2009: The Year of Growing, YouTube and Eating Alone

My my, it's finally come to an end.

2009 was quite the year, and, for the first time, it was a year that felt like it actually lasted a year. So much happened between January and now and it's hard to really put them all into words.

I think one of the greatest things is the fact that I am in a much better place at the end of the year than I was at the beginning of the year. In January I was on the verge of turning 22, I was surrounding myself with people who were bad for my emotional well-being (and that's all I'm going to say on that subject). I wasn't taking very good care of myself, I had a lot of anxiety. I didn't sleep much and I ate sporadically. I drank a lot. Three nights a week minimum, which is kind of sad. I had finished a terrible semester and had resolved to do better in school. I was pretty unsure of what I wanted to do right after school. I knew I wanted to be a teacher but I wasn't quite sure of how to go about it. I had lots of fun senior year, but it was a true challenge in a lot of ways. I ended my tenure at the student newspaper I loved exhausted, bitter and ready for a change.

When May rolled around, I was ecstatic for graduation. I do not care what others say, I thought graduation was a great day. I was truly proud of myself because I got myself my double-major all on my own. I worked really hard (and I played really hard, too). I spent a lot of the last few weeks of senior week being optimistic about life and being continually grateful for all my friends that made my college experience so memorable.

So now I look at my life at the end of 2009 and how it's very different. For one, I no longer live with four other girls my own age, but instead family members. I get up at 6:20 every week day and go into work. I have to pay cell phone bills, I had to buy health insurance, I had to take my car into the shop numerous times and pay for the repairs myself. That was a huge change. I go to staff meetings. I've watched friends get married, I've watched friends have babies and go through just as many, if not more, changes as me.

Many of my friends moved away, though some did stay. I do not go out three nights a week. Instead, it's usually once a week, maybe twice. I get tired at 10:30. I've become a pro at entertaining myself. I've begun to watch channels on YouTube, I watch prime time TV for the first time in years, I go to the movies by myself. I go out to eat alone, too. I read a lot. I write...hell, I wrote a whole novel in 2009! That's something to be proud of.

Minus the year I went to college, this year has been the biggest year of change in my life, both externally and internally. I picked myself up by my bootstraps and took care of myself before anyone else and that was important for me to do. I graduated with the best grades I ever had. I picked out a lot of weeds, and kept many of the flowers.

And those beautiful, wild, and all around glorious flowers were the friends that stuck with me when I was pretty irritable/emo/frustrated/lost. I've taken my loneliness and have turned it into good things. I'm okay with where I am in my life and where I'm going and to say that at age 22 is pretty awesome.

Every day I get to get up, and that's the part I hate the most, the getting up, mostly because I can never seem to get enough sleep. Once that's over with, I truly enjoy almost every day of my life. I have 40 little "Chostskys" who I love, or at least tolerate, and they have taught me a lot, too. Plus, they always make me smile when I'm having a bad day.

So, I raise my glass to toast to 2009, a year that was a much needed challenge. It's come and gone, and now there's a lot to look forward to. Bring on 2010. Happy New Year, readers!

10 things I like now (December)

This store

Oh, Urban Outfitters. You will drive me into debt one day.

This actor

I know it's silly, but for some reason I find Cory Montieth of 'Glee' to be totally dreamy in a high-school-fan-girl kind of way.

This movie

Weeks after seeing "The Blind Side," I'm still thinking about it. It was a truly uplifting film and a very good sports movie!

This city

Denver, I miss you. Don't worry, I'm coming home soon.

This man

Colin Firth: Dreamy and Darcy (twice!)

This drink

I really like Great Lakes Christmas Ale, especially around the holidays. Don't tell New Belgium.

These lines from this movie


"I realize that when I met you at the turkey curry buffet, I was unforgivably rude, and wearing a reindeer jumper."

"I like you...just as you are."

"Resolution #1: uggg - will obviously lose 20 lbs. #2: always put last night's panties in the laundry basket. Equally important: will find nice sensible boyfriend and stop forming romantic attachments to any of the following: alcoholics, workoholics, sexaholics, commitment-phobics, peeping toms, megalomaniacs, emotional fuckwits, or perverts. Will especially stop fantasizing about a particular person who embodies all these things."

"I'm sorry? Outside? Should I bring my dueling pistols or my sword?"

This book

There are many, many stories written about WWII and the Nazi occupation, but "The Book Thief" is a breath of fresh air. With a twist on the setting, the characters, and the style, this thick YA novel is a page turner and truly satisfying in so many ways. It is a real artistic and literary achievement!

This TV show

"The Big Bang Theory" is funny and not campy at all. They don't follow a lot of normal sitcom conventions either and the characters are truly dynamic and funny. I LOVE Jim Parson as Sheldon, he is hilarious. Plus, these guys make me feel so less nerdy.

