Reasons I love my life this week.

10. Gianduiotti made their way back into my life. If you're not lucky enough to have ever tried these little nuggets of joy, think Nutella. But in bar form. Thank you Luigi and Janine for passing them on. If you ever get a chance to eat one of these, don't think, just do it.


9. My new room is finally going to be all put together. I moved 3 weeks ago to a little basement apartment about half a mile from my old place. With Emily's help, I got my desk moved over to the new place and I finally get to unpack the final box!! Pictures to come when it's actually finished.

8. Watching (or re-watching) some really beautiful movies & documentaries with my roommate. On the list this week: God Grew Tired of Us, Il Postino, The Red Balloon. I would highly recommend God Grew Tired Of Us, about the lost boys of Sudan. It's heart-wrenching and life-changing.

7. I'm getting really excited to start school in the fall. I'm starting some prep work for one of my classes this week and trying to remember how to study. Any suggestions for reading "The Federalist" ??

6. I survived the dentist.

5. Paid unemployment is one of the best things on earth. I get to spend my days reading, shopping, working out, cooking, watching movies, etc. I honestly don't know how I ever had time to work with all the other things that are going on!

4. D.C. has really awesome things to do in the summer. Case in point, the US Air Force Band Summer Concert Series. Every Wednesday and Friday night during the summer, the USAF Band (or different variations of it: the Singing Sargeants, Airmen of Note, etc.) plays a free concert at the Air Force Memorial here in Arlington. The band is incredibly talented and the view of the city is breathtaking.

3. Marvin Hamlisch directing the NSO with Idina Menzel singing the acoustic/Glee version of "Poker Face". This is maybe one of the more ridiculous musical scenarios that I could even imagine. But it was indescribably fabulous. Thanks to the girl who managed to tape at least most of the song. Youtube clip here .

2. I have amazing friends. People that inspire me to be better in so many different ways. Intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, physically. Love you all.

1. In just 3 days (plus a few hours) I'll be heading home to Eagle to spend two weeks with my wonderful family! Camping trip, plenty of yardwork and a WEDDING. Wow.

Oh What Do You Do In the Blizzard-time?

I discovered something interesting about myself this past week. I actually really enjoy being at home. Don't get me wrong, it was a huge relief to actually leave the house on Thursday after (literally) staying inside all day on Wednesday. But while all my friends seemed to be going a little crazy, I was really enjoying myself. Cooking... painting...crocheting (or at least prepping to crochet and looking for my crochet hook...)... plenty of movies & reading... This may have something to do with not loving my job these days, but being able to spend days on end NOT doing work was really refreshing. Here are a few of the ways that I spent my Snow Week:

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD. Ouch.

Crocheted Round Rug. Check out the link for a kind of unique project to crochet. You start by cutting or ripping about 9 yards of fabric. The instructions here tell you to use t-shirts, but I just bought a couple super cheap twin flat sheets from IKEA that work great.

and...

A Couple Recipes I Tried.

Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Dip.
This is what I made for our (all-girl) Super Bowl party. That seems like forever ago at this point, but that's just because The Game was at the beginning of the Snow Week. The past several days are pretty much a blur. With this recipe, I used bottled roasted red peppers instead of roasting my own, and they worked fabulously and I left out the olive oil completely. And to be honest I'm not sure how much of any of the ingredients I put in (I'm not very good at using measuring cups when I cook). But this is a good jumping off point at least.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Cream Sauce
I used a butternut squash ravioli that I found in Costco's refrigerated section, but you could definitely make your own pasta as well if you're feeling really adventurous. I added caramelized onions as well, which was delish.

Arlington Rap

Sorry to all of you Arlington-ites who have already seen this, but it's pretty hilarious. To the rest of you who are all under the illusion that I live in the ghetto, this is much closer to my reality. :)

No more pencils, no more books... (almost)

Dear Students,

Please do not come to me AFTER you failed 3 advisories and got a D on your final to ask me if you can do any extra credit. The answer will always be no.

If I can't tell the difference between "d" and an "a", I will mark the question wrong.

Yes, Life Is Beautiful is in a different language (about 25 minutes into the movie).

No, you may not leave the classroom with your whole bookbag in the middle of a test. Nor may you come back and finish it tomorrow.

"King of England" is not a sufficient description for Henry VIII, so don't try to argue for extra points.

Yes, I love you all, but I will probably not miss you one bit over the summer. And let's be honest, you won't miss me either.


Signed,

A still-Grumpy-but-slightly-Amused teacher.

