a surprise party and a new house!

Did I really just spend a whole Saturday in a writing conference? Two more weeks left of Red Mountain Writing. As good as it is, I am so ready to be able to sleep in. I know the non-teacher working population is laughing at that statement, but it all equals out. Promise.

Happy late birthday to one James Lowell Entrekin, Jr.--on June 17 he turned 30, and was NOT EXCITED about it. For weeks, maybe months, leading to his birthday, he said that he wanted to let it slip by quietly in the night and not think about it. That is NOT like him.

So naturally, I thought this was the perfect time to throw him a surprise party to make sure that didn't happen. I also threw in a slideshow of about 70 of the existing hundreds of rediculous one man shots of Jimmy and projected them on our living room wall, rolling continuously throughout the night. It was awesome. Here are some pictures from the party:

Waiting to surprise him.

Surprise! 30's not so bad!

Good times.

Jimmy being initiated into the next decade of life. With an adhesive mustache, of course.

Jimmy's is called "The Bruiser." Greg's: "The Sheriff."

This is how big the slideshow pictures were on the wall... Thirty, flirty, and thriving.

On another note, I'm moving in two weeks! Katie, Abby and I are moving to another house in Homewood. We love it. It has a bright purple door, too. ??????

Goodnight, Moon

It's late and I am very tired. I got back from the fun beach weekend late Sunday night and headed to Red Mountain Writing Project from 8:30-3:30. It's the local branch of the National Writing Project, which is a month long writing institute for teachers of writing, grades 1-university level that focuses on teaching, research, and writing.

It seems amazing so far (yes I am a complete geek) and is going to be some intense work for the next 4 weeks, but I am getting 6 hours of grad credit to complete my Masters FINALLY. The best parts: they pay for it, you don't have too much work outside 8:30 to 3:30 everyday, and you come away with a LOT more practical preparation to be a better teacher than you came with. And then you are supposedly certified to lead professional development for other teachers (I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of THAT--probably NOT).

The downside: We are doing icebreakers and get to know you games every day this week. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. Makes me want to leap into the Cahaba River, really. Although we DID get to play the "Who Am I?" game today--the game that beloved Michael Scott forced his staff through on the beautiful "Diversity Day" episode of The Office's first season. I about lept out of my skin I was so excited.

Someone told me to be un-PC and guess a stereotyped demographic and I'd be able to guess mine. "Stir the melting pot, Pam!!!!" if you will. So I said gays, and they told me that's who likes this person. BINGO!! Cher. I got it on the second guess.

Back to the beginning though--I'm tired because I got home late Sunday night, went to RMWP all day today, then to UAB's registrar's office to try for the gillionth time to register for the two classes I'm supposed to get credit for, and THEN found out I was in fact on the schedule to work at Anthropologie from 5-close, or in tonight's case, 5-11:30. I'd pretty much decided NOT to work there this summer, but never did TELL them, and since today was the day I told them I could start back, of course they scheduled me. So I went in so as not to burn any bridges. You never know if you might want to return to a career folding shirts later in life.

So I'm home now and about to pass out--but not before I share this video with you that we watched today at RMWP. It's just a bunch of statistics on the information age and how much things are changing--we really do live in exponential times. It makes my head spin to try to wrap my mind around the information presented in this video--it's absolutely astonishing. If you have 6 minutes, you should really watch it. You'll be amazed--I was, anyway.

It makes me realize how much further I have to go as a teacher to prepare my students to live and work as productive citizens--and scary, too, given that technology hates me. Anyway, give it a watch. It'll at the very least make you wonder over the kind of age our kids and grandkids will grow up in.

digressives

IT'S SUMMER IT'S SUMMER IT'S SUMMER!!

I am floored. It's weird, this not having to get up and go to work. Today I woke up at 10, drank coffee, and watched abc's The Mole on TV, which is awesome, by the way. I want to be on that show. I'm really good at Maffia, so I figure if I worked out a little, I could totally win that show.

