Wow, I made it!
Another month, another year down! This year was easier than last year....I kept my posts shorter...and I kept them light and easy and I feel good about that. I love having a place for my stories to live....even if I don't really have an audience and no one really reads this, it is a great digital archive. Today, a student asked how old I am...and he guessed that I'm not a day over 27...how flattering...I'll be 39 in two weeks I told him...and he was surprised by that....I don't think kids have a good grasp on age, or maybe I just have a youthful face, LOL Anyway, I'm a little nervous about turning 39, I kinda feel like its the end of an era in a lot of ways, the end of my youth. How perfect to end year 8 of slicing with the end of my 38th year....I'm planning to do it the next to years so that I can have a time capsule of a decade. And that's my slice!
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I mentioned earlier this month that I had won a writing award.
I wanted to share the project here....It’s my first attempt curation, and I enjoyed it immensely. The writing in the presentation is supposed to represent wall text that would be found in a gallery or printed on brochures during the exhibit. So it’s a little technical, but I liked exploring all of the themes: paradoxes, intangibility, space and the sublime. I’m the super-nerd student (I think), I was competing this course during quarantine and had literally nothing else going on. I worked to perfect it for weeks, my only distraction from the stupid media at the time. The process was something I enjoy, taking a lot of information and synthesizing it in a way that makes sense—-seemingly unrelated things brought together to create something new. This year, I achieved one of my goals!
A few years ago, I declared that I would like to teach college classes. And you know what, it isn't that scary. I am an adjunct at Crowder College, and it is pretty fun...almost too easy....Almost not worth the money...I am doing it for my resume and i was pretty proud of myself at first for just getting there...Now, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at all of the time commitment for not a lot of payoff, it is not as rewarding as teaching high school, if I'm being honest. Not one of my students has ever been to an art museum, and they don't really care about art...not really...at least at high school, some of them care a little bit...I can also tell that my college kids are fake laughing and the connection doesn't feel the same as it does with high school.. But, I am proud of myself for getting the position and I am excited for doors it may open in the future for me. Wake up way to early....
Drink orange juice with a little tomato juice from a cold mason jar fresh from the fridge.... Drink a Keurig coffee, black... Eat an egg.... Wake up way to early.... Try to go to the gym... Have nail polish or a nail wrap on my nails.... Take a shower before bed (unless I have a hard workout and also need a morning shower).... Wear silky Victoria Secret pjs to sleep in.... Wear birkenstocks if I don't need warmer shoes.... Wear cute earrings... Drive my Honda Pilot to CJ... Tell my dog Leo he is a good boy.... Enjoy cooking in my new kitchen.... Leave my clothes on the floor after I change like a teenager... Try to do something 'creative.'..... Watch about an hour of t.v....unless I'm too tired.... Curl my hair with the hair straightener... Have a carbonated water.... Try to make a healthy choice... Play wordle... Make a list of things I need to get done.... Sleep with a white noise machine... Past every day I posts.... Spring break is almost over....I hate to complain, getting a whole week off....but I always feel like it is wasted on me....I would rather have a few long weekends. I can never afford to go anywhere and the weather often sucks.
This year, I went to the gym every day... I cooked some yummy meals: ribs, potato salad, beans, cornbread waffles....lamb steaks, and lamb chili with the leftovers. I met up with a few friends: book club, and coffee with Leslie....but I also had to work teaching my class at Crowder and I went up to my classroom technically three times over the course of the week to get ahead next week. The weather was crap, despite getting my bike ready for spring, it was too cold and rainy to go for a ride. I felt busy but in a boring way...I would've rather been traveling or doing something new and fun. Someday: I'd like to spend spring break somewhere tropical, like I was supposed to in 2020. Are there more doors or wheels in the world?
I honestly don't know the answer but it is very debatable. It is so debatable, that it comes up almost every day and there is always a crowd on both sides, willing to argue about how many wheels are on not only every car, but every hot wheel and conveyor belt, vs. how many doors are on every doll house and coffin. Something about the debate feels fresh and innocent. Just a year ago we were fiercely debating masks and vaccines...we are still reeling from those personal hills where we went to die over life or death issues....the doors vs. wheels debate gives us a place in our conversation to fight for something innocent, something the opposite of life or death, but fight with the same vigor and enthusiasm. And I've actually heard people change their minds...after hearing someone argue why there are more doors or wheels....they've been sold over on the idea, after being staunchly team wheel or team door, just minutes before. Its refreshing to see that minds can be changed and hearts can still be open. What shall we take to Christmas dinner with the family?
