The World According to Sara

Please Email the Government to Help Oregon Schools!

2009-02-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

The economic crisis has ripped an $800 million hole in the current year's budget. Oregon's schools could have to cut $322 million before June 30th.

To protect kids and schools from devastating cuts, we must take action today by writing to government representatives.

The legislature's budget-writing committee will meet this Wednesday* to discuss the impact of the shortfall on education. Let them know we support them as they make tough budget decisions.

Thank you for taking action!
Holly Pruett
Oregon Executive Director

Please consider attending the President's Day rally, and please spread the word by inviting 10 friends to it. http://capwiz.com/stand/taf/

Dear State Representatives,

I am a third grade teacher in Springfield, Oregon. I began this job this September after teaching for three years in Salem. Because I am new to my school district, seniority dictates that if job cuts are to be made, I am to be one of the first on the chopping block despite 4 years of service.

I went to school for five years to do this job. I am in debt tens of thousands of dollars in order to do this job. I work between 45 and 60 hours each week to design and implement effective instruction for my students. I LOVE what I do, and plan to make a life-long career of teaching. If funds are not provided to support Oregon schools, my school will lose a dedicated teacher, I will lose the career I love, and next year's students will not be helped by my efforts.

The huge, and varied implications of funding problems make it abundantly clear that it is a "Rainy Day" in Oregon schools. Please make prudent use of Oregon's reserve funds to prevent devastating cuts to the current school year. Please prevent good teachers like myself from losing the jobs they love, and making the difference they make.

I stand with and behind you as you target funding to programs that produce the best results, make prudent use of reserves, and raise revenue responsibly. However, increasing class sizes and the laying off of dedicated staff is not a consequence a thoughtful government would impose on children. Please make decisions regarding Oregon schools with the future in mind.

Sincerely,
Sara Hos-

Found Strangeness Series, Continued

2009-02-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Found on the north side of Fern Ridge Reservoir, a floating restroom. While this unit is currently docked for the season and parked in the parking lot of a marina, I assume its job is to float in the middle of the lake for bathroom emergencies while motoring around Fern Ridge on a boat. Not only is this a floating restroom, something I had never heard of and is quite amusing, but check out the name of the barge thing this restroom gets to float on.

This makes me wonder: Good idea? Bad idea? Good joke? Bad joke? And, if the name holds any truth, does that mean people might as well just pee in the lake? And if so, what is the point of a floating restroom?

I Always Hated Bambi

2009-01-31T13:28:00.000-08:00

...but this real-life Bambi and Thumper might be cute enough to make me vomit.

click for the article and more pictures

Found Strangeness Series

2009-01-26T20:02:00.001-08:00

Found on the beach in Yachats on January 17:

Famousness

2009-01-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the article in today's Register Guard about my class's inauguration activities. It's a great one.

http://bit.ly/y1Wv

Appreciate it by giving us paper - Schools are in such dire straits right now and people have no idea. Grrr.

Also, please think about attending Stand for Children's President's Day Rally on February 16 at the state capitol building to defend our school from losing FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS next year, leading to cuts in staffing, programs, and materials and increased class sizes.

http://www.stand.org/or

Yes, it really is this bad. Double grrr.

Twitter

2009-01-19T16:43:00.001-08:00

For all of you out there who don't get Twitter...

www.twitter.com/sarascara

Introducing...

2009-01-11T16:56:00.001-08:00

Check out the Many Adventures of Phaedra, the most recent addition to my blog list.

In other news, the River House Blog has been remodeled and is lookin' good. Check it out!

In other, other news, Val got Apples to Apples for Christmas and it is GREAT.

Preemptive Strike - Don't Kill Me, Mama!

2009-01-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

...and because of this, I have decided to make her a STAR!

Check out Mama Cat's Flow:

www.mamacatsflow.blogspot.com.

From time to time, feel free to let her know how much you like me and that you would really be bummed out if she killed me. Thanks, guys.

Nice Taters.

2009-01-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

A little bit of fun from my kitchen to yours.

Shepherd's Pie

2009-01-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my previous blog posting, I figured inventing my own recipe was reason enough for a sweet new blog post, even if the purpose is only to help me remember the recipe later. the story of this one is that I had been looking around for a shepherd's pie recipe that I could get into. I looked through about 5 recipes and chose what I liked. Here it is!

Sara's Shepherd's Pie:

6 Potatoes

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. chicken broth

salt

1 lb ground beef, turkey, or sausage could be good too

seasonings: I like salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. I also used some creole seasoning in the peas and carrots layer

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 large carrot

2 c. frozen peas

1/2 c. cheddar cheese cheese

bread crumbs

parsley

First, prepare the ingredients in each layer.

Potato Layer -

It's basically mashed potatoes. Boil the potatoes 12-15 minutes until soft. Whip with a hand mixer along with 1 c. sour cream. Add chicken broth a little at a time. Add salt to taste, but don't be overly stingy - This is the only salt in the whole thing. Make sure the consistency is more pasty than runny. Set aside.

Peas & Carrots Layer -

Dice the carrots into small pieces and saute for 3-4 minutes. In the meantime, rinse the frozen peas to thaw them, and throw them in with the sautéed carrots for another minute or two. Add seasonings. Set aside.

Onion & Garlic Layer -

Dice the onions and garlic. Cook on medium heat until brown. Set aside.

Beef Layer -

Cook the ground meat fully, adding seasonings of choice. Drain the fat. Set aside.

Top Layer -

Dice the fresh parsley and grate the cheese. Have your bread crumbs handy.

Now get ready for loads of layering fun...

In a deep casserole dish, or a 9x13 pan if you want to grate more cheese for sprinkling on the top, layer the ingredients in this order:

One third of the potatoes, spread evenly and flattened with a rubber spatula
One half of the peas & carrots
One half of the onions & garlic
One half of the ground meat
One third of the potatoes (add the same way as before)
The rest of the peas & carrots
The rest of the onions & garlic
The rest of the ground meat
The rest of the potatoes
All of the shredded cheese
Sprinkle about 1/4 cup bread crumbs over the top
Sprinkle parsley on the top

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes on the bottom rack until the top has browned. In a 9x13, you may have to take it out earlier or cover it. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then serve. It is gloppy and delicious.

Roast in a Pot

2009-01-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Announcing: Sara and Valerie got a sweet new slow-cooker for Christmas! Woo hoo!

Awesomeness Pot Roast:

2 lb cut of bottom round

4 carrots, peeled, cut in thirds

4 celery stalks, cut in thirds

1/2 onion, cut in chunks

4 potatoes, cut in fourths

garlic, cut in slivers

parsley, diced

beef bullion

worchseterschire sauce

Pickapeppa sauce

Sear the meat on all sides on medium high - This is great with our new slow cooker, which can also be used on the stove top! While searing, stab the meat in 8-10 places and stuff the slits with garlic slivers. Flip and do the same on the other side.

Put on a roasting rack in awesome new slow cooker. Surround with vegetables. Mix bullion, worchseterschire, and Pickapeppa in three cups of water. Pour over meat and vegetables and sprinkle the top with parsley.

Cook, covered, on high for one hour, then turn down to medium for another hour and a half, or longer. The longer the better, but don't let your potatoes turn to mush.

Mmmm, pot roast.

On the Catwalk

2008-12-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

First, Liz taught everyone how to model-walk.

"You've gotta have to have happy feet. You've gotta work what you've got."

Next, Val gives it a try.

"You have to be, like, Hottie-bo-...that's enough of that."

My mom gives it a whirl.

"Oh! I'm falling over!"

Steve happens upon the activity and is talked into doing a little turn.

"Steve-O! Steve-O! Steve-O!"

Twelve Days of Christmas

2008-12-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have been celebrating, visiting, chatting, drinking, recovering, eating, cleaning, giving, and receiving for days and days straight. Oh wait...I have!

Day 1:

Holiday party at Missy & Clint's. Stefani & Ajai came up to go with us. When we arrived, it was a relaxed and very mature party of people in warm sweaters sipping wine. By the end of the night, the remaining folks were naked in a hot tub.

Day 2:

Company holiday party at King Estate Winery. Met all of Val's colleagues, ate great food, and the wine kept flowing. Snow blanketed the vinyards, and was falling in huge flakes during the party. Got introduced as "Valerie and her partner Sara" by the boss in front of everyone. Listened to very talented twin performers sing, only to realize they were singing really, really jesusy songs. But they were talented.

