Skywatch!

Happy Skywatch Friday! Like so many other Skywatch posters, we just can't take another snowy scene posting. This is a picture that I took last spring from the side mirror of my scooter. When I rode the scooter I spent so much time looking in my side mirror for cars that needed to pass me I decided one day to pull over and take a picture of the view. The scooter, seen below, was 49 cc Honda Metropolitan, with a top speed of 42 mph. It got over 100 mph, it has since been sold to upgrade to a "real" motorcycle. With all of the snow that we have been getting in Maine, I keep dreaming of the day when the bike can come out again. Enjoy ~SJ

Bubbles Pooch Look Alike

The Music Man and I have been watching the TV show Trailer Park Boys. It is a Canadian TV show, and in case you can't figure it out it is about some guys who live in a trailer park. There is a character named Bubbles who wears thick glasses that makes him look like he has bubble eyes. Also, as you may know I am a fan of the comic strip Pooch Cafe. On the creator Paul Gilligan's blog about the comic strip he posted a few past strips this week that feature Poncho wearing glasses. In these panels Poncho ends up looking a bit like Bubbles. I decided to email Paul and point out this similarity, here is the email:

"I have to say first off that my boyfriend and I are fans of Pooch. We are also fans of a TV show called Trailer Park Boys. We found your most recent blog post about Poncho and his peepers funny since he looked like Bubbles. Attached is a little slide that I made comparing the two characters. Check out Trailer Park Boys, it is almost as funny as Pooch."

Amazingly, within minutes I got the following reply:

"This is hilarious! I LOVE the TP Boys! I'm going to post this up on the blog site right away. Thanks for sending that, and for the props on the strip."

Yup, you read that correctly, my comment and pictures have now been posted on the Pooch blog, check it out here!

Enjoy ~SJ

Paperback Book Swap

I signed up over vacation for this online service called Paperback Swap. As the title suggests, it is an online website that allows you to unload some of your unwanted paperbacks in trade for other peoples unwanted paperbacks. The librarian at my school told me about it, and it sounded too amazing for me to pass up. Last night was my night, I signed up, posted 10 paperbacks that I didn't need anymore and then picked out two books that I wanted. It is simple, for every one book that you send out, you can pick one book to be sent to you. You have to pay the shipping, usually less than $3.00, but other than that the service is free. Oh, and when someone requests a book from you Paperback Swap creates a mailing paper that you can print to use to package and wrap the book in.

Enjoy ~SJ

Night and Pull Tabs

Yesterday morning I read Night by Elie Wiesel, it is about a boy and his struggle to survive the Holocaust. Here is the review from Amazon:

In Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? There are no easy answers in this harrowing book, which probes life's essential riddles with the lucid anguish only great literature achieves.

The reason why I re-read this book is because this coming week I am starting my portion of the integrated unit on the Holocaust. In case you are not familiar, one of the teaching strategies of middle school is to teach on a team of teachers who all teach the same students. Since we all of the same students this means that we can teach lessons around a central theme. This can be a very exciting and challenging undertaking. One of the integrated themes that the team that I teach on uses is the Holocaust. In years past when we teach our Holocaust unit I have done activities about how big one million is. We have done everything from figure out how many boxes of macaroni we would need to have one million elbow pieces, to taping together sheets of paper that have 10,000 dots on them.

This year I have decided to try something different. The Terezin Concentration Camp had over 15,000 children pass through between 1942 and 1944. Of these 15,000 children very few of them survived, but their poetry and pictures did and can been seen in the book I Will Never See Another Butterfly. In order to understand the number 15,000 and to tie into the butterfly project that the language arts teacher is teaching my students are going to collect 15,000 soda pull tabs. These pull tabs, once collected, will then be donated to the Shriners.

So, if you have any soda pull-tabs please send them my way. I am sure that my students will greatly appreciate them in our efforts to reach 15,000.

Enjoy ~SJ

Letter Game

This one came from Katie over in Katieland, she is a fellow RVB who before we started blogging we were on the awkward wave hello basis, now when I see her we stop and chat.

