Be a Big Nerd!

Driving down the road one Saturday, I came to the realization that I was a big nerd. Maybe it was the fact that I was reflecting on my four year old sandals with the broken strap and thinking how much I enjoy them compared to many other things in life, or it could have been the Monkees music blaring in the background, who knows? I just knew in a moment that I really like being a nerd.

I never thought of myself as a nerd in the recent past. I chalked it up to eccentricities. I even referred to it in this blog as 'quirkiness', yet it is time that we all face the fact that we are all big nerds in one way or the other. Whether you care to admit it or not, there is probably one, more likely, many quests, pursuits, or recreations that make you the nerd you were always meant to be. Be proud. Be nerdy.

True nerdhood is held to a high level of personal perspective. For example, one person might consider my obsession with this blog a bit of a nerdy endevour. I take pride not only in my committment to documenting my life for all to see, but also the creative outlet that this writing holds for me. How we choose to spend our freetime can reveal some nerd outlets. Tim is passionate about Lord of the Rings to the point that he wants not just one copy of the books, but two. In my view, isn't one enough? But who am I to hinder his personal nerdhood.

Let's consider music...I tend to wander into diverse genres, yet find myself enjoying in a very guilty way Olivia Newton-John and Abba. On the other hand, I can be hip...(see I am nerd for even saying that I am hip)...and enjoy Jack Johnson or The Shins.

A person can be a television nerd. If you are a Law and Order junkie like many of my kin or can't get enough of motorcycle/chopper shows, you are nerd. I have to say that I do not fall into any television nerdome.

What it all comes down to is the fact that it feels so good to be yourself. Being a nerd has really gotten a bad rap! I embrace being a nerd. We all should.

I think it would be utterly exhausting to be something other than myself. I would be missing out on all of my passions and schemes that bring me such self-absorbed joy. I will justify and explain my nerdy endevours to anyone who wonders how a 28 year old woman could obsess about such a variety of topics from goat cheese to Scrabble to pottery to itunes to buying new chapsticks whenever I can.

Be the nerd you really are. I am.

Time Crunch

I feel under the vice of time.

Everyday is bringing me one day closer to my last day in Iowa. (Sigh).

Even though I know that Philadelphia will be wonderful, new, exciting, challenging, and many other things I have yet to understand, there is something to be said for comfortable and known.

At this moment, I know that I will see people everyday who either understand me or accept me for all of my quirky clumsiness. I know that there are a number of people that I have just started to scrape the surface of connection. I know what to expect everyday yet can always be surprised by the day.

I could be melting down right now, but instead, I will take the advice that I give out.

Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

And...it is not over, I have time. I just hope that others recognize the vice of time and want to make the most of the time.

Fondue is the New Black

"Isn't fondue what they used to do in the 70's?"
-My Principal

Absolutely! And like everything from the 1970's, fondue is one of the groovier obsessions that I tend to hold onto! True, for most of the 70's, I was just a twinkle in my parents' eye, but it seems to have cultivated a special admoration in my mind.

My introduction to fondue came far later than the 70's in 1995 when my friend Amy had a small fondue party at her house. I dipped for the first time. It was a wine and cheese sauce that showed me a whole new way to eat bread.

Unfortunately, I only registered for one fondue pot when I got married. Big mistake. Huge. Now, I advise all brides to register for at least three fondue pots because they will want to fondue cheese, meat, and dessert. Even though they may only break out the fondue pot once a year, or in some cases, every ten years, it will be worth it.

Dessert was the highlight of my Saturday evening. At The Melting Pot restaurant, I enjoyed cheese, meat, and dessert fondue, yet the dessert was very special. The S'more fondue was dark chocolate, marshmallow cream, and graham cracker bits which enveloped bananas, strawberries, brownies, pound cake, graham covered marshmallows, and pineapple. Our second chocolate (because one is never enough) was a dark chocolate with Bailey's Irish Cream mixed in for something special. Again...so good.

Fondue is a lot like that other shameful 1970's creation, DISCO MUSIC...everyone loves it, but no one admits it.

Tonight

Tonight, I think Tim and I will go out for pie and coffee. This is not only our dessert, but also our supper. I am not hungry enough for a whole meal, but I also saw the Seinfeld episode about the pie. So, I have a hankering for some apple pie. Tim will surely have cherry. I will have ice cream with my pie.

Tonight, I will play a mean game of Scrabble and hopefully beat Tim again. I beat him by three points last night. He was not happy. I thought he had surely beat me, but I am a stealth player. I do not celebrate in excess, instead, I play it cool. Then, my opponent does not know how well I am doing unless they ask or are keeping score. I usually volunteer to keep score. It is a strategy so people are unaware of the scores.

Tonight, I will download some itunes. My latest downloads include...
Kelly Clarkson-"Since You've Been Gone"

• Patty Griffin-"Every Little Bit"
• Stevie Nicks-"Stand Back"
• Talking Heads-"Once in a Lifetime"

Still Motivated

By the way...as an update on my new exercise and moderate eating style...I lost three pounds. It inspires me to get on that treadmill tonight. Going on week three and still motivated.

Stylin'

Am I the only one who leaves the hair salon unhappy? The unhappiness lasts as long as it takes me to get home and restyle my hair. Maybe it is self-absorbed to think that ONLY I can style my hair correctly, but it seems to be the case.

Maybe if I had longer hair and no matter what, it can always be brushed out or pulled up if the stylist goes tease-crazy, but when you have short-to almost-no hair, the one style is all you get. I like to spike my hair, a little, not a lot. I like a semi-wet spike, not a dry spike. I don't spike the whole head, only designated areas require the spike.

All this leaves me questioning whether to go through with plans for some funky coloring in May. I want something bright and fun to celebrate spring, yet I am concerned with the repercussion of this highlighting. On the bright side, I have short hair so whatever happens, it can be cut off in a short length of time. On the other hand, I want to like it. I know what the answer is even as I write this...I will continue to go to my stylist because she cuts it well even though her styling is not my style. I will also highlight my hair because I want to and my curiosity can't be beaten.

ipod love

As part of my psyche that feels that it is 16 years old, I broke down and bought a smart, shiny, lime ipod. I have been pining after this little baby for months and I now own it. I bought it as a sort of reward for myself for making to March...this can be a bit of a milestone in a teacher's year. Not that it has been a terribly difficult year, but it is the little things in life that make me happy. Right now, a little, lime thing makes me happy.

When I was picking out my ipod, I had a choice of four colors. For many months, the lime green had been my choice and for one brief moment, I was taken with the pink. I came to my senses and realized that green was for me. The Apple Man told me that green was the most popular color which made me second guess my choice, but I soon remembered how I am a mediocre, regular person who usually does what others do. I am one of many...not an individual. Anyway...I just wanted the green one to hold my tunes.

I bought the ipod that can hold 1000 songs. I could have gotten the 1500 song ipod, but I felt greedy and thought I could buy some clothes with the extra $50. If a person were to look and listen to my ipod, he/she would realize that I have a diverse musical pallet.

Bit-O-Goodness

Thank goodness for Bit-O-Honey.

If it weren't that lovely bit of sweetness, Nebraska would have been unbearable. As part of our spring break, we have driven to Denver. It was supposed to be a 10 hour drive, but we did it in nine. (Thank you, Nebraska, for the 75 miles per hour but I'll really drive 80).

We arrived at Tim's folks house. We have relaxed. Tim and his dad have golfed. Tim's mom and I have shopped. I purchased my first pair of capris of the season, hot-blazin' pink with smart light pink sash...I like a sash, but others say scarf or belt. I say sash...it is so much more girly.

Tonight, Deb (Tim's Mom) and I have been stamping invitations to his brother's grooms dinner. I love stamping. I love to create beautiful things that will be enjoyed even if it is only the time it takes to open the invitation and put it on the table. Tomorrow, the Denver Zoo.

Villanova won today! Yea! Yea!

The Big Dance

Every morning, I arrive at school and there is usually only one person there who arrives before I do. Ryan. He is younger than myself. He is a basketball and track coach. He is very sporty. He also will sing karaoke so we have that in common. He has a great sense of humor too.

Today, he came bounding in my room. Throws open my door and says, "HEY! Do you have your brackets all filled out?"

I am thinking, "Oh my god! Did I forget to turn something into my principal? What does he mean BRACKETS?"

He continued to tell him that today is like Christmas with the March Madness basketball tournement starting. Oh. I get it. It is a sport thing. Growing up in North Dakota I missed out on many things, but since moving to Iowa I have realized how important college athletics are to the rest of the country. We only care about college hockey up north. Football and bowl games, basketball and March Madness mean nothing to Dakotans.

Even when we tell people that we are moving to Philadelphia so Tim can teach at Villanova University, all they say is, "Good basketball team." I had no idea.

