It goes without saying (although I try to say it often in word and deed) that I am thankful for the health and presence of my family and friends. I am thankful that God blessed me with two beautiful children and a loving husband. I am thankful that my parents, sisters, and extended family are still with me and appear to be sticking around for a while. So when it comes to naming what I'm thankful for this year, I'm going with a list of material possessions who's invention I am thankful for. Here are my Top Ten things that I couldn't live without.
10. My crockpot--perfect for getting a hot dinner in the bellies of my babies, I rely on my crockpot in the winter months. However, in an unfortuante accident involving breakfast and my impending dinnertime meal my crockpot cord caught on fire last year and I've been without one. It will also make the top ten list of things I want for Christmas.
9. My walk in closet--Listed as a fourth bedroom on the appraisal statement of our home, my closet is roughly the same size as my children's bedroom. It is becoming a bit crowded though. I may need to add on.
8. Internet access at work--how better to waste time? Without it, my desk would be clean and what fun is that?
7. Facebook--Piggybacking off of number 8, facebook has led to many instances of catching up with friends, playing games, and just plain ole time wastin'!
6. The DVR--what a wonderful invention--I can record two programs at the same time making it unecessary to sacrifice my t.v. viewing for my husband's programs. Yeah!
5. Project Runway--Another piggyback off the previous item, P.R. provides me with a never ending supply of reality drama as well as projects for the costume/makeup units in Intro to Theater. It also inspires my creativity which is fun until I remember that I'm not a designer, pattern maker or draper.
4. Take out--The kitchens at Lakeside Bar & Grill and Christiano's pizza have saved me from slaving over the stove more than once.
3. The Lodge at Cedar Creek--A waterpark hotel just perfect for our family. Slides that are kid friendly and fun for adults too. Not nearly as crowded as the Dells and far enough to feel like a "real" vacation, The Lodge at Cedar Creek is my favorite "bucket hotel" as the kids call it. Now if they would just add a bar poolside, I'd never leave.
2. Heated seats--Wisconsin winters require heated seats, especially at 6:45 AM! They keep me warm and help when my back is achy!
1. The DVD player in my van--generally it stops the fighting and the never ending rattling on about football and baby dolls. It saves my sanity on a regular basis.
There you have it. My top ten material things I'm thankful for. What are yours?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
My Twelve
While searching for something fun and interesting yet meaningful to do with English students I came across an assignment that another teacher uses. It is based on an introduction to a book and it talks about the importance of telling stories not just for entertaining, but as a record of who we are. Now, I've known that is a reason for storytelling. The tradition of oral storytelling is an ancient one and was used to keep tradtions and personal histories alive.
However, the teacher from whom I was poaching this assignment goes on to suggest that we can have stories that are meaningful to us because they define who we are. The assignment is to make a list of the Twelve Stories that Tell Us Who We Are. These are the stories that touch a part of our being, our soul and speak to us long after the cover is closed. Below is the list of My Tweleve.
1. The Monster at the End of the Book It taught me to have courage and that perhaps the only thing to fear is my own reluctance to try new things and go new places. Eventually, and somewhat ironically, I face that fear and spend a summer making absolutely no money working for Seasame Street--the home of that monster at the end of the book.
2. The Red Tent It taught me the beauty of womanhood and the bonds that all women share. It made me want to experience childbirth and was read at a time in my life was particularly memorable for many discouraging reasons.
3. Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus It taught me about having fun no matter what your age. Written and illustrated by Mo Willems from Sesame Street, it harkens back to the fun of being a kid and of wanting the impossible.
4. Gone with the Wind Its filled with the romantic notions of a bygone era and I relate to Scarlet's love of the "bad boy" as well as her strong willed determination to get what she wants despite the obstacles. "As God is my witness, I shall never go hungry again!"
5. Tuck Everlasting This book was nearly impossible to get your hands on when I was in sixth grade. It was my first taste of literature in the fantasy genre and I loved it! Whenever I think that I can't read a book recommended by a student because its fantasy, I have to remember that doesn't necessarily mean its scifi--it could be a Tuck Everlasting!
6. Are you There God? Its me, Margaret. Really, all the Judy Blume books touch me childhood in some way, but this one in particular stands out. I read the book at a time when it was being challenged in my childhood school district so my mom also read it to see what all the fuss was about. It was the first (and really the only time) my mom read a book I was reading in order to protect me. She felt it was appropriate, but it was the catalyst for "the talk" if you call giving your daughter a short book about puberty "the talk". Nonetheless it marks this time for me.
7. Paradise Lost Yes, Milton makes my list. I took a college course from a professor who I deeply admire and respect. His area of research and expertise is John Milton. I earned an A in this course from this professor and to this day am extraordinarily proud of it. Add to that, the fact that I never attended Sunday school or church as a child and John Milton's Paradise Lost becomes the most in depth study of any Bible story that I've ever done.
