Just Me

No spending update!

2010-02-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Still no money spent on any new items that aren't toiletries or food! Unfortunately, I'm am more broke than ever because of car repairs and airline tickets that needed to be purchased! Hoping to get back into saving with tomorrow's paycheck and paying down some credit card balances.

We've just had a massive snow storm, so I saved some money on gas by working from home and not driving to my 'office' to work. My co-teacher and I have been really excited about making changes to our classroom and instruction pages; it also leaves me wishing I new more about designing webpages, mine are okay, but plain, which is better than over the top in my opinion.

I was hoping to make a trip to Washington D.C. to visit my cousins this weekend, but the snow put the dampers on that, since it's bad here and worse in D.C. Columbiana County was hit the worst, and the papers say it's one of the worst storms since the 1800's - I believe it because it is a mess out there and the snow is to my knees.

Having a bit of a think about England again - a friend asked if there was an opening back at my old school if I'd want to take it - and to be honest I'd love to, but not for another year so my finances are more sorted out and some of the kids I knew have moved on so it's more of a fresh start. Another friend posted a picture journal of a day on the way to school - and when the picture of the journey from the train to the school came up, I got teary! (I lived across from the school so it was the walk I made to go into the city and to go to the shops!). I can't decide what to do - any ideas?!

Also - random but cool site - send your unwanted books to a soldier who needs something to read or an inmate. I found this via a great blog: http://www.lessismorebalanced.com/

Facebook Status Ignorance

2010-01-24T18:06:00.001-08:00

I thought I could ignore this once when someone updated their facebook status, but then when I saw it again it was impossible not to comment.

The following was posted today:
Shame on you America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won't have the guts to copy and repost this.

I can't believe that anyone would honestly believe that they would want to represent themselves be reposting this non-sense. America the only country where people's needs aren't being met? No country in the world is without problems, but America is one of the places where you are more likely than most to have your basic needs met. The idea that the people in Haiti were not in need of the 59 million dollars raised last night through the telethon is ludicrous. A country whose people were in many ways already much worse off than most Americans.

This also disturbed me as I watched Schindler's List - the idea that a person is less important because he isn't like you. The Haitians aren't Americans. The Jews weren't of Aryan ancestry. We must value all human beings alike and refuse to see us vs. them. When another country is suffering as a result of a natural disaster they are our neighbor and deserve our help in whatever form we can give it.

Food for Thought Friday

2010-01-22T18:05:00.001-08:00

Breakfast - Would you rather be really hungry or really tired?
It's pretty bad either way; I am cranky!

Lunch - What is your favorite thing about blogging?
The chance to be part of a dialogue that a lot of people care about.

Dinner - If you were given three hours to do anything, but could not clean or catch-up on things you were behind on, how would you spend it?
Definitely reading a book.

Midnight Snack - Are you persistent or do you give up easily?
Both - I can be easily discouraged or very bull headed.

No Spending Update!

2010-01-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

It is January 18th and so far I have not spent any money on items other than food or hygiene products. I needed shampoo and conditioner (I tried a baking soda method I had heard of, but my hair was so disgusting I couldn't stick with it) as well as a face cream. I'm trying out Burt's Bee's daily face cream, it came in a glass jar and was the only thing I could see on the shelf not stored in plastic. (Another goal of course to not have as much plastic waste, which is about the hardest part because so much stuff comes in plastic!)

Also grad school has started and I'm only taking one class now instead of three. Methods in Literary Research just wasn't going to be for me and then Special Topics was cancelled because of lack of interest. So now I just have my War (and Peace) Literature class, which I think will be alright. There is a British girl in my class who happened to sit right next to me the first day. We both had a whinge about no public transportation and missing Hob Nobs!

Work is going okay - the first semester ended on Friday, but we leave the gradebook and assignments open for the second semester . . . which I don't understand. The kind of kids we teach need boundaries and to understand the consequences of not meeting deadlines more than anyone, but we let them just straggle on with their work indefinitely. I find it very challenging because the school is more like a business, so we have 'customers' not students and we have to please everyone involved, even the parents who won't make their children do work or who are extremely rude. I have to say I loved how backed we were by the administration in England; the head teacher wasn't afraid to tell parents they weren't welcome and that the way they spoke to teacher's was unacceptable.

Anyway - the year moves forward as boring as ever here, but I can be thankful that the snow is almost gone now, one positive thing at least.

Goals for 2010

2010-01-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about what I'd like to do in 2010. I mentioned before that I was considering 'The Compact' a challenge to buy nothing new for a year. Below are also other goals I've set for myself.

Buy nothing new (excluding personal exceptions).
Volunteer
Give to charity each month
Exercise daily (yoga, aerobic, etc.)
Earn a 4.0 in grad school
Read 50 non school related books
Plant and maintain an organic garden as well as can & freeze garden produce
Replace chemical cleaners with more organic ones (i.e. vinegar & baking soda)
Give non-object gifts (experiences, etc.)
Reduce plastic waste dramatically

For 'The Compact' I've made some exceptions: foods (obviously), hygiene products (cleansers, etc.), travel souvenirs (though I'll try to find used ones if there are thrift stores in the city), items needed for a wedding I'm in. The final one is to do with the final goal of plastics. If I need an item and I absolutely cannot find it and there is a new environmentally sound item that I want to support I will purchase that instead (I would like to have metal or glass storage containers instead of plastic).

Hopefully, I can stick to my goals and feel like I've made a lot of achievements this year.

Food for Thought Friday

2010-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

Breakfast -How did you ring in the NEW YEAR and NEW DECADE?
Watching Criminal Minds - my theme for all of winter break.
Lunch - What will you remember about 2009?
The pain of moving home, all my friends and students in the UK and how much I miss it.
Dinner - What are your expectations for 2010?
To do an awesome job in grad school and complete some projects and personal goals.
Midnight Snack - If you could go back and change anything about 2009, what would it be and why?
I'd stay in England continue to teach and do grad school there.

Food for Thought Friday

2009-12-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

Breakfast - What was your high and low of the week?

High - It's Christmas Day! Low - Uncomfortable social/family situations.

Lunch - What is something you used to do religiously that you no longer do?

Attend church, youth group, Missionettes, etc.

Dinner - What is something you now do that you never in your wildest dreams thought you would be doing?

Working from home.

Midnight Snack - How much do you enjoy Christmas?

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Graduate School

2009-12-18T07:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I had the chance to meet with the new head of the English graduate program at YSU, Dr. Francisco. He was extremely gracious as I rambled through my questions about the classes I was interested in. I have my three classes scheduled for Spring term, which begins on January 11th. My learning will consist of the following topics: Methods of Literary Research (5 required books!), Perspectives in Multicultural Studies that will focus on war writing and the last class is a Special Topics where we will be looking at creative non-fiction. It seems like it will be a good balance of classes. One on methods, one that is literature focused and one where there will be more discussion and informal writing.

