Miscellaneous Missives

I tend to eat too much during workshop week as I typically eat out each lunch. When we were on our way to Potbelly on Monday, we realized a Mexican taqueria, Andale Taqueria Y Mercado, had opened on Nicollet near 494 (7700 Nicollet Avenue, Richfield). I've been trying all day to pronounce taqueria correctly, but I'm struggling. Anyway, I love going into a place that seems authentic. Only Latinos were eating and working in the restaurant. We were the only Gringa(o)s. The food was fairly inexpensive and tasty. It helped that the hot sauce had a bit of a kick. I had three (yep, three... carnitas, pollo, cerdo (?)... starving) tacos and left completely satisfied. Completely satisfied also could describe my afternoon at school. Many know the long story of my begging for a cork board for the last several years. Instead of a cork board, I had a white board that I used double-sided tape to tape up paper to cover then more double-sided tape to attach posters. It was horr...

Today was the second day of workshop. I forgot how stressful it is to start the school year: getting up early, making sure my room is ready to go, attending meetings, updating web pages, etc. Yesterday I arrived at school at 7:15 am and returned home at 5:00 pm in time to take a shower and leave for dinner with wonderful former colleagues. When I returned home, I took a minute to reflect on my day. Today driving to school I had a realization about school and my colleagues. To be honest I do not consider most of my colleagues to be friends. My realization is not that I don't consider them friends, but that there is a special bond. A colleague, whom I don't necessarily consider a friend, and I were talking yesterday. Although I hadn't talked to her all summer, she felt comfortable sharing some sad news with me. Being a colleague and working closely each day of the school year forms a rare bond. Maybe it's because I work with amazing people. Most of my workshop...

zero hour- (n) the scheduled time for the start of an action (especially a military operation) The American Heritage dic-tion-ar-y Fourth Edition Rocket Man by Elton John "She packed my bags last night pre-flight Zero hour nine a.m. And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then" I don't know how it relates, but I heard this song yesterday. It made me think of today's post, ' Z '. Actually it sorta fits since this summer (view image) is z ooming by, and " z ero hour" comes on Monday when I have to go back to work. Today I "packed my bags" with the school stuff that needs to return on Monday. Although I'm not really prepared to start on Monday, I know that it will be good. The training last week and the meetings over the last couple weeks have helped prepare me for this change. I merely wish "zero hour" was actually nine am because I'm not prepared for an earlier start. 26 days, 26 posts, 26 letters of the alpha...

Last night my brother and I looked through pictures of our youth. We had a blast looking at the photos and deciding which ones we wanted to scan. I asked that two of my favorites be scanned today, so I could put them on my blog. Something did not go as planned, so I hope it can be fixed before the rest are scanned (Someone is scanning them for us.). I have reposted the pictures after some lack of common sense and a helpful e-mail, so all is well with the pictures.

Yesterday, in preparation for today's trip to visit my brother and today's blog of 'X', I sent my brother a text asking if he would be willing to break a bone while I was visiting him in Okoboji. My plan was simple. He breaks a bone. We go to the emergency room. I take a picture and post a blog of our adventures. Brilliant! This morning he called questioning my plan. "Why don't you write about X-Ray Spex?" he asked. "I don't know X-Ray Spex," I answered. "Yes you do. They sang Ballroom Blitz ," he provided. Although it was not a stellar plan like the broken bone and X-ray, I asked him to send me the link. This is what I received. I was wrong. the glam rock band, Sweet, plays Ballroom Blitz . I was thinking of the punk rock band the X-Ray Spex who are also famous and sing the following song which may or may not be appropriate for you blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogypBUCb7DA . There isn't necessarily an a...

Today is the second day of MILI. I'm sure I will learn lots. At the bottom of my V is for Valuable post, I made a list of things I accomplished. I did not add making a Wordle of my blog (even though I did accomplish this) because I knew today was W is for Wordle! I'm not quite sure that my Wordle a fair sample of my blog, but I like its looks.

