Thursday, May 27, 2010

SooooooCAL.

Christine. Matt. Chelsea. Jessica. Me.

In my head, there was something Power Rangers about that introduction. Moving on.

We're leaving for SoCal to visit Nick(ZackCaitlinKyleAnna) and Spencer(Kevins). We will partake of Disneyland, LA traffic, San Diego beaches, really good food places, and who KNOWS what else.

Doesn't that sound utterly ridiculously awesome crazy fun?

Rhetorical question. Because Yes. It. Does.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

snacks made easy

SO. I was hungry and it was like 11 pm. No snack opportunities in the cabinet... no snack opportunities in the fridge...

I'm not going to go out and get ingredients for anything... I'm not going to go out and get fast food or anything... it's late...

So I think, "What can I whip up real fast with what I already have?"

It comes to me. Peanut butter balls. I look it up on foodgawker.com and all of the recipes have them covered in chocolate -- all the more reason to make them. All I need? Shoot, peanut butter and margarin. Next to cheese, those are the only ingredients I KNOW we have.
By some sick twist of fate, however, we're out of margarin. OUT. I can't use that salted butter crap in my peanut butter balls!

So now I'm set on the idea and I go into "mission mode." I grab a brother, a money, a key; I leave a note on the front door. SAFEWAY! We're disoriented. We find everything but butter. Yogurt -- toilet paper -- Lunchables -- where's the butter?? .... Um, it's next to the cheese products. Hellew.

We return. Ben goes to sleep like a good school boy. I switch on a hulu episode of Friends while I mix up the three ingredients it takes to make these suckers. It only takes me an hour to mix, sift, roll, chill, melt, dip, and fridge-isize them. Fridgisizing is the late night version of refrigerating stuff.

I had some chocolate left over in the pan, so I poured it over some Crispix and ate that instead of a peanut butter ball.

Monday, May 24, 2010

knowledge dumping can be smart

the process

the result

Definition:

"Dim Sum" is beef wrapped in sticky rice steamed in a tea-soaked leaf.

"Nerts" is a game of communal solitaire where slow players might end up with negative points. It is also a game where Bethanys always end up with negative points. Depending on the size and the temperament of your Bethany, she might become agitated or desperate to improve; be cautionary in interaction.

"Spicey Uno" is a singular game. Zeros mean switch cards, 6's mean hit the table, and doubles mean PUTDOWNTHATCARDRIGHTNOW! It is a good times game that rewards winners with the honor of signing their winning card.

"Apple Quesadillas" are tortillas fried with cheese and apples in between. Synonyms: delicious, yummy, yes.

"Tidney is a nii girrl" means "Sydney is a nice girl."

"OHHHHHMAGAASHH" is a noise that girls make when a baby elephant dies on Planet Earth.

"Manteca" is a city in California where Hueys drive to get the BEST strawberries in the world so that Bethanys and Sydneys can eat them all.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

an oddly timed nap

I must've fallen asleep between 8 and 9 pm... then I woke up at 10 to call Nick and discuss his script with him. But after we talked, I didn't want to just go back to sleep!

So I went downstairs and watched some SNL. I've now notebooked 4 FNL skit ideas.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

friends

My friends are all kinds of creative. You'd be awestruck.

-Amanda is planning her final projects for fashion school. She's going to design the clothes you'll wear in a couple years.
-Christine just got professional lighting equipment for photo shoots. She's going to silently take the world by storm by freelance working in every art media imaginable.
-Nick and Zack are writing huge screenplays in film school. You will watch films that they made everything for.
-Jessica is running out of places to hang her paintings. She will own Disneyland one day.
-Spencer is blogging all of his mouth-watering recipes. You're going to own his cook book.
-Erin is off interning someplace in Southern California; all part of her plan to turn the world into one big Broadway play. You'll see her places. You'll hear her places.
-Cory and Sam don't know each other, but you'll know them. You're going to hear their music one day in soundtracks and albums.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

to a theatre near you

[coming soon]

Trusting in Jesus. Takin' in that Looove.

Tutoring Alex.

