It's my birthday...I can cry if I want to

So I have received some of the most amazing birthday gifts this year for my "House of Representatives"/score + 5/quarter of a century birthday and I thought I would share them with you: Well wishes from many (Thank you/danke!), the flowers (pictured above) from James, four pounds of Yummy Earth candy (...that's right folks, I did say four pounds!), Rustler's Rhapsody, a new president that I am very excited about (Ok, so this is not really a birthday present, but I'm counting it as one...), and WWI propaganda posters (Thanks Mom and Dad). While it was a rather eclectic assortment, all were wonderful and really made my day. Some even made me cry...but in a good way which I truly needed the last couple of days. So again, many thanks!

Election Day!

So I must say that I am extremely excited about this year's election. I've held off blogging about it, but I figure the last 24 hours is fair game. James and I have certainly had some interesting conversations during the last 20+ months, we've enjoyed the debates, interviews, and yes...SNL sketches. It was interesting to find out that we have similar views on politics, since we never really discussed the topic while dating through all eight Bush years. Though we agree on many issues this election, I certainly think I'm a bit more rational in my arguments either for or against a candidate, but don't we all? We've also learned a couple of lessons this political season. For instance, we've found that politics is not such a great conversation starter with family and friends as our views do not necessarily coincide with theirs (for shame!), politics do not make for great "pillow talk," and watching debates together may not be the best strategy as at least one of us tends to act like my father during sporting events. (While every rational person knows that sports teams can't hear you through the TV, I'm convinced candidates can).

If you're waiting for an official endorsement of one candidate over the other you won't find one here. I'll be practicing my progressive era election reform of the secret ballot. However, I certainly hope that you've made up your minds and have done your civic duty and right of voting (either absentee or in person tomorrow!). I'm certainly looking forward to tomorrow and sitting back to enjoy the coverage tomorrow evening. Enjoy the last 24 hours!

Happy Halloween!

October has been an extremely busy month, but one that was well worth the effort to keep up with the fast pace. Here's the highlight reel. First of all, grades for the first cycle of school were due. And no, my students did not suddenly wake up from their apathetic comas the last couple of weeks to pass in large numbers as I had hoped. We also had a blessed fall break, which was just what I needed. James and I spent some of it lounging around, attending doctors' appointments, watching a couple of recorded SNLs that we had missed, visiting with family, and attending a good friend's bachelorette party (sans James of course!). Later in the month, we spent some time making sourdough bread that is never tangy enough, freezing pomegranate seeds, and carving our pumpkin. Hopefully you all had a wonderful October and were able to sit back and enjoy the highlights as well!

The Great Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend James and I took a little time for ourselves. We enjoyed a couple of fun activities including taking the train from the Indiana Museum of Transportation to a pumpkin patch with Tyler and Lyndsi, eating at Bonge's Tavern, and attending a wedding for two of our high school friends. With the first cycle of school coming to a close, it is becoming increasingly hard to find time for ourselves but we really enjoyed this last weekend. The train ride was relatively short and a lot of little kids seemed to enjoy it. The pumpkin patch was supported by a local FFA chapter and had a lot of nice looking pumpkins although there were numerous train rides before ours. After that we enjoyed a great dinner at Bonge's Tavern. It truly was on of the best dinners we've had at a restaurant in a long time! Also, the wedding was very low key and very fitting for our friends. It was a great weekend and we're hoping to carve our pumpkins in the near future, and trying out a couple of new pumpkin seed and soup recipes.

Happy Harvest!

Type A vs. Type B

So this week at school, I got my yearly (or rather quarterly) lecture from my department about how I "stress too much about the little stuff" and how there is only so much I can control (also known as the "circle of control" talk). It turns out that I am apparently the Queen Bee of Type A personalities while my department is awash with Type B personalities. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with wanting things in their place, having detailed records (which have gotten me out of messy situations before), wanting to do my best, and being slightly annoyed when I plan for situations and the administration goes and changes them without telling us. While I realize that this may come across as being "wound too tight," "one thing away from a heart attack," or being a "witch," I'm just being me. Its not that I can't relax, its just that I have over 100 students that I am in charge of and I need to bring my "A Game" every day. I figure the time to mellow out is at home, where I can let down my hair (so to speak), wear pajama pants, and listen to NPR while trying out a new recipe or two.

While I was expecting to get this talk at some point during the cycle it was quite annoying to get it this week as I feel like I've done a much better job of balancing life, work, and James this school year. So I went home to talk with James, who interestingly enough is a poster child for the Type B men of the world. And to be honest with you, just talking to him made me relax. He listens, hugs me, and we go on with our evening. So while I may come across as the Type A monster at school, I've decided that's just my work persona and if that's what gets me through a day of mostly apathetic student complaints, then so be it!

If you're interested to find out which type you are try the following website:
http://discoveryhealth.queendom.com/type_a_personality_access.html

Weekend Update - Photo Montage Style

Over the last couple of weeks things have been hopping around our duplex. I've headed back to school and started thinking about writing a proposal my first grant (though it is exceptionally small and the process doesn't seem too intimidating). In between lesson plans, grading, and complaining about the lack of academic ability of my students (or rather their level of laziness), James and I found time to make a homemade sour-dough pizza (with homemade sauce) and try a "spiky melon."

We had a VERY tired visitor from the other side of town come to visit and do some laundry...though it seemed like she was mostly interested in our couch.

We went to the Minnetrista farmers market, which I had been looking forward to for quite sometime. However, sleeping seemed more import for the first couple of weeks of school. James and I purchased this beautiful mum and the gourds by the orange candle in the next shot. Its starting to feel a bit more like fall in Indiana and so our duplex is now starting to look a bit more "autumnish."


And for the most exciting thing that has happened over the last couple of weekends...we locked ourselves out of the duplex on the way to get Chinese take-out and had to call a locksmith. Not only had we locked ourselves out, we locked all of our current ID in the duplex as well! So we had a bit of sticky situation, but fortunately the locksmith believed us and we were able to get back in (at the lovely cost of $45). The picture below shows what we found when we got in to find our keys.

They were right where we left them!

Beginning of year three

It turns out that no matter how hard you try to put off the inevitable, it always happens anyway. And so it is with school. I have to admit that during the summer there were times when I was ready to go back to school, grade papers, make tests, and yes...even deal with students who declare that "history has nothing to do with my life, so I could care less about it." (I'm paraphrasing as there may be children reading this blog.) Looking back on those few (and far between) days, I'm thinking I should have been checked for signs of insanity or I must have been EXTREMELY bored.

However, the school year has started despite my reluctance to wake up at the break of dawn...or rather the pre-dawn. And yes, I am back in the thick of papers, test, discipline, and lesson planning. While I can't say that I'm super excited to wake up early and go to bed late due to working regular 14+ hour days or completing my various "teacher duties," I am excited about getting my students to realize that history does affect their lives and that its not as "horrible" as they believe it to be. It is exciting when the students remember information we've covered, and more so when they realize the connection it has with their lives. While its a little early to tell if my students for this year will be willing to work towards that goal, I certainly hope they will be.

I'll try to keep you all updated on how the year is progressing, so be prepared for various messages with varying emotions. You may hear a positive update today, but a negative one tomorrow. And so goes the profession of teaching...