1. A is for age: 28

2. B is for beer of choice: Not a big beer drinker

3. C is for career right now: 8th grade math teacher

4. D is for your dog's name? Gretal, she is my childhood dog who lives with The Mother

5. E is for essential item you use everyday: Lotion all day long on the face and hands.

6. F is for favorite TV show at the moment: House and Grey's Anatomy

7. G is for favorite game: Kakuro

8. H is for Home town: Dixfield

9. I is for instruments you play: Viola

10. J is for favorite juice: Blueberry

11. K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: I don't kick butt, just my own to get stuff done

12. L is for last place you ate: Home, a few cherrystone clams before the turkey pie later on tonight, YUM!

13. M is for marriage: Been there, done that, moved on

14. N is for your full name: SJI

15. O is for overnight hospital stays: none

16. P is for people you were with today: The Music Man, Stanley, and Phoebe

17. Q is for quote: "Everything happens for a reason"

18. R is for Biggest Regret: The long list, or the short list? See #17, there are none.

19. S is for status: Happily seeing The Music Man

20. T is for time you woke up today: 11:30, I woke up earlier and fed the cats and decided on the last day of vacation to go back to bed.

21. U is for underwear you have on now: Cotton

22. V is for vegetable you love: Fresh asparagus

23. W is for worst habit: Nail biting, but I'm doing better

24. X is for x-rays you've had: My teeth last time I had them cleaned

25. Y is for yummy food you ate today: Cheerios with almonds, dried cranberries, and frozen blueberries - Cheerio should call this the special SJ cereal blend.

26. Z is for zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Socks The Clinton's Cat

It was announced yesterday that The Clinton's cat Socks has died. Now to most people this news may not mean anything, but Socks the cat was an important political figure in my young life. The Clinton's adopted Socks around the same time that Amy came into my life. Amy was my first cat, I picked her out and I named her. She was a black and white cat just like Socks, she also had a short stumpy tail only a few inches long. Now Amy was not the poster cat for friendly cuddly cats, but she tolerated my childhood antics that involved her. At this young age I thought it was interesting that the White House also had a black and white cat that even made the news every now and the. I collected Socks newspaper clippings and hung them down low around Amy's food, I think that she liked to dine with this famous cat.

The article from the Associated Press stated that after the Clinton's left the white house Sock went to live with Betty Curie, Bill Clinton's secretary. Living at the White House was not all fun and games for this black and white cat, before the presidency he was accustomed to roaming outside at his own will. His romps outside had to be curtailed, and on occasion was spotted outside on a leash. The entrance of Buddy, the chocolate retriever added even more entertainment for Socks, even President Clinton confessed that the relations between these to presidential pets was difficult when he said "I'm trying to work that out, it's going to take a while. It's kind of like peace in Ireland or the Middle East."

I am guessing that the White House must be some sort of fountain of youth for cats, Socks lived to be over 18 years old. India, the Bush's cat also died at the age of 18. I see Phoebe and Stanley writing to Obama to see if he will adopt them.

Enjoy ~SJ

Skywatch!

Fall leaves and blue sky, certainly not what we have now.

Enjoy ~SJ

Opening Act?

I hung out with Mi Primia last night, and you know that's always guaranteed to be a fun time. We ended up hanging out with her neighbor since he had a few friends over. We were all sitting around the living room chatting, and this one guy kept going on and on about his troubles with all of his OUI charges. Now keep in mind, we had just met this guy, we had known him for less than 15 minutes. Which started me thinking, if this is his opening act, what else could he have to share? (As the evening went on, not a whole lot other than a great new blog idea.)

Since first impressions mean the world, that means that your opening act sets to tone for what else is to come about you. I got thinking about myself, how is my opening act? What are other people's opening acts?

Enjoy ~SJ

Three Cups Of Tea

I finished reading Three Cups of Tea a few weeks ago. Everyone is raving about, most of my friends have it listed on their Good Reads list and commented that they loved it. I thought that the story was impressive, but maybe it is because I read it all at once on a flight, I seem to be not as impressed by it as everyone else. There is also a young readers edition out now that may be a great book to add to a school curriculum. Here is how Barnes and Noble summed it up.

On the afternoon of September 2, 1993, Greg Mortenson realized that he had failed in his attempt to climb K2, the world's second-highest mountain. But disappointment was the least of his problems. Emaciated, exhausted, thoroughly disoriented, and suffering from edema, his grip on life was loosening. He was taken in and nursed back to health by the impoverished populace of a remote Pakistani village. Grateful, he promised to return someday to build them a school. Three Cups of Tea is the story of that promise and the story of how one man changed the world, one school at a time.