On another note, I'm headed to Steubenville for the first time in 10 years for a Christmas party. Last time I was in Steubenville I was the trainer for my high school football team. They were at their first playoff experience ever and it was so exciting. I'm just worried about any snow this time around.

New favourite song: Hey, Soul Sister - Train. I have no idea why but I love it and it is constantly stuck in my head and I am now playing it on repeat!

Food for Thought Friday

2009-12-18T07:06:00.001-08:00

Breakfast - You wouldn't be caught dead, where?
Black Friday Christmas shopping, I hate crowded stores.

Lunch - Was there ever a time you were frightened for your life?
I don't think so, but the most I've ever been really afraid was on the tube last year. I was quietly minding my own business and reading a book. I was ignoring a group of really loud football lads when one decided it would be funny to mock punching me in the face (I think he was angry I didn't look up at their antics) so I was wrongly antagonistic and told him to stop being a jerk. Well when they heard my American accent that was free reign to start being rude about me, my voice, America in general. In the end I think I was more upset because not one single person on the tube spoke up and there were no police around. Yet there was a train officer around the day I had my feet on the seats. . . . I was shaking when I got off the train, I've never felt so intimidated before.

Dinner - What are you passionate about?
Reading, education and living sustainably.

Midnight Snack - Have you ever won a trophy?
I had a million trophy's for softball when I was little, Bible quiz in middle school and for being the most amazing athletic trainer ever in high school. Then the trophies stopped :)

My 100 Books of 2009!

2009-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

I took part in a 100 book challenge this past year and I'm excited to report I've completed it meeting all requirements! I've read 100 books by at least 50 different authors before January first. I'm hoping to fit a few more in before the new year and grad school beings (yes I've finally heard about my acceptance!) 78 different authors are represented and at least 25 non-fiction books so I like to think it was rather well rounded. Here is the list so far:

1. I am Charlotte Simmons - Tom Wolfe
2. Under the Duvet - Marian Keyes
3. Conquering Romans - Nigel Crowle
4. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
5. Shakespeare - Bill Bryson
6. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
7. African Diary - Bill Bryson
8. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
9. Lucky - Alice Sebold
10. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
11. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling
12. Marley and Me - John Grogan
13. Othello - William Shakespeare
14. State of Fear - Michael Crichton
15. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
16. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
17. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
18. Enthusiasm - Polly Shulman
19. City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
20. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
21. Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde
22. Stranger than Fiction - John O'Connor
23. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
24. The Big Over Easy - Jasper Fforde
25. Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
26. Framed - Frank Cottrell Boyce
27. Brida - Paulo Coehlo
28. The Bookseller of Kabul - Asne Seierstad
29. Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare
30. The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway
31. Testimony - Anita Shreve
32. The Well of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde
33. Wake - Lisa McMann
34. Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde
35. Twilight: Director's Notebook - Catherine Hardwicke
36. The Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
37. Love the One Your With - Emily Giffin
38. The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
39. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering American on the Appalachian Trail - Bill Bryson
40. The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon - Isabel Allende
41. Austenland - Shannon Hale
42. Princess Academy - Shannon Hale
43. On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
44. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
45. The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold
46. The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
47. In America - Stephen Fry
48. First Among Sequals- Jasper Fforde
49. Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
50. Notes on a Scandal - Zoe Heller
51. Eleven Minutes - Paulo Coelho
52. Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare
53. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
54. The Madonnas of Leningrad - Debra Dean
55. Prom Nights from Hell - Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Lauren Myracle, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer
56. Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?: And 114 Other Questions - Mick O'Hare
57. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Satterfield
58. The Tennant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte
59. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
60. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
61. City of Glass - Cassandra Clare
62. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America - Barbara Ehrenreich
63. Skin & Other Stories - Roald Dahl
64. The Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet - Edward Humes
65. Six Months in Sudan - James Maskalyk
66. Poison Study – Maria Snyder
67. Magic Study – Maria Snyder
68. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
69. Confessions of a Closet Catholic - Sarah Darer Littman
70. Fire Study – Maria Snyder
71. The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
72. Green Your Home: The Complete Guide to Making Your New or Existing Home Environmentally Friendly – Jeanne Roberts
73. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
74. Fade – Lisa McMann
75. The Lost Continent – Bill Bryson
76. The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
77. Can You Keep a Secret? – Sophie Kinsella
78. Lies My Teacher Told Me – James W. Loewen.
79. What to Look for in a Classroom: And Other Essays - Alfie Kohn
80. The Wedding Girl – Madleine Wickham
81. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands - Chelsea Handler
82. Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises - Lawrence Katz
83. The Truth About Guys - Chad Eastham
84. Stuff White People Like - Christian Lander
85. Chicken Soup for the Single's Soul - Jack Canfield
86. Small Island - Andrea Levy
87. Are You There Vodka? It's me Chelsea - Chelsea Handler
88. Messenger - Lois Lowry
89. The Facts on File Dictionary of Classical, Biblical and Literary Allusions - Abraham Harold Lass, David Kiremidjian, Ruth M. Goldstein
90. Revelations - Melissa De la Cruz
91. The Van Alen Legacy - Melissa de la Cruz
92. The Tightwad Gazette III: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle - Amy Dacyczyn
93. Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How it can Renew America - Thomas L. Friedman
94. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
95. When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris
96. The Finishing Touches - Hester Browne
97. Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
98. Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto - Stewart Brand
99. Oh. My. Gods - Tera Lynn Childs
100. Twenties Girl – Sophie Kinsella

My mom has challenged me to read both Anna Karenina as well as War and Piece by Tolstoy next year and I think I may take her up on that!

Food for Thought Friday

2009-12-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Breakfast - Are you a "real" Christmas tree fan or "artificial"?

I'm a fan of real trees since they come from sustainable farming, though I am not a fan of how much of a hassle they can be to water, when they shed needles, etc.

Lunch - What is the earliest and latest you have ever sent out your Christmas cards?

I sent mine out on December 1st this year I think it's the earliest, latest, maybe the 20th or so.

Dinner - Do you decorate the outside of your house?

Yes, we did wreaths on windows for the first time this year, and what do you know the wind has decimated two of them. We have lights in the front of the house and on the porch.

Midnight Snack - How close are you to being done with your Christmas shopping?

I have a few gift cards left to buy, but that's not really my shopping, it's getting my dad's stuff done for him.

New Moon & Christmas!

2009-11-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

I saw New Moon the day it came out at 1 pm - I LOVED LOVED LOVED it! A few cringe moments, but I think that happens in a lot of films - not just ones based on Stephenie Meyer books (unlike some snarky-high horsed people may say). I am now Team Switzerland - Taylor has made me love Jacob like I couldn't in the books. My friends Kari & Samantha came along (yay!) and we had a good theatre of people.

