Here She Is Miss Hodgepodge



It is that time again to join Joyce and answer some hodgepodge-y questions. C'mon you know you want to join in.  Everyone's doing it!

1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be?

Yeah...no I didn't watch, but I heard that Miss Iowa made it to the final 12 or so.  The talent portions would be the least of my problems...it's easy, I'd sing.  It's the looking good in high heels and a bikini, being able to walk down stairs and not look at the floor, and answering the world peace questions that I would find hard.  Talent, piece of cake.

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake?

None and if I did they would be fake, and I'd probably kill those too.
3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student?

Oh, please.  My teachers hid and avoided eye contact with me and prayed that I didn't raise my hand.  I thought I had all the answers and no fear.  Yeah, not a great combo for a teacher. 
4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year...what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food?

Oh, my goodness I love Chinese food.  I love egg rolls, fried wontons, and egg drop soup.  My main dish is really anything, but my favorite is shrimp with lobster sauce.  Expensive taste huh?
5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle?

I really believe that everyday and every breath is a miracle.  The birth of my children, the sunrise, the sunset, the fact that I found the love of my life again after 20 years, the fact that I was diagnosed with no-doubt-about-it cancer and having it turn out to be cysts.  The fact that Rich's daughter chose to live with us.  I have so many miracles in my life that it would take a miracle to get them all down on paper. 
6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here.

Colors of the Wind.  I cannot listen to that without shedding a tear.  Love that song and the message.  I mean, c'mon "how high does the Sycamore grow if you cut it down you'll never know"...where is my hankie.
7. I should have _____________ yesterday.

hugged my family more
8. In Summary:  I am a big old sap.  I cry at Disney songs, find miracles in the mundane, and need more hugs.  It is very obvious, however, that I do know my limitations.  I can't walk in a bikini and heels, I kill plants, have a lot to say, and can't say no to some crab meat rangoons and saki.  It is a well-rounded life.

More Later

- A Ro

The Good Life

Well, believe it or not I am actually ready to go back to school tomorrow and start the new semester.  My choirs will be starting to rehearse for a new concert, the musical will start rehearsals, and I will have a new section of Middle School Chorus to get to know.  How could one not be excited??

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my LONG weekend very much.  I loved hanging out with my kids and bonus kids.  Well...most of them.  My sixteen year old had a busy social life and wasn't home much, but I hear that is the way it goes.  I am sure it is just a normal thing.  A professor once said that really in order for the world to survive our children must swim away from the small gene pool of the family and go to the larger gene pool of the world.  Now I liken this to knowing that going to the dentist is important, but dreading the thought.  Yeah...that gene pool of the world has a lot of pain too.

I enjoyed seeing A Joyful Noise with Bella.  It was nice to get out just the two of us and hang out.  Sarah and Rich made a date for mid February when the new Nick Cage movie Ghost Rider 2 comes out...yeah no thanks.  Give me Queen Latifa, Dolly Parton and gospel music over ghosts and skulls from the underworld whose sole purpose is to stop the human race,any day.

Do I hear an Amen Sistah??

I enjoyed the opportunity to have the time to cook some great meals.

I enjoyed sneaking away for a few hours to grab coffee with my hubby.

I enjoyed taking a long walk to Starbucks with the girls only to have to call Andrew to come get us after we couldn't bear the long walk home.  (Thanks Andrew)

I enjoyed watching free TV shows and reading free books on my new Kindle.

I enjoyed tolerated getting my boo-hiney kicked by BOTH of my brothers on Words With Friends.

I enjoyed finally knitting some more of my blanket.

I even enjoyed working around the house and organizing the heck out of it.  Yeah...those who really know me know that I REALLY enjoyed having the time to do that.  Don't believe me I'll show you my Tupperware cupboard.

I enjoyed playing a new game with the family last night, (and winning).

I know hard to believe that I would want to give up all that for the stress of the new semester.  I know that all sounds great but I've got work to do, kids to teach, and music to make.

Yeah...I really do have it all don't I?

More Later

- A Ro

The Creepy Clowns are the Least of My Worries

I have always hated the circus.  I know that you must be thinking it is the clowns, because most people have this idea that clowns are creepy.  I used to have that idea, when I was little, but now the clowns are actually the only part that I can handle.  What I really hate, besides the whole cruelty to animals part, is the fact that most of the circus is comprised of acts that "defy death".  Could someone please explain to me how something that is death defying could possibly be entertaining?  Do people really enjoy watching someone do something that could potentially result in witnessing someone die?

I do not enjoy such activities. 

People tell me that they "know what they are doing".  They tell me that "everything will be OK".  They tell me that the "chances of something going wrong are next to none"

Tell that to Sigmund or Roy (I can't remember which one)

Tell that to the passengers of The Hindenburg.

Tell that to the lady that bungee jumped over the crocodile infested waters only to have the rope break forcing her to swim with her feet tied together.

Tell that to Russell Brand and Katy Perry.

No.thank.you.

