13 words

Words I like the sound of, and some that just feel particularly satisfying coming out of my mouth.

1. jazz
2. kiss
3. yes
4. jackass
5. precarious
6. luscious
7. well
8. egregious
9. whom
10. freakish
11. hilarity
12. fluid
13. sultry

Which words make your mouth smile?

Thursday Thirteen

thirteen things i should have learned by now but...whatever

1. Cheese melted to a molten state in the oven will be hot and probably burn my mouth. (But I really wanted brie now!)
2. "The Girls Next Door" is a vapid, ridiculous waste of time & brain cells. (Yet I can't turn the channel).
3. Teenage boys do not genuinely care about creative writing. Ever. (But they will pretend, and write excruciating, interminable stories involving marijuana).
4. Mornings are a complete drag, especially when there are meetings scheduled during them.
5. Some people truly believe that kids with "piercings, weird hair, and you know, stuff like that" are not as reliable as preppy, 4.0 Key Club members. (There was a PTA committee meeting tonight and I had a moment...Of restraint, no worries.)
6. Preteen boys find moms invisible. (My best friend & I went to pick up her son at youth group tonight and he actually looked directly at us in the foyer, then walked into the game room)
7. Mornings are horrible. (Did I already mention that?)
8. If I take my coat in the horrible morning, it will be sunny & delightful by afternoon. Leaving a coat or sweater at home means the day will turn into a natural disaster.
9. I cannot be trusted with a credit card, especially one labeled GAP or Nordstrom. I lose my mind (and paycheck) over cardigans, cosmetics, and underwear.
10. Counting the days until vacation makes me feel guilty but I do it anyway, in my mind.
11. Listening to Queen, Squeeze, or ABBA almost always improves my mood.
12. Breakfast is important. Skipping it causes turmoil, for everyone.
13. There is no shame in OCD.

More, more, more? Click.

thirteen saptastic songs for your valentine

My 13 faves from the "lovey dovey stuff" playlist on my iPod:

• This Boy ~ The Beatles (I totally wanted This Boy, to save me from That Boy who only made me cry.)

• Endless Love

~Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (I used to have the 45 rpm and would listen to it daily. And cry.)

I Will Always Love You ~ Dolly Parton (More crying)

Wonderful Tonight ~ Eric Clapton (Rockers singing love songs? *sob*)

I Only Want to Be With You ~ Dusty Springfield (I love that I could actually sing along to this; if only I could dance like her.)

• Hopelessly Devoted to You ~ Olivia Newton-John (I can lip sync this one like no other, friends)
• Tender Love ~ The Force M.D.s (Love songs by rappers? *double sob*)
• Hey There Delilah ~ Plain White Ts (Shut up, haters; it's sweet)
• State of the Heart ~ Rick Springfield (There is an obsession; it's a bit embarrassing)
• Babe ~ Styx (What can I say? It takes me back to 7th grade. Crying in the bathroom.)
• Second Chance & Caught Up In You ~ .38 Special (Southern rockin' dudes & sweet love songs? *more sobbing*)
• Hard Habit to Break ~ Chicago (How could a lovey dovey playlist be complete without Chicago?)
• Endless Summer Nights ~ Richard Marx (Long dreamy story behind this one; someday I might tell)
• One of Us ~ ABBA (Precious song, but the video makes no sense - maybe they didn't understand their lyrics in English?)

___________________________

One of us is crazy...See more at Thursday 13

blast from the past

I got this list of horrifying facts (the only consolation I can find is that obviously many others did these same exact things) in an e-mail entitled "If You Were A Girl in the 70s." Enjoy cringing.

