Good work, America!

SPOILER ALERT!  (Happy, J?)

How happy am I about the new American Idol, my cutie Lee DeWyze?

I officially declare that America got it right.  Thanks for voting correctly, guys!

What's your favorite movie quote?

Oh, I can think of SO many, being that my mind is like an elephant's, and an elephant never forgets! (Hey, there's a quote from "The Jungle Book" for ya, right there!)

But I think for right now, I'll go with the following:

"There's no crying in baseball!"

How can one not love "A League of Their Own"?

Ask me anything

what is your favorite non alcoholic drink?

This is a toughie (as when I think of favorite drinks, they inevitably contain alcohol!).

Soda? Really, I could take it or leave it. I like OJ with a big breakfast, and milk with Oreos, but I wouldn't consider them favorites. I drink more plain old water than anything else, but how boring is that?

I think I'll have to go with my morning coffee as my favorite. No sugar, just a splash of low fat-milk.

Ask me anything

DMV Update

So I returned to the scene of my former misery on Friday.

This time, I came armed with all of the necessary paperwork.

***Yes, this means I was able to locate the title to my car.  After Jason and I tore the house apart looking EVERYWHERE for the title (unsuccessfully), I had given up, and printed off the form to apply for a new title.

Yes, you read that right.  I was all set to apply for a duplicate title, so that I could turn it in at the DMV when I applied for another new title.  Ridiculous.

In any case, it turns out that was unnecessary.  One morning I woke up, and I knew where the title was.  Would you believe that it came to me in a dream?  For real?

I had actually filed it in its appropriate place.  This just seemed like such an unlikely event that I hadn't even bothered looking in my old files in the first place.  (On the bright side, all of the random papers that were NOT filed found an appropriate home during the search process.)***

Moving on.

As I was saying, I returned to the dreaded DMV on Friday.  Armed with all necessary documents.

I got into the line, which thankfully was relatively short at the time, and patiently waited my turn.  As I was waiting, I was scoping out the women working behind the counter.  I was trying to decide whose station I hoped to end up at.  I saw the woman who helped me last time (yes, I realize I'm playing it a little fast and loose with the word "helped"), and kept my fingers crossed that she wouldn't call on me.  I would actually have preferred to wait in line a little longer for another station than go back to hers.

I found myself thinking of ways that I could avoid that mean old hag.  Like, maybe if my turn was up and her station was the empty one, I could let the person behind me go first.  I realized this would look suspicious at the DMV, since NO ONE wants to wait LONGER.  So I tried to think of some plausible reasons why I would do such a thing.

"Oh, my!  My shoe is untied!  I shouldn't take those three steps up to the window without tying it first, lest I trip and fall!  But I'd hate to hold up the line...you go ahead."

Hey, it could work.

Thankfully, when my turn was up (after only ten minutes or so- gasp!), the meanie was otherwise occupied, and I got to go to a much nicer looking woman's station.  I mean, she was wearing a sweater set and pearls.  She had to be kind, right? 

I simply couldn't believe how quick and easy it was at that point.  I told her what I needed, she asked for my driver's license, and a few quick taps of the keyboard and $53 later ($48 check, $5 cash, just because the DMV has to be a little difficult), I was on my way.

Huzzah!  My car is now officially registered to my new-named self.

And thank God I don't have to return to the DMV anytime in the foreseeable future.

Feel Good Friday- Yogarific!

This week, yoga literally makes me feel good!  And don't you think yogarific is a great word to describe that??

As you all know, I've been making an effort to get into better shape (dieting, exercise, blah, blah, blah...).  Well this week, I decided to incorporate yoga into my routine.

I love how relaxing it is at the time, and how the day after you do it, every muscle in your body is sore and you have no idea how it happened.

I love how it forces you to do a little meditation (as hokey as that may sound to many of you!).

And I love how it's just good for you, all around!

I've also been having lots of fun trying out different yoga videos.  I have yet to find one that I really enjoy, so if any of you have recommendations, PLEASE.  Help a sista out.

I've learned some new techniques that I have never seen in any of my yoga classes at the gym, such as "Breath of Fire."  Sounds like a circus act, no?  In actuality, it's a bit more like a panting dog.  I can't really do it without laughing (and attracting unwanted attention from my puppies), so I had to nix that video.