Days 3-5:

Winter Solstice for Jesus. Two days and nights of partying, parental style, with Dad, Leslie, Val, and also Matthew from down the street and Susie, another neighbor who happened to knock on the right door.

Day 6:

Monday. The dreaded food shopping. Spent extra Christmas money on stocking up the freezer, overloading on the expensive necessities (cat food, litter, TP) and preparing for Christmas dinner (we were in charge of ham, turkey, green bean casserole, salmon dip, and mashed potatoes...damn). Spent more than $200 and 2 hours in Winco. Not the best day ever, but productive.

Day 7:

Tuesday. Finished shopping. Shopped for hours and bought last remaining presents. Found the dart board I had researched for Val, and it was the LAST ONE there. Thank goodness I didn't procrastinate at home any longer than I did or it would have been gone by the time I got there. Got home, wrap, wrap, wrap, more wrapping. Later with Val went to Kinko's to assemble the project we made anyone. One hour and many staples and copies later, all was finished. Even more later, Jeff & Liz show up at the house, having escaped from Portland's weather. It only took them 6 hours to get here! Baked quiche for dinner.

Day 8:

Wednesday. Just when I thought I was done Shopping, Liz has a a few last minute things to do, so I ventured out once again. Got done on the early side, so drank wine before Christmas Eve at Aunt Alice's. Lasagna dinner followed by Christmas lights drive with Alice, Liz G., Val, and myself, plus SIX cats in her household. Needless to say, allergic Jeff sat this one out. Dinner at Alice's was followed by opening one present at home with Jeff and Liz.

Day 9:

Thursday. Christmas. Woke up early to pick my mom up from the airport. Got there and immediately returned because her flight was delayed. Picked her up at 1:15 four hours late. Diner at 4:00- Liz's stuffing was AMAZING, and so was the rest of the food. Sat TWELVE people around two tables squeezed into our tiny house. Presents at 5:00. Friends left and arrived all night. Played darts on the new dart board, wore our red socks from Julie, and ate, ate, ate. Practiced modeling skills on the catwalk.

Day 10:

Friday. Christmas hangover. Didn't get dressed all day. Slowly processed through gifts and messes from the day before. Spent all day with Aunt and Mom. Watched movies. Ate nachos. Val came home from work early and slept until 9pm, ate some food, and went back to bed for the night.

Day 11:

Saturday. Dinner party for Stefani's birthday in Tangent, where Phaedra is currently housesitting. Served dinner for 10, consisting of Val's famous meatballs, salad, bread, and a huge spread of appetizers. Drank wine, talked, and worked our way to the Dixie Saloon down the street. Sang karaoke, played pool, and danced the night away.

Day 12:

Sunday. Dinner party hangover extraordinaire. I was so, so nauseous all day. Took mom to airport. Made strange hodge-podge dinner consisting of stuffing, mac & cheese, and a party pizza. Slept and slept and slept, and also watched The Great Outdoors, one of the DVDs we got for Christmas.

Today:

Slept in. Made coffee. Watching Star Trek. Next - Finish putting away gifts, take another batch of recycling to the bins, throw away Divinity that no one ate, TAKE DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE. It was a great season, but I'm ready to be done with Christmas.

Now, what to wear for New Year's Eve...?

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

Liz and Jeff have been here since Tuesday because of the snowstorm forcing them out of Portland while the roads were still drivable. We're so happy they made it! My mom is in the air as we speak and will soon land in Seattle to change flights. It's looking like everyone is making it to Christmas as planned!

Last night was Christmas Eve, and Liz was bouncing off the walls excited about opening her presents. We decided to open one each. But Mama chose the biggest one, and her name wasn't even on the gift tag! That's a cat for you - "What have you done for ME this Christmas?"

We chose the order to open gifts by drawing straws, Valerie's idea. She broke four toothpicks into four lengths, and the length determined the order of opening. Maybe that's why she got the gift she did...a Star Trek T-shirt that reads, "Vulcan girls do it with logic."

Jeff got a Northface hat, and he gave Liz a set of sapphire jewelry...very pretty. Look for it on New Year's eve. Val got the afore mentioned T-shirt, and gave me warm comfy slippers to replace the ones I currently own, which are in an atrocious state of disrepair. Bless her.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Winter Solstice for Jesus (Observed)

2008-12-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

Every year, I spend a pre-Christmas weekend with my Dad and Leslie. Somewhere along the lines the party became less of a Christmas celebration and more of a birthday party for Jesus.

I think it started the first time Zoe spent the holiday with us, and Jesus as a funny "Where's Waldo?" kind of joke started poppi

ng up. Just before arriving, we had come across the best ad in the Eugene Weekly, entitled "Jesus was a Vegetarian," and brought the clipping to Leslie, who had just purchased a "Beer Drinking Jesus" night light. All around us Jesus was funny. We bought party hats for Jesus's birthday and even made a cake that year.

Christmas 2002 - Sorry, my Dad has all the pictures with the party hats.

In following years, including last year, the tradition continued. Zoe was not present, but Adrienne joined in the fun, and Phaedra too. As you can see, we have no reservations in celebrating the birth of baby Jesus.

Christmas 2007 - Here are some hats.

This year was an especially magical year to celebrate Jesus. The weekend we set aside to pre-Christmas with the fam was the weekend of Winter Solstice. The event became dubbed "Winter Solstice for Jesus," until we realized that Solstice fell on Sunday, not on the day of our Saturday celebration. Therefore, the event was renamed "Winter Solstice for Jesus (observed)."

Christmas 2008 - Winter Solstice for Jesus (Observed)

At the end of the night, in a bit of a drunken ruckus, we blew out the candles for Jesus and enjoyed his birthday cake.

Until next year, happy birthday JC!

A Year in Art

2008-12-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

I love creative media in art. This guy is amazing. Enjoy.

Things that Make me Twitch, Vol. I

2008-12-21T21:19:00.001-08:00

Christmas lights thrown upon a house without rhyme or reason, as if projectile vomited.
The interchanging of the words your and you're as if they mean the same.
Bryan Adams and/or Rod Stewart.
People referring to Valerie as 'him,' 'he,' or the worst one, said by the cashier while we were at Safeway with Val's brother: "Are these your sons?"
Drivers who dominate the left lane, only periodically venturing into the right lane when forced to, or forcing others to pass them on the right.
The Keifer Kia Princess.
The overheard conversations among OSU (oops, OS!) sorority girls in the bathroom at the Peacock.
Standing water on the bathroom counter and/or water droplets on the mirror.
The use of the word 'literally' for situations that are not, in fact, literal.
Double use of the word 'is.' The thing is is...
Gross parents that yell at their children in the grocery store, usually for yelling.
Photos of women pregnant with multiple babies.

Snow at the River House!

2008-12-20T11:28:00.001-08:00

Snowy River House pictures on the River House blog! Check it out and add it to the list of blogs you're following!
http://wilsonriverhouse.blogspot.com/

Musings on Procrastination

2008-12-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Most of you who know me know that I'm a do-er, an accomplisher, a 'work before you play' kind of gal. It's not always true, although I would have you think otherwise.

Private Procrastinator: (n.) one who favors unproductive pursuits in place of necessary tasks until the last possible minute; done when not in the public eye

Case and point - The time is now 12:04 pm. Five minutes ago, I recieved a call from Val saying that she'll be off work at 2:00. Since I will be picking her up, I'll need to schedule in enough time to get there, and since it's snowing, a little more than usual.

That gives me 1.5 hours (or less) to accomplish the following tasks:

1. Shower

2. Finish packing

3. Feed the cats

4. Take out the garbage

5. ~~Run the dishwasher~~ (nevermind, already did that)

6. Pack the car

7. Leave

Instead of doing these important, necessary things, with only 1.5 hours remaining, I am:

1. Pressing refresh on several websites to see if anything has changed.

2. Blogging about something that has no relevance to anyone but myself

3. Running the dryer to de-wrinkle clothes

4. Making a deal with myself that when the dryer buzzes, I will become productive

Here is how this will go down.

12:15 - Publish blog posting of no relevance. Shut down computer, but not before checking at least one more site. What a dork.

12:20 - Jump in the shower. Try to beat the dryer buzzer.

