Just Finished Reading Moby Dick

Pan-Roasted Pears

Earlier this week, Mike and I were given some lovely pears. I was really excited because I had spotted this Pan-Roasted Pears (pg. 393) recipe and wanted to try it. Mike helped me make this for dessert for my family's Easter dinner tonight.

Rating: 3 Stars
What We Liked: This was a really, really easy recipe, and the end product seemed more complex than it really was. So, it made me feel pretty fancy. The syrup was my favorite part. It was creamy and light; it was noticeable on the ice cream, but not overbearing.
What I Learned: This is more of a hypothesis than a lesson, but I imagine this recipe could be adapted to other fruit. Apples would almost definitely work, but for some reason I keep thinking of trying it with peaches. That sounds so amazing. So, I guess what I learned is that as I get the hang of new techniques, I should be able to branch out and experiment more confidently.

Easter is such a lovely holiday. I'm so grateful that I could listen to so many inspiring messages about Jesus Christ during General Conference this week!

Perfect Popcorn: Pepper and Parmesan Variation

Tonight, we tried the Perfect Popcorn recipe (pg. 15). There are several variations, and we decided to start with Pepper and Parmesan.

For starters, let's talk Perfect Popcorn
Rating: 5 stars
What we liked: Even though this is a stove top recipe, it was super easy and fast! We will definitely use this recipe again. Bonus points: no chemicals like in microwave popcorn, and, it's a lot less expensive to buy popping kernels.
What we didn't like: Mike is very skeptical that it would be as easy to use a dutch oven for this recipe, even though that's what is recommended.
What I learned: How easy it is to pop popcorn! I have literally seen my dad make popcorn this way one time ever. I knew it was a thing, but I had no idea it was an easy thing!

Next up, Pepper and Parmesan variation:
Rating: 3 stars
What we liked: The flavor is light. It's a good choice for people who don't like the strong flavor of, say, movie theater popcorn.
What we didn't like: For me, the flavor was too light. And we added too much salt. Also, our cheese didn't melt and ended up just hanging out at the bottom of the bowl. This, of course, might explain why there wasn't much flavor.
For next time... I think this variation might still be a winner; it's at least worth one more shot. Next time, we'll definitely use less salt. We will also splurge for a block of Parmesan so we have very fresh, finely, finely grated cheese that will hopefully melt better.

A Cooking Challenge

Today I've begun a journey. I have set a goal to cook my way through The America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook. My goals in doing this are to:

• Add some new recipes to our menu. We make some good food, but sometimes it feels like we get stuck in a food rut.
• Learn some practical/technical cooking skills.
• Encourage myself to try foods that I normally wouldn't. I've always been a picky eater, and I'd like to try to change that.

I chose the ATKQ cookbook for several reasons. Firstly, quick is good for me. The hardest thing about cooking for me is staying focused and being patient. Hopefully quick recipes will keep me from getting too distracted.  Secondly, like all of the America's Test Kitchen cookbooks, this cookbook includes a lot of instruction and explanation. It tells you how to do something as well as why to do it. So, I feel like this cookbook will (generally) provide explanations for techniques or ingredients that I'm unfamiliar with.

Today, Mike and I cooked up Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup (pg. 35). This recipe didn't appeal to me at first glance, but the final product was amazing!

Rating: 4 stars (we liked it a lot!)

What we liked: We liked how pretty the soup turned out to be! The picture doesn't really do it justice, but the last step of the recipe is to add an egg yolk/lemon juice mixture. It made the soup this lovely sunshine yellow. It also gave the soup a very smooth, velvety texture. According to the cookbook, this recipe is "loosely based on the Greek classic avgolemono," so that's fun.

What I learned: To start with, I had never cooked with a fennel bulb, which this recipe required. In fact, we had no idea what it looked like when we went to the grocery store. But, now we know, and it was a tasty element to the soup.

The other thing I learned is how to temper eggs. As I mentioned, you add an egg mixture to the soup in the final stages. If you were to add the eggs directly to the soup, they would just scramble. So, before you add the mixture to the soup... you add soup to the mixture! By adding a few tablespoons of broth, you adjust the temperature of the eggs so that they make the soup smooth and delicious!