This morning was my first day of MILI (Metronet Information Literacy Initiative). The focus is on the 3 R's (research, reliable resources, responsible use). At first I was a bit frustrated because the beginning of the day wasn't interactive. The presenters were "talking at us". I realize this is important to disseminate information. It wasn't all bad. While I was listening, I used an online dictionary to peruse the 'V' section for today's blog (vegetables/hate broccoli, venus fly trap/ always wanted one, verse/what poem could I post?, vestal virgin/???, vex/challenges of daily blogging, vice president/would love to have a beer with Biden, video/favorite Youtube video, vocabulary/idea for next year's daily journal, vodka/prefer gin, vomit/IDK...follows vodka). Each word was worthy of today's blog since each word has a story (except vestal virgin... what's a vestal virgin?). I digress. As the day continued, I was more excited about ...

U is for Uncle... After being in quite a bit of pain for the last couple weeks, I cried, "Uncle." This morning I had an appointment with my PT. She gave me a list of things I can't do: running, playing golf, and biking. She also gave me a list of things I can do: continue to do my exercises, ice twice a day, BodyPump and BodyFlow classes (with things to watch and of course "let pain be the guide"). Since I'm having difficulties walking, I knew this is how this morning would go. U is for Universe, Nickelodeon Universe Today's trip to Nickelodeon Universe had been planned for a two or three weeks, but it worked out great for today's post. I told J that I would go with her and H to ride rides especially roller coasters (and that we did!). At the beginning of the day, I suggested that H come up with five 'U' words. This was before I knew 16 was her "lucky number." Maybe I should have asked for 16 'U' words. Alth...

Tree of Life by Daniel Greene Soil of birth and life, Feedings, nurturing of roots, Supplying strenght needed to grow, Climbing, working, upward the trunk, Gaining knowledge, Branches reaching, grasping at goals, Spreading my leaves to the sky. Recently several people I respect, mainly from my church community, have commented on Tree of Life . Today in church someone else brought it up in conversation and mentioned it wouldn't be in the Twin Cities for long. I decided to take the time to see it this evening. Although I put an invitation and Facebook and e-mailed one person, I didn't try hard to find someone to accompany me. The truth is that I really don't like to go to movies. Actually I'm not really sure about going with people because it's not really a good time for conversation. This may have been a mistake because this is a movie that needs conversation. A few at church have mentioned coming together in discussion. I hope this comes to fruiti...

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean— the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? I'm sure I've used this poem before in multiple posts. Each time I read it another line is impo...

After I had been sleeping for a couple hours last night, I awoke. At first I wasn't sure why I woke up. Then I heard it, a consistent beep about every 90 seconds. It was annoying enough to get me out of bed. First, I checked the basic electronics to see if they were the culprit. Next, I stood in each room trying to detect the location. Eventually I decided to listen in the hallway leading to the basement. Bingo! The sound was coming from the laundry room. When I entered the laundry room, it was obvious the smoke/carbon dioxide detector had a low battery because with the beeping was a voice that said, "Low battery." Obviously it needed someone to respond, and I responded by taking the battery off and returning to bed. This morning after a sad run (S is for sad), I bought batteries (9 volt) and replaced them in the two alarms (one in laundry room and one in upstairs hallway). As soon as I replaced them the beeping and message returned. ARGHHH! I climbed up ...

Image: School supplies piled in the garage. Although I don't need to be back at school until Monday the 29th, I've already started having meetings and workshops. I need to make it QUIT. This has my mind reeling with ideas. I need to make it QUIT. Basically, I'm starting to stress out, and it's too early to be stressing out. I need to make it QUIT. Instead of worrying about school and my list of things to accomplish, I need to be spending time enjoying the remaining days (beautiful, perfect weather) of summer.

