5/30/2005 12:24:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|
Day is done, gone the sun, From the lakes, from the hills, from the skies, All is well, safely rest. God is nigh.
|W|P|111747419880521572|W|P|Memorial Day|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/29/2005 11:58:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|In Jen's post, she requested that I share my experience with Annoying Book Lady. I thought I should do that, but first, I give you Part I: Annoying Library Guy. Jen and I both have lists of books we want to read...not counting, of course, the piles of books we have started at home...so we decided to head down to Central library Friday afternoon to browse. We found an excellent parking space, scrounged three quarters between us for the meter, and wandered in. We met up about half an hour later, piles of books in hand. Jen knew that she needed to either update or get a new card, so I said I'd just get all the books on mine. I went to the new "self checkout" but got this message when I scanned my card: There is a problem with your card. So I took my card and pile of books up to the checkout desk and handed Annoying Library Guy my card. "Your card's expired," he said. "Oh," I said. "How do I update it?" "I just need your driver's license." That would all be well and good, except that I don't have my current address on my driver's license. My address is updated with the DMV, and I put a sticker with my current address on the back where it says "write new address here." I never bothered to get a new one. "Then I need a piece of mail with your current address," Annoying library guy said. I dug through my bag, knowing that I had a couple of pay stubs. I handed him one. "This is no good," he said. "It has to be within the past month." I sighed. I found something else...the certificate from my defensive driving course. It was dated April 16 (the date of the class), but there was no postmark on it. No good, Annoying Library Guy told me. I complained. I groused. The best he could offer me was to hold the books for three days and I could come back and get them. "Forget it," I said. "I'm not coming back." On Saturday, Jen and I made a quick trip to the Crane branch, the one nearest our apartment. There, we met Nice Helpful Library Guy. I'd come prepared with a current piece of mail and told the guy that I needed to update. He asked me for my license. When I said I had a new address, he simply turned the license over and began typing my new address into the computer. "You've *got* to be kidding me," I said to Jen. We explained Annoying Library Guy from the previous day, and he didn't seem all that surprised. Part II: Annoying Book Lady Jen and I decided to go out and troll the yard sales on Saturday morning. One of my favorite things to do at yard sales is to dig through boxes of people's old books, looking for things to add to my future-classroom-library collection. We came upon a big block sale, and the first house we came to had boxes and boxes of books. I was horribly excited. There was another woman there, looking very much like a professional yard-saler...frizzy graying hair, mismatched clothes, the lust for blood in her eyes. I started to browse through the books as I overheard her talking to the house owners. "How about if I give you $15 for all of them?" All of them? As in all of the books? "She's taking all of them?" I whimpered. "Not this one," she gestured toward a box I had just looked through, which had about 7 books left in it. I slumped my shoulders in defeat. Jen caught sight of a couple more boxes on the porch and walked toward them. "Those are mine too," Annoying Book Lady said. "Way to spoil all my fun," I muttered, taking three books I had rescued from her evil clutches. "She didn't even look at them. She's probably going to sell them all on eBay." Sigh...|W|P|111738735107224323|W|P|Memorial Day weekend annoyances, Parts I and II|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/28/2005 03:23:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|For sharing the code for the "currently reading" link now added to my sidebar. Clicks on the Amazon link (and subsequent purchases) from erin-go-blog will benefit Toasted Cheese. Woohoo!|W|P|111731185999990257|W|P|Thanks, Eden!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/27/2005 12:47:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|How have I not been reading Go Fug Yourself? It is priceless. This just made me pee a little: (Kelly Clarkson's clothes being judged by the American Idol judges. View the post here.
"Sure, you're doin' your thing, dawg, but I'm not feelin' the shirt, man, I'm just not feelin' it. And dress is pitchy. Butyou know what, man, you did what you do." "I have to agree with Randy. Everything you did is what you do. Words came out when you opened your mouth, and your face is like rainbows that dance on the toenails of God. But your light is so dark, here, that maybe God hasn't gotten his pedicure, because I can't see the stars that pour out of your soul because of your performing beauty. I'm so very lonely." "Paula is a lunatic. Kelly, you look ridiculous. You can do better."
BWAH!|W|P|111721625047530407|W|P|Laughing out loud|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/27/2005 11:27:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|

1. My uncle once: wanted to be a rock star. 2. Never in my life: have I done any illegal drugs. 3. When I was five: I was in kindergarten, pretending I didn�t know how to read. 4. High School was: filled with some fun, mixed with a whole lot of pain. 5. I will never forget: the weekend of my 30th birthday.

