Welcome ...

I would like to welcome 2 fabulous people to my blog!
My mom-Hi mom! I love you, and I wish I got to see you more. I'm glad that you read my blog.
David Mayeux-I'd like to thank g-mail for adding aim to their chat. If they hadn't, I never would have seen your name there, from my old aim account, and we, perhaps, would have forgotten the other ever existed. That would have been sad.

Mom-you can make comments using your gmail account. All you have to do is click on "comments" and follow the directions. You don't have to have a blog anymore to comment.

That's all. If blogging is scarce during christmas, I'm sorry. You know, busy and all.

Christmas!!!

All the kids are home, and the halls are quiet. My room is blissfully still and peaceful. I have a lot of work to do, but right this second, I am reveling in the solitude. It is nice.

Karaoke

My karaoke system...




Pretty, huh? I wish it would get here!

Ramblings

I've been hesitant to blog, because all I want to talk about is my job, and I don't want to say nasty things about it on the internet. So, let's say this: January 18, and it will be over with. I'll be at a new school, and all will be well. And this week is cool...I just have to finish tomorrow. I have to work Friday, but there aren't kids, and I'll be hiding in my room packing, so there won't be stress there.

Today is Jon and my 6 month anniversary. It's been a really disgustingly good 6 months. I'm very blessed, and I know it, which is good. It's crazy to think that we've been married 6 months...it feels like longer, but in a good way. My life is so much better now, and it flows very well. We are so well suited for each other, and things generally work pretty seamlessly. And, we've been married longer than we dated, and things are better than ever. I know people thought I was crazy...but so far, so good.

I keep getting cute little presents from the kids:
Bath and Body gift certificate
Christmas tea with an infuser
Malt Balls
LOTS of candy
Cookies
Cute Christmas decorations
Chocolate covered pretzels.

Cute stuff. I still have to buy presents...6 more, I think.
I have to get 2 presents for my stepbrothers I never see...something not too expensive, but enjoyable. Any ideas?

Karaoke

So the karaoke thing has been rolling around in my head for a while now. First, it should be said that I really really love to sing karaoke. But more than that, I really love entertaining a crowd. This is evidenced by how much fun I have doing trivia night, when I don't even like trivia. I love karaoke, so I figure hosting a karaoke night would be a really fun and right down my alley kind of thing. I started looking at a business plan, and I think that it could be a very viable job oppurtunity for me. By having a karaoke system, I also have a P. A. system. I can give the power and sound to bands, karaoke, school plays, whatever. I also have a good sound system for myself. I could run karaoke nights, rent the system alone, or with me as an mc. Also, the system works with a nifty recorder and I could make CDs of karaoke nights, and videos for youtube possibly...I think people might would get into that. It's very exciting. So, my incredibly resonably priced system is on its way, and I am going to have karaoke on SATURDAY nights at McGuires. I think this is a very good first step. The new year will be so fun.

Know what would be AWESOME?

Spending my days working here, at Catawba Science Center and spending some of my nights running karaoke. Because I'm thinking more awesome than awesome. I'm thinking it would be one big ball of awesomeness. What would you do at Catawba Science Center, you say? Well, be an educator, perhaps. They have lots of ex-teachers and a sweeter deal. I spent some of this evening talking to a person who works there, and loves it. I think it would fit my talent set quite nicely.

One of the advantages of the Science Center would be that I would still be working directly with kids, which I love. But it would be so much better in so many ways. And, they have a planetarium, and an aquarium, both new. Right next to the library and art museum and art council. 2 blocks away from the house I'd like to end up in, saving of course us moving to Saba.

A great success

I'm very proud of my play. It was precious, and went off without a hitch.

Christmas Play

So tomorrow is my Christmas play with my kids at school. I'm a little stressed out. This isn't the fun part.

My mom has pluracy...she's stuck lying down all the time. I feel double bad for her because Friday was her birthday, and my step dad had planned a huge surprise party for her. He ended up moving it to Saturday, because she felt better some, but I couldn't come and other people couldn't go then either...such a shame. It would have been so wonderful to be surprised on her birthday. Oh well.

Trivia tonight.

Do you guys like karaoke?

More on the same

Click here to read Christianity Today's take on this. I agree with this point:

Then again: "If the first film was a film in isolation, I would say it's no big deal," says Tony Watkins, managing editor of the U.K.-based website www.culturewatch.org and author of Dark Matter (Damaris/IVP), a book that analyzes the trilogy from a Christian framework.

The first book is pretty mild, as I said. The real athiest stuff comes in the second and third book. That's when they "Kill God", only it isn't really God. But that doesn't happen in the movie. The movie is based on the first book only, and it seems like people are making a big deal out of it to me. In the article, Nicole Kidman says that if it were anti-Catholic, she wouldn't be in it, because she was raised Catholic.

