All around update

Reading
As much as I enjoyed my reading challenge of 2009, I'm looking forward to the freedom of reading anything I want from any genre again. Like so many other people, I like to read books before I see the movies based on them, so I recently read The Lovely Bones and The Lightning Thief. I enjoyed The Lightning Thief so much, that I decided to continue the series and just finished Sea of Monsters. The plot can be described as a cross between Harry Potter and a Greek hero tale. I enjoyed the adventure and the use of Greek mythology, which also makes it a good read for any students studying mythology in school. Fun, easy reads. The rest of the series is on reserve at the library, which is an AMAZING place! I can read just about any book I want for free. I may have to wait for it, but reserving books is super easy. I recently checked out The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, and Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. Plenty to keep me busy.

Running
Thanks to my former roommate from NYU, the winter weather has not kept me from running. She and I both use the Nike+ running system, which allows users to create and compete in a variety of running challenges. She challenged me to a contest to see who could run the most kilometers in 30 days. As I can be quite competitive, this was a perfect way to ensure I would not let the snow or below freezing temperatures stop me. I've run over 40 miles in the last three weeks and have four days until the challenge ends. After that, I plan to start my official marathon training, which is another feature the Nike+ website offers.

Polo
He's still getting bigger. We haven't weighed him in a while, but I would guess around 50-55lbs. He loves sleeping on our bed and couches, carrying around socks in his mouth, and joining me for runs. He still gets overly excited around guests, which we need to keep working on, but we love him a ton.

Michael
He started a new rotation at Nationwide that he seems to enjoy, yet he still has plenty of time to be a wonderful husband. We grabbed Chinese take-out on Saturday night in celebration of Chinese New Year (Feb. 14th), and on Valentine's day, he made a delicious dinner of shrimp pesto fettuccine with seared scallops as an appetizer. The best part, though, was the cheesecake. He used a recipe from Junior's in New York, which is the best cheesecake he's ever had. I'm not as distinguishing, but I know it was really, really good. It may fit under "reading," but I'll tell you here that I just started a book called The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian, and I'm excited to see how focusing more on praying for my husband will positively affect our marriage.

Vista
I really enjoy the church we've found here. Michael and I are involved in a great small group and volunteer with the set-up/tear-down team. I also signed up to be in the Easter choir. It may seem crazy to those who know anything about my singing ability, or lack thereof, but I'm hoping to blend in. I'm really looking forward to getting to know some more people this way.

Work
We had two snow days last week, Friday was a teacher workday, and today is a holiday, so I have not been subbing very much. I'm hoping it starts to pick up. I really like the district I'm working in, and I generally enjoy each of the subbing jobs I take. It keeps me busy and helps pay the bills. I'm hoping to get a full time job for the next school year, and I actually think I would prefer middle school, which may seem insane, but it's my favorite place to sub. I don't know that I will have much choice though. It's very competitive here.

Weather
Freezing (literally) cold and snowy. Today is the third winter storm in as many weeks. I may drive a 16 year old car, but I'm grateful that it is an all-wheel drive. Our street does not get plowed or salted, but we keep our driveway and sidewalks shoveled. Michael and I take turns with that.

In the words of Porky the Pig, that's all folks!

Sunday Night In

We've been having really laid back weekends lately. On Saturday, we had some friends and their dog over in the afternoon. The pups ran around the backyard tiring each other out, the boys watched the Indiana basketball game, and the girls chatted in the kitchen, oh so stereotypically. Then the four of us played, but didn't finish, Trivial Pursuit. Michael and I actually went out for dinner that night, which we haven't done in nearly a month. We had a two for one coupon for Spagheddie's, which is a much cozier place than expected. The food was so-so, but it was a good deal :) After our typical Sunday routine of church followed by grocery shopping, I took Polo for a nice five mile jog. I have to take advantage of as many sunny days in the 20's and 30's as I can before the weather turns bad again. I baked oatmeal cookies with dried cranberries, and then Michael and I watched the Grammy Awards while playing another round of Trivial Pursuit. Polo tried to join Michael's team but was of little help in answering any questions.