Minimizing my material possessions.

Creating a mushroom lamp.

Reading Sherlock Holmes.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

homemade

I had long ago discovered the joys of homemade hot cocoa. But today I made a couple of changes to my original recipe of cocoa powder, milk, sugar, and vanilla. I added a little bit of coffee and a pinch of salt to my mix and let it sit and sieve in my french press. After I poured my mixture into my mug, I put some warm milk in my french press, pumped it into a foam, and poured that one top. For a finishing touch, I shook on a little cinnamon.
After that, Kayla and I skyped. She's growing a husband and a pterodactyl in a thing of water.

Also, I'd like to make this

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Oh, summer.

Have you ever woken up to find yourself in the most comfy blanket cocoon? That was this morning. That kind of phenomenon (do-dooo-dododo) must take hours of subconscious twisting and fluffing.

In the spirit of not-turning-on-the-TV-even-though-I-don't-have-anything-specific-to-do, I ate brunch, wrote down my dream (a practice I had last summer), read my Bible, listened to an Exit sermon while playing Tetris... then contemplated going outside long and hard. I think I still might. I love the everywhere's-a-park aspect of IWU, so I've had these urges to just walk the 15 or 20 minutes to the park.

Dad fried tilapia for dinner, so I made myself a little mango salsa out of mango (shocker), onion, lime juice, apricot jam, salt (kosher, just for Alton), and pepper.

I wandered around on a Christian Volunteer Directory that I found. I want to actively pursue servanthood, but I don't quite have a plug for that quite yet. I'm tutoring an elementary student currently -- his parents are contemplating putting him in a program where the classes move slower because he's behind, but I'm thinking about volunteering myself to work with him all summer so he'll be ready for 6th grade.

Tonight will be a clean room, eat cookies, drink hot cocoa, read Sherlock Holmes, and maybe paint a little something kind of a night.

OH.MY.GOODNESS. Tonight was my last time giving Glee a chance because I didn't have any more patience for it. And then Arty got up out of his chair and sung the Safety Dance and I died of high school nostalgia.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Disclaimer

Sometime in December of 2009, several individuals in my unit began to convince another individual that "if your poop smells, there is something wrong with you." This is the video compilation of the debate and research that ensued on that night. I was an innocent bystander during this process. Viewer discretion advised.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

And so it begins

You know that line in Lord of the Rings? About being careful about your footing because... fine. I'll look it up. There she is: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." My new prayer this summer is to be swept off into God's plan. I have very, very few plans -- but I have two feet! So off I go!

I have four things for you.
1. I glazed a mug and put a rabbit inside. He doesn't have a name and he's lost his pocket watch.

2. I have started writing again. Nothing too exciting, but I haven't stirred those juices in a while so... think of this as the preverbal cracking of the knuckles before something fun comes out of my fingertips.

At the moment I'm writing about a Panic who is stuck in a female's subconscious. He's not happy because everything in a female's subconscious flows into itself, so if he accidentally touches anything, he sends his electrical current through the whole shabang. He's luckily found a disconnected pod labeled "Mark" that he's hiding in until he is released. The Relief that would have let him out by now is visiting a higher power because the female in question apparently doesn't exist.

3. I've started playing tennis again! :)

4. I figured I always have a lot to say, so I would need at least four points. ... alas. OH! POINT FOUR! I'm going to read Sherlock Holmes to Kayla for her bedtime story. I'm excited :)

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Odd Cravings

Spencer and I were trying to find the cheapest butter. I wanted butter for my bagel... I don't know why he wanted butter. We talked about prices and then Spencer disappeared. I picked up a thimble-sized butter container: perfect. It was 15 cents. Suddenly butter spurted out of the top and got on my finger. I licked it as I looked at the label. It was cat food?

I was obviously in the wrong aisle. I turned around and looked at this apple butter. As I picked it up, the tin cover crinkled and appley sauce oozed onto my hand. I licked it off and looked at the apple butter sign. There was a picture of a cat on it.

