smug

this year i've conquered the pie crust.

so from now, henceforth, i'll say this

prebaked/unbaked/storebought piecrusts are for... PANSIES!

if it makes you feel better, really pretty pansies :-)


pansy

a happier note

Found out that a few of my old youth group leaders are getting married soon!
I'm excited and happy for them, I feel a pang of regret for one of my youth leaders and hope she gets married sooooon...

Facebook is a double-edged sword, since I get to keep in touch with people from the past, but I also get to see beyond the church-facade they displayed at church. In one sense it makes me feel sick and again, grateful to have been saved from that church culture of hypocrisy, where you worship God on Sundays while working over the Saturday hangover.

And then, I feel incredibly superior and legalistic... like "how dare you get drunk." Of COURSE getting drunk is a sin, but my issue is that my attitude is incredibly hoity-toity... and I feel really low and let down by seeing old sunday school teachers with pictures like that, or even seeing captions like "girls .. blah blah blah". In my head I frown and thing "you're not a girl, you're an old woman, grow up."

It's rather all really mean in my head.

I guess, again, I need to take people off their pedestals.. and not expect them to be somebody just because they led things.. and I'm thankful for older teachers who were faithful to the Lord first and didn't just do an act for Sunday.

I'm thankful for a church now where people straightforwardly and unabashedly love the Lord and understand worldliness for what it is.. instead of explaining it away, they admit struggles and work to find the balance between liberty and edification.






































Also.. the REAL reason for this post... (so random, I can't believe I got carried away with the abovE)........... it's sort of scary to see my sunday school teachers getting engaged now.. because.. PLEASE, I don't want to be getting engaged 10-15 years from now. :-( :-( :-(

i don't think i normally say things publicly about marriage etc, so that will be it. BUT surriously; maybe it will be some sort of humbling season God will put me through because i'm so chockfull of pride.. but... yagh. even if it means i'd have the means for some crazy extravagant wedding (like one of my teachers).. i'd rather not marry a guy who's pushing 40 when i'm in my mid 30s. That's all.

have mercy on me sinner that i am

i think i'm turning into Rachel Lynde and Marilla Cuthbert. I'm Rachel Lynde because I am fussy and have impossible standards and get offended easily. I'm Marilla Cuthbert because I'm harsh and almost too practical to be soft and loving.

This week especially I saw a lot of pharisaism in my life (pharisaic-ism hehe) and it sucked. I'm really that pharisee that stands and says "Oh God, I'm SO glad I'm not like THAT sinner over THERE."

turkey

i think i used to like helping my mom wash the turkey, and i liked to open the fridge when my dad was brining the turkey and touching the turkey because the turkey felt like.. a big baby.

and when i helped add butter underneath its skin, i felt like i was touching a wrinkly old woman. but i liked that. :-)

scholastic book clubs

btw, do u guys remember scholastic book club catalogues? i miss those. i remember poring over them w/ sibs, circling books, waiting w/ bated breath for my mom to choose which books she'd order... and THEN those fateful days, when our teacher would call our names and give us a package of books.

i remember that's when i got chronicles of Narnia. I began reading The Magician's Nephew in fourth grade and grew so bored of it.. it was stinky and boring. I think I tried to reread it a few times.. maybe in 6th grade I really got into the chronicles... perhaps I began with the second book or something.

I remember the boxed set illustrations always intrigued me; it had a picture of the unicorn from the Last battle. there was a gold chain around its beautiful white neck with some blood on the tip of its horn. chilling and beautiful. at least to a child's eyes.



i remember alllll my boxcar children books from that.. i remember wanting to join the bookclub where if you paid 4.99 a month, you'd get a special book a month and some sort of special toy.


I think i got all the Dear America diaries thru Scholastic book Club. I LOVED those books. They were more expensive - 9.99 each I think. I remember once my sister and I surveyed our collection and realized we had over $100 worth of Dear America books!


we also had a buttload of American Girl books too. Addie. Samantha. Kirsten. and of course Felicity. Who could forget her? Forget all the rest of the American Girl books... these were the OG.



those yellowing, colored newsprint catalogues. <3 and then the book fairs, where when you were in 5th grade, you were allowed to "volunteer," I loved book club.