Thanksgiving is over and it is now allowed to be Christmas season in our house (I'd be happy to start after Halloween). Our three trees are up (need to try to take good photos of them) as are our outdoor lights (cringing thinking of the electric bill) and I have to say I am pretty pleased with how everything has turned out!

I've done much of my Christmas shopping, just stuck on gifts for my 15 year old nephew and 11 year old niece. Everyone says to just get them a gift card, but I can't, I like finding out what people like (that isn't gift cards!) and giving them something special. My sister Diane's children are a dream to shop for - they all have something they love and I in turn love finding something for them they probably wouldn't have found themselves. My mom had a list so that was easy too. I have a shopping card full on amazon.com just waiting for me to be sure of a few things.

Also still seriously considering The Compact - one huge item on my exception list: digital SLR camera . . . I really want to upgrade from point and shoot and be able to take better night and low light photos. Also not sure if plane tickets count, but I still plan to travel!

Considering 'The Compact'

2009-11-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

Lately I have become a big fan of eco/sustainable/money saving blogs. One of the big themes in quite a few that I read is something called 'The Compact' people who are scorning consumer culture and only buying things used. The simple basis is nothing new for a year. I think I would like to try this. First of all, I have quite a lot of clothes already, I go to the library for books and don't really need much else besides food, which is already one of the items that the compact agrees you need to buy new (encouraging buying locally). So I can't decide if I can really do it or maybe I'll do more like a one month trial, but I feel like a year's commitment is what will make a bigger impact on myself and my checking account for the positive. There is also an added challenge of a no spending February, no food or anything. Not sure if I can do it! I'm going to think more on it and also part of the compact is coming up with a list of exceptions, such as, undergarments and some people add shoes that you don't wear with socks to it. Any thoughts?

Food for Thought Friday . . . A Day Late

2009-11-14T18:54:00.000-08:00

Breakfast - What is the last thing you watched on TV?
NCIS
Lunch - Do you speak more than one language?
I wish - 4 years of high school French didn't teach me much. How about British English?
Dinner - What are your favorite websites to visit?
Facebook, Goodreads, Etsy, textsfromlastnight
Midnight Snack - You have won a prize. The prize has two options, and you can choose either (but not both). The first option is a year in Europe with a monthly stipend of $2,000. The second option is ten minutes on the moon. Which do you choose and why?
I have no interest in going to the moon, I'd much rather explore all of Europe and see museums, historical sites, etc.

Halloween

2009-11-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

For Halloween some friends and I headed off to Pittsburgh in a party bus. It was a fun night of pair costumes and catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while.

Thanksgiving and my birthday are coming up soon and I don't have plans for either. I'd like to have a weekend in NYC or D.C. but higher plane fares than what I want to pay or longer train journeys than seem reasonable are holding me back. I'm also attempting to not use credit cards at all because I am paying down my last credit card at this point. I'd rather save for a significant trip than spend a lot of little money on trips. The good thing about D.C. is I have family that live outside of the city in Virginia so hopefully I can corral them into some days out. We'll see!

My mom and I talked about volunteering on Thanksgiving but haven't found anything to volunteer for. That seems to be an issue around here, you want to do something good for others, but there is no channels to go through. You can spend money to buy presents for people at Christmas, but can't do anything if you don't have much expendable income yourself. Suggestions for things to do for others in Columbiana County?

Christmas is coming too - I love Christmas! I've been doing some shopping online and found quite a few things there but still need to find ideas for a few more people. Suggestions for 14 year old boys? I'm anti the 'in' things, but want thoughtful gifts.

Food for Thought Friday

2009-10-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - What was your high and low of the week?
High - meeting some co-workers yesterday. Low - being interrupted a million times during our professional development.
Lunch - What is something you used to do religiously that you no longer do?
Go every function at church.
Dinner - What is something you now do that you never in your wildest dreams thought you would be doing?
Working from home.
Midnight Snack - How much do you enjoy Halloween?
It's a pretty fun holiday. I like dressing up and we are going out this year so it should be fun.

New Things

2009-10-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

1. Today I got the chance to meet some of my work colleagues! We had our professional development meeting in Columbus. It wasn't too bad, except being interrupted in the middle of doing work by senior staff. I have lots of neat ideas that I hope not to forget.

2. We had Lily's 2nd birthday a few weekend's ago. I bought her a super cute dress!

3. Pictures of our home made laundry detergent :)

4. Starting to make online photobooks to be bound - hoping they look as good a I envision!

Commitment Issues?

2009-10-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

It seems I have them with blogging! Can I give the excuse that since I teach online all day I'm bored of the computer when I get home? No, because I still check stuff and need to do it more here!

So laundry soap making was successful! I found an enamel covered vintage metal container at the antiques store to keep it in (old milk or detergent containers wont' work as it's turns into a thick, solid gel). I've been finding lots of other cleaning agents that are meant to be environmentally friendly to make cleaners from including hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, Castille soap and others. For some people this is nothing new, but for me it's so interesting!

I met up with a friend from university yesterday and we had a great talk about what has been happening on campus. She is the assistant director of housing and residence life and so knows a lot about recycling initiatives on campus. I was so excited to hear that the dining hall is now composting food and not giving out Styrofoam containers to take it home in. Students can buy a plastic reusable tray with lid to take to go food in with their dining card. My friend (Erin) said she's going to forward me the address of a list serve for environmental things happening in the Youngstown area - which is totally exciting! I evidently missed some big events last week.

I've been reading about people taking their own containers to restaurants and stores as well instead of accepting Styrofoam or plastic packaging. I have a feeling this might not fly quite so much in the US with the worry about the cleanliness of containers from home, but you could call ahead and find out. One story I read said they actually provided consumers in Japan with discounts for bringing containers as it saved on their packaging costs!

ECOT (my new job) is going well. Had a family night Thursday and finally met some co-workers, we went to dinner and I'm invited to take part in their last Friday of the month lunch dates in Steubenville - so that is awesome!

Once again I'm hoping to keep this up! We'll see!

Back - Again!

2009-09-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

So I finally have the Internet at my house, just got it installed on Sunday, it is very exciting!

I also have a new job - working for ECOT an online school here in Ohio. I'm about to complete my first full week of office hours and I must say it is a very lonely existence only ever speaking to students and other teachers on the phone. Everyone has been very helpful and nice so far. It is intimidating calling the students though; it feels like a sales job and my product is education.

Attempting to catch up on all things I was used to checking regularly has been difficult. The main sites I've been interested in are ones on environmental/sustainable living. Lots of recipe ideas and trying to eat fresh/locally. This weekend I am going to try making my own laundry soap and then as old cleaners run out replace those with home made non-toxic ones.

