Let's see if THIS works!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
In Defense of What is Still My Favorite Month
Shakespeare said, "Time is the justice that examines all offenders." Well, I must be really offensive, because my favorite month has flown by and will soon be coming to an end. I am going to spend Nevada Day in Utah, although I'm not sure yet how that's going to look.
Last week was an absolute blast. I got to see Krista for a minute in passing while scarfing up loads of free stuff - some good and some not so good - at the Southern Nevada Council for the Social Studies Colloquium at the Natural History Museum. Ooh, look at all those hyperlinks! This will be an informative post, if nothing else. I attended the colloquium to try to win a free trip to Washington, D.C. Helas, my membership is now renewed through 12/2013, and the most valuable thing I came away with was the district (or is it state? so confusing sometimes) password for Culturgrams, which has already proven to be worth several times its weight in platinum.
On Wednesday night, I attended the first Tupperware party of my little life at a coworker's house. I was excited to go to the Tupperware party because I wanted the Flat Out! bowls. I have wanted them for years and years. Now, for the price of just five cups of coffee...they will be mine! I was also excited to go to the Tupperware Party because the host was the lovely Kay Sedia. Drag queen AND top Tupperware seller, what an awesome combination! A great time was had by all.
Last week was also the week when I finally got "boo"ed. Getting "boo"ed is apparently a time-honored tradition in middle schools. Someone anonymously leaves you a treat bag, and in return you leave two anonymous treat bags for others. I chose to "boo" two other teachers who are new to my middle school because, like me, they got "turned around." I'll put a photo in here of the treat bags I made.
Last week was an absolute blast. I got to see Krista for a minute in passing while scarfing up loads of free stuff - some good and some not so good - at the Southern Nevada Council for the Social Studies Colloquium at the Natural History Museum. Ooh, look at all those hyperlinks! This will be an informative post, if nothing else. I attended the colloquium to try to win a free trip to Washington, D.C. Helas, my membership is now renewed through 12/2013, and the most valuable thing I came away with was the district (or is it state? so confusing sometimes) password for Culturgrams, which has already proven to be worth several times its weight in platinum.
On Wednesday night, I attended the first Tupperware party of my little life at a coworker's house. I was excited to go to the Tupperware party because I wanted the Flat Out! bowls. I have wanted them for years and years. Now, for the price of just five cups of coffee...they will be mine! I was also excited to go to the Tupperware Party because the host was the lovely Kay Sedia. Drag queen AND top Tupperware seller, what an awesome combination! A great time was had by all.
Last week was also the week when I finally got "boo"ed. Getting "boo"ed is apparently a time-honored tradition in middle schools. Someone anonymously leaves you a treat bag, and in return you leave two anonymous treat bags for others. I chose to "boo" two other teachers who are new to my middle school because, like me, they got "turned around." I'll put a photo in here of the treat bags I made.
Last week, I also became the proud owner of a Play N Freeze. "You bought that?" YES, I bought it, and it's really cool (no pun). It's so good for so many reasons! First, you get to practice your delayed gratification skills. Secondly, you get to get an arm workout WHILE preparing to eat ice cream. Finally, you get to take anything you like and turn it into ice cream. Win-win-win.
Tonight, however, it is not ice cream, but the carmel apple that is on my mind. Apparently (according to Google et. al.), carmel apples have existed since ancient times, when dipping fruit in heated sugar helped preserve it. Personally, I thought salt preserved and sugar aided decomposition, but what do I know compared to Google? It was popular in Britain, and when carmel became inexpensive in the 1800s, it caught on here, as well. All I know is that the carmel apple is the best thing since the jack-o-lantern!
And on that happy note, I bid you adieu until the night itself: All Hallows Eve, when I will wear to school and in the evening either the Tavern Wench or Alexander the Great, I haven't decided yet. In the meantime, enjoy what is left of this splendid month.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Until You Walk a Mile in Their Moccasins
Is that how you spell moccasin? I'm not sure. All I know is I am still freaked out by the Human Footprint.