Enjoy ~SJ

Blog Surprise Party!

Ok, so maybe the title should read "Happy Birthday My Dear Blog"! You guessed it, today is my blogs birthday, that means that if you have been following me since the beginning I have been tormenting you for a year now, how quickly the time passes. Blogging quickly became a great new pastime for me, I am now constantly plauged with the thought "Would that make a good blog topic?" I managed to reach my personal goal of over 365 blogs, that means that you have been blessed with one new blog from SJ every day. I have blogged about everything from cats, to Mother Nature, to Easter candy, to my feet. I have brought you pictures from my world, and books that I have read. I have even coined a new phrase that has now become common lingo among some people in my ciricle - the Corner Store is refered to as D.U. (pronounced "DU"), sorry Chip if you head this. This has caused some confusion among people who don't know my little nickname and have no clue what store in Dixfield I am talking about. All in all I would have to say that my blog has lived up to everything that I thought it would, especially since I didn't think that it would last this long. Here's to you blog, I look forward to another exciting year of the unknown!

Enjoy ~SJ

Q Is For....

Quiet!

Nothing is more quiet than a school in the summer. This is the picture that started my entire ABC blog. I came up with the ABC blog idea over the summer, and of course started by worrying about "the tough letter" (q, y, z). Then the light bulb went off in my head, the school is quiet now! I was in the middle of teaching summer school and unpacking my classroom so I took out my camera and snapped this picture. All of the furniture is in the hall because the custodians are doing their ritual cleaning of ever nook and cranny - they really do an amazing job of making our schools like bright and new every summer! If you look carefully in the picture you can see Weather Boy walking down the hall!

Enjoy ~SJ

Firefly Lane

I just polished off the last of the books that I got for myself a few weeks ago. Since I tend to read books quickly I usually borrow books from friends and the library, but every now and then I purchase them for myself.

Firefly Lane is a beautiful story about two girls who grow into women and their friendship and life choices. Although it doesn't receive wonderful reviews (too made-for-TV-movie, cliche), it is a timeless story of the struggles that women face: career vs motherhood, family vs friends. I would have to agree with the Publisher Weekly review "with an over-the-top tear-jerker ending, though her upbeat message of the power of friendship and family will, for some readers, trump even the most contrived plot twists." The message rang through for me through the plot. It seems like a great while you're traveling book.

Enjoy ~SJ

iGoogle Love

Do you have an iGoogle page? Can you not live without it? Google, and all of their amazingness (yup, made up word) has created a space where you can share your love for iGoogle (I know just in time for Valentine's Day!).
Here is what I submitted:
I love my iGoogle page because it is a page just for me and it looks like none other. I can change it whenever I want and change its theme. I can read my email, blogs, comics, news, weather, get directions, and lots more all in one place! It is my virtual internet home, my living room, the place I go to first, and the tab I always have open. I don't know what my life would be like without my iGoogle page!

I know, not overly creative, but I let them know and that is what matters! Want to send a Valentine and tell Google how much you love your iGoogle page? Simply click here, and if you contact them soon enough you might even get some free iGoogle artist stickers!

Enjoy ~SJ

Warm And Fresh Bread

The Shamrock is filled with smell of fresh bread. Every week or so the house is filled with this warm, amazing smell. In my attempt to keep my diet simple, and free of chemicals I try to make most of my own bread. Here is my tweaked recipe originally from the Joy of Cooking:

1 1/4 cup of warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
2 tablespoons honey, or molasses
1 cup of warm milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white flour
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour

Mix the water, yeast, and honey (molasses) together, set aside to let the yeast activate. Melt the butter in the warm butter. In the mixing bowl mix the flours and salt, add the milk mixture, and then the yeast mixture. Blend until it forms dough, spend plenty of time mixing and kneading it, this will make a more tender bread. Put the dough in a greased bowl and let rise to double its size at least twice. Divide the dough in two, take 1/2 and roll out and form a loaf, repeat with the other part. Let the loaves rise once more in the greased pans. Preheat the oven to 450, bake the loaves for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy ~SJ

Skywatch!

It was a little windy today, according to the Beaufort Scale I would estimate that we were between force 4 and 5. With the use of the Beaufort Scale whether on land and at sea you can use some simple observations to determine the wind speed. Happy Skywatch Friday!

