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I am an artist & teacher with a ❤ for visual expression, educational methodology, homesteading, & Jesus. My geek-love is The Joshua and we have three peanut-butters: Caleb, Jack, & Louritta.

Switcheroo

11/06/2003

I have traded classes with the Study Skills teacher for today and tomorrow. He used to be a sculptor in Italy, so I invited him to teach a sculpture lesson to my Art 1 students. So, I’ve been teaching his study skills and SDC (directed studies – math) classes. Here are some key differences:
1. Class size in Art: 35-38 students per class
Class size in Study Skills/SDC: 3-6 students per class
2. Art: We make stuff
Study Skills/SDC: We pull teeth and twist arms to get students to do their work
3. Art: I like it.
Study Skills/SDC: Ummm…it’s…um…different?
So, it has been quite the experience. I figured out how it is that schools can say that their average class size is 23 (or whatever horrid low number they can come up with). It’s because they cram the smart and average kids into one class and put all of the lower level, emotionally troubled, not focused kids in tiny tiny classes. Now, I realize that some kids do benefit from this kind of small environement, so I’m not here to argue about special ed. situations. However, I couldn’t help but feel like there were other kids who would also benefit from smaller class sizes, not just a select group.
Well, I do know one thing. I love teaching art. As soon as I get assigned to teach a different subject, I will instead begin my new career as a real estate agent.

A-ree-key-dee-key In-dee-ko (Say That Three Times Fast!)

11/03/2003

Well, Josh took me to Indico. I played a game called Desert Combat with Josh and Neal and a few others who had coined names like “Milkman” and Something-“Sniper” and other strange names. I had no idea what I was doing. People started driving planes around and shooting at things. I was like, “WHO DO I SHOOT!?!” Josh said, “People in blue text.” I turned, spotted a man in blue text, and he killed me.
A game where not hesitating is important to your survival is not the best game to jump in to. When I finally figured out how to type messages to people, I chose to write things like “Please let me live!” and “I suck at this! I’m not worth your ammunition!” But, I think that the other team just came after me more, figuring I was worth easy points.
I decided to be bold and fly an airplane…and crashed it within four seconds. So, I thought I’d try a boat…and sunk it just off shore. Sad part with that one is that two other teammates were trusting my driving ability (stupid decision) and they also drowned. I tried driving a jeep, but the stupid enemy planes kept bombing me. So, I learned that I’m best on foot. Josh and I teamed up on a tank and I became okay at manuvering that fat thing around.
Josh let forth an excited, joyous noise when I said “Dude! The enemy is totally bombing our spawn point!” Josh clapped his hands together and said I was “a true gamer.” Freaky.
All in all, the game made me tense. Why would I choose to play a game that makes me feel panic and get tense? I don’t think I would have felt that way if I didn’t feel so clutsy stumbling around the keyboard, trying to get my dude on screen to react the way I wanted him to. That, and I couldn’t choose to be like a cool combat chick…I had to be a guy. Stupid game.
It was free for me to play because, apparently, gaming places also have a ladies night. The fact that they have to make things free to get women to come in makes it pretty clear that chicks aren’t into gaming. I might play again though. We’ll see.

D’Oh!

11/02/2003

I just realized that when I stopped using Mac homepage, I forgot to export my pics (from my Historian & Artist links) to html. So, now there are just a bunch of broken links. So, basically, I suck. I’ll get them fixed maybe by the end of Thanksgiving break. Since I’m not going home for the break, I’ll have plenty of time to sit around and fix broken links on my site. I may also try to tighten up my code. When I first made the site I was all proud of myself because I had actually made something with HTML. Now I look at my code and I’m like, “Holy crap! I used SO MUCH code to get it to do that!!!” So, now I need to (as Dr. Evil would say) “Get the info.” Then my site can be freaking cool! Or at least just cool. Or maybe I would settle for coolish.

Two Negatives Make a Positive

11/02/2003

Last weekend, Josh and I went to CostCo and got one of those huge, cheap bags of kitty litter. Feeling like we got a great deal, we were excited to have this seemingly limitless amount of kitty litter. Problem is that we put it in the back of my car and the bag ripped open. Kitty litter, in a semi-generous amount, was dumped all over.
Today, Josh and I stopped at PW Market to pick up some sodas and what-not. As we were leaving the store, we came upon a stop sign. Slowing to a stop, I heard this kind of air-pressured whisper sound. Josh and I looked at each other, wondering what this could be. I jumped out of the car and threw the hatchback open and found that not one, but two of the soda bottles had sprung leaks and were squirting all over. I kind of wrapped them up in the plastic bags, releaved the air pressure, then Josh and I headed home.
Upon arrving home, I saw that both 2 liter bottles had about 1/4 of the soda remaining in them. Expecting a huge mess, I put the bags away, then realized that there was no mess.
The kitty litter from the previous week had absorbed all of the spilled soda. ROCK ON!!!

