tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72493319261332673512011-09-30T12:30:26.552-05:00A bunch of little things that capture my easily-captured, albeit short-lived attention.angieionoreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-27344059550089810482010-06-27T05:12:00.003-05:002010-06-27T05:42:37.101-05:00

It doesn't take any looking at all to find teenagers writing online about how much they want to date or be a "Twilight" character. Isn't that interesting? If you are one of the uninitiated, then you might not even begin to understand why a person would take to thinking about these characters in such a way.After much cajoling from my pre-adolescent students, I read the entire series and found it

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-44735113143955098082010-06-25T17:31:00.002-05:002010-06-25T17:48:15.312-05:00

Summer vacation began the first week of June, but I'm still not feeling it. Usually, a couple of days in, I wake up one morning and realize...Ahhhh...I can do whatever I want for the next few weeks. (Not that this is really true, but it feels that way.) This year, I still feel wound up, like I forgot to do something before I closed shop this year.I think it may be that I'm watching too much

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-61179918574922181662009-09-23T17:29:00.002-05:002009-09-23T17:49:34.798-05:00

I woke up this morning thinking about Attention Deficit Disorder. I've begun to think that this is a misnomer. It should be called something like Train of Thought Derailment Disorder. It may seem the same, but it's really not. ADD sounds like something over which one has no control. TTDD is a simple acknowledgement that you can control it, once you've paid homage to the thing that has

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-15956220706211412472009-09-22T17:12:00.002-05:002009-09-22T17:27:26.194-05:00

The idea of bringing the outside in is one of my favorites. Greenhouses are one of my favorite things to think about, and I especially like dreaming about how one might create an underground greenhouse in order to grow things like citrus trees where they ought not be normally. Putting up grow lights, powered by sun and wind, deep in a cave just to grow some salad greens appeals to me down in my

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-22044455076438830062008-08-05T11:18:00.010-05:002008-12-11T08:25:23.670-06:00

Things Dad Said He Would Make for Me During the Vacation: Wrought iron peacockGiant planters like the ones at House on the RockBamboo wind chimesCircus style wagonQuonset buildingBoatLog cabinCedar swingBoomerang Starting OutWe started out from Mom and Dad’s at a quarter til six and got to our motel near Madison, Wisconsin, at around five o’clock the first evening. We drove straight through and

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-83915801040108457392008-04-07T08:53:00.002-05:002008-04-07T09:06:43.534-05:00

Well, it looks like the worst of the gloomy winter is over, thank goodness! Yesterday it was so nice that we got out and did some yard work. I'm sore, Todd's nearly crippled, and the kids are exhausted. It's completely fantastic!Todd had it in mind to mow the grass yesterday, but I'm glad he didn't get to it. Sure, it may look like quite a little weed patch to some, but I think all the henbit

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-87501053407566089012008-03-25T07:27:00.004-05:002008-03-25T07:39:42.857-05:00

Everybody was really ready for the break when it finally got here last week. My students and my own personal stash of children seemed just exhausted, and I could totally relate. Todd surprised us and let us know that he'd taken extra days off so he could hang out with us.We did next to nothing. The only constant was that we went to the gym every day for a short walk. During the first part of

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-32614542417795287242008-03-14T09:51:00.003-05:002008-03-14T11:17:55.774-05:00

My sister is an excellent writer, but doesn't think much of her own work, usually. I've been bugging her to update her blog, and she said she couldn't think of things to write about, so I gave her a topic. When she wrote about it, I gave her another and asked if she would give me one. Her choice was for me to write something about a regret that I have.The only deep regret I have is asking for

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-6185951437941562802008-03-12T09:16:00.003-05:002008-03-12T11:17:55.991-05:00

I haven't posted in a bit, because I've been busy studying the latest work by Eckhart Tolle (The New Earth). I found it interesting in many ways, and it gave me a lot to think about in general. His main idea seems to be that each human --via the mind-- creates a personal identity that is false, and that the goal should be to get (and stay) in touch with your true self, or Presence.The way Tolle

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-18228262620766569412008-03-06T09:04:00.003-06:002008-03-06T09:39:50.709-06:00

Some folks think that if the Super Delegates don't carefully vote with popular votes or go with the majority of regular delegates, that the voters will rebel. After thinking long and hard about this, I can proudly say that I've got it! I've finally listened to enough news to understand the Democratic party, and I know how the Super Delegates should vote! Yesterday evening I was listening to