Enjoy ~SJ

Zen Cats

Is this what they ponder all day while we are at work? This is a new comic, Speed Bump, that I learned about from a fellow cat loving co-worker. If you find that you like Speed Bump you can even RSS Feed it into you Google Reader. It seems a bit like Far Side, and Close To Home.

Enjoy ~SJ

Name Game

There are a lot of fun little memes floating around Fcaebook right now, so much fun that I have to share here too.

1.YOUR REAL NAME:
SJI

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
Jane Albert

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Horace Ralph

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Irisa

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Dolphin

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Jane Dixfield

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Pink Coffee

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Irah

9.STREET NAME:(fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Pistachio Spice

10 ROCK STAR NAME (pet's name and street where you live)
Phoebe Shore

11. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Ebony Highland

12.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Sarizzle

13.YOUR IRAQI.. NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name)
Aija

14.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Stanley

15. PIMP NAME: (street you live on, daddy)
Shore Daddy

Give it a try!

Enjoy ~SJ

Did You Know

The Did You Know video is now in the 3.0 format, not sure when this happened, but I am always amazed after watching it. Watch it below (thanks to YouTube) in case you haven't seen it.

The Swiss Army Of Cell Phones

The most amazing new cell phone is hitting the market, The Pomegranate NS08. Here is a list of its amazing capabilities:

• Phone
• MP3 Player
• Camera (Digital & Video)
• GPS
• Internet Browser
• Language Translator
• Video Projector
• Coffee Maker
• Shaver
• Harmonica

Yes you read that correctly, coffee maker and harmonica! I know, this is the cell phone of your dreams! And the manufacturer took a page from the Apple book and named it after a fruit - brilliant! The cell phone of your dreams yes, the cell phone of your reality not yet. This is actually an out there marketing ploy by our amazing neighbors to the north, the Canadians of Nova Scotia! Click through the website to watch all of the funny movies about it, and make sure to click on the release date tab to link to the Nova Scotia ad.

Enjoy ~SJ

P Is For.......

Pumpkins!

There is a house not very far from my house that sells pumpkins every fall. They have hundreds to choose from in every shape and size imaginable. It always makes for a fun little adventure to go and pick out the pumpkins for the house.

Enjoy ~SJ

The Mother - Update

In case you started following The Mother's blog a few weeks ago when she started it, you might have noticed a lack of blogging on her part. This is not due to a lack of inspiration, or a lack of interest, it is due to a technical problem. Her little Florida home has been suffering from mystery electrical problems, this has resulted in two broken T.V.'s and a computer that won't turn on. The update last night was that the computer has been fixed, but not hooked up again. I hope that The Mother returns to the blog-o-sphere soon.

Enjoy ~SJ

Promising Pal

I received an email from the Simmons College Alumni association a few months back asking if I wanted to be involved with Promising Pals. Basically I get partnered up with a middle school student at the Timilty Middle School in Roxbury, MA and we write letters back and forth. Here is a press release about the program.

The Scott/Ross Center for Community Service is currently recruiting
volunteers from the Simmons community for this year's Promising Pals
program, a writing initiative with student from the James P. Timilty
School in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. Through a series of letters
exchanged over a six month period (December - May), the program
fosters relationships between middle school students and adults in the
Greater Boston area.

Promising Pals is collaboration between the James P. Timilty Middle School
and the Greater Boston community. Started in 1986, the program highlights
literacy and mentoring by giving students exposure to the outside
professional world through an exciting writing initiative with an area
adult.

Simmons College is one of the largest participants involved in the program.
Last year over 160 Simmons faculty and staff members, graduate
students, and alumni joined over 600 professionals from greater Boston
to be a part of this program. By establishing a correspondence
relationship between Timilty students and professionals in the Greater
Boston area, the Promising Pals Program encourages self-expression,
role modeling, and skill development. Through the program, adults and
students correspond regularly by writing letters at intervals
throughout the second semester of the school year.

I got my first Promising Pal letter a few days ago in the mail. My Pal wrote a lengthy letter telling me about herself, as well as asking all sorts of great questions. I plan on answering her letter over the weekend, and look forward to hearing back from her.

Enjoy ~SJ

O Is For.......

Origami!