I loved my school library, and the librarian, Mrs. Kay Cook. her name was Kay Cook! When we went to the library, she would read to us a story, then we would pick a book to check out. my mom used to pick us up late, so my sister and I would wait in the library and read. I'd sit in the far left corner where all the mythology was. I think that's where most of my mythology knowledge is from (except for the weird specific stuff I got in college). I think that's also where chinese mythology was kept too.

I remember reading stories of oranges, of a girl whose asian mother and american father fell in love in Asia and the father learned how to use chopsticks and the woman made a nest of mashed potatoes and put peas on it like eggs in a nest, but found that was only a british custom.

i remember


:-)

GCA Thanksgiving Dinner!

Made these with Grace and Kathy.
Fun b/c we made four and we did everything together.
Went by really fast and it was good!

Got the recipe from smitten kitchen
i love smitten kitchen apple recipes.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/simplest-apple-tart/

pics later!

:-)

my customary top chef review

So, just watched my last episode before the final four go on to compete in Napa Valley (woot CaLiFoRnIa!)

I had mixed feelings about this year's top chef.  Basically it was a yawn; especially compared to the drama and motely crew of personalities last season (come on, i still remember their names; Jamie, Carla, Stefan, the italian guy, leah and the meathead that actually won's fling, the older lady who i LOVED but obviously my love proved fickle since i can't remember her name... the older one.. i used her skate/cauliflower puree recipe once ... man her name is on the tip of my mind.. Dinah? no.. Dionne? something a little exotic i remember.. ARIANE!)

and this season, it was boring for a few reasons.  To name the main reason, in my opinion it was way too technical.  In the past part of the appeal was that you could see why chefs went home or stayed while also nursing the secret fantasy that maybe, just maybe if you got your act together, you could also go on to star and if not win, at least give Bravo a good run for its money.  Not anymore.  The culinary chemistry and gourmet chefs are no longer an exception but the rule.  I mean we have Brian and his cocky brother (Michael! i forgot his name at first) who are both okay on the eyes, fabulous in technical skills and apparently whip it together to produce great food.  The thing is, they never mess up; if they do, it's something lame like "oops, forgot my extra garnish"... nothing quite as cataclysmic as say, a dessert not setting or all your food going bad because the refrigerator was left open (i think this was last season too. WOW season 5!  it was that wide-eyed indian girl i think).    Sure Bravo tried to milk the whole sibling rivalry thing, but whatever; if we were interested in that sort of reality show, we'd go to MTV.

Not only is there Brian and Michael, there's also Jennifer.  Perfect little Jennifer who is that girl in school that nobody likes.  The focused one, who never smiles, who says all the right things, who does all the right things, who did all the right things, and who will probably continue to do so until she smoothly slides in and wins and nods and smiles.  Lame.  Yet perfect little Jennifer did throw us a twist; when she literally CRACKED.  So glad there were so many incompetent chefs to eliminate before the judges got a chance to eliminate her.  LOVED it during this episode when Padma smiles and coolly said, "Welcome back" after the quickfire.  still, Jennifer's intense.

So not only do we have three super technically talented professionally trained chefs winning every quickfire and elimination challenge (i swear, in the beginning it was a pingpong match between the.. three), but everyone else is just... bumbling or boring.  This season seemed to say, if you have no professional training, go home - you suck!  which was pretty much the case for most of them.

Of course there were some interesting characters, and i'll get into the ones who stuck out.
Of course Mike: is cocky.. super cocky.. and annoying.. because he's so cocky.  i can totally see him as a dad.  a self-important dad of course.

then there's ooh what's that french dude.  Martel? Milan? Jacque? hahahah whatever.. He was just cute.  with zee fwench accent.  too bad he couldn't cook for beans... or beans.

and also, just most of the people were just really self-deprecating, had self esteem issues, or tried to be really gay to stand out.. lame.  Bravo should stop trying to be a platform for human-interest issues.  it's about the cooking.

