December 2003 Archives

Well, no offense to everyone in MN who I know and love, but I'm ready to go back home to California. I wish I could take you all with me, that's true...so this comment has nothing to do with you. I'm just not the super social-crazed person that Josh is. I need down time. I need time to work. I miss my classroom. I miss my house. I miss my painting and my drawing that I was working on before I left. I miss my Bible (which I left on the coffee table). I have hung out with more people during this trip than I have over the last 6 months with my California friends. Doesn't that sound insane? Life is so much quieter for me there. Now, if I lived in MN, it wouldn't be a super-cram-everyone-in time because I would live here and could just hang out with people leisurely. That would be the ultimate.

Some of my trip highlights since I spoke last include hang out time with the geek friends (Nathan, Jeff, JoeBuck, and Luke). I like them because they're fun and a little crazy. Josh & I went skiing w/ Jeff, Eddie, & Aimee. That was awesome. I haven't skied for at least 5 years so I was pretty rusty getting into it. I had a nasty spill down the end of a black diamond hill which, while painful, was also strangely invigorating. I enjoyed jumping off the jumps on the wimpy hill. Josh, Neal, and I had a lovely dinner time at Carrie's place. She has a new condo which she has decorated up w/ the hippest of style (complete w/ Pier1 flair). I hung out w/ Josh's family, including the new beautiful Elise. We went to Kevin & Abby's place last night where we saw Henson and Speak (yes, Speak has his own blog) run all over the place. They were quite funny together. It was great to see Kevin & Abby again, they spruced up their house quite nicely. I had lunch with my mom. Ummm...and some other stuff. Good times. I'm quite exhausted now. Josh wanted to plan more stuff for today and I was like, "DUDE! Let's just do nothing for an afternoon!!! PLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASE!!!" So, I guess that's what I get to do! Yay!

I got to see Helen today, and her splendid husband Eric. It is so good to see people you have a history with. Helen is one of the few people who has seen me go through many life phases and has had the guts to stick around through them all. I don't see her often, but when I do, I feel that same connection that has kept our friendship together through the years. What a joy.

First, H & E were late coming to our house, which I was very thankful for since I decided to take a random nap before they came. Then, we went out to eat at Old Chicago for lunch. We saw the movie Big Fish (directed by Tim Burton, starring my second love Ewan McGregor). It was a nice movie with mixes of fantasy/tall tale, and some depth to consider. After that, we hit up the Holidazzle parade in Minneapolis which was dazzling. Then dinner at Chevy's, then Border's bookstore hangout fun time.

The best part was just the laughing and sharing. The catching up. And the laughing. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm very thankful to have friends that are there for you year after year after year. And they're great at being friends. And you always smile when you think of them. And they help you to understand what joy means. And they don't think you're a dork when you act silly (because they're pretty silly too). What a blessing, what joy.

Josh and I have been staying with my folks for this first part of winter break. We're staying in my old bedroom. It's a little weird because it's still shows a lot of my self from my college & high school life.. My posters & pictures are still hung on the wall where I left them, many of my books are on the shelves (sorted by type, then preference). On the other hand, the room is also crammed with a bunch of stuff that is not me (boxes from my dad's office when he got laid off, a shot gun shell making machine, some old clothes that I doubt will be worn again, encyclopedias from the seventies). Anyway...it's strange.

When we were gone the other night, we put Henson in his kennel. He somehow skooched it across the room and was able to grab my mom's quilt through the bars and chew a nice mangled hole in it. My mom freaked out. So, we have officially strapped his kennel to a side of the room where he can't get at valuables. I told Josh that we will probably need to continue doing this because whenever we're not around, Henson gets on a Skooch & Destroy mission.

One thing that was neat about staying in my room was that a bunch of personally significant quotes & Bible verses are on the wall next to where my desk used to be. One that took me back then still takes me back today. I'll share it with all of you. Lord Tennyson said this:

"He is closer to thee than breathing. He is closer than thy hands and feet."

Sometimes when I feel so selfish and sinful it is hard for me to remember that my body is a temple for the living God. He is closer to me than anything I can fathom. His closeness warms my spirit and shows me grace.

Well, Josh and I have been back in MN for a couple of days now. Today was an extra cool day because we got to see Return of the King. (It's just amazing...yeah...amazing). We also got to go to Khan's Mongolian Restaurant in Roseville with Eddie, Amy, Neal, Carrie, & Sam (Carrie's friend who we just met tonight who is really cool). After dinner, we went back to the Lewis place and played Settlers of Catan. Neal came out victorious, although many of us were very close to winning. Carrie got really into it and did awesome, especially considering that this was her first game.

There was a point in the evening where Josh hugged me in the hallway and we just shared a really cool moment of each feeling how special it was to be with friends and family again. To be able to just hang out last minute and eat together, laugh together, and goof around together. We miss that so much being in California. We've found some friends in California, but, for the most part, the depth of the friendships there just don't compare to what we have here. Anyway, Josh and I were just so thankful to be here. It was this kind of peaceful, wonderful feeling that I knew we both had.