My desk is cluttered with it. My students are interested in it. It tests my focus and precision. I have been folding origami since I was a child, and am still intrigued by how the piece all comes together in the end. I still find it challenging, and can fold for long periods of time. Lately have I have been folding multi-unit pieces; more than one piece of paper folded the same way multiple times to make a three-dimensional object. I have even branched into making up my own pattern (yup, you can call me an official dork now). The piece still needs some perfecting, but I have the basic idea down. It is fun, focuses my thoughts, and I end up with some great objects for my desk!

Enjoy ~SJ

Rattle My cage

Sometimes it is all about the timing of events. If I had just taken a little longer brushing my teeth, or decided to fold the laundry before I left for school instead of after, what if I would have sprinkled salt on the steps this morning? There was a fatal car accident on the road that I commute to work on this morning. Apparently from what I can piece together I was moments ahead of being in this accident. I received a very sweet email from a woman that I know "SJ are you at work? I saw The Music Man drive to school, but not you! Let me know ASAP!" It makes me ask myself all these what if questions?

This happened to me one other time in life, when I was a senior in college. I missed a stabbing on my way to the T stop by minutes. If I had been a few minutes earlier what would I have witnessed? Would I have been the victim? My roommates heard about it before me and flooded my cell phone with messages wondering where I was and if I was ok. I didn't find out until I was finished with my long day of student teaching. Apparently I walked over a bridge with a bleeding woman under it. Events like this always leave me asking myself so many questions, and being more thankful for the life that I get to live.

Enjoy ~SJ

Fill In Scattegories Style

Ok here is another Facebook meme that has been floating around. Since I'm a little short on blog ideas for today, and not blogging today will not help me get to the 365 blog posts by Feb. 17th (only 10 days and 10 more posts to go)!

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own blog entry, erase my answers, enter yours. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real, nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Have Fun!!

1. What is your name: SJ
2. A four Letter Word: Surf
3. A boy's Name: Sam
4. A girl's Name: Samantha
5. An occupation: Sales
6. A color: Sienna
7. Something you wear: Sandals
8. A food: Squid (a.k.a. calamari)
9. Something found in the bathroom: Soft towels
10. A place: Sarasota, Florida
11. A reason for being late: Seven car pile up
12. Something you shout: Shit!
13. A movie title: Shrek
14. Something you drink: Soda
15. A musical group:
16. An animal: Serpent
17. A street name: Sandy Lane
18. A type of car: Subaru
19. Something scary: Snakes
20. Ice cream flavor: S'mores (one of my many favorite Ben & Jerry's flavors)

Ok, kind of fun, I hope to have better material for tomorrow.

Enjoy ~SJ

Good Samaritan Take Two

Last winter I had a Good Samaritan visit the Shamrock, they pushed back the never ending snow around my house. Last time they came I publicly thanked them via my blog and said that if I knew who they were I would thank them with some baked goods. Either the Good Samaritan didn't hear about my blog, or they don't like baked goods. It seems that this mystery Good Samaritan came by today and again pushed back the snow. I am so happy to have the snow banks pushed back, this makes room for more snow dumping. You can also see a bit of my stair railing leading to the dock sticking out of the snow. Please, if anyone knows who this amazingly kind person is, please let me know so that I can correctly thank them.

Enjoy ~SJ

Skywatch!

A unique sighting for the mostly gray skies, nice sunny blue sky. Looks like a nice summer day, right? Nope, just another chilly windy day in Maine.

Enjoy ~SJ

Time Point Of View Of Facebook

I have always respected Tim magazine, and enjoy their perspective. This is an article that Time posted yesterday about Facebook and the detailed information that people share on it. I have to admit that I participated in this meme, and am afraid of what Time would think of my blog!

A girl I knew in high school has memorized all of Janet Jackson's dance routines. A college acquaintance is afraid of train whistles. Five separate people harbor lifelong desires to visit New Zealand. How do I know these things? Because they won't stop writing about them on Facebook!

Facebook's "25 Things About Me" meme seems harmless enough; people write 25 facts about themselves and post them on their Facebook pages, just as they do with videos, status updates and photos of last weekend's party. An estimated 5 million of these notes — that's 125 million facts — have appeared on the website within the past week. Assuming it takes someone 10 minutes to come up with their list, this recent bout of viral narcissism has sent roughly 800,000 hours of worktime productivity down the drain. (Read "Does Facebook Replace Face Time or Enhance It?")