• You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it. That's so eerily true.
• You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. I had both the normal (safe) kind that were like boots and the Death in the Afternoon version that shakily buckled onto my shoes.
• You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute. Sigh, Fred Grandy.
• You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie" or the "Dorothy Hamill." People sometimes thought you were a boy. And I bought the Short & Sassy shampoo to go with it
• You owned "Klick-Klacks" and smacked yourself in the face more than once! They totally rocked; I wish I still had them.
• You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. Possibly all in the same day.
• You begged Santa for the electronic game Simon. And I got it! Then mastered it! What?
• You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once. Emphasis on the "at least."
• You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). Ugh. And I wasn't even forced to get them.
• You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink! Alas, it was not. But I was awesome at skating backwards, just in case.
• Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it pretty with the comb in your back pocket. I clearly remember my little pink plastic Goody. Good times.
• You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie. And their nemesis the evil Purple Pie Man! Which is pretty creepy when you think about it - was he trying to PUT THEM IN PIES?
• You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird pot holders made on a plastic loom. Um, that would be the Loom Looper, people. And my grandma LOVED her pot holders.
• You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts. Then I ironed my name in felt letters on the back of the t-shirts...
• You used to tape record songs off the radio (or tv) by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker. See these posts for documentation.
• You had subscriptions to "Dynamite" and "Tiger Beat." How else would I have covered every square inch of wall space in my bedroom?
• You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs. How about all of the above?
• You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer. Desperately.
• You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off. That was in preparation for the first kiss at the roller rink. Duh.

What is surprisingly missing: Smurfs, Happy Days, having a crush on Barbarino from Welcome Back, Kotter, my first album ("Thriller"), Hello Kitty everything, dressing like Cyndi Lauper, rainbow suspenders a la Mork from Ork (not to mention saying "Nanu Nanu" to my friends and laughing uproariously), shamelessly 'smoking' candy cigarettes, movies with intermissions (and drive-in theaters), playing marbles & jacks, and sliding across the slick vinyl backseat of my parents' car because seatbelts were not required. Ah, youth.

I'm breaking the law and posting this as my Thursday Thirteen anyway (it's only six off...).

Go see others here.

thirteen prized possessions in my immediate vicinity

#1-4 Whiteboard/bulletin board; necessary lists (surprise!) about being happy, loving yourself (it's not naughty, sorry), and things I want to do before I die; charming photo of a Hobbit-like residence in Ireland; dry erase pens for recording important notes (like "BUY MOM CHOCOLATE")

#5-8 Stuffed Velveteen Rabbit from an antique store; little stuffed girl who just makes me smile, I can't explain it; jar of pencils (even though I never use these - it's more of a visual thing); framed Susan Branch print about heaven being within me (she must not know about my bad momness)

#9 - 11 Ceramic mug with roses and vines - I bought it with my very own money at a swanky gift store while in high school and felt very grown-up about it; funky multi-colored mug handpainted by my daughter - a recent present, it makes me feel very Alice in Wonderland; more pencils - the blue & white ones in the back are vintage, one features the LA Rams and the other St. Louis Cardinals (for you non-football people, those are long gone NFL teams)

#12 - 13 Handy (and humble) journal - spiral binding a must; coaster for my cup of tea (and occasional glass of wine), from a set bought as a reminder of our whirlwind trip to London - they have cool drawings of pubs around the city

More Thursday Thirteen coolness

thirteen things i'm looking forward to this year

With pictures! Woohoo!

1. Vegas, baby. Technically we're going for a friend's wedding, but I'm cramming as much sinful citying as possible in a weekend.

2. Loads of good books (beyond the scores I already have lying around the house & classroom). I am Legend-reader.

3. A clawfoot tub for reading all those books in bubbly luxury. Look! It comes with a magazine rack! And it's clean...

4. And the award goes to...My Oscar party! I love the movies, the dresses, the hype, the Jon Stewart and I celebrate it all with my indulgent friends. I even have a red carpet & SWAG. You should come.

5. Wii will rock you. After thumbing my nose in its general video gamer direction, I played at my parents' house and became infatuated. The fact that they're creating a fitness module that sounds like it could make exercise tolerable for me puts it on my must-have list. (Don't tell my kids).