On a side note, our dog is officially gay. The number one thing I've said to him since we've come here is, "Henson! Don't be gay!" You see, he's really into attempting to fool around with my parents' male dogs. He gets all frisky and excited. My parents' dogs just look at him like he's crazy and/or bite him. The funny thing is, you'd think you would leave a dog alone after a dog has bitten you. Not Henson. Nooooooo. He thinks it's some kind of foreplay and it only strengthens his attemtps. Apparently he's into that.

Any ideas on how to break a dog's homosexual tendencies???

At New York's Kennedy airport today, an individual later discovered to be a public school teacher was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule, and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Attorney general John Ashcroft said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement which has struck terror into the lives of many for generations.

He is being charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

"Al-Gebra is a fearsome cult," Ashcroft said.  "They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value. They use secret code names like "x" and "y" and refer to themselves as "unknowns", but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.

"As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, there are 3 sides to every triangle," Ashcroft stated.  When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.

"I am gratified that our government has given us a sine that it is intent on protracting us from these math-dogs who are willing to disintegrate us with calculus disregard. Murky statisticians love to inflict plane on every sphere of influence," the President said, adding: "Under the circumferences, we must differentiate their root, make our point, and draw the line." President Bush warned, "These weapons of math instruction have the potential to decimal everything in their math on a scalene never before seen unless we become exponents of a Higher Power and begin to factor-in random facts of vertex."

(Sent to me by a teacher friend)

My brother got hit in the head with a large pole at work and it dented his skull. He was really faint & weak so a coworker brought him to the hospital. They think he's going to be okay but they're still doing catscans and stuff. Please pray for him today that God will touch him and heal him.

Top Ten List of Things I Can't Wait to do in MN (in no particular order):

10. Watch Henson run through the snow with my parent's dogs
9. Go skiing!
8. Sing with my dad
7. Party @ Kevin & Abby's
6. Sit in the comfy couches @ the Lewis house
5. Fondue over New Year's
4. Listen to my brothers argue about stuff
3. See how big Elise has grown (our only niece)
2. Make cookies with my mom
1. See the people I love

I had a nice weekend & it wasn't filled with deep thoughts or anything. It was nice. I tend to stress myself out thinking about stuff, researching stuff, working on stuff for my classes, etc. But I was kind of forced to just chill out. I didn't intend to, honestly. I had really high expectations to get a bunch of reading done, do laundry, pick up the house, organize our schedule for the MN trip, sort slides in my classroom, work on my painting & crazy Henson drawing, work on the pottery wheel....

This is what I did do: Friday night I had a sleepover w/ a bunch of the girls from my Jr. High small group. We watched X-Men, played a few games (including Hear Me Out and Simpson's Uno), made popcorn (which exploded all over the kitchen), played volleyball & basketball, painted our nails, talked a ton, and went to Krispy Kreme. So, I get home on Saturday and hang out for a bit then go Salsa dancing with Josh & some friends. We got lost in San Francisco (not uncommon) for a good hour before finally finding our way there. On the way home we sang songs and laughed our heads off. I got home around 2:30 a.m. and went to bed so I could be up to go caroling with the Jr. Highers today. We sang a bunch and had fun. Josh & I came home, did a few things around the house, and just watched a movie. Now, I'm just chilling out reading blogs.

I think I'm getting better at dealing with stress and going with the flow a bit. Despite the fact that I feel really tired right now, I feel good about the weekend that I had and feel pretty chilled.

What happened to me that I feel so much pressure to accomplish so much with my time? Is it a trap? Is it a gift? I'm still not sure....

I buy a lot of postcards & boxes of postcards to use during activities in Art class. The kids learn to classify & interpret art. Plus, the cards lend themselves to all kinds of games and stuff that books don't. Thing is, whenever I get a box of postcards, I sort through it and take out all of the naked people. Jr. Higher's have a difficult time getting past the nudity and learning about the art...so I don't even go there. (That doesn't mean they don't sometimes stumble upon a naked picture in one of the art reference books in my room...I do the best I can though). Anyhoo...because of my censoring, I have a big stack of naked postcards. So...I'm going to send a bunch of them out just for fun. If you want a naked postcard from me, send me your address in an e-mail and I'll drop one in the mail. I have really great ones by Gauguin, Klimt, & Modigliani. I also have one neat postcard of drag queens. First come first serve, send me your address & make your request. I'll even pay the postage! That makes it a free postcard! YAY!

Josh and I just bought Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Vol. 1 on DVD. Our first year of marriage, we used to watch it together on Sunday nights at 11 p.m. on Cartoon Network. I'd make us malts & Josh would make cheese & chips. What a great thing to build a marriage on...I mean...um...er....