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-65222565561775023102008-02-28T07:41:00.003-06:002008-03-13T10:48:30.599-05:00

This morning it didn't seem quite so arctic. There was a breeze, but it didn't cut. It was really easy for one such as myself to imagine the trees doing a preliminary yawn and stretch before hitting the snooze for a few more weeks.The sky was still thickly clouded over during the drive in to work, but the sunrise was beautiful, and it was more pink than the red that constituted a shepherd's

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-40127077310591026382008-02-26T07:34:00.003-06:002008-03-13T10:49:27.319-05:00

Humor is a funny thing...(give me a minute while I giggle at that terrible statement). It's interesting how everyone has a different sense of humor. What my students think is prime hilarity is below stupid to me, and I find no humor in it whatsoever. The kind of things I find belly-laugh funny, others find plain weird.And the way people react to something amusing is widely varied. Some folks have

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-57617945391574314642008-02-22T09:22:00.004-06:002008-03-13T10:50:14.714-05:00

I got a wonderful email from one of my former students this week. She had glowing things to say about how much I had helped her and inspired her...I'm still trying to get my head back down to regular size! Something in her note really caught my attention, though. She alluded to her belief that I was not the kind of person who read self-help books. She apparently thought that I didn't need that

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-77158995874433076992008-02-18T07:24:00.003-06:002008-02-18T08:04:27.338-06:00

I am feeling better! The hormones have finally shifted, and I feel like my tiny self again. I hate PMS. It's kind of like mosquitoes; I can't see much use in it. In my case, it's very Jekyll and Hyde-ish. You get 2 weeks of regular Ang, 1 week of something that looks like Ang, only really bloated, headachey, and pissy, then it's like a switch is flicked back to Ang (with a couple of days to

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-65354767432506332742008-02-16T09:33:00.008-06:002008-12-11T08:25:23.990-06:00

First I would like to share one of the effects that my twisted family has had on my poor, innocent six-(soon to be seven) year-old. In his first grade class, the students were asked to draw themselves...at one hundred years of age. The teacher provided a sheet printed with an ornate frame and a caption that said, "When I am 100 years old, I will look like this..." The students then proceeded to

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-52307537800233535252008-02-13T06:11:00.004-06:002008-02-13T07:20:09.494-06:00

It's the third snow day in a row, and my only real goal --apart from creating complicated napping patterns that only I understand-- is to stay in my pajamas as long as humanly possible. I have now accomplished the two-day mark. If I manage to stay in my jammies all day again today, I will have met my ultimate goal!Anyway, I have been thinking about a few things the last few days, only I didn't

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-80829576188430785792008-02-06T07:39:00.000-06:002008-02-06T12:18:14.135-06:00

Yesterday I participated in Missouri's primary election for the first time. I had never really seen the importance of voting in the primary before, and I'm still not sure I do. However, I'm sure I would've made my grandad proud just for giving a rip and getting involved, and I feel like I set a good example for my kids, who like to "help" me vote. (On a side note, they were both a bit annoyed

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-26512871813931115992008-02-04T20:53:00.000-06:002008-02-04T21:10:12.058-06:00

All my little fellas rushed me first thing this morning with the same burning question: who had I wanted to win the Super Bowl? The first ten or so boys got a blank look and responses such as "What's that?" or "Is that today?!?" Ah, the groans of agony!The next set of boys demanded I give them a real answer. For some reason, they have come to believe that I ocassionally play stupid to annoy

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-86280635692093509082008-01-31T11:14:00.000-06:002008-01-31T11:40:23.560-06:00

John Edwards is out of the running, and I feel sorry for him. In reality, there is not all that much difference between the democratic candidates, and I think Edwards was overshadowed because he's a white guy.Don't get me wrong; it's exciting to think that our next president might be a woman or an African Amercian. I was thinking the other day that if Clinton won, then I would never again have

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-12588672853044442162008-01-30T07:08:00.000-06:002008-01-30T12:22:35.286-06:00

Dad says that he can remember coming to Springfield when he was a kid. He's told me about how he can remember when the mall was a field. When I woke up this morning, I was thinking about how the city has changed over the years.The first time I can really remember visiting the Battlefield Mall was when Mom and Dad took us to see some of the work Dad was doing there, because they were doing some

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-51901578609577027662008-01-29T07:34:00.000-06:002008-01-29T11:43:23.128-06:00

O Great and Not-So-Merciful Administrators and Politicians,I am a teacher; my only desire is to get kids excited about learning in general, and in my subject in particular. It is too bad that you will not step aside and let me go with these impulses. I do a fine job, according to your testing data, so I feel comfortable expressing a couple of tiny criticisms.With all due respect, I spit upon

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-67388603331111156442008-01-25T07:29:00.000-06:002008-01-25T10:28:31.141-06:00

So I've been thinking about a couple of different things this morning. One is a notion I get in my head every time I finish seeing, hearing, or reading something I really like. The other falls under the category of "Whatcha Oughta Do", but is fairly related to the first.I just finished reading a great fantasy trilogy. I used to think I liked fantasy novels because I admire the workings of the

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-12663665862207779592008-01-24T07:26:00.000-06:002008-01-24T08:17:06.214-06:00

Hi. I'm Ang, and I've become a good coffee addict. (I'm pausing while you say, "Hi, Ang.")Years ago, before I even started drinking just average coffee, I was able to think about all kinds of things. Rock stars, the startling variety of bubble gum flavors, how to talk my mom out of five bucks for the movies. Important things. Then I had my first cup of strong, black coffee.It seemed innocent

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-22084794510194600122008-01-22T07:52:00.000-06:002008-01-22T08:12:06.123-06:00

I love games. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em! I don't care what kind of game it is, whether I'm any good at it, or how long or short it is (as long as money isn't involved; I don't like to gamble). Game equals goooooood. I believe it is a genetic disorder from my father's side. I have a natural ability to waste inordinate amounts of time at board games, volleyball, cards...as I said, any game

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-10712316115658629402008-01-20T07:56:00.000-06:002008-01-20T08:31:05.204-06:00

I like to read about religions and religious beliefs, past and present. I find that --for the most part-- religion is a way of trying to get people to "be good". Some religions appeal to the kind of person that wants to be a good person to begin with, and some are for the folks who need a reward in order to behave in a civilized manner. They are all concerned with the soul, and it is that

angieionoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-87203111210210219392008-01-17T12:26:00.000-06:002008-01-17T12:50:48.746-06:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about ingratitude. Do any of us really consider the things that other people do for us? Am I always careful about expressing my appreciation to those I love when they do me a good turn?It seems to me that an inordinate amount of people go through life feeling that too much is owed to them, merely because they are alive. Teenagers are usually the targets of

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-28238683728845404442007-12-17T12:14:00.000-06:002007-12-17T12:50:28.562-06:00

I have seen a lot of children labelled. They have been "tested" and are Gifted, ADHD, Special Ed...heck, they might draw some New Age label like Indigo or Crystal Children; last night I saw a television show where children were labelled Psychic! Finding out what strengths or weaknesses a child has is not a problem. Parents and Educators can use this information to build on strengths and

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-83775762880152189872007-12-10T14:46:00.000-06:002007-12-10T15:29:48.315-06:00

A KIA is a Know It All, and everyone has met at least one in their lives. If you haven't met one, you may be one, or you may simply have better karma than I.A few days ago my friend across the hall had a KIA for a sub. I tried to be friendly to this fellow, asking if he was a coffee drinker. He declined, which was fine, but then began to explain to me that nobody really liked coffee.

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-45155666966092189312007-10-29T14:13:00.000-05:002007-10-29T15:55:11.837-05:00

Saturday was Mom and Dad's annual bonfire, the Halloweenie Roast. There has been a considerable amount of debate over how long we have been doing the Halloweenie Roast, so this year the folks determined it was the some-odd annual. In reality, we've been doing it for somewhere between 18 and 20 years now. It is a time to roast hotdogs and sample chili. It is a time to teach the next generation

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-81756386400692975642007-10-17T10:45:00.000-05:002007-10-17T11:09:33.123-05:00

The days are finally cool enough for my classroom to stop feeling like a kiln. It's a little darker, a little rainier, and the leaves are turning. Coffee tastes really good again (instead of just good), and soup has started sounding like a really tasty idea. I just love autumn; it is my very favorite season. Things begin to feel so much freer and more relaxed, like everything is getting

