My work week started off with a bang: someone (a student, I'm betting) stuck gum to the output feeder on the copier in the library.
I can honestly say I never expected to solve THAT technical difficulty in my life. Not to worry, I've pried off the gum and scrubbed my hands thoroughly.
Also, on Monday, I solved the sound problem we'd been having with two Promethean boards in the building....I pushed one button. It's nice to have it fixed, but a little ridiculous that it took half a second to solve, yet this solution has evaded me for weeks.
Today I chaperoned for the third grade field trip to Confluence Park to learn about Colorado history. We were outside in 30-40 degree weather, floating pool noodles/"logs" down the South Platte River, playing games that simulated panning for gold, learning some wilderness skills we'd need to survive in the 1860s, learning about the flood in Denver in the 1960s and the hill of trash (covered with dirt and grass) that was created because of it.
I spent the day asking students to stay with the group, to face forward, to walk in line with their partner, to listen to directions, to please stop rolling down the hill...things that I say (almost) every day. But today I got to do it outside, and I also got to ask students questions about Colorado history and what they'd learned.
All in all a good day. I can only imagine what the rest of the week will include.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Why I love my food co-op
For lunch yesterday, I ate delicious beef borscht with local beef and beer bread with cheese and Italian spices. The best part of this lunch, other than the taste? I didn't make any of it.
Back in September, Erin shared an idea she'd been working on that summer--the idea of a food co-op. She wanted to can, freeze, make jam, dehydrate fruit, make her own tofu, peanut butter, yogurt, bread...and was exhausted by the prospect of doing it all herself. So, she asked a group of us like-minded folk if we wanted to join her in creating "shares" of homemade food items and sharing them with a group of people. James and I were totally in--we are just two people with one tiny freezer and no canning skills. We'd chosen to freeze one thing each year, be it strawberry jam or applesauce, and just buying the other things we wanted.
There are 9 "shares" in the group (we are 14 people, but many of us live in pairs) and we meet twice a month. On the first Sunday of the month, 5 groups bring their shares--9 total, for the full group. On the third Sunday, the other 4 groups bring their shares. This way, each group is only making one item per month, but we all receive items twice a month.
Items have varied, from jam to pasta to homebrew, pesto, yogurt, soup, bread, granola, cheese, beef jerky, all homemade. The only rule is that you must bring 9 shares and that each month, there should be some kind of bread item. Determining how much of each item counts as a share is tricky, and we base that off of the materials, time, and energy that goes into a well-made loaf of bread. This means that pesto shares are significantly smaller than soup shares.
So far it's working out great. It helps me look forward to Sunday evenings again, and gives James and I a chance to make a lot of the things we've always wanted to, but have never gotten to. Next week, I'm tackling homemade peanut butter--I hope my food processor stands up to the challenge. :)
I am happy to see how well our co-op seems to be going, and love talking about it. If you want to start your own group, let me know--I'd be happy to share more details. I also hope to take this idea with me wherever we may go next, and start a new group in a new place. And really, the main reason I love our food co-op? I get to EAT tons of delicious things I would have never attempted to make myself. Yum.
Back in September, Erin shared an idea she'd been working on that summer--the idea of a food co-op. She wanted to can, freeze, make jam, dehydrate fruit, make her own tofu, peanut butter, yogurt, bread...and was exhausted by the prospect of doing it all herself. So, she asked a group of us like-minded folk if we wanted to join her in creating "shares" of homemade food items and sharing them with a group of people. James and I were totally in--we are just two people with one tiny freezer and no canning skills. We'd chosen to freeze one thing each year, be it strawberry jam or applesauce, and just buying the other things we wanted.
There are 9 "shares" in the group (we are 14 people, but many of us live in pairs) and we meet twice a month. On the first Sunday of the month, 5 groups bring their shares--9 total, for the full group. On the third Sunday, the other 4 groups bring their shares. This way, each group is only making one item per month, but we all receive items twice a month.
Items have varied, from jam to pasta to homebrew, pesto, yogurt, soup, bread, granola, cheese, beef jerky, all homemade. The only rule is that you must bring 9 shares and that each month, there should be some kind of bread item. Determining how much of each item counts as a share is tricky, and we base that off of the materials, time, and energy that goes into a well-made loaf of bread. This means that pesto shares are significantly smaller than soup shares.
So far it's working out great. It helps me look forward to Sunday evenings again, and gives James and I a chance to make a lot of the things we've always wanted to, but have never gotten to. Next week, I'm tackling homemade peanut butter--I hope my food processor stands up to the challenge. :)
I am happy to see how well our co-op seems to be going, and love talking about it. If you want to start your own group, let me know--I'd be happy to share more details. I also hope to take this idea with me wherever we may go next, and start a new group in a new place. And really, the main reason I love our food co-op? I get to EAT tons of delicious things I would have never attempted to make myself. Yum.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
What I Ate, Tuesday edition
I'm going to be volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages tomorrow evening, so dinner will most likely be random leftovers from the fridge. That means What I Ate night comes early this week!
