End Of The Year Wrap-Up

When you say "another year gone by" most people are saying this in January, but teachers (like their students) count years from September to June.  Those months between June and September are special months filled with the excitement of not being bound to an alarm clock, filled with late lunches, and leisurely mornings.  It's getting to be the end of another year, some schools are already out, and some of us are down to the wire counting the days left.

This past school year was a successful one!  My students were funny and entertaining, they worked hard when they needed to, and knew when to have fun.  We learned how to solve Rubik's cubes, some with more success then others.  We can all solve basic algebra equations.  And we all got to enjoy a few days in Quebec.

There are all sorts of ways to know when the end of the school years is coming.  Sometimes your students even go out of their way and get you a gift, and this year I have to say I think I got the best gift ever.  Check it out!

Enjoy ~SJ

Google and Pac-Man

So apparently Pac-Man turns 30 today (didn't know that we shared the same birth year....). I can't do as big of a tribute to this amazing game as Google did though! Not only can you saarch for site through Google today, but you can also play Pac-Man!
Enjoy ~SJ

Time Crunch

I feel like this......Do you?

Enjoy ~SJ

What have I been up to?

Well my dedicated blog reader(s) (I know there are a few of you still out there, at least The Mother still reads.... right? Leave a comment if you came by, please!), I have been busy. When I rattle the question "busy doing what" around in my head nothing crazy like shark tank diving (must put on to do list). It has been a just kind of normal busy. MacPro and I (ok, mostly MacPro) has been working in the yard. There are big doings around the Shamrock - new retaining wall in the front, grass being planted, porch being built, more grass, and a firebrick pizza oven (I know, you just gasped, I heard it).

School has been crazy. I am organizing fantasy baseball for all of my math students and the staff. I know, crazy since I a) don't know a lot about baseball and 2) have never even played fantasy baseball. If that weren't enough I'm also planning an RSU-wide math fact bee, it's just like a spelling bee only with math facts.

The last thing that has been occupying my time is my course work. Besides The Never Ending Paper (it needs all capitals, it is that epic), I am also taking a course on the evolution of educational technology, and getting ready to go to my second residency. A residency is some quality face-to-face time with professors, other students, and faculty members that makes up for all of the online learning. The one I went to last year and Dallas was wonderful, so I look forward to my four days in Nashua, NH.

Enjoy ~SJ

And the Panda Gets An F

I just read this article on NPR about a new book. The premise of the book (The Animal Review) is that two friends (Jacob and Steve) started a blog a few years ago handing out grades to animals. The rank the animals on a variety of skills, talents, and adaptions that they have.

Here is what The Animal Review guys had to say about the Panda (please keep in mind that the Panda might be one of my favorite animals because, well they are so darn cute!)

Panda: F

"Pandas have absolutely no interest in reproducing. They rarely mate," Lentz says. That goes against the raison d'etre of a species. "We spend all this money flying these animals around the world, trying to convince them to mate, and we could spend it on a lot of other stuff."

"Second of all, they eat bamboo. They're not supposed to eat bamboo. Their bodies are not adapted to digest cellulose, but they hang in there with the bamboo. But the result of that is that they have to eat a ton of bamboo," he says. "They don't have a lot of energy to do things like — to mate."

"That could be Nature kind of hinting around the fact that they should collectively shuffle off this mortal coil."

As some of you may know I traveled to China (the country not the town in Maine) a few summers ago. Seeing pandas, and the Great Wall might have been the high points of the trip for me. Since I had never seen a panda before my travels to China I was very anxious to see a real live panda in the fur. So as soon as we got to the zoo I found my way to the panda pagoda and here is my first view of a panda......

I do believe my words were "I traveled over 12,000 miles to see a panda behind!" Don't worry, about this first one was laying so that we could get a wonderful view of its behind, as we moved through the pagoda they animals got more exciting to watch. There were several eating, and one even interacting with the zookeeper. I think that The Animal Review guys might need to go and visit a panda in person before they rank the animals. The panda at least deserves a D- since it lays around at zoos showing off its behind!