67 Things?

I heard on the radio a couple days ago that the average woman in America has 67 items in her purse. I like to believe that I'm not quite as high-maintenance as the women they were talking about, so I sat down to investigate. This is what I found:

9 pass-along cards (maybe i should actually give them away)

a small "Idaho" pin in the shape of a potato

one ponytail

postage stamps in $.94 and $.04 varieties

a DC Temple Visitor's Center card

grocery list

flyer from Cacao, a cute little chocolate shop we found in Bethesda

key to the church building

pink lip gloss

pens in blue, black, purple and green

one small bottle of Expo Dry Erase Board Cleaner

2 tithing slips

bronze-ish lip gloss

spare car key

an almost-empty pack of Orbit gum

one earring (i made it to church and then realized that I'd only put one of them in... so it ended up in the purse)

checkbook

flyer for the Azalea Festival at the National Arboretum

flash drive

car keys

a gum wrapper

address book

classroom keys

DCA-ORD boarding pass from February

cell phone

old pay stub

wallet (you don't even want to know what's in that)

Target receipt

blood donation appointment card

tickets to an Orioles-Rays game and a Nationals-Marlins game

Nothing shocking except maybe the Dry Erase Board Cleaner. And it doesn't nearly add up to 67 (unless you count all the items in my wallet separately). So ladies, I'm interested. What random/funny/whatever things would we find in your purse? (Guys, too, if you're willing to admit that you have a man-purse.)

My favorite .... sculptor

I was sitting in my classroom today, planning a lesson and previewing a documentary about Baroque art, and I decided to share with you all my favorite artist. (Little surprise that he's Italian...) I'm not much of an art historian or an art critic. All I know is that this man's art is phenomenal. He uses such intricate details that you actually believe what he's trying to portray. The look of determination David's eye before he raises the sling to slay Goliath. Pluto's hand digging into Proserpina's flesh, as if she were real instead of carved from marble. St. Theresa, a look of pain and ecstasy frozen upon her face. And my absolute favorite, Daphne caught in the midst of her transformation from nymph to laurel tree. Enjoy. And visit, please. There is nothing like seeing these in the round.

Gianlorenzo Bernini

David

The Rape of Proserpina



The Ecstasy of St. Theresa

Apollo & Daphne

Things you may not know

1. I love to cook, but I cannot bake to save my life.
2. I am terrified of heights. (Just ask my mom about hiking Arches. Or the temple in Chichen Itza).
3. Someday I really want to be in Siena, Italy for the Palio (that crazy and often deadly horserace that you see in the plaza on the new James Bond movie)
4. I live too much in the future. Working on enjoying what I’m doing now instead of looking forward to … whatever.
5. I love spending time by myself. I used to spend hours wandering around Rome by myself and loved it.
6. I have more patience for stupid kids than for stupid adults.
7. I hate scrapbooking with a passion. I pretended for years that I enjoyed it, but I just don’t. I’ll put pictures in an album and label them, but I don’t do the frilly stuff.
8. Mice don’t bother me, but I think cockroaches are the most disgusting things on the planet.
9. I need everything planned down to the minute, but I don’t actually own a planner.
10. I have read Pride and Prejudice probably 30 times
11. I’m obsessed with all things Les Miserables. And more recently, Wicked is giving it a run for its money.
12. I had a couple years where I typed everything that I said. Not on a computer or anything, but I moved my fingers to type out the words when I spoke. Maybe that’s why I type so fast now (something around 110 wpm)
13. I have a very hard time playing anything quiet or slow on the piano. I love Edward Grieg.
14. I have a quarter-sized scar on my calf from ice-blocking as a kid. I also have a little one right between the eyes, courtesy of my brother Paul and a heavy plastic toy dinosaur.
15. I’m not a big fan of contacts or glasses, but Lasik terrifies me.
16. I really want to be an artist. I like to sit and draw whatever I can see, but I can’t just create a picture out of my head.
17. BYU made me more liberal and Washington DC has made me more conservative.
18. My favorite toy as a kid was a She-ra action figure. Except that she somehow got broken in half, so I spent most of my time pretending to be a doctor and make her better.
19. I had more snow days in the 3 ½ months of student teaching than in all of my years attending or actually teaching school.
20. I’m not honestly sure if I can come up with 25 things about me that you don’t all already know.
21. I want to be a super organized person, but I’m never motivated enough to do it.
22. Last year I went to the traveling production of High School Musical and loved it.
23. I have very little discernment in good vs. bad movies. (did anyone see the post-Super Bowl Office? Think Andy)
24. I don’t like activities that force me to be in front of a crowd. Guesstures/charades/the performance part of Cranium. Torture. Don’t ask me how I became a teacher.
25. The first CD I ever bought was the Backstreet Boys.