There is something that I just can't buy into with sports. I go for the snacks and the socialization. I was even a cheerleader only God knows why. I think it was the cute, now too revealing, outfit. And I knew how to jump and yell. I cheered for basketball but I never really knew when to cheer. Thankfully, I came to my senses my senior year and dropped that whole nonsense.

I will humor Ryan with interest every morning by asking him how his brackets are going. Then, he can tell me all about it.

Sara and Scott are picking Oklahoma State.

I say Go Nova!

One Exercise Rant

For the second day in a row, I walked on the treadmill.

Go ahead, pat me on the virtual back.

Interestingly, I walked for the 31 minutes yesterday and today. I burned 250 calories yesterday. 300 calories today. I must have been working harder today. Now, I just need to keep my motivation.

I gave away my girl scout cookies today. That is will power. I suppose I should think of a long-term goal, but I must think short term...day to day. Genetics did not bless me with the ability to eat whatever I want and stay thin. I must think about it. I must plan. I must do more than type on this computer. I was inspired by two things today. First, it was gorgeous out which made me think of summer. Secondly, I thought about how I love to shop and I love to shop for smaller size clothes. So, I have some dresses to buy for weddings and I want to enjoy wearing them.

I promise, I will not talk food, exercise, and weight loss everyday. It is always in the front of my mind, but I usually avoid places like the front of my mind.

And I am not one bit ashamed to post my weight with this handy-dandy graphic. We all weigh something.

itunes Galore!

So, I didn't wear capris today. I wanted to, but I forgot that I had recess duty and even though 50 degrees is balmy while one is inside. It is another matter when you are kid wrangling on the recess field.

My friends at work are incredibly generous! First, I helped my friend babysit on Saturday because she was not feeling very well. I didn't think about being paid. It was just fun to play Scrabble and spend time with kids without being their teacher. She thought I should be paid since she got paid and didn't do anything but rest. I could have cared less. So, she bought me the Deluxe Scrabble board with the grooved board so your pieces don't move and a rotating table board. It is excellent. She is very thoughtful even though it was completely unnecessary.

Then, my friend Heidi brought me 31 Pepsi/itune caps for free songs! Greg at work brought me three songs! And Rhonda brought me two songs! That is a total of 36 FREE itunes!!! Kid in a Candy Store! I can't wait. itunes does require that only 20 free songs a day can be downloaded. So, I will have some time to spread that out.

Capri Time

I am breaking 'em out.

I am digging the spring clothes out. I am in need of capris, bright colors, and sandals. I can no longer handle the putting on my boring gray pants one more day. Well, maybe one more day if it is cold.

Tomorrow is going to be 50 degrees and I plan on celebrating by sporting some capris.

Yea! Yea!

Health Nut, I am not.

Why do I hate working out so much. I just hate it.

I have no excuse because I have an exercise machine in my home, but I just dislike it. I dislike it as much as I dislike mustard and clapping. And that is a lot, my friend.

But, in order to lose weight, I must walk on that dasterdly treadmill. So, like everything in my life, I will track my exercise and health on my blog. No, I won't reveal my weight because that would be far to self-depricating, but I will tell you that I had three girl scout cookies and I am ashamed. Shame on me for enjoying those Caramel Delights/Samoas so much. I should just throw them in the garbage, but they are special. They only come around once a year and fortunately/unfortunately for me, I have 12 little girls that want nothing better than to sell cookies to their teacher.

So, I am saying right here, right now. I am giving my Girl Scout cookies away. Bold move, but needed. I am so good about stocking my house with only acceptable food, but when I am on the outside, I am a sucker for temptations.

Today, when I was brainstorming ideas about myself as I modeled an acrostic poem, I had to list things that I enjoy. I asked my students, most who had me in third grade as well as fourth, what I really enjoyed. The first answer...."food." Right on, my young...very honest minds.

I don't want to fall for the whole, "Life is short, eat." Not that there is anything wrong with being more voluptuous. I actually prefer myself heavier than my skinniest, but I know I can be a healthier person. I know that I can drink more water. Eat less junk. Exercise even though I hate it. I feel better when I do. I don't feel my bum shoulder as much. My hip doesn't hurt as much. So, that is it. Tomorrow is a new day. I need to change the QUOTE of the Week to illustrate my new found love of health and exercise....does that sound convincing?

