Fairfield Middle School Rabid Readers Book Club

Our Fairfield Middle School Rabid Readers Book Club met today after school to discuss the book The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck.  This meeting was the perfect illustration of why I love middle school kids.  The Tiger's Curse was highly recommended to me last year by several students.  So highly that I put it on our book club reading list without reading it myself (also evidence how much I trust these particular kids).

Every kid at the meeting tonight loved the action parts.  But, this book was a romance. There was no sugar-coating it... definitely a romance.  But I couldn't believe how many of the kids, especially the boys stuck it out.  We had 32 kids at our discussion tonight, and we broke them into groups: liked the book, didn't like the book, and indifferent.  There were a few kids in the indifferent group, but the majority of the group was split pretty evenly between the "liked" and "didn't like" groups.  We ended our meeting with a heated discussion about why it was a good book or not.  They gave examples from the text with their opinions, and it was FUN!

My personal opinion was that I liked the book (the action reminded me a lot of Indiana Jones adventures), but I could have done without the teen angst romance.  It made it a little like Twilight with tigers to me.  But I digress...

My favorite part of tonight's meeting was the food.  The main character in the book went to India for the first time and tried many new foods.  I wanted the kids in book club to try some flavors of India as well.  I worked out a small menu of chicken tikka masala and chicken saag with some pappadums and some naan.  I also cut up 6 mangoes at lunch for them to try as well.  For the less adventurous, we had animal crackers (tigers?), and we had lemonade.  I wanted to make a lemon drink in the book called jal jeera, but lemonade is the closest we got there.

I was so proud of the kids.  Almost every single one of them wanted to at least try the Indian food.  And most of them actually liked it!  Honestly, saag is one of the grossest looking things I've ever seen, but it's also one of my favorites.  I don't think I would have put it in my mouth when I was 12.  I screwed up a little by not having a vegetarian dish for a couple of my kids (I felt so bad), but I let them have the rice that I wasn't really serving anyone else.

It was a great afternoon of discussion and trying new things.  I love it when that happens.  We laughed and talked about books.  32 kids getting involved in school and having fun doing it.  Sigh.  :)

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Ono: "Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably."

This quote comes from a wonderful documentary I saw called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Check out the trailer here: 

The quote above from Jiro really hit me. I'm torn between believing it and feeling like I need to be the squeaky wheel. I'm concerned in so many ways about where American public education is going. Maybe there's a way to stand up for what's right without just complaining. That sounds honorable, right?

Well, enough about me. See this movie. Added bonus if you love sushi.

They Make Me Want to Go Postal

Our school building got air-conditioning this summer.  It's fantastic.  We're still trying to put things back together and get rewired for our technology, but the changes are fantastic.  Except for one thing.  I HATE the motion sensor-controlled lights.  I HATE THEM.  Yes, there are times in the day when I sit at my desk working on things for 14 minutes at a time.  14 minutes is the magic number.  I'll be planning or grading or researching, and the lights go off.  I have to stand up and do this crazy flailing dance, trying to get them back on, and my concentration is blown.  I can't stand those things.  They really make me want to hurt someone.

But I won't give up my air-conditioning for anything.  Maybe I'll just get a headlamp and work in the dark.

Arghhhh!  They just went off again.  Not kidding.  >:O

Anne LaMott

I just started another Anne LaMott book.  I just cannot describe how much I love this woman.  When I read her books, I feel like being imperfect me is perfectly OK.  I feel normal.  She's just so real.  I know I've talked about her before, but I can't help it.  She's my therapy!  Her faith and her attitude about life  and her humor just make me feel like doing the Nestea Plunge of relief.  I'm OK.  I'm a mess, but I'm OK.

Why? Well, I Don't Really Know...

My dear friend Jeff asked recently if I was ever going to post again. Why haven't I been posting in the past few months?  Meh.  I guess I don't have a good reason.

I've had the blues is probably the biggest reason.  Most of my friends know I filter here.  I'm honest, but I don't let the bad and the ugly show.  I keep a private journal for that.  I'm a teacher, and that's a very public job.  I don't write anything here that I'd be embarrassed to have students or parents quote back to me later.

But, I need to write more.  I know it.

I've just been overwhelmed with a lot of crap lately, and lately, when I send the bucket down the well to pull up some material for writing, I usually just end up bawling.  I'm bawling right now, as a matter of fact.  I'm just trying to find the happy again, and my blog isn't always the place to do that.

But, who knows?  Maybe a little discipline about writing more can help.

I haven't had a blessings blog in awhile.  It always makes me feel better to count my blessings.  Maybe I'll start there.

Today, I'm thankful for:

* making the decision to go back to church.  I don't wear my religion on my sleeve, and I have a lot of philosophical issues with organized religion, but the truth of the matter is, I feel better when I go to church.  It makes me feel not so alone in the world and that there is something bigger than me.  It helps me focus on something bigger in the universe than my little measly problems.  I didn't leave my church last spring on the best of terms, and I was quite disillusioned with church in general.  But I bit the bullet and started going to choir practice at my Mom's & Grandma's church, the First United Methodist Church in Fairfield.  It's always been like my second church, and I know a lot of people there.  The choir welcomed me with open arms, and I sang with them this Sunday.  Tears were on the surface the whole time (it's sort of like a regular state of being for me these days), but it felt good.  Really good.

* books.  My book club met for the first time last Friday, and today I finalized our booklist for this year, based on the suggestions from Friday's meeting.  The list is at the bottom of this blog, if you're interested.  We talk about books a little and life a lot, and we have a lot of fun.  We're small but mighty, and through our love of the written word, we try to solve the problems of the world.  And we laugh drink a beverage and surround ourselves in the used books of Revelations while we do it.  It makes me happy.

* fall.  I can smell it coming, kids.  Today, it's raining that chilly fall kind of rain, and tonight, it's supposed to be down maybe in the 30's.  I love fall so freaking much.  It's almost here.

OK.  Have to admit.  I feel better after writing.  I'll have to do it more often.  Thanks for the kick in the pants, Jeff.  Love you.

Loving Life

This is actually a post from Friday, June 29, that wouldn't load from my iPhone when we were on vacation.

Highlights of the day:

Eating dim sum in Chinatown

Hugging a redwood

Going over the Golden Gate Bridge in a Mustang convertible with the top down

Getting Away

It's been too long since my last post, but life has been crazy. Today is the first day I feel relaxed in months, and here's the reason why. Look at that view!