Enjoy ~SJ

March 6, 2010

After a wonderful adventure "Down South" for sushi (yes, MacPro and I drove over 50 miles one way for some raw fish!), I decided on the way home to get the motorcycle out. The temperature was over 50 for most of the day, and I saw a lot of other bikes on the road. Here is a little video of the first ride......



Enjoy ~SJ

Getting To Know Me

Thanks to Katie and Rach for this one.....

1. What time did you get up this morning?
Around 7-ish, its vacation who looks at the clock when you get up?

2. How do you like your steak?
Nope, it has feet so I'm not eating it

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Harry Potter this summer (sad but true)

4. What is your favorite TV show?
The Office and 30 Rock

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I love where I live now, but more sun and warmer temperatures might be nice.

6. What did you have for breakfast?
Coffee and wheat Chex

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Right now sushi

8. What foods do you dislike?
Mushrooms

9. What is your favorite place to Eat?
I have lots of favorites, The Bistro, Slates, my Mom's house.....

10. Favorite dressing?
Bleu cheese.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
Subaru Impreza WRX

12. What are your favorite clothes?
Jeans and a fleece vest

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Galapagos Islands

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
1/2 full, no other way.

15. Where would you want to retire?
That is a long ways away.

16. Favorite time of day?
That time of the day where you have all your work done and it is time for yourself. I also like sunny mornings.

17. Where were you born?
Farmington, Maine.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
I don't really watch sports.

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?*
20. Who do you think will tag you back first?*
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?*

22. Bird watcher?
Nope, but I do like to go to the aquarium and watch the penguins (I almost had a job in college as a penguin tank cleaner, but went for the after school outreach program instead.)

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning.

24. Do you have any pets?
Two cats Phoebe and Stanley, and a husky Sasha

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I'm on vacation!

26. What did you want to be when you were little?
Dolphin Trainer

27. What is your best childhood memory?
Swimming with a sea turtle for the first time

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Cat.

29. Are you married?
Nope!

30. Always wear your seat belt?
Yes.

31. Been in a car accident?
Not really

32. Any pet peeves?
Not pushing in chairs and straightening around the desks (can you tell I'm a teacher?)

33. Pizza?
Feta, peppers, garlic, and basil

34. Favorite Flower?
Tulips

35. Dessert?
Ice cream please!

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
No I don't like fast food, and it doesn't like me!

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Once

38. From whom did you get your last email?
My advisor giving me feedback on a paper

39. Which store would you choose to max out
your credit card?
I would have to have a credit card first, which I don't.....

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Today is spontaneous adventure day with Mi Prima!

41. Like your job?
I love it.

42. Broccoli?
Yup.

43. What was your favorite vacation?
When I was 9 my family rented a sailboat and we sailed around the Caribbean, that was wonderful!

44. Who was the last person you went to dinner with?
MacPro, on Saturday we went to Dunkin Doughnuts, for sushi, and then to Arby's (I had a potato).

45. What are you listening to right now?
The dish washer, the wind, and the wind chime.

46. What is your favorite color?
Red

47. How many tattoos do you have?
None.

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?*

49. What time did you finish this quiz?*

50. Coffee Drinker?
Yup, drinking some right now!

*Those questions are just not fun, I'm with Katie and not going to answer them!

Enjoy ~SJ

Cooking Challenge 4

This weeks menu did not come from a cookbook, but it came from my head. There is a local restaurant in town that happens to be a favorite of MacPro and I (and a few River-Valley Blogers since I see them from time to time there). We both love one of the dishes on the menu, Gorgonzola Alfredo. Every time I get it I ohh and ahhh over how wonderful it is, and then the cook inside me thinks "how hard can this really be to make", and then I am off trying to perfect it. Tonight was one of those nights, I attempted to make Gorgonzola Alfredo and much admit that it came out amazing. Below is the recipe that I created.

