Rookie Reflections

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

-Sylvia Plath

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100820005843/en/Ron-Paul-Left-Demagogue-Mosque-Islam

In many ways, our language has been impoverished--by politics, ads, ignorance, and suspicion of eloquence. In the Renaissance it was socially valuable to be able to speak well; you could talk yourself into court or into bed. Whereas in America, and especially in the latter half of the twentieth century, we have tended to equate eloquence with arrogance at best and dishonesty at worst, preferring people who, like, you know, well, kinda couldn't exactly, like, say what they mean. Sort of. Whole concepts have disappeared via advertising from our fund of expression. We no longer have meaningful ways to say: the real thing, the right choice, new and improved, makes you feel young again, or just do it. The words wonderful, great, grand, distinctive, elegant, exclusive, purity, pleasure, passion, mastery, mystery, and natural have been coopted and corrupted. If I say, "I love what you do to me," it's clear that I've got something to sell.

I get chills watching the trailer. I really, really hope the producers don't mess this one up for me. I CAN'T WAIT...

Look at this precious video!

Max, Margaux, & The Marvelows from Shark Pig on Vimeo.

via A Cup of Jo

I'm working up some lessons for this upcoming year, and this is one I'm testing out for 12th grade. By the time they complete my class, they will have read all these plays during high school and should have at least a working understanding of each. If you get a minute, let me know what you think.



CHALLENGE: Although many of Shakespeare's plays focus primarily on men, consider his portrayal of women. The Bard frequently uses love/lust between his leading men and a unique woman to drive the action of the plays. Can you match each influential lady with her spoken words? (HINTS: Consider all of the plays we discussed. What was the premise of each? What character traits does each woman possess? Would the quotation fit her character?) (NOTE: These are NOT the main quotations we discussed in class.)


a. Ophelia (Hamlet)
b. Desdemona (Othello)
c. Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)
d. Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)
e. Beatrice (Much ado about Nothing)
f. Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream)


1. __________

A dear happiness to women. They would else have
been troubled with a pernicious suitor.
I thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that.
I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loved me.


2. __________

Come, gentle night, — come, loving black brow'd night,
Give me my [name removed]; and when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of Heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun.


3. __________

And even for that do I love you the more.
I am your spaniel. And, [name removed],
The more you beat me, I will fawn on you.
Use me but as your spaniel—spurn me, strike me,
Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you.
What worser place can I beg in your love—
And yet a place of high respect with me—
Than to be used as you use your dog?


4. __________

My noble father,
I do perceive here a divided duty.
To you I am bound for life and education.
My life and education both do learn me
How to respect you. You are the lord of my duty,
I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband,
And so much duty as my mother showed
To you, preferring you before her father,
So much I challenge that I may profess
Due to the Moor my lord.


5. __________

Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-ful
Of direst cruelty!


6. __________

I...now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;
That unmatch'd form and feature of blown youth
Blasted with ecstasy: O, woe is me,
To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!




How did you do? Is this too hard/too easy? Should I modify it to be more recognizable quotations from them?

BEGINNINGS OF MY BUCKET LIST

(open to suggestions and subject to change)

-travel overseas
-read enough to be "well read," if only for conversations in my own mind
-try new things (especially scary things)
-stop regretting
-save money for no particular reason
-meet new people (ditch them if they're lame, keep them if not)
-learn to cook without recipes
-be good at discipline in my classroom
-go to California, New York, and somewhere on a whim (separate trips)
-meet Steven Tyler
-be financially independent
-reteach myself how to play piano (FOR REAL THIS TIME)
-be healthy in order to feel healthy
-stop drinking caffiene/smoking cigarettes/being ridiculous
-have a pen pal
-have my own version of the happiness project
-be confident
-get over my fear of horses and go horseback riding
-play paintball
-participate in a Habitat for Humanity event
-have a solid retirement plan
-run a marathon (ok, maybe just a half marathon... who am I kidding?)
-go camping
-learn to salsa dance

and she was lying in the grass
and she could hear the highway breathing
and she could see a nearby factory
she's making sure she is not dreaming




and she was looking at herself
and things were looking like a movie
she had a pleasant elevation
she's moving out in all directions

I woke up this morning and realized I'm kind of a jerk. The oil, sure to devestate the ecosystem for years and years to come, is still spilling into the gulf. For the last week, I've been worried that it was going to inconveience me on my summer beach vacation.

Also, Blaine and I have decided to give our kittens some new nicknames:

Piper AKA "Big Oil":




and Fitzwilliam Majeed AKA "Tar Ball"





Yep, I'm kind of a jerk.

A couple of weeks ago, there was a knock on the door. I was expecting Lisa, so I hauled Piper to the door and stuck her little fuzzy head out there as if she were answering it (funny haha). Instead of Lisa's girlish giggle, I heard a deep HUH HUH HUH laugh.