6. I once met: Ron Hawkins and the Low, along with my roommie�Collin Raye�and the guys in Confederate Railroad. 7. There's this girl I know: who has surprised me more than once in the past three years. 8. Once, at a bar: I hopped up on the bar and danced with a pole, sandwiched between two lesbians.

9. By noon I'm usually: that depends on what day it is� 10. Last night: I met a bunch of cool people. 11. If I only had: a full-time teaching job in WNY. 12. Next time I go to church: I�ll probably either be at a wedding or teaching Catholic school. ;)

13. Terry Schiavo: really, really should have had a living will.

14. What worries me most: is that I will not be able to find the job I want. 15. When I turn my head left, I see: a bunch of books, a Shakespeare doll, Jen�s purses 16. When I turn my head right, I see: a photo of the junior high cheerleaders I coached, photos of friends� babies, a Carbon Leaf concert poster, more books.

17. You know I'm lying when: I won�t look at you. 18. What I miss most about the eighties: hmmm�I have plenty of nostalgia for the eighties, but I don�t know if I actually *miss* anything. 19. If I was a character written by Shakespeare, I'd be: either dead or married.

20. By this time next year: I will be teaching full time. 21. A better name for me would be: I think my name�s just fine, thanks.

22. I have a hard time understanding: the marketing of slutty clothes to prepubescent girls. 23. If I ever go back to school I'll: get my PhD. 24. You know I like you if: I hug you. 25. If I won an award, the first person I'd thank would be: well, geez�I guess that depends on what the award is, and what it�s for. Rand. Jen. My parents. My favorite teacher(s)� 26. Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferraro: dead, dead, dead, not dead.

27. Take my advice: don�t tug on Superman�s cape. Or spit into the wind. ;) 28. My ideal breakfast is: a Belgian waffle topped with fruit and whipped cream. 29. A song I love, but do not have is: I can�t think of any. 30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest: visiting Straub�s Brewery and Decker�s Chapel. 31. Tulips, character flaws, microchips & track stars: would be an excellent name for a rock band. Or, you know, the next folk-singing sensation. ;)

32. Why won't people: just get along? 33. If you spend the night at my house: try to avoid stepping in cat puke. ;) 34. I'd stop my wedding for: I can�t imagine. 35. The world could do without: hate.

36. I�d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: be surrounded by bees. ACK! BEES! 37. My favorite blonde is: um, my friend Mary? 38. Paper clips are: necessary? 39. If I do anything well, it's: love. (that�s the verb�) 40. And by the way: take this quiz if you want�just post a comment with a link if you do!:)