Last part of this post is I must encourage everyone to watch the new show on Fox called Glee - it's about a fledgling show choir with some major cuties in it! (Wednesday's at 9)

Hope to be back to blogging regularly again soon and sharing neat ideas with you all!

Sorry for the absence!

2009-08-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

The end of the year was very, very busy! We had leaving do's and night's out galore. I went to see The Woman in Black in Covent Garden, it was amazing! We had dinner nearby and I had very British food - faggots - or meatballs if you like. Had my first Thai food at Lee's leaving do, I wasn't a huge fan, but it could have just been a result of my dodgy tummy.

Greece was okay, I got about 3 books read, including Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which was really depressing and The Thirteenth Tale which was quite clever.

The plane trip back was a bit of a nightmare, I had to pay extra to change my ticket, my own fault in the end really, but no less annoying.

My best friend is engaged and getting married in March, so I've got to prepare for that.

Went to my cousin's wedding in Virginia - stopped at Skyline Caverns on the way back which was neat, but a little annoying because of all the little ones on the tour we did.

Hopefully I can make it to an internet connection more frequently to keep updated, we'll see!

Food for Thought Friday

2009-07-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

Breakfast - What is the last movie you saw and how did you like it?
I can't remember, maybe Angels and Demons, I preferred it to The DaVinci Code
Lunch - What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Peanut Butter Parfait, Mint Chocolate Chip or Superman
Dinner - What is one goal you want to achieve this summer?
Grad school acceptance and job
Midnight Snack - What do you do to pamper yourself?
Buy books or clothes. Take holidays.

Day out in London on the river

2009-06-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

The train stations have this awesome programme with some places of interest in the city. If you travel into the city by train you can get into a lot of places at 2 for 1. My friend Jodie and I met in the city yesterday to do the City Cruises boat tour up and down the Thames. I got a little burnt, but I was needing some more colour anyways. We left from Tower Pier, down to Greenwich, back, up to Westminster Pier and then down again. We got off the second trip to Greenwich. Went to Marks & Spencer to buy lunch and then sat in the picnic with many other Londoners or day trippers making the most of the lovely weather. We walked up to the Royal Observatory, but it was too late to go in. So instead we went to Greenwich Market. Greenwich Market is like a non-virtual Etsy, it was amazing! I bought old fashioned metal printing stamps that were so amazing! He even showed me how embossing works and I think I'm going to go very adventurous on my Christmas cards this year, or at least the envelopes!

We were getting ready to go when a major storm started happening, the rain was POURING like I could not believe! We were about 2/3 of the way to the boat for the trip back when, ouch, hail started firing down from above. I knew hail would hurt, but I had no idea it would hurt that much! We made it to the boat which was jammed with people not wanting to get off and lots of soaked people wanting to be on. It was funny though to be running around in the rain, I wish I could have enjoyed it more by being nearer home. I did have to travel the rest of the day standing on the tube and train or I would have got the seats pretty damp, which wouldn't have been pleasant for future passengers.

So do, do the City Cruises on the Thames and do stop at Greenwich, it is lovely!

Food for Thought Friday

2009-06-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - What is your favorite part of the summertime?
Having no responsibilities and being able to read by the pool.

Lunch - How was this week different than others?
I was done teaching coursework at school and it was exams week. That's about it!

Dinner - What did you think of Michael Jackson?
Not a fan.

Midnight Snack - What do you have planned for this weekend?
I'm hoping to do some site seeing in London this weekend and perhaps head to the flower market near Bethnel Green.

Chawton - Part 2

2009-06-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

So I must squeal with glee again about going to Jane's home, squeeeeeeee! We arrived around 11 or so and bought our tickets, the first room had a pianoforte and some general information about Jane, replica shoes and dresses of the time period. There was soooo much 'stuff' you could buy, they really got into the Colin Firth as Darcy marketing, and I mean, who wouldn't?! There was an entry way that lead to the dinning room, the book shop was what must have been the kitchen, then it was up the steps to the bedrooms, and I got to use Jane Austen's loo! There was Jane's room that she shared with Cassandra, her mother's room, a guest room and then an ante room that had a display in it of a quilt that Jane, Cassandra and her mother had made, it was truly beautiful! There were display cases in the cupboard's of most rooms with artifacts, some silver with the Austen monogram, a few letters here and there from or to Jane.

In the guest room there is a closet that is empty, but you open it up and SHELVES! lol 'Shelves in the closest, a happy thought indeed!' It was a nerdy paradise, seriously.

Photos were not allowed inside, so you'll have to make due with the exterior and some of the gardens. Unfortunately it was under construction to make a new educational centre so a lot of the garden was dug up and new stones were being laid.

I cannot state again how much the area was like being in the novel. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, we walked with no cars being around from Jane's home to her brother's home at Chawton House and into the church. The gravel was crunching underfoot and there were people out riding horses so the clop, clip, clop, clip of their hooves sent you right back to time period, if only we'd seen one with a carriage.

There is a Regency Ball being held sometime hereafter, but the cost is $5,000 so I won't be able to attend, but oh to dream!

Chawton - Jane Austen's House

2009-06-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

I went to Jane Austen's house this weekend it was everything I could have hoped it to be! It is small to be sure, but so lovely still and the arrangement is very nice, though sparse on actual things belonging to Jane as things belonging to her relatives are more easily to be had it seems. The area surrounding was very much like being in a Jane Austen novel, my friend Amanda who I was visiting with (along with Emma) often even walks to the house with her children via a footpath, what is more Austenesq than that?!

We took the short walk to Chawton House, the larger house her brother lived in and into the church she would have attended when she was living and where her mother and sister are buried. It was beautiful and just as a Regency film would look.

I'm without my laptop at present, but as soon as it is back up and running I hope to post the pictures from Jane's home, last weekend in Oxford and our stop by at Winchester Cathedral where Jane is buried.

Food for Thought Friday

2009-06-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - What is the largest burden currently weighing you down?

All that stupid debt I managed to accumulate at university.

Lunch - Do you have any family vacations planned this summer? If so, where?

I do indeed, headed to Greece right after school breaks up and maybe to Forks, Washington, then to Virginia for my cousins wedding.

Dinner - What is one thing you must do before you go to bed each night?

Turn off the lights . . .

Midnight Snack - Where is the last place you went?

Literally? Or as in, where is the last COOL place you went? Literally I last went to work, but the last cool place was Oxford on Saturday :)

British Cultural Things I Don't Get

2009-06-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

I've never really thought about some of the cultural things that are different here, but last night it dawned on me that I truly do not understand why groups of British males who are out for an evening randomly break into song. Often times it's 'Brittania Rules the World' or something similar, and this will be in the middle of a pub/restaraunt that is serving alcohol. It kind of freaks me out and intimidates me and I was very happy last night when the bar staff made this group of guys stop.