So far, this has been a very productive experiment! It may be a little dorky, but I felt a genuine sense of accomplishment as we sat down to eat. I'm excited for the next recipe! My goal is to do a new recipe once a week.

En Francais, S'il Vous Plait

Recently, I decided to dust off my French and try to level up my fluency. Mike suggested that I put my study into practice by reading an accessible book. A lot of consideration went into my choice, and I finally landed on this:

I chose to read the French translation of To Kill a Mockingbird because it's a text that I'm super familiar with. I've read it at least ten times because of teaching it so many times and because I love it. In the future, I'd like to do more with French literature, but for now my focus is simply putting the language in a context that helps me gain confidence.

My copy of the book arrived (shipping from England, oddly), and here's what I've gathered.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird is just so incredibly good. I am so excited to read it again. I have always enjoyed the book, but now I have a stockpile of memories of sharing this book with students. This book changes lives, and I'm so grateful I've gotten to witness that so many times.
2. Initially, I thought that I would have a lot of remembering to do, and that with time it would be a relatively easy read. That's not really the case. There's a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary and structure, so I'm spending a lot of time with a dictionary. However, I do feel like things are getting easier as I go.
3. I have so much to learn! My goal is to internalize the language a little bit better. I hope that will help me to be a more fluent speaker. And then, of course, I hope to have some authentic communication opportunities, like when I finally get to go on my dream vacation to Europe!
4. It's exciting to learn! So often, the "to do lists" of life get in the way of making time for learning. It feels wonderful to be stretching and expanding my capabilities.

Christmas Movies

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is snuggling up with a snack and watching holiday movies. Here are a few of my all-time favorites.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph and it's hokey clay-mation have always been my favorite Christmas movie. I love Hermey and his dental ambitions, and I think Yukon Cornelius and his assortment of sled dogs are hilarious. As a kid, the Island of Misfit Toys really got to me. I would subsequently pile all of my stuffed animals on my bed to sleep with me so that they would know that I loved them all and they didn't need to be exiled. I can see why other people may not like it, but, to me, this movie is the essence of "classic Christmas."

Elf
What I love about Elf is Buddy's infectious joy. You can't listen to him talk about how much he loves Christmas and not start to think about how you love it too. I love the idea that we need to try to see Christmas the way that we did as kids. The truth is kids have a lot more fun, and, they often see important things more clearly than adults do.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Simple and sweet, A Charlie Brown Christmas is another classic. The Peanuts cast of characters and their Christmas plights are still relevant to the struggles we each face. Linus' voice-of-reason speech is touching and memorable. What's not to love?

The Muppet Christmas Carol
I love muppets so very much. If I had one wish, I might use it to wish that muppets were real. I also love classic literature, and this is hands down the most amusing adaptation of Dickens well-known and much-adapted story. The musical score is catchy and fun, and, of course, so are the asides by narrators Rizzo and Gonzo. Considering how great this movie is, and how great Muppet Treasure Island is, I would submit that there should be many, many more muppet literary adaptations in the world!

Taco Tour: Part 2

To continue our Taco Tour, we re-visited a new favorite with my mom, who had never been.

We discovered Taqueria 27 a few months ago. I had heard of it from coworkers who knew what they were talking about when it came to food. This is an important discovery because this is the place where I had a taco that made me care about tacos.

The thing about Taqueria 27 is that they have tacos with really cool twists. The ingredients are high-quality and put together in combinations that you wouldn't usually associate with Mexican food: duck confit, pork belly, Wagyu beef, bleu cheese... Definitely not traditional, but incredibly tasty. 

The taco that made me care about tacos is the Citrus Pork Carnitas taco. The ingredients are "slow roasted and shredded, charred tomatillo salsa, pickled red onion..." (which I skip) "... cilantro and chicharones." What I love about this taco is that it's not just a glob of meet with some stuff on it. There's a very subtle flavor because of the citrus. The chicharones give this taco an incredible texture. It's basically amazing. Also, it made me interested in trying other tacos, which is what led us to begin a taco tour! Here it is in all it's glory!

