Inkdeath

Title: Inkdeath
Author: Cornelia Funke
Rating: 4 outta 5 stars
Review: I really enjoyed this series, it's very original.

In this book, the Bluejay has to decide to stay and fight the way the Inkworld is turning, or to return to the safety of his "home" with his wife and child.

SPOILER: Dustfinger does return, and I'm so glad he did.

I really like Meggie's relationship with...oh, I forgot his name. Her crush on Farid really seemed a little dramatic to me.

I definitely recommend reading all three of these books, it's a series that doesn't disappoint.

Eugene Onegin

Title: Eugene Onegin
Author: Alexander Pushkin
Rating: 4 outta 5 stars
Review: Considering this was a "I had to read it" book, I really liked it. Sadly, what did I like about it most? It rhymed - which is always fun, and the story was intriguing.

Onegin is your typical spoiled, shallow guy. He's bored with life and finds it hard to get interested in anything or anyone. Tatyana is a romantic. She's intelligent, well-read, and doesn't easily fall for the drama that those around her incessantly whisper/giggle about. When Tatyana sees Onegin, it's love at first sight. She writes him a letter sharing her feelings and is....rejected!

To find out what happens later with Onegin and Tatyana, read for yourself!

"What's all this about a bomb threat?!"

Yes, that's right. The middle school of my school district received a bomb threat Friday. Actually, they received the call Thursday night. That's right. The extremely intelligent prankster left a bomb threat VOICE-MAIL! Seriously. Really?

So, here's how school went on Friday.

1. It was a bea-utiful day. About 68 degrees. Beautiful. What's that mean? Crazy kids!
2. Courtwarming, which means we were running a different schedule, shortened classes with a lot of student anticipation/excitement for the pep rally.
3. Oh, did I mention a bomb threat? This meant the entire middle school students/staff had to come up to the high school.

The middle schoolers took the threat wonderfully. They were very well behaved, no one freaked out. It was nice.

The high schoolers? Drama! First of all, the administration didn't really tell any of the teachers what was going on - so we didn't know what to tell the kids when they yelled out stuff like, "What's with this bomb threat?!" in the middle of class. I mean, really. That was my biggest complaint. You have to let your teachers know what's going on so they can handle the madness and calm fears. Oh, and not appear like they're bumbling idiots or just lying to cover things up.

All in all, it was a crazy day. But...considering what went on, it turned out rather well.

Currently Reading: Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling (LOVE these books!)
A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lemontov

25 random things...

For lack of anything else...

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 5 people to tag. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I should be grading (but you probably know that).

2. I've learned recently that I actually like running.

3. Cereal is one of my favorite foods.

4. I love singing.

5. The Office wouldn't be the same without Dwight.

6. I have some of the best co-workers.

7. I'm hoping to be a homeowner within the next six months...

8. And a dog owner :)

9. So far, I'm kicking my new year's resolution's butt (not biting my fingernails).

10. My family (all of them) are the best. They're always there, they're goof-balls, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

11. If I watch Mizzou play sports, they almost always win. Or at least that's my argument to get out of watching them play.

12. The Shawshank Redemption is a must see. My favorite.

13. I really do wish Hogwarts were real. Seriously. How cool?

14. I almost always have a hard time saying "No," when people ask me to do something.

15. I used to have a teenage obsession over the Backstreet Boys.

16. If I could find a job where I could get paid to read, I would be in heaven.

17. I only have 5-10 (can't decide) more to go, and I'm so psyched about that.

18. I enjoy the outcome (but sometimes hate the process) when it comes to crafts.

19. If I could live without shoes during the summer, I would.

20. I'd like to live somewhere warmer. If only for a few years.

21. I love my freckles. I hope they stay.

22. I wish I could speak multiple languages. I'd love to teach my kids (or have someone else teach them).

23. I have a very strong sense of self-discipline. If I want to do something, I will do it. But, I have to want it.

24. I have no idea what I would be if I weren't a teacher. I can't imagine.

25. I wish I were better at keeping in touch with old friends.

So, I'm tagging Ashlee, Can I Just Say..., Laura, and Lisa Marie.

Help the....

Central Missouri Humane Society.

I'm a volunteer for the Central Missouri Humane Society, and if anyone needs to win a shelter makeover, it's them. They've recently had to squeeze their hours because of budget restrictions, the shelter was partially flooded for a few days this fall, it's just sad. These poor animals (this is where I got my amazing buddy Simon) have to live in these conditions because they can't afford any better.

So, if you feel like helping out and happen to have an animal visit www.zootoo.com and sign up (please select CMHS as your shelter) and help us reach the top 20! I'd appreciate it. Then I can see what animals you have, too! :)

excited about taxes?

Oh yes, yes I am. Why on earth would you be excited about taxes? Refunds of course! Seriously, sweet.

In other news? My snowday was not very productive on the "school" front. You want to know what I did? Exciting stuff. I took tons of stuff to the Goodwill a couple towns away. Woohoo.

How much did you grade? Like 15 essays. That's it. Seriously, ridiculous.

Oh, and by the way...it took me about 25 minutes to do my taxes (filing and everything) online. Sweet.

So, here's a question:

Why do I weigh about 2 pounds (sometimes 3) less in the morning than I do at night? Haha, once I reach my WW goal, I'm totally gonna stick with my "morning" weight if anyone asks. Seriously. On that note, I'm only 5 pounds away from my WW goal. A-mazing. I'm still thinking I'm gonna make my personal goal about 5 pounds less than that, because I know it's possible, and I also think I'd look pretty darn good there. We'll see how I feel when I reach goal. Let me tell you, I cannot wait for my "I reached goal" present - a massage. I've never had one and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Sorry for the rambling, random post. I can't seem to stick to one topic tonight.

Currently Reading: Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke & Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

What was your most embarrassing moment?

I've been pretty fortunate in my life. First of all, my family's crazy. So I got used to being embarrassed at a young age. Heck, my kids (students) look at me sometimes like Who is this woman? Haha, it makes life interesting.

However.

Earlier this week there was an incident at school involving one of my honors students. She got two days of O.S.S. I was a little surprised, I mean, it's not often an honors student gets in that kind of trouble. Needless to say, I heard through the grapevine what happened. I. Was. Appalled. Here's the lowdown.

Setting: Spanish 2 (all grade levels)
Background: Student A - freshman girl, Student B - sophomore honor's girl
Incident: Student A was writing something on the board for the teacher when Student B came up and pulled her (Student A's) pants down. Yes, you read that right. She de-pants her. Now, not only did she depants her, but she got the underwear. In front of the ENTIRE class.

You may wonder, "What did the teacher do?"

She laughed.

Yes, I'm serious.

UGH! Seriously. When I heard about this I didn't even know what to say. Now, I'm a pretty modest person, so I can only imagine how mortified I would have been. Poor girl! Especially when your teacher laughs.

Why do I bring up this story? Well, later in the week when Student B got back from O.S.S. she was joking and laughing about it in class. What is it with kids these days? I know, I'm only 24, but it seems like this kind of thing happens a lot more now.

In other news? I started my Russian lit (AHH!) class Wednesday. It's been like a year and a half since I've taken class, but I'm kind of excited. Of course, we have to read an entire book by Wednesday (which I haven't started), but I'm hoping it'll be good. I'll let ya know!

Currently Reading: Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke