Tidbits from the Classroom

Science is a tool. It can be used in a good way, or a bad way. For example, you can use a hammer to build a house for a homeless person, OR you can use a hammer to smack someone in the head.

"Those are baller shoes, Miss V.!"

Reconstruction after the Civil War - It's like if you and your brother get into a fight and your brother totally beats you up. You aren't going to automatically love him and be all friendly afterwards. You're going to have to rebuild that friendship and brotherly love again. It might take awhile.

If you have a picture of a friendly-looking snake, and add downward-facing eyebrows, he turns evil.

"I love this chair thing! I love it with a PASSION!"

***Note to the reader: Never joke with middle school students that they will be getting free cookies. They will turn on you immediately.

DISCLAIMER: These things might only be funny to my students and me. Except for the cookie thing. They didn't think that was very funny.

To Catch a Predator

"How's the brownie? Do you know who I am? I'm Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC."

If only Chris Hansen was around when I was hanging out at the beach in Florida a little over a week ago.

After two days in the car and one night in an extremely creepy Motel 6 (and, no, they didn't leave the lights on for us), Bethany and I decided a little relaxation at the beach was a good idea. The sun was shining and the fish were jumping. It was a perfect day at the beach...... Then came the guy on the jetski. At first we had a hard time deciding if he was a lifeguard or not. He came roving over on his red Kawasaki all decked out in red and white. He stopped the engine for awhile not very far from us and pulled out his red and white thermos. The dude snuck looks at us as he floated around.

After awhile, we got to the point where we were creeped out enough to get out of the water, so we went to lie on the beach. Soon, two girls in the water went up to him and asked if they could have a ride. The first girl hopped on, and he took off. After about ten minutes he came back and took the second girl for a ride. Bethany and I were sitting there, thoroughly disgusted, and wondering what would possess these girls to hop on some random stranger's jetski.

"Ok, can you describe him?" Bethany asked me, "Just in case we need to give a description to the police."

The second girl's ride was a little different from the first girl's. After about ten minutes, the guy stopped the engine out in the ocean, and pulled out his cooler. He then, apparently, poured the girl a drink, and sat side-saddle on the jetski so they could have a little conversation out on the ocean. And this wasn't a twenty or even thirty-year-old guy. He was probably about forty or fifty. After about half an hour, he finally dropped the girl off on the beach. Another beach was in his sight now; one with more prey.

Creeper in action

Bethany and I finally felt that it was safe enough to go back in the water, so we headed out to the sandbar. Just then, we saw the little red blob in the distance, and it started getting bigger and bigger. Mr. Jetski was back. When he was about thirty feet from us, he turned off the engine and began to float around. We turned our backs to him because making eye contact was surely the kiss of death. He mosied his way around us, and we proceeded to turn the other way. It was like he was a shark circling it's prey. The predator of the ocean.

We started making our way toward the beach, hoping he would get the hint, but he slowly followed us in. After we made our way across the hot sand, he finally got the point and drove off, leaving us feeling completely creeped out.

The Internet and chat rooms aren't the only place where predators prey on innocent little girls. Ok, I know, it's not like we're twelve or anything, but it was still a yucky feeling. I can just see Chris Hansen riding in on a seahorse, "I'm Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC. You enjoying that ride?" Yeah, that'd be cool.

P.S. It's my half birthday today. Only 6 more months to buy me a present.

"Those great knick-knacks at Target that you just can't say no to"

I figured I should probably blog again before I head off on more summer adventures. Have I mentioned I love being a teacher?

So, let's talk about Target. I'm sure Kayla would be able to tell you much more about Target than I would, but let's talk about it anyways. Ever since Sioux Falls added the new eastside Target, the amount of money in my bank account has been steadily decreasing. Weird.

Let's talk about one section of Target in particular. If you head over to the music section you'll see a little shelf called "Artists on the Verge." I think this is my new favorite section. I love scouring the cds for music that I know or have heard of. I like to check out the bands that few people have heard of because it makes me feel awesome. It's like name-dropping. "Oh, you haven't heard of that band? That's because you're not as awesome as me." I am such a hipster, and that's not a good thing.

And there's this other thing that attracts me to that shelf. Album art. My most recent purchase has about the coolest album cover ever. I love it. Bright colors and rainbows and crazy craft supplies!!! I mean, how could this not make you happy? So horrifyingly pretty! And the music isn't bad either.

And then there's the Passion Pit cd that I love. More bright colors, of course. So geometrical. So fun. How could you not be drawn to this cover?

So, yes, Target is amazing.

But when you leave the music section, you might possibly enter the hair products section, and let me warn you, as amazing as the Goody Spin Pin looks, it doesn't work very well. So when you go to Target to spend all your money on things you didn't plan on buying, you can thank me for saving you six dollars on that purchase.

Also, the first person who can tell me who said the quote in my title gets a dollar.

Currently Listening to: He is We

It's a little more "cupcakey" than I usually like, but still good, and you probably haven't heard of them because you're not as much of a hipster as I am.

I Even Got Up Early to Watch!

So, the World Cup is going on right now. You may have heard of it. A bunch of guys from all over the world get together on a field and kick a ball around. Yes, soccer. Or, as the rest of the world knows it, football.