On our most recent trip, Mike tried the PBLTA (Pork Belly Lettuce Tomato Avocado) taco. Ingredients: "pork belly, lettuce, tomato and avacado with jalapeno mayo in flour tortillas." I didn't really branch out, but I was still happy with my choice! Here's a picture of Mike's taco. 

This was a very tasty taco. The pork belly was that cut and it was kind of amazing even though you knew it was not good for you. Avocado and tomato or really fresh and really counterbalance the fatty pork.

We found this restaurant about three months ago, and we've been at least five times. Go once, and you'll want to go again!

Taco Tour: Part 1

As a local exploration experiment, Mike and I are in the process of executing a taco tour. The goal of a taco tour is to visit as many fine, taco-serving establishments as possible and sample many (hopefully) delightful fare. We started our adventure last week.

Stop #1: Chow Truck

The first part of this stop was not getting run over by ecologically conscious and parking lot negligent REI shoppers. While our tacos cooked, we tried the root chips, a mixture of golden potatoes, purple potatoes, carrots, yams, beets, and lotus root. There were some subtle flavor differences, but they were fairly mild overall. We ordered two different tacos to share.

Calamari with Asian Spice
These were unanimously the favorite taco of the night. The calamari was tender and the seasoning was perfect. Calamari tacos seemed like a stretch, but the execution was spot on. We'll definitely go back for these!

Spicy Beef with Cilantro-Chile Pesto
Mike's second favorite and my third. The beef was tender and the sauce, though a bit on the juicy side, gave it a satisfying kick.






Stop #2: Luna Blanca Taqueria
Beautiful chalk art added to the funky artistic/Southwestern blend of this restaurant. The service was great, and we heard four Johnny Cash songs while we were there, so that's +10 points in my book. Again, we ordered two tacos to share.


Chicken with Avocado Crema
While completely good, this taco came in last for both of us. It was nice, but, just friends nice, you know? What we determined is that you either need dark meat or a really interesting sauce to make the chicken flavorful enough to be memorable. With a mild sauce and shredded breast meat, this taco just didn't leave an impression.

Seared Shrimp Taco with Avocado Crema
This was my second favorite and Mike's third. Another seafood win. The shrimp was chopped and very tender. The citrus marinade gave it a very fresh feeling. In the case of this taco, the avocado crema nicely accentuated the flavorful star of the show. Eating this shrimp taco reminded me of the kind of high quality seafood dishes that you generally only get when you're near the ocean.

Book Review: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Yesterday, I finished listening to Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach and narrated by Shelly Fraiser. This high-interest work of non-fiction has been a part of my life for the most ridiculously long time. I'm glad that I finally read it, and sad that I didn't read it sooner.

I was first introduced to Stiff back in my library days as a circu-lady, about six years ago (sheesh, that number makes me feel old...). When you work in the circulation department of a library, you have a finger on the pulse of a community's reading heartbeat. This book was constantly being checked out, and every time I came across it during check-in it would catch my attention anew. What a morbid, but fascinating concept for a book!

Fast forward to a road trip to a wedding in 2010. Mike and I briefly opened an audible account, and purchased only: Stiff and everything ever written by James Herriot. Of course, we were ensnared by Herriot's charming biographies about his life as a veterinarian, and never even got to Stiff.

Eventually, an error in the library's computer system left me audiobook-less, which is not a state I enjoy much. Finally, my cadaverous questions would all be answered.

Roach, a journalist, begins her book with two crucial points. First, that death can, and probably should, be seen as a journey like any other. Second, that a cadaver is very separate from a person. A person lives, and then dies, leaving behind an empty shell. A person never is a cadaver. The way she explains all of this from the beginning makes what follows much easier to stomach, and, in many cases, appreciate.

Most of the book focuses on the roles cadaver have in several fields of science including: motor vehicle testing, crime scene investigation, weapons testing, cosmetic surgery practice, anatomy labs, and organ transplants. This is blended with horror film worthy, yet, very accurate, descriptions of the historical aspects of each field. Back when I used to go to Mike's anatomy class and take notes for him so that he could take tests for his other classes, I learned a bit about the gruesome stories of body snatching and grave robbing, but... there was much more to learn. And, although it sounds creepy, these were some of the most engaging parts of the book.