This CD

I know I mentioned Pixie Lott once before in this blog, but now my affinity for her has grown. Since downloading her album "Turn It Up" I have been listening to the whole thing (and genuinely enjoying it) on repeat. She reminds a little of Natasha Bedingfield, only she can sing better, and she's quirky and conventional, and just all around good pop music.


That's all for December! This feature will be back in January!

more Christmas cheer

Today my phone broke.

I was annoyed, then sort of excited because I thought....oh! Maybe this means I can get a whole new phone that's much better and much more high tech. I went to the Verizon store, after waiting in a horrendous line at the bank, only to wait in another horrendous line and then meet up with a saleswoman who had more 'tude than she should have and it turns out that I can't get a new phone until February. So, for now, I'm going to have to make due with my mom's ghettofabulous phone when it gets here on Wednesday.

I felt like a total grump. I mean, 'tis the season, right? I was tired and angry and kind of cranky and as much as I love my little Chotskys, I need a break from them. So when I got home, I couldn't help but watch some clips of my favorite Christmas moments to make me feel less like Ebenezer Scrooge and more like the kids who got on board the polar express. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

A Saturnallian Miracle!

The Holiday Armadillo

This One Goes Out to the Prime Minister

Love Actually - MyVideo

Quotable Kids #3

Last week, my grandmother had knee surgery and I have been subbing in the library for her. So now, my edition of Quotable Kids has expanded from grades 5-8 to include all grades.




(Jobie is in the 2nd grade)
Me: Oh! I like this book about presidents
Jobie: Me too, I like presidents a lot
Me: Do you want to be president someday?
Jobie: No, I don't want to get shot at


Me: Evan, what are you doing with the dictionary?
Evan: Looking up the word 'douchebag'. Jeff called me that and I don't know what it means.


Me: Courtney, you drew a tower for yourself and a tower for your boyfriend?
Courtney: Well yea, we can't share a tower 'til we get married


Me: Now, when you draw your castles, you cannot have any weapons
Stephen: Well, I guess I have to erase my torture chamber


Me: You learn a lot of different things in college
Abby: Did you learn how to play beer pong in college?


Stephen: I'm on Team Jacob since that Edward guy looks like he doesn't wash his hair.


(while on playground duty, I watched the 4th and 5th grade boys play basketball. Mitch blocked Alex's shot) Mitch: Watch out. I'm like the next Jason Love."


Stephen: If I ever get a therapist, I'll tell her how nice you were to me.


Me: So because you got all your AR points this month, if you want to bring in a snack and a drink to have while we watch Harry Potter, that's okay
Joseph: Like pop?
Me: Yes, of course
Mitch: What about beer?
Me: No, Mitch. No one is this classroom is allowed to drink beer
Mitch: You are! You drink beer! Jeff told me you do!
Me: I don't drink it here!
Mitch: So what do you drink out of that thermos then?

People I genuinely enjoy following on twitter

Twitter is awesome. I'm tired of trying to hate it. I really like it for multiple reasons, and one of those reasons is how I am able to get lots of news that I'm interested in right at my fingertips. It's almost like a filter. And now that you can have lists, I use this more than anything.

Even though Twitter is always changing, this does not always mean that everyone I follow is always interesting. Sometimes the people I follow rarely tweet (that means you, J.K. Rowling! Just tweet every now and then and make me a happy girl!) or tweet way too much (that would be you, John Mayer).

So here's a nice break down of people I find to be truly enjoyable to follow on Twitter.

@cnnbreaking--Breaking news at your fingertips. Thanks to them, I found out about Balloon Boy.

@EWMichaelSlezak--I follow him for my American Idol and reality TV news, but sometimes he tweets about other things at EW.

@xavierbuzztap--whoever is doing this should be rewarded. This feed is the reason that I am able to follow Xavier sports so closely

@tomfelton--Tom tweets a decent amount. It's never overbearing, yet he never forgets about his followers. He updates with stuff that is truly interesting and sometimes answers fan questions via his Twitter. And every now and then he teases us with updates from the set!

@FakeAPStyleBook--absolutely. hilarious.

@shitmydadsays--also hilarious

@digg_2000--anything that's digged more that 2,000 times is put on this feed. It introduces me to the truly interesting and truly bizarre things floating around on the Internet.

@mental_floss--random and informative, I love this magazine and website to begin with and their feed has tiny insights and trivia on it, as well as links to articles

@frankenteen--Otherwise known as Cory Montieth, otherwise known as Finn on 'Glee' and his feed is not only informative, but also entertaining

@mtvmoviesblog--updates of the movie blog on MTV which I truly enjoy and find informative. On a good day, I read five stories from their feed.

@joshgroban--it's really him! He updates with thoughtful things, funny/inappropriate links and never overloads my feed. I really get a feel for Groban's personality via his Twitter.

p.s. you can follow me on Twitter!