I think towards the end, though, Bravo wisened up and began trying to appeal to its average majority.. through the comfortable home cooking of Kevin.. gotta love him and his beard.. and then his little bald head that makes it look like he's wearing a yarmulke.  Sort of reminds me of a dwarf!  DUDE so wanna eat his meat though..... wow.  hahaha.  poor guy; he won't win.. unless others pull booboos.  They also began focusing on Eli.  The dreamer, aspiring chef, TV watchers can all empathize with Eli. trying new things, young to the scene. whee.  Except.. peanut butter jelly .. .whatever monster concoction that was during last week's episode.. was horrific Eli ... good thing robin was still around.

Concerning Robin; was she there to appeal to the older demographic?  Because they did an awful job of making her appealing.  It was a little funny to see everyone sort of get irked by her, and i guess she is very talkative and a little too .. wannabe.  BUT again, Bravo, this is a cooking show; not MTV.. not Disney.  Come on, super petty.  I think she was kept there to be the annoying factor to add fire to a collection of dull duds.

I like Brian though.  He is just a likeable guy; especially in juxtaposition to his immature brother Michael... who probably seethes under the shadow of his perfect brother.  Brian is so ... under-spoken about his talents, he's just very methodological, kind, has a sense of morals, humble.. he's a bore.  I'm surprised he became a chef.  but he's pretty dang good at it!  and it's a fresh of breath air.. whoa there, breath of fresh air, to see a nice human being on TV.  Poor Michael.  Michael is a normal human being... and it must suck to not measure up to your older brother.  Michael - you're a great chef too.  Just stop acting spoiled or cocky.. but I guess that's applauded on Tv.. since you're sticking to your guns.  Then in that case, stick to your guns.. not that you'd care about my blog post anyway...


Final comments:  on the judges; every year I feel a  pang of symapthy for the other girl judge.. the one who's not padma.... because HONESTLY, you know people are comparing you two, and Padma's beautiful. HA that's my sick, superficial side coming out.  see i dont even know her name.  if i didnt know any of the names it would be the bald judge, the hot judge, and the not as pretty judge. hahah actually no, it would be Tom, Padma and the other one. HAHAHAHAHA

And Toby isn't so caustic this year... glad that he left his weirdo analogies for.. whatever, not the dinner table.


In closing, the final four has been decided!  You know, last season, the ending was pretty anticlimactic; and boy did i not like the winner.. and you know what's funny, nobody even sees him around anymore.  ANYWAY it was kinda sad to see Eli go.. since Eli was pretty chills... but meh, didn't care much for him or anything..   ultimately despite the length of this rambling post, i didn't care much for most of them, really.  i don't even remember half the ones who left.

the chefs in that stupid little top chef alumni reunion special they had (instead of a cooking episode that i wanted to see!) left more of an impression on me than this whole season.  well, i'll always be interested in Jennifer's food........


Also location this season was pretty sweet.  Las Vegas .. then Napa Valley? wooo!!  The money themes were pretty crazy and man, M Resort was just showering the chefs with money.



I still haven't gotten to eat at Jamie's restaurant, Absinthe.

Same Premise; Different Conclusions

"Human beings do not live forever, Reuven.  We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity.  So it may be asked what value is there to a human life.  There is so much pain in the world.  What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than the blink of an eye?...I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing.  But the eye that blinks, that is something.  A span of life is nothing.  But the man who lives that span, he is something.  He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant.  Do you understand what I am saying?  A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life.  It is hard work to fill one's life with emaning.  That I do not think you understand yet.  A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest.  I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here.  Do you understand what I am saying? .... I did not want to sound morbid.  I only wanted to tell you that I am doing things I consider very important now.  If I could not do these things, my life would have no value.  Merely to live, merely to exist--what sense is there to it?  A fly also lives." - (Potok, 217)

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." - James 4:14
"Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.' " - James 4:15