|W|P|111721138657672080|W|P|A quiz! A quiz!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/27/2005 08:33:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Many, many thanks to Alan (the BuffaloPundit) for organizing the first Buffalo BloggerCon at Anchor Bar. I got to meet a bunch of very, very cool people. Check out the photo at Fix Buffalo. I was very happy to meet all who came out. Hope to see you (and others) again soon!|W|P|111720140288334539|W|P|Buffalo BloggerCon|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/26/2005 07:37:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|It was brought to my attention that, perhaps, I should have alerted readers to spoilers ahead. I wasn't thinking clearly. My apoligies... ;) Holy crap. No, I'm serious. Holy CRAP. ABC kicked so much major booty last night. First, the 2-hour season finale of Lost. Not many questions answered, but a few more raised. Science teacher guy explodes? Yikes! The hatch has the creepy numbers on it? Yikes! Locke goes ahead and lights the fuse even though Walt went all nutso and told him not to open it AND Hurley practically got himself blown up trying to stop him? Yikes! Black smoke leads to....crazy French lady? Yikes! And "rescue" boat takes Walt, leaves Michael, Sawyer and Jin in the ocean and blows up the raft? YIKES! And all this was *nothing* compared to the Alias finale. First, I have to say again...Lena Olin is one hot woman. I'm completely and utterly straight, but I think Lena Olin could make me question. Wow. I knew there had to be something coming at the end. Syd and Co. save the world from Armageddon, Syd and Vaughn are engaged, Nadia's not dead...lalala...all is well. And then... "My name's not Michael Vaughn." I think that little statement would have been enough. Really...keep the viewers going WTF for the whole summer. But then... BAM! Hit by a bleeping car. Jen and I screamed so loud that I can't believe the neighbors didn't come knocking. That, my friends, is good television. ;)|W|P|111711149485534411|W|P|Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/25/2005 07:34:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Today is Teacher Appreciation Day at my (adopted) school. Dismissal is at 11:30, and there is a luncheon for the faculty afterwards. I can't believe tomorrow is my last day here. It seems so strange. The kids, of course, are very excited about their teacher coming back...I try not to take that personally. I was sharing a story with Rand one day, and he said, "Well that must make you feel good." Well, I admit to feeling a twinge of, "What? They don't like me?" But then I remember that I want to be a teacher that my students will miss if I'm gone for an extended period of time. Hmm...speaking of students...I caught the 7th grade prank callers! One of the girls was talking to me in class, and the conversation led to her saying something (a silly rhyme with my name) that had just so happened to be left on my answering machine Saturday. I called her on it, and her face went blank. From the back of the room, another girl started to laugh. "Busted," she called out. Heh. I didn't do anything to them...I figure now that they know I'm onto them, they won't be calling anymore. So that's over. (I hope!) Lost and Alias finales tonight...woohoo!|W|P|111702477779939291|W|P|Feeling appreciated?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/23/2005 05:53:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Okay, maybe I'm the naive one here...or maybe I just haven't been paying attention. The other day, I was in Stereo Advantage with Rand. We walked by the plasma TVs, and he asked me, "Are you ready to pay $2000 for a TV?" I snorted. "Well, it's the future," he said. "Then I guess I'm going to have to be behind the times," I said. He then explained to me that by the end of 2006, I would no longer be able to receive regular TV broadcasts on my analog set. "It's going to take an act of Congress for you to be able to watch TV on your current set," he said. What? Where the heck have I been? Have people been talking about this since the FCC mandated the switch in 1998? I did a little google search, and found very little that was not technobabble. This was a good article from the (Mississippi) Clarion-Ledger...2006 conversion deadline looming.
By July 1, all TV sets measuring at least 36 inches diagonally must be sold with digital tuners. By Dec. 31 of 2006, the conversion to digital, allegedly, will be complete. Supposedly, then, broadcasters will no longer air analog signals by Jan. 1, 2007.
Oh, but don't worry, because HDTV sets are "going to get cheaper."
They've been cheapening for years. In 2001, they were $2,000 or more. Now you can buy one of the smaller sets for less than $1,000, says Eddie Maloney of Cowboy Maloney's Electric City Superstores, based in Jackson. There are plans to offer lower-cost standard definition sets (which also have a lower-quality signal) for about $300 or more.
Oh, well thank goodness. Here I was worried that I was going to have to spend a lot of money on a TV. And you *will* be able to get a special converter box for your old, crappy analog tv, for an additional per-month charge, of course. So why is this happening? Other than "better picture quality" blah blah blah whatever?
And there's the money � not for the broadcasters, for whom it will take a while to recover conversion costs. It's money for the federal government, which can make billions of dollars off the analog spectrum.