Secret Shame #2: (sometimes terrible) British Pop music

I cannot deny that I have a love for a catchy song with a good beat every now and then, but sometimes I find American pop music to be dull and repetitive and existing of either artists that have been around forever or typical one-hit wonders.

It's just not enough variety for me, which is why I have recently taken a liking to listening to BBC Radio1.

Keeping with my general fondness for all things British, I find that I really like their pop music. It's super catchy, uses lots of synthesizers, but I've noticed that all these singers (or at least the majority of them) can actually sing. The list of American pop stars that CAN'T actually sing grows longer every single day (sorry, Miley Cyrus, you're definitely on there).

The Saturdays


I'm shamefully enjoying select songs from their sophomore album (which is not out in the U.S. so don't ask me how I got it) "Wordshaker." Now, if that's not the greatest word for a guy who spews lies and tries to take back things he has said, then I do not know what it. This word better enter the American vernacular. I'm going to make it happen...which means it probably won't.

"Ego" and "Wordshaker" are the best tracks and they make me want to dance/run so that's always good. I don't necessarily know if The Saturdays would make a splash in the U.S. if they decided to come to this side of the pond. Sometimes I think girl groups with actual talent have gone by the wayside here, but you never know. They should at least try.

Cheryl Cole


Truth be told, I did not know who she was but I kept seeing her name pop up on the BBC entertainment website so I Googeled her. She is from the all girl group "Girls Aloud" and is now embarking on a solo career and she's married to a famous footballer. So, essentially she's Posh Spice, er, Victoria Beckham. Whatever.

I looked her up on YouTube and I was like, 'meh, it's alright' but suddenly I have 'Fight for This Love' stuck in my head all the time. Her new single '3 Words' with Will.I.Am is decent and catchy as well. I get excited when it comes on my BBC radio. So lame.

Pixie Lott

To give a quick description of Ms. Lott that cuts right to the chase is "girl can sing". Holy moly. I really like her style and just the sheer sound of her voice. For some reason there is a hint of something in there that reminds me of Kelly Clarkson. Anyways, be sure to check out "Cry Me Out" and "Mama Do" on YouTube. Those two tracks are by far her best. "Cry Me Out," which really shows off her vocals, is the kind of song I would sing in the shower or in the car at the top of my lungs when I'm sure that no one can hear me.

Pixie's look and her music videos seem to be void of any real personality, though there are hints of it in "Cry Me Out." She sometimes wears outfits that are like the awkward little siblings to the wardrobe of Lady Gaga, so something tells me that we aren't getting the full picture of Pixie's real image.

Tooting My Own Horn: Edition 1

You know, I work hard, so I deserve to pat myself on the back every now and then.

Well, recently I completed NaNoWriMo. For those of you unfamiliar with this, NaNoWriMo=National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge to see if you can write a whole novel in 30 days. The novel must have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and must be 50,000 words long.

So, I am pleased to say that I completed NaNoWriMo! I wrote a YA novel titled '24 Days with Benjamin Moore'. It is 50,131 words long and about 81 single spaced pages on the word processor. It was exhausting, the final product is terrible, yet I am so proud of myself I could burst.

The thing that I loved about NaNoWriMo was that we were not allowed to go back and edit our stuff. We just had to keep writing. It was very liberating and I found the writing process to be much easier this way. I looked forward to sitting down every day to write and I love my story.

Now tomorrow marks my one week away from the novel. I told myself I would need some space after finishing it, but soon I plan on returning to it and going over the painful process of editing it. This is the part I was sort of dreading when I started the novel, but now I'm looking forward to it even more. I know that it needs edits and I'm excited for the edits because it will make the book even better. And that's my goal, to make it better, to make it the best I possibly can.

In my one week off from writing, I've grown to really miss it. I am looking forward to sitting down and trolling through it and, eventually, writing something else (or continuing from the stories I have already started). I encourage all writers to do this, whether its for fun or for reals, it was a truly rewarding experience.

Alright, that's enough of inflating my own ego for the day. :)

12 Things I Love About CHRISTMAS!

Holy Red Ryder BB guns, it's officially the Christmas season.

I effing love Christmas. I can't really explain why this is my favorite holiday. I think it has to do with having awesome Christmases as a kid and how I find the season to be uplifting and romantic (though it's easy to make it materialistic). Here are my 12 things that I love about Christmas.

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Frank Sinatra

I love this Christmas Carol and ol' blue eyes' version is probably the one Christmas carol that could bring a tear to my eye. His voice is perfect for this song and it reminds me of Christmas at my house in Colorado. I truly love it!

Poinsettias

For some reason, I just find something romantic about flowers that only bloom in December. I love the rich red color of the plant and how they decorate homes and churches during the holiday season. I also am, of course, a sucker for the story of the poinsetta's origin, though it may not be the most factual story of all time. Legend has it that a little girl in Mexico didn't have money for a birthday gift for Jesus. An angel came to her and told her to gather weeds and they grew into beautiful poinsettia blossoms once layed on the floor of the girl's tiny local church.

