attn: women

Did you know that your body is like a lollipop and if you have sex you're just a "poorly wrapped, saliva-fouled sucker." Please, click the link for some more LOLz like how HIV/AIDS is contracted through skin contact (that one's for you, mom) and condoms cause cancer. Good luck, everybody, you're all gonna die. It was nice knowing you.

In other news, I'm freaking cold. Today was crazy windy and the coldest temps we've had so far. Also, I'm counting down the hours until Friday at 2:05. As the week goes on, sugar levels and anxious jumping up and down in the seats increases, meaning this week is going to be the best EVER. I already had some fun students that pushed my buttons today. One was jacked up on all sorts of sugar and caffeine and one tugged on my shirt like a 5 year old for a good 5 minutes before I told her to leave me alone.
But, next time you see me, give me a high five because I finished grading the first wave of research papers before break. WTG, me!

stupid buttons

If you got a random email from me about StumbleUpon, ignore it. I thought I hit the "do not send to friends" button, but apparently, the choices weren't "do not send" and "do send", but instead "send!" and "SEND!!". I don't know how it happened, but it did. Ridiculous.

two more weeks.

Yes, only two more weeks of school, then I get my break. It's only a week and a day, but I'm looking forward to it and will try to enjoy every second of it.
I'm trying very hard to not let it get in the way of my teaching, though. That's easy to do. The kids are thinking of it, we're thinking of it... it's easy to get lazy. I'm not going to get lazy, though. Mostly because I don't want to clean up the mess after lazy teaching and I don't want to be left with a lot to do during vacation and after. I think we have to submit grades before the break anyway, which will help motivate me.
This past Friday after school, Tye and I went out browsing in one of the Norfolk malls, contributed to Toys for Tots "Stuff the Bus" (upped our good karma!), went out to dinner and went to see Granby's production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". It was so good! The kids did great, of course. The set was fantastic, it was hilarious and I didn't have one negative thing to say (besides something they couldn't control: how incredibly tired I was). I had a great time with Tye and I think we agreed we should do it again. Now I understand why so many teachers go out on Fridays--it's definitely better than going home and thinking about how tired you are and everything that could've gone better during the week!
I think getting closer to going back to Michigan has brought up a lot of things I don't want to think about. We're still transitioning between these two worlds of our past and our present, and going back brings up all this... stuff (yes, I know- very articulate, but there's really no other way of categorizing it). I find myself slightly nervous and anxious about going back, and that bleeds over when I think of everything here compared to there. Ugh. It's hard to explain. I think maybe it's a feeling that my nostalgia will always leave me feeling disappointed when I go back. Things will never be the same when I'm there and part of me won't accept that, which leads to a small spot of sadness and disappointment. Most of it is way too silly, over-dramatic and personal to bring up on this blog. It'll pass once the holiday season is over.
One thing I do like about this holiday season is that we're driving and not flying. Driving is cheaper, more environmentally friendly (surprisingly), and a whole lot less stressful! Plus, I've already gotten a lot of holiday shopping done. I have to just wait for it to show up on my doorstep, wrap it and/or put everything together. I keep thinking I have to do all that now, now, now! because I'm so used to doing everything closer to Christmas. This year, there's really no rush! Amazing. Why didn't I do this before?

he's that... thing.

A: "He's not the smartest crayon in the box."
D: "Don't you mean... sharpest crayon?"
A: "No, it's supposed to be brightest."

Drrrrr. Yes, this actually happened. We laughed like mad after we realized how incredibly silly it all was. With David's brain fried from school and mine fried from the A day (the day where I get 4 classes!), not only was it a ridiculous exchange, but also made it even more funny than normal.


BTW, it's cold. It was in the 30s this morning when I went to school. I know that near the end of summer I really wanted to be able to wear long sleeves and fall clothes. Now, I've been so used to being comfortable without having to put on a scarf and a jacket. I don't mind the cold too much, but I really hate the same thing I've always hated about winter: getting up in the morning (I don't want to leave the warm bed!), having to change clothes (but it's cold and these clothes are already warm!), and having to get out of the shower (it's freezing! and my wet hair will make me even colder!!).


Today, my 11th graders picked their independent novel. A lot of them jumped at the chance to read 1984 after I described the storyline, called it one of the few books I really enjoyed reading in high school, and one of the kids that's well respected in the class said "I'm reading it right now and it's AWESOME". Hopefully they enjoy it as much as I did.

gigantic snowflakes are the new black

We went to our first holiday party last night. The theme was ugly/tacky holiday sweaters. I found this gem:

I know, I know. Please try to hold back your feelings of jealousy and envy.
That thing was about 5 extra pounds of stretched out fabric and shoulder pads.
The get together was lots of fun. We exchanged white elephant gifts, feasted on delicious cookies and other treats, and enjoyed cranberry slush and hot apple cider. We managed to give away our "For Him Only" and "For Her Only" books. Hopefully Danielle and Geoff can find another couple to pass along those brilliant books to help save their marriage from the crazy, insecure women that always ruin relationships. Thank goodness for getting rid of those two books. We ended up getting a Christmas tree coat hanger? Stocking hanger? Whatever it is, I think we accidentally left it at the Kaufman's.

Today I finished up reading some research paper rough drafts, graded letters to the editor, put in grades, and had a brilliant idea of what to do with my 11th graders to help them finish off their sources and body paragraphs. It was very productive.
Then, I turned on some Christmas/Holiday music and dragged out all our Christmas decorations. Here is our mini-tree, filled to the brim with ornaments.

I also put up a garland across the entrance to the kitchen and some lights (the only strand left that works! How did that happen?) across the sliding door. Way to go, me! I am patting myself on the back as I type this.