Gorgonzola Alfredo
1 cup gorgonzola cheese
1 1/2 Tb butter
1 1/2 cup milk
3 Tb flour
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

1 bunch of fresh cooked asparagus cut into pieces
1/2 of a finely chopped onion (saute until cooked)
1/3 cup of roasted red peppers

Mix the cheese, butter, and milk in a sauce pan over a low heat making sure that the milk does not scald. Once the ingredients are well combined, thicken the sauce one tablespoon at a time with flour. Mix well and wait between tablespoons, once it has come to a thickness that you are happy with add the salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Once your sauce is thickened and seasoned add the asparagus, onion, and peppers. Let simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. Serve over your pasta of choice.

At the end of dinner I relized that I had forgetten to put in the tempeh, oh well. I also decided that this was a sauce to bring out when you want to impress people with your simple yet advanced sense of cooking. Feel free to claim that you made up the recipe yourself!

Enjoy ~SJ

"Where Everybody Knows Your Name"

There are many downsides to living in a small rural community: no thai food in the wee hours (ok, scratch that, no thai food!), no pizza delivery, limited food choices at the grocery store, few stores to do your shopping at. Ok, the list could go on and on. But there are definitely up sides to living here as well. This whole thought came to me after running into fellow River Valley Blogger, Katie, at Wal-Mart. No matter where you go in the community, there is always someone to stop and say hello to. My grandmother is famous for not being to go anywhere in town without hearing "Hello Mrs. Irish"! How can you put a price tag on that?

Enjoy ~SJ

Three Blind Mice

I got Stanley a new package a those little realistic looking mice toys today while I was in the supermarket. I actually planned the purchase while driving to the store. I was feeling bad for him since these little mice toys are his favorite and his most recent one (and only one in the house) had gone missing. The supermarket had a package of a dozen of them for around $6 ($0.50 per mouse does now seem a little steep, but the pleasure they bring him and the laughs it brings MacPro and I are priceless). Earlier this evening MacPro brought the remains of these toy mice to me in the kitchen. Apparently I had forgotten to put them in the toy cabinet and had left the package sitting in the living room. Stanley, in his attempt to get them out of the cat-proof packaging decapitated at least three of these poor mice. The living room is a mess of little pieces of fake fur, eyes, and chalky insides!

"Three Blind Mice" - Original work by Stanley The Manly

Enjoy ~SJ

Cooking Challenge 3

This weeks menu offered nutty potato cakes, asparagus and tomotoes with a basalmic reduction, and chocolate truffle bars.

Nutty Potato Cakes (The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook)

3 medium potatoes
1 Tb. butter
Milk
1 cup sunflower seeds finely ground
2 Tbs. green onion, finely chopped
Pepper
Wholemeal flour for coating
Oil for frying

Peel the potatoes, and cut into pieces and boil until soft. Drain, and mash with butter and milk until creamy. Add seeds, onions, and pepper. If necessary add a little more milt to make a soft texture that will hold together. Form cakes and coat with flour, fry quickly in as little oil as possible. Drain on paper towels.

I could not find wholemeal flour so I used regular white flour, this made the frying part very difficult.

Balsamic Reduction (eHow)

1. Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan. Use enough so that you allow for it to reduce by half--I like to reduce a whole liter of vinegar and keep it on hand.

2. Heat the pan to high.

3. Whisk briskly, even prior to boiling. Once it starts boiling, keep whisking constantly to prevent burning.

4. The vinegar naturally sweetens when reduced, but if you like a very sweet reduction, sprinkle in a tablespoon of sugar.