12:40 - Run around in a towel with wet hair folding laundry, packing a bag, marking things off my list. At least I have a list. See, I'm an organized at least.

1:00 - Kick into high gear and continue bustling about, but at twice the speed.

1:25 - Load the car, take out the garbage, remember last minute details, warm up the car

1:30 - Be on the way, right on time.

To wrap things up (and on schedule, I might note), you may think that I am a responsible person who takes care of things in a way you wish you did, but really, I'm just as much of a mess as anyone else. It's just an organized mess.

When Frosty Gets Caught

2008-12-16T20:55:00.001-08:00

Rinsing or Wetting?

2008-12-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

I have had a LOT of time to think, being cooped up in the snowy weather. HOWEVER, I have used it productively in many ways, such as cleaning the house, scooping the litter box, preparing dinner, and also, solving a puzzling mystery.

And the mystery is - My friend Rachel once met the person she believes to be the only other individual in the world who wets his toothbrush after putting on the toothpaste, like she does. And really, it's true - Who does that? Most people rinse off their brushes first, and then squirt on the paste. But the question, before I solved this great mystery that has long perplexed mankind, is...Why? Why before and not after?

The solution - The answer lies in the question:

"Why does everyone else wet their toothbrush first?"

Key word: Wet.

If you think of putting water on your toothbrush as wetting it, I suppose it doesn't matter the order in which you do it. However, I believe that most of us do not think of it as merely wetting the toothbrush. I submit that the rest of us think of it as rinsing the toothbrush. Eliminating what unknown funk has settled upon the bristles since it was last used. And, whether it makes a difference to the germs or not, we still think if it as rinsing, and not wetting, which logically explains why we put water on the brush before toothpaste.

There you have it. Mystery solved. I also think that Myth-Busters tackle this one in a future episode. There have been others about toothbrushes, but I don't think there is one about the futility/necessity of rinsing a toothbrush prior to use.

Look who got out of bed...

2008-12-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

...four hours later!

Went on a walk with Christie and Corey...slip-sliding around Springfield. Got coffee. Chatted. Slip-slid back. Had good times in the snow. Fin.

Snowing and Other Thoughts

2008-12-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time it snowed all over the state before Christmas! I want to say it was February before it snowed here last year.

I'm off of school today, and actually suffering from a huge case of cabin fever. Val came home after trying for an hour to get to work, thankfully safe. With no damage to my car.

We discussed what to do with the day, and I rattled off a laundry list of fun things to do when it snows. We left it undecided, with Val not feeling too excited about any of the options, and I ran outside to take this picture. When I came back in, she had gone back to bed. Great.

Now I'm sitting here over frequenting websites for any little change. Thought about calling folks, but Christie is nestling with a movie at home and everyone else is far away, so I'm not sure what to do with myself. The only option, really, besides vegging out (which I did yesterday) is to work on school stuff. On a snow day. It's not that I don't know how to relax, it's that I have been relaxing all weekend and I can't do it anymore.

This is why I wouldn't survive where there's actual, persistent snow.

Elfy

2008-12-14T13:48:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Letter to Register Guard

2008-12-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Register-Guard,

I'm writing on behalf of myself and my partner, a long term same-sex couple looking forward to marriage and children and all the frills and follies of a committed partnership. I was thrilled to learn that your publication has chosen to announce the births of children to same-sex couples in our area. Thank your for taking this important step of recognizing our civil rights. I look forward to announcing the birth of my future children in the Register-Guard, as well as the domestic partnership my partner and I will obtain beforehand.

Sincerely,

Sara Hoskinson

Springfield, Oregon

NO on 58, 60, and 64

2008-09-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
There are several measures on the Oregon ballot that will put the Oregon school system and its students in jeopardy, and as a teacher, I am very concerned.

Measure 58, if passed, will limit my ability to support English language learning, which will have life-long consequences*** as a result of students slipping through the cracks. The logic of the bill is completely unsupported by research on effective language learning, and will inevitabley cause a strain on our society and economy by underpreparing kids to be productive citizens.

Measure 60, by paying teachers for students' test performance, has the potential to turn our students into test-taking machines, rather than high-level thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators that they will need to be to bring success to themselves and society.

If you support me as a teacher, and you want to make the best decisions for our kids, like we teachers do, please vote no on measures 58, 60, and any other measure promoted by Bill Sizemore, who has been a threat to Oregon schools since I was a student within in them.

Below are some resources for more information. I appreciate your taking a few minutes to think about Oregon's kids.

:-) Sara

From the Oregon Education Association
The OEA makes voter recommendations in the interest of children, and takes no other political issues into consideration. These three measures have the most negative effect on Oregon schools.

Measure 58: Sizemore's ELL Limit
Vote "NO".
Here's why: http://www. oregoned. org/site/pp. asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=4419733

Measure 60: Sizemore's De-Merit Pay
Vote "NO".
Here's why: http://www. oregoned. org/site/pp. asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=4419743

Measure 65: Top-Two Primary
Vote "NO".
Here's why: http://www. oregoned. org/atf/cf/%7B3f7af7ec-f984-4631-a411-148cd1fb8421%7D/ELECTION08%20-%20BM65%20TALKING%20POINTS. PDF

In the coming weeks, the OEA be making the case for each of the following positions on their web site:
Measure 54: Vote "YES".

Measure 55: Vote "YES".

Measure 56: Vote "YES".

Measure 57: Vote "YES".

Measure 59: Vote "NO".

Measure 61: Vote "NO".

Measure 62: Vote "NO".

Measure 63: Vote "NO".

Measure 64: Vote "NO".

State-level Candidates Recommended by the OEA:
Secretary of State - Kate Brown
Attorney General - John Kroger
State Treasurer - Ben Westlund
Bureau of Labor and Industries - Brad Avakian

See the OEA web site for more information on their recommendations.

http://www. oregoned. org/site/pp. asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=3855809

NEA Recommendation & Web Site of Barack Obama
The National Education Association, whose sole basis of recommendations is the health of our public schools, recommends Barack Obama.
I feel the need to note here that John McCain did not even bother to fill out the paperwork to seek the endorsement of the NEA, which to me, conveys disinterest in education entirely. It's one thing to bail on Letterman, but quite another not to give priority to our schools.

Obama's election website states, regarding his education policies:
"Throughout America's history, education has been the vehicle for social and economic mobility, giving hope and opportunity to millions of young people. Our schools must prepare students not only to meet the demands of the global economy, but also help students take their place as committed and engaged citizens. It must ensure that all students have a quality education regardless of race, class, or background. Barack Obama is committed to strengthening our public schools to maximize our country's greatest natural resource - the American people.
"

For more on his educational policies, go to http://www. barackobama. com/issues/education/

***An article about the consequences of dropping out of school, a likelihood for ESOL students not properly served by public schools because of measure 58: http://207. 12. 35. 10/Default. aspx?tabid=67

Number One Fan

2008-08-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

This made me laugh. So, then, is Michael Moore is own biggest fan? Gotta love facebook.

Michael Moore became a fan of Michael Moore.

Comment

469 fans - Become a Fan

Other Public Figure - See more Pages

What has he been puffin?

2008-02-04T17:49:00.001-08:00

I challenge you to list some action verbs that best describe what is seen here: A tufted puffin at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in the bird aviary, taken during Val's and my most recent coast adventure, which was, as a side note, an amazing coast weekend for a bazillion reasons*.

Enjoy the video, and again, descriptive verbs?

*Our coast trip was awesome because
---Ocean view in our hotel room was a mile long
---Rogue brewerey: Not only did we have a tour, but the brewmaster put on tap a beer that is uberseldomly ever put on tap anywhere because it is bought out by private consumers prior to even being brewed. Yum. I also got a sweatshirt.
---Can you say, "Jacuzzi tub with an ocean veiw?" (I can.)
---Hottie girlfriend in jacuzzi tub
---Mo's. Enough said.
---King sized love nest.
---Sea otters: Quite possibly the cutest things with whiskers.
---Jelly fish: Woah man, trippy.
---Discovery of the The Wildflower Grill (This sums it up: Crabcake benedict. Seriously.)
---Two hour marathon of Women of Ninja Warrior while soaking in the jacuzzi tub.
---The Muppet Movie was our arrival night relaxation activity...also while in the jacuzzi tub.
---Heated swimming pool and hand stand competition. I won.
---Calamari and crab alfredo dinner. Val had fish tacos. Keep your comments to yourself.
---Oceanside sudoku puzzles and coffee first thing in the morning.
---Cribbage on the beach.
---Pupu platter of salmon, cheese, crackers, salami, etc.
---Mimmosas...in the jacuzzi tub.
---Did I mention it was sunny all weekend? Because it was, so ha ha ha.
---And the number one reason it was awesome: I spent it with the love of my life.