A Muppet Christmas Carol


The Muppets crack me up. They totally appeal to my sense of humor. This scene ("we are Marley and Marley...wooooahaaahahah!) cracks me up every time I see it. In this movie, which I make a point to watch every Christmas, the Muppets are funny, but also touching. It's a great adaptation of a story that has been adapted many, many times.

"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry

Ever remember your first intial reaction to reading a classic story? When I picked up this tiny book, having no idea what the story was, I didn't expect my reaction to be so raw. Well, to say the least, I was moved. I remember crying very silent tears when I read the ending. It seems that this is really what romantic love and Christmas are really all about.

A Christmas Story

This goes without explanation, I think.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I think this image, of Charlie Brown and his tree, is one of the most iconic Christmas pop-culture images ever. But it's what happens after this that makes this little Christmas special watchable again and again.

My house in Colorado

For the years we do spend Christmas in Colorado, my parents home (which used to be mine, I guess) is so beautifully decorated. My mom puts up a little village that spreads thoughout the house. Our Christmas tree, as you can see, is heavily decorated, but beautiful nonetheless. Garland and lights hang from our stair banisters and throughout the house there are classic Christmas trinkets and humorous and touching Christmas books. We even have a giant nutcracker!

"The Polar Express"

When I was little, I made my Dad read me this story over and over again every Christmas season. Now when I see the book at school I marvel over the beautiful illustrations and the sense of imagination it evokes in all the students at my school.

"Love Actually"

This best part of this movie is A) Hugh Grant singing and dancing B) the "to me, you are perfect...." signs C) the closing monologue D) Bill Nighy's ridiculousness

The answer is: E) All of the above!

"Noel" by Josh Groban

This is a fantastic Christmas album. It is a mix of super traditional, timeless, and modern and Groban's voice is perfect for such carols as 'O Come All Ye Faithful' and 'What Child Is This?'. But the tracks that are truly standouts are "The Little Drummer Boy" and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear", the later being one that is rarely done and rarely done well. It's not Christmas if I haven't listened to this album over and over again.

Christmas cookies

To be honest, I've never met a cookie I didn't like.

ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas

Lots of traditional holiday programming, a few new things that I can stomach just because it's Christmas, and, of course, Harry Potter weekend!

the best advice my mother ever gave me

Taking a moment to be serious here, which will happen from time to time, I'm going to share and expand on the great advice my mother gave me which I have never forgotten.

As an educator of the 'tween' group, I often go back and remember my time as a terribly awkward, sometimes abrasive, and very bookish early adolescent. I remember what it was like to be hormonal, sensitive, boy-crazy and confused. A lot. I had terrible self-esteem. We're talking really, really, really low.

In one of my tearful rants to my mother about why the boy I liked at the time didn't like me back, she told me that being continually obsessed with one person and one person only is not good for you. "You need to have other things in your life that make you happy other than men," she said.

So, as I watch my tween female students obsess over Twilight, both the books and the movies, I am not afraid to voice my disapproval of the series. They ask me time and time again why I don't like the books and all I can say is 'I think Edward is a bad boyfriend'. I sometimes felt like I was alone in my severe dislike for him (until recently, see the link).

There are many reasons I don't like the Twilight series, and they are all summarized in the idealized asshat that is Edward Cullen. Bella Swan, who is supposed to be the heroine of the story, shows that she really thinks she is nothing if she does not have the love of a man at every single moment. She is certainly not an independent woman by any means.

And then there's what happens after New Moon. I haven't read the books myself, but I know from Wikipedia (God bless you, Wikipedia) that Bella marries and then becomes pregnant at a terribly young age. Marriage and babies while still a teenager? I do not know if this is a good idea at all. I mean, sure, maybe Stephanie Meyer thought it was a good idea at first, for the use of her plot and all, but do we really want a book that deals with teenage pregnancy to be read by a bunch of teenage girls? Maybe. It depends on the context. But in this context, teen pregnancy is romanticized, as is a boyfriend who really isn't that wonderful a boyfriend at all. So, based on that, I am going to say that it is NOT okay.

Does Bella ever think about college? Does she ever talk about things she loves other than Edward? Does she have hopes and dreams for her career or her future? Does she have a night with her girlfriends where they all sit around and drink wine while gossiping and laughing? Her circumstances may be abnormal, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I see both Edward and Bella (and most of the characters in the Twilight books) as very flat characters that I find difficult to care about and connect with.

Bella's mother obviously never told her what my mother told me. And, by no means to I think of myself as being terrific at relationships (I am not) and at times in my past I did not stick up for myself when even though I should have. I can't change the past, but I can change how I behave in the future.