Back to the Grindstone

After winter break, work was slow. Few teachers take days off right after a two week vacation, so I only had a handful of jobs. Things are starting to pick up though, and I'm working four days this week. One of the week's highlights happened on Tuesday at an elementary school. I was supervising indoor recess (due to freezing cold temperatures and icy sidewalks) when a small 2nd grade boy came up and asked me if he could ask me a few questions. When I said he could, he grabbed a stool and took a seat in front of me to proceed. It was quite the funny interview. After finding out that I have colored my hair in the past (both blonde and red), he asked, "Do you have Britney in your name?"
"No," I said.
"Well, do you have Spears in your name?"
"No," I replied holding back laughter.
"Oh, because she has brown hair that she dyed blonde and red one time."
Yup, folks. I have something in common with Britney Spears.

"How old are you?" he asked next.
"29," I confessed.
"Hmmm.... that's one year under my mom. She's 30. But you don't look 29. You look 18."
Ah, I love little kids! Though I can't imagine having my own kid in 1st or 2nd grade already. Yikes!

P.S. Today an 8th grader asked "Who's O.J. Simpson?" (The teacher used him in example of double jeopardy/5th amendment on a quiz)

Avatar vs. Jurassic Park

One of the schools I was subbing at last week was on a really strange schedule due to testing. The day ended with a two hour study center, so the teachers chose to show a movie. The options were Jurassic Park or October Sky, so naturally (like anyone didn't see this coming) the kids picked Jurassic Park. Though I tend to have a poor memory, I do remember the first time I saw this film. It was the summer after sixth grade (1993), and my best friend, her mom, her sister, and I went to the drive-in. Even though the drive-in is probably not the ideal location for viewing intense, graphic, action films, I was still impressed by how real everything seemed in the movie. It was like John Hammond really did discover a way to bring dinosaurs out of extinction with DNA found in fossilized amber, and someone was there to film it.

Yesterday, Michael and I went to see Avatar in 3D. It just blows Jurassic Park out of the water. I know filmmakers have come a long way (technologically and graphically) since the days of T-rex and velociraptors chasing Dr. Alan Grant through the jungle, but seeing these two movies in the same week really hit home how advanced the tech is becoming. I wonder what movies will be like in another 17 years. I really enjoyed the movie and am glad I finally saw something in 3D, but I don't think it's worth the extra money to see future films in 3D. I felt a little like I was watching a Magic Eye movie and had to keep unfocusing my eyes to see it right. The action sequences were especially difficult for me to follow in focus. It was amazing though.

Mozart can make you smarter

I read a very brief, but very fascinating article, while subbing today: "Does Music Make You Smarter?" adapted by Adrienne Hathoway. I feel I just have to share this new knowledge. After reading the article, I naturally Googled to find out more. I discovered that David Merrell, a teenager, won the Virginia State Fair with an experiment where he subjected mice to either heavy metal or classical music to see how it would affect their ability to run a maze. With 72 mice divided into three groups, Merrell ran each group through the maze and timed their progress. Their final time averaged about ten minutes. Then, he played heavy metal music for one group, classical music for another, and no music for the control group. After four weeks, the control group's average time to finish the maze was down to five minutes, and the classical group finished in just over a minute and a half. Shockingly, the heavy metal group increased their time. It took them half an hour to finish! Not only that, the first time Merrell performed the experiment, he had to cut it short because after three weeks the heavy metal group only had one mouse left. They had become so aggressive that they attacked and killed one another. Though I don't know what research has been done to see what the implications are for humans, I know what music I will and won't be playing for my kids.

Playing with Christmas presents

On Christmas morning in Arizona, there was a present under the tree for Polo from my mom. It has become one of his favorite toys to bring us for playtime. It's great for a little tug-of-war and for retrieving.

Date Night and Robin Hood

How about this? Ridley Scott is making another Robin Hood movie. This one has Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett in it.



I mentioned back in October that I saw this preview for Date Night. The trailer is now available online. Looks good!