So, yeah, school begins tomorrow. Lordy! How did it get here so fast? I've been to the school everyday since August 11. It's been jam-packed with LinkCrewFreshmenOrientationTeacherInservices. This time can also be known as many meetings, no real school prep time allotted. So I've been staying until 4-5 again. Anyway, I rearranged my classroom to fit some different things I want to try and I must say I like it a lot. It seems roomier and more aesthetic to me. I'm also able to fit more students in (which is good since my biggest class so far is 32 students, my smallest is 24). Yay moi!
In a couple of weeks I'm heading up to Seattle--possibly my favorite city on the West Coast. Why? To visit Esther again. This time, I think Fin (or Kristina for those who didn't know Kara really well) will be joining us. 'Twill be fun. Particularly since we're going to be seeing Shrek. No, not the movie sillies! The stage production which begins in Seattle before heading to Broadway. It stars many of my favorites, including Sutton Foster. And Brian d'Arcy James (Who is involved in a personal story of mine which lends itself to much humiliation on my part from when I was a teenager--I love telling the story, but I don't particularly feel like writing it out now).
So, here's to teachers who are in my boat. I am sure we all feel the same way. Nervous, unprepared, and gearing ourselves up for exhaustion and great hunger (at least, I always feel like I'm eating so much more at the beginning of the year than later). Good luck--08/09 will be a great year for all (I hope!).
The title comes from the song with the same title from Legally Blonde the musical. I won't necessarily suggest that "It's positively time to shake your junk!", but it would be good to keep a positive attitude in the fall and throughout the year.
August 24, 2008
August 12, 2008
In the good old Summertime!
Yeah, so it's been years since my last post. Well, so it feels to moi! It has been one jam-packed summer, let me tell you!
Okay, June: We had to stay awhile after the kids went home. The teachers got a raise, and that was how the union helped us get that (since the state was adding it this coming year anyway). So I took off that Monday after we were done, and flew to LA to visit with Nina and my cousin Kelsey. Janina and I spent time at Disneyland/DCA, the adorable town of Fullerton, and a day in Hollywood. Twas fun. However, my phone rang non-stop while on this vacation.
Why? Well, I had signed up to teach summer school, and I was only supposed to teach afternoon. It did not happen. These phone calls went as follows: Carson Middle school needed a summer school teacher and were willing to let me do two days a week, the high school had a lot of students sign up late for summer school (thanks to the arrival of report cards, no doubt) and needed me to teach a morning session as well (so there would be two morning sessions--myself and my friend Lori). Basically, it felt like a tug-of-war, and I ultimately made the choice to teach morning so I could make more money for my vacation. It was nice to earn that money, but I don't know that I'd do two sessions again. Especially not with over 60 students and 35 minutes of break within those two sessions.
I was in a production of The Tempest. Actually, it was part Shakespeare, part Cameron Crain (our director, Ferdinand, and president of the Nevada Shakespeare Company). They marketed it as The Tempest, Kinda a freely adapted script. I played Ariel. My hair was Cyndi Lauper from the 80s huge, with green face makeup and glitter (which I'm still trying to get off from Saturday--our last show). It was a very silly production. You know, I have to say that it worked though. The audience up there prefers that. And while I like the show enough to read, I imagine it's hard to sit through all those monologues. Gotta say, it's not my favorite Shakespeare.
Because of the show, though, I could not attend my 10 year reunion from high school. I have to admit I was curious, but it didn't work out. I did make it out East though. I took a five day vacation (since I don't have a full free week this summer) to the opposite coast. I left Reno at midnight after our first Saturday show and flew to Houston, then Baltimore. Jen (Hill) Boutz picked me up and we went off to visit Mount Vernon. Because of the time that we got there and the line, we decided against going into the house. We, instead, visited his farm and such. The last time I was there I was 11 (when the Queen of Norway was there and said hello to us!). Most of what I saw wasn't there in 1991. It was actually very ingenious, some of the stuff he created and did. From there, we were going to visit old town Alexandria, but I called my oousin who works in Alexandria. Jen and I met with Marissa at the movie theater she works at and had dinner with her at Panera (a place we need out here!). I haven't seen her in about 8 years, so that was fun. She then let us into the movie theater for free where we saw the X-Files movie. Watching it with Jen was fun--it was like being in college again! :) The next day I went into D.C. on my own since Jen and her husband both had work and study plans. I took myself to the Library of Congress. It was awesome! I definitely saw the Gutenberg Bible, but many of the other displays I was interested in were closed down. :( Luckily, the Bob Hope vaudeville and career exhibit was open and fascinating. I got to see Eddie Foy's tap shoes! I got to see Houdini's handcuffs and shackles! Everything I saw was fascinating to me. His career was really impressive (which I knew, but to see his stuff was awesome!). Then I took myself to see the Holocaust museum. I didn't have a lot of time, but I saw the David exhibit (the kid's perspective) and I saw the special exhibit--the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Oi! I learned so many fascinating things. I felt ignorant in the fact that the only Olympian I recognized was Jesse Owens. Hitler was able to spread a lot of his propaganda. So many countries considered not attending in protest, but ultimately decided against it. It was interesting to see the way that seemed to encourage the Nazi movement.
