Ring in the new year with some Schoolwork! 2/365

This is a terribly exciting second picture of my 365 picture blog!  Yes... it is my schoolwork I plan on doing today.  My colleagues and I are planning these four books for our book groups.  I am going to attempt to have the first few assignments written for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key done today... and make sure that I've at least read the other books.

Joey Pigza books are great.  They are written by a guy named Jack Gantos.  Joey is a kid who has ADHD... and kindof a crazy family.  Our reading groups are really focused on character this time around... and Joey is a great character!  I can't wait to dig into this book with my students!

Besides doing this reading prep, I do need to think about writing, math, science, and social studies.  Oh the life of a teacher! Vacation comes and goes  so fast.  Man, it is back to reality now.  The funny thing is that I do get a little excited about planning work for these book groups.  When I get into it, I kinda don't want to stop!  So, off I go planning 5th grade reading!

New Year 1/365

This new year I am going to try to blog a about photographs.  I am inspired by a colleague who did the 365 project.  That is a picture a day.  I am going to attempt this. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up.  But I will try.

The point of this is to reflect on some of the great things that life has to offer.  Some might be simple, hopefully there will be some funny ones too.  I'm excited to see what I'll be able to catch on "film" this year.

Today's picture is of my plant Jesus.  He is my Christmas cactus.  I have had this plant for about 10 years now, and it was a part of a family plant.  It is either from Uncle Wally (who I don't think was actually an uncle... but one of those close family friends of my mom's family) or my great grandmother (I think Helen Doolittle?).  In the 10 years I've had Jesus (pronounced like you would in Spanish), he has NEVER bloomed.  I have been patiently waiting for him to bloom.  And a few weeks ago, he finally got some buds.

Today one of the buds finally blossomed.  It is like a New Year's gift!

I hope that 2011 is a wonderful year for all.

Entering Bat Country

On my way to work the other day I came to a red light, and came across this sign!  Now it says that the BU bridge will be closed.  Someone was playing a joke!

Please note that I was stopped at a red light.  So this was a safe picture!  Too funny.

Thankful

During this time of year it is important for us to reflect on what we are thankful for.  Really, it isn't just this time of year that we should be thankful it is all the time.  But we are reminded over and over this time of year to be conscious of what good fortunes we have, and how lucky we are.  I'm working on a list of 100 things I'm thankful for.  Here goes: (not in any specific order)

Molly Doolittle Perkins is thankful for:

1. My husband Andy.

2. My family.

3. My friends.

4. My job- I love being an educator.

5. More specifically having the opportunity this year to teach 5th grade.  I really love it.

6. Shelter, food, and the basic life necessities that I have the fortune not to have to worry about.

7. Amazing colleagues who teach me something new each day.

8. My sister who was our amazing wedding planner.

9. My niece Sofia who has a passion for Mary Poppins.

10. Star Wars cookie cutters.

11. Down throw blankets to keep you cozy on the couch.

12. recycling programs

13.  pull through parking spots

14. clean water to drink.

15. A roof over my head.

16. Funny stories.

17. Plants- I love my plants… and have a tendency to name them.

18. Christmas trees

19. Communication

20. bicycles

21. rainy days biking through puddles waist high

22. sitting at Shay’s enjoying a beer

23. Back yards.

24. books

25. sunshine

26. snowflakes

27. snowstorms

28. science

29. sun sets

30. clouds- especially when you have the time to imagine about their shapes!

31. sleeping in

32. runner’s highs

33. phone calls with old friends

34. thunder storms

35. rainbows on sunny humid days

36. My bed- so comfy!

37. Really comfy jeans.

38. Great meals together with friends and family

39. Chocolate!

40. The scent of fresh air in a forest

41. Living in a city

42. the amazing technology that is at our fingertips

43. The opportunities I’ve had to travel.

44. My pillow

45. My favorite blanket.

46. Our amazing Earth

47. Having had the opportunity to see earth being formed by lava oozing into the ocean.

48. Having had the opportunity to watch the sun set over the clouds on the top of Mauna Kea.

49. Coffee in the morning

50. Old theatres

51. Dominoes

52. Re-runs of Friends and Seinfeld

53. fire- more specifically campfires

54. Candles

55. A clean house

56. arranging flowers

57. front porches

58. flower boxes

59. The smell of worms after a good rain.

60. Snow days

61. mail- actual physical mail… not junk, but cards and messages

62.  Christmas carols

63. donut runs

64.  lobster

65.  splashing in puddles

66.  low tide

67.  hot chocolate

68.  When trees get coated with a thin layer of ice

69.  When the first crocus pops through the cold ground of winter

70.  Poetry

71.  When kids learn.

72.  Homer and Rufus

73.  Fireplaces

74.  Pizza night

75. adventure

76.  Hinterkins

77.  public transportation

78.  tide pools and all the little critters inside them.

