mdsngrl1

What is one of your addictions?
Submitted by Paperheart.

One of my addictions is Starbucks coffee. I can't help it. When I was teaching this summer, there was a Starbucks right across the street from my school. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to cut back on Starbucks. We'll see if I can keep to that!

What's the most klutzy thing you've ever done?
Submitted by Jecka.

Seeing as how one of my friends told me once that my biggest talent was "tripping over air", I can say that I've done a lot of klutzy things in my life. The most was probably when I slipped down the steps on a college transit bus, tore my ACL, MCL and broke my kneecap. Damn icy winters. Of course, then I sat in class for 4 hours in great pain and didn't realize anything was seriously wrong until I went to take a restroom break and couldn't stand. Six (or is it seven) surgeries later, two steel rods, and one overnight hospital stay, and I'm just thrilled to say that my knee still does and probably always will dislocate if I look at it wrong. Ah well, despite the generous advice of my othorpaedic surgeon, I'm not having my knee replaced. Not at 29. I refuse to start that cycle. I can deal with a couple weeks of crutches and a brace every now and then.

Edit: I take that back: the klutziest thing I've ever doen is get a stereo speaker dropped on my head. nothing like a little black around the edges and the room spinning to go with the lump on my head.

So yeah, a word of warning - get your flu shot. You don't want what I have. I got sick on vacation and have been down ever since. Fever, aches, chills, not to mention not being able to eat anything solid. So, pay attention to flu clinics and the like and get your shot!

Wow. I just watched one of the most (to put it in Oprah's words) powerful hours of television that I have ever seen. Her show today was about a program used in a high school called "Challenge Day". They showed a high school that could have been any high school in America. Population around 2,000. A very diverse high school. They took 64 students, and a minimum of 25 staff members into a gymnasium. The students were from all different "cliques" or diverse groups in the high school. At first, most of the students gravitated to the groups with whom they were normally familiar. It was amazing to see. Black students sat with black students, Asian students with Asian students, gay students with gay students, goth students with goth students, you get the picture. The were then each instructed to go find someone that they didn't know or with whom they were not familiar.

After a few "ice breakers" to ease the tension in the room, the students all gathered on one side of the room. Then, students were asked to "cross the line" if any of several hypothetical situations applied to them. The facilitators then began describing what we hope doesn't go on in our schools. "Cross the line if you have been humiliated by a teacher". "Cross the line if you are a girl and have been degraded or abused by a male". "Cross the line if you have been affected by someone with an addiction". "Cross the line if you have been discriminated against because of your race". "Cross the line if you're a male and have been taught it's not manly to show emotion". Unfortnately, by the end of several hypothetical situations, all of the students had "crossed the line". It was amazing to watch the faces of the students as they realized how affected their peers were by what most thought were simple jokes or flirtations.

After these students had watched in amazement as some of their seemingly unflappable peers "cross the line", students were divided into ethnically and academically diverse groups to have small discussions. After watching how their peers were affected by what most students today see as harmless jokes and gestures, students were encouraged to open up to the members of their small groups about how they were different than others' perceptions of them might be. There was the "rich kid", a male who told his group tearfully how despite it looking like he had it all, his father left the family at age 12, and he, the only child spent most of his time taking care of his mother, who was suffering from Ovarian Cancer. This was when he wasn't working to bring in the income that his father left them without. A black student who revealed that she couldn't walk down the hall without being called the "n" word at least once a day. A gay student who revealed that he cried himself to sleep at night because of the abuse that he was taking at school. A "popular kid", who choking back tears told the group how he spent most of his childhood overweight and left out of most activities. As the stories went on, the students began to realize something important. No matter what others saw on the outside, each individual had days or moments where their lives made them feel lonely or unimportant.

As the groups broke up and the students gathered together as one large group, they were no longer divided by ethnicity or cliques as they had been at the beginning of the day. Students were invited, one by one to come to a microphone and tell how they had been affected by the day's stories and activities. A football player came to the mike and admitted that he never realized how his comments affected his African American teammate until he saw him "cross the line". Another student told of feeling authentic love for the first time in a long time from a teacher's 30 second hug. None of her peers knew before that she had been shuffled from foster home to foster home. The students took from this day that none of the were alone. The feeling of loneliness from which they all suffered was a common theme, not some isolated emotion attributed only each individual. Apologies were made publicly. New friends and alliances were made. Teachers began to see their students as not just grades and academics, but as human beings. Students began to see their teachers and administrators as regular human beings that cared and loved them.

Now, I can see someone saying, "ok, this is 64 out of 2,000 students. an albeit revealing, powerful event, isolated." However, as even one person changes in that school or community, they can begin to affect change on other students in the school or community. One school reported a 67% drop in disciplinary referrals after the one day program. With statistics like 160,000 students missing school each day in fear of being bullied. Or 800,000 students each year hearing some kind of discriminatory remark from a peer or staff member. This is a positive program that can enact change and make students realize that no matter what, they are not alone in what they are feeling and that they can make a change in the schools and communities around them.

"Challenge Day" is an innovative, positive program that should be considered in each high school. Expensive in money, yes, but priceless in results. I was riveted to the TV for the entire hour.

What's your dream career? 
Submitted by Something.