In the late afternoon, I took myself to the train station and hopped a train for Princeton. I was met there by Kara Lyons-Pardue. I had dinner with she and her husband Charlie. The next day I explored Princeton while Kara studied and tutored. The campus was amazing. I visited the chapel and what I could of the library (only students can use it, but they have displays the public can visit). The children's section of the library was wonderful! They had pillows and books everywhere, but they also had "play places". Houses, a well, a tree with a treehouse--all of which were for the kids to read in. It's hard to explain, but so cool! I then went in and saw a display that had an amazing collection of 1st edition books donated by many alumni, and a rare coin collection (some coins dating back to 300 something B.C.! I checked out the art museum, some of the theatre stuff, and I tried to sneak into a dorm, but alas, access was denied. :( In the afternoon Charlie picked the two of us up and we three headed to Philadelphia! Why? Oh, just to visit the Franklin Museum and to visit National Geographic's Pirate exhibit! It was so awesome! They'd brought up artifacts from a Pirate ship that sank. It was interesting to see the various things they used and what it taught today's people (such as weapons they did not know had existed). Based on what I learned, it confirmed my impression: had I lived in those times, I would have wanted to be a pirate! :D We actually got to touch pirate treasure, too!
The next day, I had some stupid train fiascos on both ways, but I headed into NYC. I was able to meet up with my Nevada friend, Marcus. The two of us went to the Met and saw some of the cool displays and exhibits. One special one was superhero costumes and how they've inspired fashion designers for runway outfits. It was really interesting to not only see it, but to learn some of the subtext the clothing suggests. Last time I was at that museum, I was 17 and didn't actually see a lot. This time I didn't have a ton of time, but I visited a couple of places (including one of the displays of furniture which reminded me of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which I loved as a kid). Marcus and I left to eat an Irish pub on 46th street with some friends of mine. The name of the pub? The Pig and Whistle! The friends? Ashleigh (from Tahoe) and Katie (from high school). The three of them got along famously. It was so much fun, and I had an EXCELLENT shepard's pie! :) Marcus and I then saw Young Frankenstein
with the original cast (sans one of my favorites, Sutton Foster!). I think I laughed through about 95% of the show. They did some truly amazing things and it was hi-larious!!!!!!!!! I got home uber late thanks to train delays. I felt incredibly bad, because I had an early flight out of Philly.
The next day I had to leave, which was an adventure, but nothing too notable.
The rest of my summer has included seeing many plays (Richard III, Cambio, Midsummer, The Complete Works of William Shakepeare Abriged,another Midsummer, scenes from the LTSF kids camp, etc.), grad school (three more classes done, one started yesterday), family time, reading, and more. My time back at CHS started yesterday, even though school doesn't start until the 25th. Link Crew runs freshmen orientation, so we're gearing up for that. Tonight I'm auditioning for South Pacific. And there you have it!
The title is an old song, but it was used in the musical film In the Good Old Summertime with Van Johnson and Judy Garland. It's based on the movie The Shop Around the Corner. Funnily enough that film inspired the musical already mentioned, a Broadway musical called She Loves Me, and the film You've Got Mail!
Okay, June: We had to stay awhile after the kids went home. The teachers got a raise, and that was how the union helped us get that (since the state was adding it this coming year anyway). So I took off that Monday after we were done, and flew to LA to visit with Nina and my cousin Kelsey. Janina and I spent time at Disneyland/DCA, the adorable town of Fullerton, and a day in Hollywood. Twas fun. However, my phone rang non-stop while on this vacation.
Why? Well, I had signed up to teach summer school, and I was only supposed to teach afternoon. It did not happen. These phone calls went as follows: Carson Middle school needed a summer school teacher and were willing to let me do two days a week, the high school had a lot of students sign up late for summer school (thanks to the arrival of report cards, no doubt) and needed me to teach a morning session as well (so there would be two morning sessions--myself and my friend Lori). Basically, it felt like a tug-of-war, and I ultimately made the choice to teach morning so I could make more money for my vacation. It was nice to earn that money, but I don't know that I'd do two sessions again. Especially not with over 60 students and 35 minutes of break within those two sessions.
I was in a production of The Tempest. Actually, it was part Shakespeare, part Cameron Crain (our director, Ferdinand, and president of the Nevada Shakespeare Company). They marketed it as The Tempest, Kinda a freely adapted script. I played Ariel. My hair was Cyndi Lauper from the 80s huge, with green face makeup and glitter (which I'm still trying to get off from Saturday--our last show). It was a very silly production. You know, I have to say that it worked though. The audience up there prefers that. And while I like the show enough to read, I imagine it's hard to sit through all those monologues. Gotta say, it's not my favorite Shakespeare.