I'm pretty excited because I'm leaving for the beach again on Thursday at noon. I went to Briarwood's beach retreat two weeks ago and am so ready to go back to the beach. I don't really remember too much of beach retreat, since I was in a stupor of a coma all weekend. This weekend I'll get to really soak it up--a bunch of friends have rented out a gigantic house on the beach and are piling up in it for the weekend. WOO HOO!!

No other news to report on really--just trying to get loose ends from the school year tied up and figure out where I'm teaching next year since my school is closing down this summer (I was on the news on the last day of school! Of course the one day I didn't pin my bangs back, they stick me in front of a camera--the front mullet was perched attentively atop my hairline for all to see). Yes folks--three years, three schools. Yuck. You can't even tell that our basement is also my bedroom right now, what with the remnants of my classroom piled from floor to ceiling.

I'll close tonight's post with two recommendations:

1. Dove Energy Glow tanning lotion

This stuff is amazing--since my trip to the dermatologist about a month ago, I've decided on minimal sun exposure this summer. Just enough to get the vitamin D, thank you very much. So to prepare for the unwelcome swimsuit, I've been using this miracle lotion--which DOESN'T STINK AT ALL. That's it's biggest selling point--it smells like normal lotion, and it WORKS. Looks very natural.

2. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

This luscious slice of summer reading by John Berendt is too hilarious not to devour in one sitting. It is hysterical--I mean SIDE-SPLITTING and you MUST read it. I read it about two years ago and am re-reading it right now--I forgot how absolutely delectable it is. You won't regret picking this one up. The perfect summer read. Msk(s) and Mrs. Sassafras--I don't know why, but I think the two of you, in particular, would love it.

That's all folks--next time I'll make sure to have pictures to document these savory summer days.

Whew.

8th grade graduation: CHECK! (for those of you in suspense about Golden Corral, it didn't happen. Apparently 8th graders are all talk)

Now that the 8th graders are gone and I only have 7th grade, the days are much less extreme. I don't think it matters--I still only want to sink into the couch after school and stay there until I stumble to bed at...9:15. I don't think it matters how much sleep you get or how the day goes--I think for teachers, the month of May is just laden with total exhaustion. Am I right, teachers out there? Or am I unusually fatigued?

I'm trying to decide on something spicy to do on the last day of school. LT said she was going to smoke cigarettes under the bleachers with Mrs. Sassafras. Mrs. Sassafras was my first grade teacher and coined the phrase "teacher tired." I like to remind her that I have a new and profound respect for her as my first grade teacher (and a first grade teacher in general)--I poked other kids with freshly sharpened pencils all the time and told lies about my identity. I think it would be appropriate now to smoke a few cigs with her under the Starkville Academy bleachers, don't you think?

Even if I don't make it to Starkville in time to smoke a pack with these two ladies, I do want to do something spicy on the last day of school. Just in case I miss the smokefest, I'm thinking of getting a temporary (28 washes to be exact) hair color and adding a little auburn to my hair. I played with the possibilities on Instyle's Web site, and this is what I got:

I tried one of those temporary colors (darker brown) in college, and it worked beautifully. Only lasted for about three days, as planned. So I'm not nervous about auburn at all. Eeeeeeek!

On to the next, last, and most obvious order of business: the Idol finale. It is, as many predicted, the Battle of the Davids. And so many are saying Cook is a shoe-in--I'm sticking to my original prediction--Archuleta is going to take home the trophy. Tween America will have it no other way--and aren't they the most maniacal texters of the audience? It makes perfect sense to me.