"I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath." - Job 7:16
""If I should wash myself with snow / And cleanse my hands with lye, / Yet You would plunge me into the pit, / And my own clothes would abhor me. / For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, / That we may go to court together. / There is no umpire between us, / Who may lay his hand upon us both. " - Job 9:30-33


""Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah." - Psalm 39:5
"And now, Lord, for what do I wait? / My hope is in You. / Deliver me from all my transgressions; /  Make me not the reproach of the foolish. " - Psa 39:7-8


"Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow." - Psalm 144:4
"Stretch forth Your hand from on high; / Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, /  Out of the hand of aliens / ... / I will sing a new song to You, O God; / Upon a  harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, / Who gives salvation to kings, / Who rescues David His servant from the evil sword. / Rescue me and deliver me out of the hand of aliens," Psalm 144:7, 9-11








Reuven's father comes to understand that life itself is short.  That importance does not lie in life itself but the human being, the soul, that inhabits that life.  Yet as a result of this premise, he assumes that he must DO.  
It is true that life is transient and that it is the being that matters more than the life; the soul prevails over breath.  And yet because of that we must praise Him who gave life; how can we repay; how can we earn; how can we MAKE our lives worthwhile when we had no hand in its creation in the first place?  We cannot simply walk up to the giver of life, we cannot assume that we can make our lives worthy... and for that I am so very thankful and relieved.

186-190

from The Chosen written by Chaim Potok gave me shivers.  Or warm bursts of surges out my chest up into my face and made my eyes feel fuzzy.

i love it when books do that.

response

The Side A/Side B debatefrom More Musings on Christianity, Homosexuality, and the Bible by Misty

As many of you know, there is a debate among gay Christians about what the Bible teaches regarding same-sex sexual relationships. "Side A" believes that God approves of same-sex sexual relationships and that living a chaste life means abstaining from sex prior to entering into same-sex marriage. "Side B" believes that God does not approve of same-sex sexual relationships and that living a chaste life means living celibate (or, in some cases, being married to an opposite-sex partner, where both partners know it is a "mixed orientation" marriage). In my writings I have sometimes referred to Side A as the "affirming" position and Side B as the "traditional" position. I just like the idea of using terms that aren't judgmental or inflammatory when engaging in this debate.

Yet even though I take the Side B position, more than half of my gay Christian friends are Side A and we get along just fine. Why is that? I first began to realize that there were Side A evangelical Christians out there when I began meeting them at gay churches and gay Christian Bible studies. I'd worship with them, discuss the Scriptures, share testmonies and prayer requests. A group of Side A Christians prayed for me and supported me during the entire controversy I went through with my old denomination. When you experience that kind of close fellowship with one another, you can't deny the presence of the Holy Spirit is among you.

I also came to understand that many Side A evangelicals have scripturally-based reasons for believing as they do. Some arguments are very sound while others I can't agree with. But I agree with them on all the important things: the central doctrines of the gospel and the saving work of Jesus Christ. I just don't agree with their understanding of what the Bible teaches about the specific issue of whether homosexual sexual relations is sinful.

So this is how I've come to think of our differences. Suppose I were asked to write out a list of sins for which I think Jesus died on the cross. This list would represent my interpretation of what Scripture teaches to be sin. I might put down a thousand things on that list, one of which would be homosexual sexual relations. Then I'd leave a large section at the bottom of the paper blank for all the sins I might have left out, perhaps out of ignorance or self-deception or whatever. A Side A Christian might do the exact same thing, except he or she excludes homosexual sexual relations from their list and instead includes the sin of thinking homosexual sexual relations is a sin. So we have both included something on our list that the other person has excluded, and excluded something that the other has included. And we both acknowledge that our own lists are probably very flawed.

Now when we both come before Jesus to ask for forgiveness of our sins, we know that he pays for everything regardless of whether we have included them on our "list" or not. We both come with humility of mind, trusting that his blood will cover not just the sins we've acknowledged but also the ones we've failed to acknowledge because of ignorance, prejudice, hardness of heart, or whatever. So in the end does it really matter if a Side A Christian and a Side B Christian don't agree with each other's "lists"?