Today's video ended with the words "Celebrate!  Be great!" scrolling across the screen.  Well, the sheer ridiculousness of that also made me laugh.  Plus, I thought the yogi chick was slightly annoying.  Her pigtails (yes, pigtails) were uneven.  And her nipples were constantly at attention.

Two videos down, one more still to try...

In any case, I did enjoy getting back into this practice that I so rudely abandoned a few years ago.  The long and short of it?  Yoga just makes me feel good!

**In case you are confused, the woman in the picture is not, in fact, me.  But after a few months of my mad yoga skills, you won't be able to tell us apart.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Let's talk about American Idol

***WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!***

What do you all think this season?

In the past, I have been a serious fan.  As in, not only didn't miss an episode, but watched it live (GASP!) so I could call in and vote, rather than on DVR, where I could fast forward through the commercials.

This year?  Not so much.  After the first few weeks, I realized that we had a little lack of talent thing goin' on.  So I continued to DVR, but didn't so much watch.

Well, I picked it up again this week, as we are getting down to the wire.  Luckily, I think America got it right in their final three.  Crystal Bowersox, Casey James, and Lee DeWyze were the only three that interested me back in the beginning.  They can actually sing!

And then there were two:

Let's face it; Crystal can sing.  She's got a style and a flavor all her own.  She's already a recording artist, she just hasn't so much recorded yet.  Everyone knew from week one that she'd be in the finals.  AND, as much as I think Casey James is a little dreamy, I think Lee DeWyze is a little dreamier (I mean, look at that grin...really.)  So I'm uber-glad that he's made it to the finals, and I'm hoping he wins the whole shebang.  (Also, his rendition of Hallelujah this week was hands-down the best performance of the night.  He deserved to move on.) 

 So who do you love this year?  As we learned last year, it's anybody's game.  (And if you say you knew Kris Allen was going to beat Adam Lambert, well, you're just a liar.) 





Time for my first ever blog poll!

So vote!  Vote!  Who do you want to win?

Who will be crowned this year's 'American Idol'?

• Crystal Bowersox
• Lee DeWyze

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

Ask me anything!

So I found this weird website where you can anonymously ask me questions.

I said to myself, "Self, this might be a fun little addition the the ole' blog!"

Maybe you're dying to know what kind of toothpaste I prefer, or whether I can juggle, or if my hair is its natural hue.  I dunno.

So if you wish...ask away!  The answers will show up here.

I have conveniently placed a little box over there on the right side of your screen where you can participate.

Enjoy!

Who needs central air?

I mean, opening all of the windows in the house is great? Right?

When it's above 90 outside, the answer would be WRONG.

My ac is out...again...for the sixth time in two years.

Did you know it was possible to have a lemon of an air conditioning unit?  I've heard of buying cars that were lemons.  But never air conditioners.  That is, until mine.



By the way, the unit is only three years old.  The breakdowns started happening  just after the one year warranty expired.

Did you ever notice how things like this only happen on the weekends?  It was Saturday when we noticed the trouble.  Saturday's high was in the mid-90's.  And, J and I are cheap (okay, well J is cheap, and marrying him made me cheap by proxy).  So of course, we were not going to pay someone "emergency" rates to get them out here on a weekend.

So it's Monday afternoon, still no ac.  Thankfully, the repairman (a.k.a. my new best friend) will be here shortly.

Some highlights regarding the lack of cool air:

• My hair.  It's (not) amazing.  It is completely and utterly muggy in my bathroom.  I already have one appliance that blows hot air, so I am certainly not going to willingly turn on another.  The result is frizz.  Lots of it.  
• Sleeping.  I am a hot sleeper on a normal day.  In the dead of winter, my fan is on.  "But icicles are forming on the ceiling!" says J.  "It feels like hell in here without the fan," says me.  Must. Have. Fan.  Sleeping with no ac is the opposite of fun for me.
• The sounds of nature...and my neighbors.  Since there is no ac, all windows must be open at all times.  SO, all night I get to listen to not only the frogs, the crickets, and the (raging) thunderstorms, but also to the crazy lady neighbor on her back porch at 3:30 am (I don't know why, so don't ask), and then her dog barking (and barking, and barking, and barking barking barking) at 4:30 am.
• The sofa bed.  We decided to give it a whirl Saturday night, since it was literally 12 degrees cooler downstairs than it was upstairs.  That rod running through the center of my back?  It did not equal good lumbar support.  And the overly-excited dog who wouldn't calm down?   I know she was just happy to have company on her level, but mama needed some sleep.  We hoofed it upstairs before midnight and suffered through the heat.

