New Favorite

This is my new favorite song.

I also dig on the video because of the intense camera movements. I love the pin up girls. I also like that band is named The Fratellis, just like the villains in The Goonies!

Bum Foot

Normally, I do not go a week without posting on my blog, but this week has been anything but normal.

I started out the week by falling five stairs at my house. It was really nothing, but I did fall funny on my left foot. I didn't even think about the fall until Tuesday night when the foot really started to hurt. It only got worse since I had a field trip the next day, and of course, I couldn't NOT go. By Thursday, I was cursing whoever thought of stairs in the first place because of the pain. I broke down and went to the doctor.

If you know me at all, if I go to the doctor, it has to be bad. I go for a yearly physical and that is about it. I haven't even taken a prescription in four years. I don't have a phobia or anything. I am just a healthy person.

I use the term healthy in a loose sense of the word.

I got an x-ray today and it is not broken, but it still hurts. The recommendation was to wear tight, hard soled shoes and to stay off of it. This is going to prove difficult since my friend is coming to town for a week and we have NYC on the agenda.

I could bore you with the other details of my week, but I won't. Instead, I will give you some teasers about what I have been thinking about and therefore, will write about on the blog.

1. Why I get annoyed when people go "ahhh...how fun" when I tell them I am a kindergarten teacher.
2. The perfect recipe for pancakes and I don't even love pancakes.
3. My frustrations with cleaning old radiators, the kind that coil and stand up. Suggestions will be needed.
4. Photos of the mystery flowers in my new yard. I love that I have no idea what will pop up on any day. Right now, daffodils. My favorite.
5. My adventures with Kecia through Philadelphia and NYC. Two words, friends. Ghost Tour.

So much to look forward to reading, right?

My Celebrity Look-alikes

Want a self-absorbed waste of time? Check out myhertiage.com. They'll use face recognition software to see what celebrities you look the most like. Goldie is looking rough in this photo.

MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

Midwestern Endorsement Time

Dry skin has been the thorn in my ass for years. I found a moisturizer that I liked except it cost $30 and I had to purchase it through a beauty consultant. Because I use facial lotion everyday, sometimes twice, I was having to buy it once a month.

So, after one recommendation and some research, I purchased the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream.

I am starting to sound like a commercial. But I love this stuff.

First of all, it was recommended to me by someone who uses it because her sister is a dermatologist and it was recommended to her. All of the websites that I checked out had this as their number one facial lotion. I do not use it for the anti-wrinkle factor, but I think I am seeing a change there too. I took a picture with my webcam when I first got the imac in January. Then, I took the one from the other night. I could see a lot of wrinkles under my eyes. I know that sounds absurd since I am thirty years old, but it is true.

So, there it is. My Midwestern endorsement for the facial lotion that can be bought anywhere and for less than ten dollars.

WAWA

I am not sure if this is going to come as a surprise little fact about Philadelphia for you midwesterners or not, but Philly-folk love their convenience stores. In particular, they love Wawa. You cannot go half a mile in any direction without having a Wawa at your disposal. I have NEVER gone to a Wawa when it hasn't been busy. People use it for everything. They get sandwiches, fruit cups, shakes, coffee, ANYTHING. I once found gravy in sipable form at a WAWA. I wish I was kidding.

People rank their WAWAs. They have their number one WAWA and a back up if needed. I just don't recall the big love for convenience stores in the midwest. Maybe in Iowa, where the fountain soda flows from about 25 different spouts, but there is as much commitment and love for WAWA as if it were a grocery store. Why don't people just go to the grocery store?

I Have No Idea What I Am Writing About Tonight

I got my haircut tonight. If you are a longtime reader of the blog, you might recall that I implemented a long term hair plan in November of 2005. I was going to lose the short pixie cut that I had sported for five years or so and try for some long locks.

I try to go a long time between haircuts to give it some growth, but that was all futile because tonight, the stylist went to town on my hair. I feel like I haven't gotten very far with the long term hair plan.

I feel a little nervous putting the picture up. I haven't posted a photo of myself in a long time. However, I am proud of my little webcam in my imac. I love you imac.

Oh, I have updated the midwestern podcast if you are hooked up.

And for some list lovers out there...my top favorite movies that I like to watch over and over....
1. Love Actually-this is a rare romantic comedy for me.
2. Fargo-"Ah, hon, ya got Arby's all over me. "
3. Good Fellas
4. The Godfather
5. A Christmas Story
6. Wonder Boys
7. Home for the Holidays
8. Something's Gotta Give
9. Scent of a Woman
10. Elf

This is What I Learned Today, Friends.

I don't need permission...

to like what I like.
to feel undone.
to want to do nothing but crawl right back into bed.
to buy sugary cereal even though I know it is bad for me.
to like sappy, melodramatic music like Five for Fighting's "Dying".
to crave a mental health day.
to send postcards for no good reason in hopes that I will receive one in return.
to stay up too late reading my very good book.
to change my mind.
to long for the good ol' days.
to get the large coffee instead of the medium.
to try again.