As I read, I found myself increasingly grateful for the role that these cadavers have played, especially in helping to advance safety features in airplanes and motor vehicles. Of course, it makes sense, the best way to test safety features are with actual people. Not many people would volunteer for that job, but these corpses fill the role and have directly lead to many industry improvements.

Death, decay, and the dead are disturbing topics to many. However, Roach does an incredible job of presenting things factually and scientifically, with just the right amount of humor to keep things from getting overwhelming. Here, I would like to note that Shelly Fraiser, the narrator of the audiobook, is spot on in her delivery. The most difficult chapter to listen to was about Roach's visit to a decay study facility. So, if you're squeamish, that's the one to skip.

Along those same lines... I would not recommend eating while learning more about the curious lives of human cadavers. The one really rough spot I had came when Roach described the decapitated heads that cosmetic surgeons use to practice new techniques. I suppose it wasn't her fault that they place the heads, like chickens, in large roasting pans for the procedure. Nor can I blame her for my lunch choice of a (usually) delicious chicken club toaster from Sonic. That meal + chapter combo is my only regret. But, happy hour prices on large Vanilla Coke's during the middle of my prep period ensure that it will not be a lasting one.

Overall, I would give this book 5 stars. It was engaging and educational, and definitely thought-provoking. What more can you ask for in non-fiction?

A Pleasant, but Ineffective, Adventure

Many men enjoy watching sports. While Mike enjoys an occasional football game, e-Sports is his favorite way to indulge the stereo-type of the man glued to the screen watching the "big game." Luckily for me, tournaments are a little more spaced out. It's a great indicator of how much he likes me that he was convinced to leave the coverage of MLGDallas to search the valley for a reasonably priced used microwave.

We came into the market for a microwave last weekend, when ours exploded. This interim time has made me realize just how much I use the microwave. I'm not nearly organized enough to have meat defrosted the night before, so the defrost function is necessary to a large percentage of meals. And, of course, after finally finishing the unnecessarily intensive grading process of some school-wide essays, I came home with a migraine. All I wanted in the whole world before I locked myself in a dark room to sleep it off was a bowl of chicken noodle soup. And, if you think I was going to wait for it to heat up on the stove... pshhhh. (I didn't. I compromised the electrical integrity of our home by using the microwave again. It didn't blow anything up this time, so... meh.)

When I began to look into replacing the microwave, which we bought when we were first married at DI for $25, I thought I could just buy something online. I knew we'd gotten the other one, practically brand new, for a steal, but, I had no idea how lucky we'd been. Did you know microwaves are a $100+ type item? I didn't. And I didn't want to pay that much for one. So, we decided to try DI again.

Mike gallantly shut off the Starcraft stream and accompanied me on my quest. ... Two DIs later, we were not yet in possession of a microwave. But, we definitely found out that the one in Sugarhouse is way less stinky and gross than the one Downtown. So, that was valuable. And, although we didn't find a microwave, we did find a gorgeous copy of The Best of James Herriot for a dollar. Mike was overjoyed and declared that it would be a family heirloom, which, I'm sure is a title the microwave never would have attained.

Additionally, after a few hours of scouring thrift stores, we were pretty hungry. We decided to try this quaint, classy place we'd seen on 5th South called Cannella's. It was incredible!

Mike got a beef brisket sandwich with brie, tomato, and garlic aioli on ciabatta.

I got a turkey cran-pesto sandwich on whole wheat sourdough bread.

On our way back to our car, we took a detour to stroll through the gardens on the roof of the Salt Lake City Library to enjoy the panoramic city view.

So, we still need a microwave, but we had a really, really nice day.

On NaNoWriMo and Other Ambitious Projects

I'm having this huge life struggle lately. It has a lot to do with being brave and setting big goals that are more fulfilling than having all my copies made and my dishes done. The problem I'm facing is that I have no time whatsoever to hope to do those things. In fact, the copies and dishes are seldom up to date. Teaching is a great privilege and responsibility, but also kind of a time suck. 