My favorite comment:

"To clarify, Pullman has regularly stated that he believes in a theory known as 'The Democracy of Reading' meaning that he presents the story the way he intended and readers are free to draw their own conclusions from it, regardless of whether or not they are the ideas he himself believes in. As a fantasy writer, it is a fact that personal beliefs will infiltrate the story because without them, it would make the plot meaningless. I must say, the universal morals presented in these books are something I hope every parent would want their children to learn: kindness, patience, love, optimism, etc.. This is the real "agenda" behind the series, to take the lessons we learn through childhood and use them as we grow to make the world a better place for all. That is what The Republic of Heaven is, making this life matter and be just as important as whatever may come after... It has nothing to to with whether or not God is alive or dead. I believe that these stories apply to any religious camp. "

The Golden Compass Controversy

So, I LOVED the book The Golden Compass. But, there is a big ol' stink about it. Lots of people are saying that the author is an athiest and his intent is to spread his athiest ideas to kids. I heard this when I was half way through the book and I thought it was absurd. After I read the whole book, I kind of get it. I hear that the third book is the worse. Honestly, if you're a Christian parent raising your kids that way, I'm not sure I'd let them read it. However, it isn't written for young kids, and the movie is rated PG-13. My whole thought on this is simple: It's a fiction book and should be read as that. I'm an open minded person who feels that other people should be allowed to be openminded as well. Everyone on earth is entitled to their own opinions. If a person is a writer, then they're entitled to write about whatever the heck they want to. On the other side, if people want to raise a stink, then I guess that's their right as well. As an adult who loves fantasy/history books I'll probably read the next one, and I'll probably go see the movie. But would I let my kid read it? Probably not so much a 4th grader, but 8th grade and up, sure! As soon as a kid is old enough to understand the difference in fiction and fact, I'd think they're good to go. I've never been one to think that the world should be censored. If you're a parent, maybe you should talk to your kids about what they read instead of just freaking out and spreading chain mail to entire offices.

The movie is a weird choice to me. I mean, there are spectacular fight scenes in in the book and I'm sure it will be beautiful, but it does seem odd to market to children a book like this in a predominately Christian society. I don't think it will do well. I do think it will be good.

Click here to read some of the hoo haa.

Good Book

I haven't blogged because I'm way too into the book I'm reading. It is fabulous, and everyone should read it before Friday, then go see the movie. I'll be done soon, and then I'll be back.

"Golden Compass takes place in an alternate reality Britain and Europe, where the time period appears to be late Charles Dickens and early Jules Verne. In a 19th century that features dirigibles, other exotic means of transport and mystical creatures, everyone is governed by an Orwellian overlord known as the Magisterium. "

Thursday

I took this on my way to work this morning before I went home with a migraine.

Irritated

I just wrote a whole tirade, and then I remembered dooce, and deleted it. Everyday, I eat lunch in my room. It's the only time between 9 and 2:30 that I don't have a class full of kids. I need the quiet time. And I mean NEED it. I have received an email saying that all certified staff must eat in the cafeteria. I guess my solution is to not eat, because I just can't do that. I really can't. I'm nearing a breaking point. I thought I could handle this, but this is ridiculous. I have to keep telling myself that I'm not a quitter, but I want to quit. And cry. It may seem like lunch isn't a big deal, but it's all we had. It's just all we had.

Bertha Poem, Cont.

I'm still not done, but here's 4 more verses. :) It's getting sillier and sillier.

Every time I pull up to my house
Before I can get out the key,
There’s a scratch at the door, and a cute little bark!
My dog Bertha’s been waiting for me.

She'll run around me and around me,
then once more just for good measure.
She just has to say hello!
It's one of life's great pleasures.

If she could speak English,
I'm sure I'd hear her shout:
"I've been inside all day, Mommy!
Let's go OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT!"

She'll potty and chase golf balls,
and she'll wag her little tail.
She'll play fetch as long as we let her,
but too much running makes her smell.

Bertha really likes to cuddle
between her mommy and her daddy,
and she loves to eat junk food!
She's really quite a fatty.

She loves the smell of pizza-
she'll watch the oven till it's ready.
She likes bacon, cheese and crackers,
but her favorite is spaghetti.

Bertha barks like crazy
At EVERYTHING outside-
And one thing she can’t resist
Is to hop in the car for a ride.

We like to roll down the window
And then she sticks her head out far
But we really have to watch her
So she doesn’t fall out of the car.

Even though that dog is precious,
Everything’s not always swell-
Sometimes she goes on the carpet
And it leaves a yucky smell.