Purchase of the week

I did it. Finally. I bought a piano. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to play the piano, and do so every chance I get, even if it means that I end up accompanying choirs/relief society/institute/whatever. But since I graduated from high school, I've never had one in any apartment/house that I've lived in. At BYU, there was always one nearby (usually in a practice room or a rec room at whatever complex I lived in), but it was always tricky to find time to use it when other people weren't also using the room. Since I've been in DC, I've relied on the church and the hospitality of friends when I want or need to play.


One of my favorite parts of spending time at home is my family's Sunday tradition of hanging out around the piano and singing. I'm not entirely sure when or how it started, but on Sunday afternoons someone inevitably starts playing something singable, and within a few minutes the whole family is there, singing along in pretty decent harmony. Les Miserables is a long-time favorite, but plenty of other music has been added along the way. Michael pretends he doesn't enjoy our sing-a-longs, but I know better. The rest of us have all sung in various choirs, but my brothers took /are taking voice lessons as well, and both sound really good.

I decided that it's probably a good thing that I get home from work an hour or so before my roommates, because I'll probably carry on the tradition all by myself. :)

The "O"-nauguration

I'm just going to assume that you all watched the inauguration and you don't need me to explain the process to you (plus I've done it in six different classes over the past 48 hours and the speech is worn a little thin). Before this year, I've never really watched an inauguration before. I just figured that the presidency would change hands (or not) at noon on January 20, and that things would eventually change a little bit. And also, last time we actually had a change in the president, I was 16.

I don't have a job that's cool enough to land me tickets to the inauguration itself, but I do have some friends that are willing to stay up all night and then stand all day in the cold to be a part of history. Louise, Emily and I started our inaugural adventure Monday night. Louise, who works at the National Academy of Science had been given permission to spend the night in her office in Chinatown in preparation for the inauguration, so of course we decided to make a night of it. After running into some friends on the metro (also heading in to sleep in Chinatown) and passing some vendors selling all sorts of crazy Obama gear (the weirdest thing I heard of: "Obama Scent". Whatever that is), we set up camp in her office.

Starting the trek to Louise's office. And looking like we're on our way camping.


Ok, maybe we were camping after all.

After discovering (thanks, Jay!) that we couldn't actually access the national mall from where we were, we joined thousands of other people in the 3rd street tunnel, passing under the mall to reach the south side, where the entrances were open.

How many of you can say that you walked through a freeway tunnel?

Then, after waiting around for several hours and allowing my feet to freeze completely, the program started, and you all know how that story ends.

Two million of my closest friends.

Marci, Lindsey, Alan and me, trying really hard not to freeze to death.

The man himself. Or rather, his image on the jumbo-tron since we were forever away from the Capitol.

I'm pretty excited about an Obama presidency. I mean, he definitely has some policies that I don't like (health care, for instance), but for the most part I think the hope he has brought to the country is a huge step. My biggest concern is this pervasive mentality that he is the Messiah. That all of the sudden, starting at noon on January 20, all the problems that this country faces are about to get better. I hate to break it to you, people, but he's still human. Give it some time. And take some responsibility for yourself. I think President Obama himself gets it, it's just everyone else that's a little off. Oh, and the Civil War? Yeah, that was over in 1865. Not 2 days ago.

Just because

I saw this on a couple friends' blogs and thought it looked fun. So of course I had to post it. It made me feel pretty good about my level of adventuresome-ness, although that's only because about 15 of them have something to do with Italy.
=) Enjoy!

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TAGGED Rules are: Anything you have done has to be in bold. How much have you done?

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars. 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain. 9. Held a Praying Mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Been to the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Tied a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Visited Italy

Extra! Extra! Baby Born with Three Heads!

(Name that movie)

Confession. I'm a news junkie. One of my kids was using my computer the other day and laughed when CNN popped up as my homepage. "You would have CNN, Ms. Chamberlain." Last year it was washingtonpost.com and in college I went through a New York Times phase. I probably check the news 5 or 6 times a day, and yes, I probably need to get some help for that. I stayed up all night to watch primary election results last spring and knew McCain's VP pick within minutes of it being released. I like to be in the know. And even better, I can justify it! Teaching social studies allows me to use current events in my curriculum on a very regular basis - I've even got my kids trained to watch the news/read the newspapers on their own.