Par - common level: equality a) an amount taken as average or norm - the score standard for each hole of a golf course Merriam Webster Wednesday evening is my golf night. Last week I took the night off to relax the hip flexors since the hips are used quite a bit in the game of golf. It really didn't seem to make a difference, so I played tonight. Tonight's weather was absolutely wonderful (above par... more like a birdie or eagle). My golf game was sub-par (more like a double bogey or triple bogey) as were the greens on the course. I wish I could say it mattered, but it didn't because the weather was perfect. Am I in pain? Yep, but I'd do it again. My hip flexors can take a break in January. The current weather is too perfect not to be outside enjoying life.

O is for Obama I only have enough energy for a short post about Obama... on again... off again . His recent trip to the Midwest reminded me of why I voted for him. Unfortunately, I can't forget his campaign speeches differ from his actual presidency. Perhaps I'm most upset of his failure to merely show up in Wisconsin and support the Union workers, but that's not it. In a text conversation with a friend, I was warned that I should make sure I spoke positively about Obama since an undecided voter may be listening. Any Republican would probably be worse than Obama, but it doesn't alleviate my frustration. At one point I said that "at least GW was terrorizing other countries not his own." Quickly I commented, "Ok... I take that back... kind of..." Terrorizing is too strong, but I do feel that the middle class and those living in poverty are taking huge hits under this administration. Of course it's the Republicans and not Obama, but he is...

Copyright issues... I did contact www.cartoonstock.com for the right to reproduce this cartoon and am waiting for a reply. N is for Novel I am currently reading the novel One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It's a fairly good book, but I can't seem to find enough time to finish it. N is for Novel Idea My brother's birthday is August 19th. This year I wanted to give him something special and unique since he has stranded himself in Iowa working on his dissertation. Since he is working on his PhD, money is always a welcome gift, but I wanted to do more than put cash in his envelope. Well, I did put cash in his envelope, but I also came up with a novel idea. Inside I wrote a note saying I would give him the same amount of dollars as his age until I turned a year older. For example, let's say Michael is turning twenty, and I am turning twenty-one. He would get twenty dollars a month until November when I turned twenty-one. While we were the sa...

My brother arrived from Santa Cruz today. I picked him up from the airport, and we drove to Okoboji. When we arrived, Michael called Dad about something he needed to know. While he was talking to Michael, he told him where to find the password for the wireless internet. As I overheard the conversation, I swore with exuberance. It seems at least twice this summer I had cut the zip cords that connected the modem to a post, so I could find the password and reconnect it. Michael is given the password without any work. "I always knew Michael was the chosen one," I exclaimed.

Several weeks ago I asked for suggestions for my walking/jogging playlist. My request was made on Facebook and my blog. Although I had some great suggestions, my playlist is not perfected. This morning as I dodged rain puddles and started week three of C25K, my playlist made me sluggish. A jogging playlist should not make one sluggish. As Usher sang "Moving Mountains", I was certain I would need to move mountains to keep running. I ended with Eminem's "Shake That" which had a great beat, but the lyrics are too much for a cool down. Those two songs plus the three Train songs have been removed. Yesterday I removed "Redemption Song", good song, too slow. I guess it's a work in progress. BTW- Any suggestions? L is also for La Luna since there is a full moon tonight!

I'll be honest; every word that I came up with for 'K' was really a 'C'. For some reason the old t-shirt "Keep on Trucking" came to mind, so... K is for Keep on Trucking. Yesterday I received an acupuncture treatment on my hip flexors. Although it's early, I think it helped. I sat all morning in a workshop without much pain. Tomorrow we'll be the real test. If it works, I'm going to "Keep on Trucking" with more acupuncture. This morning I had a workshop/training session at the district office. When I arrived, I realized the training was not what I expected. As I was seriously thinking about leaving, the gentleman next to me said that he would help me. Then I realized I was being paid for the morning session. I decided to "Keep on Trucking" and continue with the training session. Life is good... Keep Trucking!

