Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Days of Old

Today's a full day of homework again, part of which involves writing a lesson about poetry. While this has nothing to do with my actual homework, it's one of my favorite poems, and I thought I'd share.  It's an alphabet poem, so each line has to start with the letter of the alphabet and each successive line adds another word as it moves through the alphabet. So while the first line, A, has one word, the lasting line, starting with Z, has 26 words. It's a fun type of poetry.



The Days of Old

A
Big trolley
Coming clickety clackety
Down the tracks, picking
Everyone up and taking them
For a quick ride to the
Greatest place on earth, a small, quiet
Haven where time is simpler and less complicated.
I step off the trolley, my skirts swishing gently,
Just ready to start the day. Carrying water for the
Kitchens, so we have cold water to drink and a yummy
Lunch to look forward to, cooked carefully over an open fire. Once
My chores are done, it’s off to the barn working the lathe, making
New chair legs with spirals and grooves, demonstrating the craft that Ron, my dear
Old friend, taught me. Kids come and turn the wheel, going fast and showing off,
Pulling the handle towards them, then pushing it away until their arms tire, and they stop
Quietly admitting defeat and allowing the next in line their turn. Once my power stops, I sit
Resting in the shade of the barn, drinking iced tea and talking to Ron, until kids line up,
Sweetly asking me to help them make rope. I thread the rope through and hold the end while
they
Turn the handle and watch their very own jump rope being made. When it’s tight, I cut the
rope, tie
Up loose ends and give it to the beaming child before moving on to the next child, the bright
sun shining
Very warm on my face and an unexplainable feeling of pride in my heart. After supper and
when the sky grows dark
We all gather around the fire in front of the cabin, sitting on rough wooden benches or on the
cool ground, under the
Xanthic leaves and listening to the sounds of dulcimers, fiddles, guitars and spoons making
music. Sometimes, they play fast songs, getting the teenagers dancing,
Yelling, laughing and having a wonderful time, till we all collapse on the ground and hear
ballads of a soldier, amazed at how the day
Zipped by and how we never want this moment to end, surrounded by our friends, and
untouched by the world we know, basking in the moment.


Love to all my family at Threshers - I miss you!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Friday Files

One of my friends over at The Neesby Lookbook started something a few weeks ago she calls the The Friday Files. She reserves these posts to talk about some of the more {real} things in life, things that aren't always perfect or funny or interesting, but that are still part of ordinary life.

SO

In order to help celebrate the ordinary in my life, I thought I'd give it a try.

{+} This morning, I received a wonderful email letting me know I had nine, NINE library books overdue, and as a result accrued a $27 fine. Not only do I feel like the university is bleeding my almost empty account completely dry, but somewhere along the lines my renewal of said books didn't go through (even though the other 6 books checked out at the same time and RENEWED at the same time were not overdue)

{UPDATE: Got an email from the library - turns out they're having trouble with their new software, and my books AREN'T overdue! Hello $27, I'm so glad you're still around!} 

{+} The constant state of disarray my room is always in. It's embarrassing to have friends drop by, and all I do ask I talk to them as I pick up and put away random things. One of my friends had to grab my hands and say "just stop cleaning up Erin. You're like my mother." Appealing, no? 

{+} My bank account depresses me every time I check it. As much as I love college, moments where said account is only in double digits scares me and makes me want to run out and apply for eighteen more jobs. Then I remember I have no time to work a third (or even forth!) job, so I think about which bank I would be most successful in robbing. Then I regret wanting to grow up, and instead want to crawl back home and let my Mommy make me pancakes and read me stories. Growing up can be difficult.

{+} My Weekend To-Do list - I'm not even sure I can accomplish everything on this list within the 48 hours the weekend offers me. I'm going to try, that's for sure. Especially everything in yellow, that has to be turned in next week BEFORE I leave on Wednesday morning. YeeGads GollyGeeWiz.

{+} I used my computer's webcam to take the above picture. Another downside of being without a camera and a poor college student. Someday, I will buy a replacement camera. And I hope whoever has my camera is enjoying the large memory card, amazing zoom, spectacular Western US Vacation pictures, and a guilty conscience for not returning it to the address on the bottom of the camera. 

{+} The design on my blog - yes, it is from a template. Yes, it's driving me nuts. Yes, I'm planning a redesign. But, instead of working on redesigning my blog, I have to design and code a website for class. At least I'll have all my programming down by the time Christmas Break rolls around.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Awkward and Awesome

Can I hear a hip hip HOORAY for Thursday? 

HIP HIP HOORAY!

And since today is Thursday, that means it's time for another installment of awkward and awesome moments!

