how i spent my president's day

yep...in the pilot's seat over chicago!!

new year...new things encountered

working with K-6th graders is definitely a change from working with jr hi kids. but i love it. especially since i get pictures like these! can you guess the theme?

things encountered...

i love 8th graders.

Mo: So...if you were to jump would you fall off the moon?
I replied with a short discussion on gravity
Mo: But isn't the moon flat?
Me: No, its a sphere
Mo: Phew, That's good. Wow I totally thought it was flat.

marathon!

10.10.10 here i come!!!

uncle jon's music party!

I tried my hand at making a video for a friend's music store's hot dog party! good times!

muse and silversun pickups

went to the muse and silversun show last night...AWESOME!! i do have to say that there is a bit of funny irony connected to my love of muse. back in college, rox and the other habitat crew went to the incubus/red hot chili peppers show at assembly hall. i had the opportunity to go, but was pretty much RHCP/incubused out thanks to working at the radio station. i didn't know them at the time, but apparently muse opened. working at the concession stand rox noticed that the guys from muse were sitting out in the concourse signing autographs, but no one was really there. so she went up to them and got a poster signed.

thanks to my love all things english/irish accented and music, rox gave me the poster and i put it up on my wall even though i really didn't have a clue who muse was. when we moved out, i was taking down my posters and the signed muse poster started to rip, so i just tore it off the wall, not really giving it much thought...one of those it was cool to have it but didn't really need it anymore.

flash forward several years to me working at the music store. one of the guys put on muse and i fall in love. i order their old stuff from amazon and the realization hits. i had the freakin poster. signed. and i threw it away.

so at the show last night, i again did a small kick of myself for throwing away the poster. but holy cow the show was awesome.




oh AND we got to meet the lead singer of silversun pickups. as they were playing i was telling tot and matt and jen that they are great to run to. after their set, the lead singer was walking through the floor crowd (where we were). so i go up to him and start talking with him about how i love to run to their stuff. he said that he had just started running and that a) he hated it even through his fiance was a NY marathoner and b) he's listened to their stuff whilst running cause he's had to get ready for the "the royal we" video and agreed that it really was good running music. good stuff :)

things encountered pt III

So as a SPED teacher I try (try being the operative word) to do pseudo-regular backpack/binder/locker clean outs/organization with my homeroom kids or kids that are helplessly disorganized. Today was one of those days:

As I had my homeroom head out to their lockers
Jason: Man, I feel like we're in jail!

While cleaning out the lockers
Frank: I like my mess!

Isaac: Why do we have to do this?
And about 2min later when he found a long lost cell phone
Isaac: I kinda wanna thank you for having us do this.

slacker.

that's me!

5k fun!

so last november i decided that if i can sit on my bum for a half hour and watch tv, i can get outside and run. so i found a pretty rockin running plan (couch to 5k) and went with it. now most people don't think that running in the middle of winter is fun, but i apparently do and officially started my way back to being the runner chic i once was during the first snow of the season. since then, i have graduated myself from the couch to 5k plan to training for my first half marathon. go me!

i've run 2 5ks so far this summer and hope to add a few more before its all said and done.





6.7.09 - commit to be fit 5k 97th overall (4th in age group) 29:43.2

7.23.09 - terrapin 5k 903rd overall (of 1693) 27:59

things encountered pt. 2

8th graders at the beginning of Science
Frank: Ms G, can I go to the bathroom?
Ms. G: Frank, if you didn't spend the entire passing period talking to girls you'd have plenty of time to go to the bathroom
Jan: But, some girls are pretty!

During ISATs as I'm testing an 8th grader 1:1
Me: Hey Peter, guess what?
Peter: Chicken butt?
Me laughing: Uh, no...but good guess.
Peter: What?
Me: You're more than halfway done with this test.
Peter: Oh yay!

henna party

my cousin is getting married today, and since her finance is indian, she is partaking in many of the indian wedding traditions.


one being mehendi

she invited the wedding party, family, and friends to a henna party so we could all get painted too

my henna...before and after
































cousins!!

memories of late summer

from my trip to springfield with matt

things encountered along the way

There's a reason I love going to work everyday...the kids. Over the past year or so I've been collecting my favorite quotes from school.

Trying to figure out why a 6th grader was so glum
Me: Talk to me goose, what's up?
John: ...
Me: Did you have a bad day? Did other kids bother you? Getting bothered by a two headed monster in the bathroom?
John (with a smile): I think I failed a test and I'm hungry.
Me: Oh that we can fix.

While working with a group of 8^th graders
Mike: Crap dude! I’m like the world’s best cheater and I just couldn’t do it!

During reading, talking about President's Day in a 2nd grade class Caroline to the class teacher: Can you guess who is the president now? Another student: Its George Bush Rylan, to me: He canceled 5 days of snacks. We shouldn't vote for him again.

Whilst walking in the hall with a 7th grader Chris: Hey Ms. Z--did you shrink over break? Me: No. I think you grew. Chris: No seriously, I think you shrunk. Me: No seriously, I think you grew! In a 1st grade class Kailey to the rest of the class about me in the room: She's my friend Me: Yeah, we go way back to the playground Everyone got a kick outta that one In kindergarten Antonio: Ms. Z, can you tie my shoes? Me: Sure Antonio, they just don't want to stay tied do they? Antonio: Yeah, shoes are sneaky After a crazy 5th grade math class...and without prompting Taylor: Ms. Z, I'm sorry I was so out of control. Me: Taylor, it is totally OK.

thanksgiving on the farm

some pictures from thanksgiving down in arkansas!

heehee halloween

i had fun on halloween :)

yay for real jobs

for the first time in my entire working career, i don't have to work on the weekends. i can't tell you how much i enjoy this. i had been thinking that i would hold on to my job at the premium, but i am soo soo glad that i didn't. this summer was insane and i don't think that i could keep working there even if i didn't get the job at school.

i do thank the place for getting me through school and leading me to matt. but yeah, i'm done and i'm not looking back!!

there's a first for everything

after reading so many of my friends' blog posts, i got a lil jealous. :) time for me to try my hand at the blogging.


... so here goes nothing!