So you can imagine my horror when I was told that our last assembly before finals would be the Peking acrobats.

Yup.  I had to face my fears and watch, in my own auditorium, ten feet away from me, on the floor in front of the stage no less, this: (This isn't the actual performance, but this is what the guy did.)


By this point I was begging him to stop.  I was trying to convince him that I knew he was talented, and he didn't need to do anything else, but no, he did this:


Needless to say I was completely out of my mind.

My students told me later that my behavior was more entertaining than the acrobat.


Andrew told me afterwards that he had no more nervous left in him for finals.

My colleague who was standing next to me told me he was needing to go home and take a nap due to my assembly behavior.

I was excused from attending all further "death defying" assemblies.

Amen.

More Later

- A Ro

The Limited Edition Hodgepodge

Joining Joyce this Wednesday for the Hodgepodge which means two things.  You get to know me a little better and my blog post on my traumatic morning with the Beijing Acrobats will have to wait until tomorrow.  Click on the link above and head on over to participate too...its OK your normal post can wait another day.

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance. Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

OK I have to admit that I haven't heard of most of those phrases.  Is that a good thing??  I really hate thank you in advance as it is very presumptuous.  I love ginormous as it is an Elf reference.  But win the future and pet parent???  What the heck do those mean?  Must poll my high schoolers immediately...OK after finals, but very soon.

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

This is a hard question.  I am more embarrassed when other people make a fool of themselves more so than when I do.  I hate watching people be pranked like Punked or Candid Camera.  I hate being around someone who is being an idiot and doing foolish things.  Me on the other hand, I am known for saying silly things and tripping over my own feet, so I am used to that.

3. What is your go-to snack?

I love dried fruit and nuts.  I also love whole edamame.  I got Rich some whole walnuts and a nutcracker for Christmas so I have been into those lately.  I usually snack healthy, but would love to be able to grab a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, but they don't agree with my hips.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction?

Timely question as I just paid the final deposit to send my son to the Model UN conference in Washington DC this February.  He was invited to attend to represent our school, and he is really excited, as a matter of fact this is the most excitedt I think he has been over anything.  I, on the other hand, will keep wishing to see the sights.  The Second Night at the Museum movie makes me want to see all of the Smithsonian museums, and the Lincoln Memorial.  The Dan Brown book Lost Symbols makes me want to see the Capital Rotunda and Washington Monument.  Maybe I'll just stow away...nah he'd kill me.

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least?

hmmm hate the least, I think sit ups would be the thing I hate the least although I am very bad at them.  After I had my spleen taken out I never really rehabilitated my ab muscles so they are a struggle.  However, you do them laying down...that is a good enough reason to be better, right??

6. What's a small act of kindness you were shown that you've never forgotten?

These questions are hard as it makes me have to REMEMBER things.  OK...nothing comes to mind, but one time Rich motioned a lady to turn right in front of him in a long line of cars and as she was waving frantically at him thanking him for his kindness she plowed into the car in front of her.  Yeah...random acts of kindness sometimes backfire.  I do love the pay it forward adage and I am sure I have been on the receiving end of some of that.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?
 
I would like to say that my medication I take for thyroid disease is the reason I don't donate, but in reality it is my big aversion to needles.  I am, however, on the Be the Match register.  I have had bone marrow taken from my hip and at one point in my life was reminded of the importance of bone marrow. 

8.  In Summary:  It is obvious that I am only as hip as Elf, Night at the Museum and The Lost Symbol.  I am only get embarrassed because the guy in line next to me knocks over the entire display of candy.  I am only interested in exercises that I associate with sleeping.  I have a weakness for Cool Ranch Doritos and an aversion to needles.  Yep my limitations are really well rounded.

More Later

- A Ro

And Then I Set the Chicken on Fire

The only reason that Blogger is not dead to me is that I got our crummy old laptop to finally connect to the internet.  You see we have one computer in the family room that is shared by two adults and two pre-teens.  (I'll give you three guesses as to who gets more computer time and the first two don't count)  AND to add to the problem when I finally found the window of opportunity between watching youtube of videos of Glee and Club Penguin, Blogger decided to not cooperate.  So thankfully our laptop decided to cooperate or you would have started to wonder where the heck A-Ro went to (not that you haven't thought that a hunderd times in the past month)

But enough of the excuses.

This weekend started out great only after we spent a trillion dollars to get the water pump fixed on my car.  Thankfully Rich had the day off and it didn't pull the driving-on-the-101-break-down-in-the-carpool-lane-at-rush-hour breakdown, it gave me some warning.  So besides the fact We're back to eating college dinner menus, it wasn't so painful.  The great weekend truly started that night at dinner. Rich and I had a date night at our favorite shee shee fru fru restaurant, that if not for the cheap happy hour and gift certificate from a faboulous student, we would never go.  It was so nice to sit and chat and do a little gazing and cooing...ok not really all that much gazing and cooing but a lot of chatting.  We did a little shoping and coffee drinking and got home by 9:00 and in bed by 10:00.  We are such the party animals.

