What makes someone with white hair, obviously elderly, utter "my bad?" I was a bit disconcerted as I waited for my fountain soda... my bad.

Polar Bears may be added to the National Endagered Species list because of Global Warming. Global Warming? I was under the impression it wasn't a problem. Do you think George watched Al Gore's movie ?

The FDA has decided that cloned cows and pigs' food (meat and milk) is safe the BBC and other news agencies reported. My guess is that this is true, but it can't be a good decision. Certainly the packaging will inform the consumer that the food comes from a cloned animal. Why is OK to mess around with cloned animals, but we can't continue with stem cell research to find cures?

If I saw a picture of President Gerald Ford, I would be able to give the face a name. I, however, am embarrassed to admit that I know very little about this man. Of course I have learned more listening to and reading the news today. Getting our troops out of Vietnam and admitting loss seems to have merit. Our current administration could take lessons. It also seems Ford allowed the "draft dodgers" amnesty (definately descent). Although his approval ratings were low while he was in offfice, he seems to be an honorable man. One could not say that of our current president. Another honorable man whom I respect is President Jimmy Carter who stated that Ford was "one of the most admirable public servants and human beings I have ever known."

Our incredible media specialist sent out an e-mail asking for people to review some books. Although my reading pile is growing, I would do anything to help this miraculous media marvel. I searched through the books not really too impressed by the titles and chose three. My favorite was entitled Horns and Wrinkes . Afterall, I think I should read any unauthorized biographies about myself. Imagine my disappointment when I realized it was a fiction book about trolls.

The presents are open. The dinner is cooked and finished. The kitchen is clean. The games are on hold. The Christmas music has changed to football. The fudge is dwindling. The pie and icecream are waiting for half time and a walk. I am blessed to be able to spend Christmas with my dad. Although this Christmas has been different than those of the past, I think it was one of the best. We were able to relax and enjoy each other. It reminds me of the importance of family and the true holiday spirit. My apartment is small, but we've done quite well in this space.

This is a true story from a dinner party Christmas Eve! Several people were sitting in the living room talking while the television was mute in the background. On the screen they were saving baby elephants. A lady attending the party, obviously no friend of mine, said, "I'm glad I'm a Republican because those baby elephants are so cute." Could I invent this story? I don't think anyone could invent such a pathetic story. No one could even reply. As we went to the car later in the evening, it was the first story I chose to revisit. George Bush has nothing on this lady.

Today the sermon was the children's book Little One, We Knew You'd Come by Sally Lloyd-Jones. The story was read and the pictures were shown on the screen. At the end of the story when a picture of Mother and Child was shone, as if on cue, a little girl, with red shoes like Dorothy, said, "It's Jesus!." Yes, it's Jesus. May be remember this in our celebrations today and tomorrow.

As Bobby Knight ties Dean Smith to have 879 wins, the most in division one men's basketball, I am reminded of media's impact on our perceptions. For years the sports media has pictured Bobby Knight as a chair throwing foul mouthed coach who berates his players. With his win to tie Dean Smith's record, Knight becomes pictured as a coach who knows the game, tells his players that intelligence is more important than athletic prowes, runs an honest program, and graduates more student athletes than other division one coaches. Of course the truth is a combination of these attributes. To me the record wins and graduation rate says enough to give Knight a place in basketball history.

It's 8:15 Saturday morning. I've already weighed, talked to my dad, and eaten three pieces of fudge. Remember Milk Duds and Diet Pepsi may be the lunch of champions, but fudge is the breakfast of champions. Since I somehow managed to eat fudge (many pieces...especially yesterday) for the last three days, work out only once, and still lose a pound, I really didn't feel too guilty about the breakfast of champions. Besides, my next endeavor was to don my iPod and walk around the lake. WAS... my iPod is dead. While it's charging, I'm confused. Should I eat another piece of fudge, hit the shower, and skip the walk? Should I eat another piece of fudge, geek on the computer, and wait for it to charge? How long does it take for an iPod to charge? I hope I'm still in the mood for a morning walk when it's charged. To make matters worse, I need to save at least one piece of fudge for Dad!

Our book club at school is going to read The Memory Keeper's Daughter for our discussion in January. I have yet to start reading. Since I am not traveling for Christmas, I should have plenty of time to read. Today I noticed an article in the McNews.com (as my brother calls USA Today) book section compares it to The Kite Runner . I doubt it will be an equal, but it certainly has me intrigued.

This morning I was given sage advice about purchasing my turkey for Christmas today and putting it in the refrigerator. This afternoon I bought my first turkey. Don't worry; Dad will do the actually cooking. When I entered my apartment this evening, I left it on the floor while I went to get my mail. It seems like an expensive cat toy.

Today on cue snow finally fell in Minneapolis. Since I was driving 15 to 20 mph on the way home, I was able to take these pictures. I love the trees when they have a thin coating of snow.

What makes a good commercial? If it's being able to remember the product, "The Easy Button" is an awesome commercial. If it's remembering the company, it doesn't work. Although I know it's an office supply company, I really can't remember the company. The commercial, however, is memorable even for those not necessarily buying office supplies. "This is hard! I wish life had an easy button," exclaimed the same student from the last post as he was finishing the typing for his poetry book. BTW if he had followed directions from the beginning, he might not have needed the easy button.