Bertha often likes to lick
And by “often” I mean always.
When she does it all night long,
We kick her out, into the hallway.

Allison

Congratulations are in order for Allison, who won trivia last night! Yay!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Cheesy Poem

I'm working on writing pet poems with my younger kids, and I have to write a sample. I'm not done, but I'll share my very silly poem anyway. Feel free to add a verse.

Everytime I pull up to my house

before I can get out the key,

there's a scratch at the door, and a cute little bark!

My dog Bertha's been waiting for me.

She'll run around me and around me,

then once more just for good measure.

She just has to say hello!

It's one of life's great pleasures.

If she could speak Engish,

I'm sure I'd hear her shout:

"I've been inside all day, Mommy!

Let's go OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT!"

She'll potty and chase golf balls,

and she'll wag her little tail.

She'll play fetch as long as we let her,

but too much running makes her smell.

Bertha really likes to cuddle

between her mommy and her daddy,

and she loves to eat junk food!

She's really quite a fatty.

She loves the smell of pizza-

she'll watch the oven till it's ready.

She likes bacon, cheese and crackers,

but her favorite is spaghetti.

I have lots more to write. I'm adding a couple of verses per class, so this sucker could get long. We're basing these on a book by this guy...but his book really isn't much more brilliant than my poem. "Where Emma is/ There is no Buffy./I can't figure out/ Why she's so stuffy."

Trivia tonight! Please come, folks. It's getting so much bigger. Last week, we had 35 people play the whole game. We stuck at about 30 for about a month, so 35 is a good sign. Our first game was 8/27 and 4 people played. In 3 months, that's quite an increase! And starting tonight...Christmas questions.

And, I'm decorating the tree tonight!!! Yay!

Bertha

Bertha's favorite place in the world is the cabin in the mountains. She doesn't like it when we get the camera out, and she usually makes a bunch of squinty faces, and she looks like she thinks we're going to beat her with the big black thing. But here, she actually looks like my adorable little doggy. This is her, lying on the floor, at the cabin. She's worn out from chasing sticks.

My break

Oh this was such a fabulous break. Wednesday was awesome, and I got lots of things that needed to be done done. Like...getting a license with the right name, fixing my social security card, renewed my plates, got my breaks looked at, make a green bean casserole. It was much better than normal green bean casserole. Recipe:

I start with a bag of fresh green beans. I steam them for a few minutes. In a pot, I mix a big can of cream of mushroom soup with a big scoop of sour cream. I throw in a little garlic, and let that get hot. I also microwave some sliced mushrooms and add those.

I slice up an onion really small. I mix up an egg, and swirl the onions around in it. Then, I mix some flour and garlic and spices together and swish the onions around in that. I fry these in a big pot of oil.

I mix together the green beans and the hot soup mixture, then pour it in a casserole dish. I sprinkle the onions on top and bake for 15 minutes at 375.

We spent Thanksgiving day at my aunt Denise's house, which was fun. Then Friday, we messed around and did a little shopping, mostly avoiding the Black Friday mess. I cooked soup for Saturday with Jon's family at the cabin. It was delicious, but I want to tweak the recipe before I share it.

Saturday we got to go to a tree farm, and pick out our very own tree. Both of us neglected to take a picture of any sort, but Jon's relative took one, so maybe we'll get a copy sometime. Next up:
Bake Christmas cookies.
Decorate the tree.
Sing lots of Christmas songs.

I'm a big dork about Christmas. I don't really even mind the shopping. I do a lot of it online, and that helps avoid the stress of malls. I really don't like crowds. I'm fine if I'm in front of it...teaching a class, or on a stage. But I don' t like at all being down in the middle of it. Give me a few people over a bunch any day for me. So, malls at Christmas, or Walmart or Target, just aren't fun.

We got to spend time at the Cabin, and it was wonderful. It was interesting seeing so many people there...Jon's whole family came out. There are a whole crowd of people. And a cute baby and some kids. Usually it's just Jon and Bertha and I while we're there. We stayed after and spent the night, but the clouds blocked most of the stars. This place has the prettiest view of the stars.

I have brownies in the oven, and vanilla ice cream in the ice cream maker. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Last day of School

I have 2 more classes to teach, and then a 5 day break! I may pass out from excitement. That's a long time to be off. On the other hand, these last 2 classes are likely to be very difficult. The kids are as excited as I am.

The laziest day of my life

The laziest day of my life may have been Saturday. I woke up about 11, and went to use the bathroom. Then, I got right back in bed. We watched Black Snake Moan from bed. I didn't get up until about 2:15. And by "get up", what I really mean is that we took my computer to Allison's back porch and watched several episodes of Family Guy while sitting in the hottub. I did go see a play. But that's really all I did. It was awesome, and needed, and I'm a happy girl.