2008-01-30T17:09:00.000-08:00

River Blog

2008-01-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

The River House Blog is updated: http://wilsonriverhouse.blogspot.com/

Eugene Moment

2008-01-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

While driving down Washington street in Eugene last weekend, Val and I spotted a truck with a broken window. Rather than covering the hole with plastic or cardboard, this creative Eugenian had improvised. Wedged in the space where the window once occupied, and doing a fabulous job of repelling water, was a bright blue yoga mat. I love Eugene.

News

2008-01-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

I just thought everyone should know that Val and I are going to see Zoe March 21-25 and I'm really REALLY exCITED!!!!! In other news, we saw Sea Monsters 3D at the IMAX theatre in McMinville Saturday, and I give it three thumbs up. We also went to the Aviation Museum and saw the Spruce Goose. It is, literally, a sky boat, and quite awe-inspiring.

Oh, and happy anniversary to Roe v. Wade (yesterday), which allows women to make their own choices about their bodies. Things are getting a little scary out there for reproductive rights, so keep your ears open, vote, and get involved. Politicians really shouldn't be the ones making choices about your body.

Watching the Ocean

2007-11-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

Best Mom!!

2007-05-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Ally, mom extraordinaire, is entered in a mother's day contest. Please take a second to vote for her...Those of you that know her know what a good mom she is. Those of you that don't, trust me, please vote for her.

Hello All,
I have been entered into a Mother's Day contest and I really want to win! But I need votes. Each person can vote once a day, so please do!

Here's what to do:
Go to www.movin1075.com
Click on the "Mom's Day Give Away"
Read my entry (I'm 6th down - Mom Story: Regurgitated Food)
ANd then vote at the bottom of the page (Preferably for me!)
Like I said, Voting can happen once a day.

Thanks so much,
Ally

Maui Trip

2007-04-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Maui was awesome. Enjoy.

Starting things off right - Bloody Marys in LAX at 9am.

Our first beach venture, 2 hours after we arrived. This is Baldwin beach in upcountry Maui.

Our cute little appartment in Haiku

Night out at Charlie's in Paia - Avoided a cover at a reggae show

Kapalua bay on the West side of Maui, near where Rachel lives in Lahaina

Dinner at Rachel's workplace, Lelani's in Lahaina

Sunset Booze Cruise...whales, sunset, pupus, and all you can drink coctails...

Toe Rings

Hiking/Camping on Haleakela, the volcano

Bamboo forest on the Hana Highway

Turtle Town

They found me.

2007-01-29T07:46:00.000-08:00

Checking my email this morning was mostly uneventful...one from Liz about meals for the cabin, some REI specials, a blog comment, and a whole slew of myspace comments and invitations.

Then I read one of them more carefully.

A former student has invited me to be her myspace friend.

???????????????????????????????

Thoughts passing through my head:
1. This child is in 5th grade and on Myspace?
2. Thankfully, my profile is private and can't be read unless she is my friend
3. Thankfully I changed my profile picture from the one where I was drunkenly swaggering while holding a PBR can (see my blogger profile)

Goodbye, Internet anonymity. Hello, heightened security in what is already a pretty private life.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

A lot of these pictures are Keta's, but I had a hell of a time finding one that she was actually in. Here's one.

Michelle, Joe, & Scott, our fabulous host.

My friends like hats.

Hellooo, boys.

I wish I could be as cool as Chris Moore.

Is Tim groping Sami or holding her up? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Cute one of Val and me.

Karaoke was in full effect.

Look at all the red cups.

Brenden's fancy lipgloss, courtesy of Val.

Good News

2006-12-19T15:33:00.001-08:00

Val got a job yesterday and started today.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

I got in to San Francisco at midnight on Tuesday night. We went straight back to the Enskies' house and I promptly fell asleep.

On Wednesday, I watched seven episodes of Star Trek the Next Generation while Val went to work. I thought I would only watch one, maybe two, maybe three...and then my maybes became seven. Oh well...I was on vacation.

On Wednesday night, we went downtown in search of healthy food that would prepare us for the overindulgence that is Thanksgiving. We went to La Vie, an organic vegetarian restaurant. We sampled their entire menu of wine, and I ate the best miso soup I've ever had.

After dinner, we saw For Your Consideration, which was pretty funny.

On Thursday, we went to Thanksgiving dinner at the house of Adrienne & Val's family friends, the Cuvados. We played games and ate too much, and our main course was marinated turkey. It was very windy outside.

Two problems with Thanksgiving: 1. No yams, stuffing, or green bean casserole. 2. No leftovers. To remedy these problems, Val and I spent Friday planning, shopping, and cooking for Thanksgiving: Round Two. We stuffed a chicken with my first ever home made stuffing and served it with green bean casserole, yams, roasted potatoes, carrots, and celery. And, of course, home made gravy. Mmmm.

Here is our stuffed chicken.

And here's the cute dinner table Val set for us.

On Saturday we picked up breakfast and coffee from my favorite coffee shop in Felton. That's a joke because there are two coffee shops in Felton. Later that day we went to the Natural Bridges park to see the migrating monarchs hanging out in the trees and take a short walk on the beach. Then we went to dinner on the wharf. Mmm, steamer clams. Val's friend Lisa came over that night and we all drank a little too much and got no sleep what so ever.

Raspberry.

Sunday was very lazy but I didn't really sleep in like I had planned. We lounged around all day, stopped by In & Out Burger, and went to the airport. My flight home was late and tiring, and then it started snowing on I-5 on my drive home at 3am. Woo hoo.

So Mission: Thanksgiving was a success, and it marks my last trip to Santa Cruz for a long, long time. Val will be here in four days!!

Quick Grammar Lesson for Idiots

2006-11-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Apostrophes do not belong in plural nouns, except in some cases.

Your Myspace page should not read "New Pic's," but rather, "New Pics."

The exception is for acronyms, symbols, or digits referred to in the plural, such as "CPU's" or "A+'s"

Apostrophes do not belong in third person present verbs. For example:

"She like's me" should be written "She likes me," unless your intention is to say, "She like-is me," which, even a contraction, makes no sense.

The word "its" defies the rules.

When something belongs to it, the word is written "its." No apostrophe.

The leaf fell from its branch.

When using the word as a contraction for "it is," give it an apostrophe.

It's a beautiful autumn day.

Additionally:
Their = belonging to them [Give them their things.]
They're = contraction for "they are," which, in fact, does deserve an apostrophe [They're waiting]
There = a place or destination [Put the things there.]

Please stop with the grammar fuck-ups. You people are killing me.

Three Degrees of Separation Between My Cribbage Friend and I, Discovered Via Message in a Bottle

2006-11-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you remember my cribbage friend Frank, the one I met playing yahoo cribbage, and how he lives in Oahu?

So I'm on his myspace reading his blog post about a friend who, while home for his WEDDING near CARLTON OREGON came upon a bottle with a message in it. The bottle was four years old and from a young girl in Yamhill. His friend goes home to Oahu and responds to it, pretending to be a 16 year old boy from Hawaii. He sends the letter, and the media finds out, prompting a news story and several other news stations to pick up the story and contact his friend. All this I learned from Frank's myspace post, "I Laughed So Hard I Almost Crapped my Pants" as well as the video that is posted on it.

Then I read the next post on his blog, which describes the news stations calling Frank's friend, who mistakenly gave his real address, and in the end had to confess to the interviewer that he was really a 34 year old guy trying to give a girl a nicer letter response than "I found your bottle a mile away in the same creek." I read this and watched the video on the post, only to realize that I recognized the photos of his friend's wedding, including the BRIDGE over A CREEK on which they were standing. To see the post and video, click here.

So, the guy who found the bottle was Tom, ANGELENE's sister Khara's now husband, and the bridge in the picture was in Angelene's parents' backyard in Carlton. This was such a strange connection to a friend I have never met, only online, and the way we met had nothing to do with any of these people or places. Totally tripped out.