No pictures of dinner because it was SO delicious there was no time. :)
Tonight's menu was rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods, with side dishes by me: roasted purple potatoes from our CSA share and green beans (frozen from you guessed it, our CSA share) cooked with a little butter, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.
And, since dinner didn't take much work, I made dessert: homemade apple crisp with ice cream. Yum.
The perfect meal for a day that was supposed to be warm and sunny, but it turned out to be cold and snowy, just in time for our students to leave school today (funny how that works!).
No pictures of dinner because it was SO delicious there was no time. :)
Tonight's menu was rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods, with side dishes by me: roasted purple potatoes from our CSA share and green beans (frozen from you guessed it, our CSA share) cooked with a little butter, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.
And, since dinner didn't take much work, I made dessert: homemade apple crisp with ice cream. Yum.
The perfect meal for a day that was supposed to be warm and sunny, but it turned out to be cold and snowy, just in time for our students to leave school today (funny how that works!).
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday Musings
To put it mildly, I am not a fan of the person who invented Silly Bandz and the like. Just what elementary school students need: one more thing they can fiddle and play with during class. They come to school with a 2-4 inch wide layer of Silly Bandz on each arm! It would drive me crazy, but they love to play with them. This also drives me crazy. Just thought you should know. :)
I spent my evening eating, singing, and talking with a lovely group of folks from church. Good food, good wine, and beautiful singing. I love how singing makes me feel awake and inspired--I drove home feeling pretty good about life.
I LOVE puffy vests. I just bought a second one (from the boys section of Old Navy) and have worn it pretty much every chance I've had. I just wish puffy down vests were acceptable work attire. I should've been a lumberjack, after all!
I spent my evening eating, singing, and talking with a lovely group of folks from church. Good food, good wine, and beautiful singing. I love how singing makes me feel awake and inspired--I drove home feeling pretty good about life.
I LOVE puffy vests. I just bought a second one (from the boys section of Old Navy) and have worn it pretty much every chance I've had. I just wish puffy down vests were acceptable work attire. I should've been a lumberjack, after all!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Your 17-year old self
Today's sermon at church was about dreams. Vern posed the question--what did your 17-year-old self dream of becoming or doing? Are you fulfilling those dreams and living them now?
This got me thinking--I was 17 from 2002-2003, spanning my junior to senior year. I can't really recall what my dreams were. I think mostly I wanted to leave northwest Ohio and go to college. I wasn't sure where yet, and I didn't know what I wanted to be, but that I would probably major in biology. My other dreams weren't really about the future. They were about wishing for a boyfriend and wishing for my friend problems to end and wishing for my 100 meter dash time to improve in track.
I was an avid blogger in high school. I started my first blog on Teen Open Diary at the end of 2001 as a junior in high school. So tonight I looked at some blog entries from age 17, and decided to share a few excerpts. Enjoy!
(names are all changed to first initial to protect the innocent/guilty)
January 2002:
"you know, i've actually begun to tolerate all the seniors i used to "hate". i can deal w/ M now, and i've actually been having fun with T and E lately. i guess i've just come to be able to accept everyone for who they are...and at least try to deal w/them. i guess i'm just one of those ppl that can have fun w/ whoever they're w/, which is a definite good thing!"
February 2002:
"homecoming was on friday, and i GUESS it was ok...no guys ever dance w/ me...i HATE that!!!"
February 2002:
"first of all, i have the lead in the musical. all the seniors are made at me. i hate ppl. everyone is annoying. i failed my chemistry test today. i have a huge crush on M that i thought i was over, but i'm not. i'm never going to get him. school sucks. i don't want to go back. i hate my life. i want to go crawl in a hold and just not talk to ppl anymore, except M of course :)"
Yes I was real band nerd--August 2002:
"marching band is important to me, it's something i can take pride in. i LOVE the feeling of being cheered for EVERY SINGLE TIME we go on the football field. we're instant celebrities...ppl go crazy when it's our turn at the fair show...we're the best band in the county! i can't even describe the adrenaline rush i feel during and after a band show. i can't understand not caring about this at all."
This got me thinking--I was 17 from 2002-2003, spanning my junior to senior year. I can't really recall what my dreams were. I think mostly I wanted to leave northwest Ohio and go to college. I wasn't sure where yet, and I didn't know what I wanted to be, but that I would probably major in biology. My other dreams weren't really about the future. They were about wishing for a boyfriend and wishing for my friend problems to end and wishing for my 100 meter dash time to improve in track.
I was an avid blogger in high school. I started my first blog on Teen Open Diary at the end of 2001 as a junior in high school. So tonight I looked at some blog entries from age 17, and decided to share a few excerpts. Enjoy!