I was obviously in the wrong aisle. I gave up -- it would've been such a great idea to have a bagel with apple butter... but everything here was for cats. Spencer ran out of the store into the Toaster and I followed. Nick, Kevin, Chelsea, Christine, and Zack had bags of snacks. I wonder what aisle they were on?

What a weird dream.

Friday, May 14, 2010

woohoo!

I'm done observing! I'm done participating! Very beneficial experience -- but, um, now it's very* SUMMERRR!

In the words of William Wallace, as played by Mel Gibson, "FREEEDOMMM!!!"





*After I write my reflective journals and my five page reflective summary

teaching fail.

It hadn't happened yet... so I must've let my guard down. I don't think anyone in my class spent longer than 10 minutes on their homework. Hence, the entirety of the class period (going over the homework) was disappointing. Disgruntled, I came home and collapsed into bed for five hours.

The night's agenda! Bagel! O&P Reflective Journal! Maybe The Office! Somehow falling asleep!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Those who can't do --

should not legally be allowed within 2000 feet of a classroom. Just like sex offenders.

I taught a high school upper level creative writing class today. It was a good learning experience.

Monday, May 10, 2010

voldemort and a loris

Here is a picture.

Here is a story.

dream jobs

The concept of being a detective has mesmerized me ever since I was yay-high. Not a real look-at-bloody-pictures-all-day detective, an old school book-derived detective. An enthusiast of mystery like Basil of Baker Street, an eye for the elementary like the great Sherlock Holmes... a humorous quick thinker like... Robert Downey Jr? Well, 2 out of 3.

It started when I listened to Jungle Jam... and then Adventures in Odyssey. It continued into teen-hood. It still exists now. Voice acting. There are so many nuances to the voice that people don't consciously notice. So many elements play into a voice -- so many characteristics, habits... I have a tendency to listen to people's voices. To imitate someone's voice is to notice the subtle part of their being that makes them heard. To voice act is to project a character using only sound. It is an art.

I wrote my first full book when I was 7 or 8 years old. It's still on my bookshelf. It's about horses, naturally. When I was 14, I typed up 30 pages of my first real shot at a novel. Life happened and motivation waned, unfortunately. I watched What's-His-Name publish Eldest at age 19, ripping apart my half-dream to be the youngest successfully published author in America. [Mini-rant: I really disliked Brisingr, though. Which was comforting. Somebody get that guy an editor. Are you being paid by the word? Shooot. I stopped in the middle.] Even though age 19 has slipped by, I still think about writing something...

Friday, May 7, 2010

snackage

First, let me set my scene. The warm, foldy curtain is apathetically attempting to shade my room, but light pushes past onto my corner of the bed. So here I'll bathe, a little cat-like. There are paper rings hanging from the ceiling like stalag-somethings, adding reds and purples and blues and whites to the blue/brown room. There is a giant painting of a cartoon owl staring at me with uneven, always-surprised owl eyes.

Snack time. It's a platter, so pick and choose as you may.
  • Read this poem about reading poetry: Click Me.
  • I always mix up The Black Eyed Peas and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not that there's a lot of occasion... to do so...
  • I've discovered an odd fondness for the song Don't Rain on My Parade when it guest-starred on an episode of Glee. I'm not a huge fan of Glee, but What's-Her-Face's performance was cra-zazy.
  • Demetri Martin is a literal genius. Not like, "ohemgee, he's the shiz, what a funny funny guyyyy" but like, "If he put his mind to it, he could take over the world." I'd like him to become a Christian, please.
  • Strawberries are really, really delicious. Eating a strawberry is a delightful experience.
  • I'm sitting in on a high school ESL class right now... and I'm back in California... so... can I just say this? Can I just say this without sounding bizarre? I really, really love asians. I just love them.
  • There is a girl in one of my classes that people find annoying. She's a blurter. Do you know what I mean by that? She blurts. Most people don't like a blurter. Someone asked me if I liked this girl, and I didn't answer, but she said "You do. You like her. How can you like her?" And you know what I was thinking? Yeah, I like her. But more than that, I love her. I had an opportunity to explain the whole God's love thing, but I didn't. These were Christian school kids. And I had a feeling that it wouldn't have settled. Or would it have?
  • See picture below.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