Peaceful Day

10/29/2003

Okay, so it wasn’t a peaceful day. I got to work 35 minutes late, even though I left our house earlier than usual. There was an accident on the road ahead and I seriously moved about 100 feet in 30 minutes. Wowsers. When I got to school, I didn’t have time to do the stuff I wanted to do. Also, I didn’t sit down until I got in my car at 3:00. I was busy with stuff all day including during my breaks. We have a pumpkin decorating contest tomorrow and a door decorating contest due Friday. We also have a costume parade on Friday. I’m demoing website plans tomorrow and planning w/ Annie for our next small group…. So, pretty much the day was chaos.
But I felt this extreme peace all day. Like, even when bad things were happening, I just felt all calm and go-with-the-flow-ish (not a word, I know). Some things happened in my class that I knew were set-backs, but I was really chilled about it. Driving home from work in heavy Californian traffic (Minnesotans, you think you have it bad…) I was just singing and chilling.
What has caused this change? The difference between chest pains a few weeks ago to comfort and peace today? God. He’s the only one that can make someone in my job not be stressed out. And he absolutely blows me away with His blessings. I know that many of you have been praying for me and I’d like to thank you. God answered your prayers today. Today He filled my heart with warmth and peace and love. It was awesome.

Bowling for Junior High

10/29/2003

Tonight Annie and I took the Jr. High girls bowling for fun night. It was very interesting. Even though we were bumper bowling, several of the girls didn’t want to bowl because “bowling is dumb” and some other reason I didn’t understand. I think it was equivalent to “I’ll feel dumb if I do poorly.” I had a blast just dancin’ to the hokey bowling alley music, bowling a crappy game of 87, trying to order a pizza from the snack stand that never had an attendant present. Good times. It does get a little stressful sometimes that our “small group” isn’t small. I have corrected our Youth Pastor when he speaks of the small groups. I tell him that the correct term is “smallish” groups. I threatened to start calling them “medium” groups if he adds another member.
I’ve been working hard at Hyde. I think the year is going really great though. The students have been working hard and producing some great projects. I really like it, I think it is a neato school.
I’ve missed having a wedding ring. (For those of you who don’t know, it was lost a little over a month ago and has not been found) I’ve started to really miss it. I’ve been wearing my class ring instead because it is the only ring I have that doesn’t completely irritate me. But, I get really sensitive around other single men and am maybe even a little mean to them (some of you are very familiar with my biting sarcastic humor). I don’t want them to think that I’m single. So, I look for intresting ways to bring up my husband, just to drive the point home. I had a coworker ask me if I was going through a separation because she noticed I wasn’t wearing my wedding ring anymore. Ouch.
All in all…good times with Jr. High girls.

My Favorite Products

10/26/2003

A few months ago, I broke down and bought a bottle of Downy Wrinkle Releaser on a friend’s recommendation. And, I have to admit that it’s my favorite product of the year. (I know, Josh would kill me for not saying the G5 or the super-dooper iPod). The reason that I love it is that it has allowed me to discover the rest of my wardrobe. The clothing that I got (not realizing that it wrinkles easily) or was given as a gift. The stuff I never ever wore because it would require the effort of ironing…something I’m only willing to do on very very special occasions. Anyhoo, this stuff rules. I just spray and tug, then put on my freshly scented wrinkle free clothing.
It has worked well for Josh also. Previously, all of his clothing was wrinkly and he was oblivious to it. I’d be chasing him around trying to get him to put his shirt back in the dryer with a damp cloth (my previous attempt to not iron). Now, he looks neat and wrinkle free.
So, anyway, it’s a stupid thing and really shows my laziness. But, I have found it and I love it.
I am also thankful for these random products:
Plant Shine Spray (It makes my dying plants look somewhat alive)
Those stick-on odor reducing things that I stick inside of my trash can
The little tablets that turn your toilet water blue
Hershey’s Magic Shell
Compressed graphite sticks
Those velcro thingies that help you to organize mass tangles of power cords
Cascade Complete