(names are all changed to first initial to protect the innocent/guilty)
January 2002:
"you know, i've actually begun to tolerate all the seniors i used to "hate". i can deal w/ M now, and i've actually been having fun with T and E lately. i guess i've just come to be able to accept everyone for who they are...and at least try to deal w/them. i guess i'm just one of those ppl that can have fun w/ whoever they're w/, which is a definite good thing!"
February 2002:
"homecoming was on friday, and i GUESS it was ok...no guys ever dance w/ me...i HATE that!!!"
February 2002:
"first of all, i have the lead in the musical. all the seniors are made at me. i hate ppl. everyone is annoying. i failed my chemistry test today. i have a huge crush on M that i thought i was over, but i'm not. i'm never going to get him. school sucks. i don't want to go back. i hate my life. i want to go crawl in a hold and just not talk to ppl anymore, except M of course :)"
Yes I was real band nerd--August 2002:
"marching band is important to me, it's something i can take pride in. i LOVE the feeling of being cheered for EVERY SINGLE TIME we go on the football field. we're instant celebrities...ppl go crazy when it's our turn at the fair show...we're the best band in the county! i can't even describe the adrenaline rush i feel during and after a band show. i can't understand not caring about this at all."
Saturday, November 13, 2010
How to stay warm at a soccer game when it is 32 degrees outside
1 pair knee-high Smartwool socks
1 pair of regular smartwool socks
1 pair of running tights
1 pair of jeans
1 black tank top
1 long sleeve shirt
1 Techwick shirt
1 lightweight fleece
1 puffy down vest
1 giant red puffy down coat
1 Mongolian hat with fleece lining
1 pair of gloves
1 pair of mittens
1 pair of boots with the fur
1 Rapids scarf
1 Thermos of warm hot chocolate
Put this all together and what do you get?
One mostly warm and incredibly happy Colorado Rapids fan! We are now the MLS Eastern Conference champions!!
1 pair of regular smartwool socks
1 pair of running tights
1 pair of jeans
1 black tank top
1 long sleeve shirt
1 Techwick shirt
1 lightweight fleece
1 puffy down vest
1 giant red puffy down coat
1 Mongolian hat with fleece lining
1 pair of gloves
1 pair of mittens
1 pair of boots with the fur
1 Rapids scarf
1 Thermos of warm hot chocolate
Put this all together and what do you get?
One mostly warm and incredibly happy Colorado Rapids fan! We are now the MLS Eastern Conference champions!!
Looking at Leaves
Have you ever truly looked at a leaf? Analyzed if its edges have teeth or are smooth, categorized it as compound or single, noticed its variations in color? Grouped leaves that you collected by their color, edge shape, or other features?
I did that today.
I attended a Project Learning Tree workshop. We trudged through the park to examine damaged trees and collect leaves. After categorizing our leaves and discussing their features, we made figures or sculptures out of them. There were turkeys, people, moose, and other creative leafy designs.
One of the reasons I chose biology as my college degree was that biology forces you to stop and pay attention. To learn about leaves, trees, ecosystems, habitats, cells, etc you have to notice and observe. You cannot successfully study biology with a textbook alone. You have to go outside and get dirty. You have to manipulate cells and experiment. I navigate life as a biologist--I ask questions, I explore, I stop suddenly and look down at the ground to identify the insect walking in front of me. I choose to be an environmental educator (yes, I count myself as one, even though my current environment is a library) because environmental education happens outside, where you have to be quiet and look closely to see the bird nest in the tree or the pattern the branches of a tree have or the ant carrying a piece of leaf across the forest floor. I choose to be an environmental educator because environmental education is holistic. Is it not just science. It is social studies, current events, language arts, math, visual arts, and skills-based.
I challenge you to pick up a leaf today and really look at it. Then pick up another one, and compare the two. Stop and focus on something natural outside yourself. I am always amazed at what I learn.
I did that today.
I attended a Project Learning Tree workshop. We trudged through the park to examine damaged trees and collect leaves. After categorizing our leaves and discussing their features, we made figures or sculptures out of them. There were turkeys, people, moose, and other creative leafy designs.
One of the reasons I chose biology as my college degree was that biology forces you to stop and pay attention. To learn about leaves, trees, ecosystems, habitats, cells, etc you have to notice and observe. You cannot successfully study biology with a textbook alone. You have to go outside and get dirty. You have to manipulate cells and experiment. I navigate life as a biologist--I ask questions, I explore, I stop suddenly and look down at the ground to identify the insect walking in front of me. I choose to be an environmental educator (yes, I count myself as one, even though my current environment is a library) because environmental education happens outside, where you have to be quiet and look closely to see the bird nest in the tree or the pattern the branches of a tree have or the ant carrying a piece of leaf across the forest floor. I choose to be an environmental educator because environmental education is holistic. Is it not just science. It is social studies, current events, language arts, math, visual arts, and skills-based.
I challenge you to pick up a leaf today and really look at it. Then pick up another one, and compare the two. Stop and focus on something natural outside yourself. I am always amazed at what I learn.
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