o and p

My day started twice today. So yesterday evening I was tired, right? Yeah. People get tired. So I'm thinkin': nap. I announce to the general living room, "I'm taking a nap. Don't let me sleep too long" and I stumble into my bed. I dream and snuggle my nose into my pillow untiiillll- BAM. It's dark. ... it's dark and it's... quiet. Oh no. It's dark and quiet. That means one of three things in my house: The rapture happened... at night. My family was murdered... at night. Or it was the middle of... the night. I groaned, rolled out of bed, brail-walked my way downstairs... flipped the light on... 4 am. I went back to sleep, didn't wake up to my silenced alarm, and that was how my day started twice.

Now that I have more to do in my classes, I feel a lot less tired. I think I was making such an effort to stay intellectually engaged with the teacher, the classroom, the strategies... that I plum tuckered myself out. I've definitely learned from observing different age groups, ability levels, subjects within English, and even different teachers. It's been beneficial.

Least favorite part: wearing professional clothing.
Favorite part: understanding why a teacher is doing what they are doing and seeing a group of students react positively.

I am attempting to go above and beyond the credit requirements. I have been grading papers, using prep periods to postulate and reflect, leading reading activities, taking notes on teacher/student interactions and the flow of the classes... I will be teaching for two days next week in creative writing and today I attended the faculty meeting. There is one thing that I have failed to do properly: my O&P journals. Day 1 and 2 it was late, day 3 I forgot! And now the next one is due in 15 minutes. Ah!

Monday, May 3, 2010

redwood christian high school 2: my own sequel

My May term class is called Observation and Participation. It's 2 credits and it requires 60 hours (6 hours, 10 days). I am serving my time observing and participating at Redwood Christian Middle School and High School. It was odd being back as something more than a visitor but different than a student or teacher. I am, however, being treated like a teacher.

Here is my schedule:
1st period- prep
2nd period- reading with Mrs. Savage
3rd period- ESL with McDaniel
4th period- 10th honors english with McDaniel
5th period- 10th english with McDaniel
6th period- lunch
7th period- 7th grade English with Blevins
8th period- creative writing with Russell

... that's all I have the energy to say. I'm absolutely exhausted.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Ecclesiastes 11:6

"Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well."
This is my verse of the summer.

"Broaden cooking skills, read a variety of books, get a job, exercise regularly, and begin a bible study."
These are my goals of the summer.

"Write something, sculpt something, play tennis, play catch."
This is how I will avoid wasting time.

"San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Monterey, Carmel, San Ramon, Hayward, San Lorenzo, San Leandro"
These are the places I will visit.

So, friends, there you have it.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Know what's great?

The time change. Waking up at 8 in the morning in California feels like waking up at 11 am. I'm such an impressively early-riser right now. Not much of an audience, or anything, but still.

The Fairy Tale of My First Few Days Back After Four Months Away
Once upon today, Goldie Bethany woke up and ate a blueberry bagel. It was just right. Unfortunately, she forgot that she had just arrived home, and so the hype would feed her for several days. Not 10 minutes later, her father popped happily in the door with a bag of donuts. And so she partook of second breakfast and beamed thankfully.

Later that day, Bethany began a book that her brother had given her. He insisted it was excellent, and so she read in the sun of her window. In popped father again, this time with crackers, cheese, and a pickle on a plate. A little snack, he announced, would be a good move before dinner in a couple hours. She agreed with a smile and munched while she read.

Half an hour later, mother stepped into the room and climbed onto the bed. In mother's hands were an apple, a knife, and two plates. Her mother sliced the apple and between crunches, they spoke. When the apple was gone, Bethany took a short nap.

She awoke to her mother announcing dinner and a movie, and so she slipped out of bed and into the kitchen. Food was put on a plate, eaten, re-filled, and eaten again. Mid-movie, chocolate cake was passed around.

And so ended Bethany's first day home and the inevitable reception of her family's love language: food.