The people who want Cook to win aren't going to text 10,000 votes to make sure it happens. I voted for him ten times since I figured this. Anyway, my fingers are crossed for David Cook, but expect a triumphant David 'gnome' Archuleta come show's end. I'm off to watch. It started five minutes ago.

my meez

Yesterday, school was so bad that I could not go back there today. I've run out of words to describe just how terrible it was/is, so I won't try. I'll just say that in the course of one day at that place, I developed a massive ulcer on the top of my mouth that is quite painful. This morning at home is balm to a weary soul, needless to say. And I am spending it playing with meez.com. It's like building your own mini-me. You pick face shape, hair color, clothes, etc--you even pick your surroundings. I chose this one--she's lost. If you're familiar with my sense of direction, then you know how fitting this is. Anyway, it's kind of dumb, but it's fun. I could seriously play with this for hours. Sad. Hope you're all having a good Thursday.

a survey

Maybe I should - go workout.
I don’t understand why - an 8th grade boy decided he needed to dump white acrylic paint on my classroom floor today.
When I wake up in the morning - I hit the snooze button way too many times before stumbling to the coffee pot. I am becoming less and less of a morning person. Isn't it supposed to be the opposite when you get old?
I lost my willpower to - workout during the school week. It's not only not worth it, but a physical impossibility
Life is - interesting
I get annoyed when - I can hear people chewing gum or food. I mean, isn't it possible to do that without sounding like a cow chewing cud? Seriously...1/3 of the population isn't able not to. It baffles me. Ok, I might have a problem. But it drives me CRAZY. Alters my whole mood, even.
Parties are not a good time to - read a book, go to sleep, eat an apple. I ate an apple once at a party and got reamed.
Dogs are - So much fun, when they're trained.
Cats are- Quirky and smart. They don't need training.
Tomorrow - Puts me one day closer to May 30.
I have low tolerance for - audible food/gum chewing.
I’m totally terrified of - rubber bands being aimed at me.
I always knew I would - regret quitting piano lessons
Never in my life have I - broken a bone, watched Lost, seen Grease in its entirety, been a fan of NKOTB, or been to New York City.
High school was - SO much fun!
When I’m nervous- I tighten my jaw or hold my breath
Take my advice- in the winter, make your hot chocolate with milk instead of water
I'm almost always - ready to eat edamame, late (lately), cold
I’m obsessed with - Dwight Schrute, Cherry Coke Zero, coffee, pajamas, books, the northeast region of the US, May 30
I want someone to - nominate me for What Not to Wear!

ps--gross story of the day: My roommate, Katie M, with whom many of you are familiar, ate weavels for lunch today. The worms. Out of a bag of cereal. They had invaded, and she ate before she looked. Let this be a warning to all. She did make her daily goal for protein, though, and then some.

a dull update

Apparently a reader or two of this slice of the web is getting tired of looking at dry ice. It's time for an update, but due to a violent allergy ambush, I'm about to go to bed. Life's good in the Ham...mom, dad, & maggie came for the day today for mothers' day and to look for a chair at macys. No luck with the chair, but we did have a fun afternoon.


I went to the grocery store to get cherry coke zero, which they were out of. Go figure. Jimmy and I don't call it Nectar of the Gods for nothing. Instead, I settled for Jazz Diet Pepsi Black Cherry French Vanilla. That is its real name, too. But that's irrelevant--I tell you this because when I got to checkout, I was asked by the guy bagging groceries if I collect gnomes. What? "Because that would be even more hilarious if you did." More hilarious than what? "More hilarious than your shirt."



I had forgotten what I was wearing--this piece of gold that Jimmy brought back from his Disney World family vacation. He brought it back for him, but it doesn't fit, so I get to keep it for the time being. I think it might be my favorite T-shirt EVER:

Gold.

On to the second and last order of business of the night, for those of you who care: Idol. We are down to the top three, which thankfully does NOT include Jason Castro. He should have gone home well before Brooke White, that's for sure.

I hope hope HOPE David Cook wins--but my prediction is that Syesha will go home next, followed by the Cookster. He should win, and I am rooting for him, but I think David A. will take home the cake. I think he'd do better in Disneyland, but I believe Tween America will pull him through. I'm still crossing my fingers for David Cook.

I'm off to bed now--ready to get this week going--13 days left with students, and 14 until I am completely free.