Every once in a while, there's a really spectacular day in the news. And I don't mean that the newspapers are broadcasting Obama's newest cabinet pick or the Dow's 300 point plunge. On the best news days, the papers are full of slightly unusual and/or shocking news.

Here are some of today's winning headlines:

First U.S. Face Transplant Described. I was a little disturbed by this one at first. The whole idea of transplanting someone's face onto a new person is bizarre to me. Waking up one morning and having a completely different face? Not for me. For those people that need it, though, it's pretty impressive technology

Drew Petersen Says He's Engaged. Really? Wife #3 is homicide case and wife #4 is a missing person. Someone's stupid enough to date the man? Not to mention marrying him. Wow. Just wow.

Colorado Doctor Finds Foot in Newborn's Brain. This is maybe the strangest thing I've ever seen.

Update: 21 December

Facing Ice, Snow, Iowa Town Looks To ... Garlic Salt A Des Moines, Iowa suburb uses expired garlic salt to salt its snowy streets. Inventive, to be sure, but what a smell!

Crabbing!

One of my friends from work is constantly telling me that my friends have cool jobs. Attorneys, lobbyists, linguists, journalists, congressional staffers, etc. But this week's "Coolest Job Award" goes to ... Kellee Koenig! A couple weeks ago, Kellee mentioned that through her connections at work (she's a cartographer), she was in contact with a biologist from UDel who was conducting a census of horseshoe crabs on some beaches in the Delaware Bay. The first time I heard about it, she was planning on including the census in a mid-week campout, which I knew I wasn't going to be able to pull off, so I kind of forgot about it. Plans changed though, as they often do, and Monday night I found myself squished in the back seat of the car between Eric & Ryan on the way to Delaware.

Now, to be perfectly honest, before we got in the car I don't think I could have identified a horseshoe crab from a lineup of 20 of the usual suspects. I did know that the species had been around for millions of years, but that's pretty much all I knew. That didn't last long.

(And see, now YOU know what horseshoe crabs look like too!)

We made it to the beach about 4 hours early, so we decided to hunt down some dinner. The local that we met on the beach kept telling us that "There ain't nothin' in South Bawrs" (and in case you were wondering, his "Bawrs" is actually spelled "Bowers"), so we headed north to Dover.

Liberty Bell replica in front of the state capitol. Just before we rang it and ran.

Our next stop was a fabulous seafood dinner at some local place we passed on the highway. Can't quite remember the name. Favorite part of the meal itself: baked carrot souffle. Anyone have a recipe?

Kellee, me, Eric, Ryan, Randy in front of a giant propeller.

We finally met up with Dr. Hall, who explained to us more about horseshoe crabs and why on earth there were a 100+ people scattered over beaches in Jersey, Delaware and Maryland in the middle of the night to count the things. Do the research or call me if you really want to know. Here's evidence of our adventure:

Me and the horseshoe crab. Upside down.

Kellee, me, Ryan and the horseshoe crab that leaked on him. Ugh.

Spawning crabs. What else can I say?

Tagged!

a - attached or single? - Single. Glad we got that out of the way early.
b - best friend - Probably haven't had ONE best friend since about 2nd grade
c - cake or pie - pie, especially a good berry pie
d - day of choice - Saturday
e - essential item - my phone. i feel very lost without it.
f - favorite color - blue
g - gummi worms or bears - bears if they're chocolate-covered and worms if they're sour
h - hometown - Eagle, ID
i - indulgences - Chocolate, in way too many forms
j - january or july - July
k - kids - i have about 100 right now, but eventually i would like my own! =)
l - life is incomplete without... the church, my family, friends
m - marriage date. - Uh... working on it?
n - number of siblings - Three; one sister, two brothers
o - oranges or apples - Apples, usually
p - phobias or fears - heights and bats
q - quote - "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." (if you have any other good quotes, send them my way! i like to make my kids to respond to them...)
r - reason to smile - only 7 weeks of school left! in general though, having friends that i can talk with for hours, exploring new places, reminiscing with old friends
s - season - fall, definitely
t - tags - jessica ivins and lanelle barber
u - unknown fact about me - i really want to learn to paint. maybe teaching at an arts school has inspired me! =)
v - vegetable - asparagus or broccoli
w - worst habit - i don't know that a blog is the best place to reveal your WORST habits, but in the past couple weeks i've been accused of worrying too much. that probably counts.
x - x-ray or ultrasound - i think i had an x-ray once??
y - your favorite food - Cafe Rio pork salad is up there, along with good gelato and anything chocolate
z - zodiac - Scorpio