My husband loves tea, especially English Breakfast Tea. In March, we picked up a small container of this tea from Harrod's when we went on vacation to England. During the warm summer months that container didn't see much action, but now my husband has been reaching for it quite often.
So then, yesterday, he came home from an all-day meeting. He said that the tea the site had wasn't good enough. And really, what else is a body to do if the tea isn't up to par? Yes, that's right, you have to take your own tea. And not just the tea, mind you. You should probably also take your own teapot so that you can have a good amount to drink. So, this is, in fact, what my husband did today. He packed up the tea, the tea ball, and the tea pot, and took it with him to his second, all-day, off-site meeting.
I didn't think much of this, other than the thought that he was really getting into his tea. But then it struck me a little later...How cute is that? I mean, my husband, a sports-watching, video game-playing guy took his tea and teapot to work with him so that he could have the tea he wanted. How cute! I love it! So, I was sure to tell him via text that he was so cute and that I loved that he loved tea so much.
And this is just one of the many things that makes my husband such an awesome guy! Love you babe!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Poor Bailey
1. Borrow shock collar from friend in order to teach your dog that he can't incessantly bark while in the backyard.
2. Place shock collar on dog's neck.
3. Wait for dog to bark, as the directions say you should be with the dog the first time they are shocked...(Think to yourself that this recommendation sounds ominous...)
4. Listen to dog bark.
5. Listen to dog let out high-pitched yelp of pain.
6. Scream louder than dog.
7. Burst into tears.
8. Insist to husband that dog is being tortured and that the shock collar must come off.
9. Continue to cry and feel intensly guilty.
10. Return shock collar to friend.
2. Place shock collar on dog's neck.
3. Wait for dog to bark, as the directions say you should be with the dog the first time they are shocked...(Think to yourself that this recommendation sounds ominous...)
4. Listen to dog bark.
5. Listen to dog let out high-pitched yelp of pain.
6. Scream louder than dog.
7. Burst into tears.
8. Insist to husband that dog is being tortured and that the shock collar must come off.
9. Continue to cry and feel intensly guilty.
10. Return shock collar to friend.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Music To My Ears...And Maybe To Yours As Well...
Personal background: I love music.
And luckily, I have this great friend who is ever willing to school me in all things related to the indie music scene. Over the last several years he's been kind enough to compile for me numerous mix cds and pass along bunches of other tunes. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I became the proud owner of 73 (mostly) new-to-me songs. I'm just about done listening to them all and I texted my friend today to say that with the exception of a few tracks I totally loved the selection. In fact, I said, I think this was the best effort he had made. Mind you, that statement was saying a lot, because I've had some awesome music come my way from his direction.
Who are these awesome bands you ask? Well, I'm more than happy to pass along the goodness that is this playlist. So, feast your eyes! And here's to hoping that you find something you like too! Honestly, I would be amazed if you couldn't...
ARTISTS
Andrew Bird
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Blitzen Trapper
Damien Jurado
David Bazan
The Heligoats
Maps & Atlases
mewithoutyou
Midlake
The Mountain Goats
Mumford & Sons
The National
Sea Wolf
Shearwater
Sufjan Stevens
The Wooden Birds
And luckily, I have this great friend who is ever willing to school me in all things related to the indie music scene. Over the last several years he's been kind enough to compile for me numerous mix cds and pass along bunches of other tunes. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I became the proud owner of 73 (mostly) new-to-me songs. I'm just about done listening to them all and I texted my friend today to say that with the exception of a few tracks I totally loved the selection. In fact, I said, I think this was the best effort he had made. Mind you, that statement was saying a lot, because I've had some awesome music come my way from his direction.
Who are these awesome bands you ask? Well, I'm more than happy to pass along the goodness that is this playlist. So, feast your eyes! And here's to hoping that you find something you like too! Honestly, I would be amazed if you couldn't...
ARTISTS
Andrew Bird
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Blitzen Trapper
Damien Jurado
David Bazan
The Heligoats
Maps & Atlases
mewithoutyou
Midlake
The Mountain Goats
Mumford & Sons
The National
Sea Wolf
Shearwater
Sufjan Stevens
The Wooden Birds
Monday, January 17, 2011
New Year's Goal
I didn't want to make any New Year's resolutions this year. I find that resolutions die after the fervor of the holidays has gone. But, what about a New Year's goal? For instance, something you might just do once, or even a few times, but it doesn't involve a real change in lifestyle. This sounds like a much better idea. And definitely one that would take a lot less mental effort...