Today it's not even last block, and I sit with palms over my eyes cradling my head in the computer lab as students type. "Is teaching really that hard?" a student earnestly asks. "Sometimes," I mutter. "Mrs. P does this," he says and shows me how she pinches the bridge of her nose. "Mrs. P sometimes has migraines, " I explain. My guess is most teachers would not realize that this little skate punk is observant and caring. He is the same young man who picked up trash in the hallway and gave it to me, so it could be thrown away. I like him more every day. Maybe I just needed to get to know him.

Christmas cards have been filtering in one a day for over a week. Today I was excited as several cards came in one day. I love the cards that have a letter and a personal message (thanks Katie). The excitement faded as I began, once again, to feel guilty about not sending out cards this year. Multiple excuses could be given, but I'll refrain from listing each one. Perhaps I'll send out the Happy Holidays (Valentine's Day, Groundhog's Day, and President's Day) in Febuary, but I don't see it happening! The reality is that this has been a different holiday season. I can't really say it's been difficult, just different. Thanksgiving was delightful! It was the first Thanksgiving I didn't spend in Iowa. Christmas will also be spent in Minneapolis. Plans have already been made to celebrate -- friends, church, and perhaps Hollidazzle ( a first). Although the dynamics of my family are different without Mother, the four of us (excluding her) have p...

The ESPN.com sportsnation question today is "Which Saturday incident bothered you more?". The two options are as follows: Nuggets-Knicks Brawl and T.O. Spitting on DeAngelo Hall. I voted for T.O. spitting because I know that there were consequences for the Nuggets-Knicks brawl. Quite frankly there could have been consequences for T.O., but I didn't care enough to read the article. Which Saturday incident bothered you more? I am bothered that this is important. I am bothered that grown men making millions of dollars can't behave any better than my seventh grade students. I am bothered that the consequences aren't more severe. I am bothered that our society allows this to happen. I am bothered that this is news. I am bothered that someone hasn't taken T.O. aside and said, "Grow up." I am bothered that my life is so mundane that I feel this is worthy of a post.

Even though I have decorated my apartment, bought and wrapped all of my gifts, and set up my Advent candles, today I witnessed holiday spirit in a different way. Today I went on an adventure with my friend Spencer and her dog Milo. It seemed easy; we met at Pet Smart to get Milo's picture taken with Santa. When we arrived at the store, Santa was Asian which probably would have been OK, but his white wig did not cover his dark hair. Last year Milo had his picture taken with the same Santa. This year Spencer wanted something different. We left to get pictures taken of the two of them in front of her tree. Poor Milo had to wear reindeer antlers. Taking pictures in front of a tree is not quite the same as involving Santa, so we drove to Brooklyn Center (out of my comfort zone of "the circle."). It seems Santa was at one of her dealerships. He certainly was and he was not alone! Santa was accompanied by Mrs. Klaus, elves, reindeer, and a sleigh. Although Milo wasn...

When I'm tired, I tend to have a difficult time focusing. Today I received some pictures that had been sitting in my computer for quite some time (which BTW I love!). I opened the pictures then proceeded to light my candles. Before I had all of the candles lit...

I went shopping at IKEA for the first time tonight.

Although I'm proud to be an Iowa native, I don't think I'd advertise it with a sticker on my car. As I was driving home from dinner tonight I spotted the green shape of Iowa with the word native written in the middle on the back of a car with Iowa license plates. Of course the great thing about Iowa license plates is that they display the county of the registered plate. The county on this car was Jasper. I'm not really sure where Jasper county is in Iowa or what towns are located in Jasper county. Giving this some thought, does this individual need to advertise they're an Iowa native if they still have Iowa plates? I did try to Google this to show an image of this sticker with no luck or maybe with luck since I didn't find it.

This morning the principal met with our team to explain next year's schedule. The new schedule goes against "Best Practices" and the middle school philosophy, but it is obvious that our district doesn't care about either one. After the meeting I received an e-mail from the principal that merely said, "let's talk." Of course I went across the hall to find out if I was rude or disrespectful. J told me I was "disgruntled." I had a brief conversation with the principal whom I respect. Of course I'm not the only one that knows the schedule will NOT work for our population. During our short discussion, I reminded him that only one team member found it positive. This is a team member who doesn't read and certainly doesn't read education focused journals or books. I also told him that I would be checking pay scales for metro schools to see if I could afford to work in another district which unfortunately I think our district has on...

Today at church a friendly reminder (We have 50 more angels than we had planned.) prompted me to grab an angel and go shopping. I will admit that I perused the angels until I found one that only required a trip to a bookstore and/or K-Mart. As I perused the angels, a little girl and her mom were searching for their angel. "Should we find an angel for a little girl your age?" the mom questioned her daughter. Since I had just seen a 2 1/2 year old girl and figured it was the approximate age of the girl scanning the bottom of the tree for her favorite color (red), I handed the angel off to the mother who was quite pleased. I chose a twelve year old girl who wanted "educational games." How could I turn down this one? The angel says the gifts should be between $25 and $30. My receipts totaled $37. In my defense, I purchased a book which was not technically an "educational game." Since it was a gift that wasn't really wanted, I thought it would be ...