Do you have a staple meal item that you usually take? I'll never forget the first time my dad agreed to bring deviled eggs to grandma's house for a holiday. Prior to that occasion, I never remember eating deviled eggs...but I vividly remember getting the old betty crocker red and white plaid cook book down from the cabinet over the fridge, opening it up and finding the recipe and then looking in the cupboard to see if we had all of the ingredients. I was very young, and I only knew how to cook a few things at that eggs, but hard boiled eggs were one of the first things I remember learning to make. I raised a few chickens from baby chicks, so we always had lots of eggs around. Once, I started eggs to boil on the stove for a batch of tuna fish and I went out to play and let them boil completely out of water, until one of the eggs exploded all over the kitchen, that was not my finest hour. Now, I've made deviled eggs so many times, I don't look up a recipe, I can just eye-ball the ingredients and throw them together. They are one of my favorite things to make for family dinner. Everyone loves them, and they are a delicate treat. I remember after learning how to make them, trying them at church pot lucks, and figuring out what I did and did not like in a batch of deviled eggs. Recipe: 1 dozen eggs mayo fancy mustard salt vinegar pepper relish or capers paprika Boil Eggs. Eye ball ingredient mixture. Make deviled eggs. I guess we've reached the two year mark into the pandemic. Last year we were still wearing masks and fighting about vaccines...this year, some places are still requiring masks, but the vast majority of the world has completely opened up with no restrictions.
For the most part, everyone is tired of talking about it...tired of giving it energy...tired of thinking about COVID-19...tired of it ruining our plans, and making people sick...Some of my teacher friends are getting their second round of it....even after being vaccinated and getting booster shots. In January, we had to close school for 2 days because we had so many cases at the same time, too many teachers sick, not enough substitutes. I'm not sure what else to say, except that I think with all of the pent up energy from the last year, I think people are looking forward to something new, getting around to all the things they've always wanted to do....enjoying themselves more.... Now we are dealing with extremely high gas prices, the fear of WWIII--Putin has started attacking the Ukraine....and other normal natural disasters like tornados and hurricanes and earthquakes. There is always something to be afraid of.... We kicked off spring break by taking a group of students to Kansas City. It was my first overnight trip with students to a hotel. We stayed for two nights near the Plaza and honestly, everything pretty much went well.
We had a few issues trying to get reservations for dinner the first night, but eventually we figured out that we just need to pick places to each where everyone can eat whatever they like because if we don't, then some just won't eat. Food courts, multiple restaurants, whatever it takes to satisfy the most people. I encouraged everyone to bring snacks to keep in their rooms. And wear comfortable shoes: NO PLATFORMS, way too much walking. I threatened them with calling their parents or the police if we thought they might be using drugs or drinking on the trip. We also brought henna so they could have fun and something to do in their rooms at night. They brought video games and card games and were content with swimming and the hotel gym. They really wanted a hotel with a hot tub in the future. We realized that we need to make sure we have the parking all figured out for the bus before we leave town sometimes they require a parking permit from the city. I warned them at the beginning of the trip they needed to be respectful in all situations as we are representing CJ, not just our school but our community...and resilient, something always goes wrong on every trip and we have to be able to roll with it, to not complain and to try to get along with everyone. Try to make a new friend! I learned that I need to get the credit limit raised on the credit card before we leave town, so that the hotel charges will actually go through. Overall, we had very little drama and for the most part everyone showed up where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. I can't wait to plan the next trip! Straight from one warm ear canal to another, the shared air pod floats between friends.
Such an intimate thing, the little white orb pumping the beats, traded and inserted, heads bobbing to the same rhythm from across the room, a sound only two can hear. The magic of bluetooth, unwired, discreet, hidden below a waterfall of hair....what are they really listening to? Are they actually on a phone call? Sometimes.... Sometimes, they trade...swap one for the other so they can listen into each other's phones and hear all of the messages coming and going. I marvel at how far we've come, and I'm a little scared of where we are going with technology.... |
Mrs. Mitchell
This is my 'slice of life' blog. Archives
March 2020
My Art Teacher Blog:
This Little Class of Mine CategoriesOther Slice Blogs:
For Good I Like Big Books Life is a Slice The Cardinal Way KochUnaSlice YouWannaPieceofMeBlog Dr. Zornes' Slice of Life Sunshine Rays Two Writing Teachers Favorite Everyday Writer: Reesie Writes |