I had previously posted this blog at my former blogging place, but it still remains a favorite of mine. Life is full of Litmus Lozenge moments. The sorrow finds its way in, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, it just IS. During those moments, you should take a moment to reflect on why things are drawing those emotions to the surface. Don't stuff them deep down inside, cry a few tears and know that it's a good thing.
Kate DiCamillo is one of my favorite children's authors. She wrote a book called Because of Winn Dixie. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. One key element in the book is the "Litmus Lozenge," a type of hard candy invented by a Civil War veteran who decided that the world was a sorry affair and that it had enough ugly things in it. He was going to concentrate on putting something sweet in that upside-down world. He found a way to mix the sweetness and sorrow. It's described as having a "melancholy" taste. This veteran found a way to survive after losing everything he loved.
"I ate my Litmus Lozenge slow. It tasted good. It tasted like root beer and strawberry and something else I didn't have a name for, something that made me feel kind of sad." said Opal India Buloni, the main character of the book. You may wonder where I'm trying to go. Let me continue.
When I read this book, and finally saw the movie, the talk of the Litmus Lozenge didn't mean much to me. I knew of happy things and I knew of sad things, but a piece of candy had never made me sad.
Two Saturdays ago, I was driving the girls somewhere. The Halloween candy had already been snuck into, and as I drove, I unwrapped one of those mini Paydays. I've never been a huge fan of peanuts on my candy bars, but as I've gotten older, I suppose the area where salty meets sweet has gotten smaller and smaller to the point where they overlap from time to time. I opened the plastic and took a bite - being careful not to scatter the salty peanuts as I bit into the bar. Something weird happened at that moment.
As I chewed, this feeling of sorrow washed over me. The salty peanuts mixed with the sweetness of the caramel brought me back to a time that I can never get back. It brought me back to the age of innocence... when I was a child. I had a newspaper route and I would haul newspapers seven days a week. I delivered to neighbors and to friends.
William Montgomery Vaughn was a customer on my route. He was a grouchy curmudgeon. Nothing I could say or do was ever good enough. I always delivered the newspaper the wrong way. If the phone rang when I was done with my route, I knew it was him calling, and I knew that I had failed him, yet again! Oh, how I used to cringe when he called!
His usual M.O. consisted of using a clothes pin to "pin" a note or his payment to his mailbox. He kept the conversation to a minimum and would only have a sign that read "Sue, please ring bell" if I had done something "wrong". One Halloween, there was one such "Sue, please ring bell" notes on the mailbox. I sighed rather loudly.
I slowly rolled my eyes around in my head, reached up and rang the bell and exhaled slowly and loudly. I waited. I could hear him shouting that he was "coming! I'M Coming. I'll BE RIGHT THERE... don't leave!" Duh! Where was I going? I'd have to wait for him. If I didn't, his phone call would make it home before I did, and my mother would turn me right around and send me immediately back.
The door opened just a crack and he thrust a small box of chocolates with a bright, orange envelope taped to it. "GO ON! Get out of here now. Stop looking at me like that. Good bye!" and with that he quickly shut the door. I stood there kind of dumbfounded and surely not quite sure of what had just happened. It was Halloween and he had taken the time to get me a theater style box of Fifth Avenue bars and a Halloween card. He had signed the card WV, which was his signature closure. I smiled as I walked away. He really did care. He just didn't know how to be one hundred percent human about it.
That ice-breaking moment was the point of the great thaw for us. We struck up an amazing friendship that lasted a handful of years until his death. I took WV's death hard. He was so fragile, but had tried to stay like a block of granite for the 10 years that had followed his wife's tragic death. He needed people, but was afraid of losing them. He was sort of a young bully in an old body. We shared many conversations together and my mother always sent hot meals to his house on the holidays. We always invited him over, but his pride stood in the way. Eating my mother's delicious meals, alone, was okay for him.