Today's Special @ DariMart

2006-11-10T16:43:00.001-08:00

OEA Voter's Guide

2006-10-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post my union's positions on the 2006 Oregon ballot measures. This is verbatim from them, not my final decision because I'm not done reading the pamphlets myself, but as it stands, I agree fully with their stance on 41, 43, and 48. I'm not so sure about 45, 46, and 47 because they don't intuitively make sense with my politics. Like I said, I still have more to read.

OEA Voter's Guide: Election 2006 Ballot Measures

39 - No Position

40 - NO (Electing Judges Regionally) - Politicizes Oregon courts by requiring Oregon Supreme Court and Appeals Court Justices elected by geographic districts.

41 - NO (Bill Seizmore's Tax Scam) - Allows "income tax deduction equal to federal exemptions deductions to substitute for state exemption credit. Huh? The average Oregon will save $11 a month. The state would loose about $835 million a year in revenues, which are currently used to fund education, health care, and other state services. Measure 41 may sound like a good idea at first, but this complex measure is more of the same empty promises we've heard before from people like Bill Seizmore.

42 - No Position

43 - NO (Government Mandated Parental Notification) - Requires complicated notification procedures before a minor can access an abortion. Allows no exceptions for teen safety.

44 - YES (Prescription Drug Program) - Expands access to low-cost prescription drug purchasing program to all Oregonians. Lowers cost of prescription drugs.

45 - NO (Term Limits) - Limits number of terms for state legislators. The result: less experienced, less knowledgeable, less effective policymakers.

46 - NO (Campaign Finance Laws) - Allows lawmakers or initiatives to limit free speech by restricting campaign contributions and expenditures.

47 - NO (Campain Finance Restrictions) - Limits Oregonians' free speech rights by restricting campaign contributions and expenditures.

48 - NO (TABOR) - Caps state budget for vital services and programs. TABOR will force deep cuts to public education in Oregon, as similar laws did in Colorado. If TABOR had been in effect in Oregon since 1990, we would have approximately 25% less funding for schools and public services now. TABOR is part of a strategy by national interest groups and wealthy individuals at the expense of Oregon's communities.

For governor: Ted Kulongoski

For full text and more candidate picks, click here.

Ally's Baby Boy!

2006-10-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

Auntie Sara & baby Aiden

Super cute sleepy boy

Me with little lumpy

Ally & Aiden (en mohawk!)

2006-07-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

Saw Beaver at the River House

2006-06-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

Belive it or not, this is my first beaver.

:-)

Summer Plans

2006-06-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

Holy crap....8 days of school left!

If you want to know what I'm up to this summer, look at the side bar. In true Hos fashion, it is organized and chronological.

Angeleneskie Blogskie

2006-05-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

If you're starting to forget what Angelene looked like, here is a link to her moblog. It is an online photo album of pictures she's taken with her mobile phone camera.

Trixie's Pics (click here!)

Personality Test

2006-05-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

I took this personality test. It's pretty accurate. I'm not very agreeable, but at least I am calm about it, ha ha.

I'm a O70-C64-E89-A27-N22 Big Five!!

How do you stack up?

Cinco de Mayo

2006-05-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Create your own video at One True Media

Phaedra's Birthday, Updated

2006-05-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Phaedra sent me pictures to accompany the post about her birthday. Scroll down!

Cat Fight

2006-05-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another evening of cat fights at La Casa de Sara. In this corner we have Flow, a.k.a "Mama," and in the other corner, "The Dude."

The dude moves in for the attack and invites the duel by slapping Mama across the face.

"Are you threatening me!?" Mama pulls a double reverse presto back flip maneuver, and The Dude counters with a back-leg thumping round-house kick to the face.

Mama: 1. The Dude:0
The Dude approaches Mama once again, ready for revenge and a chance to regain his dignity.

Hissing ensues, and neither contender instigates a rematch. Mama is the winner by default. Ashamed, The Dude projects his anger onto the photographer.

Spring Break Pictures

2006-04-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Enjoy pictures from my Spring Break with Kellyclare & Liz.

Create your own video at One True Media

OPA!!!!! - Phaedra's Big Phat Greek Birthday

2006-04-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night you would have found me at the Greek Cuisina celebrating Phaedra's 25th birthday in style. There was circle dancing, OPA-ing, much ouzo, belly dancing, and dinner followed by a D.J. and dancing all night. Pictures will follow when I get them.

Phaedra was queen of the night...The birthday people are fed ouzo straight from the bottle for as long as they can handle it...For those of you that remember New Year's Eve, you know that Phaedra and ouzo have not yet mended their relationship, so she cut herself off early from the bottle. They called her up to dance Greek dances, smash plates...FYI, when you smash a plate, you must yell "Opa!" She danced with a boy named "Cousin Steve" all night, but the details are hers to tell, although there really are none. She also got up and showed the belly dancer a thing or two about how to shake her hips, which got a huge roar of applause from the whole restaurant.

Val and Edie were hot dancing queens as well. Val was a cutie and bought Phaedra a rose from the person that wanders around peddling them. Afterwards, it wasn't unusual for Phaedra to stick the rose almost up your nose and command, mischievously, "SMELL IT!" Some of Edie & Chris's friends showed up, so there was quite a crew in support of Tater-tot, which also included Jesse Brown and his new girlfriend Priya. Not sure how to spell that.

Liz left in the first round of cabs with Edie & Chris. She had been dancing like it was going out of style all night and was more exhausted than drunk...She is either a Fly Girl born too late, or a perfect imitation of Rosie Perez in the dancing scenes of "Do the Right Thing." At one point, Liz sat Phaedra down for a birthday lap dance, which went on for a minute or two before Chris came over and literally lifted Liz up, put her down away from Phaedra, and took over the lap dance himself. We like this guy.

Sammy and I boycotted the "Lady Lumps" song as well as the one about "My neck, my back, my pussy, and my crack" by sitting at the table and getting very drunk. The songs that made us rush out there: Living on a prayer (me), and something by Prince (Sammy). We did a fair amount of dancing too, but we had priorities, people, and dancing comes after drinking.

We followed the early leavers around 2:00 in a cab with a directionally challenged driver. Back at Liz's we had cribbage and yummy muffins Adrienne sent up to Oregon with Val. In the morning we ate breakfast at the 24 Hour Hot-Cake House and met up with Patrick, Robin, Evan, and Scott. MMMMmmmm, gravy....Drool...

There is talk of a Pirate party in Santa Cruz over Memorial Weekend...I think we need to reconsider our Memorial Day plans!!! ARRRrrrrr!

2006-03-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

Control Freak Aries Prepares to turn 26

2006-03-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

Your Birthdate: April 13

You're dominant and powerful. You always need to be in charge.

While others respect your competence, you can be a bit of a dictator.

Hard working and serious, you never let yourself down.

You are exact and accurate - and you expect others to be the same way.

Your strength: You always get the job done

Your weakness: You're a perfectionist to a fault

Your power color: Gray

Your power symbol: Checkmark

Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Show Your Love!

2006-02-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

If you can't think of a great Valentine's gift for that special someone, consider this great gift. I'm getting one for my whole family! And one for Patrick, too.

Click here.

Free 411 for Cell Phones

2006-01-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

Note- I haven't tried this yet, but I will next time I need to use 411. I'll let you know if it works, or you let me know if you use it and it works (and it's free).

Verified on Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/free411.asp

THIS IS GOOD INFORMATION. YOU CAN PROGRAM THE NUMBER INTO YOUR CELL PHONE.

Hi Friends,
Cell phone companies are charging $1.00 or more for 411 / information calls when they don't have to.
When you need to use the 411 / information option, simply dial 1 800 FREE 411, (1 800 373 3411) without incurring a charge at all, except for the minutes required to make the call.

This is information people don't mind receiving - Pass it on.
Works on home phone also.

No Mercury Here

2006-01-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

No, my school was not the one with scary levels of mercury in the gym floor. It was another one in the district. My kids only suffer the toxic levels of stink from the Clorox wipes I use constantly to make their germiness go away. My kids are gross, but their brains are not mercury affected, only anal-retentive-germ-freak-teacher affected.