My cousin-in-law, who I haven't met, died over the weekend, so please keep my inlaws in your thoughts and prayers.

My good friend Libby is having a bad day, as her cat of 18 years had to be put to sleep last night. Keep her in your thoughts as welll.

Pretty Picture

I just downloaded a bunch of pictures from this summer that I'd forgotten about. This one is from the fairy on the way to Ocracoke Island. Is that how you spell fairy when you're talking about a big boat? I'd look it up but I'm too lazy.

I'm Back!

I cannot wait until this evening, when (if all goes as planned) I'll be sitting in the newly working hottub of Allison's. And, I knew Thanksgiving was coming up, but I wasn't really paying attention to when. Turns out, after today and tomorrow, only 2 more days of school before our break. That's awesome.

So, I haven't been blogging very much, and that's because I've been editing video. I shot my friend Bonnie's wedding, and I finally finished that, as well as one more wedding. The biggest thing, though, was puppet shows. My kids at school wrote plays and made puppets and performed puppet shows. There were about 60 to sort through, label, edit, etc. In the end, I had each class rate their class projects on a scale of 1-10, and I picked the highest in each class. Then, I put those 8 together on a DVD, which will play for my whole school tomorrow. This has all been very time consuming. I have nothing to show you now, but I will soon. There is a website called MediaMax, where I can put long videos for free. Assuming it works as planned, I should have the puppet shows on the internet for your viewing pleasure by the weekend.

You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to get this video stuff up and running. Everything in the world went wrong. After much manual reading, much reediting, a little cussing, and more RAM for my computer, everything seems to be running smoothly.

School is frustrating. I stick with my earlier claim that the kids are awesome. As a whole, it's the best group of kids I've worked with. The other teachers are mean, though. Not all of them, but most. Apparently, before I started working here there were major issues between specials teachers (drama, music, art, pe, computer) and regular classroom teachers. Well, I didn't have anything to do with any of that, and I'm certainly not shown any special favors here...so they need to stop being mean and petty. That's all I'll say about that.

Jon is still wonderful. Our weekend getaway to the mountains was just magical. We really needed some extended time with no friends around, and no pressing issues to deal with. It was very fun. We needed the break. I really love that guy. I've said it before...everyone thought we were crazy, but it was such a good choice. I can't imagine if he was just my boyfriend. He felt like my husband 10 minutes after we met.

Fun night

Allison and I just had a game night with our men and it was so fun. Also, we cleaned out the hottub and filled the sucker up with water. It should be ready by tomorrow. I'm truly sorry for my slackidasical approach to blogging this week. I've been busy and preoccupied.

Tuesday

So, I haven't blogged for several days. I had no choice, as I was at a cabin in the mountains with no internet. I had a wonderful time, and then came home to do trivia. Today-I get more RAM installed on my computer, so that's awesome. More later.

My favorite 2 pictures

So, I'm no wiz with a camera. My husband and my best friend...wizzes. Me, I'm a dud. But I have taken 2 pictures that I love a lot. One is in the Saba post, but it's small. Here they are:

More bathroom

It's a work of art, no? I feel like Golem with the ring. My precious. I know I already posted a picture, but I thought you needed more.

Saba, Netherland Antilles

This summer Jon and I went to Saba, in the Netherland Antilles on our honeymoon.



View Larger Map
It was the most charming and wonderful place I've ever been. It is a tiny, 5 square mile island. They didn't get a road built, because of impossibly steep and rocky conditions until 1940. They began building it in 1920, and it is the only road on the island. It's the swirly thing on the map. They didn't get electricity until 1960. At one point, the island was inhabited by mostly pirates.

They don't get very much tourism, and the vast majority of the tourism they get is diving related. The island, though many have never heard of it, is consistently rated one of the top diving islands in the world. Honeymooners are rare, and they treated us like royalty. We stayed at Scout's Place, where one of the nicest restaurants on the island was one building over. They even delivered beautifully presented hour-out-of-the-ocean Saban lobster to our room. If you ever go to Saba, Scout's Place has my highest recommendation.

The people there are so friendly. I think it's because they realize that they have to live with the other people on the island, and only those people. So, they're nice.

The island is a very old volcano, so it shoots straight up. Even though it is tiny, it's the highest point in the Caribbean. We went hiking, and snorkeling, and shopping.

That's where we went snorkeling. It was incredibly beautiful. I can see why the diving is always rated so high. We just snorkeled, and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done.

