Saturday, February 24, 2007

Potter Update

After one week of Potter Boot Camp:*
Book 2, page 254. Only 2769 pages to go!

I'm really enjoying the Chamber of Secrets. Previously, I would have told you that this is my least favorite of the series, however, now re-reading this book with all of the background information from books 3 - 6, I am finding many interesting clues and insights that I overlooked on the first reading. To be able to plant subtle, critical details in a second novel that would come in to play again three novels later is clever. To be able to do it in such a way that the second book just flows smoothly, without making the reader feel that the content is forced, is amazing!

Let me state again: Rowling is such a genius!

*5 house points awarded to Amy, who has cleverly named my project a "Masters in Potterology."

Thursday, February 22, 2007

It's All in How You Say It

"Mom, do we have $4.00?"

"Yeah, we have $4.00."

"Oh, good! We can buy a booger for $4.00!"

"Um, a what?"

"A booger! No, not that kind of booger," she says, when she sees the look of disgust on my face.

"What kind of booger do you think I think you're talking about?"

Binta mimes sticking her finger up her nose.

"And what kind of booger are you talking about?"

Binta mimes eating a big, juicy burger.

Booger, anyone?

Saturday, February 17, 2007

The Brotherhood Survey

And here are my answers to Hank's Brotherhood 2.0 Survey. What? You're not watching Brotherhood?

1. Your name:
Tiffany

2. Your Web page:
well, you found it!

3 What have you been up to this past year
(please be as detailed as possible, because we actually want to know)?
I been educating 20 lucky young 8- and 9-year-olds, raising my brilliant daughter all by myself, and unpacking 104 boxes after moving to my new house. I've also been using my crock pot quite a bit.

4 How much longer do you think you'll be doing what you're doing?
I'll be teaching until I'm very old. I'll be raising my daughter until she tells me to stop. I hope to be done with boxes in the next week. I'll likely retire the crock pot in the spring.

5 Why are you doing it?
I'm doing it because it's what I'm supposed to do. Oh yeah, I've also been watching quite a bit of Lost.

6 What do you want to be doing?
I want to get something published. And I want to be worrying about money a lot less than I currently am.

7 What's next in your life?
More reflections around what I need to take care of myself.

8 How You Doin'?
I'm doing really well.

9 What's the best book you read this year?
This year (2007): Peter and the Starcatchers
The past 12 months: The Kite Runner

10 Describe a perfect day?
It would have a perfect balance of time playing with Binta, getting lost in a used bookstore by myself, and playing board games with friends.

11 Assuming that all things come to an end...how do you think humans will go extinct?
It's going to be bad.

12 How are you feeling about kids these days?
I love mine. She's absolutely awesome.

13 (- In this space, compose your own question, and answer it -)
"When's the last time you got your hair cut?"
Sadly, August 2006.

14 Ambrozzo tastes better than anything else, what does ambrozzo taste like?
Slightly warmed chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

15 If you were a cliché, what cliché would you be?
A watched pot never boils.

16 What is your least favorite part of any given day?
Trying to chase my 4-year-old out of the house each morning, only to arrive to work late.

17 Do you enjoy science fiction?
No, that's definitely not my thing.

18 Cheese or Chocolate?
Oh, chocolate. Forever chocolate.

19 Where would you live if you could live anywhere?
Within walking distance of friends, family, shopping, work, and the beach.

20 What was your first concert?
I'm afraid it may have been 38 Special. There's a horrible first kiss along with that story.

21 If you could start a business that would be instantly successful, what kind of business would it be?
Curriculum development.