We are watching the DVD in geography class because I was so deeply disturbed by it that I decided to diffuse my disturbance by making 120-some captive 13-year olds share it.
Of course they're like, "meh," and not disturbed, which I find even more disturbing.
The best part is that you can go to National Geographic's interactive consumption page and figure out how you compare to world averages.
And on that note, I will end with an apology for using one word, "disturbed" too much in this nightmarishly-hyperlinked post.
We are watching the DVD in geography class because I was so deeply disturbed by it that I decided to diffuse my disturbance by making 120-some captive 13-year olds share it.
Of course they're like, "meh," and not disturbed, which I find even more disturbing.
The best part is that you can go to National Geographic's interactive consumption page and figure out how you compare to world averages.
And on that note, I will end with an apology for using one word, "disturbed" too much in this nightmarishly-hyperlinked post.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
October's 2nd weekend, 2011
I just finished watching The Company Men with Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and some other famous people.
My only regret is that I rented it instead of buying it outright. I knew it would be good, and I think I'm going to buy a round of copies for people for Christmas.
Other than that, I don't have much to say this week. I've been happy to see that Pastor Dana of Kaleidoscope Faith is making her way steadily home to Michigan. I'm following her progress via posts from the people she's staying with along the way.
Jeff Dick has landed safely in Australia and is settling in.
There you go: since nothing momentous has happened in my own life, I'll update you on my friends.
Which reminds me, Mizz Jodi is about to start her job at Ivy Tech soon, so good vibes to her as she starts that new adventure.
For myself, I'm having a heck of a time trying to find a natural resources map of the United States. I found a whole bunch of other thematic maps, including maps of frog coverage, time zones and farm values, but try finding the one you remember from grade school with the little carts of coal...no dice. National Geographic rarely disappoints, however, and while looking for one thing, we find another.
It is in that spirit that I will conclude this short post by attempting to embed one of my favorite thematic maps of all time. Let's see... Haha! Good old Wikipedia! Since Wikipedia is, as the name implies, a wiki, I figure its content is ripe for stealing. I'll paste the description below the image, too. Heheh.
"The image shows the urbanization of the world's cities through the use of the DMSP satellite system. This image of Earth's city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Originally designed to view clouds by moonlight, the OLS is also used to map the locations of permanent lights on the Earth's surface. The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. (Compare western Europe with China and India.) Cities tend to grow along coastlines and transportation networks. The United States interstate highway system appears as a lattice connecting the brighter dots of city centers. In Russia, the Trans-Siberian railroad is a thin line stretching from Moscow through the center of Asia to Vladivostok. The Nile River, from the Aswan Dam to the Mediterranean Sea, is another bright thread through an otherwise dark region. Even more than 100 years after the invention of the electric light, some regions remain thinly populated and unlit. Antarctica is entirely dark. The interior jungles of Africa and South America are mostly dark, but lights are beginning to appear there. Deserts in Africa, Arabia, Australia, Mongolia, and the United States are poorly lit as well (except along the coast), along with the boreal forests of Canada and Russia, and the great mountains of the Himalaya.
Date 21 October 2006 Source Imagery by NASA and/or the US Geological Survey.
Processed by Terra Prints Inc.
Author Data courtesy Marc Imhoff of NASA GSFC and Christopher Elvidge of NOAA NGDC.
Image by Craig Mayhew and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC."
Don't let the bedbugs bite. ;)
Other than that, I don't have much to say this week. I've been happy to see that Pastor Dana of Kaleidoscope Faith is making her way steadily home to Michigan. I'm following her progress via posts from the people she's staying with along the way.
Jeff Dick has landed safely in Australia and is settling in.
There you go: since nothing momentous has happened in my own life, I'll update you on my friends.
Which reminds me, Mizz Jodi is about to start her job at Ivy Tech soon, so good vibes to her as she starts that new adventure.
For myself, I'm having a heck of a time trying to find a natural resources map of the United States. I found a whole bunch of other thematic maps, including maps of frog coverage, time zones and farm values, but try finding the one you remember from grade school with the little carts of coal...no dice. National Geographic rarely disappoints, however, and while looking for one thing, we find another.
