It honestly doesn't get any better, a rap about Alexander Hamilton:

50-100-50 Day 3

I'm been at campus the past couple days preparing for freshman orientation, I'll be working with a group of 10 incoming first-years as an orientation assistant. Those who will be working in dining services for workstudy arrived today, and it's so weird to see them walking around campus with their folders, parents, and lanyards. It just makes me think back to how I was in their position a year ago, and how much I've changed since then, hopefully for the better! Tomorrow, the rest of the class (about 500 students) arrive and it's going to hectic beyond belief. (Also, Mike is coming up to visit!!)

50-100-50 Day 3

I started my first full day back on campus with the traditional breakfast with Andrea at Kimberly’s Creamery. It’s a little place that’s always stuffed after church on Sunday, where the waitresses don’t bother to bring you a menu because they know what you’ll get, and you can count on perfection whatever you order. The eggs in the omelets are thin, never rubbery, and filled with deliciousness, the home fries are actually moist, and the bagels are perfectly toasted. The French toast is made from the perfect bread, and you can taste the cinnamon and vanilla. Eating there is always, always a joyful experience.

50-100-50 Day 2


Made it to Carlisle no problem, unless you count the 45 minutes sallyawalk spent on the phone last night.

On my first leg of the journey, the plane ride to Chicago, the woman next to me wanted to switch flights because she was convinced another passenger belonged to the cult that was behind the 9/11 attacks… many things were wrong with the picture, including the fact that he was clearly an Orthodox Jew.

Unpacking continues, I’m short on hangers and have to go back to the storage unit tomorrow, pillows and the hanging bag were forgotten- in my defense it was very dark.

50-100-50, Day 1

Shopping today was entirely exhausting. A typical exchange:

“Betsy, what do you think about these pants?”

Shrug.

“Do you want to try them on?”

Shrug

…

In the fitting room:

“I think they’re cute, should we get them.”

Shrug. “I would wear them.”

SOLD, “I would wear them” being as good as it gets with her.

Repeat in a gazillion different fitting rooms and you have a picture of my day.
After getting home all I really wanted to do was collapse, but all the last minute packing/room cleaning had to be done. A final Target later and I’m set.

So, in an effort to post more I'm going to try and do something called the 50-100-50 challenge. It's bascially 50 posts, 100 words each, in 50 days. Considering my track record of posting is not so good I think it's going to be a challenge. But, starting tomorrow I'll be giving it a try.

In the mean time, a quick update on the summer...

Yet another amazing summer at Breakthrough is over. It was a joy to work with my students, the other teachers, my bosses- as of right now the plan is that I'll do it again next summer. Since that finished up I've been spending time relaxing (much more enjoyable after the action packed Breakthrough weeks than it was at the beginning of the summer) and hanging out with friends a lot. We went up to Bemidji to visit a friend who's working at a summer camp, and I got to visit the camp that I went to for 8 years, it def. brought back a lot of memories.

The past couple days have mostly been spent getting ready to go back to school and last minute visits with people I won't see again until December. I head back to school on Sunday to help with orientation for first years. It's been a delicate balancing act between packing everything I can and waiting until the last possible instant to minimize wrinkling. Tomorrow is back to school shopping for Bets, and then a last night at home.

( As usual, no post is complete without pictures, behold! )

Please tell me I'm not the only one who would actually watch this...

First day with the kids was Monday... I thought we were busy before, but really I had no idea. Or, I did know from last summer, but I forgot. Everything is hectic and busy and I just have sooo much going on all the time! Tuesday was really rough, they gave us lesson plans to teach the first week and it just didn't go well. Yesterday got better, but then today gave me that teaching adrenaline rush that reminded me just how much I love doing this.