How pathetic is my life? I just took ten of these types of quizzes. Although I don't feel well enough to do anything, I do feel well enough to take childish quizzes on the internet. My only positive thing is that I did finish two books today (finished one and read one). At least I was able to have some brain activity. You Should Weigh 150 If you weigh less than this, you either have a fast metabolism or are about to gain weight. If you weigh more than this, you may be losing a few pounds soon! How Much Do You Weigh? This has got to be the dumbest quiz I took!!! They ask you to put in your age, but not your height. This is insane. My guess is no one takes these things seriously. The sad thing is that this is fairly accurate;( You Passed 8th Grade Science Congratulations, you got 7/8 correct! Could You Pass 8th Grade Science? BTW- I did not pass the 8th grade history test! As for this quiz I'm sure I missed the physical science question (#1) about energy.

Tonight I stopped by Wild Rumpus to pick up a book I had placed on hold. As I was asked if I needed a gift receipt or gift wrapping, I replied, "No, it is for me." Next the clerk reached for a bag for my book, and I told her, "I don't need a bag." "How politically correct, " she answered. Politically correct? How is not taking a bag politically correct? I was a bit annoyed. The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became. Politically correct has become a term such as liberal. It is used negatively. Is it politically correct to care about the environment? Well, I suppose caring about the environment is politically correct, but I would never have put it in that category. I'm not really sure why one would even comment when someone didn't take the bag. Afterall, I was actually saving pennies for the company. Politically correct? It's environmentally conscience, or maybe it's just not being wasteful.

Even though, and maybe because, I am the youngest member of my book club from church Kjerrensleppets (supposedly translated loose women), I find these women remarkable and hope I am as knowledgeable and compassionate when I am older. Each month I am fascinated by one of these women. Last night it was a 70+ year old lady. A group of us were talking about The Omnivore's Dilemma . The conversation naturally progressed to organic food. As we were talking about the good and bad about Whole Foods, and the importance of buying locally primarily with organic foods, the 70+ lady talked about how she shops at the Linden Hills Coop and the Wedge Coop. She talked about her goal to buy 60% of her food from a 300 mile radius. This doesn't mean she shops a 300 mile radius, this means the food was grown or raised within 300 miles. Another lady said, "What about my mangos?" Of course she was answered with the fact that it is only 60% of the food. This is a great goal. I rea...

I have Magers and Quinn in my cell phone address book. On the way home from my church book club I called them with the two titles we are going to read next. While I had the salesperson on the phone, I also wanted to get a copy of the book for my school book club. "I don't really know the title, but I think it has memory and boy in it. Oh, it might have keeper." "Do you think it's the Memory Keeper's Daughter?" "Yes, maybe that's it. Could you put it on hold for me?" "Sure, would you like a new or used copy?" "Used. If it isn't the right title I'll let you know when I come in." Can you believe they had all three books? When I got home, I checked my notes, and they had come up with the correct title (Memory Keeper's Daughter). I love that place!

Tomorrow I need to bring a dessert or appetizer to my church book club. Is it lying if I went to Lunds, bought two desserts (Russian tea cookies and pecan tarts), and put them into a holiday tin? If it is lying, is lying one of the ten commandments?

Today the team met with the principal about the "heavy hitters" and those directly below them. One idea was to make a list of the worst kids and put them in one class. From the start I questioned the idea. My concern was that it would let those students know we had completely given up on them. I was satisfied when another member of the team expressed her concerns. For some reason I didn't want to be the one going against the team member who had the idea. Actually, I tried very hard to keep my mouth shut during the meeting. Since you know me, you will realize this was an impossibility. For the most part I tried to give logical suggestions instead of emotional suggestions. This was especially important because I think I'm getting sick, and I tend to have even less of a filter than usual when I am "under the weather."

Since the Kitty Klaus' feline friends have moved out of the house. He needs to find other entertainment when I visit Dad. Nalo, recovering from a torn ACL, was a good sport! Although you can't really tell from the picture, she is wagging her tail, so both are obviously content.

My bears have been stored at my parents' house for at least ten years. For some reason I've never been able to part with them. It now seems silly to keep them all, but I don't really want to throw them away. A couple are the old Dayton's bears. Any ideas?

After seeing otters in Alaska, I became a huge fan. In fact on many occasions since I've said, "I want to be an otter." Well.. You Were an Otter You are a faithful friend who guides others toward success. You are also light hearted, and love to play around. What Animal Were You In a Past Life? Do I take this seriously? Let's just say the first time I did this, I was a polar bear. After finishing reading my blogs, I went back to add it to my blog tonight because in school I was Moeller Polar when I was young. Today we were talking about alliteration and rhyme. My name mm is alliteration, and Moeller Polar is rhyme. I thought it all fitting. The problem was when I tried it the second time the otter appeared instead of the polar bear. Still fitting?