When you hike in Saba, you're hiking to the top of a volcano. You walk through an honest to God rainforest. Unless you're in the rainforest, you can see mountains and ocean from every place on the island. Jon took some amazing pictures while we were in the rainforest, but my camera died for most of the hike. I do have a few.

Everywhere you look, there are goats wandering around. They're everywhere, and they eat everyone's mangoes and papayas and bananas. But no one ever eats them. I really think that would help control the population a little. But, I love goats. They're one of my favorite animals, so I was in heaven.

The plants were beautiful and they had these trees called "July Trees" that are my new favorite trees.

Also, all the rooftops on the whole island are red. Most of the buildings are white with green trims. It makes for such a lovely, quaint scene. The whole island is lovely and quaint.

You can see more pictures here.

I get a little carried away when I start talking about Saba.

Trivia

I forgot to mention that there were 28 people playing trivia Monday. That's awesome. You should be one of them.

And I quote...

An actual word for word error alert on my windows vista: "The server may be a little bit broken temporarily. Please try again in a few moments while it sorts itself out. Error 500"

I find this bizarre. It may be a little bit broken? It almost makes me feel sorry for the poor server. And I feel safe knowing that it will sort itself out.

Bathroom. Yay!

To see more pictures that fully explain the beauty that is the bathroom, go here. http://picasaweb.google.com/CarmenEckard/Bathroom. More tomorrow. :)

No blog for 2 days. Oh well. My apologies.

So, the school system has a webpage that every teacher sees everytime they check their email, and parents and students go often. I've been trying for years to do something worthy of getting on that homepage. Look!

http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/


I'm sure you guys are sick of hearing about my raindance and the bathroom. But, the bathroom is finished and I'll be posting pictures soon. It's beautiful, and I must kiss my husband's feet.

Our school is in the process of being reaccredited today and tomorrow, and there is a team of people about, and everyone is very tense. In my opinion, if your teachers are highly qualified, your kids do well on tests, and things generally run smoothly, why do people freak out about these?

Preparations

We're (and of course I mostly mean Jon) putting together the final touches on our bathroom. Pictures will be forthcoming. We've decided to have an impromptu party tonight to celebrate. If you're reading this, you're invited. But it's a bathroom warming, so you have to bring a roll of toilet paper.

I have too much to do to blog, so more tomorrow.

13 minutes left to blog

and nothing to say. I'm in a terrible mood for no real reason, except perhaps pms. I want to punch something. I'm feeling arguementative and misunderstood and I'm going to sleep now.

No time

Busy day. Lots of work to do, and then Jon and I went out to eat so see Allison and then shopping, then we watched Punch Drunk Love. It was fine. And now, my hubby is looking extra cuddly, and as much as I love blogging, I love cuddling more. Not such a good start to National Blog Month, I know.

My dog

My dog has been very naughty. She's been not wanting to go outside to pee, mainly, I think, because of the rain. So then she pees inside, with doesn't really go over well. Tonight when we were out for an hour or so she got into the trashcan, and ate all the leftover potatoes from dinner. I can understand that if we hadn't shared, but we'd given her some bites of our meat. Totally uncalled for. So when we left her again, for another brief outing, we put her in the crate. She had climbed right out somehow by the time we got home. She's a remarkably smart dog and I'm pretty sure she's being as obnoxious as possible on purpose.

But look how cute she is.

I love GOOGLE

OK-so I love Google. Without going into too much detail, they have so many programs that work flawlessly with each other. An example...I started using Picasa as my photo program, and right there underneath the pictures it said "blog this". One click, and I'm posting a picture of where I went snorkeling this summer. Cool, right? My suggestions to make the most of google: First, you have to have gmail, and an igoogle page. That's where it all comes together neatly for you to look at. The calendar is fabulous. Easily editable, printable, easy to change your view. Google Documents is awesome. You can save document to your google account, in a word processing program, or you can upload from your existing word processor to use at another computer. Blogger, of course, is cool. You can set yourself up a free website that is easy to edit. Picasa, my new toy, seems fabulous, and it comes with an easy to work with photo screensaver...it's all just seamless. Google...you rock. I heart you.

Overheard through the walls

(Smack)

Man: Owwww!

(Jon and I laughing.)

Man: Hey-

Woman: Ha! Ha! (Hysterically laughing)

At around midnight, nothing could be funnier. The walls are thick. I wonder what was going on. :)

Reintroduction to an Old Friend

So, I have this old friend. We were, once upon a time, very very good friends. I've never been the type of person to include many people on my list of "friends", and once you're there, you usually stay there. About a year ago, I made the difficult decision to stop being friends with this person. The reasons were complex, and it was a very very difficult decision for me. Ultimately, what I try to live by is this-there are only a certain about of days that you get to live, and finite hours in each day, so why associate with people who bring you down? There are lots of ways to bring someone down, and I had a major housecleaning last year, to surround myself with positive people. As a result, I stopped hanging out with a bunch of folks...but this one person I've missed.