8. The Best Little Girl in the World It's about a teenager who wants to become a prima ballerina and develops anorexia in her quest to become thin enough. I learned the dangers of eating disorders at a critical age as well as the dangers of trying to please other people. Plus I always wanted to be a ballerina so this fed that desire when ballet lessons just weren't in the cards.
9.To Kill a Mockingbird At different points in my life it has meant different things to me, but it invaribly holds a significance.
10. The Great Gatsby Like Gone With the Wind it feeds my inner romantic. Set in the heyday of the Roaring Twenties, flappers and mobsters, party goers and bootleggers this book is my fantasy--up until Myrtle gets killed that is.
11. Wonderful Thing about Tiggers This was the first book I claimed to be able to read. I was 5 and I can recall my mother being amazed that I could read. Then she figured out that she had read it to me so much that I'd memorized it, but it solidified the fact that books were destined to be part of who I was and my love of reading was established.
12. The count of Monte Cristo I never finished this book--in fact I never really liked what I read and I can't begin to tell you what its about. But, when I was in twelfth grade I was a student helper for Ms. M, my favorite teacher in high school. When she didn't have me making dittoed copies or filing papers she had me reading this book and creating a list of vocab words. It was a taste of what it was like to be a teacher behind the scenes, and I knew I loved it. Sadly, Ms. M passed on a few years ago, but this memory sticks with me as one of the reasons I went on to teach. I wanted to be just like her.
There you have it, my twelve. It was hard to make the choices and it was hard to say what these twelve say about me. There are certainly hundreds of other books that I've enjoyed, but these twelve stand out.
However, the teacher from whom I was poaching this assignment goes on to suggest that we can have stories that are meaningful to us because they define who we are. The assignment is to make a list of the Twelve Stories that Tell Us Who We Are. These are the stories that touch a part of our being, our soul and speak to us long after the cover is closed. Below is the list of My Tweleve.
1. The Monster at the End of the Book It taught me to have courage and that perhaps the only thing to fear is my own reluctance to try new things and go new places. Eventually, and somewhat ironically, I face that fear and spend a summer making absolutely no money working for Seasame Street--the home of that monster at the end of the book.
2. The Red Tent It taught me the beauty of womanhood and the bonds that all women share. It made me want to experience childbirth and was read at a time in my life was particularly memorable for many discouraging reasons.
3. Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus It taught me about having fun no matter what your age. Written and illustrated by Mo Willems from Sesame Street, it harkens back to the fun of being a kid and of wanting the impossible.
4. Gone with the Wind Its filled with the romantic notions of a bygone era and I relate to Scarlet's love of the "bad boy" as well as her strong willed determination to get what she wants despite the obstacles. "As God is my witness, I shall never go hungry again!"
5. Tuck Everlasting This book was nearly impossible to get your hands on when I was in sixth grade. It was my first taste of literature in the fantasy genre and I loved it! Whenever I think that I can't read a book recommended by a student because its fantasy, I have to remember that doesn't necessarily mean its scifi--it could be a Tuck Everlasting!
6. Are you There God? Its me, Margaret. Really, all the Judy Blume books touch me childhood in some way, but this one in particular stands out. I read the book at a time when it was being challenged in my childhood school district so my mom also read it to see what all the fuss was about. It was the first (and really the only time) my mom read a book I was reading in order to protect me. She felt it was appropriate, but it was the catalyst for "the talk" if you call giving your daughter a short book about puberty "the talk". Nonetheless it marks this time for me.
7. Paradise Lost Yes, Milton makes my list. I took a college course from a professor who I deeply admire and respect. His area of research and expertise is John Milton. I earned an A in this course from this professor and to this day am extraordinarily proud of it. Add to that, the fact that I never attended Sunday school or church as a child and John Milton's Paradise Lost becomes the most in depth study of any Bible story that I've ever done.
8. The Best Little Girl in the World It's about a teenager who wants to become a prima ballerina and develops anorexia in her quest to become thin enough. I learned the dangers of eating disorders at a critical age as well as the dangers of trying to please other people. Plus I always wanted to be a ballerina so this fed that desire when ballet lessons just weren't in the cards.
9.To Kill a Mockingbird At different points in my life it has meant different things to me, but it invaribly holds a significance.
10. The Great Gatsby Like Gone With the Wind it feeds my inner romantic. Set in the heyday of the Roaring Twenties, flappers and mobsters, party goers and bootleggers this book is my fantasy--up until Myrtle gets killed that is.
11. Wonderful Thing about Tiggers This was the first book I claimed to be able to read. I was 5 and I can recall my mother being amazed that I could read. Then she figured out that she had read it to me so much that I'd memorized it, but it solidified the fact that books were destined to be part of who I was and my love of reading was established.
12. The count of Monte Cristo I never finished this book--in fact I never really liked what I read and I can't begin to tell you what its about. But, when I was in twelfth grade I was a student helper for Ms. M, my favorite teacher in high school. When she didn't have me making dittoed copies or filing papers she had me reading this book and creating a list of vocab words. It was a taste of what it was like to be a teacher behind the scenes, and I knew I loved it. Sadly, Ms. M passed on a few years ago, but this memory sticks with me as one of the reasons I went on to teach. I wanted to be just like her.