22 Invisibility or Time Travel?
Time travel - to see my brother.

23 What's wrong with the world?
That any idiot gets to take home a new baby from the hospital and raise it without any qualifications or training whatsoever.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Potter Boot Camp

In preparations for the final installment of the Harry Potter series, I have decided to review all six of Rowling's previous novels to get "in shape" for the big finale. Her novels tend to be so cleverly crafted, with subtle details dropped in places that go unnoticed until a later reference causes the reader to understand them. For this reason, and many other strengths to her writing, I do believe she is an absolute genius. I don't want to miss a thing when I devour Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I am pouring through each of her books once again, reading along while listening to Jim Dale on the audio versions. I've got a stack of sticky notes and a pen on my lap, and I'm using them freely to record significant findings. Oh yeah, I'm serious about it.

I am currently on page 131 of Book 1. I've got 3201 more pages to complete the series, and I've got 154 more days in which to do it.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Valentine Day Tears

It's not so much that I need a valentine.

I just need someone who can be in charge of cutting the onion.

Binta, concerned about seeing her mommy crying in the kitchen so frequently, mentioned a "Food Cutter" that she saw on TV that she thinks I need. And I like her idea. The Food Cutter probably spends a lot less time watching football and is willing to help out whenever I need it.

But it would require additional washing and clean up efforts. But then, so does a man.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Because You Never Know Who Might be Watching

I was hard at work in my classroom, when Mari poked her head in the door, and indicated that she needed to speak with me in the hall. This only means that one of my kids is in trouble for something.

Fortunately, I was wrong!

Shocker #1: Mari's friend is too sick to attend the Daughtry concert that night, so she's invited me to go in her place!

Our group (which included myself, Mari, Lisa, Lisa's husband, and their two daughters; one of the girls a former student of mine, now a sophomore in high school) went to the doors to wait in line at about 6:15. The venue featured a "general admission" seating, so we knew we needed to get there early. While in line, Lisa suddenly recognizes a student from our school.

Shocker #2: It's a student of mine from last year. Remember crutch girl #2? Looks like her parents are taking her and her little friend out to the same concert we're going to.

Isn't that nice.

They're walking to the end of the line (which is now quite long) so they pass without noticing us. We're all quite relieved, because each of us have experience with this girl, and none of us care to call attention to ourselves. We each share stories, recalling things that the sneaky girl tried to get away with, and that the mom defended to the end, occasionally resulting in calling staff members names. Can you blame us for not wanting to socialize with her outside of our contractual hours?

The concert was great. We were right up at the front, just about 10 feet away from the nearest performer on the stage at any given time. Our early arrival really paid off. I was comforted to know that Crutch Girl and her family would be nowhere near us, based on how long the line was when they arrived.

During the last song of the encore, I suddenly become aware that someone has pushed herself between me and Lisa's husband, who I was standing next to. She's yelling something to Lisa's husband about "her daughter." It doesn't take me long to register who it is.

Shocker #3: And a quick look in front of us, clinging to the rail by the stage, reveals none other than Crutch Girl #2.

Crutch Girl's Mom is facing Lisa's husband, screaming at him to let her through, and he's holding tight to his hard-earned real estate on the floor. She gets her elbows working, and finally pushes Lisa's husband a little too hard, to which she receives a huge push from him, sending her...

...right into me! I fall back into the crowd behind me, who is sympathetic, and also angry about this little hot-headed lady thinking she can push up to the front. She's claiming that she's just trying to get up to her daughter, who has gone off without her. But my year of experience with her tells me that the truth is that she suggested that Crutch Girl go to the front, and she planned to ride that ticket up to the front, herself.

The pushing dies down, and Crutch Girl's Mom settles into a spot right in front of me. Fortunately, she's quite a bit shorter than me. And fortunately, I had just enough professional strength in my reserves to refrain from backhanding her. Because get this: she still has not noticed either me, Mari, or Lisa, all around her. She's completely oblivious that she's surrounded by staff members from her kids' school.

The next day, at school, I was working in my classroom while my class was at recess. Guess who walks through my door?

Shocker #4: Yeah.

She's got an envelope in her hands, and she says, "Do you have a second to look at something?"

"Sure," I say, standing up from my computer with a professional smile.