The main thing is that we both come before Christ knowing that he can remove all our transgressions, whether we fully understand what those transgressions are or not. In Christ there are no more lists. Our lists have been wiped clean, both what was on it and what we failed to put on them. And since we both come away from the throne of grace so thoroughly cleansed and perfected in Christ's righteousness, can't we forgive each other those disagreements that the blood of Christ has ultimately made irrelevant?

..






So, I subscribe to Misty's blog, initially because she had some candid food for thought especially during the times of Prop 8. I am very interested in the homosexual community and what's been going around in terms of society in the past ten years, and it seems like there are few people (besides Al Mohler and John Piper) who really address homosexuality in a balanced, loving, and curious way. I like where she goes with this article except I think where Misty and I part in terms of thought is in her last paragraph.




The main thing is that we both come before Christ knowing that he can remove all our transgressions, whether we fully understand what those transgressions are or not. In Christ there are no more lists. Our lists have been wiped clean, both what was on it and what we failed to put on them. And since we both come away from the throne of grace so thoroughly cleansed and perfected in Christ's righteousness, can't we forgive each other those disagreements that the blood of Christ has ultimately made irrelevant?




Simply because all my sins have been wiped clean does not mean that I continue sinning if I can help it. For a long time, I didn't know pride was a sin. I really didn't. When I found out (the hard way), I had to change! I had to change because sin is not to be taken lightly. One sin is all it took for a fatty cup of wrath to have my name written on it. One sin was all it took for that said cup of wrath to be poured upon Jesus Christ. One sin was all it took for my Savior to be physically mauled and humiliated and spiritually mauled and humiliated a gajillion times worse. One sin was all it took for the perfect relationship of the trinity to be split. One sin was all it took for God to take PLEASURE in killing His Son.


The Bible is pretty clear. But our eyes are mucusy, there's a film. And as we grow in Christ, what used to be dim becomes clear; the way we thought as a child matures when we grow into an adult. Heck, that statement itself demonstrates this fact. I cannot condemn a brother or sister for engaging in a sin out of ignorance. I cannot judge. But, I can encourage the brethren and challenge predispositions and thoughts with the inerrant truth of the Scripture. I can do that at least because others have loved me enough to do that for me. We sharpen each other. We are USED by God to sanctify each other.. to clear our minds. We cannot judge because we are not the Judge; but pointing out error is not bigotry or prejudice. Pointing out error is loving. Because of these "Side A Christians" truly love God, they WOULD want to obey His commands. Same goes for me, as a "Side B Christian." I want to obey God's commands.


That's why rather than throwing in the towel and refusing to fight over the "technicalities" of sin that Christ died for anyway, we need to be careful and really seek out within us that which we can submit to the Lord. Our sins have been washed clean, and while we're on earth, we can not be perfect. Yet we can bring joy to the Lord when we demonstrate repentance with a desire to not return to the things of the world. I think that goes for everything, whether it's sexual or dietary preference.

The Fun Theory

websites i like but provide a poor commentary on society today

I just found The Fun Theory today.  Granted, I enjoyed watching the youtube videos and the creativity and time people have to run such experiments.  However, I find it sad that in order to get people to do the harder, more mundane duties in life, we have to figure out a way to make it fun.

I think it's disgusting that we have to cater to the whims of people; to coax them into seeing a reason (fun) to do something that is better for them, better for others, or better for things. 

It makes people grow up with expectations; the expectation for gratification instead of just the knowledge that what they did was good.

I say this because as a teacher, I notice how we have to figure out new methods of teaching simply because technology has gotten savvier and kids get bored more easily.  What happened to days of note-taking by hand; or actually cracking open a book to get information?  What happened to imagination of the simple, harmless variety.

I assign creative writing prompts sporadically and am horrified at how at loss kids are as to what to write.   They whine if things are boring, they can't sit still, they have to be reminded that ipods and cell phones are NOT for class.  

It's absolutely ridiculous.

I sound like a 60+ year old curmudgeon but I'm not.  I'm a 22 year old young lady.  How much worse will this be 40 years from now?