As I bit into that Payday bar, it was like eating a Litmus Lozenge for me. I thought of William Montgomery Vaughn and his fragility. His pride had caused him the pain of loneliness. The salty peanuts made me think of his Fifth Avenue bars and as I wiped my tears away as I drove, I finally understood how something could be sweet and sad and all kinds of melancholy all at one time. I could taste the sorrow of a friendship that had been wonderful for both of us. I could taste the sorrow of missing someone that I really cared about... even after 18 solid years. It wasn't just about feeling sad, it was tasting sorrow.
That moment faded and my daughters were worried about my tears. I assured them that they were happy tears and I tried to explain what had happened. I don't think they really got it. I'm not sure if this blog will even make sense, but I hope that those of you who read it, will get the chance to taste life's Litmus Lozenges just once in this lifetime.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The April Fool's Bad Luck
Today is April 1st, and the traditional April Fools Day shenannigans have not begun yet, but I know they will. Afterall, I work in a school, and tricks are bound to occur - children are always looking for a chance to trick an unsuspecting classmate or even better yet, a teacher. Gotta love the little buggers for that...
My fourth grader's had just finished an invigorating lab in which they explored parallel circuits as well as conductors and insulators. I gave each child one jelly bean for doing such a great job. Donye wasn't happy with one jelly bean. The rest of the students were quietly savoring this little taste of spring. "That's what we get? One? One jelly bean?" I tried not to listen to her complaints.
All of a sudden, almost as if by magic, her jelly bean fell onto the floor. The next thing I heard was "It fell on the floor... my jelly bean. It fell on the floor. I can't eat it now!" she cried. Wait a minute. Stop the world, I want to get off. Did she just say she can't eat it now?!? She had just been complaining about one - than one was not enough. She should have just eaten it and been quiet like the rest of the class. At that moment, Manuel piped up "Well, that's the April Fool's bad luck!" Donye made a funny face and I began to laugh.
"Manuel's right, Donye. That's the April Fool's bad luck. When you act like a fool, sometimes there's a sign from the Universe that maybe, just maybe you had better cut it out." I handed her a new jelly bean. She thanked me and quickly popped it into her mouth. How apropos for April Fool's Day... that the April Fool would learn a little lesson, and actually really understand it for once.
My fourth grader's had just finished an invigorating lab in which they explored parallel circuits as well as conductors and insulators. I gave each child one jelly bean for doing such a great job. Donye wasn't happy with one jelly bean. The rest of the students were quietly savoring this little taste of spring. "That's what we get? One? One jelly bean?" I tried not to listen to her complaints.
All of a sudden, almost as if by magic, her jelly bean fell onto the floor. The next thing I heard was "It fell on the floor... my jelly bean. It fell on the floor. I can't eat it now!" she cried. Wait a minute. Stop the world, I want to get off. Did she just say she can't eat it now?!? She had just been complaining about one - than one was not enough. She should have just eaten it and been quiet like the rest of the class. At that moment, Manuel piped up "Well, that's the April Fool's bad luck!" Donye made a funny face and I began to laugh.
"Manuel's right, Donye. That's the April Fool's bad luck. When you act like a fool, sometimes there's a sign from the Universe that maybe, just maybe you had better cut it out." I handed her a new jelly bean. She thanked me and quickly popped it into her mouth. How apropos for April Fool's Day... that the April Fool would learn a little lesson, and actually really understand it for once.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Eureka!
Overheard in class today:
"This was the best science experiment... EVER!"
and as a smile spread across my face, I thought to myself, there it is... validation. Can a test ever capture that kind of a validation. No. Will that child forever remember that cool chemical reaction which produced technicolor goo, which is now in a baggie ready to go home with him? Yup!
'Nuff said. Because you know if I don't step down from this soap box now, I may never want to. Beside that, there are two sinks full of dishes to be washed, and tables that need cleaning as well.
All in the life of a teacher... absolutely well worth every ounce of effort!