"We went to the Daughtry concert last night," she says, as she fans out a one-inch stack of photos on a nearby desk.

Immediately, my mind begins calculating my next move. She's not acting like she saw me, but what if she did, and this is a test? Do I admit I was there, or pretend I wasn't? Quickly, my mouth makes my decision.

"Really? I was there, too!"

"You were?" she's really astounded.

"Yeah! That's so weird!" I lie.

"Where were you?" she asks.

"Oh, we were pretty close to the front, way too close to the speaker," I laugh.

"We were right up at the front!" she tells me.

"Oh, really?" I feel my stomach twisting at hearing her lie to me. I want to out her, but don't want to risk getting into something unfriendly at work.

"I knew you'd like to see these pictures, since you were such a big fan of his last year," she goes on to say.

"Yeah, I didn't get any pictures, because I only went at the last minute, and didn't have a camera," I say, looking at the photos spread in front of me; many of them duplicates, and several enlarged to 8 x 10s. I figured that would provide a nice opportunity for her to offer one of the many pictures of Chris leaning out over the audience, screaming into his microphone with his eyes closed.

But of course she didn't.

"(Crutch Girl #2) will be so excited to hear you were there, too! She's going to be disappointed she didn't see you." She scoops up all of her pictures and tucked them back into her envelope, astounded that we were at the same show and she didn't see me.

"Thank you for showing me your pictures. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time last night," I say, opening up her opportunity to vent about "the jerk who pushed her," and mention seeing someone who looked very much like me there.

But she didn't. And I finally rested, knowing that she definately did not see us there. That her whole reason for this spontaneous Wednesday morning visit really was to show off her pictures and brag about being "in the front row" of the concert.

I should seriously consider taking up acting. Don't you think?

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Laundry Day

I want to assure all of my readers out there that the world is a cleaner place, thanks to my daughter. She's the kid-sized super hero who brings it all home on the knees and rear end of her pants.

Yes, I am quite proud of her, thank you.

Helpline for Harry

Now, I think I'm as big of a Harry Potter fan out there as any, but is a helpline for grieving readers really neccessary?

Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind on July 21, after I get that book in my hot little hands...

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Another First

I just drank a whole bottle of wine by myself. Yup.

Deflowered

A rough day in the world of Tiffany, dear readers.

I not only experienced being pulled over for the first time, I received my first speeding ticket.

This morning, on the way to daycare, I became suddenly aware of police lights behind me. I pulled over, as I have hundreds of times, to allow the fuzz to speed past me, while I took a relieved breath that it wasn't me.

But this time, in the pit of my stomach, I knew. I knew he wouldn't be passing me.

It was just like I imagined it. Like I've seen depicted hundreds of times in movies:

"License, registration, and proof of insurance, please."
I fumbled with my glove box, CDs and suckers embarrassingly spilling out onto the floor. I identified the requested items, and handed them over, saying, "You're not going to believe this, but I've never been pulled over before."

And then came the wait. Sitting in the car, while others drove and walked past my public display of naughtiness. Binta repeatedly asking questions about what was taking place. By the time her stuffed monkey started asking me questions, I snapped, saying, "Can we just leave it alone, please?"

Binta, slightly taken aback, responded, "That was my monkey, not me."

"Well, Monkey, Binta knows all about what is going on, so just ask her."

But the worst part. The worst part...

No, not the fact that I had been caught speeding through a School Zone. (God! A school zone, of all places!)

No, not the fact that my unblemished driving record was now tarnished with the ridiculous shame of driving carelessly.

The worst part was when the officer's wrist moved to reveal the sum of the ticket. What I thought must have been a portion of my insurance policy number actually revealed the $239.00 that I now owe "City/Town of Black Diamond."

Today, while walking around underneath a greenish-brownish cloud of misery, I shared my devastation with my family, friends, and colleagues (who offered a satisfying balance of both empathy and interest with the fact that my infraction could be regarded as "reckless driving").

I'm taking donations, readers.