A Letter

Dear Mother Nature,
I have always considered myself a hearty person when it comes to your winter deliveries of snow and wind. I never mind when the snow causes mild inconveniences in my life. I have accepted that your weather decisions are yours alone.

However, I am losing patience. Right when I believed that spring was right around the corner, you deliver a sleet storm. Until Friday, I didn't even realize that simple sleet could turn into a storm. After twelve hours of sleet, I now know better. The sleet piled up into impossible-to-shovel mounds. They are so hard that when you walk on them, you don't even sink into them. I didn't even bother to shovel. I prefer my posture the way it is, thank you.

Please bring spring straight away.

What is Yummy This Week

Red Pepper Jelly over Cream Cheese
I love LOVE this little appetizer. I usually save it for when people come over, but that is nonsense. If I have the jelly and the cream cheese, I am going to eat it with some good water crackers. This is essential because the water cracker doesn't break like other crackers. You can get red pepper jelly at most gourmet food stores, but if you are without a good shop, check out this link.

Turtle Chex Mix
Have you tried this yet? Whoa. It is so tasty, but if you have portion control problems like I do, you might want to take a little and threaten yourself with severe punishment if the bag is reopened. Oh, you'll want more, but don't do it. Enjoy the caramel, chocolate, and nuts in this yummy treat a little at a time.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Job

1. Everyday, I get to drive by a pond that is home to some unusually pleasant geese and ducks. (I took that picture from my car.) We get to feed the ducks for recess when we desire to do so.

2. My job is messy. When I taught third and fourth grade, things were pretty tidy. In kindergarten, concepts and ideas are so new that there is nothing out of the ordinary to try. We painted with spaghetti the other day as we discuss Jackson Pollock.

3. I wear jeans a lot. Basically, I wear jeans because I get very dirty.

4. I have never had a reason to buy rain boots until this year because we are always walking around the campus where we discover puddles and mud. Check out my new rain boots. I almost got ones with cupcakes on it, but thought I might wear these places other than kindergarten.

5. It is rare to find grown ups that are as passionate about topics like snakes, dinosaurs, legos, princesses, and letters as kindergartners. We could all learn a lesson in passion from them.

6. The hours. You can't beat 'em.

7. I get to sing songs everyday and I have an adoring crowd that can't wait to sing a long.

8. My day goes so fast. There is rarely a minute to sit down and relax. My days never drag on and on.

9. It gives me lots of opportunities to take pictures and make imovies on my computer. If I were just making imovies of myself, I'd feel a little funny about that.

10. I have three recesses a day.

Validate the Inner 5th Grader in You

Try to name the 50 states in five minutes. Don't cheat. I got to 48 and couldn't think of Utah and West Virginia. See, now you won't forget those two states. I worked west to east. Most people have a hard time with the midwest, but I find the Northeast the most difficult.

In or Out?

I am a homebody. It has really always been this way.

Not to say that I don't enjoy a vacation or a weekend away, but in general, I enjoy being at home rather than out and about trying the newest place. A lot of it has to do with crowds. I am not anxious around crowds, more annoyed. I do not like to wait for a table. I should have been someone famous so I wouldn't have to wait for a table, yet to be famous, I would have to go out more.

Look at Lindsey Lohan. That must be exhausting. She goes out on the town every night. I wonder how she would respond if I called her up and asked if she would like to come over for some food and beer? Would she value in this?

No one would see her, but she would get some dessert.

I am to the point that it really has to be a special occasion for me to go to a restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night. Again, I hate waiting. One might start to assume that I am starving because of this hatred for waiting, but I just don't see the point when there are so many restaurants. None of us should have to wait.

Sometimes I feel a little guilty because I am 30 years old and I should be all about going out, but I am not. I am all about staying in with Tim and our cozy red couch.

Do You Do This Too?

I feel the need to do a little experiment...

Since music still works as my own little mental time machine, I thought I would take the Midwestern Position's Friday ipod Shuffle and see where it takes me.

Fallen-Storyhill
If you went to a college or university in the midwest during the 90's and you took advantage of the free entertainment at your school's student union, you might have experienced Storyhill or what they used to be called, Chris & Johnny. I was not a die hard fan, but I would take in a show or borrow a friend's CD. They are your basic whiny guys on guitar.

Holding Out for a Hero Bonnie Tyler

Even though I could go way back to my days as a child renting Footloose over and over again from the local video store, instead, I will go to the chair races of my school in Iowa. Even though I did not take part in last year's race, I was proud of my friend who chose this inspirational tune as her chair racing song.


Busta Move Young MC
I wasn't even there for this memory, but I can't help but think of my best friend in the eighth grade and how her boyfriend stole this cassette and gave it to her. All I remember is when she told me this and I was shocked, but a little glad too. Now, we could listen to it.

Neon John Mayer

I had just worked my last day in Grand Forks, closed up shop on the little trailer where I taught the third grade and needed a mini-vacation. I was stressed out because I was moving to Iowa and didn't have a job. I loaded up the CD player in "The GOLD" and headed to Minneapolis. I listened to the John Mayer CD over and over. I was so happy to be in a secluded place for five hours completely by myself. Well, John Mayer was there too.