I really like to try to help people, especially people I love. this often leads to me being taken advantage of. That's unfortunate, but true. You would think I'd learn , beecause I go through this over and over again. I will always help those true friends of mine when they need help. So what happens when one of those people always needs help? I drown in it. I go overboard, and inevitably get screwed.

So, Friday night this person walked into McGuires, and back into my life. It was really great talking to him...he and Jon had never met, so there was much catching up to do. But...I'm a little nervous. I can't imagine that we will be as close as we once were, but I'm simply not up for getting screwed over agin. How do you let a person know that while you want to be friends with them, you will not be taken advantage of? Is there a way to say that? I feel like a real friend wouldn't want to take advantage of me to begin with. We taked briefly about the demise of our previus liason. He apologized, and we spoke of how our friendship had reached a boiling point, and we needed to be away from each other. It seemed healthy.

So what now? Is it worth another shot? I'll never give him a single penny ever again. I think he knows he should never ask for it.

Allison, I'm very interested in your thougths on this, as you know him and have had similar experienes. We can talk about it in person, however. You know that old saying..."Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me"? That's what I'm scared of. I'll be a fool if I get taken for a ride again. Alternately, I have had many many very fun times with said person.

On a side note...my favorite Bush quote is him trying to quote what I just said. Instead, he said "Fool me once shame on you...fool me twice, can't can't fool me again." Classic, and he sounded very silly when he said it.

What do I do?

Post Trivia

I had so much fun tonight. The crowd was much bigger, for the second week in a row. We're getting regulars, but new people each night too. It's weird, but it's often the highlight of my week. I love that Jon and Allison both come religiously. I really appreciate it, you two. I'm always really comfortable, and people really seem to have fun. Anyone who lives around Hickory...you should really come out. And bring a friend. My goal is to pack it out, every table occupied. Hope I'll see you next Monday at McGuires, in downtown Hickory.

Who are you guys?

Statcounter is awesome. I learned today that people actually read my blog. OK...so not a lot of people, but it makes it worth writing. Mostly, people from Hickory...probably Katie and Allison, really...but either one person who comes back, or several people from Morganton. Hello people from there! You should leave me a comment!

I still haven't finished my play...I'm being a lazy pants. Went out for a while, looked at MySpace.
But-it's trivia night and I love that night so much. I wish everyone I know would come. I hope it's fun for everyone else...but let's face it. It's tons of fun for me. I get a microphone and everyone's undivided attention. How cool is that? Perfect for a person like me. I hope I'll see you all tonight...back to writing my play.

Jon

This is my husband, Jon. Isn't he pretty? He is really good, in any sense of the word that I've been able to think of.

Awesome

Know what's awesome? A work day that I don't work. Today has been nice. My weekend was a little hectic so this is great. I've just finished this week's trivia questions, and now I have to finish writing "How the Grinch stole the Christmas Concert". Fun, right?

Trivia tonight!!! You should come!

Hi Katie, and thoughts on the rain.

Welcome to my blog Katie Bonk! Thanks for reading. It's better to write if I know more than one person will read this.

So, it's been raining for a couple of days now, and that's well and good. Heard on the radio this morning that this is the worst drought since NC has been recording weather in the 1800s. Also heard this. Think about that really tall Bank of America building in Charlotte...the one you can see from Concord. Now, imagine you standing next to it. If you are the amount of water that it's rained this week, then the building is the amount that we're still down for the year. Discouraging, no?

Car duty in the rain this morning=not fun at all. We got really backed up, and I had to run around in the pouring rain to open lots of doors...got soaking wet. Oh well. At least my hair is curly so it didn't get messed up.

Happy weekend, all!

Maybe my last post today. Maybe.

Am I in the picture? I can't tell.

Pretty

I was just looking through Allison's pictures and found an awesome one from my wedding that I thought should go here. Jon and I got married on a rooftop in downtown Hickory, and this is the movie theatre from a rooftop. Allison...you're so good. :)

50 things you may or may not know about me.