"This was the best science experiment... EVER!"
and as a smile spread across my face, I thought to myself, there it is... validation. Can a test ever capture that kind of a validation. No. Will that child forever remember that cool chemical reaction which produced technicolor goo, which is now in a baggie ready to go home with him? Yup!
'Nuff said. Because you know if I don't step down from this soap box now, I may never want to. Beside that, there are two sinks full of dishes to be washed, and tables that need cleaning as well.
All in the life of a teacher... absolutely well worth every ounce of effort!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
After Today, My Name Might Be Mud
Yes, you heard me right. After today, my name might be Mud. Which would be quite apropos, since we've had nothing but rain (and crazy, heavy, driving rain at that) for the last three days. Some school districts even cancelled school today due to the fact that the rivers are so overfull, flood plains are bursting at the seams, and flood levels are at near-record setting heights. Part of it has to do with the fact that the ground is already super-saturated from all the rain we've been getting (and I surely hope that the universe is getting MOST of the rain out its system BEFORE the summer gets here) and the other part has to do with the fact that we are under the influence of the full moon.
Yes, my name is probably Mud.
The third graders conducted an experiment today. They combined glue (a liquid) with soap powder (a solid) and water (another liquid). We added food coloring for effect. The product: this cooooool, squishy, gushy, wiggily, jiggly flubber-like substance. A chemical change took place creating a new material. Really cool... until the kids started to move around the room (innocently) in order to show one another their technicolor goo. Bits and pieces got ALL OVER the place.
I really have no one to blame but myself. You'd think that after 17 years of teaching, and probably 17 years of making this "Magic Mud" (yes, that's a name that I coined myself, and once again, it's apropos), that I would have, well, laid down some ground rules. Nah... these were third graders. They could handle it. Right?!? Wrong!
The fact of the matter is, I didn't really care. They loved the experience. They had so much fun and they learned a lot as well. You should have seen the looks on their faces when I told them they could TAKE IT HOME! It was almost better than winning the lottery, but that's why I do what I do. After almost an hour of non-stop activity - a flurry of measuring, stirring, mixing, playing, sometimes spilling and in one case almost puking, it was time to clean up. But by that point, there was very little time left at all. I collected all 75 pieces of plastic mixing and measuring aparatus (which was now dirty) and all 50 popcicle sticks (hey, I'm frugal), and proceeded to wash it all.
Every once in a while, I would stop to think about the possibility of that magic mud clogging up the sink, but I always tried to flush those thoughts from my mind. Surely, it wouldn't be the first time that my classroom antics had clogged a school sink, but the custodial reaction to such things is never a pleasant one - especially if it involves them actually doing work!
I looked around the room. It looked as if a cyclone had hit. I began to clean and wash and clean some more. I only hoped that I wasn't slowly clogging the drain up. I continued to wash. Phew. I had finally gotten most of the dishes washed. I surveyed the room. There was technicolor goo on the tables and on the floor. It looked like the Easter Bunny had puked all over the place. I begged my way out of lunch duty (and on a full moon day, getting out of it is a gift!). I went down to the custodial office and raised a few eyebrows when I asked for a putty knife. "You know... a scraper. I need to scrape some glue off of the tables (and floor, I thought)." I returned to the classroom. Scraper in hand. I got out a rag and some Fantastik OxyPower (the custodians love me, as I do most of my own cleaning) and started cleaning and scraping the tables and the floor. Before long, I was done. Tired, but done.
As I surveyed the room, I realized that I would be experincing Groundhog Day tomorrow and Thursday. Ain't teaching great? Yes it is... mud and all!
Yes, my name is probably Mud.
The third graders conducted an experiment today. They combined glue (a liquid) with soap powder (a solid) and water (another liquid). We added food coloring for effect. The product: this cooooool, squishy, gushy, wiggily, jiggly flubber-like substance. A chemical change took place creating a new material. Really cool... until the kids started to move around the room (innocently) in order to show one another their technicolor goo. Bits and pieces got ALL OVER the place.
