March 28, 2008
buyer's remorse?
I bought this with a bit of extra money I had and as a prize for surviving the last 5 weeks as a temp teacher for a history course.
It doesn't fit the way I hoped it would, I still really like it but am a bit puzzled about what to do with it? It's in my room right now and that's where it will live. Maybe when Morgan get's here in just 11 short days she can help me figure it out.
It's funny how one piece of furniture has the power to throw off the whole feel of a room. I think when I saw it last week I don't remember it being so large. It was smaller in my mind.
March 25, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Today is Flannery O'Connor's birthday. She was born in 1925 and died in 1964 at the young age of 39. She was a great southern author. If you haven't read any of her work I highly recommend it. I wrote my first big paper in High School on her writing. It was titled, "A Freak, it takes one to know one". It was primarily about her story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find."
Start Writing the Eulogies for Print Encyclopedias
This NY Times article came in a Library ListServ I'm on. Times are a changing folks!
15 days!
15 days, and my BFF Morgan will be arriving at ATL airport, she'll take the Marta to the end of the orange line and I'll pick her up in my little Altima! Oh goodness I am so excited for this lovely visit. I can't wait to share my little world of Northeast GA with her. It's been a long time since I've seen my sisterfriend! I last saw her in July in Alaska, where she and her new Hubby were working for the summer/fall season. 15 days and counting!!
Fuller and Aunt Stina
I went back and forth all week trying to decide what I would do for the long Easter weekend. I finally decided late Thursday afternoon that I would indeed head over to Chattanooga for Easter. I left early afternoon on Saturday and came home yesterday evening. It was delightful! I always enjoy spending time with my sister Alicia and her family. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how much Fuller is talking now. It is so fun to hear all the thought that come out of his little brain! What a sweetie pie. I especially love that he thinks his bathroom is an elevator. What an imagination! It clearly makes sense that a little boy with a vivid imagination would think his bathroom with pocket door, that's long and narrow and has "buttons" in the correct place would declare it an elevator!
The other funny thing he did on Sunday night was to insist that when it was his bed time that it was also time for Aunt Stina to go to bed (when I've visited lately I take my air mattress and sleep on his floor). I eventually convinced him that I would eventually go to bed and I'd be there in the morning. But alas! when it was time for me to go to bed Fuller was still awake and stayed awake until well after 11pm! We suspect the little guy had a few too many sugary treats! :)
March 18, 2008
March 17, 2008
it was lovely!
I had a blast with my sister Sarah Ginny & niece Genevieve this weekend. It went by way too quickly! I'm so glad my sister could catch a glimpse of life here in my new stomping grounds!!
I dropped them off at the Atlanta Airport at 6:20am this morning. Sarah called a few minutes ago to report that she and Genevieve arrived safe and sound in Florida and that Genevieve squealed when she saw her daddy. How cute?!
Okay time to get ready for work!
nothing like having Auburn Elvis as your Uncle!
This picture is seriously hilarious!!! The expression on Genevieve's face is priceless!
March 11, 2008
Literacy in Georgia
Wow! I must say that this is both shocking and saddening!
A third of our children come to
school unprepared to learn.
Approximately 61% of low-income
families do not have a single
piece of reading material
suitable for a child.
41% of Georgia's 4th graders do
not read at grade level.
1 in 5 of our children lives in poverty
Several States plan how many jail cells
they will build in the future by how many
children are not reading on grade level
by 3rd & 4th grade.
Georgia scored 46th on SATs in 2006.
Nearly 40% of Georgia's students do
not graduate from high school (we rank
49th or 50th nationally in drop outs)
One in four adults in Georgia
operates at a low literacy level.
People in the U.S. who are illiterate
represent 75% of the unemployed,
33% of mothers receiving aid, 85%
of juveniles who appear in court
and 60% of prison inmates.
Georgia spends $170 million a
year on remedial education.
Economic studies show that investments
in quality child care and education
for children in their preschool years
provide a return of up to 20%.
Learn more about the Ferst Foundation.
As a Librarian I am more now that ever compelled to take some kind of action on this issue!
March 8, 2008
Garlicky Pork & Udon Bowl
Last night, I had a little dinner party, with friends from church, Pat & her daughter Violet drove north on 29 to join me for dinner and the Spring musical at the college.
We feasted on the following. It was so good I think I might make it again this week.
Garlicky Pork & Udon Bowl
serves 4
Ingredients
1/4lb udon (or whole wheat spaghetti or linguine)
1 32oz carton reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2lb bok choy, coarsely chopped
1/2lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and thinly sliced
2T reduced sodium soy sauce
1T minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Directions
1. Cook the udon according to package directions
2. Meanwhile, combine the broth, bok choy, pork, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a large saucepan; bring just to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook until the pork is cooked through and the bok choy is tender, about 10 minutes. (I seared the pork slices ahead of time so they would have a little color).
3. Stir in the udon an serve at once.
This is from my newest Weight Watchers cookbook, "Shortcuts--130 Almost-from -Scratch Recipes".
4 points. If you use whole wheat pasta it becomes a core plan meal and reduces the points value by 1 point.
Yummy! And my new little friend Violet who is 9 loved it! She even ate the bok choy.
March 4, 2008
a big day today...
Today I give my very first lecture in Latin American History. We will discuss the issues of nation building in the post-colonial era. I will also give a brief lecture on the Mexican Revolution. This will be an interesting activity for me. I'm super nervous, but I must admit the nervousness has shift from scared to excited. Studying the text and thinking of points for group discussion is reminding me how much I really LOVE studying history.
For good measure I will include current events from the Latin American region during each class period. Today we will look at the conflict between Ecuador/Venezuela and Colombia and effects of climate change on the potato crop in Peru.
And did you know that between 1822-1855 Mexico had 25 presidents and heads of states. My goodness we could spend an entire class period discussing the ramifications of such instability on a nation in its infancy.
The crazy thing about all of this is that I will do it all over again for Thursdays class. Such is the life of a mid-semester start up instructor.