6. My Mexican boyfriend must be coming out with a new movie soon...Ay, I miss him mucho.

7. BlogHer conference in San Francisco! I've registered and booked a room and almost booked my flight! I can almost talk about going without using exclamation points! So exciting. (Does my desperation for a girls' weekend getaway after school is out show?)

8. Speaking of BlogHer - THIS is where we're staying! (More exclamations, sorry). When I say "we," I mean whomever I beg & badger enough to attend with me. So far my cyber bff Kate and real life bff Lisa are *thisclose* to saying yes; Mrs. G. has expressed interest but I think I've scared her a tad with my enthusiasm...But this hotel has HEAVENLY BEDS it says! Even Heavenly DOG beds; I kind of want to adopt a pet for that weekend. (But does it have a Heavenly poop scooper?)

9. And speaking of scaring with enthusiasm. I keep stalking checking the Fountains of Wayne website to see if they've added any Portland or Seattle shows for 2008. I have to look online because they still haven't answered any of my e-mails. Weird.

10. Treehouse family vacation - I'm totally serious. These babies are in southern Oregon, and my kids will love me forever for agreeing to go sleep forty feet in the air. But someone else is driving.

11. James McAvoy, doing anything I can watch. *sigh*

12. And whatever he does, too. Hi, Paul. You look tired, weyou should lie down...

13. A kindler, gentler me in the end.

________________________

More Thursday Thirteen goodness here.

thirteen blessings in a ridiculous half-week

I was Woman on the Verge this week, but I have successfully (read: sans criminal record/with teaching job) made it to Vacation Day #1! And there are many blessings that got me here relatively unscathed:

1. A best friend, whose Monday was comparably horrible, ready to share tea, tears, and stories right after school (Thanks, Jen!), plus all the great reader friends who propped me up, too
2. Enjoying a junior high orchestra concert (wherein some of the tunes sounded like the somber string quartet in Nightmare Before Christmas, yet it was just what the psychiatrist would have ordered)
3. Inspired poems by teenagers styled after "Stopping By the Woods On A Snowy Evening"
4. Witnessing the usually checked-out students in my speech class rising to participate in an assignment
5. Listening to the lovely (or at least earnest) voices of a local girls' choir singing carols
6. Watching my best friend's frequently squirrelly first grader sitting rapt during the choir performance
7. My 7-year old daughter coming down the stairs in her black velvet pants and black t-shirt (decorated with a heart made of bones) announcing "I feel like a shadow today."
8. My son calmly & coolly completing his Moon Base model after the initial "IDON'TKNOWHOWTOPUTONTHEFOIL!" freakout
9. Digging out the jeans I decorated with my faux-edgy quotes and pictures during my freshman year of college - and fitting into them! It's a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!
10. Two classes (20+ kids each) totally excited about playing Taboo for the entire hour & a half periods
11. Receiving an official "Welcome to the school family" present from my principal (a stained glass star in our school colors; I will hang it in my office window with utter pride)
12. Cards, chocolates, cookies, and an ornament from students
13. The train & trestle my Advocacy class created from granola bars, pretzel sticks, marshmallows, frosting and gummi bears, complete with a jumper on the top bridge beam (Merry Morbid Christmas, everyone!)

Ah. Life is good.

Visit more Thursday Thirteen listers.

thursday thirteen ~ the naughty mom playlist

Here are 13 favorite bad mom songs from my iPod. Rock on.

1. Back in Black AC/DC (how could I not?)
2. Your Body is A Wonderland John Mayer (sigh)
3. She Goes Down Billy Squier (I have no idea what it's about...Someone cleaning floors?)
4. Shake That Eminem (I know! Only with headphones. Or an empty house. Never at school.) warning: link is the expliiiicit version.
5. I Get Excited Rick Springfield (Though next to Eminem, it's like listening to Barney)
6. Surrender Sammy Hagar (I can't resist doing anything Sammy says)
7. Yeah! Usher, with Ludacris (double sigh)
8. My Doorbell White Stripes (I'm guessing, but I think there's a double meaning here)
9. You're the One That I Want Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta (I realize it borders on ridiculous to include this song in the same sentence as "naughty" but it's fun)
10. Poundcake VanHalen (Sammy again, and the drill on the guitar...MmmMmm)
11. Take Me, I'm Yours Squeeze (These guys are the nerdy unexpectedly sexy boys in class)
12. Hot in Herre Nelly (I will forgive the misspelling and the bandage because he is hot. In here.)
13. Stacy's Mom Fountains of Wayne (Overplayed, sure, but still fun. And naughty.)

