P-Town (no, not Puyallup)

Last week, I ventured five hours east to Wazzu (I think we are allowed to call it that again), otherwise known as the place where I spent the craziest four years of my life. I had not been over for some time, so jumped at the chance to help out with rush (now called recruitment) where I was pleased to see that many of the girls I met reminded so much of my friends and I back in the day.

Since graduating NINE (yes, I am old) years ago, much has changed in Pullman (nicer buildings and a remodeled stadium to name a few). But it was reassuring to see how much remains the same.

It was funny, because as long as I have been gone from WSU, it still feels like "home" every time I return.

"I can't define it; I can't tell somebody who isn't a Cougar what it's like. There's something that happens at Washington State, you quietly and subtly become infected. There are very few people I've ever met who have gone to WSU and not come away with a favorable impression ... Washington State was a passion. Being a Cougar was a passion." -Jim Walden Head Football Coach 1978-86
From his book "Tales from the Washington State Cougars Sideline"

After a busy four days, I drove away from the WSU and thought about the things I missed about my college days:

1) Thinking that a 9:10am class was "early"...I would LOVE to start work at this time now!
2) Having a Pita Pit right up the street
3) Daily Grind Coffee- somebody should really open one up here!
4) Being able to go to all football games without worrying about the following: taking the Friday off of work, obtaining a hotel room (nearly impossible during WSU football season), and hoping the pass is okay to drive over.
5) Having all of my friends (literally) steps or minutes away and ability to hang out with them at a moments notice. It was so great to always have somebody to work out with, have coffee with, go on a walk with or just talk to (in person) without having to plan it in advance. However, I am so grateful we have all remained close and make an effort to see one another on a regular basis.
6) Sunsets and stars in the Palouse- I am not sure I appreciated this much when I was in school, but sure did on my visit.
7) The ability to to drink Busch Light, Franzia and Monarch vodka and think it actually tasted decent. Happy Hour would sure be cheaper if I still felt this way!
8) Being a student in an actually classroom- totally different than going to school online after working all day
9) It was okay to not know what was coming next in life- I was still young and had time to figure it out. Sometimes I miss those days of being so carefree. And to think I completely took them for granted.
10) Party Pics- you never had to worry about who was taking pictures to capture the night. Although now, I just rely on my friend with the nice cameras to upload albums for me.
11) The defined seasons of eastern Washington: Hot summers, cold and snowy winters and crisp/sunny fall days.
12) Driving to and from school with friends, blasting Mr. Big's "To Be With You" and singing loudly the whole way.
13) Seeing people in costumes when it was NOT Halloween and thinking it was completely normal. Luckily as a teacher, this is still normal during "Spirit Weeks" at school!
14) Being able to camp at the Gorge for a concert for the entire weekend and not thinking it was completely disgusting. Attempted this in my late 20's....never again. I will camp in Vantage from now on.
15) Prank calling people after a night out from the room phones (#67= no caller ID) using the Greek Directory. Laughing about it for hours. On a side note: I still think prank calls are funny and it was actually how I met my husband.

And the list could go on and on. However, reminiscing on my college days also makes me realize how incredibly happy I am with who and where I am now in my life.

I will always look back fondly on the memories at WSU and the reassurance that a Cougar is not just something you are when you are in college, but becomes part of who you are later. It is kind of difficult to put into words, but this quote says it best:

"I can't define it; I can't tell somebody who isn't a Cougar what it's like. There's something that happens at Washington State, you quietly and subtly become infected. There are very few people I've ever met who have gone to WSU and not come away with a favorable impression ... Washington State was a passion. Being a Cougar was a passion."-Jim Walden Head Football Coach 1978-86
From his book "Tales from the Washington State Cougars Sideline"

What not to wear?

Today, I was at the mall looking for a new pair of jorts (jeans + shorts= jorts) for my sister's "western theme" bachelorette party and stumbled across something very disturbing:

These:

Yup. The high-waisted denim you may remember from the 70's is back and this is NOT a good thing. Basically, these are "mom" jeans hacked off and give even the most petite girls a long butt. I am not sure who would want to add length to their derriere, but apparently many people do  judging by the ratio of high-waisted shorts to regular ones. They are  found in nearly every store- from Nordstrom to Forever 21 for women of all ages to try out. Here is a sampling of the myriad of styles I found:

With color and a bit of "bling" these bring back memories of "hypercolor"

Or for a more rugged look, slip on a faded pair...with plaid shirt or large hat. See, you can still show off your upper stomach when your pants go up to your belly button.

Perhaps these "modern" gems are more your style. See how they also elongate the crotch are- always flattering:

 

I get that these are trending right now, and they may even look wonderful on a select few women (ones with model figures) but do no favors for us average folk.

So, this is one fashion statement I will be avoiding this summer season. Let's just hope come fall, people are not sporting these with colored tights underneath.

On a positive note- they do eliminate the dreaded "muffin top" plaguing society for the past few years when  "super low-rise pants" were all the rage. And that, in itself, might be worth the the abundance elongated butts roaming around.

I spoke too soon...

You may remember a blog I wrote approximately two weeks ago regarding how I was going to relax this summer. I then described how I really did not have anything to do.