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-84448702063959469672007-08-28T19:18:00.000-05:002007-08-28T19:51:03.157-05:00

At my school, there are a lot of things going on right now. There are a lot of construction men around and, consequently, a lot of construction. There is concrete dust everywhere, and one has to be careful where one puts her dainty, sandaled foot, because the construction men do not seem to realize that school and scrap metal do not mix well.I shouldn't complain, because this work will lead up

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-50486753280251713762007-08-16T06:02:00.000-05:002007-08-16T07:07:36.205-05:00

Wanna know what's under my bed? Parts of the dining table and my imagination. I wish there was less room for my imagination under there. I'm a grown woman, for Heaven' s sake!I can't watch scary movies. Not even parts of 'em. Not even commercials for them! I can't take it. Horrible things want to grab me by the ankles when I come back from the bathroom in the middle of the night.I thought of this

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-42911223186900623402007-08-09T07:35:00.000-05:002007-08-09T08:09:45.063-05:00

It began as a tradition over ten years ago. My husband would bring our baby in first thing in the morning and put her in our bed. He would get ready for work, and our baby and I would wake up nice and slowly, with me talking to her and holding her close to me. After staying in bed too long, I would have to jump up and get ready for work myself, and we girls would have to rush out every morning

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-90672381297134232492007-08-07T09:40:00.000-05:002007-10-17T11:22:16.579-05:00

In a professional development meeting several months ago, a group of us were told that our students were getting online and doing dangerous things, such as giving enough information about themselves so as to be easily hunted by sickos. At this meeting, we were told that it would be a great idea to get ourselves a My Space page. This would help us keep track of our students, and it might even be

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-24074559229691697112007-08-06T06:19:00.000-05:002007-08-06T06:50:08.340-05:00

First, an aside: My husband and I celebrated our 12th anniversary yesterday by saying, "Hey, it's the fifth!" and giving each other a big ol' kiss.Now, to the matter at hand. August. There is a reason that it sounds so close to Ugh, and that is the heat. And it's not just the heat, mind you. I live in the Ozarks, where one says --nearly every day of the summer, in what wants to be a whiny

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-83303784202733765522007-07-30T07:20:00.000-05:002007-07-30T07:51:57.987-05:00

It was a busy weekend! Mom and I picked her cukes and canned plenty of pickles. She is hoping that the way we did it will ensure crispy pickles. We let them sit in ice water for about three hours while we worked on the tomatoes.Speaking of tomatoes, Mom has a recipe for salsa that is un-put-away-able. You could seriously make yourself sick from not being able to stop eating it. We made a big

angieionoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-6537865611307413892007-07-26T08:37:00.000-05:002007-07-30T08:08:19.772-05:00

A cardinal hops along the deck rail,making his decisions.There is a breeze;coffee and honeysuckles ride upon itin the filtered brightness.Morning, and the watering's done.A starling searchesthe newly-wet ground.A purple finch, perched on the spigot,allows the last diamond drops just enough time to glistenbefore he reaps.

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-41294369969210184912007-07-18T06:02:00.000-05:002007-07-18T07:12:41.208-05:00

Dad and I have been making our own beer for more than two years, now. It is a very satisfying hobby. We use beer kits for now, because we only get brave about trying new things a baby step at a time. We have run through nearly every kit the local homebrew store has.Our tastes are such that nothing goes without a home. He likes it a little hoppier (I frequently call him a hop head), and I like it

angieionoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-8945621862311109522007-07-16T05:29:00.000-05:002007-07-18T06:28:41.902-05:00

Sounds like I'm quickly going to get over my head here, but I actually want to talk about two separate things. Just a couple of things I've observed and thought about in the last couple of days.Last night, my husband and I were watching a show about these three sets of folks who were moving into different homes, redecorating to suit them, and then allowing the folks who lived there before them to

angieionoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7249331926133267351.post-14377452667431883342007-07-10T08:22:00.000-05:002007-07-18T07:21:11.983-05:00

For the last couple of years, my sister, my dad, and I have come up with a list of 10 things to learn more about over the summer. Here is this summer's list:Thomas JeffersonbearsgeneticsfrogsVikingsquantum physicsNew ZealandmysticismCaptain Henry Morganfolk artAs you can see, we keep it as varied as possible. The rules to it are that we don't know overly much about the topics beforehand, but

angieionoreply@blogger.com0