In conclusion?  Southern living was made for central air.

I've been a bad blogger...

So sorry about the lack of posts this week, dear readers!  I'll try to make up for it with one big, all-encompassing post.  Go ahead and get a snack...I'll wait.

Okay, Here's what I've been up to:

1. EOG's.

For those of you non North-Carolinians (or those of you who DO live here, but under a rock), these are the big, dreaded, standardized tests that come at the end of the school year (or End Of Grade).  Now these tests are only for students in grades 3-8.

"But I thought you taught students in grades K-1?" you might ask.  And you'd be correct.  But I have managed to be involved in the EOG mania nonetheless.

Firstly, my side job is tutor extraordinaire.  I work with three kids, grades 6, 8, and 9, on math.  I know, weird combo that I teach reading to the little ones during the morning and math to the older ones in the afternoons.  But it works for me!

Two of my kiddos are in the throes of EOG.  One took the test this past Wednesday and Thursday, the other takes his exam this upcoming Thursday.  I have been clocking A LOT of tutoring hours recently!  (It's okay, though.  Good for the ole' bank account!)

Aside from tutoring, I got to take part in EOG joy at my own school.  This week, students on tracks 1 and 2 took the big tests.  And because I'm so lucky (i.e. I'm a warm body and my classes are apparently expendable and easily canceled for the week) I got to be a proctor!

Let me tell you a little bit about proctoring the EOGs.  In a word- BORING.  Basically, I got to sit and stare at a classroom of fifth graders for hours at a time.  Every fifteen minutes or so, I would circulate around the room, looking over shoulders to make sure that the kids were bubbling in the same number on their answer sheet as the question they were on in the test booklet.  But come on...these kids are in fifth grade.  They've bubbled in test sheets a time or two before.

Once kids finished the tests, I had to make sure they were sitting silently.  Once or twice a kid sneaked a book out of their desk and tried to hide it, and I had to tell them to put the book away until the test session was over.  That was the peak of excitement of the whole experience.

OH, and I ALSO got to take parades of kids to the bathroom, and make sure they went in one at a time, and didn't talk about the test in any way.  That was also TONS of fun!

The experience was uber-miserable.  I found myself wishing that I was taking the test, because I thought it would be more fun.

I can't wait to do this again when the other half of the students in my school take the tests in two weeks.


2.  Entering the HGTV Green Home 2010 Giveaway on a daily basis.

I mean, how fabulous is this house?  (Of course, it doesn't really matter how fabulous the house is, because if I actually did win it, I'd sell it.  Because let's be real here...I am SO not moving back to the north.  I WOULD keep the SUV and the $100 grand, though.)

I'm almost tempted to leave this part of the post out, lest you start entering daily, too, and decrease my odds of winning.  But I like you.  So I guess I'll allow it.


3. Dieting and ellipticalling.  (Yes, I know that's not a word, but I like it...so there.)

My stomach has mostly gotten used to liquids for breakfast and lunch, and I'm not hungry and crabby at every moment.  Just some moments, like when J says he's hungry, and I explode a little, lashing out about the fact that he got to have food for breakfast and lunch.  But he's a trooper, and he forgives me.

I may be missing beer more than food, as I am depriving myself of it on the weeknights.  But even that is getting easier.

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to skip the elliptical, because I was feeling a little lazy.  Later in the day, I felt guilty for skipping out, so I ended up not only ellipticaling, but going a few minutes over my normal 30.

Now THAT'S progress, no?

AND, I've lost 6 pounds.  Yay me!


Also, (and you thought I'd forgotten!)...today is

And here's what makes me feel good this Friday (aside from the aforementioned 6 pounds).