Let's kick off this week with an awkward, yet awesome photo that my sister took a couple years ago

                                           Awkward - my face      Awesome - Lena's earmuffs

Awkward
- coming out of the bathroom to find someone waiting for my stall, when there was another completely good stall open.
- knowing when someone's presentation is not going well, and having to sit through the rest of  it anyway
- thinking I'm the only one at home, only to hear someone cough in the next room. {Sorry, hope you don't mind my singing....}
- checking my bank account online {the true meaning of a poor college student}
- whenever someone comes into the computer lab and stands behind me, right in my blind spot {Do I really want to print in this lab? Are there imaginary people in all the computer chairs? Do I really want to be here?}
- The movie Drive. Full of awkward moments. Not sure why I even kept watching the whole thing.
- Alex and his "little spoon" statement in class today - awkward, yet awesome

Awesome
- The fact that it's almost Friday
- My Thanksgiving Break begins in 6 days!
- The fact that I get to go home on my Dad's Birthday, and help him celebrate
- My wonderful letter from Miss Hannah Porth, which was not only a ray of sunshine on a gloomy day, but full of fun little stories and laughter
- Potato Soup on a rainy day - DeLiciouS!
- Having my Wednesday morning session cancel = 2 more hours of sleep time!

One of the blessings about having jam packed days Monday through Thursday is the amazing freedom I get on Fridays. Now that tutoring at AHS is over, I am looking forward to sleeping in for several hours. Maybe I'll finally be able to knock out my cold. Then, I've got the entire weekend to be productive and get a long list of homework done. Who knows, maybe Saturday afternoon will be spent reading and drinking coffee at Panera. Mmmm Hazelnut coffee!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

6 Word Memoirs


Part of the stress from this semester comes from writing a three week unit plan. I'm in the middle of writing my unit on poetry for a seventh grade classroom. It's been an interesting experience thus far, especially when I take my observations from a seventh grade classroom and use them to help shape some of my lessons.

What's nice about writing these units (in addition the practice it gives) is that everyone else in class is also writing a unit, each with a different topic and theme. Today we starting our presentations, where everyone takes a 20 minute activity from their lesson and teaches the class.

One of my classmates is writing a 3 week unit plan on Memoirs, and in her presentation today had us begin writing our own memoirs. The only catch - our memoirs had to be six words.

That's a lot of information to fit into six words. However, some people have done so gracefully and thoughtfully, such as Ernest Hemingway.

For Sale:
Baby Shoes,
Never Worn
Six simple words that packs quite a punch. Take a look at some other examples:

Been there, done that, loved it
- Sid Singh

Happy now that I know myself
- Anne Maiwald


Traversing Earth together, 
chasing elusive answers.
- Paul Barber

Or this one, one that's particularly relevant to writers (and one that I really like)

Live, then write; Live again, repeat.
- Lauren Gonzalez

So with all these memoirs floating around, I'd like to share some of my own. Mind you, these are from 10 minutes in class, but I'd like to spend some more time writing.

Past I am, 
Present I become

What are we?
Teachers, 
Some Day.

I'm always waiting, 
watching for
ONE

One book, 
blank pages,
still writing.
What six word memoirs can you create? Try writing one about your entire life, a specific event, memory, or age, anything you want!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

Happy Thursday! The sun is shining, the air smells of fall, and tomorrow is Friday! Here's my Awkward and Awesome moments from this week.

Awkward
- scrunching my hair in the car while sitting at a stop light, and getting funny looks from the guy in the car next to me (You think I look this good effortlessly? HA!)
- The point in a conversation where silence is not comfortable or welcome. (Um....someone say something...)
- Messing up on a couple question while helping one of my tutees (Yes....I'm wrong, you're right. Will you be my tutor now?)
- Creeping into the neighbors apartment in order to leave my steak in their fridge
- Getting ready to jump in the shower, only to find the bathroom occupied....for half an hour.
- Going home to surprise my dad, and having to wait for him for 4 hours past the planned surprise. (Tt was awesome when I found him though!) 

Awesome
- The giveaway sponsored by the LOVELY Miss Neesby at The Neesby Lookbook (If you haven't seen her blog before, check it out! She's blogging about life as a newlywed, her first home, China, and a bunch of other fun things!)
- My Halloween weekend at home, complete with surprising my dad, a bonfire, family movie night, Fireman's Pancake Breakfast, touring a new house, NCYC meeting, coffee with Mom, shopping with Emily and an extra night!
- The e-mail I just got from Papa Ron, signed 'I love you more than all the steel in the Golden Gate Bridge." He knew I needed a pick-me up this afternoon.
- How warm my room is now that the heat is on! It's almost a sauna!
- Thursdays in general! (Hello swing dancing, and weekend!)
- Only 2 weeks until NCYC (and THANKSGIVING BREAK! Can I hear an AMEN?!)
- Steak Night. And Pie. SO glad the boys brought this little tradition back. Even if Greve did burn my steak a little.
- Sleeping in on a Wednesday morning for the first time all semester. Heav.en.ly!

What's been awkward or awesome in your life this week?

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Thanks to all my friends that confirmed I am, indeed, the author of this blog.

I'm just testing to see if the syndication works and if my feed link is right.

Bear with me - and cross your fingers!