Last year I remember having difficulties with 'J'. Maybe I was just trying too hard to write a just post. Just is one of Nancy Atwell's "Yuck Words". During editing when students are trying to find an alternative, I usually ask them what they are trying to say. Just can be an adjective or adverb. Typically I use it as an adverb. Examples: I just [recently] finished my second week of C25K. I just [merely] need some ice. With current politics, it's easy to use it as an adjective. Example: The recent debt ceiling bill was not just [moral, fair]. Honestly, I just don't know what to say. I just don't think "Just" is Radiohead's best song. I prefer "Creep".

My hip flexors have been causing me pain almost all summer. It started early in the summer when I started walking more than I had during the school year and flared up any time I sat for extended period of time (frequent car and airplane trips). Almost immediately I started physical therapy. Because my core (ab and butt muscles) is weak, my hip flexors are doing too much work. Physical therapy consists of several exercises to do at home. During my trip to Guatemala, I failed daily exercises. Instead of getting worse, my hip flexor pain actually was diminished. Of course this was a reason for me to quit my exercises making the pain come back with more intensity. Around the same time, I also started C25K meaning more struggle. Since I started C25K, I didn't want to feel like a loser after one week and quit and explained this to my PT. "The pain is back due to more activity and lack of exercises," I started. "If I put on Biofreeze before and after plus tak...

Heinous, Hazardous, Haunting, Hideous, Helpless... Last night I hit the wall. The ants game back again. This time it wasn't the little annoying ants, it was the big, disgusting (even more than the little ones) ants. I freaked out because it seems like they won't leave me alone. Instead of keeping calm, I went crazy. Maybe this is because I've tried the orange stuff, the Terro stuff, and I've cleaned my floor more in the last two weeks than I did all winter. Of course they waited to make their appearance after the hardware stores were closed, so I called Walgreens to see if they had Raid. Yep, Raid! Hazardous and unsafe for animals, yep, Raid! Immediately I pulled out the range and refrigerator and sprayed Raid like a crazy woman. The door to the deck was also sprayed. Was my cat in danger? Probably, but the ants were haunting my home. Screaming at the cat and using a small barricade, I kept the cat out of the kitchen. An hour later I was...

According to Wikipedia, "Gallo is Guatemala's oldest continually produced beer, dating back to 1896. It is also the most famous beer in the country, and has become part of Guatemalan popular culture." While I was in Guatemala, I drank several bottles and cans of Gallo. In fact the first time I had Gallo was before lunch as two others and I were waiting for our group. It was early in the trip. The three of us spoke little Spanish and were still getting used to the Quetzal (Guatemalan money). We walked into a disgusting drinking establishment that smelled like a urine filled outhouse. Obviously we chose to take the beer with us instead of to drink inside. I gave the guy 100 Quetzal, and he gave me three Gallos. When we were on the street enjoying our beer, I took my money out to figure out how much each beer cost. Oops, it seems I spent $4.50 for each beer. As the week ended, we became better with the language and money. The basic price was $1.50. Since Kasey...

F is for Falls This evening I met my father, his girlfriend, and her large family at Minnehaha Falls. I went early in order to enjoy the wonderful weather, read, and look at the falls. Actually since I knew today was 'F', I planned on taking pictures of the falls. Of course I parked at the opposite end instead of close to the appropriate place. Since I had already bought my ice cream, the walk was slow and relaxing. F is for Fissure When I reached the assigned shelter, life became a little more complicated. First I arrived before Dad and Carol, so I introduced myself and talked to the family. When my dad arrived, he accidentally kicked (?) my toe. It probably was my fault since I wasn't wearing shoes, but I don't think my sandals would have been much protection for the nail on my big toe. Notice the crack in my nail. I'm not really sure how to handle this injury, so I'm going to douse it in hydrogen peroxide and leave it. Unless anyone has any a...