Well...I totally jinxed myself with that post! Currently, I am working on a Masters degree in Literacy through and online university called Walden (don't worry, I had not heard of it either, until I started talking to some other teachers). Adam likes to joke about me attending football games against our rival college, University of Phoenix and asks if I am going to fly to MN for the commencement ceremony. Not possible considering there is NO actual campus, hence NO graduation ceremony.

The online format has actually been great so far, since I can work on my own time and do not have to spend my evenings sitting in a classroom.

Since beginning the course in October, I have felt the classes were fairly doable with my busy schedule. One discussion post each week (due Wednesday) and a paper (usually about 3-5 pages) due Sunday. Most of the work involved lessons in our own classrooms, so I was confident with the workload. Even though I would rather be watching "Pretty Little Liars" instead of writing a paper,  I always submitted work on time and have yet to earn less than a B+ on any assignment.

So, a summer course should be a breeze, I thought. Plus I have TONS of free time now that I am not working.

Apparently the program designers at Walden thought so too, because the class I am taking this summer is by far the most difficult one yet. It is called "Action Research" and is similar to studies one would conduct if working toward a Doctorate in Administration or Education. At the conclusion of the class, we are required to publish our findings. And these are not the usually 3-5 page papers of classes past, but 10-12 page documents!

Let me make this clear- I have ZERO desire to A) Become a professor  or B) Work as a principal or other type of administrator. One of the reasons I went into teaching is because I enjoy working with kids and do not think I would like to be in charge of my peers.

I am keeping up with the course thus far, although the sunshine Seattle has given us recently is making it difficult. Today, I have already spent four hours reading, researching and writing a paper on "How the use of technology can increase student motivation in writing" (I know, you are all DYING to read it when I finish- don't worry, I will gladly email you a copy).

 This adult version of "summer school" is certainly not as enjoyable as I remember summer school being in Pullman (so far, none of my Walden classes have met at The Coug).

While my summer may not be as relaxing as I envisioned, at least I cannot complain of having nothing to do... now I just have to motivate myself to stick it out.

Fifty Shades of...Twilight?

If you are a woman, unless you have been living under a rock, you have most likely heard about "Fifty Shades.” This past week, I read the first book in the "Fifty Shades" series..."Fifty Shades of Grey" partially because I was curious to discover what all of the buzz was about and because it is our current Book Club selection. Since the book has received so much press, I felt I was prepared to handle whatever racy scene the author threw at me.


What I was not prepared for was BAD writing. About one hundred pages in I began to realize this book shares many similarities with another series I despise- Twilight. It was as though the author simply substituted "S&M" and lots of dominant (and weird) sex for the Vampires in "Twilight." Both are "forbidden" and yet Bella and Ana cannot resist their charms.

First of all, the female protagonists in both books have zero personality and nothing at remarkable about them. The authors go out of the way to describe exactly how plain and ordinary they are. Bella and Ana are what literary experts would label as a "Mary Sue"due to the fact they lack any qualities that takes them out of the one-dimensional mode. This is done so the readers or the author can easily insert themselves into the story and become the character (because the character could really be anybody).


In a failed attempt to give Bella and Ana some dimension, they have (gasp) divorced parents, including an absent mother and a father who is caring, but also lacks personality. Since this is never really explained or developed it does not work to add interest to either girl. Despite the "Mary Sueness" of Bella and Ana, they have a flock of male admirers, including men who could really have anybody they want (Edward and Christian).

Speaking of men, in both series the leading men are borderline stalkers. Edward shows up at Bella's window and "flies" around the world to see her. Christian creepily appears at the bar in South Carolina where Ana has gone to visit her mother. And is either of the girls worried about this behavior? No, instead they become obsessed with these stalkers and unable to make any decisions for themselves.


Another pet peeve of mine in both "Twilight" and "Fifty Shades" is the redundant conversation and word usage. Stephanie Meyer repeats (many) times that Edward "sparkles" while EL James writes in excess about Christian's eyes. Also, Ana says "Oh Crap" about twenty times throughout the novel during her many annoying monologues. The book is also full of big words where a simple word would have sufficed. I found this incredibly annoying, as though Meyer and James circles "Dead Words” and used a thesaurus to replace them-something I have my sixth-grade students do.

I am truly not knocking either author, because obviously they figured out what readers want (hence the incredible popularity of both series). I get "Grey" is supossed to be an "erotic novel" and not taken too seriously and honesty that aspect of it did not bother me in the least. However, there is no denying that both books lack the character development needed to hold my interest. I did not care what happened to Bella or Ana and as with "Twilight" will not be reading the rest of the series.

School is out and it's a sort of a buzz...

Yesterday was the conclusion to my 8th year of teaching middle school. Pretty good considering 50% of all teachers quit before their first five years, right?

 As far as school years go, this was a decent one- nice kids, new and improved solution for the special education students and some changes made to how we run ASB. That being said, I am still relieved to have a break.I think teachers look forward to summer WAY more than students do and I am fairly worn out from the end-of -the-year festivities.