Silly Quiz

2006-01-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

House Guest

2005-12-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

Meet Araggog, a spider friend who has occupied the window outside my office since I moved to this house. For several weeks now, I thought he was dead because I haven't seen him move from the corner of the window. But today he crept out to catch and wrap up some lunch. He's probably some kind of nasty, poisonous spider that will bite me in my sleep, causing me to loose useful appendages, but he's a great form of entertainment when I'm sitting in front of the computer. Well, spacing out in front of the computer. I'll introduce you to him next time you visit.

Oldie but Goldie

2005-12-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

Since it is winter break, and I actually have time to do such things, I'm in the process of deleting old crap off of my computer. By crap, I mean snippets of old college projects, photos that can be stored on CD, and other such hard-drive crowders. While doing this, I came across a guest commentary I wrote for the Oregon Daily Emerald in April 2002, my first year at UO. I thought I'd post it for fun. Here's a little game: While you read, try to figure out which part is no longer true.

ODE Guest Commentary
April 11, 2002

In the last week, a cell-phone has rung in almost every class I have attended. Rather than chastising students for this intrusion, most of my professors simply cringe their way through the ringing, grateful when they can go on with their instruction. As this technology continues to develop and cheapen, hard-working, tuition-paying students will continue to be disrupted and disrespected by the inconsiderate few who must, for some reason, be reached via cell phone while in class.

I, for one, would never be caught dead carrying a cell because I’m one of a dying class of people who doesn’t want to be reached at all times. But no one needs to be reached in the middle of class, nor should any serious student want to be. But despite the lack of necessity for such a device, most people will argue that hey “need” their phone with them at all times for reasons that vary in legitimacy. Needing to be reached by children is an acceptable justification, whereas needing to be in constant communication with the girlfriend on whom you recently cheated doesn’t really hold weight.

Since there are no laws against cell phone usage, I can not judge the validity of your reasoning. Therefore, I propose the following rules of cellular phone etiquette on campus:

1) Turn your cell phone off when you enter a class room. At the very least, put it on the vibrate setting. Class is completely disrupted when your phone rings to the tune of “Big Pimpin’” six times before you find it buried in the bottom of your back-pack.

2) Do not use your phone in an area where everyone is silent . . . except for you, who decided to have loud a conversation with your grandmother (You know who you are, Grandma’s boy).

3) Do not make your private conversations public. Cell phone users often force others to eaves-drop on your weird conversations.

Furthermore, shifting focus to professors, I would encourage instituting a zero-tolerance policy on cell phone usage in your class, warning that the owners of ringing cell phones will be asked to leave your class for the day. Or perhaps you could start every lecture with a movie-theatre style message asking students to turn off all electronic devices. Ridiculous times call for ridiculous measures.

With a technology as new as this one, it is hard to know where appropriateness lies, so I will forgive you cell-phone junkies for your lack of respect for me, my peers, and our teachers. However, if we are to keep the lines of normal, face-to-face communication open and genuine, we can’t continue to ignore the intrusion of these devices into our daily lives. I urge the University to enforce guidelines similar to mine in order to preserve its quality of education. For the time being, cell users, please perpetuate good will and academic success by using your cell phone politely.

Dear Santa Mad Lib

2005-12-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

Santa ClausNorth Pole, Earth
Dear Santa,

I have been a good girl.

It really wasn't my fault what happened at Liz's Office party. It was Phaedra who spiked the punch with too much Earl. I can't help it if I drank 4 glasses. It was so good---smelled and tasted just like funk.

I thought it was funny when I put Patrick's thong on my head and danced the Chicken Dance on the foot stool while singing `Love Shack'. I didn't mean to break Liz's Laptop and don't know why Liz would accuse me of purgery.

I don't remember calling John's wife a vocal rooster---even though she looked like one with beige eye shadow and magenta lipstick!

And when I threw up on Ally's husband's ass cheek, it was only because I ate too much of that enchillada.

After all that fun, I admit I was a little tired. So I fell asleep on my way home and drove my school bus through my neighbor's closet. I don't think that was any reason for my neighbor to call me a swirly kitty cat and have me arrested for grand theft auto!

So, Santa...here I sit in my jail cell on Christmas Eve, all excentric and absurd. And I'm really not to blame for any of this mezmerizing stuff. Please bring me what I want the most---bail money!

Sincerely and uniquely yours,
Sara (Really a nice girl!)

P.S. It's only 13 bucks!

If you want to do the mad-lib yourself with different words, click here.

How well do you know me?

2005-12-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

Take this quiz, bitches.

click here

Part-time Drunk at 5am

2005-12-13T06:53:00.000-08:00

I teach your children.

Well, here I am once again, proving to the community that I am an upstanding member of society, fullly competent to take care of its children. At least I'm only a weekend drunk. And a once-a-month weekend drunk at that. Except December. Oh, and maybe January. Not to mention all three summer months. Okay, so I'm a not-every-weekend drunk.

Phaedra's end of term party was fun. The PBR flowed, and so did the uninhibited stupid comments. I usually get up at 6am every day, so it's pretty funny that we stayed up until 5 in the morning. I have no clue what we were doing for that long. Something to the effect of what is pictured in this post.

Ah well, time to stop being a drunk and get back to school, my full time job. I hope to see many lovely people at the Eugene party this weekend.

Love and drunken comments.

Most Boring Person Ever

2005-11-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

To pacify Evan, I will post, although I have nothing exciting to share, really. I am the most boring, destitute person ever. So, let's see...what to write? How about ten things that prove how boring I am, and how lame my life has become...

I work 12 hours per day. Not exaggerating.
Working 12 hours per day has no ill effect on my social life because I don't have one.
My mother visiting for three days over Thanksgiving is the highlight of my recent social agenda.
Yesterday, I watched re-runs of Ellen on T.V.
I talk to my cats. A lot.
The most wildlife I've seen in a while is a nutrea crawling out of the wetland behind my classroom.
In conversations, I have nothing to talk about except my job.
My latest culinary creations have all been white pasta-ish things or ramen.
I spend a solid half-day cleaning my house from top to bottom every weekend.
I hang out with Ally once or twice per week to do my laundry and complain, or wrestle around with her 2-year-old (which is actually pretty fun).

Lame.

Ha ha ha

2005-11-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm an ESL teacher so I'm allowed to laugh.

You will too. Click here.

Um, Crazy.

2005-11-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Check out what happend at the River House. My dad posted this on the River House Blog.

click here

Miscellaneous Reports

2005-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

1. Six of my students had head lice last week. I freaked out and made the district treat my room, most likely with nasty chemicals that will drastically impede learning, but...At least we have no external parasites.

2. I survived my first Halloween of living in the neighborhood where my students also reside...By hiding out at Ally's house. Literally. I took a six-inch stack of papers to her house and graded them all night, comforted by the facts that my cats were inside, my front porch light was off, and my students still don't know where I live.

3. There might have been a tornado the other night. Well, maybe not a tornado, but this old house I live in made that nasty windstorm sound like the cyclone in the Wizard of Oz. There were creepy creaks and whistly howling noises all night. Luckily, I'm not someone who spooks very easily, because if I was, this living alone thing would have been pretty scary in the middle of my Salem tornado.

4. I'm going to start using my digital tape recorder today for something other than recording my friends and me singing drunken karaoke. I'm going to create a self-guided oral reading assessment tape for the kiddos. They'll take the tape recorder into the hall, press record, introduce themselves, then start reading a short, grade level passage of text. This way, I don't have to give the other kids busy work so that I can give the assessment, and I can go home and wear pajamas while I listen to and score the recordings.

I hope to see some of you in Corvallis on Saturday!

-end report-

Your Grandma

2005-10-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my official housewarming party...six weeks after I moved in. The theme was "Dress like your grandma," and my friends, as always, rose to the challenge of an obscure theme. Below, the chain of fool dancers reunite for an encore performance, granny style.

Next, watch the vocal stylings of Grandma Green, singing "Take Me to the River." Notice the entourage of elderly back up dancers.

Next, marvel at this vision of the future of Sami and Tim.

Check out these legs (and stockings).

Last, but not least, Grandpa Arnold gets down in his karaoke debut.

I am still recovering...good party!

Oh, and thanks Evan J. for the picture!

This is How I Will Die

2005-10-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

While sunbathing in your yard, a commercial airliner accidentally unloads its waste tank. You are impaled by several spears of frozen urine which fall from 30,000 feet above you.

Tell me how you will die: www.deathpsychic.com/

10/25/05 Try it now...?