Last year, some friends/colleagues convinced me to participate in NaNoWriMo a.k.a. National Novel Writing Month. The goal is simple: during the month of November, write a 50,000 word novel.

I did start a novel last year. Current word count: 2,713. So... not great. 

BUT.

But.

But, I want to try again. Not just to complete the NaNoWriMo goal, which seems pretty unrealistic since I'm working like 12-14 hours a day right now. (For the children, people, for the children.) I want to really start writing. That's why I'm cheating at NaNoWriMo this year.

My goal is to take the manuscript that I have (one might also say the several paragraphs I have written) and add to it. My goal is to have 10,000 words by the end of November. That's really not such a huge goal, but, the real goal is. I want to write. And I'm going to do it. I'm going to put down the red pen, close the Pinterest tab, and let the dishes sit. It might take me years and years and years at this rate, but I am going to write a novel. 

And it might suck. But at least I'll know that I can do it. So then, I'll write a better one.

New York

Whenever I get bored with work, or Mike being in school, or cleaning the house, or whatever else occupies my time, I like to plan vacations. I check prices on flights, hotels, cruises, and tourist attractions. Then, I present them to Mike who lovingly reminds me that we've just got to keep on keepin' on until the weekend/Christmas/summer/graduation.

Except, the last time I did this, he just said, "Let's do it. Let's go." So, we're headed to New York City for our anniversary.

And, as luck would have it, we just happen to be going during Restaurant Week wherein fancy schmancy restaurants have 3 course prix fixe menus. I know a few of you who live and die for this sort of thing, so here are the details on the food.

Our first Restaurant Week stop will be dinner at Opia, a restaurant with a "modern French focus." Here are our options:

Opia, NYC

Appetizers:
Creamy Potato & Leek Soup- Chives, Crème Fraiche, White Truffle Oil
Chicken Liver Pate- Caramelized Shallots Chutney, Quince Compote, French Baguette
Escargots with Herbed Gnocchi- Garlic Sausage & Pearl Onions, White Wine & Parsley Beurre
Entrees:
Savory Stuffed Muscovy Duck-French Green Lentils, Honey-Ginger Glazed Baby Carrots
Coq au Vin-Pomme Puree, Winter Baby Root Vegetables
Pan Roasted Wild Striped Bass-Curry Butternut Squash, Broccolini & Morels, Champagne Meyer Lemon Emulsion 
Desserts:
Blueberry Linzer Tart
Walnut Cognac Chocolate Brownie with Coffee ice cream
Apple Cinnamon Strudel with Caramel ice cream

The Palm, NYC

Our second dinner will be at The Palm, a famous steakhouse. There, we will be deciding between:
Appetizers:

Classic Caesar Salad- Garlic Focaccia Croutons and Parmigianino Reggiano
Crispy Calamari Fritti- Point Judith Calamari, Cornmeal Dusted and Tossed with
Lemon and Marinated Peppers
Winter Salad-Arugula, Endive and Radicchio with Red Wine Poached Pears,
Toasted Walnuts and Gorgonzola


Entrees:
Delmonico Steak Au Poivre- Topped with Garlic and Parmesan Shoestring Potatoes
Chicken Parmigiana- Linguine Marinara
Filet Mignon 9 ounce- Crab and Boursin Cheese Sauce over Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes
Double Cut Lamb Porterhouse Chops- Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Fresh Mint Sauce
Atlantic Salmon Filet- Maple Ginger Glaze served with Basmati Rice and Snow Peas
Dessert:
New York Style Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Crème Anglaise, Fresh Berries and Whipped Cream
Key Lime Pie with Blueberry Compote


What would you pick? I'm still trying to decide on dessert at Opia, so feel free to weigh in on that.

Fantastic 50 Reading Challenge

This year, my school is participating in a reading challenge. The challenge, which was started by some of my very smart English teacher friends and is based on concepts from The Book Whisperer, is to read 50 books in a year. It's been a really great experience for all of us.