According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, the definition for exasperate is as follows: a: to excite the anger of: enrage b: to cause irritation or annoyance to: aggravate I don't believe that I am enraged, but I am certainly aggravated. Last night was the second or third night I couldn't sleep because of my hip flexor pain (more on H... Hip Flexor day). Finally, after the third application of the greenish, bluish goo (Biofreeze) and the second helping of Advil, I was able to rest (around 4am). Instead of bounding out of bed at 7:00 to ready for the farmer's market, I remained in bed finally able to rest. Well, I would have been able to rest if the cat hadn't disturbed my slumber. He was insistent to quite insistent, so I arose to feed him only to find he was probably more concerned with the ants in his food dish than he was with actually being fed. This is the third time these ants have appeared in the last ten days. EXASPERATING. Trying to find ...

Tengo dos mensajes para hoy. I hope this translates to I have two posts today. Delightful!! D is for Democrats One of my favorite Democrats is Bernie Sanders. I wish all Dems had his beliefs and backbone. D is for Dots While I was in Mexico, I spent some time sitting next to Edgar. Although he didn't speak the English, he was a bright boy, and we could communicate. I had given him an activity book with "connect the dots" and other activities. He couldn't read the directions because they were in English, so I tried to explain the directions for each activity to him, so he could complete the book. My Spanish vocabulary is almost non-existent, so this was a challenge. Edgar, however, was a quick study. We started with dot to dot and proceeded through one of each kind of activity, so he could do the rest at home. It was a great experience.

I remember going to the dentist a couple of years ago and admitting that I used to merely floss the week before until the cavity between my teeth appeared, and I started flossing every day. She said that was great and then added, "...but you don't eat much candy do you?" This was majorly entertaining since I had a box of Runts (pure sugar and hard enough to crack a tooth) in my car. Of course, in full disclosure, I admitted to eating a ton of candy. In fact as I've probably stated before, my class after lunch commented that I was always eating candy as they entered the room. It became a joke that I thought candy was vegetables. This summer I have added a new favorite candy to my list. One of my favorite places to buy candy is The Sugar Shack in the Central Emporium. At the beginning of the summer, I was at this location purchasing caramels and other goodies. The owner (my former Kiddie College teacher) was filling a container of gummy looking grapefruit ca...

Befuddled is how I feel as I sit down to write by blog for B. It came to my mind that I could write about Boehner, but I really don't think it's good to be overtly negative on a beautiful day. I could write about blogging and how on some days I really have nothing about which to write. This morning I met with brilliant colleagues at an Uptown coffee shop... bountiful ideas. Later this evening I have book club with an amazing group of women, but that was my 'K' last summer. After book club I am driving to 'Boji although that was my last summer's 'B' . Befuddled... B is for Book Blogs. Final decision. During the summer I read many YA (young adult) books. I feel the need to know what's available and current, so I can recommend books to students during the school year because I don't feel that I have time during the school year to do this task. Our school has a great literacy program (the best!!). It seems that reading the books is easy....

A dmittedly I already did my 'A' post for today. A lthough after viewing this video, I thought it needed to be shared.

A nxiety arose as I read Pronto Pup 's new blog challenge. A lthough I completely agree that the image challenge and alphabet challenge were awesome, I'm not sure I can do the alphabet twice. A s many may know, I walked into an ant invested kitchen yesterday. A nts are not my favorite, so I did not take a picture of their infiltrations. A ctually, ants creep me out, and I hate buying ant spray then worrying about my cat. A CE, however, had a spray that was safe to be used around "food, humans and pets." A nticipating the wonder of this use, I went home to spray my new ant farm. A lleviating the ants was easy with the spray, but I had to clean the floor because the Orange Guard left a film (thick film?).

Although I make sure I workout at the gym at least twelve times a month (even when I spent a week in Guatemala), my cardio workout is lacking. Recently I downloaded the Couch to 5K app to my iPhone and iPod. Today was the day I chose to start. When I left at 6:50am, it was 78º with a dew point of 73 and 82% humidity. I'm ready for lower humidity. Will I be successful with this C25K thing? Although I would like the answer to be yes, I question how it will all work once school starts. The first help would be if the humidity would diminish.