http://ourstory.com/story.html?v=171959 Ourstory.com http://media.ourstory.com/95/91/71/c1e159e636c6b87b7971281a64a24ae1c1e7c3d2/d1cbfd08d75fabb93be728c5aae77464a6bae20f-t.jpg http://ourstory.com/story.html?v=171959 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=462824 mariwa-94 The first love meme hit the LJ comment limit, so we've moved to a new post. Go love me and get yourself some love. ;)I stayed home from work today due to the fever I came down with last night that started low, got higher, and then hung around for half the night. I don't seem to have one right now, but I feel kind of crappy due to spending half the night feverish, and I want to give myself a day to fight off whatever the fever was trying to fight off, so I can be healthy tomorrow and not infect anyone. Maybe I will sit here until I finish my Christmas shopping and plan lessons for the rest of December, and then I will watch whatever my current Netflix disc is. Exciting!Meanwhile, I've been reading the Cosmo-related posts on Jezebel here (hey, I was looking for a thing and found myself reading a bunch of tagged entries - I'm sick, you know how it goes ;)) and that got me thinking about the days when I sometimes read a Cosmo while volunteering at the hospital. And they really are that stupid. See Kate White in USA Today:"Cover lines on Cosmo are paramount, because they help sell, in a good month, 2 million copies on newsstands alone. On the upcoming August cover, which she's still massaging, White points to one'Erotic sex!'that she says is a grabber. 'We've used the word 'sex' in a lot of combinations, but we've never said 'erotic sex' before. I like the idea of the reader going, 'Oooh, erotic sex,' 'White says, a gleam in her eye."OOOH EROTIC SEX. This month, Cosmo is promoting "sexy sex", with helpful, innovative tips such as "Have sex doggy-style" (and they explain how that is done!!), and "have sex in the shower". Also, did you know saliva can be a fun lubricant if applied through the magic of oral sex? Or that men often masturbate frequently (HOW ABOUT THE LADIES COSMO)? Is Cosmo actually for people who've never had sex and have also been living under a rock their entire lives? It's a little weird, actually. I'd love for someone to do a study about this. Like, every single issue is full of these brilliant sex tips - I wonder how many they are actually using and how many times they have been repeated over time. Okay, more tea now. Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:29:50 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=462824 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=462127 mariwa-94 I did like a needy sheep and participated in an anonymous LJ love meme. Leave me some anonymous love, if you would. Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:07:17 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=462127 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=461521 mariwa-94 Today I played floor hockey and jumped rope with the 6th grade (and the music teacher). Also, though I missed the actual program this was related to, I got to watch kids do Norwegian dances with a bunch of real live Norwegians. My job is made of win. :)PS - I have about 4 million cookies to frost. And also, I am in love with Robert Downey Jr., thanks to Ally McBeal and re-listening to him singing "River" OMG OMG OMG. Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:24:07 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=461521 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=461516 mariwa-94 Today I played floor hockey and jumped rope with the 6th grade (and the music teacher). Also, though I missed the actual program this was related to, I got to watch kids do Norwegian dances with a bunch of real live Norwegians. My job is made of win. :)PS - I have about 4 million cookies to frost. And also, I am in love with Robert Downey Jr., thanks to Ally McBeal and re-listening to him singing "River" OMG OMG OMG. Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:18:25 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=461516 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=460871 mariwa-94 I assume we are one of few households that finds themselves with songs from "Rent" on their Christmas-y playlists. I was making sugar cookie dough just now and getting my Christmas on...and also reveling in the angst of 20somethings with relationship troubles and HIV. It was kind of fun, actually. ;) But don't worry, we've moved on to Charlie Brown.Ryan and I walked down the road and bought a Christmas tree a couple of hours ago, which we lugged home and stood up in the living room to thaw out. Note to self: next year, buy a saw and go cut your own - the nice old people down the road are very cute and nice, and they think we are charming when we walk down the road with a tree, but their trees are kind of dry and cutting one is just better. However, this will do, and it smells pretty, so it's all good.Kelly has made me a warm sambuca-based beverage, and I have flour on my face. Next up: making potato latkes for dinner.Some of these things were actually on my to-do list. Hee. :) Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:04:37 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=460871 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459707 mariwa-94 Good news: I am not insane today, nor am I moody and weird. I got through the crazybusiest day of my week in a fairly organized fashion even though my assistant went home sick, and there was no staff meeting when there would normally have been a staff meeting. A bespectacled kindergartener complimented my clothes ("I like your clothes today, Ms F"), which tells you I was rocking bright colors and extraneous shiny things. Then I came home to a croissant with Nutella. Oh, and also, there are no mice in our towels! Life is good.I have started a holiday stories unit with the younger kids, since it turns out we have 4 count-'em-4 weeks until Christmas break. We are reading Christmas and Hanukkah stories and reading about traditions all over the world, etc. etc., so we can talk about "text to self connections" and "personal narratives" and diversity and things. I have now read the story of Befana/Babushka several times, and gotten small children to "interpret" Christmas/winter poetry ("what do you think it means when the girl says that snowflakes erase the world?") This is actually putting me in the mood for Christmas-y things. Which reminds me that I have some serious preparing to do and very little time to do it, oh my gosh.I think it may be time to make lists of things to do. Or perhaps take a bath, and then make lists of things to do. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:05:35 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459707 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459705 mariwa-94 Good news: I am not insane today, nor am I moody and weird. I got through the crazybusiest day of my week in a fairly organized fashion even though my assistant went home sick, and there was no staff meeting when there would normally have been a staff meeting. A bespectacled kindergartener complimented my clothes ("I like your clothes today, Ms F"), which tells you I was rocking bright colors and extraneous shiny things. Then I came home to a croissant with Nutella. Oh, and also, there are no mice in our towels! Life is good.I have started a holiday stories unit with the younger kids, since it turns out we have 4 count-'em-4 weeks until Christmas break. We are reading Christmas and Hanukkah stories and reading about traditions all over the world, etc. etc., so we can talk about "text to self connections" and "personal narratives" and diversity and things. I have now read the story of Befana/Babushka several times, and gotten small children to "interpret" Christmas/winter poetry ("what do you think it means when the girl says that snowflakes erase the world?") This is actually putting me in the mood for Christmas-y things. Which reminds me that I have some serious preparing to do and very little time to do it, oh my gosh.I think it may be time to make lists of things to do. Or perhaps take a bath, and then make lists of things to do. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:03:59 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459705 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459701 mariwa-94 Good news: I am not insane today, nor am I moody and weird. I got through the crazybusiest day of my week in a fairly organized fashion even though my assistant went home sick, and there was no staff meeting when there would normally have been a staff meeting. A bespectacled kindergartener complimented my clothes ("I like your clothes today, Ms F"), which tells you I was rocking bright colors and extraneous shiny things. Then I came home to a croissant with Nutella. Oh, and also, there are no mice in our towels! Life is good.I have started a holiday stories unit with the younger kids, since it turns out we have 4 count-'em-4 weeks until Christmas break. We are reading Christmas and Hanukkah stories and reading about traditions all over the world, etc. etc., so we can talk about "text to self connections" and "personal narratives" and diversity and things. I have now read the story of Befana/Babushka several times, and gotten small children to "interpret" Christmas/winter poetry ("what do you think it means when the girl says that snowflakes erase the world?") This is actually putting me in the mood for Christmas-y things. Which reminds me that I have some serious preparing to do and very little time to do it, oh my gosh.I think it may be time to make lists of things to do. Or perhaps take a bath, and then make lists of things to do. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:59:10 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459701 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459690 mariwa-94 Good news: I am not insane today, nor am I moody and weird. I got through the crazybusiest day of my week in a fairly organized fashion even though my assistant went home sick, and there was no staff meeting when there would normally have been a staff meeting. A bespectacled kindergartener complimented my clothes ("I like your clothes today, Ms F"), which tells you I was rocking bright colors and extraneous shiny things. Then I came home to a croissant with Nutella. Oh, and also, there are no mice in our towels! Life is good.I have started a holiday stories unit with the younger kids, since it turns out we have 4 count-'em-4 weeks until Christmas break. We are reading Christmas and Hanukkah stories and reading about traditions all over the world, etc. etc., so we can talk about "text to self connections" and "personal narratives" and diversity and things. I have now read the story of Befana/Babushka several times, and gotten small children to "interpret" Christmas/winter poetry ("what do you think it means when the girl says that snowflakes erase the world?") This is actually putting me in the mood for Christmas-y things. Which reminds me that I have some serious preparing to do and very little time to do it, oh my gosh.I think it may be time to make lists of things to do. Or perhaps take a bath, and then make lists of things to do. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:55:15 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459690 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459125 mariwa-94 Mice ate our toilet paper, and the ends of all our Q-tips. No, really! We think they might be living in our towels. Later tonight, I will work up the guts to look. Think of me, bravely venturing into the cupboard of doom!I hope everyone had a nice Ritual Sacrifice With Pie Weekend. I actually did, complete with minimal stress. I'm noticing something lately, though...being all busy and around a bunch of people for days is great, but then being home again leaves me sort of melancholy and needy for a day or two afterwards. It isn't like I want to be around quite that many people 24/7, so I don't think it's that. Still, it's happened more than once, lately. Maybe it's exhaustion. Maybe it's hormones. Whatever it is, I am slightly off today, but I'm doing my best to behave myself and get through it. Meanwhile, I started reading "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing" today, the full title of which is "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party" today. Yes, that is a whole lot of title. I've only just started, but it's quite interesting and ambitious...much like its enormous title? I'm not sure if the kids will get it or not, but I withhold further judgment until I've read more than 20-something pages.I am off to boldly unroll some towels. If there are exciting results, I will let you know. Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:45:29 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=459125 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=458443 mariwa-94 I am *so* cranky, and I do not know why! I am annoyed by everything, I am stressed out, and either Ryan is being very grouchy too or I just think he is because I am so cranky. Or both. Later, I will probably eat ice cream and blare music or watch TV to feel better, but I am not ready to feel better yet. I am wallowing in cranky.In the Things That Should Improve My Mood Department, I just successfully made chocolate pudding for the first time ever. Last time I tried was a couple of years ago, and it came out lumpy. Ew. This pudding, however, is smooth and lovely, if perhaps a bit too sweet. It is bound for a chocolate pie, just as soon as the piecrust is baked.Grr arrgh. It doesn't help. Join me, friendly people. Get your crank on. Is Thanksgiving bringing you down? Are there just too many damn things to do before tomorrow ohmygod? Did you have a bad day? Commiserate with me. Share your sorrows.And - if you're one of those cheerful types - give me something to smile about when I come back after dinner with a lot less crankiness and more of a tolerance for that sort of thing (hopefully). Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:41:52 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=458443 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=457669 mariwa-94 I love the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks, for showing me things like this. That is a grammatical acrobatic feat that I simply could not have fathomed - until now. (This reminds me, vaguely, of the 7th grader writing a persuasion paper who wrote the sentence "Homework kills the saying of childhood." Repeatedly. No, I didn't know what that meant until he eventually explained it to me (he was trying to say that he thinks homework robs students of their childhood). When I initially pointed out that sentence as possibly needing some work, he said "Hmm...you think I shouldn't use the word "kill", right?")I started keeping track of what I eat, so I know if I am getting enough delicious nutrients. I am using SparkPeople.com, and I am learning that a) I do not get enough folate or iron from just my food (I do take supplments), and I just barely get enough protein, and b) I do not ever drink 8 cups of water a day, even when I am making an effort. Also, their daily caloric goal for me, based, I guess, on my sex, weight, and height, is 1350-1700. I eat more like 1800-1900. at least based on the few days I have actually put down everything I ate. But I keep hovering around the same weight and sometimes losing a few pounds randomly, so I don't really know what is up with that. And 1350 seems like a really, really low number. What is up there, I wonder?I am now one-third through my work week. It was a crazy busy day, but I got a lot done. And I came home, made chili for the crockpot extravaganza at work tomorrow, and did pilates with Kelly so as to become super strong. I feel accomplished! Now I would like to sleep for the next two days. Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:54:05 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=457669 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=456960 mariwa-94 I have spent the evening making phone calls, working a bit, and catching up on my Google Reader while half-watching Heroes (dude, I am SO OVER the Ancient China thing, already!)Things I have found:Joss on the WGA strike and also Joss on the WGA strike again, this time with "Aly and Alexis and young Boreanaz" and also candy bars. Additionally, pencils down means pencils down. I have plenty of DVD watching to do, anyway.Legs and Boots: download mp3s of any show from Tori's current tour for $10 a pop. After reading tenar's reviews of some of the Midwest shows, I got the Milwaukee show yesterday and will be getting last night's Chicago show as soon as it's up. I think I sorta missed the northeast leg of this tour, so this is my consolation prize.This week is going really slowly. I had a perfectly good day, but as I was sitting through a really long staff meeting this afternoon, I was wondering why tomorrow wasn't at least Thursday. How can it only be Tuesday today? I just don't understand.And with that inane observation, I'm going to go read until I pass out. Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:30:55 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=456960 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=456474 mariwa-94 Through great feats of utter sloth, a cup of tea, and several albums of music, I have finally caught up with Scary Go Round. It is a bittersweet day, for now I do not have all kinds of Scary Go Round to enjoy in big piles, but must read them one at a time like the rest of you. However, I feel accomplished, having spent the afternoon writing my budget proposal for work, and reading a webcomic for hours. Accomplished, indeed.I have done some healing today. I know, because I found myself dancing in my usual bouncy, Muppet-like fashion this afternoon. This bodes well. I still have some voice issues, though - meaning, I don't have much of one. I am sure it will be a super sexy voice after shouting over the music at the junior high dance tonight! Awww yeah.Now to put away laundry to the sounds of the new Britney album. Do not judge me, friendslist! I am an exclamation point! Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:44:47 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=456474 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=456466 mariwa-94 Through great feats of utter sloth, a cup of tea, and several albums of music, I have finally caught up with Scary Go Round. It is a bittersweet day, for now I do not have all kinds of Scary Go Round to enjoy in big piles, but must read them one at a time like the rest of you. However, I feel accomplished, having spent the afternoon writing my budget proposal for work, and reading a webcomic for hours. Accomplished, indeed.I have done some healing today. I know, because I found myself dancing in my usual bouncy, Muppet-like fashion this afternoon. This bodes well. I still have some voice issues, though - meaning, I don't have much of one. I am sure it will be a super sexy voice after shouting over the music at the junior high dance tonight! Awww yeah.Now to put away laundry to the sounds of the new Britney album. Do not judge me, friendslist! I am an exclamation point! Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:39:27 +0000 http://ourstory.com/thread.html?t=456466