In 1997, hundreds of film critics, artists, and historians got together to look back over the last 100 years and choose the top 100 movies of all time. Then, on the 10th anniversary of the project, in 2007, the group got together again to update the list. 23 movies were removed from the list and 23 were added. So, if we take both lists together we end up with 123 of the greatest movies in film history.
Personal background: I love movies. So, I thought, what better goal for 2011 than to watch all the movies on AFI's list! Now, this goal is slightly bigger than a one-time happening, as I'll have to watch about two or so movies a week on average to get it done, but other than time commitment I think it'll be a pretty enjoyable and easy goal to complete!
Out of the 123 movies I think I've seen about a quarter of them, but I figure I should watch them again with a more critical eye. I also want to do a little background research about the actors, director, and politics of the movies. There are only two movies that I won't watch again: A Clockwork Orange (1971) and The Sixth Sense (1999). I've seen both of them once, and that was enough for me...
At this point I'm on a pretty good roll. Since January 1 I've watched Pulp Fiction (1994), Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Godfather (1972), Citizen Kane (1941), and Goodfellas (1990). I've enjoyed all of these films except Bringing Up Baby, starring Cary Grant and Catharine Hepburn. It had a slapstick vibe, which I just can't bring myself to appreciate. Cary Grant did a really nice job playing the "mild-mannered zoology professor Dr. David Huxley," though. And if you enjoy zany movies involving mistaken identities and runaway leopards, this movie is right up your alley.
I'm really looking forward to watching all these movies and reading up on the background behind them. I'm also excited that I've been able to restart my long-lost Netflix subscription and watch movies right on my computer.
Next movie up...Casablanca (1942).
In 1997, hundreds of film critics, artists, and historians got together to look back over the last 100 years and choose the top 100 movies of all time. Then, on the 10th anniversary of the project, in 2007, the group got together again to update the list. 23 movies were removed from the list and 23 were added. So, if we take both lists together we end up with 123 of the greatest movies in film history.
Personal background: I love movies. So, I thought, what better goal for 2011 than to watch all the movies on AFI's list! Now, this goal is slightly bigger than a one-time happening, as I'll have to watch about two or so movies a week on average to get it done, but other than time commitment I think it'll be a pretty enjoyable and easy goal to complete!
Out of the 123 movies I think I've seen about a quarter of them, but I figure I should watch them again with a more critical eye. I also want to do a little background research about the actors, director, and politics of the movies. There are only two movies that I won't watch again: A Clockwork Orange (1971) and The Sixth Sense (1999). I've seen both of them once, and that was enough for me...
At this point I'm on a pretty good roll. Since January 1 I've watched Pulp Fiction (1994), Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Godfather (1972), Citizen Kane (1941), and Goodfellas (1990). I've enjoyed all of these films except Bringing Up Baby, starring Cary Grant and Catharine Hepburn. It had a slapstick vibe, which I just can't bring myself to appreciate. Cary Grant did a really nice job playing the "mild-mannered zoology professor Dr. David Huxley," though. And if you enjoy zany movies involving mistaken identities and runaway leopards, this movie is right up your alley.
I'm really looking forward to watching all these movies and reading up on the background behind them. I'm also excited that I've been able to restart my long-lost Netflix subscription and watch movies right on my computer.
Next movie up...Casablanca (1942).
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Brooklyn Free School
I was driving home from the library this afternoon and was excited to see that I was just in time to listen to This American Life on NPR. Today, host Ira Glass was doing a show entitled, Kid Politics, which posed the following questions:
"What if, say, the U.S.-led invasion of Grenada in 1983 had been decided, not by Ronald Reagan, but by a bunch of middle-schoolers? And what if every rule at your high school had been determined, not by teachers and administrators, but entirely by teenagers?"
Ira was bringing us a show about kids stepping into the world of decision-making usually populated by grown-ups. And the real question was, could kids do it better than adults?