I really have no one to blame but myself. You'd think that after 17 years of teaching, and probably 17 years of making this "Magic Mud" (yes, that's a name that I coined myself, and once again, it's apropos), that I would have, well, laid down some ground rules. Nah... these were third graders. They could handle it. Right?!? Wrong!
The fact of the matter is, I didn't really care. They loved the experience. They had so much fun and they learned a lot as well. You should have seen the looks on their faces when I told them they could TAKE IT HOME! It was almost better than winning the lottery, but that's why I do what I do. After almost an hour of non-stop activity - a flurry of measuring, stirring, mixing, playing, sometimes spilling and in one case almost puking, it was time to clean up. But by that point, there was very little time left at all. I collected all 75 pieces of plastic mixing and measuring aparatus (which was now dirty) and all 50 popcicle sticks (hey, I'm frugal), and proceeded to wash it all.
Every once in a while, I would stop to think about the possibility of that magic mud clogging up the sink, but I always tried to flush those thoughts from my mind. Surely, it wouldn't be the first time that my classroom antics had clogged a school sink, but the custodial reaction to such things is never a pleasant one - especially if it involves them actually doing work!
I looked around the room. It looked as if a cyclone had hit. I began to clean and wash and clean some more. I only hoped that I wasn't slowly clogging the drain up. I continued to wash. Phew. I had finally gotten most of the dishes washed. I surveyed the room. There was technicolor goo on the tables and on the floor. It looked like the Easter Bunny had puked all over the place. I begged my way out of lunch duty (and on a full moon day, getting out of it is a gift!). I went down to the custodial office and raised a few eyebrows when I asked for a putty knife. "You know... a scraper. I need to scrape some glue off of the tables (and floor, I thought)." I returned to the classroom. Scraper in hand. I got out a rag and some Fantastik OxyPower (the custodians love me, as I do most of my own cleaning) and started cleaning and scraping the tables and the floor. Before long, I was done. Tired, but done.
As I surveyed the room, I realized that I would be experincing Groundhog Day tomorrow and Thursday. Ain't teaching great? Yes it is... mud and all!
Monday, March 29, 2010
A Little About Me~
Passionate, stubborn, giving…
Sarcastic, funny, fun-loving
Driven, loving, balanced…
Friendly, inquisitive, outgoing,
I've been told that I'm feisty
Sometimes crazy…
Seeking to be flexible, like the willow branch.
Weathering the toughest storms
because it knows when to bend,
yet how to remain strong in the face
of even the strongest challenges.
I'm an educator by trade, and I'm forever
wanting to know why and how and what…
I suppose I can be exhausting at times -
those who know me would tell you that's true.
I get excited about watching a bunch of ants
as they carry a worm down the sidewalk…
or having a swan eat a cracker out of the palm
of my hand.
I am a big child at heart, and I still use crayons.
Won't you get your crayons out and color with me?!?
“By the Sea” by Joan Anderson:
I must live a little each day, greet the sun as it rises and revel in its setting, swim naked, sip coffee and wine by the shore, generate new ideas, admire myself, talk to animals, meditate, laugh, risk adventures. I must try to be soft, not hard; fluid not rigid, tender, not cold; find rather than seek. I have been embraced by the sea, tested by its elements, emptied of anxiety, cleansed with fresh thought. In the process, I have recovered myself.”
What a nice collection of thoughts…
a way to be.
Won't you join me as I grow and learn and live?
Thanks to all of you who have given so freely of yourselves…
This clip of Paul McCartney singing Little Willow has really touched me…
a gentle reminder to be flexible during the seasons of life.
“Sleep little willow
Peace gonna follow
Time will heal your wounds
Grow to the heavens
Now and forever
Always came too soon.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvRoV_Mj0pA
Mr. Edward Magorium:
No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime. Your life is an occasion, rise to it.
Such wise words… There's no moment like the present one.
“And we must face tomorrow, whatever it may hold, with determination, joy and bravery.”