How I Spent My Saturday

1. Finishing 300 envelopes for my ten year high school reunion. They are stuffed, labeled, and now sealed. They will go in the mail on Monday. That was just as tedious as stuffing wedding invitations.
2. Playing scrabble with an eight and ten year old girls. I helped my friend babysit these girls. I will soon start to tutor the girls with enrichment curriculum. I am not sure they need it. They beat me pretty well in Scrabble.
3. Eating leftover Chinese food that made me sick the night before when I ate it at the restaurant, but since I lack all self-control with food, I ate it again. Big mistake.
4. Babysitting a one year old and a three year old. We played some house. We sang some songs. We read some books. We played Mr. Potato Head. We played dressing up babies. They even went to bed without crying. I was invisioning what I see on Super Nanny.

A day well spent.

Sickened

I am normally in bed long before the late night shows begin. If I am awake, I am not normally watching them. Unfortunately, I caught The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I was sickened by all his jokes about the Michael Jackson trial.

What is funny about child sexual abuse? Nothing. It is tragic either way you look at the man's guilt or innocence. I left after two jokes since I could see that this line of humor would continue through the entire monologue.

I think these late night shows that make jokes of celebrity life, current events, and other inconsequential events in our world, deliver a mediocre brand of humor.

Blogger's Block

Don't dispair. I am here. I am experiencing some blogger's block. Actually, I have just been swamped at work. Lots of kids with lots of needs.

I plan on writing more this weekend so check back.

Just Ducky

Today, the temperature is 70 degress. That means the ducks are back. These ducks were a little scared, but soon they will see us coming with our little back of bread and greet us with quacks of welcome.

At Last

Good news. Season three of my favorite television show, Six Feet Under, is available on DVD on May 17. So, don't call me because I will be in a Six Feet Under euphoria.

Hickory Park

After a long day of test taking, I was rewarded with one of my favorite Iowa restaurants, Hickory Park. Everyone has their favorite item at Hickory Park. For some, it might be the Saucy Southerner, shredded meat with BBQ on bun. Some might like the Hickories, huge hamburgers served with great fries. But for me, it is the Patty Melt. It is terrific. Lots of cheese, onions, and burger. Once, I split the Patty Melt three ways it is so big.

Hickory Park is also special because of its dessert menu. They offer so many sundaes that they are listed on the placemat. There has to be at least 30 different sundaes. They make so many sundaes on the weekend that they have three sundae makers scooping and pouring treats all night. I like to go to Hickory Park and cross off the sundaes that I have tried. Tim laughs because he knows it is part of my routine. I don't always get a sundae because I overdo it on Patty Melt. If I do get a sundae, I always like David's Delight, two scoops of vanilla ice cream covered in hot fudge and caramel with malt powder sprinkled on top. So good.

The tests were not bad. I think I did fine on the teacher test, the writing test, math, reading, and social studies. I bombed the science test portion. Lots of words about matter, refraction, theory, and other science words that I worked four long years at college to avoid. Now, three of the six tests needed to teach in Pennsylvania are finished.

I Love You, Birkies

It has been a long four months, but I will break out the tried and very true Birk sandals tomorrow. My weather guy is predicting/forecasting 60 degree temps. Unfortunately, my sandals are the only thing that I have to look forward to because I have to take a crummy PRAXIS test tomorrow from 7:30 until 3PM. So, instead of walking outside in my well-loved Birks, I will be sitting in a classroom taking a test to prove that I can do the job that I have done for the past four and a half years.

No, I am not bitter.

Black Shoes

Taking advantage of clearenced fall items in the department stores, I scored myself four pairs of shoes! All together, I paid a mere $44! I'd say that was good. Tim doesn't understand. He simply looked at the two pairs of black shoes and said, "But, you already have black shoes?" I have given up explaining that people can have more than one pair of shoes in one color for a multitude of reasons. For example, I have black penny loafers to go with my shorter gray pants. I have black chunky loafers for my longer gray pants. I have black bowling-type tennis shoes for when I can wear jeans and I want to look casual. I have strappy black high heels for the more formal dresses. I have black high heels for the less formal outfits. I have high black boots for my skirts. I have black pointy shoes for my skirts and capris. We all could use a few more pairs.

Get Down Tonight

As part of my New York-Amy Style Tour of NYC this summer, we went to Spectrum, a bar in Brooklyn, but also the home of Saturday Night Fever! Yes, John Travolta danced and shook his smooth self on the same dance floor that I had the honor of shaking my groove thang!

Now, it is for sale.

If only I had a huge house that would only be made complete by a multi-lit floor that only came into its true glory with the Bee Gees pumping the background.

I could disco dance everyday if the opportunity arose.