 Last October, I began a Masters degree in Literacy (online), some of time will be spend writing papers, but mostly I am going to try to relax. I know this sounds simple, but I have some real issues with relaxing.

Take what has already occurred today for example:

 I awoke at around 8am (with NO alarm-amazing) and decided to head to a yoga class. What could be more tranquil  than yoga? After some deep breathing and stretching with (mostly) retired women (who were in surprisingly good shape), I left feeling invigorated. And proud of myself for actually being able to lay still during the deep breathing at the end of class.

The plan was to take Teddy for a walk, maybe do some baking and look at my homework assignment for the week. When I headed out the door of the yoga studio, rain pelted my face. Great, there goes the walk.

So what did I do? Proceeded to go home and begin cleaning...my ENTIRE HOUSE. See, I cannot sit still. It is not that I enjoy cleaning, but after a few minutes of watching "Sex and the City" I felt the urge to move and do something. Anything. Even clean.

As I am writing this post, I am wondering if my lack of ability to chill out is really an issue? After all, it certainly assists me a great deal in my career (one needs to be alert at all times when dealing with teen-agers). Also, who could spend an entire summer watching old re-runs on TV?

Instead I need to fill my summer with activities I enjoy and try to keep busy.

 I am going to make sure I have plenty of meet-ups with friends, weekend (or mid-week) getaways, some mini-adventures and a myriad of books to devour. In essence, I would like my summer to resemble the ones I read about or see depicted in the movies (if only we had a summer share in Hamptons). 

Not every job allows for six weeks of vacation, so I am determined to not take it for granted and truly make the most out of it this year.

It has been awhile

So long in fact, that now "blogger" has a whole new format! I decided to "go back to school" (online) and now the thought of looking at a computer screen makes me dizzy. Couple that with the fact that this is my most hectic month of school, I have not had time to post.

This post is titled, "My Confessions" because, well...I heard that Usher song and thought it would also make a stellar blog. Also (if you couldn't tell) I have tendency to craft #'d posts. So here they are...my confessions for the moment:

1) Sometimes when I have not showered, I put on workout clothes to run errands. I figure this way, people will at least think I was up early doing something productive. Plus, even though many people in Lynnwood hit up the grocery store in PJ's, I do not want to be one of them.

2) Even though I am an English teacher, I cannot stand many of the "classic" novels. Sure I read them in high school and college, but I mush prefer a good Jane Green book!

3) Sometimes, of the most difficult parts of my job is refraining from swearing in front of the kids. There are days when I just want to say, "Are you effing kidding me?" However, I am reminded of an incident in 5th grade when my teacher (Mr. Cronk) yelled "Oh shit" when Nate Ellison broke his hobbit figurine and how I was scared of him for the remainder of the year. This memory causes me to select a more appropriate phrase.

4) I religiously watch and enjoy many shows created for teenagers. You know the ones on ABC family. "Pretty Little Liars" and "Make it or Break it" to name a couple. They actually have an interesting plot and are NOT reality shows or CSI-type shows, which seem to be the only ones made for adults lately.

5) Speaking of TV, in order to keep up with the reality show gossip at lunch, I simple tune in to "Talk Soup" with Joel McHale and I am set. Really. He condenses the best moments of a week's worth of television into a neat half-hour segment. Plus, he is hilarious.

6) The NBA playoffs are the most annoying thing ever. They last for about three months. Why don't they make it quick, like March Maddness? Maybe then, people would actually care about them. And no, I am not just bitter because the Sonics are gone.


Well...I am now noticing this new "blogger" does not come with spell check (at least not that I can fins), so please ignore any typos in this post. That is another confession of mine...I am an English teacher who not only dislikes the classics, but also cannot spell.

Random Thoughts on Thursday

There is a blog I suscribe to where the poster does a weekly post titled "Thirteen Things Thursday" and this is my take on her idea...

1) Those stickers depicting family members (you know, the ones on the rear-window of people's mini vans) annoy me and are slightly creepy. If I ever get a set of Adam, myself and Teddy...please feel free to remove them from my car. Sorry in advacnce to any readers that may have these...particularlly the Disney ones.

2) Lately, I have been feeling too "adult" and have the urge to vacy to either a) Las Vegas or B) Pullman... if you think about it, the two are really quite similar. Dry and Hot in the summer. What happens there, stays there. Cheap drinks. Delicious food options.

3) Grey's Anatomy is actually getting good again. More focus on the cases, less on the drama of the doctors.
4) There are not nearly enough options of mid-heel shoes for women, as most pairs are super-high (4+ inches) or completely flat.

5) I have decided I truly despise going to school...which is odd, considering that I work in one.

6) Everyday I am grateful I do not have a job where I have to sit and stare at a monitor for 8+ hours per day. This is something I should remember on days in which I want to rip my hair out!

7) Several years ago I ran a half-marathon. Peopel often ask if I have plans to run a full. The answer is no. My ADD was in full effect during the half and I couldn't fathom my mind lasting through double that.

8) For the last few months, I have been on the hunt for a flattering pair of colored skinny jeans. I have decided they do not exist...at least not on me.

Well, this is what has been on my mind lately. More updates next week.