Thanksgiving

" This is the time of year I start to feel like Thanksgiving has just become a quick meal on the way to Christmas. What happened?

"Thanksgiving has lost its cultural muscle," writes Eric Felton in aWall Street Journal commentary today. He adds, "The early advent of the Santa season may have less to do with the red-and-green imperative than with the weakness of Turkey Day."

His assessment of the state of Thanksgiving in the 21st century is worth reading:

Could it be we've lost our capacity for gratitude? A successful harvest occasioned thanks back when it was all that stood between us and a long, cold, hungry winter. But now we're divorced from the seasonal rhythms of the farm, where the harvest is celebrated as the payoff of all the year's labors. Even in the midst of this Great Repression we enjoy perpetual plenty. What resonance does a cornucopia have to people who have come to expect ripe blackberries in February? If anything, we should be more grateful, but that's not our nature. Anything we struggle for, we hold dear; anything that comes easy, we take for granted.

He goes on to capture the awkwardness of trying to enjoy a family feast when some of those around the table just want to moralize about the food:

Not only don't we celebrate the astonishing abundance that is our good fortune, we whine and moan about how it makes us fat.... And if that weren't enough to squeeze the pleasure from the day, no modern Thanksgiving is complete without a college student home from school, lecturing the family on the cruelty of meat. (To which the only appropriate response is: "Does that mean you don't want the drumstick?")

He ends with an invitation to enjoy a little more of the goodness of autumn and Thanksgiving before diving into Christmas:

... before we break out the ornaments and dust off the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack, let's make the most of autumn and its particular pleasures. Jump in a pile of leaves. Savor the waning daylight. And go ahead. Week after next, eat that second slice of pumpkin pie—just be thankful for it."

Got this excerpt from Boundless: http://www.boundlessline.org/2009/11/dont-deck-the-halls-yet.html

It made me sad. 

I always write about Thanksgiving.  Probably because it's my favorite holiday. 

How did this come about?  I remember when I was younger going down to So-Cal every Thanksgiving to spend it with my dad's side of the family.  I remember it being boring, watching TV.. but I also remember the delicious food.  (which got more delicious after the year we convinced my dad to tell the relatives to STOP trying to cook Thanksgiving food but let US do it instead).

I enjoy how my family gets together and makes sure we have EVERYTHING for the meal.  I love how we cook together.  I like the merriment.  ..  What makes me sad is at our family, it's really uncool to be thankful.  If one person tries to increase thankfulness, that's my mom.  If another person tries to echo gratitude, then everyone sort of scorns or laughs at them.

I wish my family was more transparent about emotions like love and gratitude.  I wish we were more positive growing up.  i wish we wouldn't trivialize things by laughing at it, ridiculing it, scorning it, or making light of it and brushing it off. 

I think i forget that during thanksgiving no one is very sincere about what they're thankful for.  i think i forget that during thanksgiving people are suspicious and closed off about what to share.

Wow, that took an unexpected turn!

Ultimately, it's difficult for me as a person to make myself vulnerable to my family because it's so easy to get hurt that way.

I still like Thanksgiving though; because despite the gruffness and harsh words, i still know i'm good at what i do and that my family appreciates that.  conversely, my family members also know they are good at what they contribute and they know i appreciate that.  i think.

Lastly thanksgiving has that aura of family and thankfulness without the stress of presents, socializing, not getting what you want, getting what you don't want etc etc etc.  along with the pressure of making sure "Jesus is the reason for the season" yet also feeling incredibly hypocritical because Christmas is also the most emotional, rubbed-raw season of the year.

WOW i sound so Scrooge-y.

More on this later.  I just wanted to comment on the first part.  I'm sad the holiday of Christmas (not the real Christmas) is overshadowing Thanksgiving.

crescent rolls

i love crescent rolls; i make it usually with pillsbury biscuit dough.

anyway i saw this recipe a while ago and was really tempted to try it

After all, it did post itself as their "favorite thanksgiving rolls."