Ahhhh...yes. That makes sense. So tell me again, why is hardly anyone talking about this? Is this as outrageous as I'm thinking? Am I alone here? Please chime in on this discussion! More info: The digital TV transition: the fairytale continues Frequently asked questions Digital Television conversion: what's it mean?|W|P|111688970945165965|W|P|Digital TV outrage?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/23/2005 07:42:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|And I've been putting off this post because I haven't watched the episode in its entirety yet, but... SpyMommy's back, baby! Woohoo! Lena Olin is unspeakably fabulous. And Alias is at its best when the whole SpyFamily is together. I did a little dance when I saw her. More later, after I watch the whole thing. Actually, maybe I'll just wait until after the finale. I haven't watched Lost yet, either. Shhh... Oh, but I did see The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou last week. I enjoyed that, and must again thank Rand for introducing me to the work of Wes Anderson. Yay! Also caught Star Wars Episode II on TV last night. Eh. Natalie Portman and Hayden Christiensen are both so much better than they look in that movie. But Ewan...mmmmm. Yay for Obi Wan. ;) And now I guess I can see Episode III, and this whole cultural phenomenon will not have passed me by. I wasn't really affected by Star Wars as a child. I was four when the original Star Wars came out. I remember the whole Luke and Leia are brother and sister and (gasp!) Vader is their father thing being a big deal. I remember playing with other people's Star Wars toys. I remember that dreadful made-for-tv Ewok movie. So? I don't know... My college boyfriend, K, had an unhealthy obsession with both Star Wars and the music of John Williams. I can't explain it. ;) I actually got the boy a light saber for Christmas the last year we were together. It was just coming up on the anniversary release of the original film. That was lots of fun after we broke up...Star Wars *everywhere*. I wasn't bitter about that at all... ;)|W|P|111685266011807437|W|P|I can't say I didn't expect it...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/22/2005 09:32:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Okay...erin-go-blog is not going anywhere. I do, however, realize that I need to make a few changes, just in the topics/tone of my entries. It has never been my intention to hurt or ridicule, or to reveal sensitive information. I need to remember what I do, and who I am, and make sure that my posts are always reflective of that. Thank you again for your advice/comments/concerns. I have taken it all to heart (maybe too much, in some cases. ;) )|W|P|111677264882691834|W|P|Crisis over|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/21/2005 08:21:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Since I've been hearing about this, I decided to do some investigating. I found the following at Snopes: Celling your soul
Claim: A directory of cell phone numbers will soon be published. Status: Multiple: * A consortium of wireless providers is planning to create a 411 (directory assistance) service for cell phone numbers: True. * You must register your cell phone with the national "Do Not Call" directory before 1 January 2005 to prevent your number from being provided to telemarketers: False.
So that's that. :)|W|P|111672501539875385|W|P|The truth about the cell phone directory|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/21/2005 04:31:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Thanks for the comments. I must say, I'm not feeling encouraged. At this point, I'm not sure if I should even continue blogging...I don't see how to do it without completely changing everything about the way I blog. This upsets me. After all, I like my blog. I like my blog name. I like my little doodle of me. I like writing about my life. I like the people who come and read my little ramblings. But I know that what I don't need is for this space to become a source of worry and distress in my life, and right now, it is. I'm afraid there's too much already "out there" to take back. I'm afraid of feeling like I have to censor myself every time I write something. I'm afraid of worrying constantly about who might be reading. And I don't know what to do about it.|W|P|111671153767189572|W|P|Thanks|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/20/2005 07:32:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|This week, a few people close to me have expressed concerns about my blog, given my profession and the fact that I'm looking for employment. I've been through several stages of processing this information...and come to the conclusion that I need to take more care in what I'm posting for public consumption. Often, I will say things flippantly, with a bit of sarcasm, meant for humorous effect, but I think I need to keep in mind that some people happening upon this space might not take things this way. I don't want to entirely change the way I write...this space has become very important to me. I enjoy writing about my life, and sometimes this is where I vent my little annoyances, irritations and frustrations. Maybe I just need to watch *how* I say things. I try to maintain a little measure of anonymity...not posting names (other than my first name and the first names of some of my friends and family) or specific places of employment...but is it enough? Does anyone out there have any thoughts on this? Do you worry about anonymity? Has anyone found your blog or journal that you wouldn't want reading it? Also, I've been thinking...maybe I should look into creating a personal website that would maximize potential when my name is googled. I don't know at the moment what that would entail, but it's a thought... I don't know. Anyway, thank goodness it's Friday. I'm off to PA for my friend's baby shower and to spend a little time with my family. I also have Toasted Cheese submissions to read. Should make for a busy, busy weekend, so don't expect to hear from me until next week! Happy Friday, everyone.|W|P|111659319606888224|W|P|The perils of blogging|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/17/2005 12:15:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Why does it feel like it's been a year since I blogged? Hm. Anyway... My mom and her friend visited on Friday night. They wanted to spend a weekend exploring Niagara-on-the-lake and the Falls, so I offered them a place to crash. Saturday night, they stayed in Canada. We had a nice dinner, and watched Shall We Dance, which had the most dreadful song I've ever heard, sung by Peter Gabriel. Pete, Pete, Pete...please find your dignity. Oh, also, Sunday was my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad! :) Ahem. I've been getting some rather annoying prank calls from an unavailable number. They are girls, they are definitely students at this school. I'm almost certain they are 7th graders. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way to stop or catch them. Any suggestions? I have an interview coming up on Thursday for a 7th grade ELA/5th grade reading position in a Catholic elementary school. It's a very nice school, and a job I'm sure I would enjoy. Well-wishes and advice gladly accepted. ;) Rand and I watched Dogma (which I'd seen once before) over the weekend. I love that movie. I wanted to quote Chris Rock's bit about beliefs and ideas, but I forgot to look it up. Maybe later... Had a fun time yesterday...it was 8th grade class day, so we spent almost the entire day at Lasertron. We got pizza for lunch, and I spent some time talking with the kids' regular teacher and a couple of parents. Also got a tip on possible job opps at a new charter school. It was good to see the kids in a non-school setting. Unfortunately, I've got my most dreaded period of the week about to begin. 8th grade Lit, last class of the day, after they've been at gym and art. Sigh. Last week, I had to make them write apology essays during this class. Ack!|W|P|111635083193087502|W|P|And now the news|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/13/2005 07:36:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Hey folks...a new-ish blog has been brought to my attention: Buffalo Rising Journal In their own words:
We don�t want to waste too much time telling you about it. You should know that the blog was born of our impatience. We�re working on a really rich, awfully interactive online Buffalo Rising experience�but, unfortunately, that takes time. We wanted to have an online voice before then, so we started this. And we think it�s pretty cool. It�s not the magazine. It�s more like what the people who make the magazine talk about between issues. And it�s a daily reminder of the richness and vibrancy of our city and the people who live in it. Please check it out, tell your friends, make comments, and visit often. We promise to make it worth your while.
It's pretty cool. Do check it out. :) Another new one: FishbowlWNY.com|W|P|111592308366915990|W|P|Local love|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/11/2005 11:36:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|This may fall under "TMI ", but here I go anyway... The way I see it, women fall into two categories: thong wearing and non thong wearing. I've pretty much fallen into the latter category for most of my life. Friends who were in the former would swear by the virtues of the thong. "They're so comfortable." "Once you get used to it, you won't want to wear anything else." "You just have to give it a chance." And so give it a chance, I did. I bought a few at Victoria's Secret, tried them a couple of times. I usually ended up changing into something more comfortable the first chance I got. I can't escape that feeling of fabric wedged into the crack of my butt. I don't understand how other women ignore this. I don't understand how they can actually say it's comfortable. So the thongs wait in my dresser drawer, largely unworn. Enter my new khaki pants. I have this pair of dark khaki pants, sort of a stretchy material, that sit low on the waist and somewhat snug around the butt and hips. I wore them to school several weeks ago, and noticed that they tended to pull my undies into an uncomfortable position. I kept going behind my desk to ease them out. I thought that would be the worst of it. I was wrong. I was teaching an English lesson, and turned to write on the board. The entire 8th grade class burst into laughter. I turned around, and they muffled their giggles and turned their eyes down. I turned back to the board, and the same thing happened. This repeated for several minutes. Did I have something on my back? Did I sit in something and have a gigantic spot on my ass? With no way of knowing, I finished writing on the board and spent the rest of the day hiding my backside from the students. When I got home, I checked my reflection in the mirror. The sight was not pretty. The elastic from my panties was creating a well-defined line through the middle of my butt cheek. I'm not talking about a panty line...we're talking ass line here. Excess cellulite bulging from beneath the elastic. Talk about embarrassing. The pants sat in my closet unworn ever since. Until today. Today, I had to wear the pants. So I went to my underwear drawer and pulled out a thong. I'm dealing with it, I guess. But I can't wait to get home and change. I guess I'll never be a true thong-wearin' gal.|W|P|111583018000725230|W|P|To thong or not to thong?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/10/2005 01:44:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Not to be confused with Timbits. ;) Friday afternoon, I had a call from the Y. They wanted to know if I could do them a favor and just do one more class for them. Seems my replacement flaked and forgot some play or something she had to attend. I said no. This is exactly why I couldn't handle doing it anymore. Well, that and the fact that it messed up my weekends anytime I wanted to go somewhere. Blah. Er...what else... I'm almost done with the grades for my college classes. Then I get to catch up on my grading for the little darling 6-8 graders. Woohoo! Speaking of the little darlings, I only had the 8th graders for one class period today, and they drove me batty in that amount of time. I ended up assigning them ALL an apology letter for their disrespectfulness at the end of the day. It was like I was talking to myself. Utterly ridiculous. I know that their minds are elsewhere, but such is life. I had a lovely dinner with my mommy in Ellicottville on Sunday. (It's about the halfway point for us.) We went to the Ellicottville Brewing Company, which was nice. Our young, perky waitress was from the soon-to-open Fredonia store. We then poked around the shops a bit. It was a really nice day, so that was a plus... I also heard from little brother...he and his fiance have asked me to be in their wedding, which will be next May in Meadville. Looks like it's my year for being a bridesmaid. ;) I also talked briefly with my good friend Caren, who I haven't talked to in far too long. She and her husband are expecting. Yay for them! We promised to get together soon...it also turns out that she and Rand have an interesting connection... I have individual conferences tonight at the college. That should be loads of fun...hahaha. Okay, ta ta for now...