Today I worked A LOT. I got to school by 6:45, ran a really complicated wet lab (with pureed liver and potatoes), helped my seniors get everything turned in before the semester, had MESA tutoring in my room, met with two people about a presentation I’m doing about multicultural science education, cooked burritos for dinner, wrote my Papa a birthday card, wrote three recommendation letters for students for college, and called the parents of students who are failing biology in second and third periods. I’ve put in about 15 hours of work today–it’s now 10 p.m.. Ah yeah. I get paid until 2:45. That’s OK. It feels good to get everything on my to do list finished for two days in a row. No procrastination here–not when there’s so much to be done.

I’m caught in the throes of this, but I don’t really feel a part of it. I am a teacher, but I don’t feel like I am part of academia. I thought it would feel more cobblestone and ivy. More moss and red brick. More Dead Poets’ Society or Hogwart’s. More sweatervest and elbow patches. More dusty books and Latin. More of a cohesive community. More coffee shop conversation and philosophical meanderings.

I don’t feel that way about what I’m doing, but I’d love to. I’d love to really study something, discuss it, and live it to the extreme. I want to live on a campus again and be the recipient of knowledge. I want to be in plays and play on teams. Sadly, I want my whole world to exist on a few acres again like it did in college.

I’m probably just feeling this way because I spent a couple of hours on the UW campus on Saturday. I dropped Justin off at fencing and then read on the steps of the quad. The height of the buildings, the sun through the trees, the studious-looking residents, and the air of intelligence lured me back to the dream I have of either going back to school or teaching at a university. I know most of my perceptions about college life or college teaching are skewed. I know if I go back to school, it will never be like it was when I was there as an undergrad. I know that my four years are over, yet I liked them so much. There’s a certain magic that fills a college campus–a certain energy–when students are getting to know each other, themselves, and the world around them at such a fast pace.

How can I reconnect with such a world without being fake or without being the desperate “nontraditional student”? Is there anything out there for people like me who want the intensity and community of college but not the immaturity or sophomoric tendencies of the students? What can I do in my everyday life to pursue more community or intelligent conversation without feeling like I have to be on a campus? Or is wanting to be on a campus so bad after all?

Sigh.

Weather
So the sun does exist, eh? We’ve been experiencing sunny warm-ish days here, which is a nice change.

School
In other news, school has been keeping me busy with the end of the semester approaching. I’m one of the senior class advisors, and we looked at a prom location on Saturday.

Hobbies
I’m also in a hip-hop dance class. Ha. I wish it were several weeks long, but next week is the last week. My feet are cruel and insult my rhythm. I do have it, though it might not be apparent when I am dancing with others.

Reading
Right now I’m reading Blue Shoes and Happiness, and I hope to start Cradle to Cradle soon.

Science
Last night I took one of my students to the Bodies Exhibition Downtown. I have three words for it: Fascinating. Creepy. Educational. Who knew one’s liver was so large or that human flesh looks so much like something one could buy in the meat department?

Knitting
I’m still working on a hat for my mom and a scarf for my sister. Someday I will finish.

Church
We’re going through lots of good changes….we even had a visitor last week!

More later–my tea water is boiling!

I just ran across this book online through our Pioneer Organics website.

Have any of you read it or considered living in a small space? Right now we have a big house, but 5 people are using the resources that it provides. It’s hard to imagine a smaller space unless we:
1)lived more “vertically” or 2) got rid of a bunch of our belongings.

I don’t really mind either of those options, and after having shared a room with two other sisters growing up, living in close quarters doesn’t bother me too much.

This may have to be summer reading (or at least Spring Break). I’ve got a lot on my list right now.

After not having school Thursday due to snow, having a late arrival Friday due to ice, getting another 1/4-1/2 inch of snow Saturday, having freezing temperatures Sunday and Monday, and not having school Monday due to MLK day, we have another day off with more snow. I can’t say that I’m not happy for some reasons because I do have a crate of notebooks I didn’t get to yesterday, and I stayed up late checking the weather. However, this is cutting in to instructional time before the semester ends. Yes, I know, said like a true teacher.

Here is our plan today:
pancakes for breakfast
workout or go for a walk
go to post office
grade notebooks
read a book

I should really post pictures of all of this snow, I know.

Today we stayed home from school due to an unexpected amount of snow. After missing out on the predicted Tuesday night/Wednesday morning snow, I had given up hope completely until I saw a few flakes swirling out of the sky while I sat in a vast-windowed Starbucks downtown. It snowed from 4 p.m. to at least 1 this morning, raising my anticipation of the cancellation of school. Since I didn’t think we’d have school, I read a book by the fire after watching 2 episodes of Lost with Justin by the fire.

