Let it snow!

IT'S SNOWING TODAY! Well, actually it's not snowing anymore, but we got a good few hours of snowy weather this morning, and now the ground and trees are dusted white. It's melting as I type. But at least it fell. I've been staring at it all morning--I love, love, love winter. Jimmy came over before going to play football in it and we took some pictures of the street and my house. The view from our living room window is AMAZING. I'n pretending I'm in New England.

Where was this weather during Christmas??!!

3 things

I've been tagged by Krystal to list a few little known facts about myself. Since it's apparently ok to change the number of facts to one's favorite number, I only have to list three. Three has been my favorite number since the ninth grade. I don't remember why-I think it had something to do with running track. Here you have them.

1. My life memories are organized in my brain according to what literary character (or entertainment icon, in some cases) I was obssessed with at the time. Some of them overlap a bit, and involved smaller simultaneous obssessions, but there are five major phases. They are:

Age 3 to 4: Annie (I certainly had the songs down, and the hair--without even trying)

Age 4 to 7: Alice in Wonderland

Age 7 to 11: Pippi Longstocking (ask me about the braids, Elmer's glue and the attempt at climbing the dining room wall)

Age 11 to 24: Clifford (NOT the big red dog. Rather, a 40-something Martin Short dressed as a dinosaur obssessed and blazer, shorts, and loafer clad 10 year old--brilliant comedy, if you ask me.)

Age 24 to present: Dwight K. Schrute. Do I need to add anything to that?

Other noteworthy, more minor obssessions: Chris O'Donnell and Prefontaine, both circa adolescence.

2. Like Kendy, I'm a maniacal ebay enthusiast, for one reason: books. It is an amazing and economical source of used books, and I happen to love really old books. Also, it's a great classroom resource, so...tax deductible.

3. I've not much of a history when it comes to weird OCD behaviors, but lately (and by lately I mean the past three years) I've found myself routinely counting people's toes when they have on open toed shoes. I have absolutely no idea why. Maybe I'm just making sure everyone's ok and has all the toes they need--maybe I'm expecting someone to eventually turn up with an even number of toes. Regardless, it's weird. I do it almost unconsciously.

Alrighty...I tag...hmmm...mere, lt, msk(s), and stik.

"Though the fig tree should not blossom
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
He makes my feet like the deer's
He makes me tread on my high places."
-- Habakkuk 3:17-19


I write this here more for me to read than any of you because if I'm going to make it through the rest of the week physically, mentally, emotionally...then I must grab the hope in these words.


I certainly don't see it around me. I love the imagery of the bible. Is it ok that I think some of it is hilarious? Fig blossoms and herds in the stalls? Well, my fig tree is wilted and the herds have long left the stalls. In fact, I think they're trampling me in the form of vicious 8th graders.


So, if you think about it today, say a prayer that the ones I spend my days with will know and hold to the hope that is there for them, though they do not see it.

A few reasonable suggestions

I feel rather guilty for complaining about the lack of solid presidential candidates. If I'm going to complain about a problem, I'm of the belief that I should also offer a solution, and campaigning for a fictitious TV character doesn't count.

Enter Stephen Colbert.

I Am America (And So Can You!), his brilliant book on a shelf near you (given to me by one Kate McIntosh), is all I need to read to declare him White House worthy. See below as for the reasons why. (Jimmy thinks SC is going to the worst version of hell there is--does this mean I'll be joining him there? Hope not.)

Suggestion #1

Illegal Immigrants. (Chapter 13)

Take a lesson from the Chinese and build a 2,000 mile long wall. "Not like that picket fence the Russians threw up across Berlin," writes SC. "We don't want those Mexican jumping beans hopping over whenever they feel like it. Make it tall. ...Something that can be seen from space...with double-wall construction, machine-gun nests and a flaming moat loaded with fireproof crocodiles."

Suggestion #2

Retirement be gone. (Chapter 2)

Some good things about Seniors:

1. They are the Greatest Generation. No other generation in history has been quite so willing to be poor, fight wars, and have babies.

2. They were alive in the Good Old Days. They're living testament to a time when America was #1, and so was butterscotch.

3. They are often forgiven for racial intolerance.

And now, according to SC, the bad news:

1. Social Security.

"After criminals and babies, seniors are the most coddled segment of the population...sorry, but retirement offends me. You don't just stop fighting in the middle of a war because your legs hurt. So why do you get to stop working in the middle of your life just because your prostate hurts? That's desertion, which in my book gets you the early bird special at the firing squad buffet."

Suggestion #3

Eradicate sports madness. (Chapter 5)

"Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of sports. It's a waste of both testosterone and blind, fervent allegiance, both of which would be better directed towards our military." -SC

SC says that sports do have some positive impacts on society. "They solve problems, such as how to get inner city kids to buy $175 shoes...and they remain our one and only relevant application of math." Well put.

Suggestion #4

Win the war again homosexuality. (Chapter 7)

"I am a gay American. And I couldn't be gayer now that the gays are on the run. Of course, I'm using "gay" the way our founding fathers intended, to mean 'happy,' before it was stolen from them by the gays, just like they stole their tights, wigs, and codpieces."

Think the War Against Terror is a bigger threat? Think again..."Who, other than terrorists, wants to destroy our way of life? The Gays. Allowing them to marry would be like strapping on a suicide vest with a matching cummerbund."