A little embarrassed, I dropped Piper and looked outside to see a well dressed, smiling, plump young man around 17 or 18. I stepped outside to talk with him. He tells me a heartbreaking story about how he is from Atlanta and wants to go to college, but he doesn't have the funding. He is part of this program that works with teenagers in his same position. The group works off of a points system: they get so many points for the way they handle themselves on door-to-door visits, (SIDE NOTE: when explaining this part to me, he said his sponsor would call me to get feedback and asked if I would let his sponsor know that he was respectful, handled himself well, and didn't ask me to make him some collard greens. I shit you not) points for how many homes they visit, and points for however many magazine subscriptions/books they sell. He then proceeded to show me the list of magazines and books that were available to sell.

In hindsight, I should have known better than to believe this little shit. But...
1. He had official looking paperwork
2. The receipts were triplicate copies with the name of the company and address, etc. on them
3. He gave me contact information for his sponsor
4. I am a sucker for a teenager who works hard at anything during the summertime (not common)

So, to end a long story, I went inside to get my checkbook to write a check for a crazy amount ($72) to renew a magazine Blaine already subscribes to (Rolling Stone for 2 years).

I should've seen the red flags here:
-he said he got more points if I paid cash
and here:
-however uninvited, he asked if he could come in while I wrote the check

Of course, I wrote a check, and of course, practical-minded Blaine looked it up as soon as I told him. It was a scam. Please check out reviews here (courtesy of Blaine Duncan Detective Agency):

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-856-642-0012

http://citysquares.com/b/millenium-sales-721836

http://www.bbb.org/new-jersey/business-reviews/magazines-distributors/millennium-sales-in-mount-laurel-nj-90009226



Moral of the story: never stick Piper's head out the door assuming it's Lisa on the other side.

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful, talented, confident, loving, selfless mother!

I have been intentionally trying to avoid the news coverage of the oil spill. I know that is lame and counterproductive, but it is upsetting, people! I am trying to keep the paranoia at a manageable level.

Anyways, I caught a broadcast about it this morning. Apparently, one of the tactics BP used to try to clean up the oil was something called "chemical disbursement," where they basically just dumped a bunch of chemicals one mile under water to break up the oil. After putting over 150,000 gallons (150,000 GALLONS) of these chemicals into the ocean, they stopped using this method because of the toxicity levels in the chemicals and the possible long-term damage it could do to the shrimping industry. Question: did they not check the toxicity levels of the chemicals beforehand?

In addition to this craziness, when BP reps were asked what was in the chemicals they poured, they pulled the "I know something you don't know" card and wouldn't tell. WHO CAN JUST POUR TOXIC CHEMICALS INTO THE OCEAN BY THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS AND NOT TELL ANYONE WHAT IS IN IT?!

READ MORE HERE

"When the English tongue we speak,
Why is break not rhymed with freak ?
Will you tell me why it's true
We say sew but likewise few ?
And the maker of verse
Cannot cap his horse with worse ?
Beard sounds not the same as heard.
Cord is different from word.
Cow is cow, but low is low;
Shoe is never rhymed with foe.
Think of hose and dose and lose,
And of goose and yet of choose.
Think of comb and tomb and bomb.
Doll and roll, and home and some,
And since pay is rhymed with say,
Why not paid with said, I pray ?
We have blood and food and good;
Mould is not pronounced like could.
Wherefore done, but gone, and lone ?
Is there any reason known ?
And, in short, it seems to be
Sounds and letters disagree."
-M. Needleman

They say (I read in Woman’s Day) that any literature mirrors what is going on in society at the time in which it was written. True to some degree, but it is easy to get fiction and reality confused. In written word, if a narrator gets caught in a lie one time by the reader, that person is considered unreliable from that point forward. In reality, life is a series of transgressions, apologies (spoken or sensed), and homecomings. Any real hope for change in life seems to hinge on your ability to forgive (others or yourself, whatever the case may be). But, if we are repeating the same patterns as life goes on, are we really changing?

Toms

Yes, I know these are trendy lately. I just can't help but love them! They have this effortless comfort look to them that just screams "SUMMERTIME!!!!!" I am currently coveting the canvas ones in ash gray.



The Black Apple Books Print

I know I've written about The Black Apple Etsy store before. I would buy every single one of their prints and love each of them dearly. Lately, my favorite print has been this one about books. Wouldn't it be lovely in my classroom?



e.e. cummings

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful."

OB-SESSED. PERIOD.

i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite a new thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh . . . . And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you quite so new


Kelly Cutrone

Always the sucker for reality shows on BravoTV, I got hooked on her recent show because of the name: Kell on Earth. [NOTE: If ever I were going to be in a roller derby league, this would have to be my name.] In all seriousness, she is one badass bitch. She is a fashion publicist who has no qualms saying what she means; She handles business like no other and still has this rocker vibe. I am teetering on the idea of ordering her book, If You Have to Cry Go Outside: and Other Things Your Mother Never Told You. Who am I kidding? I'm ordering it now.