I have found myself enjoying watching many of the games. Weird, I know. This coming from the girl who avoids ESPN like the plague.

I could explain to you the many reasons I like watching World Cup - the great soccer skills that are exhibited, the overdramatic falls and fake injuries, the intense loyalty of the fans, and on and on.

I'd rather show you why I like watching World Cup.

I think pictures speak louder than words for this one. You're welcome.

Oh, Hey, New Blog Layout!

Change is good.

At least that's what they tell me.

So I like this layout, but I may change my mind and be playing around with it and changing it in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

In other news......I almost hit a fish while riding my bike yesterday. Yes, I'm sure there are many questions circling through your head right now. Let me explain.

So my dad and I decided to go for a bike ride on the trails. It has rained quite a bit so the river has flooded in many areas. One particular area was by Spencer Park (aka the dog park). The river was over the trail quite a ways, but we weren't really sure how deep it was. We decided to take a gamble and keeping going. We're really dedicated bikers. As we were heading through, I saw little fins and scales at the top of the water! Yep, fish were swimming right next to me as I rode. And these weren't just little minnows or something. They were like big carp! There was one spot later on in the ride where it literally looked like we were riding down the middle of the river. The water even came up to my handlebars! Insane? Yes.

River biking! It's a new sport that is going to catch on! Remember, you heard it here first!

Currently....

So guess who's awesome and updating her blog all the time. Yep, you guessed it. Not me.

Here is a little update on my life. We'll start with right now and work our way backwards, just to make it interesting.

I am currently watching a French film with subtitles called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. It's actually a little dificult to pay attention to what's happening in the movie while writing a blog entry at the same time. Imagine that.

I am doing this while sitting in the home of my best friend's brother. House-sitting and puppy-sitting. It's nice to feel like I have my own place. At least for a little while. And also nice to get away from my parents for awhile. Hi, Mom!

You know how taking care of other people's kids can be like a form of birth control? Well, doing this is kind of like birth control for puppies. I don't want one. They are smelly. They poop a lot. They aren't very smart. They bite EVERYTHING. Oh, and they bark every morning at 5:15. I'm ok with dogs. Just not puppies.

I went to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, this past weekend for a wedding. The highlight of the weekend (besides the wedding, of course) was definitely the Milwaukee Burger Company. Just take a look at the menu! Ironically, it's the only Milwaukee Burger Company, and it's found in Eau Claire, not Milwaukee. But the food is insane! If you look under the appetizers, you will find a basket of bacon. Yes, I said it, but, no, I did not order it. But still! Just the fact that you can order bacon as an appetizer definitely makes this restaurant a stand out! I ordered, in true Wisconsin fashion, the Cheese Curd Cheeseburger. Yep, a cheeseburger with cheese curds on it. I could go on and on, but I'll just let you peruse the menu if you so wish, and you can just sit there and be jealous.

Side note: I really should write food reviews.

Book Nerd

Summer also means time to read! For enjoyment! My roadtrip gave me the opportunity to get a bunch of reading done. It was like finally getting water after spending months in the desert. I'm just going to give a short little review about each book I read. So if you don't care about reading or books, just click the little red X in your top right hand corner. And if you have a Mac......then do whatever it is you do to exit the page. Yeah.

The New York Regional Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker

I'd like to thank Laurissa for introducing me to this book and opening the door to memoirs! It's all about a single Mormon girl living in New York while trying to maintain her Mormon religion and morals. Hilarious! Everything from kissing a 12-year-old perv on a trampoline to traveling to Zambia to visit her atheist lover.

Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

This book was quite the change from the previous one. Francine Rivers has always been one of my favorite authors, and this is her newest addition to the bookshelf. She takes what she knows about her mother's and grandmother's history and turns it into her own story. A second book is on its way!

Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper

Obviously an adolescent lit selection, but a really neat, modern-day version of the Romeo and Juliet story. This version takes a couple - one African American and one Mexican American - and follows their love story as they deal with the hatred of the gang in their school. It was really interesting to compare it to Shakespeare's work. Although, this book's ending isn't as morbid as the original.

The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block

If you happen to ever see this book, turn and run! I love reading warped and changed fairy tales, but this book was not what I was expecting at all. I am so, so, so glad that this didn't end up in my classroom without a read-through first! This book takes every fairy tale you've ever heard and basically ruins it. Snow White is kissed, not by a prince, but by the gardener that is dating her evil mother. Little Red Riding Hood has been sexually abused since she was a child. Sleeping Beauty was not pricked by a needle on a spinning machine, but has experienced a drug needle, which has taken her on a journey to earn the name "Sleeping" Beauty for sleeping around. Incredibly dark and disturbing.



The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Ok, put this on your "must read" list right now. This is officially my new favorite book. It's a story about a German girl living near Munich during World War II. The story is narrated by war's best friend, Death, so that definitely gives an interesting perspective to the story. I can't even put into words how good this story is and how amazing the writing is. Zusak says he likes to put a "little gem" on each page. I could quote line after line that struck me, made me think, made me cry, and made me laugh. Just do yourself a favor and go read it. Please, and thank you.