It's not my place to tell Andrea, Jessica, Abby, Katie and Molly about how I find Edward Cullen to be boderline abusive and totally dreadful. Or maybe it is. Sometimes I don't think they'll get it even if I do. Maybe it's something you learn from experience.

How I would fix NBC

So the big news in TV is that NBC is about to be purchased by Comcast. This is exciting as it has been almost painful to watch the Peacock Network suffer since 'Friends' went off the air. A lot of industry insiders are wondering if a new takeover means that things are really shaken up at NBC, but only time will tell if this happens. So, in the mean time, here are my five ways that I would fix NBC (for the better, of course).

1. Move Jay from five nights a week to one

Jay Leno is not my favorite comedian, but middle class America seems to love him because he is decidedly a-political and very topical. Although, if middle class America does love him, they are certainly not watching him. He is averaging ratings akin to cable shows like "Sons of Anarchy" and as a result of his low audience the local news, Conan, and Jimmy Fallon are getting the short end of the stick. NBC seems adament about keeping Jay because advertisers will pay big bucks time slots during his show and his show is less expensive to make.


So to solve this little quandry, I propose we borrow something from our friends over in England (and it wouldn't be the first time *coughoughTHEOFFICEcoughcough*). Across the pond they have a little variety/talk show called "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" which is about an hour and features the host and his quirky band and they interview very big name celebrities. Apparently it is a very big deal to be booked on this show.


So, NBC, why not do the same? You could easily make a "Friday Night with Jay Leno" or even (because no one watches TV on Fridays) a "Thursday Night with Jay Leno." His show on Thursday would be a nice capstone to the promising comedy night on Thursdays and he would certainly book the biggest names and have all the time and energy to make his show actually decent and not so painful to watch.


Less Leno would prove to be a stronger lead in for local network news, which then leads me nicely into my next topic.

2. Keep Conan and Make Him KING


Conan O'Brien is now the man in charge of Late Night and right now he seems to be a little bit behind in the ratings race (although props to you, Conan, for not cheating on your wife and having affairs at work). Conan is used to being the underdog and finding his nitch, he did just that with 'Late Night', but now we're in a position that instead of playing the waiting game, we take a lot of those celebrities that would have been on Jay Leno, but now aren't because he's only on one night a week, and give them to Conan. Also, throw a few more talented writers his way (after you give some to SNL, which is also pretty painful to watch).

3. Hire Joss Whedon


Since his show 'Dollhouse' has now been cancelled, there is a perfect opportunity to court the man who co-created 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' and 'Buffy' and give him some creative power to make a nice one hour show that would fit in perfectly to one of the newly-vacated 10 o'clock slots. Joss has a knack for creating shows that have a hard core fan following, which is what NBC needs right now, but terribly lacks. They have no real shows that are creating hardcore fan bases (see Fox's 'Glee' and ABC's 'Lost').

4. The Sitcom is not dead yet (so stop treating it like it is)


Though is may be trendy for the multi-camera, documentary style, comedies right now ('Modern Family', 'The Office'), America's Most Watched Network, CBS, is proving otherwise. It's Monday night line-up of 'How I Met Your Mother' 'Two and A Half Men' and 'The Big Bang Theory' are shows that either critics think are funny, or get a lot of viewers, or both. So here's my advice to NBC: scour the drolls of turned down sitcoms, find something that makes you and all your cousins laugh, re-work it tell its network perfect and then pitch it to your heart's content.


One reason why people think the sitcom is dead is because there are no longer any new ideas. The same ones are just being rehashed over and over. So, we look to classic sitcoms to find something that we can laugh at. Classic shows like 'Three's Company' and 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' (and hell, even 'All in the Family' or 'I Love Lucy') center around a situation that is relatively progressive (co-ed living, women in the workplace, biggotry, bi-racial marriages), so now it's time to find things that people are relatively uncomfortable with and make it almost farsicle. I'm positive they have plenty of topics to chose from (religion and homophobia come to mind).

5. Give the people some weird shit on TV


It seems to me that if you are looking at the ratings of TV's long running shows, they are all dramas that deal with the law, criminals, the military, or hospitals. This makes it easy for a desperate network like NBC to cave into, but I would advise they stay away from those and instead really get to the heart of why people like these shows: they feature a lot of weird shit.


Truth be told, the only reason 'Grey's Anatomy' was so appealing in it's first two (and best) seasons was because there were lots of medical story lines that were just plain weird. This formula is probably why 'House' works the way it does too. So NBC, once again, scour the earth for the shows that deal with a lot of weird shit because, hey, that's what America likes to see.


Just whatever you do, NBC, don't put a show about vampires on TV. Please. I beg you.

10 things that I like right now

10 Things that I like right now (because I have nothing else to write about)

This CD

Florence and the Machine, "Lungs": Her voice is melodic and haunting, I love her lyrics and her style. Plus, she is Britsh. So that means I like her even more.