Food for Thought Friday

2009-06-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - Do you Twitter or Facebook?

I use facebook more frequently but have begun twittering as well.

Lunch - What are you looking most forward to this summer?

Hanging out with my family and readjusting to life in the US. And trips to Greece and (hopefully!) Forks.

Midnight Snack - What are you envious about right now?

People who have enough money to always do what they want and my friends in the US who are all done with school while I have 24 days left.

GREECE!

2009-06-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

Is now on my summer holiday plans, Jodie (of the Italy trip!) found an awesome site for cheap Greek travel, so we are going to book a week long holiday to Greece and spend like no money whatsoever! It will be AWESOME and we can probably take a day trip to Turkey while we are there, woot, woot for cheap travel!

Okay so now I need to practice some Greek, I knew I should have taken a foreign language at uni, surely the fact that they use a different alphabet won't be a problem will it?

Food for Thought Friday

2009-06-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - What activities make you lose track of time?
Reading and being online!

Lunch - What did you imagine yourself being the most when you were little?
I really wanted to be a lawyer for a long time, though I don't know if I could imagine myself as one or not, it's been too long since I was little!

Dinner - If you could jump into any book what would it be and why?
I'm in the mood for a jump into the Thursday Next series, which is of course very appropriate!

Midnight Snack - What is your favorite thing to fix for dinner?
Chicken taco soup!

Upcoming Adventures

2009-06-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

So I have a few exciting things that I shall be doing from now to the end of the year.
1. Oxford next Saturday with the girls from the online book club.
2. Off to Jane Austen's house the following Sunday.
3. 6th form ball
4. Laura's leaving party in Norwich in July
5. English department going to see The Woman in Black and have dinner as my leaving party.

I'm very excited about all of these events!

On a non-exciting note, I am still job searching. I've sent two resume and cover letters to some random schools in eastern Ohio that I think I'd like to work at: Campbell City Schools and Dalton Local Schools, both are at the high school level, I think Dalton seems more me, but Campbell is nearer home. Also I applied for FAFSA and turns out there aren't grants available graduate study, boooo. I don't want to be a Graduate Assistant because I don't want to teaching writing at the university, and that is my only real option, looks like I'm forking out some cash to get my masters, to the tune of about 660 per month if I take 9 credit hours, which is evidently full time for a master's programme. Ouch! Hopefully it all works out . . .

Italian Adventure

2009-05-31T00:59:00.000-07:00

I arrived back from my trip to Italy Friday evening. The flight was later than expected though I still have no idea why we sat at the gate for an hour and a half before leaving.

But, back to the beginning of the trip! On Saturday I called for a taxi to the train station only to hear that the train wasn't running due to engineering works, grrr, there have been engineering works about every other weekend for the past few months! So I instead had to go get the bus to Stratford and then the tube onto Liverpool Street, followed by the Stansted Express to the airport. Fab. I tried to print my boarding pass only to find out that the printer here didn't work, you can't call Ryanair from my mobile phone and I had a feeling it would a pain at the airport. Well it wasn't as much of a pain as I would have thought, but still not fun, standing in 3 different queues for about 20 minutes each.

Arrived in Pisa around 10:15 - I was slated to meet up with Erin and Lars at the airport, they were flying in from Munich. This was successfully accomplished and we then headed to the hotel to meet Jodie and Elina. Much girly giggling ensued in our hotel room for an hour or so then it was off to bed for our trip to Volterra the next day!

The rental car was retrieved by Lars and Elina, and there was a bit of worry that all our stuff wouldn't fit, but thankfully it did, though Lars didn't have the rear window to see out of, thankfully this only resulted in one little bump, without damage. Volterra is beautiful! Probably the best part of the trip altogether, it was small, easily walkable, had interesting things to see, the best restaurant we ate at, etc. Our hostel was a converted monestary, and the only really negative thing was it had no air conditioning on one of the hottest nights of our trip and it was the 5 of us sharing with one random traveller, who was a bit odd, but harmless.

Next morning was off to Siena for two nights; we got a bit lost coming into the city and had to park for a while before check in. We went to the San Dominico where the bones of St. Catherine are interred. We spent the rest of the day just wandering the streets, some rather steep, and that wasn't fun, but generally it was nice not having something to 'do'. Our next day in Siena was the 'do' day, we visited the Duomo, Baptistry, Crypts and one other thing that I can't remember. We ate at a chain pizza restaurant, which was a bit weird really and besides food I bought absolutely nothing in Siena, I'm sad about that now because I wanted to get a holy water holder for the wall (I'm sure this has a proper name!) for my mom, but alas I did not.

From Siena we travelled to Montepulciano, where New Moon was being filmed. The day we arrived they had pretty much blocked off all of the square and there honestly wasn't much to see near any of the barriers, though we stood at a few for a time hoping to see something interesting. We met a few people who had seen some of the actors and gotten autographs etc. After the main days shooting was over and when we couldn't get any interesting information, we decided to go check into our hotel which was outside the city walls. It was the prettiest hotel by far and had the best air conditioning! The beds were fabulously comfortable, the staff were super nice, and the free internet actually worked! We got a tip on the hotel of the actors, but ended up just driving there and then doing nothing, turned around and went back to Montepulciano since they had reopened the square so we could see the filming area. It was GORGEOUS, I can see now why it was chosen over the city of Volterra, it is more symmetrical and has a more 'ominous' feel to it. We had our dinner right next to the alleyway that Edward hides in. There was a massive rain storm that evening so we got soaked, but enjoyed running around the place they had been filming in all day.

Early the next morning it was off to Florence, the largest city on our trip. We really got lost there and ended up parking quite outside the city and walking in. We saw the famous Duomo and baptistery doors. I had to go find a souvenir shop to get a shirt with sleeves to enter, I kept forgetting about needing to be 'covered' (no sleeveless shirts) to go in. We got yelled at for eating on the Duomo steps, which rather annoyed me since plenty of other people were doing it as well as smoking there and the woman was 'this is a sacred place' yeah, with all the souvenirs being sold I can see it is . . . Anyways! Then we headed off to the Uffizi gallery, holding some of the world's best art. It was much smaller than I imagined but it was cool to see many of the paintings up close, such as, The Birth of Venus.

We left Florence around 7 so that we could get the car back to Pisa by 9 and check in to our hotel. We travelled into Pisa after dark, so my pictures of the Duomo and the tower aren't very good at all. I will be shameless stealing photos from Lars and Erin's camera, because it was absolutely amazing! The trip was great, I loved travelling in a group, it created a lot of diversity and we could all remember bits of history and art lessons to add to our knowledge of the sites and history of towns. Friday Lars and Erin left the hotel very early for their flight to Copenhagen, and we left much later for our flight back to Stansted.