~Mr. Magorium
A warrior doesn't give up what he loves…
he finds the love in what he does. ~Socrates
“You are like a butterfly… a caterpillar's dream to fly. You bust out of this old cocoon and dry your wings off. Butterfly… go ahead and fly.” ~ Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie
Sarcastic, funny, fun-loving
Driven, loving, balanced…
Friendly, inquisitive, outgoing,
I've been told that I'm feisty
Sometimes crazy…
Seeking to be flexible, like the willow branch.
Weathering the toughest storms
because it knows when to bend,
yet how to remain strong in the face
of even the strongest challenges.
I'm an educator by trade, and I'm forever
wanting to know why and how and what…
I suppose I can be exhausting at times -
those who know me would tell you that's true.
I get excited about watching a bunch of ants
as they carry a worm down the sidewalk…
or having a swan eat a cracker out of the palm
of my hand.
I am a big child at heart, and I still use crayons.
Won't you get your crayons out and color with me?!?
“By the Sea” by Joan Anderson:
I must live a little each day, greet the sun as it rises and revel in its setting, swim naked, sip coffee and wine by the shore, generate new ideas, admire myself, talk to animals, meditate, laugh, risk adventures. I must try to be soft, not hard; fluid not rigid, tender, not cold; find rather than seek. I have been embraced by the sea, tested by its elements, emptied of anxiety, cleansed with fresh thought. In the process, I have recovered myself.”
What a nice collection of thoughts…
a way to be.
Won't you join me as I grow and learn and live?
Thanks to all of you who have given so freely of yourselves…
This clip of Paul McCartney singing Little Willow has really touched me…
a gentle reminder to be flexible during the seasons of life.
“Sleep little willow
Peace gonna follow
Time will heal your wounds
Grow to the heavens
Now and forever
Always came too soon.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvRoV_Mj0pA
Mr. Edward Magorium:
No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime. Your life is an occasion, rise to it.
Such wise words… There's no moment like the present one.
“And we must face tomorrow, whatever it may hold, with determination, joy and bravery.”
~Mr. Magorium
A warrior doesn't give up what he loves…
he finds the love in what he does. ~Socrates
“You are like a butterfly… a caterpillar's dream to fly. You bust out of this old cocoon and dry your wings off. Butterfly… go ahead and fly.” ~ Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie
Spring Has Sprung!
It's that time of the year again. In like a lion, out like a lamb... March winds blow and make room for April showers - those showers yield to bring May flowers. And so it goes - the cycle making its way like it does year after year. As maddening as the weather may be, lots of cool things are happening during this time of year, and I love every sign that spring has indeed sprung!
March 20th is the official first day of the spring equinox. Two days prior to the 20th, I heard a lone spring peeper calling out in the darkness. For those of you unfamiliar with the spring peeper, it's a small (fingernail sized) frog that heralds the spring season. These frogs may be small, but they are awfully noisy. Well, the little guy started calling out - looking for a mate. "PEEP! PEEP! PEEP!" He sounded pretty funny calling out in the darkness and getting no reply. For a moment I felt sorry for him, but I knew better. Before long, an entire chorus of peepers would be calling out! That chorus took about two days to materialize. The frogs are so noisy at night, that I have to keep my window closed. Granted, I live directly across the street from a wonderful wetland habitat, but those tiny little frogs are really very noisy!
In a few weeks, the spring peepers will give way to the tree frogs. The tree frogs' song is more melodic than the spring peeper's song. Once again the frog is small, about the size of your thumb, but its song is incredibly loud. The tree frogs are a mottled grey/white color, sort of like the color of concrete. They have the most gorgeous eyes, but then again, I think that many amphibians have amazing eyes! The tree frogs will chorus for another (it seems like forever) 6 weeks or so. Every once in a while, I will hear a toad or two calling for mates. Just thinking about it makes me smile.