All the sections were interesting, as they usually are, but the last section really got me thinking. Act 3 featured The Brooklyn Free School in Brooklyn, NY. This school functions as a small democracy for its students and staff. All decisions made within school walls are done so by committee. And not just a committee of administrators. Every student, from 5 through 18, has a vote, and those votes count just as much as the votes of the adults. In fact, at the time of the show, students outnumbered teachers 3 to 1, so really, the students were pretty much in charge of all decisions made. Additionally, students are not made to take any particular classes, given homework, or sent home with report cards like in traditional schools. Students learn what they want, when they want, and they monitor their own progress.
So, you might ask yourself, what kind of mass pandemonium goes on in this school every day? One would think that kids would be hanging off the rafters, playing video games non-stop, and generally failing to learn anything valuable for their futures. Apparently though, you would be wrong.
The children set rules for themselves through seemingly constant small and large group meetings, are offered non-compulsory classes by the school's teachers, do assignments and research that they want to do, and, from what the school says, typically flourish in the democratic environ.
The school's founder, Alan P. Berger, modeled BFS after the Summerhill school in England, the Sudbury School in Massachusetts, and The Albany Free School in Albany, NY. Berger believes that if children are not forced into learning things that are meaningless to them they will find those things that are meaningful and will be excited to learn them. He states that, "In a free school environment, students do significantly more exploration of a greater variety of topics and subjects than they would ever be exposed to at a traditional school." He and the other staff find that students are motivated, excited, and ready to learn. Yes, they watch movies and play video games during school hours, but because they are free to learn things that they're interested in they actually do learn on a comparable level to students in traditional schools.
The school's website states, under the FAQ, "Is there evidence that this approach to education works?" that:
"The research done by Sudbury Valley demonstrates overwhelmingly positive evidence of personal growth of former students, as documented in numerous, lengthy testimonials. Students who have experienced democratic free education for any significant period of time clearly articulate how invaluable this educational experience has been to them in the pursuit of an occupation, higher education, or other life choices, providing strong evidence that this approach works."
It's definitely an interesting concept. And it makes me wonder...How would I have done in a school like this?
"What if, say, the U.S.-led invasion of Grenada in 1983 had been decided, not by Ronald Reagan, but by a bunch of middle-schoolers? And what if every rule at your high school had been determined, not by teachers and administrators, but entirely by teenagers?"
Ira was bringing us a show about kids stepping into the world of decision-making usually populated by grown-ups. And the real question was, could kids do it better than adults?
All the sections were interesting, as they usually are, but the last section really got me thinking. Act 3 featured The Brooklyn Free School in Brooklyn, NY. This school functions as a small democracy for its students and staff. All decisions made within school walls are done so by committee. And not just a committee of administrators. Every student, from 5 through 18, has a vote, and those votes count just as much as the votes of the adults. In fact, at the time of the show, students outnumbered teachers 3 to 1, so really, the students were pretty much in charge of all decisions made. Additionally, students are not made to take any particular classes, given homework, or sent home with report cards like in traditional schools. Students learn what they want, when they want, and they monitor their own progress.
So, you might ask yourself, what kind of mass pandemonium goes on in this school every day? One would think that kids would be hanging off the rafters, playing video games non-stop, and generally failing to learn anything valuable for their futures. Apparently though, you would be wrong.
The children set rules for themselves through seemingly constant small and large group meetings, are offered non-compulsory classes by the school's teachers, do assignments and research that they want to do, and, from what the school says, typically flourish in the democratic environ.
The school's founder, Alan P. Berger, modeled BFS after the Summerhill school in England, the Sudbury School in Massachusetts, and The Albany Free School in Albany, NY. Berger believes that if children are not forced into learning things that are meaningless to them they will find those things that are meaningful and will be excited to learn them. He states that, "In a free school environment, students do significantly more exploration of a greater variety of topics and subjects than they would ever be exposed to at a traditional school." He and the other staff find that students are motivated, excited, and ready to learn. Yes, they watch movies and play video games during school hours, but because they are free to learn things that they're interested in they actually do learn on a comparable level to students in traditional schools.
The school's website states, under the FAQ, "Is there evidence that this approach to education works?" that:
"The research done by Sudbury Valley demonstrates overwhelmingly positive evidence of personal growth of former students, as documented in numerous, lengthy testimonials. Students who have experienced democratic free education for any significant period of time clearly articulate how invaluable this educational experience has been to them in the pursuit of an occupation, higher education, or other life choices, providing strong evidence that this approach works."
It's definitely an interesting concept. And it makes me wonder...How would I have done in a school like this?
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