I give this trip 10/10 - visit Tuscany it is beautiful!
This is a link for a slide show of pictures from the trip:
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg107/jesslynn1124/?action=view&current=3961bc88.pbw

Preparing for Italy

2009-05-20T23:12:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, preparing for Italy has involved combating the fraudulent use of my debit card. Sometime last weekend someone managed to use my debit card number to top up their vodaphone minutes. I now will probably have no debit card in Italy, but instead be forced to carry around cash, which will make me extremely nervous, especially in all the tourist sites.

I can't decide which packing route to go, capri's, dresses, or jeans. The weather is meant to be beautiful, but I don't want to have only warm clothes in case of cold evenings or mornings. One very good thing about the sites we are to visit is that they open early, around 8:15, instead of not until 10, like here.

We will be visiting Pisa, Volterra, Montepulciano, and Siena. I wish we could make it to Florence, but alas time does not allow.

Sunday in Brighton

2009-05-16T00:47:00.001-07:00

I spent last Sunday in Brighton with some great friends that I met through the Twilight craze. The bus journey was a bit annoying, overcrowded bus with bad ventilation very early in the morning. But after that it was perfect; there was supposed to be rain, but it never happened. We had a cup of tea, then ventured into the Lanes to do some shopping. There were so many neat shops and the antiques store was overwhelming, so many things I wanted but I held back, which is totally unlike me! I did buy some nerdy tourist stuff like a book about Brighton Pavilion and a magnet of the Pavilion, but not much else. Oh except for we found this fair trade shop where I found this really cute wooden jewellery box for just 10 quid; I thought it would make a good addition to my Indian inspired bedroom in Ohio.

We ran into our friend who we thought had ditched us, she had in turn thought we ditched her. It was amazing that we ran into her with all the people who were about. We had lunch at Giraffe and then while half the group continued with shopping, Emma and I toured Brighton Pavilion, I almost didn't, but then thought, well this is actually what I came all this way for! I'm glad I went it because the interior is beautiful and rather unique after seeing a lot of other palaces. I was in love with the banqueting room and it's huge dragon chandelier. I was sad that I couldn't take any photos and the photos in the gift shop didn't do anything justice. The music room was also so beautiful and had to be extensively renovated following an arsonist incident, but sadly, soon after they were nearly finished with that 7 year renovation hurricane winds caused a piece of roof from an adjacent area to fall through the done and smash much of the work they had done and lodged like a meteor into the floor. How devastating for the team who had spent so long fixing the fire damage!

We ended the day at Brighton Pier, which I imagine to be kind of like Coney Island, though I've never been there. We had an ice cream, just walked around looking and then did an old fashioned picture of the group. I was annoyed as I didn't do my hair that day, and when I see pics I realize I must always, always do something to my hair before leaving home. Below is a selection of pictures from the day :)

Food for Thought Friday

2009-05-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - What is the most interesting biography you have ever read?
Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser

Lunch -What is the longest you have ever waited in a line?
30 minutes, or perhaps about an hour once at Heathrow Airport.

Dinner - Where do you want to be right now?
Italy, but I've got a week to wait!

Midnight Snack - What is hanging over your head and causing stress for you right now?
Friday Drama classes.

wordle.net

2009-05-09T15:16:00.001-07:00

This site is very addictive and fun:

My favourite book quote:

My family:

Food for Thought Friday

2009-05-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - Beach or mountains?
I'm not a huge fan of either, but I guess I'd say beach.

Lunch - Online shopping or store shopping?
In store, you find better deals that way.

Dinner - If you live in America, do you enjoy Mother's Day? If not, does your country celebrate Motherhood in any way?
Most countries have mother's day just not at the same time; the UK's mother's day was a while ago. I have no particular feelings as I'm not a mother and my mother is in the US, she got a lovely present.

Midnight Snack - What would be your best gift for Mother's Day?
I was able to give my mom a few gifts she really wanted this year such as swim cap and goggles and a nice kitchen scale.

Sunday Trip

2009-05-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

I'm attempting to see at least one interesting thing each weekend. On Sunday I took a bus tour that was stopping at Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle. I can't decide if my 70 pounds was well spent or not. Oxford was beautiful, I'm supposed to go back with a group of friends in June, which is good because I didn't see enough. I will probably not have time to get back to Stratford, but I'm not too worried, it seems like a nice enough town, but I couldn't sort out what to see, we were given entrance to Shakespeare's birthplace, which was pretty underwhelming. Warwick Castle was okay, better for kids with lots of stuff they can do. The medieval and Victorian sections of the castle were fairly interesting and since Madame Tussad's owns it, it was 'peopled' with wax figures that gave it some interest.

A few photos of the day:

All Souls

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Warwick Castle

Overall, it was too rushed, which I should have realized with the three places to visit. We drove through the Cotswolds but I couldn't get any good photos. It was lovely of course, lots of stone houses and thatched roofs, which cost anywhere from 30,000-60,000 pounds to have done!

The trip was also annoying because there was an obnoxious Italian family along, they were right in front of and beside me. Their two sons wouldn't be quiet, were rude to everyone and the parents did little to try to keep them quiet. The guide was very frustrated with the children and the father who would ask a question about something just as soon as the guide had explained it! Later the teenage daughter proceeded to talk loudly on her mobile even though it was evident that most people were napping on the way back. I was happy to be off on the first stop back in London and to have some lovely Nando's, only to realize I'd left my book on the bus. Somebody better enjoy Nature Girl by Carl Hiassen!

100 Books

2009-05-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Tally your total, add it to the note title.
3) Tag others and pass it on.

If I tagged you, it is because I think you love to read, like me!
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (x)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (x)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (x)
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (x)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (x)
6 The Bible (Extracts) (x)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (x)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (x)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman ( )
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (x)
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott ()
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy ()
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller ()
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (x)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier (x)
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (x)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ()
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (x)
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ( x)
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot ()
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (x)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (x)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens ()
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ( )
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams()
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh (x)
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky ( )
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ()
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll ()
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ()
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy ( )
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens ()
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (x)
34 Emma - Jane Austen (x)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (x)
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (x)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (x)
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres ()
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden ()
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne ()
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (x)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (X )
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ()
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving ()
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ()
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery ()
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ()
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood (x)
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (x)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan ( )
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel ( )
52 Dune - Frank Herbert ()
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons ()
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (x)
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ( )
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ()
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens ( )
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (x)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon (X)
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (x)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ( )
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt ()
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (x)
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (x)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac ()
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ()
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding (X)
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie (x)
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville ( )
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ()
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker ()
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett ()
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (x)
75 Ulysses - James Joyce ()
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath ( )
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ()
78 Germinal - Emile Zola ( )
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (x)
80 Possession - AS Byatt (x)
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (x)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ( )
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker ( )
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ( )
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert (x)
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ( )
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White ()
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom ( x)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ()
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ()
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (x)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery ()
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ()
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams ()
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ( )
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ( )
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas ()
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (X)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl ()
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ()

I'm an English teacher so it seems sensible to have more of course. A lot of these are on my 'to read' list as well, so there is always time!