Running on Empty Jackson Browne
I have no memory to this song. The only thing that I think about when I hear this song is when Forrest Gump is run-nin'.

Names

As you know, I am not a mom. Most of my friends are moms. Some have one little one and some max out at four little ones. Tim and I are beyond the point when people ask us when we will have a baby, which is nice. However, I like to think of baby names even if I am no where near having a baby.

Now, to normalize this obsession, I have decided to name a few objects that I hold near and dear to my heart.

I was never one to be creative with car names. For example, my Chevy Celebrity that drove me all over Grand Forks from 1992-2000 was simply named "The Celeb". It was a catchy name. It caught on with the passengers. Well, my simple name tradition continues. We have two cars, "The GOLD" and "The BLUE". I drive "The BLUE" most of the time, however, I will always hold a special place for "The GOLD" since it was my first NEW NEW car.


Whoa...this post is starting to look a little materialistic.

I don't care. I love my crap.

What you are seeing is my very first brand NEW NEW computer that wasn't handed down or something that I had to share with anyone. I could fill it up with whatever I wanted. It is a slick machine and so deserving of it's name, APPLE. I guess Gwyneth and I have the same taste in names.

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you might recall when I had the sidebar attraction, "Obsession of the Week". Well, my rainbow mug was the first obsession. I like this mug for many reasons. First, my friend gave it to me and I like to think of that. Also, it is perfect. It holds the right amount of coffee without it getting cold when I get to the bottom. (I can drink hot liquids mighty fast!) When I open my cupboard to choose a mug, I feel disappointed when I have to use the plain plum colored mugs because MUG is gone. Yes, it's name is MUG. Nice and simple, but I know which mug I mean.

This naming strategy could be a problem. I mean, I wouldn't want to be like my friend who has a girl cat and named her GIRL CAT, GC for short. If I had a son someday, I wouldn't want to name it BOY. I think I can be more creative with my names. I am going to work on this and I will start with a new name for computer. Any suggestions.

Moonshadow

"Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides."
~Rita Mae Brown

My life doesn't offer many natural wonders other than an occasional puddle for a kindergartener to jump, but on Saturday night, I accidentally observed the lunar eclipse.

I was waiting at the train station where I would be meeting Tim. He had gone into the city for a Villanova basketball game with a friend. I had spent the day doing a little of this and that.

As I waited for Tim, I remembered that the eclipse was happening. I looked into the sky and saw about half of the moon. The moon got smaller and smaller. Tim arrived just in time to see it disappear completely. I didn't see a reddening of the moon, but I was impressed with nature all the same.

I Am Reading...

I shouldn't be in awe when I step in and out of a book store, yet I am. Heck, I even shelved those books for a good nine months of my life so I shouldn't be surprised that out of all of the books on all of those shelves, I can actually just choose one book. No more. No less.

I had finished The Glass Castle and needed a replacement for my 9:30 PM reading date each night. I have several reading niches, but I have a hard time narrowing down when push comes to shove in the bookstore. I can't buy them all. I have the same problem at the library. I have no business checking out more than one book because I am a slow reader and will not finish them all by the due date.

My process usually starts in the fiction at the beginning of the alphabet. This time I made it to the E's when I read the back of The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich. I had only read one other book by Erdrich, The Birchbark House, and I read that for a children's literature class in graduate school. However, I remember loving that book. As I read the cover and the first few pages, I realized this fit my reading needs.

I love historical fiction and this story actually takes place in North Dakota. This didn't surprise me since Erdrich grew up in North Dakota. I have read about 50 pages and still love it. This solves my problem when I am finished with this book. I will go and choose another novel by Erdrich.

Three Minutes of My Saturday

"Again with the grocery store stories, Sara?"

Yes. I can't help myself. The grocery store is a place where I experience what I can only describe as a mini bi-polar episode with the highs of a good deal and the lows of being stuck between two dueling elderly ladies fighting to get by the little stand of Quaker Oats in the middle of the aisle.

Yet, today, the grocery store just got me thinking about jobs in general. The checker did not speak a single word to me. Not a 'hello'. Not a 'thank you'. Not even a total. I even expected a paper or plastic, but I was so fearful that this man might lunge across the counter at me from his obvious angry place that I just bagged those groceries as fast I as I could.

I have been there. Grocery checking is the worst job that I have ever had. I thought it would be great. I would get to wear the funny jump suit that we were forced to wear at Hugo's Grocery Store. I would just stand, scan, and bag.

Oh no. Big mistake. I had to make a lot of small talk. If I didn't, the customers would get angry and think I was rude. If I did make the small talk, the customers that were waiting would get annoyed because I wasn't able to small talk and check at a rate that was satisfactory to them. I couldn't win.

However, I could always utter a greeting and a 'have a good day'. That was never hard. Apparently, my cashier today just could not be bothered with such pleasantries.

I Like It

Endorsement time. Sell out time. Beverage lovin' time.

I really like the berry Enviga. I have never been a fan of any kind of energy drink except for coffee and Diet Coke and some would argue they don't apply to this beverage genre. However, this berry Enviga is delicious. Bubbly, five calories, and they tell me that it helps my metabolism. All good things.