This morning, Karl found a spotted salamander in the driveway. Yeah, big deal... it is a big deal. I bet you've never seen a salamander like this one before! It was 7, yes 7 inches long! It was easily as big around as a broom handle. Now that's not your average herp! Herps like this are notorious for coming out of hibernation around the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox. They will actually return to the very same vernal pond where they were born, in order to mate. They will travel as far as a quarter mile! That's really far... especially if you're only 7 inches long and mere millimeters from the ground! A vernal pond is a small body of water that forms in a wooded area during the spring time. Various frogs, toads and salamanders meet there, mate and lay their eggs. There is enough water in these bodies of water, to support the metamorphosis from egg to adult. By the time the vernal pond has dried up, the little guys have become adults and have gone off to be productive members of the ecosystem. Nature is really amazing, and delicately balanced. The spotted salamander spends most if its time under ground, so when you get to see one up close, it's really amazing! These beauties can live to be 20 years old.
In addition to frogs and salamanders showing up to welcome spring, the crocuses and daffodils are in full bloom here in Connecticut. The weather man claims that we're in for three days of wet weather, but I caught a glimpse of 80 for Saturday and Sunday, and I'll gladly skip through a few puddles for weather like that! Not bad. Spring has sprung, and I'm having a good time.
March 20th is the official first day of the spring equinox. Two days prior to the 20th, I heard a lone spring peeper calling out in the darkness. For those of you unfamiliar with the spring peeper, it's a small (fingernail sized) frog that heralds the spring season. These frogs may be small, but they are awfully noisy. Well, the little guy started calling out - looking for a mate. "PEEP! PEEP! PEEP!" He sounded pretty funny calling out in the darkness and getting no reply. For a moment I felt sorry for him, but I knew better. Before long, an entire chorus of peepers would be calling out! That chorus took about two days to materialize. The frogs are so noisy at night, that I have to keep my window closed. Granted, I live directly across the street from a wonderful wetland habitat, but those tiny little frogs are really very noisy!
In a few weeks, the spring peepers will give way to the tree frogs. The tree frogs' song is more melodic than the spring peeper's song. Once again the frog is small, about the size of your thumb, but its song is incredibly loud. The tree frogs are a mottled grey/white color, sort of like the color of concrete. They have the most gorgeous eyes, but then again, I think that many amphibians have amazing eyes! The tree frogs will chorus for another (it seems like forever) 6 weeks or so. Every once in a while, I will hear a toad or two calling for mates. Just thinking about it makes me smile.
This morning, Karl found a spotted salamander in the driveway. Yeah, big deal... it is a big deal. I bet you've never seen a salamander like this one before! It was 7, yes 7 inches long! It was easily as big around as a broom handle. Now that's not your average herp! Herps like this are notorious for coming out of hibernation around the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox. They will actually return to the very same vernal pond where they were born, in order to mate. They will travel as far as a quarter mile! That's really far... especially if you're only 7 inches long and mere millimeters from the ground! A vernal pond is a small body of water that forms in a wooded area during the spring time. Various frogs, toads and salamanders meet there, mate and lay their eggs. There is enough water in these bodies of water, to support the metamorphosis from egg to adult. By the time the vernal pond has dried up, the little guys have become adults and have gone off to be productive members of the ecosystem. Nature is really amazing, and delicately balanced. The spotted salamander spends most if its time under ground, so when you get to see one up close, it's really amazing! These beauties can live to be 20 years old.
In addition to frogs and salamanders showing up to welcome spring, the crocuses and daffodils are in full bloom here in Connecticut. The weather man claims that we're in for three days of wet weather, but I caught a glimpse of 80 for Saturday and Sunday, and I'll gladly skip through a few puddles for weather like that! Not bad. Spring has sprung, and I'm having a good time.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
More Things About Me 51-100
51. I have trouble remembering things. It's not becuase I'm lazy. I think it's because there's a lot of traffic in my head.
52. I love to meet new people and get to know them.
53. I design Pysanky, Ukrainian Easter Eggs, and give them away to friends and family. Sometimes my friends come before my family...