Professionally speaking, it has helped us to build a culture of reading and I have seen kids really blossom. For example, last year, a 9th grade boy showed me some poetry he wrote because he was reading a poetry book and thought it might be fun to try to do his own. Um... wow, right?

Personally speaking, it's been a great opportunity for me to stretch myself as a reader because part of the challenge is to include a variety of genres, I've discovered books that I probably wouldn't have tried before. It's pretty cool actually, to figure out where your preferences lie and then purposefully try something new. Anyway, this is getting really long. If you're curious about more details like the genre breakdown, you can check out my friend Daniel's prezi or email me. (I'd link to my prezi, but it's not that great.)

Our time frame, of course, is from the end of last school year to the end of this school year. I've had 4 students finish already, and 2 have even done 100 books. My progress isn't quite so impressive, but I am a little bit ahead of schedule, and I've exceeded my personal goal of reading 50 books in 2011. Here are some of my favorites from the year.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society- This book is simply charming. It's a historical fiction book that follows the correspondence of an author with the citizens of Guernsey just after WWII. The history and characters are interesting and unique.

The Wednesday Wars- This is another historical fiction, but this one is set in the 60s. The book is about a boy named Holling who has to spend Wednesday afternoons with the English teacher that "hates" him while everyone else has religious education. The teacher, who is actually awesome, has Holling study the works of Shakespeare (which he believes at first to be a form of torture). What I really loved about this book was how the other events each echo the action of a work of Shakespeare. That, and it's hilarious.

Beyonders: A World Without Heroes- I think I'll write a whole post about this book and meeting the author (Brandon Mull). This book was incredible. I'll admit, I didn't like the beginning at all, but about 40 pages in, things get good. The story is about a boy named Jason who is transported to another world, a world which is ruled by the evil wizard Maldor. The really cool thing about this book is the concept of a world without heroes. It isn't that Maldor is going around killing all of the heroes, it's that the heroes get sidetracked and corrupted. He breaks heroes by giving them power, wealth, and anything else they want which makes them abandon their purpose. And, that's what Jason (and the awesome Blind Prince) has to face. So good!

Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Happy and How They Can Change the World- Mike was so excited when he brought this home to me; he really, really wanted me to read it with him. It was too cute to ignore, so I did. There are two aspects to this book. Firstly, games (board, dice, word, video, whatever) have value in our lives; this book is specifically about the value of video games, and it makes some convincing arguments. Some incredible games have been designed that can make real world contributions: they can help map proteins in hopes of finding a cure for cancer; they can also allow citizens (of England) to check the expenditures of the members of parliament and alert authorities to suspicious spending. It's awesome. Secondly, I was able to pull a lot of concepts from this book to use in my classroom because it's all about motivation. It's definitely a good read for teachers.

The Help- If you haven't read this yet, you should. This book is about a very small corner of the Civil Rights movement and how it affects the lives of several women. It's engrossing and touching. I also really enjoyed the movie.

The Poisonwood Bible- Mike brings so many good things into my life, and this is one of them. This book is elegant and insightful in a lot of ways. The story follows a Christian missionary and his family to the Congo; the narration switches between the missionary's wife and four daughters and describes their experience living in the African jungle and learning to live and work with the Africans. If you really want the full experience with this book you should read Things Fall Apart first. Together, they give you an incredible picture of the time period and clash of cultures.

Yay reading!

Still Alive, Which is Pretty Impressive

Hey guys. I'm writing this post with great anticipation. I am sincerely excited for 2011 to come to an end. It's been kind of the worst.

2012 is looking like it has some potential, though. Here are some things that seem to indicate that it will be a significant improvement upon the current year:

• Mike and I seem to have finally figured out a more or less bearable schedule wherein we will get to spend some actual real time together on a regular basis.
• As a result of us spending real time together regularly, we might even start spending time with other people on occasion. Social life! We're back!
• I get to have my same class schedule in the upcoming school year. Yay!
• We're going to New York City in January! The joy from that will probably hold me over for quite some time.
• I have promised myself to quit working on school things at home (except for essays).
• I am going to have hobbies. Hobbies, people. Probably ones most people think are lame, but hobbies, nonetheless.
• We will both be turning 25, which seems like a cool age.