Instead of having our regular lessons this morning our mentor teachers taught our classes so we could observe them. She asked my first class about what the objectives were for the summer, something we had covered on Tuesday when things really were not going well. I was so worried that they would show that I couldn't teach and that they didn't remember anything from my lessons, but they managed to remember everything!! I was so impressed and excited, and in their think/pair/shares they were able to come up with all the categories. And the seventh graders, who are just finishing up their first week in the program were the ones who were most on top of it- I can't described how thrilled I was.

This morning I was not so thrilled. My co-teacher for my elective got food poisoning, and wasn't able to come. She was supposed to be teaching Western dancing today, and I totally couldn't do that because I have no skills... I didn't have a lesson plan for swing dancing, I didn't have a playlist of jazz music, I wasn't totally confident in my leading skills- basically not a good situation in any way, shape or form. So I put together a lesson during my prep and made a playlist and just pulled it all together... and it was perfect! The students were into it, and having fun and laughing, and I was able to teach. Let's just say it was the epitome of "fake it 'til you make it."

And then my college (homeroom thing) had a great session, putting together a cheer for assembly tomorrow and getting all hyped up. AND we finished staff meeting 45 minutes early today, so I'll have time to go to the library tonight.

Such a teaching high!!

Basically, I laughed so hard I cried.

Went to Chicago with the mom and sister this weekend. Highlights included...

1. The Botanical Gardens. We stopped there on our way into town on Saturday, they were beautiful, and so much fun to run around. My mom went a little camera happy, hoping to get the perfect picture for our Christmas card this year (evidence below). It reminded me just how much I miss the arboretum here at home (which is better, in my slightly biased opinion. Maybe I'll take Mike there for a picnic.

2. Dinner Saturday night we went to Fox & Obel, which is sort of a nirvana for foodies. It's market with a deli-restaurant attached, and you could see that the raw materials were so good that there was no way the food made in the deli could be bad. And in fact, it was fabulous. Even the infinitely picky Betsy was able to find something that she enjoyed very much, even though it was a painful process to get her to order.

3. My mom and I left Betsy in the room and went shopping. I got an really nice new summer dress on sale, eventually there will be pictures. Because that's what I do.

4. Sunday morning we went to the Museum of Science and Industry, which had some very neat exhibits. My favorite was about a German U-boat captured during WWII. The story was explained through interviews and videos, and then they had the actual sub (it was huge, they had to build the building around it) which we toured. So cool!!

5. Dinner was AMAZING!!! We went to this restaurant called Quartino based on recommendations from Chowhounds. It was fabulous, we started with a soft cheese plate that also had grapes and mango puree and was served on cinnamon raisin bread definitely an auspicious start. Then we got a caprese salad that was seriously one of the best things I've ever tasted. The cheese was fresh, the tomatoes fresh.. mmmmm. For the main course we split a tortellini with cream sauce, peas, and prosciutto, and mushroom risotto. Luckily, we had room for desert... or so we thought. I got a gelato/banana split thing, Betsy got a chocolate lava cake, and Mom got these Italian doughnuts that you dipped in honey. I actually was too full. I seriously thought I would have to be rolled down to the hotel room.

( pictures from the botanical gardens )

I think it says something (not so good) about my life that I've been basically watching this movie on repeat for the past week...

Technically it's spring, so things should be getting warmer... yeah, not so much. But, my friend's and I pretended one day it was sunny, if not actually warm.



Celebrating!


Being all collegiate on Morgan Field.

Applications are being taken for my dream job- (unpaid) intern at fivethirtyeight.com!

Have I mentioned that I am completely obsessed with swing dancing? This week I will have been four times- Monday, for the lesson with the club, Tuesday for a social dance at the Green Door, Friday at a event with a live band hosted by the swing club here on campus, and then tonight back at the Green Door. It is sort of ridiculous, and lots and lots of fun. I'm thinking of teaching it as an elective at Breakthrough this summer, although that would require another teacher who can lead, because I can barely do that (actually, I really can't), and absolutely could not tell someone else how to.

Pictures from last night below the cut!

( Read more... )

This has been a... long week. A stressful week, a worrisome week, a tearful week, and all in all not one that I'd care to repeat.

