quick notes

4 more days. Then I have Friday without students and a whole week to myself. Amazing!
Right now, we are watching Babel. I'm not sure if I'm enjoying it or just watching it to say I finally saw it.
I found out today that one of my students is pregnant. It was really surprising, but I'm pretty certain she'll be okay. She's incredibly intelligent, strong, kind, etc. I bet she will be a fantastic mother. I was really surprised she told me, but also flattered. It's nice when kids trust you enough to let you in on what's going on with them. They don't need to, it's not a requirement, so it's always flattering when a student shares something that's a part of their life outside of school.
I've been entertaining the idea of getting a fancy phone, like the t-mobile sidekick. I have no idea why, the idea just kinda popped in my head and stuck. David suggested saving up for it (it'd be about $200), but it's just a passing fancy, really. I don't need it, it's just something that seems cool. I probably wouldn't use it that much anyway.
Megan comes for the summer on May 10th. That's 41 days away. I'm excited. She's already got an interview set up (they called her about 30 minutes after I turned in her application she left here!), which is why Virginia is awesome. I've been thinking about getting a part time job. I'd probably apply at Barnes & Noble so I could get a discount on books or Plan 9 so I could finally work in a music store (cross that off the list of things to do before I die! haha) and fulfill my Empire Records dreams. It'd be useful to have some extra money to either pay off debt or save up for our next move. It'd also give me something to do and a chance at meeting some WMBG folk.
Warm weather makes me miss Michigan, things I used to do once it warmed up again and people that I knew there. I miss Natalie, Katy, Krista, Amanda, Chris, Cherie... the list goes on. I just saw Amanda, but it felt so quick! I like VA, but this week I've been really nostalgic for some reason. I've missed knowing every crack in the sidewalk on my walks, having somewhere to walk to even, having a coffeeshop to go and hang out in, having people to just sit around with. Maybe some day...

caesar, rest now. i killed you not so eagerly as i killed myself...

It's spring here. It was 80 degrees yesterday, 70 degrees the day before, kids were itchin' to get outside and teachers were itchin' to get home. I'm enjoying having the windows open and a bike almost ready to ride (there's a slight problem with the left brake line).
This whole week I've been getting the discs for Veronica Mars Season 1. I got hooked on this show cause it comes on after Gilmore Girls, but I hadn't watched any episode before Season 3. So, I put 'em on my Netflix. It's actually really good and even David got into it a little bit. I always though it was more for teenagers, but she makes a lot of references like GG does and it's almost noir-like (similar to the movie Brick, which I loved, but not as noir as that...). I've enjoyed that as well as finally finishing the reading of Julius Caesar. Amazingly, I think 80-90% of the kids liked it (but we are all glad to get a break on reading Shakespeare). We had some fun times with that play. I think they enjoyed my silly reenactments and paraphrasing. We had a few moments of "Friends? I think not! More like lovers!" where a few male students were all, "Um, I'm sorry... were Brutus and Cassius... y'know? No homo, guys. No homo, I'm just wondering" that caused laughter and discussion. Oh, and they loved Act V, where everyone kills themself (or has their servant hold a sword to run on to). As we were reading, a few heads snapped up as the actor is dying (very corny) on the tape with a "WHAT?! DID THEY JUST KILL THEMSELF, TOO?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE DUDES?!". I loved it-- at least I knew they were paying attention. Now, we watch the movie, they finish projects & do presentations on them, review like crazy & take a test on it, and (in 9 school days--since we're all counting down), spring break comes our way. I've been staying after Tuesday-Thursday to try and get some kids to finish up work they've missed (there's been some illnesses going around and a rash of suspensions because we've been in school for weeks straight) and also start them on their projects and (next week) studying for their test. I've noticed a lot more drive in them recently, I don't know if it's because it's the second semester, what we're doing in class, the weather, or the fact that I've been able to stay after school more to help them, but it's nice.
Besides watching Veronica Mars, finishing Julius Caesar and so on, I read and finished Into Thin Air. It was great! Mount Everest & the people who climb (or try to) it are incredibly fanscinating to me. Now I'm reading The Mother Tongue. I finally went to WBG's library--it's really, really nice. It almost feels like a cottage in there 'cause it's got the same type of look, windows and a loft! I've also been trying to finish up #2 of The Alison Transmission (my zine). I've been kinda tired recently, so I haven't been very motivated beyond watching DVDs and reading the books I got from the library. I need to start getting ready to teach a unit on a research paper (very new for me), but I'm gonna use spring break to get that done. I've worked my butt off keeping ahead for this Caesar/Shakespeare unit and now I'm tired and counting down the days to a break. I have no clue what I'm gonna do for spring break. My originial plans were scrapped due to lack of funds. Ah well.

two suggestions

In the past two days, I've seen two great movies that you should check out as well:
Invisible Children: about the child abductions, brainwashing and rebel army (the LRA) in Uganda. If you enjoy it, make sure to spread the word. There is a group of students at GHS (my school) who are raising money to support a school for the children who haven't been abducted yet and those that escaped and survived. They're part of a cluster site with schools from the area and schools in other states that are supporting this school. If you're interested in donating money, you can either check out their website: Invisiblechildren.com or talk to me and I can get it to the group at my HS.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated: about the MPAA and film ratings. Very interesting. I really liked how they pointed out that violence, sexual violence and straight sex (within certain boundaries) were seen as less offensive than consensual sex acts, female orgasms and gay/lesbian sex. Oh, I especially enjoyed the idea violence that is totally fake and shows no blood or real consequences to violent actions is less offensive than orgasms. I find that to be completely ridiculous. Way to teach your children a lesson! There's no way they'll ever do anything wrong or sinful now! Anyway, the guy that made this film has a lot of guts and he exposes a lot of the secrecy behind the ratings system.