But it's just so stupid. Most people aren't funny, they aren't insightful, and they share way too much. Facebook is a loose social network; a "friend" on Facebook might translate to someone you'd barely recognize in real life. I don't care that my college roommate's sister is anemic or that my stepcousin's boyfriend gets nervous around old people (apparently he's afraid they're going to die). (See the best social-networking applications.)

Below are 25 facts I wish people hadn't told me about themselves. They come from friends, friends-of-friends, friends-of-friends-of-friends and coworkers. They are all real, though I wish some of them were not.

1. I eat tacos with a fork.
2. I was fat in middle school. The wake of that horror has yet to subside.
3. I keep forgetting that Barack Obama is our President. (See pictures of Obama behind the scenes on Inauguration Day.)
4. I have been pooped on by a monkey. (See the top 10 animal stories of 2008.)
5. I am addicted to the ass-slap dance move. Sometimes I don't even notice I'm doing it.
6. When I finally told my now fiancé that I liked him (as in, liked him liked him), I drunkenly gave him the Anchorman line, "I want to be on you." He had only seen the movie once and had no idea what it was from.
7. Just because I realize that Asian women are smarter, more attractive, and have about themselves a generally superior level of class does not mean I have a fetish. Just that I'm racist.
8. I eat gummy bears by tearing them limb from limb and eating their heads last.
9. I can't grow hair on my arms.
10. Two of my best friends are under five feet tall and I have an intense fear of midgets.
11. I think yoga is incredibly spiritual. I know the Lord is with me in my downward dog. (See pictures of facial yoga.)
12. I was born with jaundice.
13. I was born pigeon-toed.
14. I was born with an extra kidney. I wish I could have sold it on the black market and made some money, but it was underdeveloped and did nothing but cause me to wet the bed until the third grade.
15. I like to tape my thumbs to my hands to see what it would be like to be a dinosaur.
16. A horse once fell over while I was riding it.
17. I don't believe in democracy.
18. I cried when Spock died in Star Trek II. (See the top 10 1950s sci-fi movies.)
19. I drink two glasses of wine every night before bed. Wait, did I just admit to alcoholism?
20. If you asked me to tell you my favorite movie, I would have a hard time not saying Titanic. (See the 100 best movies of all time.)
21. I once sent a teacher into early retirement by pretending to be a cheetah and swiping at her from under a desk.
22. I once ran into New Kids On the Block's Joey McIntyre in the lobby of an off-Broadway show. I told him he was the first boy I ever loved. He laughed and kind of smiled. This was the most gratifying moment of my life.
23. My friends say that when they shave my back, I purr like a walrus.
24. I don't understand what people see in the Godfather trilogy.
25. Sometimes I think pee smells like Cheerios.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've finally found something more stupid than Twitter.

I'm scare and hope that Time doesn't find me! But seriously folks, is Facebook and the 25 things meme a waste of time?

Enjoy ~SJ

A Simple Request Letter

Dear Mother Nature,

You are an impressive and powerful woman who gets to decided the weather fate of many people. I know that I choose to live in New England where we are known for our cold and snowy winters. I have to admit that this winter has been much better in comparison to last. I have enjoyed some snowshoeing, skiing, and haven't complained too much about the shoveling. I know that Mr. Phil saw his shadow earlier in the week and he predicted six more weeks of winter. I was wondering, oh wonderful and intelligent Mother Nature, if there was anything that you could do about his prediction? Is it possible if I sent you a petition with 50 signatures on it for spring sooner if this could possibly overturn Mr. Phil's prediction? Please let me know soon so that I can start collecting the signatures.

Enjoy ~SJ

One Word... Or Maybe Two

Fill in the blanks and share, borrowed from Facebook.