Food for Thought Friday

2009-05-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

Just 6 minutes late! :)

Breakfast - If you owned a CB radio what would your "handle" be?
JD, not very creative. My brother's is Jaybird, it makes me laugh.

Lunch - What are you looking forward to this weekend?
I'm headed to Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick Castle and parts of the Cotswold's. Also it is a bank holiday weekend, so Monday off!

Dinner - If you could snap your fingers and appear somewhere else, where would you be?
Ummmmm, I'm not too homesick at the moment, so maybe a quick visit to Phoenix, AZ to see my bestest :)

Midnight Snack - What magazine(s) do you subscribe to?
Real Simple, Tatler, O

Kew Gardens and Palace

2009-04-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

Fiona and I ventured into the East of London yesterday to visit Kew Palace and Gardens. The day was great, not too hot, not too cold, mostly sunshine and not a drop of rain!

We walked around for about an hour and a half before visiting the Palace, which to be honest was rather underwhelming. It is more like a large summer house, 3 floors for the family, and the attic for the staff. Lots of rooms were available to see and only a few were decorated in the style of the day. What was interesting is that it has only been reopened to the public since 2006, it was shut from 1996 to that point and underwent renovations. It was pretty from the outside.

The gardens were gorgeous; almost everything was already in bloom.

The downside to the day? I knew this would happen eventually - I got poo'd on by a bird! We were walking along a path and I felt something hit my head, normally I assume it's like a nut or something, but my subconscious must have taken into account that the trees nearby didn't have nuts, and so I asked Fiona if I had bird poo in my hair - the answer was yes. How horrifying, and nauseating, gross! We had been headed to see Queen Charlotte's Cottage, but instead tried to detour for some nearby toilets. I had one tissue in my handbag so she got some out with that, when luckily some mum's with babies happened nearby, and Fiona shouted, 'mum's are prepared! we'll ask them!' and they gave us a little package of baby wipes which Fiona used to get most of it out.

I tried not to think about it, there was no reason to end the day and travel an hour and 20 minutes just because of a nature incident, but it was gross to think about. We headed to the Pagoda and then Queen Charlotte's Cottage, past the bluebell fields and we saw a peacock strutting about. Crossed over the lake on a really cool bridge made of some metal that really picked up the reflection of the water. We were there until about 5, and then headed to the gift shop, Fiona bought some herbs for her garden and then we took the Tube back into the city. Fiona went to meet a friend for dinner and I caught a film at Notting Hill Gate.

Food for Thought Friday

2009-04-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - When was the last time you did something for the first time? What was it?
Hmmmm, interesting question. For the first time, two weeks ago, I made dinner for 10 people all on my own :)

Lunch - What's your middle name? Why?
Lynn, because my sister convinced my mom that Lynn was better than Leigh. She also was making a plea for her own middle name.

Dinner - What was the first car you drove?
My mom's Grand Am I think.

Midnight Snack - What is the strangest/weirdest gift you have ever received?
Some really bizarre earrings from my top set year 10's when I left last year.

Back in the UK

2009-04-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

and not as jet lagged as I'd thought. It was bad yesterday, but the first day back always is. Hopefully I can sleep normally tonight and wake up on time tomorrow!

Anyway, my time at home was wonderful, but rainy. I mostly was around my house with family and spent a few days with Kari and a few days at my sister's house. She just bought a new pop up camper and was very excited. I hope to get to go camping with her at some point this summer.

I did lots of reading over the break and now have these to add to my list.

30. The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway

31. Testimony - Anita Shreve

32. The Well of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde

33. Wake - Lisa McMann

34. Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde

35. Twilight: Director's Notebook - Catherine Hardwicke

36. The Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale

37. Love the One Your With - Emily Giffin

38. The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

39. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering American on the Appalachian Trail - Bill Bryson

Also, my niece was super cute as always, so a few pictures of her and then me and my mom and friend Kari :)

Easter Holiday

2009-04-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

The two week holiday has officially begun! I leave from the house about 10:10 tomorrow, my flight isn't until 4:20, the latest flight I've ever taken from England back to the US. I arrive around 12, which is the time I usually get in. I don't have anything major planned just small things. Swimming and working out at the local Y, going to zoo with Kari and Lily, lots of dinner dates with friends and family, I'm so excited!

Hopefully decorating eggs will be part of the plan, though I doubt anything like this will come out of my kitchen.

Food For Thought Friday

2009-04-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?
I have no idea, the family house from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the only thing that comes to mind.
Lunch - What did you have for dinner last night (Thursday) ?
Nando's! Chicken pitta, rice, chips and chocolate ice cream.
Dinner - If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?
Georgia or Virginia
Midnight Snack - What is your favorite flower?
Asiatic lilies or Gerber daisies.

Tower of London

2009-03-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

I had to make use of my British Heritage pass and The Tower of London is the closest to my house, so I headed there on Sunday. I will not be headed back, I've been twice and there isn't much new to see. I still love to go on the Beefeater tours though, the guides (retired military) are really funny and have good stories to tell. They like to harass foreigners on the tours, etc. which I adore, British humour is awesome. I also like a chance to drool over all the crowns on display and diamonds. They did have a special display about diamonds, but it wasn't really all that great.

3 teaching days (5 lessons!) until break. I have to make a year 10 work experience visit tomorrow afternoon and then have year 8 parents evening. A second visit for work experience is tomorrow, but at Canary Wharf which is much more interesting than just heading down the road to the local primary school.

Right I need to get back into my good sleeping habits, night!

100 Book Challenge

2009-03-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm taking part in a 100 book's in 2009 challenge through an online book group I am a part of. I'm very proud of myself for keeping up so far. I'm 29 books in as of right now and this is what I've read so far this year:

1. I am Charlotte Simmons - Tom Wolfe
2. Under the Duvet - Marian Keyes
3. Conquering Romans - Nigel Crowle
4. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
5. Shakespeare - Bill Bryson
6. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
7. African Diary - Bill Bryson
8. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
9. Lucky - Alice Sebold
10. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
11. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling
12. Marley and Me - John Grogan
13. Othello - William Shakespeare
14. State of Fear - Michael Crichton
15. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
16. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
17. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
18. Enthusiasm - Polly Shulman
19. City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
20. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
21. Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde
22. Stranger than Fiction - John O'Connor
23. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
24. The Big Over Easy - Jasper Fforde
25. Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
26. Framed - Frank Cottrell Boyce
27. Brida - Paulo Coehlo
28. The Bookseller of Kabul - Asne Seierstad
29. Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare

The only one I haven't really been a fan of so far is The Reluctant Fundamentalist even though a lot of people seem to like it. I think I need to get some more non-fiction on my list though.