Angelene Might be a Muppet

2005-10-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

A funny little sequence of events:

This was taken at last weekend's cabin adventure in Yachats. Ten minutes before it was taken, Evan showed up and a shot of tequilla was instantly administered to him. Ten minutes after it was taken, Rachel was passed out for the night and Liz was "Trying really hard to be cool."

See y'all at my party on Saturday night! It will be grandma-rific!

Classroom Photos

2005-10-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well, my digital camera is finally up and running, so here are some classroom pictures for you. I took the pictures on a Thursday, and I didn't straighten up first, so just ignore the clutter.

Veiw from the hall:

Reading Corner:

My messy desk area and the only good dry-erase board in my room.

College Started Today

2005-09-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

I realized eariler that today was the first day at OSU and UO, so college is back in session. As I reflected on my time as a university student, and those of you that are not done with college yet, the following thought occured to me:

Suckers.

News from the North

2005-09-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

(or South, depending on your location relative to me!)

1. Nikon has fixed and shipped my broken digital camera! Life is good, and soon you will see pictures to prove it! Yay for them fixing what was probably a problem that I caused :-)

2. Flow Mama ran away for like, two days, and someone finally called me when they found her. She had crossed two majorly busy streets (one with four lanes!) and was hanging out and making friends at a car wash. I google mapped it, and it was exactly a half mile from my house. Let's hope Mama's big adventure does not repeat it self!

3. I might get a raise...focus on the 'might' part. My union rep might have found a loophole that would raise me one step on the pay scale (about 1,000 per year).

4. The bill collectors are hot on my trail, including my own mother :-) She's not as bad as the others though. They have to understand, I'll pay them when I get the money. All the calling in the world, especially at 8am on a Saturday morning, will not put money in my pocket, so they'll have to wait until the end of the month, just like I have to. Give a gal a break!

5. I'm off to Eugene next weekend...I'll be crashing with Pattie-Poo and Robin-Poo for the Eugene Celebration...yay! I can't wait to watch the parade again, and see the Eleven Eyes, and the Daddies, and all that fun stuff. Time to find my flask...

That's all for now! Much love to you all from Salem.

Sara

4th Grade Dishonesty is SO Transparent!

2005-09-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

This week one of my kiddos was talking excessively during quiet work time, so she had to fill out a letter to her mom explaining what happened. She filled it out (and spun details the story to reduce impact at home) and took it home that night to get signed by her mom.

The next morning as she came in the classroom door, she told me a very off-topic comment about how her aunt (guardian) had never graduated from high school or college. I smiled and nodded and thought she was just telling me some random story until later, when I looked at the signature on the letter she had brought back. Not only did it only have her aunt's first name, it was written in very awkward, unpracticed cursive, and the first letter in her aunt's name were crossed out and re-written.

Obviously the child had written it herself, and she'd even gone as far as to plant a story about her aunt's never graduating, so that I might believe that that 4th-grade scrawl belonged to an adult. Needless to say, I made a call home and informed Auntie of what happened.

Moral of the story - If you are a 10 year old attempting to forge your parent or guardian's signature, remember this:
1. Adults write their first AND last names in their signatures. That's what a signature is...your WHOLE name.
2. Adults have written their signature so many times in their lives that they don't mess it up anymore, so we will know something is funny if a signature is partially erased or scratched out.
3. Before writing on the actual paper that needs a signature, it's better to practice on scratch paper until you get the signature completely right.
4. When you're not in very much trouble, it's best not to make the problem worse by being dishonest. Adults hate it when kids are sneaky, so you'll get in TONS of trouble for the sneakiness part, not the original thing you did.

Bushies Taking Care of Business in New Orleans

2005-09-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Nerd

2005-09-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Pictures of my new classrom are coming soon. For now, enjoy this quiz. I know you will all dwarf me.

Hot Glue

2005-09-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a little classroom annecdote for you already...the stupidity reflected here is mine and mine alone, and you will laugh at my expense. I give you permission.

Yesterday I was hot-gluing tiny pieces of velcro onto a chart that my students will use to check in as they arrive to school. Just as I put glue on a piece and picked it up, ready to stick it to the chart, I had to sneeze. So I put it down and quicky moved my and to my mouth to cover the sneeze. The little velcro piece (covered in hot glue) had attached itself to my thumb by the little strings of glue that glue gun makes when you release the trigger. The hot glue landed on my upper lip and firmly attached itself. So yes, I burnt my lip with hot glue.

I now have a nasty looking burn on my lip. And I meet parents today. Here are some reasons I could tell to explain it:
- Leprocy
- Herpes
- Cold Sore
- The real story
- Or I could just not say anything and let people make up their own stories

Gross. Oh well, it doesn't hurt as bad today, and I might be able to cover it with makeup.

Quick Update from Salem

2005-08-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Things are going well here in Salem, although I just got my internet hooked up today, so I am behind with blogging, emailing, etc. I'll update sooner than later, probably by the end of the week. Jo asked about school and how things are going...Here are five things I LOVE about my new school/living situation:

1. It is a new building, so everthing is beautiful and high tech. I have four computers (plus one teacher computer) in my room, and my I.D. badge opens the doors.

2. The staff is AWESOME and they are all very helpful, not to mention upbeat and kind. My principal is fantastic...very funny and easy going. You can tell she has not lost sight of the purpose of her job.

3. Budget...I got a $400 budget for my classroom supplies, which is virtually unheard of these days. My classroom is looking awesome! I'll post pictures when I get my camera up and running again. I'm also getting paid pretty darn well compared to other districts in the state.

4. Curriculum: The math program is investigations, which rocks. The reading program is the one I used when student teaching, so I am familiar with it.

5. MY HOUSE! I found a kick ass three bedroom house five minutes from school that is a STEAL! I have so much space it's ridiculous. I have a bedroom, guestroom, office, huge living room, garage, and huge front and back yards.

Well, that's all you get for now. I'm in a hurry and must run (without spell checking...sorry!). I'll see a lot of you at the River House this weekend. If you have any questions or need to deviate at all from the plan, please keep me informed. Thanks!

I Got a Job!

2005-08-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

You are now reading the blog of an official 4th grade teacher!!! This is a picture of my school.

I got the job in Salem and I start on August 29th. The first day is a 1/2 day new teacher inservice, and the second day is a staff meeting that is also 1/2 day. I'll have those two afternoons (plus any time I spend at night or next week), then my students will come to meet me on Thursday at 1:00. Yikes! So exciting!

I quit my job early, so my last day is Tuesday. On Wednesday morning I'm heading up to Salem to stay at my friend Ally's house and accomplish the following missions: (1) Bring all of my teacher stuff to my classroom, (2) Find a house to live in, and (3) Figure out what the heck I'm going to do with a class of nine and ten year old students! By that I mean plan the first two weeks or so.

This is so exciting, but mostly overwhelming. If anyone is interested in assisting me with classroom set-up, I need it when you can give it! I'll be working in my classroom next Wednesday-Friday, then the afternoons of the 29th & 30th. Call me!! My cell will stay the same.

I'm also looking for people to help me move next weekend, on Saturday (August 27th I think).

P.S. I haven't had time to write to everyone, but don't forget that RIVER HOUSE WEEKEND is coming up!!!!! It's labor day weekend (friday night through monday morning).

Job Search Status

2005-08-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

So....Here's what's happening with my job search (also known as NOTHING):

Springfield, 5th Grade: Not offered the position
Village School, 5th/5th Grade Loop: Not offered the position
Newberg, 4th Grade: Not offered the position
Hillsboro, 6th Grade: Declined consideration because I didn't like the school
Coos Bay, 4th Grade: Not offered the position
Wilsonville, 2nd Grade: Didn't call back (and therefore not offered the position)
Salem, 4th Grade ESOL: Decision pending
Scio, 4th/5th/6th Grade Blend: Interview on Monday
Springfield, 4th Grade: Hoping for an interview
Creswell, 5th Grade: Hoping for an interview
Corvallis, 3rd Grade: Hoping for an interview
Albany, 4th Grade: Hoping for an interview
Eugene: Not holding my breath

And that's the story. Yay.

Shout Out

2005-08-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

My friend Steve has started a blog. Check it out.

Mr. Lucky's Blog

We went to Crater Lake...