The past few days have been 70-80 degrees. Today it's been around 45-50 and rain, rain, rain. It kinda sucks. The students were cranky and restless and we all had headaches and allergies. I guess that's better than the Virginia Plague that seemed to be going around for a solid month there, causing upset stomachs and general weakness everywhere.

we had some guests!

We had some visitors! Last Saturday, we went to D.C. to pick up Amanda, Megan and Michael. There was some drama involving delayed planes and luggage and two teenagers (?) fitting the description of "gothy emo kids" amazingly well making out in the Holocaust Museum, but it was amazing to actually see the inside of D.C. Megan and I had never been, so it was nice to have a small first look. (We'll probably go back this summer.)
We ended up going to the Holocaust Museum only, but it was AMAZING. We got there 2 hours (maybe less?) before it closed. It's 4 floors of STUFF. Amazingly well put together stuff. Some of it we already knew, some of it we had never seen or didn't know much about. It is possibly the best museum I've ever been in. It was a little crowded because it was at the end of the day, so they were letting people go through without staggering groups. We had to rush through the last part of it cause they were closing up, but it was well worth it.
On Sunday, we took them around Colonial Williamsburg, W&M's campus, etc. etc. It was kinda chilly out and since it's the off-season for tourists, there wasn't a whole heck of a lot goin' on in CW. Oh well. We figured they would come back another time, when it was warmer and CW is bustling with people and lots of stuff to stare at. Plus, we were cheap and didn't want to pay $30+ for a ticket during the crappy part of the year to see CW. This means we couldn't get into buildings and such. Amanda left on her train later on Sunday. It was a quick visit, but it was sooo nice to see her.
This past week, Megan and Michael went shopping, hitting up every place known to Hampton Roads for good clothes. Well... just about. They went to the Outlet Mall in WBG, New Town, and we took them to the Macarthur Center in Norfolk, where H&M quickly drained the rest of their money. Meg picked up a few applications for summer jobs. Oh! and we finally tried fondue! We went to the same place David and I went to for some hocho (haha) a while ago, Coco chocolatier. They offer chocolate fondue in the evenings and Meg and I have had a strange obsession (much like our one with the moose) with fondue, so we went! It was pretty delicious. We got a milk chocolate one and a dark chocolate with chambord one. They gave a nice selection of things to dip. We also had hot apple cider, which I probably should have skipped. Too much sugar for my poor stomach. I had a big stomach ache from all the sweetness (happens to me every time!) but it was well worth it. Michael bought some really amazing truffles. He gave me a rum ball one, which was amazing. The most amazing one was this passion fruit one. It had a really fantastic flavor that, as we were putting it, explodes (or was it bursts?) in your mouth.
Anyway, they also came to school with me one day. My kids were very interested and a few of them were like "OMG! MRS. P'S SISTER!!!" I do talk about Megan a lot and was all "My sister's coming!! Ahhh!" They were very nice to them and a few of them actually said we looked alike! This is a new thing for us. They promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home. It was funny and my students called them wussies. Mike actually fell asleep on the love seat (not the largest space to fall asleep) that we have in the computer room while I read the zines I ordered from Microcosm and Meg played the Sims. We took some pictures of him because the air mattress was propped up on the top of the loveseat and he was curled underneath it. He slept from about 6:30 onward, sort of waking up to take a call from Scott (but he apparently remembers nothing of that, haha). Amazing.
Last night, David and I went to see 300. It is amazing! I really loved the style of the movie and I thought it was very well done & put together. Then again, I'm kind of a sucker for Ancient Greek/Roman tales (no matter how much liberty the writer took with the "true" tale) and the style of Sin City (which I thought was pretty similar to this & that would make sense cause they're from the same guy). I can't believe people are taking it really seriously and complaining about historical problems and supposed right-wing justifications for war and racism. Get over it! It's a graphic novel! And now a movie! Just enjoy it! I thought there were both right and left-wing arguments about war, but I don't know if they were intentional, nor do I care. As for the historical inaccuracies... a-duh. Racism and sexism is abundant in all movies and TV shows--it depends upon the viewer to absorb it and believe it (and if they're believing all stuff they see on TV and in movies... they need some help). Some people take things far too seriously. If your child is going to be changed by a movie, they are watching too much on television and in movies and not spending enough time with people, doing things and learning from them. Enough with the rant. It was really amazing and I'm glad we chose to see that over Zodiac. I want to see that one, too, but it would probably be just as good looking on our little television set than on the big screen. The same probably couldn't be said for 300.
It's strange now to not have Meg and Mike here. I miss them. It was a lot of fun coming home and seeing Meg on the couch. I'm really looking forward to her coming back for the summer now.