I haven't made bread since my pre-teen years, and honestly they weren't the most pleasant experiences.  My mom would make bread, I would want to "help".  Help consisted of me doing the stickiest worst kneading until I was too tired to continue.  Then my mom would thank me, compliment my kneading skills, and comment on "how easy it was" now that I had done the hard part.  i was unamused.

I bought yeast a week ago, and today I actually went ahead and made it!

Wasn't too bad

For this recipe, I recommend that you KNEAD the dough before rolling it out.  You'll see why.

I also didn't have powdered milk so I just put in 1/4 C of yogurt. I don't know if that added or took away from it.

I'd put more butter in it as well.

Also, while waiting, I grabbed a small glob of dough, put in some brown sugar, and fried it in brown sugar and made ho-dduk!  Great!

the nerve!

In my reading class I require my students to have a notebook. I'm pretty picky (strict, anal) about the format about the notebook, and I tell the students where to put what.

It turns out that one (fool of a) student threw away his notebook...... ......

....

......

seriously?

It's a major project grade.

So, I offered in the beginning of the year to have an extra notebook on hand where students can get notes/homework that they missed. An act of altruism on my part, if you will.

Last quarter, I realized how ridiculous it is for me to constantly re-write my notes into a notebook for the students. So, instead, I copy down homework assignments etc, but for class notes, I send them over to a student I designated as a class note-taker.

She gets extra credit.

Today, the (fool of a) student finally got back to me to make up his notebook. He comes back with my notebook.

"Sort of useless.. except for the homework part."

"Yeah, Alice takes class notes."

"Oh. So you're not writing?"

"I already wrote it on the board; she gets extra credit."

"Oh."

"Yup!"

Then as he walks out the door, he casually slides in this passing remark: "Seems kind of lazy..."

EXCUSE ME?

If he were in my office, I would have simply said, "Nope, smart!"

If he were in my office and if today wasn't Friday and if I wasn't in a good mood, I would have said, "Excuse me? Who says I even need to give you this? You're the one who lost the notes. You're the one whose grades are going down the tubes. You're the one who gives me ridiculous excuses. You're the one whose an (okay omit this part!) blah blah blah. I'm the one offering this little grace of a notebook for YOU to catch up. I'm the one allowing you to turn in a notebook THREE WEEKS LATE and giving you more than half credit. And I'm the one whose lazy?"

Yes. That's what I thought.

Awwwww

This really made my day (or night I suppose)  TeeHeeHee ^_^  Maybe I'm meant to be a teachaa

Hairy Potter?

Yesterday I woke up at 7:13am and arrived at school by 7:28am. Pretty gangster, if I don't say so myself. Especially if you consider the fact that I peed, brushed my teeth, took a complete shower (shampoo/conditioner/bodywash/facewash) and put on lotion and eyeliner. Not to mention everything else in coming to school (getting dressed etc).

I'm pretty speedy.

I have a special secret though. On days where I'm running late, I wear a dress.

Consider:

Putting on pants (pulling them up, hopping on one leg while rushing, zipping, buckling, on occasion belting) and a shirt (matching, pulling on, or buttoning, getting a (matching) cami to wear under if necessary) = thought!

Throwing on a dress = no thought!

Unfortunately, a dress is a cause for bare legs. It's not immodesty I'm worried about (since my dress goes past the knees for all you legalists), but rather... well, it's been a while since Miss Kim has shaved her legs. I don't do it often actually; the hairs are pretty fine and light colored so you don't notice them ... BUT if you're in your office and you're bored and you begin to stare intensely at your legs.. you notice that they are now about half a centimeter long!

I suppose this is another time to be thankful for Taiwan.

In Taiwan, NOBODY shaves their legs.

HOORAY! Retire the razor for this season of life!!!!!

And for all you people who know how anal I am about armpit hair I'd like to share with you by newfound pre-bedtime obsession: plucking!!!!! (the great alternative for people who dislike armpit hair, enjoy little bits of pain, and the satisfaction that you're pulling out the problem by the roots! no stubble at all!)

Metro gone yay

it's not even a question of metro ... it's literally.. CROSS DRESSING and it's NOT attractive.