79.  Lydia at the grocery store

80.  really hot showers

81.  the smell of clean laundry

82.  standard shift cars (I don’t know what I’ll do when they all become automatic!!)

83.  Hand me downs

84.  the internets

85.  photography

86.  Harpoon Brewery

87.  Bar-B-Que – At least the Harpoon competition!

88.  Gossip in the sauna

89.  The American Liver Foundation and all they do to help people fight liver disease.

90.  homebrew

91.  Skype- and catching up with people who live far away

92.  The sound of acorns dropping onto the roof at Leete’s Island

93.  The heavy salty feeling you have after spending a whole day in the water at the beach.

94.  Having a slight tan in the summer time.

95.  being barefoot whenever possible.

96.  macs

97.  compost

98.  the opportunity to lean how to do construction at the Cape.

99.  the sound of snow crunching underfoot

100.  I’m thankful I took the time to stop and think about all the wonderful things the world has to offer us.

bakin cookies!

Rars gave us Star Wars cookie cutters for our wedding.  Andy got me some pictures so I could try to decorate them as accurately as I could. I think they turned out pretty well.

the simple things...

This weekend our friend Noreen came to visit with her kids.  They had never been to the city before... it was great to see them look up at the tall buildings in amazement.   It was great to see them wonder how and why the T went underground, and how we had "dirt" over us!

The best part was walking down the street holding Hayden's hand, him skipping along.  I couldn't help noticing all the people passing us in cars grinning at us.  I just grinned right back.

We were on our way to the children's museum, and he couldn't have been happier.  Ah, to look at life from a 5 year old perspective once again.  It made me appreciate some of the simple things in life...

I've been working my tail off at work for the past few months.  A new grade level, and a challenging class. (in a good way).  I've been too stressed, and need to stop and enjoy the simple things in life.  Like walking down the street on a nice fall day with a cute little kid holding my hand, skipping along.  It can't get much better than that.

The Pool

Ugh... okay.  I've been going to water aerobics.  Yes... the class with all the older ladies.  But really, it is pretty hard!  Sheri has been going with me, and we actually have fun.  Plus afterwards we chill out in the sauna and get to gossip.

Anyway, today I got so angry in this water aerobics class.  Our class was about 15 people or so.  We have a HUGE lane saved for the class.  That means that there are 3 lanes left for other swimmers.  Our class is at 7, so it is a popular time for swimming.  We were doing our thing, jumping and kicking (surprisingly hard... it isn't like you just float around in the pool for 45 min!  She has you running and kicking, and jumping, and all kinds of stuff!).  Anyway... we were doing our thing when I see this woman who is in our class start splashing a swimmer in the next lane.  She was yelling at him because when he would swim by he would splash her.

News flash lady... you are in a POOL,  Of course you will get wet!

The teacher invited her to move to a different spot so she wouldn't be bothered by this guy.  But she refused.  Apparently another chick in the class told her to stop splashing the guy and yelling at him.  So when I saw her yelling at him and splashing pretty violently at him, I told her not to yell at him.  I told her that he had every right to swim in his lane (that he was sharing with another person because we were taking up so much space with our class).

She went on to tell me that he should move and not splash her.  Again lady... you are in a POOL!  (And she was backed up against the little lane floaties too... so really, she was probably in HIS space).

At the end of class she waded up to me and said, "See he has calmed down now.  You should never take any abuse."

ABUSE?  WTF???  How could swimming in your own lane be abuse?

I continued to tell the lady that she had no right acting the way she was, and that he was NOT at fault.

All the other ladies in class looked on... (not backing me up) .  But when I saw them in the locker room after, they all told me what a "freakin wack-job" they thought she was!

Well, at least I said something, even if it fell on deaf ears.  I just hate it when people are just so disrespectful for very selfish reasons.  Again... and I hate to be repetetive, but... angry at being splashed... in a pool... really?  There are much more serious things in life to get upset over.

And now I'm letting go... because I have officially vented.