2005-08-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

...and Robin already posted about it. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Unexpected Happenings

-isms

2005-08-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting little game courtesy of Googlism.com:

Go to this website and type your name into the "googlism" box. Copy and paste your top seven into a comment on this posting. My top seven are:

-------------------

1. Sara is a poophead and she fucked up her template

2. Sara is practicing for her career as a singer

3. Sara is the heart warming short novel of a girl who discovers the secrets of creating a happy life from a giant owl named Solomon

4. Sara is currently under development (ain't that the truth)

5. Sara is menacingly simple

6. Sara is shaven beach public nudity sex (waahh?)

and my favorite:

7. Sara is an outrageously inept comedy that mostly ends up embarrassing the audience (by taking off her top)

-------------------

Now it's your turn. Click here. For extra credit, go to the "what is" section and tell me your favorites when you type in "sex." Oh, and thank you Ron for the idea.

Crater Lake

2005-08-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Off we go!

Even though I only worked for four days this week, it seems like nine days and three hours.

I'm relaxing at home right now, watching a Simpsons I've never seen before where Marge accidentally gets a boob job and becomes a trade show spokes model. Those zany Simpsons! In a few hours, Liz will be here and we're going shopping for our Crater Lake groceries. The plan is to leave at 8:00 am. Yeah right. If we leave by 10:00 I'll be super impressed. Meeting us later: Patrick, Robin, Scott. Also in attendance: Programskie. Remind me why he was invited?

Breaking news: I have a job interview near Portland for a 6th grade position. My friend Edie came to see me the other night, and that was fun. And my friend Liz is leaving for four months to go to ITALY, which rocks, although I'll miss her. I also got a new pair of chacos (see picture). They're not exactly the ones I wanted, but they have the better soles than my last pair. I also fell down for no apparent reason this morning while wearing said shoes, and have now added a nasty bruise to my already screwed up right knee. I'm crossing my fingers that it won't prevent me from making the trek down to the lake this weekend.

Oh, and my diploma came in the mail, but it's at my parents. Still, it exists and I am therefore a valuable person. Ah hem.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Interview With a Sea Gull

2005-07-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Shout-Out

2005-07-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Visit the Lucky Land of Liz!

Deer Creek Camping Adventures

2005-07-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Deer Creek!

For details, read the wonderful post by Robin at Unexpected Happenings.

Click here!

2005-07-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Deer Creek!

2005-07-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Deer Creek!

2005-07-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Deer Creek!

Fifty-Cent Hot Dog Night

2005-07-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Emeralds v. Boise, July 19

This is my friend Stacy and I watching the Em's on Tuesday night. What's really weird is that my camera phone reversed the image when it took the picture...we were sitting slightly to the right of home plate (near 1st), but the image makes it look otherwise. Strange.

I love buying hot dogs for $0.50. It is a wonderful thing. I ate three.

Oh, and the Em's lost, 3-4.

The D.O.W.W. of Camping

2005-07-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

D.O.W.W.II

D.O.W.W = Dirty Old Women's Weekend, the second annual women-only trip of nudity, drunkenness, and debauchery. Vaginas are required for attendance, but propriety must be checked at the door, and don't be surprised if we ask you to hang one tit out of your purple tank top. We are the women of the dirty old sorority Delta Omega Dub-ya Dub-ya, and we know how to build a fire, and we know how to take care of anyone that throws beer cans at us. Our mascot is Pono, the talkative park ranger, and our official beverage is Earl served with a side of pepsi.

The Sounds of Roofing

2005-07-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Kitties at My Mom's

2005-07-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

My Kitties

Yesterday's Interview

2005-07-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Look at this picture.

Can you believe this is an elementary school? It's awesome! My interview went well, the best so far. If I get the job, I'll be totally stoked because it's an awesome new building in a very with-it school district, and I'll be teaching the grade I want to teach. Cross your fingers...I'll know at the end of othe week.

Typical Day with my "Program"

2005-07-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

9:50 Leave the House. (Unless it is Tuesday or Thursday, which means I first work at the lab at 8:00, or if it is Monday, which means I have a staff meeting at 9:00 and leave at 8:30, which also means no carpooling with program coworker)

10:00 Pick up Programskie. Sit in front of Programskie's hippie co-op for five minutes waiting for him to notice I'm there. Watch Programskie realize he's forgotten something and run back into the hippie co-op only to return with an almost left-behind lunch item that smells like cumin and barf

10:10 Turn up radio to give hint to Programskie that I don't want to hear him free-style rapping all the way to work. Subsequently watch him transition into music and start annoyingly bobbing his head to the rhythm.

10:15 Get involved in a conversation with Programskie about some political or societal problem, to which he will provide partial information and partial idealism/fluffy obnoxiousness.

10:19 Turn up radio and sing along, loudly

10:30 Arrive to the community center where our gear is stored. Unlock gate, pull out activity bus, lock gate, find Programskie so we can leave

10:45 Arrive to park of the day and quickly set up activities for the droves of children that have arrived too early. Tell Programskie to do things. Watch him look confused. Watch Functionalskie (my other co-worker) see what needs to be done and actually do it, without being asked. Also sigh as Programskie leaves his personal items all over the table.

11:00 Watch Programskie play with kids, and watch the kids totally respond to him, and realize that he is, after all, good for something.

4:50 Start packing up the activity bus.

5:00 Programskie notices that it's time to go and looks slightly dazed. Picks up things to put in the bus. Stands holding said items and spacing out. Slight twitch of face, followed by awareness, and finally he starts walking to the bus.

5:10 Start the bus and halt quickly as Programskie realizes he left his shoes. Drive back to the community center.

5:25 Open gate. Park bus. Close gate. Ask Programskie to drop off paperwork upstairs (and find out on Monday that he put it in very strange places throughout the upper floor of the building, and exactly NOT where it should have gone).

5:30 Get in Sara's car. Repeat morning car ride events.

5:45 Drop off Programskie at the hippie co-op.

5:46 Scream into wadded up city-issue sweatshirt and go home.

A Series of Busy-Ass Events (Ass Events!)

2005-07-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well, after excessive nagging by my regulars, I feel compelled to update my readers on my recent antics. I've been busy with a new job and living/crashing in a new house, so life has been hectic. Life has been a series of events lately, leaving little room for blogging.

Event 1: Packing & Moving. What a bitch it is to pack your apartment, by yourself, with little space to stack things once you have actually packed them into a box. I also had to decide what things needed to come with me to Sammy's and what things I needed to have access to in my storage unit. Luckily, I had a coalition of the willing to help me move. We came, saw, and conquered my belongings, and in a matter of two hours, we had packed everything into the uhaul and unpacked it into my storage unit. Immediately following the move, we went to GJ's for breakfast, then Sammy, Liz C., & I joined Ron and Family at their cabin on a lake in Florence for the night. Unfortunately, the camp-out at the cabin was followed by two four-hour apartment scrubbing sessions. Gross.

Event 2: Moving into Sammy's House. I now live on a sleeping pad in the spare room at my friend Sammy's. Sound lame? Oh, think again. Ten feet from my sleeping area is a hot tub, ready for my use at any time. In the living room there is CABLE, an amenity I have not had in my residence for more than five years. The best feature is Sammy because she kicks ass and is the most awesome ever for letting me squat at her house until I get a job. Unfortunately, Sammy uses her phone line for internet and for phone calls, so I can't crack-out on the internet like I do in my real life, and I don't have much time to blog. I'm also super busy because of my new job (read on).

Event 3: Starting my New Job. The very next day after cleaning was the day I started a full week of training for my summer job as a site director for a city park program. The following Monday rolled around, and we started taking recreation activities to the three parks that are my charge. This is a royal pain in the ass (the traveling around thing) because travel time adds another ninety minutes to my day, plus I have to carpool with my PROGRAM co-worker who is a crazy space cadet. I will post about our daily interactions soon.

Event 4: Brice Creek. We spent the entire 4th of July weekend camping at Brice Creek, which was frekin' awesome because all of my friends are hot and I want to fuck us. And we're so humble too, ha ha. We made awesome food, inhaled too much campfire smoke, jumped off of rocks into frigid water, and patrolled the two dogs that joined us. There was much singing and general merry-making. I can't wait to go camping again... July 22nd is the next free-for-all trip (not to be confused with the second annual dirty old women's weekend on July 15). Be there, bitches!

Jesus is Funny

2005-06-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.jesusdance.org/