5. Reduce by half, or until the vinegar takes on a syrupy quality. Allow to cool.

Chocolate Truffle Bars (The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook)

2 cups graham crackers, broken up
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tbs cocoa powder
2 Tbs corn syrup
1 cup raisins (optional)
8 oz chocolate

Crush the graham crackers finely with a rolling pin and place in a mixing bowl. Put the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and syrup into a pan and melt over a low heat, stirring all the time. Add to the crumbs with the raisins. Mix very thoroughly. Press the mixture into an 8 inch square pan. Break the chocolate bar into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water until melted. Cover the cake with the melted chocolate. Refrigerate until cook, cut in squares and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy ~SJ

Cooking Challenge 2

First off, sorry that there are no pictures of this weeks food. MacPro and I were both hungry and I remembered about the pictures after we ate, I can only take this as a sign that the food was good.

The menu this week consisted to two recipes from the Moosewood Cookbook, Vegetable Stroganoff and Fruited Yogurt Dessert.

Fruited Yogurt Dessert
3 cups plain yogurt
1 cup fresh strawberries cleaned and cut
1/2 a cup of maple syrup (I used less, around 1/4 cup)
1 mashed, ripe banana
Dash of cinnamon

Combine the above ingredients and serve chilled. I served mine on top of pudding, it was a hit! I am thinking that I am going to keep this fruited mix of yogurt on hand for those times when plain yogurt just needs to be spiced up.

Vegetable Straganoff
I. The Sauce
3 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
3 Tbs. dry red wine
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 pound chopped mushrooms
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp dill weed
dash of tamari sauce
paprika
black pepper

Saute onions and mushrooms in butter until onions are soft. Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler and heat gently for about 30 minutes.

II. While the sauce simmers, steam 6 cups chopped fresh vegetables of your choice.
Suggestions: Cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, celery, cabbage, peppers, cherry tomatoes.

III. Cook 4 cups raw egg noodles in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and butter.

Assemble the straganoff on a platter and garnish with fresh minced scallions.


Enjoy ~SJ

Cooking Challenge 1

It was a success! The first Cooking Challenge menu offered Spinach Rice Casserole and Fruit Chocolate Sundae for desert.

Spinach Rice Casserole (Moosewood Cookbook)

4 cups of cooked brown rice (2 cups raw, cooked in 3 cups water) - Start this before the rest of the dish

2 lbs raw, chopped spinach
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
3 Tbs. butter
4 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbs. tamari
1/2 tsp. salt
a few dashes of nutmeg and cayenne
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
paprika

Use a large stock pot to saute in since all ingredients will eventually be mixed together.

Saute onions and garlic with salt in butter. When onions are soft, add spinach. Cook 2 minutes.

Combine with all ingredients except sunflower seeds and paprika. Spread into buttered casserole and sprinkle the top with sunflower seeds and paprika.

Cover and back for 35 minutes in a 350 oven.

Fruit Chocolate Sundae (The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook)

Chocolate Dessert
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsps honey
1/4 tsp instant coffee
1 tbsp coco powder

Blend all of the chocolate dessert ingredients together in a saucepan and cook until thick, stirring continuously. Once think leave to cool.

Vanilla Custard
1 tbsp cornmeal
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp honey

Mix the cornmeal with a little of the milk to make a smooth paste and add the honey and vanilla. Heat the remaining milk until nearly boiling and pour over the cornmeal mixture, stirring until smooth. Return to the pan and re-heat gently until think, stirring constantly. Leave to cool.

Fruit Filling
1 large banana, chopped
2 cups of cut strawberries

Add half of the chocolate dessert to the chopped banana and mix tegether carefully.

Fill sundae gasses with layers of chocolate dessert, banana mixture, strawberries, vanilla custard and finally the plain chocolate dessert.

Garnish and chill before serving.

We concluded that spinach rice casserole if very yummy but would be extra great with diced tomatoes and a little Parmesan cheese on top too. Next time! The chocolate fruit dessert was amazing and makes 4 sundaes, but it is so yummy you will want to make a double batch! Now off to plan and shop for next weeks challenge.