These girls

Kelley and Abby are still in Cincinnati and still keep me entertained. Bless them.

This Book

"The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt: I love it so much that I am teaching it to the 7th and 8th graders. It's a charming and witty tale about a 7th grader reading Shakespeare and growing up in the Vietnam era. Parts are tender and true, others are off the wall and laugh out loud funny. Perfect for the classroom!

This TV Show Couple

Finn and Rachel as seen on Fox's "Glee": They are both big characters with big voices and have undeniable chemistry. I hope they continue to sing together on the show! (And I hope that one of these pregnancy plotlines gets dropped soon)


This Drink

Diet Mountain Dew: Keeps me caffinated throughout the school day. And tastes good! And is zero Weight Watchers points!


This TV Show

"Modern Family" on ABC: Every week if makes me laugh out loud, so much sometimes that I almost end up crying (see the episode with Shelly Long in it). The adults are sometimes stereotypical, but they are painfully honest. There are some fantastic lines on this show..."at least I don't have a son who wears aftershave and dresses like a count" "why is our daughter dressed as the hamburgler?" and, of course, "Batman doesn't get picked on because he's a muscular genius. Manny can't make it to the top bunk."


This Author

John Green, author of "Paper Towns," "An Abundance of Katherines," and "Looking for Alaska": Now I've only read two of is books and I only liked one of them ("Katherines"), but I'm a huge fan of his video blogs on YouTube. He's funny and philosophical, the perfect combination! I went to see him in Columbus and get some books signed and he was humble, funny, awkward and very intent on making sure that everyone had a good time a got their books signed. What a good guy!


These Movie Stars

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint: I love all three of these actors and they are even pretty good when they aren't in Harry Potter related projects (Dan Radcliffe was hilarious in his guest stint on 'Extras' and Rupert was very good as a boy learning to drive in 'Driving Lessons'). These kids are movie stars, but still seem approachable, and terribly normal. They act like kids their age, but don't embarrass themselves. I'm excited to see what their futures have in store for them!


This Comedian

Conan O'Brien: I love him, he makes me laugh, and I'm so used to watching him almost every day that I feel a little empty if I don't. Sad. But he makes me laugh when I'm sick, tired or cranky. And who doesn't love a man who does that?

This Poem

Invictus


Out of the night that covers me,
Black as
the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my
unconquerable soul.

In the fell cluthc of circusmstance
I have not
winced nor cried aloud
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloddy,
but unbowed

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror
of the shade
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me
unafraid

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with
punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my
soul

"Invictus" by William Ernest Henley: I didn't know of this poem's existence until I saw the trailer for the movie by the same title. I read the poem and loved it, looked up its meaning and its connection to the movie and loved it more. The last four lines really get me!

I Stand Corrected

Apparently, the Cincinnati Public Library does have copies of George Orwell's '1984'. Ten to be exact. My friend Katie looked this up when she was there this weekend.

However, there are still zero at my local branch, so my essental point is still relevant.

My beef with the Cincinnati Public Libraries (or maybe all libraries in general)

Ok, so do not get me wrong. I love libraries. There are billions upon billions of books there that you can read...FOR FREE. They are wonderful institutions and librarians are wonderful people because they help put books in the hands of many, MANY people.

Now, the Cincinnati Public Library is downtown and it's actually an impressive building. It's huge, has lots of books, DVDs, CDs and lots of other things (including old newspapers and records of families in the Cincinnati area!). So, because of it's massive size, I was positive that it would have the books I needed.

I was looking for a couple of books that are considered classics: "1984" and "All Quiet on the Western Front." Most people, if they don't know what these books are about, have at least heard of them before. I have, that's for sure. Well I couldn't find them at the public library on my side of town and I had to go downtown anyway, so I went over there and in that huge building I was unable to find "1984." It's either not in the library or checked out and not in their catalog system yet.

Part of me was apalled by this. "1984" is definitely a classic. It's read in high schools all over the country, it is one of the most well-known dystopian novels, and probably George Orwell's most popular novel, and the library didn't have it. I investigated further and went to look at their stock of Dickens and Steinbeck, both which were pretty poor in numbers. How can institutions that exist purely to house books not have "1984"?

I got mad at the public library. I got very mad. Then, a thought occurred to me. The library cannot possibly afford to house every single book. I mean, let's face it, Cincinnati is in a bit of trouble financial wise and I understand that the city (and entire state, really) have to cut the hours and staff of the public libraries, so I'd assume that they might have to cut the supplies of the library, which are mainly books. So then I got angry at the government for not giving public institutions like libraries enough money to at least have one copy of literary classics on the shelves.