What effect will gay marriage have on society?

"...tolerance is at a dangerous level, and if it keeps increasing at current rates, everyone will gay marry, and our grandchildren's grandchildren may never be born. Or worse. They'll be gay adopted."

There you have it, readers. A fresh spin on some old issues. Since Jack Bauer isn't real, Vote Colbert.

He is America! (And so can you!)

*The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of the author*

A presidential candidate conundrum

With all the causus and primary madness flowing to and fro, lots of hot issues have been on the forefront of the media and our minds of late. Though they've been EVERYWHERE, I have to preface everything I'm about to say with a swift confession that, honestly, I don't know enough about any of this to throw opinions around regarding these candidates.

HOWEVER.

One tidbit of information that my antenna happened to pick up is, I feel, a must-share.

Last night I was watching the Ohio/LSU game with friends, and my friend Greg (pictured below as E. Scrooge) mentioned that this time around he is voting on one issue and one issue only: immigration. It was an interesting conversation, and he was very steadfast in his intent to vote on this issue alone. It got me thinking. If I were going to vote on only one issue, what would it be? The War Against Terror? Stem cell research? Abortion? Crime? Corporations? Budget & economy?

Try animal abuse.

After learning of the information I'm about to share with you, I now just want a president without a connection to animal abuse. And preferably not a man named Hillary.

First, Mike Huckabee. I like him, I do. But did you know that in 1998, his then-17 year old son killed a stray dog (while a counselor at Boy Scout camp, to add to the horror) by hanging, stoning, and slitting its throat? It's true. Larry King asked him about it on the air, and he pretty much laughed it off and seemed astounded that anyone would ask about such a trifling, two bit occurrence. He even "wrote a letter" to get his son out of trouble's way with the cops.

Disturbing.

On to Mitt Romney. This one would actually be pretty hilarious in all its Chevy Chase glory, were it not so painstakingly cruel. Apparently 24 years ago, he took his family plus their dog on a family vacation. For the 12 hour drive, he strapped the dog's crate to the top of the car, WITH THE DOG IN IT.

What was his defense for that? "My dog loves the wind," insisted Romney.

To again quote from the blogging community, "as evidenced by the severe diarrhea running down the windows on all sides of the car?" Unfortunately, it's a fact that he pulled the car over, wiped the mess off the windows, and continued to finish the trip, dog on top of car in crate.

I don't know about you, but I'm a little unnerved, to say the least, about these fellas. And they were the ones I was most enthusiastic about.

Maybe I should write Jack Bauer in on the ballot and be done with it all.

Christmas happenings

Two things I cannot find words to describe--how much I love my students and how much I love being away from them. This break, so far, has been life giving. All you teachers out there, I know you understand.

Aaaahhhh.

Hope Christmas was wonderful for you, my Worldwide Readership. For me it was absolutely pulchritudinous (I just learned that word--it's a synonym for lovely.) I just realized I didn't take very many pictures, though, unfortunately, so I will post some pictures of the festivities leading up to the glorious Christmas day.

(left): Couples' stocking exchange at Melissa's...I would have posted a picture of Kate and Will, were all of them not so X rated (love you Kate).

Mine and Jimmy's stocking was pretty G rated, if that--sets of fake redneck teeth and a stick of Black & Beautiful Cocoa Butter (for the hair, not the bread, I assume).

(right): Wine night & ornament shower at our house for my two roommates, Kate & Courtney, both soon to wed. A very fun night for all.

(below left): All our friends who have lived in this house at some point, also taken at the ornament shower. (below right): Hailstorm's graduation from Western Kentucky--she's all done, photojournalism degree in hand! The graduation was long, but it was good to spend time in Nashville with family. Congrats Hailey!

below left: Another shower for Kate & Will, this time in Shannon, MS at the Witthauer's house. So many faces I miss--all in the same room to celebrate with the happy couple and play

Christmas charades. I got "holly." Come on. We had so much fun--I miss these girls so much!

below left: Best date of 2007 (I know, I know, some of you are thinking best date since '98) For our Christmas date, Jimmy took me to get wine & appetizers downtown, and then we went to see Christmas Vacation at the Alabama Theatre (probably my favorite place in Bham!!) which was GLORIOUS. Then we got dinner afterwards. It was SO much fun. Really--what could be better than that? "I don't KNOW, Margot."

below right: The pictures I'm sure you've all been waiting for--A Dickens of a Party 2007, featuring my 7th grade students. Here you see the Ghost of Marley reading a well-prepared letter to Ebenezer Scrooge himself, honoring him and his new outlook on life.

Here are a few more pictures from that blessed event, which turned out surprisingly well, albeit HILARIOUS. They took it shockingly seriously, even giving Scrooge and Fred (thanks Greg and Benj) a proper Victorian-era introduction and greeting. Below right you see the Ghost of Christmas Future. She's a lot scarier than she looks, believe me.

To the left: The Ghost of Christmas Past reads her letter to Scrooge

Below right: Tiny Tim shares his sentiments

Below: Scrooge, Fred, and myself

All in all, it was a fantastic Christmas season, and I don't consider it over yet. Christmas is never over, as Scrooge would now say, and I won't even begin to think of taking down my tree before New Year's.

Hope you're all having a great week.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:4,5