Stumped

I can't figure out how THIS works... give it a try. It is a bit uncanny. Thanks to Ashley for sending me into "try-again" mode for the last ten minutes.

Any ideas on the programming/ theory behind this re-gifting puzzle?

Impressive Address

Tonight I caught the last half hour of President Obama's address to congress, and I must say-- I was impressed. Directly upon tuning in, I heard him speak about education, and he had my ear tuned to the message. (You can watch the speech here)
I applaud his direct attitude in placing parents and the home in direct responsibility for children's education. As a teacher, I see the direct effects of the parents who do what he's asked of the American public: read with your children, go to Parent-teacher conferences, help your children with homework. I was very intrigued at his request that all Americans acquire one more year of higher education. I see him reaching into the lives of all Americans and requiring a return to education and values. That was impressive to me.

I must say, I am very intrigued at the strong statements he made against cutting educational programs that are ineffective. I really do wonder what that statement entails.

I'm optimistic. When education and a spirit of persistence is accredited to the progress of our nation, then I agree. I see that in my classroom. I have hope for my 25 fourth-graders, and I pray that what they do next in their lives will be based on well-informed decisions and well-developed perspectives.

I feel so patriotic tonight.... I truly do love America. I love the children of America. I feel blessed to be a teacher.

I pray that the direction America takes will be effective in the lives of her people, not just her policy-makers. My intrigue is honed, and it will be interesting to see what changes come in this next year.

Musically involved

After looking at my sister's blog, I came across something I think is really neat. Apparently, Carnegie Hall is hosting a concert with a Youtube symphony in March. Voting for applicants closes in a few days.
Go to http://www.youtube.com/symphony to watch some amazing musicians and vote.

I've already found my favorite harpist, pianist, and double bassist. Cellist? Ironically, not yet. I have to keep looking.

Cast a musical vote or two!

Red Appreciation Day

Last night, I had my friends come over and us four girls made some very delicious sugar-cookies. Over the pink frosting and sprinkles, my friend Marcie declared February 14th "Red Appreciation Day." In honor of her declaration, today I wore ye old women's chorus t-shirt (a lovely, apple red) and did some things to appreciate the place in which I live.

For instance; I thought I would appreciate the snow both outside and inside today. I chipped away some of the ice that was taking over our freezer so that I could organize things a little better (I dumped a half bucket of ice shavings into the already white parking lot). It sure feels good to have found those frozen blueberries I didn't know I had. Looks like blueberry scones will be on the menu some time next week. Yum...)

I also did dishes, delivered Valentines to Melinda and Michelle, went to the Library, and cleaned my room.

Now, here I am...it's about 7pm, and while I feel that it's been productive, now I am starting to feel pretty bored. I've played about five rounds of tetris, eaten dinner, and am trying to decide between grading homework and maybe watching a movie I got at the library. Already today, while cleaning the kitchen, I watched an A&E documentary on Barack Obama. It was pretty good.

Well, there's not much to do. Normally, I wouldn't just be sitting around, but my usual partners in fun are either at work or with boyfriends.

Thus--blog post. And I think the movie might win out. After that, I am looking forward to a most delicious early bedtime.

Gotta love snowy, saturday, february nights. Hope yours was equally as "chill."

It's a bit chilly...but suddenly I'm all warm and fuzzy

It's been rather chilly this last week in Midway (and Provo as well). As a result of that and some other factors (I teach elementary students, 'tis the season, parent-teacher conferences last week, trying to find time for more than 7 hours at night (I've found teachers can't teach on much less) and the Teacher Work Sample--TWS) I have come down with a pretty tough cold.

Something happened today, however, that has made me feel better already. Surprisingly, it wasn't eating Italian food for dinner, nor was it the delicious cookie from Sweet Tooth Fairy Bakery-- it was just this: I saved a 2452K file to my hard drive labeled "TWS--FINAL."

78 pages that I wouldn't want to repeat... but it's done.

With a little formatting and a lot of sleep, I will be ready to turn it in.

So friends, family, and anyone else--treat yourself and party it up, for it's certainly a time to celebrate!


picture:
http://www.frenchtoastgirl.com/weblog/2005_10_01_archive.shtml