Seven Things About Me (Meme)

Let's see...

1. I make the worst pancakes on the planet.

2. I won an essay contest when I was in 8th grade.

3. I still enjoy lounging in my pajamas and watching cartoons on Saturdays.

4. I go into my backyard about three times a year. For all I know, there could be other people living back there.

5. I own a cat even though I am mildy allergic to them. My doctor has learned to accept it.

6. I am extremely unorganized and anti-social, despite all of my calendars, organizers, and social events. I have found that the best way to hide it is to fake it.

7. I function best with nine hours of sleep. Needless to say, very few people have ever seen me at my best.

Themed Reading Challenge

I couldn't resist this one. It turned out to be more difficult to come up with a list than I thought it would be. My theme will be "getting back in the game". Here's my booklist:

1. How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan
2. Eat, Love, Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert (this one will be a second reading)
3. Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach
4. An Italian Affair by Laura Fraser

I will update this post with an alternate list at a later time.

Young Adult Challenge 2008

Okay, it is true, I didn't get very far in the Armchair Traveler Challenge. I like the idea of book challenges, (They will definitely help with one item on my '08 To Do List.) so I'm giving it another try. Here is my booklist for the Young Adult Challenge 2008:

1. *2/08 Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester
2. *7/08 The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe by Douglas Adams
3. Cut by Patricia McCormick
4. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
5. *2/08 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
6. Bounce by Natasha Friend
7. *7/08 Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
8. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
9. Something from the Artemis Fowl Series
10. *7/08 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path
11. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
12. *7/08 Messenger by Lois Lowery

Alternate:
*4/08 Deadline by Chris Crutcher
*6/08 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

* indicates the book has been finished.

My 2008 "To Do" List

1. read more
2. write more (includes more blog posting)
3. cook more
4. increase gym time to more than three days a week
5. keep up with grading
6. challenge my students more without frustrating them
7. keep my home neater
8. finish my home improvement projects
9. start new home improvement projects
10. finish #9
11. work with my mother to finish Conversations With My Mother journal
12. relax more
13. find time to do #1-12

Ahh...The Good Life!

My mother and I went to see The Color Purple today. The play was okay and so was our dinner. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the book or they movie. My mother said she wanted to go (friends of hers had seen it and raved about it). Two days before the show I found out my mom did not care for the book or the movie either. Needless to say, that set the stage for disappointment with the play. For dinner,we drove back to the IE and went to Le Bellissimo French Bistro. I was a little disappointed because I love French food and was expecting more of a gastric delight than I got. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing. I will give it one more try but not until spring or summer break. A good friend is teaching me that it is okay to enjoy some of the finer things in life (i.e. good food, good wine, and good entertainment); however, I try to spread out my "money is no object" evenings. Otherwise, money actually becomes more than an object...it becomes a problem.

It Has Been a While

This has been a wild year. Hip replacement surgery. Spiritual overhaul (still in progress). Adding a social life to my repertoire. Allowing another person to take up more of my thought process than a passing fancy. Rekindling my love affair with teaching (not easy to do under the cloud of NCLB). Bottom line -- LIVING!

To say it has been overwhelming at times would be an understatement, but I would not trade what I have or who I am. This new me is happy and more at peace.