Where is your cell phone.....coat
your hair .........brown
Your father? ....... brilliant
Your favorite thing? …. Saturday afternoon
Your dream last night?.... none
Your favorite drink? ........... milkshakes
Your dream/goal? .......... happiness
The room you are in? .... living room
Your fear? ......... loosing inspiration
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Done with school (being a student)
Muffins? ............. Yes!
One of your wish list items?......... More time for me
Where you grew up? ........... Dixfield
The last thing you did? ...... Played on Facebook
What are you wearing?....... sweatshirt & pj pants
Your TV?........... Nothing
Your pets? .......... Two amazing cats
Your computer? ...... laptop
Your life? .......... AMAZING!
Your mood? ....... Happy!
Missing someone? ...... Nope
Your car? .... Picture of cool
Favorite store?..... Eddie Bauer
Your summer? ....... Fun!
Your favorite color? ........ Red
When is the last time you laughed? ........ this morning
Last time you cried? ........ can’t remember
Three people who email me? .... ...... Mom, Beth, Music Man
Three of my favorite foods? ......... Fresh strawberries, ice cream, meatloaf
Three places I would rather be right now? .... Visiting Mom, the beach, sailing

Enjoy ~SJ

Sloganizer!

Ever needed a catchy slogan but just couldn't seem to get the neurons firing? This great little website Sloganizer allows you to type in your keywords and it does all the brainstorming for you! Here are a few slogans that it created for SJ's Beat:

SJ's Beat for you!

Jesus loves SJ's Beat.

Feel the magic of SJ's Beat.

Think SJ's Beat.

SJ's Beat - The Revolution.

SJ's Beat innovate your world.

SJ's Beat, stay in touch.

and the winner is..... SJ's Beat is what the world was waiting for. I can see the t-shirts, coffee mugs, and bumper stickers now!

Enjoy ~SJ

Shoe Collection

I noticed today as I was putting my snowshoes by the front door that I had an eclectic collection of footwear gathering near the front door: Garden clogs, snowshoes, winter boots, mud boots, and flippers. Not sure what event would require me to use all of this diverse footwear at the same time.


Enjoy ~SJ

January By The Numbers

Here are this months "numbers".

44 - Number of posts for the month, that is the same as last month - odd.

62 - Number of comments.

211 - Number of returning visitors.

1 - Number of interstate travel, also the number snow days (I think).

404 - Number of cell phone minutes used.

4 - The number of books that I read, also the number of days that I was out of my classroom.

Groundhog's Day!

As I am sure you all know today is Groundhog's Day, the day when we find out how much longer winter is going to be. I decided to do a little research into the history of this unique weather prediction holiday.

From the Official Punxsutawney Groundhog Website (Adapted from "Groundhog Day: 1886 to 1992" by Bill Anderson)

Groundhog Day, February 2nd, is a popular tradition in the United States. It is also a legend that traverses centuries, its origins clouded in the mists of time with ethnic cultures and animals awakening on specific dates. Myths such as this tie our present to the distant past when nature did, indeed, influence our lives. It is the day that the Groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to look for his shadow.

If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole.

If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadowless, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.

The groundhog tradition stems from similar beliefs associated with Candlemas Day and the days of early Christians in Europe, and for centuries the custom was to have the clergy bless candles and distribute them to the people. Even then, it marked a milestone in the winter and the weather that day was important.

According to an old English song:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

Early observances of Phil's predictions were conducted privately in the wooded areas that neighbor the town. Today's celebration sees tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world as revelers await Phil's appearance as most fans wait to see their favorite rock stars.

Over the course of Phil's appearances, Phil has had numerous noteworthy highlights:

During Prohibition Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn't allowed a drink.

In 1981 Phil wore a yellow ribbon in honor of the American hostages in Iran.

Phil traveled to Washington DC in 1986 to meet with President Reagan. He was joined by Groundhog Club President Jim Means, Al Anthony and Bill Null.

In 1993, Columbia Pictures released the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.

Phil appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 1995.

In the years following the release of the movie, record crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney!

In 2001, Phil's prediction was shown live on the JumboTron at Times Square in New York City.

And Phil's prediction this year? Six more weeks of winter, I hope that Mother Nature is kind during those weeks.

Enjoy ~SJ

Views And Thoughts From Cat World

While I have been up to my ears in research articles and objective writing (including high Bloom's Taxonomy words of course), the cats have been having quite the day. Here are the views and thoughts of their day....

Phoebe watching the blue jays, "If I could only get outside...."

Sitting on the back of Feeder #1's office chair, "Hold on tight with the claws, you never know when she is going to move!"

Phoebe visiting my desk, "Since sitting on the back of the chair didn't get her attention, try sitting next to the laptop on top of important papers. Might as well wash my side, I think it got dirty jumping up here."

"When all else fails, take a nap"

"And when that gets old change positions, and take another nap."

Enjoy ~SJ