|W|P|111575119200651062|W|P|Tidbits|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/09/2005 07:43:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Friday night, Rand and I ran into one of my 8th graders outside of school. She tapped me on the back, and I turned around. That was a surprise! She's normally quite talkative and outgoing, but she got all quiet and shy. I introduced her to Rand, she stood there looking awkward for a few minutes, and I said goodbye. This morning, she asked who the "big scary man" was. Heehee. One of the other girls asked how tall he was, and she said "Like seven feet!" I assured her that he was not, in fact, seven feet tall, and that he's not at all scary. I don't think she believed me, though. ;)|W|P|111564288144953283|W|P|Yes, I exist outside of school.|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/08/2005 09:58:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Especially my mom and grandmas- My aunts, my cousin Amanda- My dear friends, Dayna, Stephanie, Eden, Deo, Jam, Brenda, Stacey, Sonya, Ginger, Kim, Holly, Jen, Karen, and AnnMarie- My blogfriends Katie, Jen, and Patti- (If I've missed anyone, I truly apologize...) Have a very, very happy Mother's Day! *my apologies to those I forgot yesterday!|W|P|111556504796998030|W|P|To all the mothers out there|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/06/2005 06:50:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Where hoopla=grading. Celebrating Cinco de Mayo, I am not. My kitchen table is literally covered in papers, folders and writing implements. Surprisingly, my last class with the Wednesday nighters went very well. I gave a quiz and then did a wrap-up activity, which they really got into. It was cool to see them excited about something. I'm sure the fact that they don't't have to come back helped. ;) I haven't even *really* started reading the papers yet. I've been doing housekeeping stuff. Reading journals. Reading late and rewritten papers. And my brain already hurts. I don't know how much reading I'll get done tonight, but I figured any jump I could get on the stuff would help. Last night, I met Jen at Barnes & Noble after class and signed up for my educator discount card. Woohoo! Suddenly, I'm feeling much more appreciated. Everything I bought last night was 25% off. I got a copy of Fahrenheit 451, decided to pick up a copy of 20 Master Plots after reading Jam's article at TC,got a cute new writing journal (inspiration!) and a book of writing prompts for the classroom. Excellent. When I got home from Barnes and Noble, I realized I'd left my wallet there. Ugh. I called, and it was safe, but that meant I had to drive back out there after work today. I then spent way too much time piddling around at the mall. Came home and watched Lost, ate some cereal, and then got down to work. Can I stop now?|W|P|111534064050945925|W|P|Knee-deep in the hoopla|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/04/2005 01:49:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|When I was in sixth grade, I was in a class full of bright, creative, highly imaginative kids. I still remember a story one of the boys wrote that involved being stranded somewhere with nothing to eat but "dirt, bugs and two-year-old Cheez Whiz." Someone bought a container of Cheez Whiz and had our teacher store it until we were in 8th grade, and we had a little party. None of this is my point. My point is, sometimes the intelligence and creativity were used to evil ends. For example, one day, some of the boys decided to make a "most wanted" list of girls in our class. Name. Alias. Crimes. Weapon of choice. I only remember a couple of these. Suzanne, for example, for her abuse of "the lead purse." I don't remember what my crimes were, but I remember that my weapon was "tears." I've always been highly emotional, and I am not good at hiding my emotions. My face always gives me away. I do cry at the drop of a hat...and not just when I'm sad. I cry when I'm upset or angry. I've been known to cry for joy. I cry when experiencing powerful art. I remember when I went to see Rent here in Buffalo at Shea's a few years ago, I was practically weeping at the end of the opening number. Ditto for The Lion King. Back when I got my wisdom teeth removed, I laid around for a day in a painkiller-induced stupor. I watched Armageddon (hey--written by JJ Abrams...sort of. two credits on "story," two on "adaptation," and JJ is one of two more on "screenplay"). I was reduced to a weeping puddle of goo at the end. I cry at the end of Lady and the Tramp, even though I know Tramp isn't really dead. I cry during The Little Mermaid, when Ariel turns back into a mermaid and watches the wedding ship sail away. I cried at the end of about half the episodes of the first season of The West Wing. I used to apologize for my tearyness...be embarrassed of it...but now it is just one of the many things that I have learned to accept and even embrace. I caught myself starting to apologize once, while watching a movie with Rand, and he said "Don't be silly. Your emotions are beautiful." My emotions are beautiful. Take that, boys of 6-A. ;)|W|P|111523339481773895|W|P|Don't cry for me, Blogentina|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/04/2005 07:52:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Eden put up a fantastic post (and a link to the blog it came from) about gay marriage over at Your Agenda Here.|W|P|111521127729644422|W|P|Good stuff...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/04/2005 07:48:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Seen here, there and everywhere, but first at All Things Jennifer:
Pholph's Scrabble Generator

