Procrastinating - Part 2 (this time with David!)

My to do list is horrendous (like every other working student in the country), and so I found myself looking for a laugh after finishing one thing on my list. The random craving that came to me was a South Park tribute to Mormons being the right religion for getting to heaven (sound familiar to Sunday School? And who thought Kenny was really dead? He's just in spiritual prison...). Oddly enough, youtube linked David Archuleta options to my "South Park Mormon" query. The video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUZckzYTQM4) is of David singing "Be Still, My Soul" in a church service (so yes, you have to get past the fact that they are filming him in a chapel - probably a deranged fan behind the camera- I promise it's not me). His rendition is beautiful - calmed my stress and eased the "elephant sitting on my chest" feeling more than anything has these past few days. Who knew youtube could answer prayers?

Procrastinating with the Gaffe Machine

I have been remarkably mum on politics lately - I'm almost proud of my silence because it means I have resisted the urge to fly off the handle when candidates say things that are utterly ridiculous... Tonight though I am desperate to avoid homework. It's week two of assignments being due on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Are you kidding me? Bad teaching strategy if you want quality work - Anywho, my procrastination led me to a newsweek blog on the candidates stumping across the nation. The focus this evening was on Joe Biden-- A seemingly solid choice at first for v.p., but he comes off like he doesn't know Obama's key ideas. Thoroughly entertaining to watch the video attached to the blog and see him contradict himself twice in forty seconds (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/23/biden-turns-on-the-gaffe-machine.aspx). I love politics - they make for hilarious discussion and quality distraction.

Hope your political ideologies are holding strong and haven't been too shattered by the ability of youtube to catch our candidates at their finest. I better get cracking on that homework--


Mae likes Biden's commentary on goal in China too. See, she's riveted~

Bliss is...

The 3rd Season of "The Office"
Catching up with Anna Jane
Holding Mae while looking at a Williams-Sonoma catalog
Jewels' face when she smiles at her little one
Being asked to be co-chair of the sunshine committee at work (and we wonder why teachers struggle to gain professional status)
Procrastinating homework
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
Making plans with Mags and Maria to goof off at USC
Jenessa mastering a floating jump serve and doing impressions of my coworkers
Unexpectedly adoring Steinbeck's "East of Eden"
BYU winning 59-0 over UCLA
Tahoe on a warm afternoon
Stephen Colbert announcing he teaches Sunday School for his church

Hope your day, week, and month is blissful! Love you--

Numb Toes

Once upon a time, I was a traditionalist. I believed that doctors and western medicine could cure common ailments. Now, I cling to the promises of those I once called voodoo doctors (aka those souls who cracked backs (chiropractors) and poked people (acupuncturists) for a living). There are promises from these new found doctor friends of full mobility and mornings without feeling like a 25-year-old trapped in an 80-year-old's body. This is not a sob story Ladies and Gentlemen-- It is simply a story of toes....toes that don't move without extensive thought and toes that don't feel...numb toes.

Random right? But in all reality, folks, I have two numb toes on my left foot. They can feel pressure, but if I were standing on hot coals, they would the last to aware of it. How might a person end up with numb toes? One precisely positioned needle that nearly sent me flying off the table yesterday during an acupuncture treatment. This is a first...and hopefully a last. Not sure how long the numbness is going to last - my chiropractor said he got an acupuncture treatment last year and his hand was numb for 48 hours only to be replaced by aching pain as the nerve reawakened. Maybe people seek out traditional remedies for a reason....oh well! Just another anecdote to get my students laughing.

ps. Since pictures of my toes would only reveal to you the color of my fabulous nail polish, I'm opting instead for a couple recent shots of Baby Mae. Love her!

Flavor of the Week

I do not bounce around from man to man the way the singer of "Flavor of the Week" bounced from chica to chica, but the loves of my life vacillate with the day, the mood, the moment-- A few loves this week...

*my red pens - there's something about them that makes me feel like an adult (a rare experience, let me tell you)....
*new vocabulary words - not for my students, for me. I love learning new words. I know that exposes me a class-A nerd, but if you didn't know I was a nerd already, you really don't hang out with me enough...
*Mae's nose - it's just one tiny facet of her overall spell that she has cast on everyone who meets her, but I cannot get over how cute it is...
*fallen leaves - leaves are slowly starting to turn colors here as summer tries to cling on. I cannot wait for full blown fall....
*Jim's pranks on Dwight - fact: jello is a necessity at work. Haven't figured it out yet, but I will somehow put office supplies in jello before the year is out...
*tiny hands gripping my finger - I know you know that I am in love with Mae. Just thought I would give one more shout out to the little one that I plan my afternoons around....
*budgeting - no, I have not been sipping my dad's accounting punch. I just love the feeling of saving and planning for purchases. Hope this more concerted effort towards this habit sticks....
*driving on the Bay Bridge at night - the party I went to last Friday in the city left something to be desired, but driving into the city with the bridge lit up is beautiful, romantic, and exciting in a way that I can't quite describe-- everything about it appeals to the eight-year-old version of myself and since my eight-year-old self does more of my thinking than it should....

Enough loves for now - Mae has emerged from her nap, and I either should play with her or get grading. Too bad grading is not one of my loves for the week!

Odds and Ends

The chaos of every day living is too much to bundle into a nice succinct post. So instead, here a few odds and ends that are bouncing around my brain...

1. People are always asking "if you could meet one actor, who would it be?" I have never had a conclusive answer until this past weekend. Edward Norton-- I am completely enamored with his ability to transform himself from movie to movie, by his analytical dedication to stories and truth (Yale undergrad, writer, linguist, etc, etc). I watched "Keeping the Faith" for the millionth time and then listened to his audio commentary about directing and producing the movie. It made me want to write a screenplay and pick his brain apart - sounds bizarre and an odd focus, but if my brain is not pondering Mae or "The Painted Veil," it's bouncing to Mr. Norton.

2. Obviously, I love books more than I love food, and amazingly enough, more than I love bubbled beverages. Not all books possess the power to stay with you as you go about your days. "The Painted Veil" (yes, I know it should be underlined. Don't know how to do it...) is that book right now. It captivated me from the very beginning - a tale of romance and betrayal, disappointed expectations and ascertaining purpose - it is not a story for all readers, but I cannot get Walter and Kitty Fane out of my head. Oh, I did watch the movie too this weekend after I finished the book - yes, Edward Norton did play Dr. Walter Fane. Coincidence - though I was not disappointed in any way to watch two movies starring him within a few days of each other.

3. In all reality, Mae should be the only focus of my writing. She is the reason I put off my homework, the reason I do not care to run after a ringing phone. It's almost impossible to imagine life without her though she's barely four days old. Tonight, I had the chance to hold her for an hour straight with no interuption. I patted her tiny back and kissed her perfect forehead while she slept scrunched on my chest. Wish I could put the day job on hold and just spend my time with her-- that's the current dream.

Well folks, that's it for now. I need to go say goodnight to my niece and then dream adapting my first novel into a movie with Mr. Norton--what a perfect to do list.