Weekend in Canterbury

2009-03-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

"Choosing a path meant having to miss out on others." Brida - Paulo Coehlo

I hadn't realized that I didn't post an update about my weekend in Canterbury, well it was lovely! My friend from work, Fiona, and I got a train right after school to Ramsgate, her hometown. We had dinner with her family and went out for the evening down by the harbour, it was beautiful, but very cold! Ramsgate and nearby Margate used to be the fashionable beach towns in Victorian times, but have sadly declined in the 20th and 21st century.

It was gorgeous on Saturday, a perfect day for being out and about in Canterbury. We took the train, which is only a 20 minute journey to the city. Stopped by the farmer's market, and made a note to come back at the end of the day to buy a few things we didn't want to carry around all day. We wandered along the main pedestrianized area looking into shops and stumbled upon a river boat tour. We decided that it was a great day for it and it was only 7 quid so a good deal. The guide was funny and interesting. We learned the origin of a few phrases, such as, 'legging it' and 'day light robbery'. One of the key things to see along the way was the only remaining example of Franciscan architecture to survive demolition during Henry VII's reign. It was the only bridge over the river in the city so luckily was not torn down and remains to this day.

After our boat tour we wandered towards the Cathedral, but decided to fore go a visit since the entrance was also 7 quid and Fiona wasn't too keen and I had seen it when I visited before in high school, I am a bit sad I didn't go now, but it's okay! We did some shopping near the cathedral, I got some silly kitchen things to take home with me and a few touristy things (I'm a sucker for cheapo tourist stuff!). We left about 4:30 to head back to Ramsgate, and then I packed my things to get a train back to London; Fiona was staying as it was Mother's Day on Sunday (early in the UK) and I wanted to give her time with her family and also get back to do a few things at my house here.

Next week is the last week in the school term. I'm headed back to the US for about two weeks for time with my family. I have a few things planned, like heading to the zoo with Kari and going to the YMCA for swimming, organizing my room at home, etc. I want to read a few books that my mom has put on hold for me at the library and I've also been recruited to help start the garden and build a little addition to our garage for the lawn equipment. I had to remind my mother that this was my VACATION, and that I don't use my vacations as she does (to do projects!) but instead to REST. I'm sure all will be well and I can't wait to have some Applebee's and Olive Garden.

Pictures from the trip:

Food for Thought Friday (A Day Late)

2009-03-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - What is the last thing you ordered on-line?
I can't remember if it is my bus ticket to the airport or a copy of Twilight.

Lunch - What is your favorite dessert at a restaurant?
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (hopefully I will be having some next week!)

Dinner - What is the funnest game you have played recently?
I haven't played a game since I was home at Christmas.

Midnight Snack - What job(s) did you have while in high school/college?
A clerk at a tiny family owned convenience store, a salad bar worker at Das Dutch Haus, student trainer for the football team at YSU, Resident Assistant, Home Depot cashier/service desk/paint associate, baby sitter, camp counselor, I think that's all.

Weekend Plans = Canterbury

2009-03-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

The home of the famous Tales and the cathedral. A friend and work colleague lives near Canterbury and is going home for mother's day (early here!) so she invited me along. I'm very excited. We are heading out tomorrow after school and I'll come back Saturday evening. A night out on Friday with her local friends and then Saturday being touristy. I want to see the cathedral again and she said there is a funny Canterbury Tales thing to do. Then some shopping and what not in the town centre.

I love being a nerdy tourist, so I should have a great weekend.

Currently reading . . .

2009-03-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

the Black Dagger Brotherhood. So many other friends are reading it and love it so I thought I'd give it a go. I'm not entranced by any means, but do find it somewhat intriguing. I think what I find the most annoying are the names: Wrath, Rhage, Vishicious, Torhment, you get the idea . . .

I'm also in the middle of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. These books are so clever it is unreal! The main character works in 1985 and is a LiterTec (literary detective). In the story her uncle creates a "Prose Portal" that allows people to jump into books! Imagine if you could do that, jump into your favourite book. She goes into Jane Eyre and some crazy stuff happens! Some of the questions for reading ask the following: If you could jump into any book, which one would it be and why? If you could change the ending of any book which one would it be and why?

I had a think about the above questions and decided I'd jump into a Sweet Valley High book, Enchantment by Orson Scott Card and probably Twilight. I would change the endings to all of Shakespeare's tragedies, let Othello and Desdemona lead a happy life and get rid of Iago the idiot. Get that letter to Romeo about Juliet's sleeping potion, etc.

Food for Thought Friday

2009-03-13T13:09:00.001-07:00

Breakfast - What is the longest consecutive time you have spent in a car?Without stopping?
I think around 22 hours from Florida to Ohio on our way home from a vacation.
Lunch - Where would you go if you were invisible?
Anywhere I wanted, obviously.
Dinner - If you could swim in any liquid what would it be and why?
Ummm . . . pistachio pudding? I really don't know, water usually works well for me.
Midnight Snack - What store do you shop at the most?
Sadly, Tesco, for my groceries and I don't buy much else here (besides airline tickets lol)

May Half-Term Trip

2009-03-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

I'm headed to Tuscany during the May half-term with two friends. Having purchased one half of the flight for 1.99 was awesome! Over all the Ryanair flight was 122 including a baggage check fee, airport check in and a first boarding call: pretty reasonable, considering. So Saturday to Friday I'm hoping that we have gorgeous weather to explore from out hotel (monastery!) in Volterra to the surrounding areas, Pisa, Florence, Siena and get lots of good photos to share. Here are two pics of the hotel we'll be at:

How gorgeous does that look!? The insides seem nice and clean, but simple, which is fine with me. The baggage limit through Ryanair is only 33 pounds for checked bags, so I'm going to have to be very careful since we all know my tendency to over pack. My two friends will be there 4 days ahead of me (not teachers, have more flexibility). Hopefully, they'll have the lay of the land and help me get over any culture shock issues rather quickly. We've agreed to each take a different book and share through the week.

Introduction

2009-03-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted something separate from my blog on teaching overseas, that is simply about me and the things I do not related to school directly. I chose the title from the Taylor Swift song 'Our Song' which I think is so cute. The particular lyrics are, 'Our song is the slamming screen doors, sneaking out late, tapping on his window, when were on the phone and he talks real slow cuz it's late and his momma don't know' it is just so how I think of country life and I miss it a lot!

So I'll keep updating on developments and things to do with my life and family. First of all, my adorable niece, who of course looks up to no good, shortly after this photo she decided to try to eat a handful of rocks.