So, life is looking up. Maybe I'll even post on my blog more that 10 times a year... We'll see.

Best Parts

Here are my very favorite things about teaching.

• Talking about reading and writing all the time.
• Being consulted by boys about their plans for the big dances. It's cute how much it means to them to impress their dates.
• Getting little thank you notes in journals and emails and Digimon cards and yearbook pages.
• Having opportunities to help people every single day.
• Seeing the smiles on the faces of kids who have been struggling but who finally get it.
• Doing service projects with my National Honors Society kids.
• Hearing about how students apply what I teach them (semi-colons in text messages, research papers about family vacation destinations that win them parental pride and money for the trip, etc.).
  
• Going to pep rallies and assemblies.
• Seeing someone I recommended a book to read it and love it as much as I did.
  
• Working with other English teachers; they are kindred spirits.
• Watching my seniors walk at graduation.
  
• Knowing that, if I do it right, I can make a difference in the world.

Sometimes it's hard. But mostly it's great. I love what I do, and I'm glad that I get to do it.

My Nerdy Friends Will Be So Jealous

You guys! I'm breaking my incredibly long streak of not posting anything at all to tell you something awesome!

There is this book club in my district cleverly disguised as a professional development workshop. It's such a ruse though. I mean, how can this be work? Here's the deal. I pay $65. I get 7 YA books to keep. I get to go to once a month meetings to talk about books and eat treats with smart teachers, including at least two of my teacher friends from school. I get some college credit. And, the real kicker for me, the authors of the books we read will be at the meeting for their book!

Want to know who I'm going to get to meet and have literary discussions with? Here's our book/author list.

September- Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
October- The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah Eden
November- Possession by Elana Johnson
December- Beyonders by Brandon Mull
January- Mark of Royalty by Jennifer Clark
February- Candy Bomber by Mike Tunnell
March- Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I'm really, really excited. I haven't read any of these books yet, and I'm pretty much the nerdiest when it comes to meeting authors.

Actually, that's a good story... The first time I met a real life author, it was Dean Hughes. I got paid an "allowance" in books (which was totally awesome of my mom to do, I think) when I was a teenager, and his Children of the Promise books were the ones I remember being the most excited about. He was a guest speaker in my very first English major class, and it was so neat to meet him, but I was way nervous about it. I guess I was worried that he'd be mean or egotistical and my ideals would be ruined. But, then he was just super nice and smart so all was well. I've met a few more authors since then, but it's still way exciting to me.

Animal Rescue

One of the many side jobs I have as a teacher is being the advisor for my school's chapter of the National Honor Society. It's a service organization for students who excel in academics and leadership. So, basically, they're the best kids ever, and it's a lot of fun and very uplifting.

Last week, we had the chance to help out at a local animal rescue center. I was surprised to find out that they had a lot more than just dogs and cats. They also had horses, chickens, pigs, goats (regular and pygmy), emus, geese, ducks, and even a couple of yaks! Here's a picture of an emu for you, I think it's Clyde. I'd have a picture of the yak too, but when we stood by the fence to look at it, it false charged us and scared me to death.We fed the animals first thing, and, dang, they eat well! A lot of local businesses donate produce and bread for them. After they had eaten, and the owners of the facility had relocated Andy the head-butting goat, we split up into groups and cleaned stalls.

Mike and I mostly helped to clean out the pygmy goat stall, and then the sheep stall. I was okay with this, because I love pygmy goats. They're kind of adorable. I mean, look at this:
Also, it turns out Mike is the small-livestock-whisperer. All the goats and sheep wanted him to pet them.After the hard manual labor was done, we took a couple of giant dogs for a walk. Mike got to walk a huge, gorgeous Siberian husky, and a walked a black dog that could have passed for a black bear.

By the end, we were sunburned, exhausted, and very happy. It's really fulfilling to work hard alongside of a very cute (and strong!) husband and some very impressive and talented kids. Our next big activity is a tour of the food bank and helping out a little bit there. I'm pretty excited for it.