More Thursday Thirteen hijinks here.

where's the thursday thirteen??

I posted my Best Things About Fall & Winter at the bad mom blog this week. Go there and enjoy. (Please).

guilty pleasures

Thirteen things that I can't resist, no matter how cringe-worthy they are environmentally, socially, intellectually, and spiritually:

1. frosting in a can (by the spoonful)
2. watching It's a Wonderful Life every year
3. shopping at GAP
4. Eminem
5. zip-top plastic bags (I do wash & resuse when they're not too gross)
6. Crocs
7. break-apart chocolate chip cookies
8. Rick Springfield
9. Wild Cherry Pepsi
10. alphabetizing my CDs
11. Survivor
12. movie popcorn, with buttery flavoring
13. Christmas music all day long, starting today

*sigh*

More great lists at Thursday Thirteen

sick day

Even though I've been up since before dawn with one kid lamenting his insomnia ("Rocky {our cat} is bugging me and Mario {his hamster} keeps turning, turning, turning and I can't get back to sleep! AND IT'S 4:32!") and the other coughing until she threw up (numerous times), I'm feeling rather sunny. Luckily, my school is late start and I don't teach until 11 am so I will hang out with my barfy daughter this morning, doing the slow & easy fun stuff you get to do on sick days.

1. wear pajamas and slippers (at least until 9:15 for me)
2. color
3. watch kids' PBS
4. eat graham crackers
5. drink blueberry tea from tiny cups
6. color
7. nap on the couch
8. play card games (or if I'm unlucky, succumb to the pleading for "Pretty Pretty Princess")
9. color
10. follow raindrop paths on the window
11. build a chair & pillow fort
12. read magazines (Real Simple for mom, Ranger Rick for the 7-year old - unless there is an article on the Kratt brothers, then we share)
13. lots of snuggling

Read more Thursday Thirteeners here.

thirteen things i'm doing today

Not exciting, but here it is...Maybe it will make your everyday life seem much more interesting

1. not walking around the block at dawn's early light
2. buying folders for my Advocacy (like homeroom) class before school starts
3. making the folders seem like the best, most amazing tool my students have ever seen in their school careers
4. getting these students to actually insert the items I instruct them to within 20 minutes
5. drinking gallons of VitaminWater (<-- click!)
6. teaching metaphors, similes, and imagery (oh my) to the most apathetic freshmen I've ever encountered (yesterday, one's lying on the table during discussion was a vast improvement over his slumping in the chair with his head down; at least his eyes were open and directed toward me)
7. biting my tongue when one of those freshmen tries (again) to insult me with questions about my clothes, hair, glasses, or children
8. locking my classroom door at 2:01 and blasting the 'naughty mom' playlist
9. attaching all 89 of son's Cub Scout badges & pins to his vest before tonight's meeting
10. some kind of dinner
11. taking my best friends to preview the school district's 4th grade 'Human Growth & Health' movie (we'll try not to giggle throughout)
12. having a good grown-up drink (or six)
13. getting a decent night's sleep and thanking God for tomorrow (it's good to be grateful in advance, I've found)

thirteen things i love about the world

Thursday Thirteen ~ Now this is a meme I can get behind!

1. kids laughing till they can't breathe
2. dark chocolate with raisins & walnuts
3. gerber daisies
4. rollercoasters
5. that sharp smell of a fresh rain
6. music
7. harry potter
8. watching squirrels bury their booty
9. swings
10. real smiles
11. fresh berries
12. my man who rubs my shins without complaint
13. it's so big, yet so small

(Thanks, God. You rock).