Anyway, the first episode is funny (aren't they all???). They continually discuss the concept that friends are just enemies that don't have the guts to kill you. I guess that makes many of you my wimpy enemies. Hee hee.

Well, she has officially declared that she is not going to run in the 2004 election. But, there is still time for her to squeeze in under the wire. I'm predicting that she will. They're going through a slew of democratic crazies...I mean candidates...that aren't quite doing so well in the polls. I think Hilary will run at the last minute to "save us" from all of them. That's my prediction anyway. If she doesn't run here, she'll definitely run in 2008. Scary. I think she has the ability and know-how to win. I wonder if Bill would come to White House events sporting a pair of Jackie-pearls around his neck. Hee hee.

I might get lampooned for saying this...but I'm still a big Bush fan. I think he's been doing some stellar work as President. I hope he runs again and I plan on voting for him (unless his beliefs freakishly change). I get tired of listenting to uninformed people complain about him.

Check this out!!!

Good times.

Josh got me a beautiful new ring today. It looks a lot like my last ring except that it's all white gold, the center diamond is a bit bigger & sits up higher, and the wedding band has little diamonds across it. Last time I had two wedding bands (one on each side), this time there's just one. It's absolutely beautiful. I'm so blessed to have a husband that cares so much for me. Losing the ring the first time was my own stupid fault and I am amazed at the humility and forgiveness he has shown. This ring is special because it not only reminds me of my marriage vows & life with Josh, but it also reminds me on what a considerate, forgiving, and thoughtful man I married. What joy I feel.

My school got a small art grant recently which I spent on miscellaneous visual aides for my classroom (slides & whatnot, a couple of videos). I also ordered some supplies for my students with my regular budget. Basically, I've been getting boxes of stuff almost daily. It's really fun.

One of the teacher support providers from the district was touring my room. As she was talking to me, a guy delivered a bunch of boxes of clay on a 2-wheeler. When he walked in my room, I stopped the conversation w/ the support person and exclaimed, "YAY!!!!!! CLAY!!!" I ran over to the guy and helped him bring the clay in. The support provider said that I was more excited to get boxes from this guy than her kids during Christmas. I said, "Well, getting clay is kind of like Christmas, only when you open up your presents, all you get is dirt and water!"

I'm so clever.

Anyhoo...today a box of slides came which made me all excited too. I got to see some cool sculptures by Giacometti and Moore, as well as some multi-cultural and contemporary ceramics pieces. I'm still expecting more boxes of stuff...makes me excited to go back to work next week.

I have the coolest job ever. Seriously. It's one of the few jobs where I'm pumped to go from day to day. Students look forward to the summer and I hate it. I always need to get some other job which is tolerable...but it's just not teaching Art.

This is The Great Seal of the State of California:

Impressive, isn't it?

I got this next one in my e-mail (it looks like something from an e-mail forward, doesn't it?). I guess with the new Governator in office, we need to modernize things a bit.

I laughed at it anyway....

One of my students wrote this poem for me. It was after we were talking about God as a creator and a "molder of clay." Then we made clay projects to create as God created us. Anyhoo...this is the poem:

God made us with some clay,
Special and different in some way.
Molding us into many shapes,
Not slacking or eating grapes.
Working hard on each part,
we are all His beautiful art.

(I like the thought that God was not eating grapes when he made us. Hee hee.)

One of my students is pretty roughed up. His parents just got a divorce recently and he's dealing with it the best way he knows how. He seemed pretty down today, which makes me worry a bit. He spent his Thanksgiving helping his mom pack her stuff to move out of state. He "gets" to see her over Christmas, then again in the summer. So, he's staying with his dad until then. He says that they would argue with each other like they were 10 year olds and slam doors, whine, feel sorry for themselves. I wonder how they would feel if they knew their 14 year old son viewed them this way. He's glad there is no screaming anymore...but that life seems too quiet now.

I'm sorry if I sound like Dr. Laura. I just wouldn't leave my kid to live in a different state. No way. Where do parents learn that it is "their life" and that they need to "pursue their own dreams"? Fine, you can do that if you're single (although I would argue that your life is not your own and that you are to serve God). But, not when you bring a spouse into the picture. When you take marriage vows with another person, you are essentially saying that you will view that person as being better than yourself. That means that you put them & their interests before yours. And they are vowing to do the same for you. In a perfect marriage, each will be serving the other (therefore they are both blessed).

PHILIPPIANS   2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

That is why a parent shouldn't move to a different freaking state, essentially abandoning their child. I don't care what stupid reason you have. When you have children, you serve their needs. When you have a spouse, you serve their needs. You are not the center of the universe. And, if you don't have what it takes to serve others, then stay single. And please don't bring kids into the picture.

My student asked if he could go to the counselor to request therapy for himself through the school. He knows that this situation is messing him up. It absolutely breaks my heart to hear stuff like this.