My dream career is working in Special Education Administration. Right now, though, I'd settle for a job teaching special education. I can't wait to get back into the classroom. I like like subbing everyday, but I would much rather have my own class. For example, tomorrow I'm at an elementary school, teaching regular ed, Thursday I don't know and next week I'm at a high school for three days. It's a amazing the differentiation in jobs that they offer you when they need a sub. ah well, the right permanent job will come along soon and I'll be ready for it!

I cannot believe it! We (the collective we being the Redskins) actually beat the Cowboys. Novak actually hit two field goals. Portis couldn't run for sh*t, and it was stupid to run him on 1st,2nd and 3rd and goal, but hey, I'll take a win any way it comes. Dallas was penalized so much, it totaled to more than 150 yards. Woohoo!!!! Dallas goes down!!!!

[edit: Now that I've come down off of the post-win high, I do have to admit that we need a new offensive line coach. Greg Williams is amazing with the defense, and it would do us some good to go back to the old Gibb's offense. Clinton Portis has been banged up for weeks, but that doesn't excuse his poor showing today. We would have benefited from having Santana Moss in the lineup. Amazing how the little kicker that couldn't made the run at the end of the game that let us into field goal range. Now all we have to do is come up with a consistent field goal/place kicker and a quarter back that isn't aging out of the game. Not that I'm all that keen on Jason Campbell, but it would be nice to see him get some playing time if Brunell isn't giving the team what it needs. Just in my humble opinion, of course, not that I know all that much about game schemes and such. Also, TO --- nice nappy time after the touchdown. Too bad it got you a taunting call that probably cost you the game. :) ]

What is your favorite scent? 

My favorite is fresh blackberries at harvest time. As far as perfumes, my favorite scent is Happy perfurme from Clinique.. 

It's so beautiful here, with the breeze blowing, and the leaves starting to turn, it made me start to think about what my favorite things about fall are.

1. The smell of wood stoves burning in the neighborhood.

2. The  turning of the leaves in the Shenandoah Valley.

3. Football, football, football.

4. Hot coffee in a big ceramic mug that keeps your hands warm. (Pumpkin spice latte, please) :)

5. A large pot of chili or spaghetti brewing on the stove for the weekend.

6. Trips home to Roanoke to see my family.

7. Fresh blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

8. Opening the windows and cuddling under a pile of warm blankets on a chilly night/morning.

9. Homecoming, both at my high school, and at my alma mater, James Madison.

Wilson

10. Christmas shopping, picking out special things for the special people in my life.

It's on days like today (Ok, I'm being a sap), that I feel so incredibly blessed for what I have. I may not be rich, I may not have everything, but I can appreciate what I do have, and that makes me blessed. (Of course, a large pumpkin spice latte, and the smell of my mom's cooking has me happy and satisfied right about now) :)

What are your weekend plans?

Washington_redskins_helmet_200

My weekend plans. Let's see. This morning I was lazy. I slept in, trying to kick this flu. Now I'm watching Notre Dame winning a close game against Stanford. Saturdays are always grade paper days and watch college football. We got lucky here in that the Nor'easter didn't hit right here, but about an hour north of here, so instead of flooding out, we got about 2 inches of rain. Tomorrow, well that's a football day too. Skins v. Giants at 1.

I'd love to see the Dallas/Philly game just to see the hype, but I don't think they're showing it here. Then, tomorrow night is Steelers/San Diego. Let's see if Rothleisberger can score more than the eight points he has all season. So, as fall weekends usually are, its a football weekend, tempered with school work here and there. :)

Speaking of football, check out "Friday Night Lights" on Tuesday on NBC. Great show. Shows how much kids and towns will go through to have a winning football team even at the highschool level.

Man, they thought they were going to have a flu epidemic last year. It's nothing compared to what they have this year, and it came early before they had a chance to vaccinate everyone. One school in Va. Beach had to close down for the day b/c so many teachers and students were out with the flu. Me, I've been down with it for three days. I feel so badly b/c I know that they need me in my classroom, but they don't need me giving them the flu, that's for sure. At this one school, they sent home 28 teachers and almost 200 students. That's incredible. I don't think I've ever heard of any public school shutting down for an illness like that. Me, I had a fever of 102 this morning. I wasn't going anywhere.

On another note, before I got sick, I started my Christmas shopping early. My family decided this year instead of one person doing everyone's stockings, we would exchange names and secretly do another person's stocking for Christmas. I'm excited about the person for whom I have to purchase things. I've started a list, I just have to go shopping each payday as I can afford the things on the list. Ebay is looking really good right now for some of the items. When my family does stockings, they go all out. We have "Christmas" on Christmas Eve and then open stockings on Christmas morning, so it has to be special. I can't wait. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I collect angels, so as soon as Halloween is over, the house is going to be decorated with angels. :) I agree that Christmas is very commercialized, but it's still my favorite holiday of the year. I love angels,

Demdaco Angels

 and Christmas bears, and trees, and just the smell of Christmas candles burning in the house. I can't wait! There's a craft show at the high school where I'm substituting and it's mostly Christmas stuff. It's next weekend. It will be so much fun. I can't decide whether I'm going to go as a customer or I'm going to help someone at their booth. I have a painting yet to finish to add to my collection for Christmas for the other two that I've painted for my mom. I hope that I can finish it by Christmas. I love being an artist.

Ok, now that I've rambled and not just answered a QOTD, and probably bored everyone to death, time to go. :)