Enjoy ~SJ

Welcome Back/Cooking Challenge 101

According to timeanddate.com it has been a mere 78 days or 2 months and 17 days since my last blog post. Just one year ago I was blogging my fingers to the bone trying to reach my 365 blog posts in 365 days. I would like to say that in my 78 day hiatious that I have traveled around the world, or accomplished major goals, or had any exciting news to report. Unfortunately it was SJ just getting lazy and not being creative to come up with new blog topics.

With the New Year comes New Year's resolutions. This years list is simple: 1) Blog more often and 2) Reduce my overall meat consumption be first not eating "anything that had feet" (that means seafood is in - crab and lobster don't really have "feet", right?). So far the no meat resolution has been going great!

The blogging on the other hand not so well, until last night. Last might MacPro and I watched Julie and Julia, the story and Julia Child and one inspired 30-year-old who challenged herself to cook all 524 of Julia's recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie blogged this entire journey gathering fans as any good blog does along the way. This true story, turned book, turned into a wonderful movie that even MacPro found enjoyable!

I was so inspired by the movie that I decided to put my two New Year's resolutions together into one. No I will not be cooking all 524 of Julia Child's recipes, no I will not be trying a new recipe every day. My challenge is that I will try at least one new recipe a week attempting to broaden my cooking skills and nightly cooking variety.

I am all set to start the challenge this weekend. Recipe books have been consulted, two recipes have been selected, and the shopping list has been made. Tomorrow (I think) I'm off to the store to pick up a few necessary ingredients. Until then, what are your own personal challenges for the New Year?

Enjoy ~SJ

Priceless

$24 train ride to Boston

$2 t-ride to the North End

one dozen cannolis from Mike's Pastry - priceless!

Enjoy ~SJ

Mac vs PC

So blogosphere.... in case you don't keep up with me on Facebook I'm seeing a new guy. There has been weeks of debate over what his blog name will be. I will spare you the list and simply share that he will be known as MacPro. And in honor of MacPro I shall share one of my favorite Mac vs PC commercials since yes I'm a Mac Geek and enjoy watching them on the Apple website.

Sea-Monkeys

I can't believe it.... I have had a colony of sea-monkeys for over two years now and have yet to blog about them. I have blogged about all of my other pets - cats, ants, but never the sea monkeys. Typically they live at school and during the summer with enjoy the window sill near my kitchen sink. They have yet to make the big trip back to school and I have to admit that I have been enjoying them at home. Indexed recently posted an index about sea monkeys that just made me laugh out loud, and I decided to share.

Friday Fill-Ins

And...here we go!

1. I have a history of eating ice cream almost every day.

2. How to knit socks is something I wish I knew.

3. I'm eating (or recently ate) my portion of 18 pounds of pumpkin seeds.

4. I use my GPS when I am on the road, even to places I know how to go.

5. So that's it, that's almost all the time I have this morning devoted to watching students fill in little bubbles on standardized tests.

6. Warm coffee better than nothing!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching the high school field hockey game with my middle school players, tomorrow my plans include getting ready for the Dempsey Challenge and Sunday, I want to not have to walk in the rain!

Seriously Folks!

I have been a long time American Girl Doll fan - since around the age of 6. I had Kirsten and then Molly. This is way back when there were only three American Girls that we made in Europe. Let's flash forward twenty plus years to today. Now the American Girl Doll company has a store on 5th Avenue and is owned by Mattel (the owners of Barbie - GASP just the reason why I started playing with American Girl in the first place - to get away from Barbie!)

Now there are many more than three dolls in the line-up. I emailed American Girl early last year suggesting that they start making an Obama inspired doll - no can do. I just read today that they now have a homeless doll! Yes folks, a doll who is homeless for our pre-teens to play with! And we were worried about the poor body image that Barbie was sending. Let's just go back to the simple days of three dolls that you buy from a beautiful catalog and call it good!

Enjoy ~SJ

Codes

I own and rent government subsidized rental property. At times the hoops that you have to go through in order to meet all of the government codes are crazy! This recent Speed Bump comic reminds me of some of my recent conversations.

Enjoy ~SJ