Of course, once the tree is out, the cats have to investigate. Jackie was hiding behind the tree trying to act like she wasn't going to attack an ornament once my back was turned.

She was laying in the back, eyeing that moose. She never attacked it, but she did attack many of the smaller, rounder, easier to remove ornaments.

Silly kitty.

a different holiday season

I've always wanted to do something like this for my loved ones during the holidays. I hate going to malls and big stores looking through the generic gifts for something special and unique and ending up frustrated and settling for something that'll just work.
This year, I've decided to give gifts that fall into one or more of these categories: made by me, handmade by someone else or portions/all of the profit go to a charity.
I've tried to find a good bunch of websites to help me accomplish this goal.

These websites use your money to buy supplies for other people. Each offers gift cards that you can give others so they can choose what they would like to buy/fund for someone else.
Donorschoose.org. This website is simply amazing. Teachers post projects, equipment, books, etc. that they need for their classroom and you can help fund their projects. What a brilliant idea!
Oxfam America Unwrapped. Buying items and supplies for people around the world. This could include school uniforms, hygiene kits, school desks/chairs, livestock, books for kids, etc.
Habitat for Humanity. They tell you what the amount of money you donate will buy: nails, doors, sinks, floors, etc.
Heifer International. You help buy livestock and kits that teach people around the world learn skills to help pull them out of poverty.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Kiva.org. Your money helps fund loans for businesses starting out around the world.
Women for Women International. You sponsor a woman in war-torn regions with emotional and financial support, small business or job training, and education.

These websites have lots of wonderful stuff you can buy (most of it's not overpriced, either) and part or all of their profit goes to helping others or to various charities.
Crafters for Critters. Handmade stuff, money goes to "help critters". They have some really cute, handmade stuff, too!
Global Exchange Store. Heavy focus on Free Trade products, but sells items from small crafters from all over the world.
World of Good. Fair trade products, a little more expensive than other websites on this list.
...There are a ton of others, but way out of our budget, so I left 'em off the list.

And, finally, the eBay of handmade goods: Etsy. There is a TON! of stuff on this site. From what I've seen, you can find something for anyone and most of it is a price that we can all agree with. They have gift guides for every person you know and many different ways to help you go through the thousands and thousands of items to find the best and brightest.

If you need any other ideas for a different kind of holiday giving season, try out this website: Buy Nothing Christmas: Alternatives. It's a huuuuge list of things that you can made/put together instead of buying something.

one call to action

I've seen this in a few blogs I read and felt that since today is the biggest retail day of the year, maybe I can convince a few of you, my lovelies, to use your money for some good that doesn't involve giving your money to giant corporations.
I'll have more sites where you can use your money to buy your loved ones positive gifts that help good causes. Remember: this is the season for hope, charity, good will, peace and giving.

In 2004, Jackie Brown Otter founded Pretty Bird Woman House, a women's shelter at the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. The shelter is named after Brown Otter's sister, who was kidnapped, raped and beaten to death in 2001.

According to Amnesty Intn'l report,

High levels of sexual violence on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation take place in a context of high rates of poverty and crime... The unemployment rate on the Reservation is 71 per cent. Crime rates on the Reservation often exceed those of its surrounding areas. According to FBI figures, in 2005 South Dakota had the fourth highest rate of "forcible rapes" of women of any US state.

As a special bonus to the Lakota Sioux Reservation, there are sufficient desensitization to crime and confusion over Tribal/Non-Tribal jurisdiction at Standing Rock to create rape tourism. Says Andrea Smith, an Assistant Professor of Native Studies at the University of Michigan,

[N]on-Native perpetrators often seek out a reservation place because they know they can inflict violence without much happening to them.

Against these odds, Pretty Bird Woman House is staffed by three people-- a nurse, a volunteer, and a part-time employee-- and from January to October of this year, they managed to:

* answer 397 crisis calls

* give emergency shelter to 188 women and 132 children

* help 23 women obtain restraining orders, 10 get divorces, and 16 get medical assistance

* provide court advocacy support for 28 women

* conduct community education programs for 360 women

A few weeks ago, PBWH's phone lines were cut, the office was ransacked, and the building was burnt down.

Everyone was away from the house at the time, but all possessions were lost, and - because PBWH's grant from the South Dakota Coalition Against Domestic Violence is predicated on its ability to shelter women - its funding is also lost. Now everybody's trying to pick up the pieces.

Click here for the full story.

How you can help:

1.

Donate what you can for a new house.

Pretty Bird Woman House already has two potential replacement houses in mind. Both offer significantly more space than the previous building... full basements, storage room and would house more than double the families and women than their previous building. Both buildings have yards which means possible playgrounds for children.

One house has a major advantage in location - a police station across the street.

Because of difficulties obtaining loans (banks are allergic to both Native Americans and poverty) the best solution lies in purchasing the house outright. The Tribal Council could hold the mortgage but coming up with the mortgage payments every month creates an ongoing problem. Since both houses are on the market, they could be gone anytime. Depressed property values on Standing Rock mean that $60,000 gets the house. An additional $10,000 is required to make them secure, with proper fencing, video cameras, reinforced doors and other measures.

Since 10/25, the drive for donations for PBWH has garnered 17% of the $70,000 goal; the drive ends January 2008-- so consider donating in someone's name as a Christmas present. Donations can be made here.

2.

Donate material goods-- clothing, toiletries, non-perishables, etc.

USPS to:
Pretty Bird Woman House
P.O. Box 596
McLaughlin, SD 57642

or FedEx, UPS, DHL ship to:
Pretty Bird Woman House
302 Sale Barn Rd.
McLaughlin SD 57642

3. Spread this meme.