Because of the show, though, I could not attend my 10 year reunion from high school. I have to admit I was curious, but it didn't work out. I did make it out East though. I took a five day vacation (since I don't have a full free week this summer) to the opposite coast. I left Reno at midnight after our first Saturday show and flew to Houston, then Baltimore. Jen (Hill) Boutz picked me up and we went off to visit Mount Vernon. Because of the time that we got there and the line, we decided against going into the house. We, instead, visited his farm and such. The last time I was there I was 11 (when the Queen of Norway was there and said hello to us!). Most of what I saw wasn't there in 1991. It was actually very ingenious, some of the stuff he created and did. From there, we were going to visit old town Alexandria, but I called my oousin who works in Alexandria. Jen and I met with Marissa at the movie theater she works at and had dinner with her at Panera (a place we need out here!). I haven't seen her in about 8 years, so that was fun. She then let us into the movie theater for free where we saw the X-Files movie. Watching it with Jen was fun--it was like being in college again! :) The next day I went into D.C. on my own since Jen and her husband both had work and study plans. I took myself to the Library of Congress. It was awesome! I definitely saw the Gutenberg Bible, but many of the other displays I was interested in were closed down. :( Luckily, the Bob Hope vaudeville and career exhibit was open and fascinating. I got to see Eddie Foy's tap shoes! I got to see Houdini's handcuffs and shackles! Everything I saw was fascinating to me. His career was really impressive (which I knew, but to see his stuff was awesome!). Then I took myself to see the Holocaust museum. I didn't have a lot of time, but I saw the David exhibit (the kid's perspective) and I saw the special exhibit--the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Oi! I learned so many fascinating things. I felt ignorant in the fact that the only Olympian I recognized was Jesse Owens. Hitler was able to spread a lot of his propaganda. So many countries considered not attending in protest, but ultimately decided against it. It was interesting to see the way that seemed to encourage the Nazi movement.
In the late afternoon, I took myself to the train station and hopped a train for Princeton. I was met there by Kara Lyons-Pardue. I had dinner with she and her husband Charlie. The next day I explored Princeton while Kara studied and tutored. The campus was amazing. I visited the chapel and what I could of the library (only students can use it, but they have displays the public can visit). The children's section of the library was wonderful! They had pillows and books everywhere, but they also had "play places". Houses, a well, a tree with a treehouse--all of which were for the kids to read in. It's hard to explain, but so cool! I then went in and saw a display that had an amazing collection of 1st edition books donated by many alumni, and a rare coin collection (some coins dating back to 300 something B.C.! I checked out the art museum, some of the theatre stuff, and I tried to sneak into a dorm, but alas, access was denied. :( In the afternoon Charlie picked the two of us up and we three headed to Philadelphia! Why? Oh, just to visit the Franklin Museum and to visit National Geographic's Pirate exhibit! It was so awesome! They'd brought up artifacts from a Pirate ship that sank. It was interesting to see the various things they used and what it taught today's people (such as weapons they did not know had existed). Based on what I learned, it confirmed my impression: had I lived in those times, I would have wanted to be a pirate! :D We actually got to touch pirate treasure, too!
The next day, I had some stupid train fiascos on both ways, but I headed into NYC. I was able to meet up with my Nevada friend, Marcus. The two of us went to the Met and saw some of the cool displays and exhibits. One special one was superhero costumes and how they've inspired fashion designers for runway outfits. It was really interesting to not only see it, but to learn some of the subtext the clothing suggests. Last time I was at that museum, I was 17 and didn't actually see a lot. This time I didn't have a ton of time, but I visited a couple of places (including one of the displays of furniture which reminded me of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which I loved as a kid). Marcus and I left to eat an Irish pub on 46th street with some friends of mine. The name of the pub? The Pig and Whistle! The friends? Ashleigh (from Tahoe) and Katie (from high school). The three of them got along famously. It was so much fun, and I had an EXCELLENT shepard's pie! :) Marcus and I then saw Young Frankenstein
with the original cast (sans one of my favorites, Sutton Foster!). I think I laughed through about 95% of the show. They did some truly amazing things and it was hi-larious!!!!!!!!! I got home uber late thanks to train delays. I felt incredibly bad, because I had an early flight out of Philly.
The next day I had to leave, which was an adventure, but nothing too notable.
The rest of my summer has included seeing many plays (Richard III, Cambio, Midsummer, The Complete Works of William Shakepeare Abriged,another Midsummer, scenes from the LTSF kids camp, etc.), grad school (three more classes done, one started yesterday), family time, reading, and more. My time back at CHS started yesterday, even though school doesn't start until the 25th. Link Crew runs freshmen orientation, so we're gearing up for that. Tonight I'm auditioning for South Pacific. And there you have it!
The title is an old song, but it was used in the musical film In the Good Old Summertime with Van Johnson and Judy Garland. It's based on the movie The Shop Around the Corner. Funnily enough that film inspired the musical already mentioned, a Broadway musical called She Loves Me, and the film You've Got Mail!
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