Then I was reminded about the essence of our very economy which I was blaming for the libraries having no money. Capitalism, which I would argue is mostly a good thing, is based on supply and demand. There may be little demand for 1984, and therefore, there is no supply of it in the library. No one in the Cincinnati area seems to feel the need to read 1984, so the library is simply not going to carry it. 1984 is probably taking up valuable space that could be used for Janet Evonovich books or that stupid Twilight Series (the library does, however, have somewhere around six copies of "Breaking Dawn" because HEAVEN FORBID THEY DON'T HAVE TWILIGHT).

So perhaps the real root of my anger is that people are not reading the classics anymore (unless they have to in high school) and so libraries are not carrying them. I find this to be a shame. I know I'm an extreme example, but I like to have a well rounded reading background and I'm sure there are people out there who do as well. 1984 is on the list of so many classics that I'm sure someone else at some other point in time wanted to check it out.

So, basically what I'm saying is, it's a shame that people don't want to read classics and instead want to read about vampires that sparkle. But still, if the option never exists, if 1984 is never on the shelf to begin with, then it eliminates even the possibility that someone would check it out.

And there. That's my beef with the public library.

quoteable kids #2

Some of the hilarious and entertaining quotes from my students (keep in mind they range from 5th-8th graders)

Mitch: Ms. Hoferer, do you have a boyfriend?

Me: Mitch, that's a personal question

Stephen: So in other words, no.

Stephen: Why are you so tired Ms. Hoferer?

Me: I can't sleep lately. I'm having some bad dreams

Stephen: Dreams of what?

Me: sad stuff

Stephen: I think it means you're depressed

Addy: Miss Hoferer! You can't have sex on Yom Kippur!

Me: ADDY. What are you talking about?

Addy: That's what it said! Me: Addy, that's not appropriate for this class and I'm sorry you saw that. You can't put that on your worksheet.

Addy: I didn't. I put you can't have martial relations

Me: It's 'marital' Addy...and don't put that either. Don't even mention it.

Me: Coty, don't throw your book on the ground. Love your book.

Matt: Yea, Coty. Treat it like a woman.

Me: Coty, why are you whining so much?

Tristan: Maybe Coty has the wine flu.

Nate: Wait, Helen Keller is a person? I thought it was a dance!

Panera and fingers stuck in doors for Jonas

I don't know about you, but I sure do hate reading REALLY boring essays by students. So, I decided to get a little more creative here. After we finished reading "The Giver" by Lois Lowry, I assigned the 8th graders an essay that had them pick three memories they would give Jonas. In the book, (for those losers who haven't read it) Jonas is selected to be the new Receiver of Memories for his community and the Giver gives him memories that are unknown by the members of his community, things such as sledding, Christmas, love, physical pain, emotional distress, war, etc. Some of their choices are hilarious, some endearing, and some even kind of profound.

Good memories
color, feelings of excitement and joy, Panera, celebrating a birthday, Thanksgiving, ice skating, Christmas

Bad memories
bleeding from getting your hand slammed in a door, being alone, being invisible, losing a family member, war, losing someone you love

If I personally had to chose at least one good and one bad memory for Jonas, I would give him the memory of true friendship and September 11, 2001.

I like these choices because while some are trivial (Panera), others speak volumes, such as losing someone you love or even the memory of Christmas.

It's the little things like this that make me like being a teacher that much more.

my life according to the Beatles

I thought this would be fun and I was itching to try it.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)

Pick your Artist:The Beatles

Male or Female: She's a Woman

Describe yourself: Paperback Writer

How do you feel: I Feel Fine

Describe where you currently live: Yellow Submarine

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Across the Universe

Your favorite form of transportation: Drive My Car

Your best friend is: Eleanor Rigby

What's the weather like: Here Comes the Sun

Favorite time of day: A Hard Day's Night

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Everbody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey

What is life to you: Something

Your fear: Don't Pass Me By

What is the best advice you have to give: All You Need Is Love

Thought for the Day: Come Together

How I would like to die: When I'm Sixty-four

My soul's present condition: It's All Too Much

My motto: Let It Be

Four couples from books that I love, and one that I despise

Couple #1: Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series

It certainly seemed like they would never get together, mostly because it took Jo Rowling 6 hefty novels and then another 625 pages just to get them to kiss. Good grief! Anyways, they are the resident odd couple, opposites that really do attract. Ron is the jokester, the easy-going guy's guy who's easy to love because of his charm and boyish qualities. Hermione is the bookish type, compassionate and head strong. So why would these two go together? I always liked them together from the beginning (well, ok, from The Goblet of Fire on) but I never understood why they were so good for one another, and then it struck me. Hermione sees Ron as the boy who makes her laugh, who gets her to calm down, and, who intrigues her. He is surprising. I think Ron loves Hermione because she loves him the way he is, and wouldn't change him, and she keeps him on his toes, something that Ron thrives on.