We probably got 3-4 inches in Rainier Valley. Beacon Hill got 5 inches, but the North End of Seattle got a measley 1″. I don’t know if we’l get another day off tomorrow. The roads are rather dry due to a couple of hours of 32-34F temps and a full day of sun, but there are patches of ice in shady spots all around town. Shady as in not seeing the sun–not seedy.

I slept in from 5 a.m.-10 a.m. after finding out whether we’d have the day off or not. I finished my book, ate some cereal, and drank some coffee. I cleaned up the bedroom a bit, and then Justin and I went for a photo-taking walk to the post office, the bank, and the library. We decided to stop for lunch at Tutta Bella where we split a Mediterranean pizza (mushrooms, eggplant, chicken sausage, goat cheese, basil, and kalamata olives) and caesar salad.

I just put in a peach cobbler and we’re about to play Scrabble. I hope to catch a glimpse of the comet tonight! I suppose I’ll watch more Lost and grade papers until I find out what tomorrow holds in the way of school.

My hubby’s at 5th grade camp for a couple of days, so I’m here with my procrastination, fighting it until it is time to sleep. I have several choices in my hour until bedtime:
*finish the book I’m reading
*grade the papers I am actually supposed to be grading
*fall asleep now
*continue to incessantly check the weather channel for snow

Right now I’m wearing his too-big PJs.

I’m just really glad I don’t have the next season of Lost on DVD yet, or there would be much more procrastination going on.

Humph. Off to grading I go…..

Since I didn’t really sit down and make a list of new year’s resolutions, here’s a list of things I want to accomplish or do more of this year and throughout my life. I am sure I will come back to throughout the year and after this year is over to “check things off” or re-evaluate my priorities. Many of these may seem selfish, overambitious, expensive, or even impossible. I know I probably won’t get all of these done this year, but I want to spend more time doing the activities I enjoy

Here goes:

finish reading “New Testament and the People of God”
read the Bible (exclusively) during Lent
look for more opportunities to serve
visit other churches’ activities to get reconnected with our brothers and sisters in Christ
sign up for co-rec soccer this summer
learn Mandarin Chinese from Lan this summer (keep in practice with my Spanish and Italian, for starters!)
more hiking and camping
knit socks, mittens, baby kimono, baby blanket, baby bibs, and wrist warmers
run in more 5Ks and 10Ks; run more regularly
be more proactive with Mary Kay business
become more organized; get rid of several items a week (I hate having so much stuff that I don’t use just lying around!)
go to Portland, Vancouver, New England/Northeastern States, and San Francisco with Justin
sing/play french horn again? learn bass (I picked up some in December!) and acoustic so that I am able to play
garden (veggies and decorative)
have friends over more often for dinner, etc.
become more professional as a teacher, as far as reading journals, presenting more, and getting published; research PhD programs in Science Education or other areas of interest
blog…with pictures!
be more money savvy

Oh, sleep. Thank goodness for you and the weekend to catch up with you!

Since Friday, I have slept from:
12-8 a.m. (Friday ‘night’)
3-5 p.m. (Saturday afternoon)
1:30-9 a.m. (Saturday ‘night’)
2-5 p.m. (Sunday afternoon)

I have really needed it. In other fun news, we went to the basketball games at school Friday night after an exciting excursion of using our gift cards. We went to Staples and got the best shredder ever (TM), which was shamelessly featured on The Office one episode. We spent way more than our gift card on items for our classrooms and household, but we still had fun because we both like office supplies.

We went to dinner at a Thai restaurant in that same shopping area–I got soup and tea, but I ate some of Justin’s Swimming Angel (peanut sauce, spinach, and chicken) and rice.

We stopped at Target for a moment and then went to the games. After the games, we went home and watched Lost on DVD . I knitted mom’s hat contentedly while doing so.

Saturday Justin dropped me off at the UW for a workshop from 9-1. Afterward, we went on a quest to use the other 2 gift cards my parents bought for us. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond downtown and bought a fancy crockpot–black and stainless steel, 6 quart–and an ice scraper. Last night, I made roast chicken, potatoes, and carrots in it for church this morning.

As I slept in the car, Justin went in to Lowe’s and bought a fancy new toaster oven, which is also black and stainless steel. That pretty much used up the gift card, surprisingly, but he was also able to get a new water filter for our fridge.

Saturday night we did some housework, and then we went to our friend Joe’s going away party. We played some games and hung out until he had to leave to catch dinner with another friend. Justin and I came back and watched some more episodes of Lost while I knitted again.

Church was at our place this morning and we discussed what we would like to do in the future, and we also talked about Epiphany.

It’s now time to prepare for the week ahead. They’re calling for snow showers on Wednesday!