50 Things About Me

1: I’m Carmen.
2: I just got married about 4 months ago.
3: I married Jon after knowing him for 5 months, making everyone I know think I’m crazy.
4: I’m not. Best decision I ever made.
5: I live next door to my best best friend, Allison, who may be the only person who ever reads this blog. She’s cool.
6: I bought a condo about a year ago, and I almost have it exactly the way I want it.
7: I have a super cool dog, Bertha.
8: I have a kind of cool cat, Cheddar.
9: I teach drama (hence the title) at an elementary school. I think I like it.
10: I’m a NC Teaching Fellow, in my last obligatory year of teaching.
11: I’m not 100% sure what I want to be when I grow up.
12: I love my local community theatre, although I’m feeling a little unimportant and disposable these days.
13: I love to direct plays.
14: When I’m not directing, I like to act.
15: I’m kind of an attention addict.
16: That’s why I love to be in my photographer husband’s pictures.
17: I love to cook, and Allison and Jon love it when I cook too.
18: I’ve given up shaving and sworn my undying devotion to waxing.
19: I really like to read.
20: JD Salinger is my favorite, followed by Jack Kerouac and Chuck Palahniuk. And Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Institute Books.
21: I’ve turned off my cable, and I really don’t care if it ever comes back.
21: There are some shows I like, however. I watch them on DVD. Monk. Dexter (I’m catching the new ones at my friend Dave’s house). Family Guy. Arrested Development. 6 Feet Under.
22: I’m a preacher’s kid. Kind of. I’m a preacher’s step kid.
23: I have 1 sister, 5 stepbrothers (3 belong to my step dad and 2 belong to my step mom) and one brother in law.
24: My brother and law and 1 stepbrother have the same name, which is weird, because it is a weird name. Thad.
25: I used to really love butterflies, but now I think they’re just OK, so please stop buying them for me.
26: I grew up in Sanford, NC, which used to be the brick capital of the world. Now it’s just the brick capital of the USA.
27: Then, I lived in Concord.
28: Then, I lived in Landis.
29: Then, I lived in China Grove, where I went to South Rowan High School.
30: Then, I went to college at Appalachian, where Allison was my roommate. (To save Ally from commenting on that, I did go one lonely sad year without her there. My roommate was NOT worth mentioning.) While I'm proud of the football team and all, I'd never go to a game. I HATE football.
31: My mom then moved to Greensboro, so while I never actually lived there, it’s kind of like home.
32: I majored in theatre and worked at Horn in the West and Tweetsie Railroad while in Boone. I played Annie Oakley at Tweetsie.
33: After graduation, I moved to Hickory, and I love Hickory.
34: There was a sad period of a few months before Allison moved to Hickory too, but all is well now.
35: One day, I’ll move to Saba, in the Netherland Antilles.
36: I have blond curly hair, and I’m finally cool with the fact that it’s curly. No sense fighting it. I feel much more complete now that I’ve stopped fighting it, which is kind of weird, since it’s just hair. It’s made a big difference in my life.
37: I have big blue eyes and one has a polka dot in it. It’s brown.
38: My eyelashes are long, but blond.
39: I had a wreck when I was 5, and it split my head open. It left a scar, but the actual scar doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is this: the scar cuts across my forehead, and cuts through my right eyebrow. When my face is neutral, everything is hunky dory. When I smile, my eyebrows are totally crooked and it pisses me off. No one else seems to be bothered by this.
40: My teeth are OK now, but growing up I had a gap as big as another tooth between my front teeth. I had several surgeries and braces for years to correct it, but it’s trying to come back.
41: I like my body. That’s the first time I could really say that. I think it’s just fine. I particularly like my rear end. And my boobs. My tummy could use a little work.
42: I wear black at school. I’m amused by this.
43: I’m really creative. I even won “Most Creative” in my senior class.
44: I’m messy. Very messy. But Jon isn’t, so that’s good.
45: I’m a Virgo.
46: If you’re into Chinese Astrology, I’m a cock.
47: When I read the placemats at Chinese restaurants when I was young, I always saw that it said I should marry an Oxen, but I thought…I’m not going to date someone who is 8 years older than I am, and I’m certainly not going to date younger. But, I married Jon, who is an Ox, and like I said before, great choice.
48: I try to eat as organically as possible.
49: Every Monday night, I run a trivia game at McGuires, and you should come!
50: I want you to comment on my blog so I don’t think no one reads it. If you’re reading this, and you’re not Allison, let me know. Allison, that doesn’t mean you can’t comment…but I feel like I’m yelling into the canyon and I want to know if anyone can hear me.

Rain Dance again

So, the rain dance was a very big hit. And it has rained and rained. Just thought I'd post a picture.

Across the Universe

Do yourself a favor and go see Across the Universe. If you haven't heard about it...it's a proper musical with all Beatles songs. All of the songs are sung by characters in the movie, and they all make sense. Beautiful. Really. I had to go to Greensboro to see it, and I didn't mind. It's also playing in Charlotte. I may drive to Charlotte just to see it again.

Particularly beautiful-Let it Be, Hey Jude, Dear Prudence.