The first bloom of the season on my magnolia tree.  After I moved south and saw these trees everywhere, I knew that someday, I MUST have one.  Thanks to the coolest mom on the block (mine), I have one.  She bought this for me on one of her visits, and I love, love, love looking out my kitchen window and seeing it blooming all spring and summer.


So that's all, folks!  Have an excellent weekend!

Scratch & Sniff

Remember scratch & sniff stickers?

When I was a kid, I thought that they were the coolest thing.  Apparently, kids today still feel this way.

I have a "Treasure Chest" full of stickers in my classroom.  When my students fill up their home reading logs, they get to choose a sticker from the chest.  It is very common for the students to dig and dig and dig through all of the stickers until they can find a "smelly" one.

This week, one little guy chose this sticker.  I watched him scratch, sniff, and exclaim: "Cool!  Smells just like REAL outer space!"

Too cute.

Feel Good Friday- Cinco de Mayo!

This week, Cinco de Mayo makes me happy!

Wednesday was the fifth of May, which in my opinion, means it's time to celebrate with tacos, margaritas, and friends!

We determined that the best way to get a good turnout at a party is to throw it on a weeknight.  Everybody's in town, and everybody is looking for a reason for a mid-week get together!

Needless to say, J and I had quite the crowd show up at our house.  Everybody brought some kind of taco fixins', I made pitchers of pomegranate margaritas (I added a little simple syrup to this recipe- delish!), and instant party!

We had a great time with great friends.  Enjoy a few pictures of the Cinco shenanigans!

Heather and Kim

Blaire and Ali

Some of the guys playing cornhole

Cate and Will, eating chips and having fun!

Sweet baby Christopher

Mark thought it would be funny to turn the sprinkler on- Richard was the unfortunate victim!

GLEE and the Buckeyes- flash mob awesomeness!

So you all know I love Glee.  I also love The Ohio State University (annoying emhpasis on the The :) )  So I just HAD to share this.

I so would have loved to have been at the Ohio Union to see this complete, awesome, randomness!  It even includes guest appearances from Brutus and the university President!

I know a lot of my readers are haters...this is worth a watch, anyway!



Go BUCKS!

My kind of headline.

I believe I have mentioned my affection for The Golden Girls a time or two before.  I love them.  That show will never get old to me.  I will watch the reruns again and again and again until the day I die.  As it stands right now, I already have an absolutely disturbing level of knowledge about each and every episode.

So you can imagine my delight at the recent resurgence in popularity of the dear, dear Betty White.

Remember when Saturday Night Live used to be funny?  Yeah, not so much anymore.  I used to watch religiously, but haven't tuned in in years.  You can bet I'll be watching this upcoming Saturday as my beloved Betty White hosts.

As the media is all abuzz awaiting this epic event, there have been a decent number of articles written recently about the divine Ms. White.

Read one particularly wonderful article here, entitled "Why Betty White is so awesome."

Word.

A Saturday of Landing Planes

This weekend, our favorite local brewery opened its new location!

We were so excited when we heard good beer was coming to the 'Quay!  In our little town, any hint of a night life or a cool hang-out is sheer amazingness.  Aviator Brewery started out in a small airplane hangar, but quickly grew in local popularity...due to its extreme awesomeness, of course.  Now they have a much bigger brewery space, in addition to the taproom, where we like to have weekend beverages of the non-Miller Lite variety.

Lots of our pals showed up for the big day!  Somehow I managed to miss photographing our pal Jason and his wife, Blaire.  Jason works for Aviator, and always keeps us updated on the goings-on at the brewery.  (Just so you know, since I somehow missed their picture, Jason looked particularly jaunty with his mutton chops.)

Here are some other photos from the day!

J and I...looking shiny.  It was scorchingly hot.  I was very proud of my hair before we left the house...once we got there, not so much.

Scott and Amy.  Scott and J spent lots of time speaking nerd.

Julie and Ryan.  Thank God for Julie and her hair tie.  Without her, my aforementioned hair would have been a COMPLETE disaster.

Kim and her new man, Chris.  Cutie new couple!

Laurel and Amanda.  Two of my favorite ladies!

Good times!