Why We Crave Drama

Something that is interesting about people is the seemingly inherent need for drama. Even if you don't think you want it, there seems to be something that pulls you into a juicy story or a venting rage. Or is that just me?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I think I've put my finger on it. To explain, I first need to present a detailed analogy.

One Christmas, my cousin gave my little brother an old west style fort made out of wooden blocks. That fort, simple as it was, substantially changed our play time. We invented the most time consuming and intense game yet. The premise was simple: you have spring, summer, and fall to plan, grow, build, and trade. Then, winter comes, and the fortmaster would determine whether or not you survived the winter.

Our neighbors, 5 siblings close in age to us and each other, my brother, my sister, and I were the contestants. We each had a plot of bedroom carpet staked out. And then, we'd have a free for all to vie for starting capital. The toy box was opened and you grabbed like mad for my brother's farm animals, cowboys, marbles, socks, anything that could possibly be helpful, until time was up. That's when trading began.

Of course, we were kind of cutthroats, but we were also endlessly creative. We were almost manic in the way we gathered, traded, and prepared for an imaginary winter and it's dangers. Of course, there was little real danger except for the danger of the fortmaster's declaring a disappointing, or embarrassing fate. We loved that too; creativity in explaining that you didn't have enough blankets or firewood, so you had to cut open a cow and sleep in it for the last 2 weeks of winter (we obviously, had just recently watched Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back), was crucial to making the game fun. It was invigorating to have the sensation of fighting something huge and dangerous, and, yet, being completely safe.

I think that the gossip and drama of life can be the same way. We create a temporary enemy, a person who has upset us or done something we dislike. This feeling of conflict brings an adrenaline rush because we are choosing to fight, even if our enemy is not present (they usually aren't). And yet, there is seldom any real danger. We can criticize, theorize, and even demonize a person or group of people in the safety of like-minded people with very little chance of anything happening. Essentially, participating in gossip and negativity is giving us a rush of adrenaline without any risk.

I assume, like most chemical induced responses, this can be addictive. I guess that's why it's so easy to slip into the cycle of negativity. Hopefully this isn't coming off as self-righteous or preachy, it's just that I've been trying to eliminate some of the negativity in my life, but it's turned out to be hard. It's really hard. And I think thinking about it this way has given me a little bit more objective way of looking at these situations as they come up. Hopefully that will help me to try to deal with things in a positive way instead of wallowing in negativity because my brain loves the chemical hit is gets when I fight an imaginary battle.

Live Every Week Like It's Shark Week

Forever and ever ago now, we made these awesome shark cupcakes with Stephanie and Cortney.

Here's a secret about me, I love themed parties. So, I was really excited when we planned to make the cupcakes and watch Jaws (which I had never seen before). It was fun, and the movie only made me scream like twice.
Luckily, I now get the "That's some bad hat, Harry" reference (Mike says it's in the credits of either Lost or House).
To make sure we can go to the beach in the future, Mike looked up the odds, and you're more likely to get hit by lightning than attacked by a shark. Unless you wear a swimsuit with fish designs and swim around sharks while they eat. So, that's good to know.

I think we'll have another themed cupcake night soon. We're watching Tremors this week to prepare for the live episode of Film Sack we'll get to see at the conference we're going to on Friday (this time, it's Mike's professional conference), maybe killer worm cupcakes? We'll see.

It's Finally Summer!

There were days I thought it would never come. But, we're pretty much having a blast! Here's our latest adventure... at home s'mores. Maybe this is a thing people do, but I have only ever made them over a fire.

Anyway, we turned on the broiler and toasted the marshmallows, and warmed out hands...
... toasted them...
... and enjoyed their gooey goodness.
(They are purple looking because they are chocolate marshmallows, not an effect of the cooking method.)

In other news, we're making some exciting changes. Mike is transferring to the U of U because they have a great computer science with a nationally ranked emphasis in video gaming. We are so lucky because we get to spend tons of time together. We're headed to Alaska soon, and hopefully we'll be able to go to California later on to check out some of the big video game companies and do fun things. I'm not going to lie, this has the potential to be the best summer ever.