A ray of happiness, however, did appear in the form of an Obama magnetic paperdoll. Behold the wonder:

Ready for a date with Michelle- looking snazzy!


Casual on the campaign trail.


Beach!Obama.


To the rescue!


It looks like an ordinary day on the campaign trail. Obama is giving an amazing speech about hope and change and other good things. What you don't know, though is that...


HE'S NOT WEARING ANY PANTS!!!


Heehee!

Flist, I come to you for your oh so wise/sage/adjective of choice advice. I'd like to make a layout for my livejournal, but I'm not entirely certain how to go about it. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a header of my choosing with a nice background... is anyone willing to lend their expertise, I have a very limited knowledge of what it requires, and probably require some hand holding both in creation and implementation.

My sister couldn't sleep last night, so she wrote a poem in honor of Gail the Goldfish (from The West Wing). It's pretty good for a 14 year old, written at one in the morning!:

Ode to Gail

CJ got Gail, the lovely fish,
When Josh told Danny CJ's wish
Was to have a bowl of good, orange fish
To sit on her desk in a dish.

Attentive to her every whim
Danny went to PETCO through thick and thin
To the guy at the register and told him
He needed a fish, CJ's heart to win.

The guy at the register said, "Indeed,
I have just the fish you need"
And while the other fish wavered Gail didn't receed
'Cause a happy future she'd forseed.

So to CJ's desk Gail went
Through many a joyous and mournful event
And gave hints to what they might be sent
And to hectic days a bit of sanity lent.

On CJ's lapel Gail still rides
Forever now immortalized
In her little, pin-shaped guise
But if trouble should threaten, she'll arise.

(England has King Arthur, West Wing fangirls have Gail.)

After watching this, those of you who are wonks but haven't seen "The West Wing" really shouldn't need any more proding.

Today was a very good day, despite the West Wing disc my mom got from the movie store being scratched. I only got half my daily dose of Sam Seaborn :( Still, last semester's grades were posted and I am a winner with all A's and a 4.0. Also, I made finalized plans to have a car so I can go swing dancing on Thursday night. I'm not sure if I'll find a friend to go with me yet, but I'm way excited! For $7 you get three hours of lessons and a social dances- I misses it muchly and can't wait to get back into the "swing" of things (haha, bad pun!). Also, I made plans to go out with a friend to lunch on Friday. This involved indulging my inner foodie and researching restaurants around my dad's house. A list with links here, for those of you who might ever make it to the St. Paul area and are interested, or really anyone who appreciates good food...

The Classics…
http://www.cafelatte.com/ (I can't really describe the style- it's got oven baked pizza, but also really good soup and spreads, and the deserts are to die for- mmmm… a spread sampler and German chocolate cake)

http://www.cossettaevent/i.com/ (Red sauce Italian, I live for their mostaccioli con ricotta Does it really need a comment? Who can resist?)

http://www.damicoandsons.com/ (Northern Italian, great pasta salads (which I usually can't stand) and sandwichs, I always have a huge problem deciding what to get, I just want everything.)

http://www.punchpizza.com/where/grand-avenue.aspx (pizza = delish)

The Copper Dome (Doesn’t have a website, only serves breakfast, but Barack ate there!)

Something New…
http://tanpoporestaurant.com/ (Japanese, I’ve never been here, but I’ve only heard good things about it and I’d love to give it a try.)

http://www.shishcafe.net/ (Excellent Mediterranean food, you seriously can’t go wrong, the shawarma chicken is especially good.)

http://www.everestongrand.com/root/ourmenu/appetizers.html (Tibetan, Just looking at the website made me hungry!)

http://khyberpasscafe.com/index.html (Afghani, I feel like some people ate here for a class last year, it looks delicious.)

Being stuck in the airport is made infinitely better by free internet for college students. However, it also results in spamming for you! This time, with pictures.

( Random photos )