Middle School Dance

10/24/2003

I chaperoned the middle school dance tonight. Good times. I found that the biggest challenge of the night was keeping parents from going into the dance. So many of them wanted to go in to find their kid. I’d have to tell them to wait until the end, that we don’t release kids and they’d still try to talk their way through somehow. And I was thinking, “Yeah…that’s all these kids want is to have all of the parents lining the walls of the dance.”
I taught some kids how to do different dances including the sprinkler, the lawn mower, the dig, and some mime things (which aren’t technically dances, but do look super cool under a strobe light). We also invented a few dances. Oh, and I showed them how to dance like M.C. Hammer or “Hammer” as he was most recently called. The D.J. said, “We’re going to do some old school!” and started playing Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” The kids were like, “I’ve never heard of this before!” And I still remembered all of the lyrics. I think they think I’m a complete dork.
Later in the dance a bunch of kids came up to me and said, “Hey, Mrs. L, we heard that you’re a really good dancer and were wondering if you could teach us some moves.” Some parents were trying to come in at the time, and “Stayin’ Alive” was playing, so I invented a block-the-door-to-keep-the-parents-out-of-the-dance dance. It was pretty sweet. I think our principal would have given me a salary raise, that is if teachers actually got things like raises for just working hard.
I remember back when I was in Jr. High. I loved going to dances. I would totally look forward to them and dance from the beginning to the end. It’s interesting that I married Josh who, to this day, has still never gone to a dance. Wait, I take that back. On our first date we went swing dancing…except he didn’t know how to dance. So, we hung out in the parking lot where I taught him how. I think we went to another swing dance much later. But, he’s never been to the club-type D.J. dance. That’s an experience you just need to have in life in my opinion.

Praying

10/23/2003

I was asked to present to my Jr. High girls a dealy on prayer. Wow. Prayer. Quite a vast topic. Anyhoo, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to talk about, doing all the research, yadda, yadda.
So, when the girls were over, I had them all draw a little dude. I gave mine the name Powder Puff Paul, just because I like alliteration. So I asked them what kinds of things they would pray for or want prayer for. These are the things that they listed: medical needs/health, food, water, shelter, happiness, and relationships with friends & family. Then it dawned on me that so many people pray for physical things that, in the long run, don’t have a major spiritual impact.
We proceeded to look at various examples from the Bible where people were praying and talk about what they prayed for. In John 17, Jesus prays for awhile (and I consider Jesus to be the grand master super champion of prayer). We looked at what he was praying for…and he did not pray that physical and relational needs be met. He prayed for souls.
Wow.
So, on our charts we made a list of other things we could pray for when praying for others. We drew little arrows pointing to body parts that related to what we were praying for. Some of the things we came up with included:
Brain – pray for God’s wisdom to infiltrate our minds
Eyes – pray for discernment, that we would be able to see the difference between good & evil
Mouth – That we would speak only the words that glorify God
Ears – That we would hear God’s truth
Hands – That we would become servants, even if others don’t recognize us
Hearts – That our hearts would be made pure and holy, and that God would seal our hearts to keep evil out
Feet – That God would light our path so that we go where he desires us to go
What a refreshing discussion. (I just had to share it). I think I was blown away though that we come to God when we have physical needs, or when others have physical needs. But do we pray for each others souls? I don’t know a soul out there that doesn’t need to be lifted up and protected by God.

Sleepy

10/19/2003

I think I slept more this weekend than I have in a really long time. I went to bed around 10:00 p.m. on Friday and woke up around 11:00 a.m. Then, not feeling well, went back to sleep around 1:00 p.m. and woke up around 6:00 p.m. Then, I went to bed at 9:30 p.m. I woke up this morning at about 9:00 a.m. After coming back from church, Josh and I took a nap at about 1:30 p.m. and woke up around 6 p.m. Hmmm… let’s do the math there. That would be a grand total of 35 hours so far this weekend. I don’t think I have mono or anything. I think I’m just that exhausted. I feel pretty good tonight though.
Today at our couple’s class at church they had a discussion on two becoming three. (Married couple having a child and the effect that has on their relationship.) It was cool, except there was a grand total of 5 infants in the room, all under the age of 6 months. It was strange. I felt like I had brought Josh into a freaky twilight zone where there were only babies to cry and be needy. He handled it pretty well and seemed pretty entertained by this cutie next to us who kept doing raspberries and kicking her feet. We also think it’s funny that all young babies look like The Godfather. Seriously, they have those puffy cheeks and slightly evil but knowing looks on their faces. That, and they clutch their hands together as though plotting some freaky thing against the rest of us adults. I know that they are all thinking, “I’m now a part of the family….” Hee hee.
This week is the last week of 1st quarter at school. Can’t believe it’s gone by so fast already. Speaking of that, I have things to grade right now. Smell you later, everybody.

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