54. I believe that jewlery should be loved and worn. It wasn't meant to be squirreled away in some safe deposit box somewhere!
55. Ballet of Angels is my favorite wine. Yes, it is white.
56. On the rocks with salt, is the way I enjoy my Margaritas.
57. I don't like to get wet when I'm dry. That doesn't count when I'm taking a shower.
58. I love my birthday. I always have and I always will. It doesn't matter how old I get, I will still love it.
59. Sometimes there's an abundance of cat fur on my sweater. Don't judge me. It just means that my cat was loving me prior to the time you saw me.
60. The hotter the better.
61. I enjoy cycling. During the summer, I try to cycle at least 13 miles per day... religiously!
62. I became a Catholic before I married. I believed in being evenly yolked. No, I do not go to church every Sunday. If that means I am going to Hell, so be it.
63. I enjoy my coffee iced! Hot coffee when consumed on a daily basis, makes me crazy.
64. I'm already crazy enough.
65. My friend, Archie, often encourages me to lay down my sticks. He's basically urging me to lay down my defenses - those I use to hide insecurities. That's not so easy. I promise not to hit you with my sticks. Please trust me.
66. I have a habit of rolling my eyes.
67. I believe that eyes are the windows to the soul. That's why I try to guard mine.
68. Reading has always been a passion of mine. My all time favorite book is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane by Kate DiCamillo. If you haven't read it, you really should.
69. I love the ocean, and I can't ever imagine living very far away from it.
70. No two sunrises or sunsets are ever the same. I love the way the light changes from day to day... the dance between shadow and light is magical.
71. I try to be like Dr. Dolittle. Oh, if I could talk to the animals! Believe me, I try!
72. I have owned some odd pets over the years. Snuffy, a hedgehog, was my favorite. I own a tarantula named Rosie. She's awesome.
73. I can be sarcastic.
74. When reading an email, I'm famous for reading between the lines. That's dangerous, I know.
75. My hands are worked hard. They may sometimes look funky. That doesn't mean that I don't care about them. If they were supposed to always look beautiful, they would have been placed someplace else on my body... like on my head somewhere.
76. I'm disorganized.
77. I'm a procrastinator. I work better under pressure.
78. I'm a monster under pressure.
79. I love to laugh and I've got the laugh lines to prove it.
80. When I ride the train (which is every weekday) I prefer to stand. It gives me a wider variety of people to watch.
81. I am a people watcher and interactor.
82. I have a huge soft spot in my heart for elderly people.
83. Noise distracts me. My mind wants to focus on the smallest sounds coming from the most obscure places.
84. I rarely carry a purse. It's too much work to look after it.
85. My camera is usually always with me.
86. I apply makeup only once a day, unless I'm going out somewhere special - then I MAY reapply it.
87. Red looks nice on me (or so I've been told). I don't own many pieces of red clothing.
88. I feel better about myself when I'm having a good hair day. I know that makes me sound shallow, but it's true.
89. I like to get to know people... I mean really get to know who they are and what makes them tick.
90. Sometimes I beat around the bush. Sometimes I'm direct. Sometimes I'm confused about which approach to take.
91. I know I should exercise more and eat less crap.
92. Shopping for clothing or shoes doesn't really appeal to me. I only do it because I have to. That being said, I'm never on the cutting edge of fashion.
93. I do have a nice pair of legs. You may not see them very often, but they're there.
94. I can type without looking. My students are always impressed by that. I love it when simple things impress them.
95. Cold hands, warm heart.
96. I do not have any tattoos.
97. My butt often falls asleep in the movie theater. If you see me moving around in the theater, it's not because I'm bored. It's because I feel like my body is begining to fossilize!
98. When I was a child, I used to have an insect collection - a large one. I trapped, killed and displayed the insects with the help of my father. I no longer have the collection, but would like to start a new one.
99. I rarely remember my dreams.
100. I'm complicated.
52. I love to meet new people and get to know them.
53. I design Pysanky, Ukrainian Easter Eggs, and give them away to friends and family. Sometimes my friends come before my family...