It is a must see if you have even passing interest in the Beatles or in musicals. Since I love both, I was really in heaven. It was the kind of movie where even though I really had to pee, I sat there without getting up. Man oh man.

Rain Dance

So, until yesterday, I was only minorly worried about the whole no rain thing. But then, my kids at school started mentioning how low the lake was. They all live right around lake Norman, so I asked one student how low it was. He said "Well, there is one place that is always over my dad's head and he is 6'3''. Now, the water comes to my mom's knees. Oh my God! How big is that lake...can you imagine how much water isn't there? Atlanta is fearing that they will run out of drinking water soon. It's scary. Last night, in a state of paranoia, a friend and I discussed the possibility of global warming making it so it just doesn't rain. I mean, what if...and if not now, what if it happens in 20 years? I mean, come on now, we need water.

So, with my little kids today, the music teacher and I did a rain dance. First, we talked about why rain is important, then we made a giant list of what we can do to conserve water. Then, we went outside and I taught them a rain dance. Each child had a percussion instrument, and it was way way fun. And, it rained. Not a lot, but a little. I've done this 4 times today...4 more tomorrow, and we'll have covered K-3. What fun. It seems that the least I can do is raise the awareness of 400 little kids. That has to help somehow, right?

Waxing

I think that waxing is the solution to all life's problems. Well, maybe not all of them, but at least all that involve hair where you don't want it.

I have very coarse, very thick, deep hair on my legs that grows superfast. If you're one of those people who only has to shave once a week, you don't need to read this, and I hate you. A lot. My legs need to be shaved 2 times a day , and even when they're freshly shaved, you can still see these gnarly black hairs growing underneath. My legs are so white that they're nearly transparent, and my legs were just never good. And at any given point, I had at least 10 ingrown hairs on my legs somewhere. I got razor burn all the time. My legs, in short, have been nothing but a big mess for years. 13 to be exact.

So, I tried nair, right...same problem. The hair is still taken off leaving the roots, so I instantly it starts growing back. And I still had the ingrown hair. And it stinks.

So, I got an electric razor, but that involved all the same problems, and wasn't any easier.

Finally, I went and bought some cheap wax at Target. I tried to do it myself. This, I don't recommend. I have a hard time ripping it off, inflicting the pain on myself. I happen to have a really cool husband who actually seems to like doing this for me. Even the cheap wax produced great results. I don't like the kind that you don't need a muslin strip, and I don't like the kind you can buy that is wax already on strips. I like the melt it, spread it, put muslin and rip kind.

I went to Sally's beauty supply over the weekend and bought a new toy. It's this wax warmer, with wax and all kinds of lotion and muslin strips. It has wooden applicators and all kinds of stuff. It's really really great. And, they had this lidocaine spray so you can numb yourself. It doesn't even hurt. And, it comes with a very detailed illustrated instruction book. Excellent.

So, my legs are hair-free, and they're staying that way. Next time I wax, it won't be so bad, and each time, your hair grows in thinner. Excellent!!

httphttp://www.ballbeauty.com/gigi_wax.htm This is my favorite brand!

First Post

I'm not sure why I've decided to write a blog. All the cool kids (like my bbf Ally) are doing it. So, I'm supposed to write about what is going on in my life...

Probably what I'm most excited about is that we're remodeling the bathroom in my condo. And by "we" I mean Jon, my wonderful husband. Our condo is pretty cute, and it's all designed in this Danish Modern style. I love it, and every day I come home and think "I'm so lucky". Until I have to pee. I mean, really. For a cute condo, the bathroom was really horrible. The man that owned the place before us...he was the fix everything as cheaply as possible kind of dude. The sink and the cabinet were awful, the toilet runs all the time, and there is a very bad paint job. I'll take the responsibility for that. I'm a terrible painter, and when I bought the place, I didn't know Jon. So I painted myself, and you would think by looking at the trim that I can't tell the difference in white and blue. So, right now, my bathroom is totally gutted. There is a toilet, and that's all. When Jon took off the mirror, we discovered a big gaping hole where there used to be a medicine cabinet. And when the last people installed the sink cabinet, they brilliantly cut off the baseboard, so there was a big hole there too. And the light, very ugly, was probably installed in 1968 when the place was built. So that's gone too. But...on to what we're doing in there. We're painting this goldish/greenish color. We're installing a super cool light. And the best part...a super dooper cool sink. We got this Danish Modern dresser, long and solid wood, and a beautiful gold colored glass sink. The sink sits on top of the dresser, with a pewter faucet that arches above it. All of this will be topped off with a beautiful old mirror. Jon should be finished soon, and I'll post a piture.

After that, it's on to the upstairs bathroom. Aren't good husbands a fabulous thing?