There's always debate on whether or not she should have ended up with Harry. But like any Potter freak, I fully support Rowling's matches. People who say Harry really likes Hermione clearly didn't notice all the comparisons Harry made of Hermione and Mrs. Weasley. Do you really think Harry would want to marry someone that reminded him of Ron's mother? I'd hope not! Ron, however, might.

Couple #2: Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice

This is a total given. Most women I think would list this couple as one of their favorites because they are so universally loved! They forced each other to see the flaws in one another, but also forced out the good, loving, and kind qualities in one another as well. They have been romanticized in movies (see Bridget Jones or the many P&P adaptations), but the book is the most sincere, most honest and most romantic depiction of the couple. You just get the sense that by the end of the book, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth just get one another. And the amount of respect he shows her (he proposed twice! that takes guts and respect!) is warming, especially when you consider the time period in which in was written. Elizabeth stuck to her guns, she married her equal, and all for love. Sigh.

Couple #3: Allie and Noah from The Notebook

I am not a fan of Nicholas Sparks novels (can you say formulaic?), but I really did enjoy The Notebook and I'll tell you why and then you will think I'm crazy. The reason, to me, is because the ending didn't want to make me dress in all black and listen to Elliot Smith on repeat. Now, I chose them from the book because I liked the book more than I liked the movie and I honestly think it's Sparks' best book. It reflects the time in reference to the setting, yet reflects on how love in timeless. Plus, the book did not contain the horrid line "If I'm a bird, you're a bird."

Couple #4: Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games trilogy

One book to go, but I've already decided I like Katniss and Peeta together. This trilogy, written for young adults, it thought provoking and exhilerating to read. I just love Katniss, though she really annoys me sometimes. She's a strong, independent woman who faces hardships that I could never endure. She is also very moody and confusing, but not in an annoying Bella Swan kind of way, but in a real way. Suzanne Collins, the author, does a good job of leaving the reader in suspense because you really don't know who Katniss will pick. She could pick anyone! I personally think Peeta suits her. Peeta appreciates everything about her, loves her unconditionally, and he is passionate and artistic. What's not to like there? Katniss is blown away by two kisses in these two books, and both are shared with Peeta. Who wins her heart, Peeta or Gale? We shall see...

The Couple that I Completely Loathe: Bella and Edward from the Twilight series

Ugh. Gag me. Literally.

I find this relationship to be one of the most shallow and unhealthy relationships ever in print...and its the basis for this entire Twilight phenomenon! I don't get it! Bella's entire life is consumed by Edward. I've only read the first book, but from what I understand the second book is all about her complete devestation when he leaves her. In the first though he's creepy in multiple ways and he glitters in the sunlight. It's literally sickening to read.

When I'm reading a book, I like to measure my leading men on the standard that if I were in Hermione/Elizabeth/Allie/Katniss' place I would like their respective men, and I would. I would not like Edward though. He is obnoxious, creepy, shallow and overwhelmingly cheesey. I sometimes wonder what teenage girls are really thinking when they read this. Do they really want Bella to end up with Edward? Do they themselves want to be with Edward? If they do, I'm scared because Edward represents all that women do wrong in relationships, and in life sometimes. He's also incredibly fictional and he represents idealized hopes for women everywhere, and these Twilight obsessed girls are only going to grow up and be severely disappointed.

Plus, the one boy who has potential for giving her a healthy relationship is completely screwed over until the final book, and even then he's getting the short end of the stick! Poor werewolf.

Growing like a fungus

Omaha, Nebraska. It's not the most thrilling city in the world, but they had Fat Tire. Clearly I was excited.

The wedding was nice, though very small, and enjoyed spending some time with my cousins, away from the ridiculousness of our real lives. I talked to Maggie and Leah more this weekend than I have in my entire life...except when Maggie and I were little and played together.

My little break was nice, but now it's time to go back to the real world which consists of obnoxious 7th graders, dreadful weather, attempting to shade the obnoxious 'Red Horse' pounds (my name for the annoying weight I gained when I thought I didn't have to impress anybody). I guess the fact that I just mentioned I am trying to lose weight is a whole blog-tastic exploration of society/self-esteem/health, but I'm not in the mood.

I'm also trying to get into the habit of doing things that are productive. Watching 3 straight hours of Conan= not productive. Exercising, then writing and/or editing for an afternoon=very productive. I would like to come home from teaching and do a few productive things so I can be a vegetable in peace.

Speaking of vegetables, I really enjoy mushrooms lately. Me! Liking a vegetable that's not a potato! I am growing.

And speaking of fungi, I am about to begin the book I have never wanted to read, "Twilight." I figure though that if I'm going to dislike a series with a firey passion, I should at least read it so I can back up what I say. So...now it's time to form an educated opinion. Again, I am growing. So I think there will definitely be a post or two on this series. I promised my 8th graders I would do this. Hopefully I'm not continually kicking myself for this act of pure kindness.