young at art

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Shout out to all the teachers.

Since this was my first OFFICIAL day back, I would like to say a big "thank you" to every teacher who has probably experienced the following before they were even required to be back at school. **Many of these are true and real situations. Names have been deleted to protect the innocent/embarrassed.
  • Spending countless hours in an un-air conditioned room putting up cute border/bulletin boards/organizational systems 
  • The laminator eating the poster you just spend 2 hours decorating and gluing tiny die-cuts to
  • Making your umpteenth trip to Wal-Mart/Hobby Lobby/Copelins/The Dollar Tree/Insert Any Other Store here to buy cute border/organizational systems/markers/paper/etc.
  • Leaving your purchases for your room at home which forces you to go get them and waste valuable time
  • Spending little time with friends and loved ones while gearing up
  • Attending workshops/meetings instead of hanging at the mall/lake/pool/insert other relaxing activity here
  • Hauling your kids/spouse to school to help you 
  • Waking up in a cold sweat from a school dream in which your class consists of different versions of the same student (as in Michael Keaton in "Multiplicity"), or your floor is slanty so your desks all slide to one side, or you have to share a room with another teacher and her 25 students as well as yours or....
  • using a heating pad all the time because the stress of it all aggravates your sensitive muscles
  • one word: Tylenol
  • Gluing something to your person and not seeing it until you have returned home from gallivanting around town to above stores
  • your husband thinking that your floor has tiny pieces of glass on it when really it is lamination film scraps
  • bruises on your thighs from pushing desks around your room into thirteen different configurations until every kid is guaranteed the perfect spot
  • updating your curriculum maps while on vacation
  • doing it all and knowing that you would do it again in a heartbeat.
I hope anyone who reads this will thank a teacher for all of the dedication and love they put into all that they do. I don't know a single teacher who doesn't drag themself to school early to ready their room. It doesn't all get done in one work day? Get out of town! I want all of the teachers that I know to know that I NOTICE all that they do. 

I love love love you all.

Hugs,
Brandi  

Monday, August 9, 2010

Picture Books!! I love em so. You know you do too!

My very favorite picture book is and will always be...drumroll please....... Panda Cake by Rosalie Seidler. Nobody ever seems to know this book, but I love it. Have you ever used money for something fun instead of what it was intended for? Be honest now.

Really, I want to hear what your favorite picture book is.

Hugs,
Brandi

How do I leave comments on a blog?

It has come to my attention that some of my peeps (yeah, I said it!) need a little assistance posting comments. I will assume that after I post this, I will have soooo many comments that I won't know what to do. Side note: I had a similar issue when trying to post to Amanda Aragon's hilarious blog. Click below to go through the steps.

How do I leave comments on a blog?

Hugs,
Brandi

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Summer Reading Goal: Book Reviews 1 & 2

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
I have such mixed feelings about this one. The main character of the book is Rose, who at the age of nine discovers that she can taste emotions in food. As the book progresses, we learn that she isn't the only member of her family who has an unusual talent. We follow her through adulthood. How will she eat anything?!

Aimee Bender's writing is mesmerizing, although some people may be put-off by the disappearance of all quotation marks! I didn't mind it once I got the hang of it. All of this is well and good. I enjoy a little magic. I can even get behind the characters. They (Rose's mother, father, and brother Joseph being the main supporting cast) are well-developed and I found myself liking them. But wait...

About two-thirds of the way through the book, I started feeling frustrated. Not just, "I really want to know what is going to happen" frustrated. More like, "This is veering way off course and into too weird for even Brandi territory!" Let me just say that I was left feeling unsatisfied with Joseph's storyline. I won't give it away in case you are planning on reading it.


Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy
This collection of short stories left me wanting to help the characters through their loneliness and problems. I found myself relating to them and then wishing them well as I moved on to the next tale. The characters are real and flawed and wonderful. The collection's characters, filled marital strife, confusion, longing, and hopefulness, reminded me of so many people I know. Meloy captures the essence of living in rural and wide-open spaces. I don't usually enjoy short stories or sad ones at that, but I will read these again. My favorite of the eleven was "Agustin" about an elderly man who longs for a former lover who reappears. I cried more than once while reading these observant stories.

**if you do read "Both Ways" and like it, you might also enjoy "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" or "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. Really, anything by Carson McCullers. I love love love her.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Best Summer Food: The Tomato Sandwich

I'm coming out to the world. I love tomato sandwiches. Some people may find this odd. Some people also eat bread sandwiches, or mayo sandwiches. Obviously, some people just don't know. Juicy ripe garden tomatoes, Miracle Whip (I enjoy that tangy zip), and salt on soft white bread. Mmmm. I just had to get it out in the open.