Celebrity Playlist Podcast

This podcast, usually about 20-30 minutes in length, features different celebrities who talk about which songs influence them. Most of the time, the celebrities are musicians (recent listens were She & Him, Mick Fleetwood, and Lady Gaga), and sometimes they have actors (Clint Eastwood's) and public figures (Perez Hilton). I love listening to this when I'm walking. It is short enough to be engaging and long enough to be informative. Love it!

Jim Burke's Blog

I feel giddy inside when he posts a new blog. Many writers have insightful things to say about teaching English; however, I always take something practical away from reading what he's written. He inspires me to be better without seeming arrogant. I was also excited to find out that he's the keynote speaker at the Alabama Council of Teachers of English Conference this October in Birmingham. Can't wait!

Hi friends! Long time, no post. Here are the basics:

1. It's that time of year again where I freak out about job security. Will the powers that be pass the education budget and save my job? Or, will they not pass it, lay off teachers, and raise the divisors so that there are +/-40 students in a class? Case is pending.

I really REALLY hope Blaine and I both have jobs next year. This is Blaine's tenure year, and if he gets that, we can finally put down roots here and (hopefully) make our lives in Tusky seem a little more permanent. I have been eying houses and dreaming of flower gardens.

2. I volunteered to be the cheer sponsor at the new school I applied for in the case that I have a job next year (see number one). Little did I know, it is a reallyfreakinghuge time commitment. The good news is that it's fun and I really love the girls who will be on the squad. They seem excited to start it up, and so am I.



3. I absolutely love Spring. I want to be outside all day in the sunshine, swinging in swings and jumping on trampolines. Outdoor adventures to date: a. Thanksbirthmas celebration at Lisa's complete with water balloons, bubble machines, babies galore and delicious grilling and b. egg toss competition Easter Sunday (since there are no babies to hunt eggs)... GUESS WHO WAS THE CHAMPION?









Who wants to have a patio party?

4. Wedding season is fast approaching. I am so excited to see two of my favorite couples tie the proverbial knot in May and June. I'm looking forward to bachelorette shenanigans (at the beach - woo!), mushy ceremonies that make me teary, and gossipy girltalk at showers.

5 things that make me feel healthy:
-spring sunshine
-when my muscles are sore
-showering after a workout
-when my pants fit (woop!)
-not being shy in a bathing suit


5 things that make me feel wealthy:
-having produce in the fridge
-being able to fill my gas tank up completely when I go
-going out to eat with friends or family
-going on roadtrips
-transfering funds to savings


5 things that make me feel happy:
-finishing a good book
-hearing my students laugh/catching up on grading
-holding a tiny baby
-painting
-porch swings/reminiscing

Is there an exact moment when you know you are a woman instead of a girl, or does it develop over time? I have never felt like more of an adult than I have this year. Instead of measly little choices, there are huge, life-changing decisions to be made. Instead of insignificant, forget-about-them-tomorrow problems, there are issues and hardships that will float around in my head for years to come. There is a lot to be said for becoming your own person, but most of the time, I just want to curl up in a little ball and hide from adulthood.

And why do I have all these negative thoughts in my head about being a woman? Shouldn't I feel more empowered and wiser than my naive teenaged years? If women can be Secretaries of State and military heroes, can't I just shut up about it?


Women
by Alice Walker

They were women then
My mama's generation
Husky of voice--Stout of
Step
With fists as well as
Hands
How they battered down
Doors
And ironed
Starched white
Shirts
How they led
Armies
Headragged Generals
Across mined
Fields
Booby-trapped
Ditches
To discover books
Desks
A place for us
How they knew what we
Must know
Without knowing a page
Of it
Themselves.

"Degrees of separation between Al Bundy and Kate Gosselin", or, "Some Friday happy videos for you":



Al Bundy

was on Married with Children, but now he plays on

Modern Family

which is on ABC, along with

The Bachelor

Which featured Jake Pavelka, who is now on Dancing with the Stars with

Kate Gosselin





Have a nice weekend!

2nd Annual Black Warrior Storytelling Festival

March 28th - One of the most favorite things I did last year. Bring a blanket, and listen to some great stories. I am SO looking forward to it. Click HERE for more info.

Walk for Autism 2010

Get your lazy butt out of bed and join my lazy butt in a 2 mile walk for a good cause. You can also enjoy face painting, a bubble creation station, a bouncy house, and carnival style games (if the kids will let you cut in line). While you're at it, join TEAM MILO!

April 17 - Click HERE for more info.

Blue Angels Air Show

I officially messed up last year when I didn't see the Blue Angel Air Show in town. I'm not making the same mistake twice!

May 8-9 - Click HERE for more info.

Sunrise Community Hot Air Balloon Race

Would you believe I've never seen a hot air balloon in real life?! Inconceivable.

May 22 - Click HERE for more info.