It is in that spirit that I will conclude this short post by attempting to embed one of my favorite thematic maps of all time. Let's see... Haha! Good old Wikipedia! Since Wikipedia is, as the name implies, a wiki, I figure its content is ripe for stealing. I'll paste the description below the image, too. Heheh.
"The image shows the urbanization of the world's cities through the use of the DMSP satellite system. This image of Earth's city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Originally designed to view clouds by moonlight, the OLS is also used to map the locations of permanent lights on the Earth's surface. The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. (Compare western Europe with China and India.) Cities tend to grow along coastlines and transportation networks. The United States interstate highway system appears as a lattice connecting the brighter dots of city centers. In Russia, the Trans-Siberian railroad is a thin line stretching from Moscow through the center of Asia to Vladivostok. The Nile River, from the Aswan Dam to the Mediterranean Sea, is another bright thread through an otherwise dark region. Even more than 100 years after the invention of the electric light, some regions remain thinly populated and unlit. Antarctica is entirely dark. The interior jungles of Africa and South America are mostly dark, but lights are beginning to appear there. Deserts in Africa, Arabia, Australia, Mongolia, and the United States are poorly lit as well (except along the coast), along with the boreal forests of Canada and Russia, and the great mountains of the Himalaya.
Date 21 October 2006 Source Imagery by NASA and/or the US Geological Survey.
Processed by Terra Prints Inc.
Author Data courtesy Marc Imhoff of NASA GSFC and Christopher Elvidge of NOAA NGDC.
Image by Craig Mayhew and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC."
Don't let the bedbugs bite. ;)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Meep Meep!
That's right, folks! On my way down the mountain for probably the last overnight until after the snows (which will begin falling this week) thaw in May, I saw a road runner (I think) for the first time (I think) in my life. That was yesterday, and clearly where the blog is concerned, I completely missed the weekend. I was busy grading papers, making money proctoring the SAT, and sleeping at McWilliams campground.
Today, something arguably better than spotting a road runner happened: it rained! It may in fact still be raining in some parts of town. Granted, it rained twice last month, but that was September. Today's rain is proof positive of the unrivaled greatness of October. It started raining about 10 minutes before school let out, and then kept raining for about 25 solid minutes, until I had arrived at the intersection of Nellis and Bonanza.
I had the most fun commute home from school ever. Unbeknownst to me, apparently my windshield is badly Rain-Xed. Adding insult to injury, when I turned on my wipers, I noticed that one of the wiper blades had dry rotted completely off. I remembered that I knew that, because I showed Miss Gokey my nonexistent wiper blade a few weeks ago. (These are the things you have to deal with when you live in a climate where there are 361 days of sunshine.) When I remembered that, I started laughing. And then I remembered the time that I accidentally turned on the wipers when I meant to turn on the cruise control, on Highway 58 (I think), and I laughed some more. Unfortunately, I passed the inevitable wreck, and pulled over for the inevitable ambulance, and stopped for at least one soaked crossing guard...
As I turned onto Nellis from Craig, I noticed two passenger aircrafts and two helicopters flying in the sky. I laughed again as I thought to myself, "the Air Force is out monitoring the "rain" situation!" Now that the cover of darkness is upon us, the lightning is better than a Cirque show. Thank you, Mother Nature! It's a good evening to watch a horror movie.
Two days ago, I watched a movie called Brotherhood. It was very dark, filled with violence, blood, death and painful bad choices, but it ended well and I enjoyed it very much.
The movie I'm watching right now is much more terrifying, IRL. It's a documentary called Tapped. It makes me feel like the main character in Brotherhood, a victim of my own bad choices regarding my water consumption. But, like Adam in the first movie, I have seen the error of my ways. In the meantime...what are "adverse reproductive effects?" What exactly is that supposed to mean? With apology to my 3 loyal readers, I must bastardize the John Muir quote and say horribly, "TV is calling and I must go."
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