Saturday morning was full of errands and picking up the golden car.  Rich had been complaining of his eye hurting and quite frankly I just added it to the elbow, knees, and back aches that my fabulous husband has been complaining about.  No big deal, just a sty or an eyelash.  So by the time I had started de-Christmas-ing our house Rich decided he needed to go to urgent care.  He clearly understood my manic need to finally put our Christmas decorations away because he didn't even ask me to go with him.  I figured that the doctor would take one look at his eye tell him to go put a warm compress on it, give him a lollypop, pat him on the head and demand that he go home and help his wife take down the tree and get the chicken on the grill.  However, after taking down all the decorations, breaking two ornaments, and wrestling our big tree out to the garage I realize there is no sign of Rich.  So, I decide to text him, see if he is sporting an eyepatch, and find out how to start the grill.  He tells me he is still waiting and gave me the instructions on how to start the grill.  I do EXACTLY what he says, start the potatoes and the lentil salad and go out to put the chicken on the grill as it has been 20 minutes since I lit the grill and the coals needed to be spread out the the chicken put on. 

Next thing I know the chicken is full-out on fire.  I yelled something (probably R rated) and out comes Justin to find me standing next to the grill which is now completely ablaze.  I grab the hose and turn it on only to realize that the nozzle is locked in the "on" position and by realize I mean squirt me straight in the face.  I threw the hose down and said some more R rated words.  Justin calmly un-locked the hose and I proceeded to douse the chicken.  We both stood their for a few seconds and just stared at the drenched grill not knowing whether to laugh or cry when he said something to the effect of "well I guess that solved the problem".

As I was driving off to the store to get some more meat Rich called, which instantly started the waterworks.  I couldn't get a coherent word out of my mouth through all the tears.  Thankfully he is an air traffic controller and had the necessary skills to talk me down.

As it turns out he had a small round object on his pupil.

Not that I would wish pain on the man I love, but it is a good thing something was seriously wrong.

...enough said.

More Later

- A Ro

Ring in the Hodgepodge!!

 

Going to join the Hodgepodge this week to keep my streak of 2 posts, plus I love the Hodgepodge.  Head on over to Joyce's and link up, and pat me on the back for my streak!!

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

roller-coaster (one word right?) speedy and blessed. 

2. Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared?

LOVE shrimp when I don't think about what kind of bottom feeder creature it is.  I love it in a shrimp cocktail, scampi, grilled, salads, and any other way you can prepare it.

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

Oh how you mock me with this question.  No my house is not de-Christmased.  I had one day turn around from leaving for Iowa on Christmas day to starting work.  It will drive me nutsoid until I do, which will probably be this weekend.

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?

Is Chevy Chase in scary movies?  I didn't think so.  So the answer would be no.  As a matter of fact the answer would be a huge NO.  I am not paying $11.50 for the ticket, $25.00 for popcorn and soda, and $9.50 for Junior Mints to have the beegeezus scared out of me.  no.thank.you.

5. ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?

I would have to say sledding, however, I do not like to be cold so I try to stay away from all of the above activities.

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.

There was a corner of my yard where the way the hedges came together made a small triangular space.  I had many dreams of how I would decorate it, if I had the means and the opportunity...none of which I had.  So it consisted of a wooden stool and some toys.

7. What's a place or space that motivates you?
hmmm...My Mom's house in Iowa makes me motivated to provide for my family the way she does.  My classroom motivates me to be the best educator I can be.

8.  In Summary:
2011 was an amazing year, but 2012 is the year for me to be all I can be.  It will more than likely not have any sort of winter sports, or scary movies in it, but hopefully a lot of shrimp!! It is obvious that I was thinking about my house and how it would be even when the walls were green and leafy, but my current house is a place or space that is definitely motivating me to take down my Christmas decorations.

More Later

- A Ro

Happy New Year (Sorta)

Returned to work today.  Spent an amazing week with my family.  Spent the first Christmas with my new family.  Rang in the New Year with most of my family both old and new.  Would like to include in my New Year's resolutions a vow to blog everyday because a) I miss you all and b) I would like to stop my family from asking "Why haven't you blogged, we miss seeing what you are up to everyday?" but, I fear that expectation would go by the wayside along with my vow to never eat sugar again.  At least, these goals are lofty and will more than likely make me "better" at said vows.

That being said I can't wait to show off a few pictures from my hiatus.

Finally a picture of all of us.  What a good looking group!!

Oh my goodness how they all grow up...especially that tall one in the middle...sigh.

Yep...she just got cuter...

...has found a new best friend...

...and loves to love.  She loved Zona our very old dog.  This picture is so very speical to me because Zona was with my Dad when he died and I would like to think that he is watching this scene with a very happy soul.

Finally my new Kindle.  Thanks honey!!  I love it.  I may or may not now be able to play Words With Friends at work...watch out!!

I hope your Holidays were wonderful and you are well on your way to a Happy New Year!!

Now if you'll excuse me I have a few blogs to catch up on.

More Later

- A Ro