There you have it, my twelve. It was hard to make the choices and it was hard to say what these twelve say about me. There are certainly hundreds of other books that I've enjoyed, but these twelve stand out.
Monday, November 9, 2009
It's a Man's World
Scrappy, Flip and (my personal favorite) Spoog were sitting around one day having a conversation. It probably went something like this.
"Hey Scrappy whadda ya doin' tonight?"
"Bubba and I headin' over to Sherm's."
"I hear that Fuzz is havin' a party."
"Well you'll probably find Chicken and his old lady there."
Please note that real names have not been used. It's not becuase I'm protecting the innocent. It's not because the men that my husband (Flip) knows don't have "normal" names. It's because they don't use their real names when talking to or about each other.
When I was in college there was a fraternity house who's parties I was frequently at. None of these men, to my recollection, ever used his real name either. Instead they used their pledge names--names that they were assigned as a sort of humilation/hazing ritual when attempting to join said fraternity. Things like Booger and Roach and (once again) Spoog. I get that. I understand the bonding that goes on over a keg of cheap beer in a nasty basement while reciting the Greek alphabet in your underwear. You're really not grown up yet. What I don't get is why guys don't grow out of that behavior.
Bubba, Scrappy, Spoog, and the rest of them are in their late thirties and forties. The basements are cleaner, the beer isn't as cheap, the men older but the nicknames are still the same.
I'd say its a quirk of the men my husband chooses to be friends with. All the guys from his hometown also have wacky nicknames like Chicken but the names of the guys my father is friends with are also unknown to me for the most part. They all have nicknames, too starting with my dad who has been Pollack since I was a child.
They say that women are hard to understand, but at least when I talk about my friends I use the names that their mamma's worked so hard to choose for them. We don't call each other using slang terms for bodily fluids and barnyard animals. It's gotta be a guy thing!
"Hey Scrappy whadda ya doin' tonight?"
"Bubba and I headin' over to Sherm's."
"I hear that Fuzz is havin' a party."
"Well you'll probably find Chicken and his old lady there."
Please note that real names have not been used. It's not becuase I'm protecting the innocent. It's not because the men that my husband (Flip) knows don't have "normal" names. It's because they don't use their real names when talking to or about each other.
When I was in college there was a fraternity house who's parties I was frequently at. None of these men, to my recollection, ever used his real name either. Instead they used their pledge names--names that they were assigned as a sort of humilation/hazing ritual when attempting to join said fraternity. Things like Booger and Roach and (once again) Spoog. I get that. I understand the bonding that goes on over a keg of cheap beer in a nasty basement while reciting the Greek alphabet in your underwear. You're really not grown up yet. What I don't get is why guys don't grow out of that behavior.
Bubba, Scrappy, Spoog, and the rest of them are in their late thirties and forties. The basements are cleaner, the beer isn't as cheap, the men older but the nicknames are still the same.
I'd say its a quirk of the men my husband chooses to be friends with. All the guys from his hometown also have wacky nicknames like Chicken but the names of the guys my father is friends with are also unknown to me for the most part. They all have nicknames, too starting with my dad who has been Pollack since I was a child.
They say that women are hard to understand, but at least when I talk about my friends I use the names that their mamma's worked so hard to choose for them. We don't call each other using slang terms for bodily fluids and barnyard animals. It's gotta be a guy thing!
Monday, November 2, 2009
She's the one with no boobs!
Recently my husband came home from work astonished to find out that I knew Stumpy. Stumpy is a guy who was a senior in high school when I was a freshman-TWENTY FOUR years ago. (Stumpy is also his nickname--I don't know if its based on any one particular event or personal attribute--I don't care to know.) Why yes indeed I did know who Stumpy was and had, in fact, told my husband that about a month prior.
it seems that while waiting for our pizza to be done Stumpy and my hubby struck up a conversation about who it was my husband was married to. Apparently, the conversation went something like this:
Stumpy: So you're married to Angie?
Hubby: yeah.
Stumpy: She's the one with no boobs, right?
Hubby: Well, she has boobs now.
Shared laughs ensue.
Why does this bother me so much? Well, for one thing I barely knew Stumpy when I was in high school and for another its been TWENTY FOUR YEARS! To know that TWENTY FOUR YEARS later the thing that I'm remembered for is my lack of boobage kind of bugs me!
Now, in his defense, my husband did come to the defense of my bustline. He did state that I had filled out in said areas, but he then laughed about the conversation and replayed it all night long.
I'm used to being labeled. Being the oldest of three girls who's names all begin with A we were often called things other than our names. I'vebeen number one, squirt, Charlie Brown, the smart one and the oldest one. now I guess I can add the boobless one to the list as well.
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