My Scrabble� Score is: 13.
What is your score? Get it here.
|W|P|111516416002194133|W|P|America's goodtime game|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/03/2005 06:41:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P| So I understand it's teacher appreciation week. How come I'm not feelin' so appreciated? *grumble*|W|P|111516384466328799|W|P|R-E-S-P-E-C-T|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/03/2005 12:26:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I'm tired. I have one more class to go. (yay!) Sigh. Whimper. *hides under desk* They were blatantly disrespectful in English this morning, and I had to get all stern with them. (this usually leads to giggles and muffled snickers.) But then they were better when I had them for Literature. So? 40 minutes. I can do it...|W|P|111514141377283925|W|P|Won't you please get me out of here?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/02/2005 07:07:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|This might be my new favorite thing on earth: Chocolate covered ginger. Tender pieces of young stem ginger in premium dark chocolate. Ingredients: Semi sweet dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin vanilla), ginger, cane sugar, dextrin and confectioner�s glaze. Rand got some from a coworker as a birthday gift, and I ate nearly all of it. I could not stop myself. It was too tasty! Mmmmm...need more chocolate covered ginger. So I went to the website for The Ginger People, and find that it's ON SALE. It's a sign. ;)|W|P|111507909672898378|W|P|Yummmmmm....|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/02/2005 07:29:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Why is it that every week when Monday comes along, I'm *still* not ready for it? :) I'm pretty much caught up on grading. That is, until my college students hand in their papers this week. I'm going to be buried...I want to have their grades finished in time for conferences next week. Eep! How is this semester over already? I guess it went fairly well, overall. There are definitely some things I'll change if I teach this class again. How's this for coolness...yesterday, Rand discovered that he has an entry in Wikipedia. Now that's fame. ;) Be sure to check the 27 blog for new entries! This weekend, I watched Regarding Henry, the first screenplay written by none other than...dum dum dum...JJ Abrams. But he was Jeffrey Abrams back then. I enjoyed it...it was a bit on the sentimental side, but I don't mind that. And it has Annette Bening! (Hmmm...he also wrote Forever Young, with Mel Gibson, which I have a vague recollection of seeing a long time ago.) I did do a bit of reading...I'm almost done with the Marcus Borg book. Yay! Also read some of the Invisibles. Crazy stuff, that. And Rand warned me that I'm about to start the part where it "gets weird." Hahahaha. So I'm down to my last four weeks at the Catholic school. I'm going to miss some of them. Others, not so much. ;) And finally, I've noticed some new readers (at least new commenters!) in the past week or so. Welcome to my humble home. Heehee... Ok, I guess I have to run for now...happy Monday!|W|P|111503782795666783|W|P|Why?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com