54. I believe that jewlery should be loved and worn. It wasn't meant to be squirreled away in some safe deposit box somewhere!
55. Ballet of Angels is my favorite wine. Yes, it is white.
56. On the rocks with salt, is the way I enjoy my Margaritas.
57. I don't like to get wet when I'm dry. That doesn't count when I'm taking a shower.
58. I love my birthday. I always have and I always will. It doesn't matter how old I get, I will still love it.
59. Sometimes there's an abundance of cat fur on my sweater. Don't judge me. It just means that my cat was loving me prior to the time you saw me.
60. The hotter the better.
61. I enjoy cycling. During the summer, I try to cycle at least 13 miles per day... religiously!
62. I became a Catholic before I married. I believed in being evenly yolked. No, I do not go to church every Sunday. If that means I am going to Hell, so be it.
63. I enjoy my coffee iced! Hot coffee when consumed on a daily basis, makes me crazy.
64. I'm already crazy enough.
65. My friend, Archie, often encourages me to lay down my sticks. He's basically urging me to lay down my defenses - those I use to hide insecurities. That's not so easy. I promise not to hit you with my sticks. Please trust me.
66. I have a habit of rolling my eyes.
67. I believe that eyes are the windows to the soul. That's why I try to guard mine.
68. Reading has always been a passion of mine. My all time favorite book is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane by Kate DiCamillo. If you haven't read it, you really should.
69. I love the ocean, and I can't ever imagine living very far away from it.
70. No two sunrises or sunsets are ever the same. I love the way the light changes from day to day... the dance between shadow and light is magical.
71. I try to be like Dr. Dolittle. Oh, if I could talk to the animals! Believe me, I try!
72. I have owned some odd pets over the years. Snuffy, a hedgehog, was my favorite. I own a tarantula named Rosie. She's awesome.
73. I can be sarcastic.
74. When reading an email, I'm famous for reading between the lines. That's dangerous, I know.
75. My hands are worked hard. They may sometimes look funky. That doesn't mean that I don't care about them. If they were supposed to always look beautiful, they would have been placed someplace else on my body... like on my head somewhere.
76. I'm disorganized.
77. I'm a procrastinator. I work better under pressure.
78. I'm a monster under pressure.
79. I love to laugh and I've got the laugh lines to prove it.
80. When I ride the train (which is every weekday) I prefer to stand. It gives me a wider variety of people to watch.
81. I am a people watcher and interactor.
82. I have a huge soft spot in my heart for elderly people.
83. Noise distracts me. My mind wants to focus on the smallest sounds coming from the most obscure places.
84. I rarely carry a purse. It's too much work to look after it.
85. My camera is usually always with me.
86. I apply makeup only once a day, unless I'm going out somewhere special - then I MAY reapply it.
87. Red looks nice on me (or so I've been told). I don't own many pieces of red clothing.
88. I feel better about myself when I'm having a good hair day. I know that makes me sound shallow, but it's true.
89. I like to get to know people... I mean really get to know who they are and what makes them tick.
90. Sometimes I beat around the bush. Sometimes I'm direct. Sometimes I'm confused about which approach to take.
91. I know I should exercise more and eat less crap.
92. Shopping for clothing or shoes doesn't really appeal to me. I only do it because I have to. That being said, I'm never on the cutting edge of fashion.
93. I do have a nice pair of legs. You may not see them very often, but they're there.
94. I can type without looking. My students are always impressed by that. I love it when simple things impress them.
95. Cold hands, warm heart.
96. I do not have any tattoos.
97. My butt often falls asleep in the movie theater. If you see me moving around in the theater, it's not because I'm bored. It's because I feel like my body is begining to fossilize!
98. When I was a child, I used to have an insect collection - a large one. I trapped, killed and displayed the insects with the help of my father. I no longer have the collection, but would like to start a new one.
99. I rarely remember my dreams.
100. I'm complicated.
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