So I know that I haven't posted anything in pretty much forever. I have been living up the summer and have hardly had any time for blogging. However, most of you who read this also keep up with me on Facebook, so it's not like I've been all that far away.
Summer school ended before July 4, and that's when my summer break started. Jer and Jill and their girls drove in on July 11 and we had a fun couple of days. I got my wisdom teeth pulled July 13 and everything went really well. In fact, on the 14th, I helped judge a Harry Potter costume contest at the Hogsmeade Festival event at the South Jordan Megaplex, then saw the midnight showing! In spite of what anyone says, I think they did a pretty good job with the movie. I don't envy the screenwriters the task they were handed with that one!
On the 15th, I got to help take my parents and Jer and his family to the airport. They went to Hawaii on Jer's many miles that he racks up on his numerous business trips. I came home and took a nap, and realized that my mouth was really starting to hurt. The rest of my teeth had realized that there was a lot more room to stretch out, so they started settling into the new space. I stayed on ibuprofen for nearly a week while that sorted itself out, and I read and watched a lot of TV, mostly the first two seasons of Dexter, and played a lot of Sims 3. I did manage to stay fairly active during this time, meeting friends for Spoon Me frozen yogurt and keeping my mom's very active raspberries picked. I continued experimenting with the Indian food and made matar paneer, a tomato-mint sauce with peas.
By the time Jer and Jill came back two weeks later, on the 28, I was ready for some fun! Wii Sports resort came out just before they arrived, so Al and I picked one up and we had some good times with it on my parents' big screen. Wakeboarding and swordfighting were favorites. Al and I really enjoy frisbee golf, even though we're not all that good at it.
Ash and her boys arrived the next day and the craziness ensued! We played video games, went to movies, celebrated Madi's 8th birthday and attended her baptism. My friend Dave, who you all either know personally or remember as my best man, came to catch up and he took mom for a ride on his Harley! We also shopped and did lunch up at the Gateway in Salt Lake and the kids played in the Olympic Plaza fountain.
I was thrilled to have Molly acknowledge my existence. At Christmas, I got a hug the night before they left. Then in April, she tolerated me by letting me hold her yet pointedly ignored me. It was so fun to have her say my name, snuggle with me, and even call me on the phone to sing the Elmo's World theme song! I couldn't get enough of her.
We hosted a s'more party last Thursday night and I had the brilliant and well-received idea to have the traditional fare, but also coconut and strawberry marshmallows, as well as Mounds, Almond Joys, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Delicious! Al has taken to calling it "S'moremet."
Jer and Jill left last Saturday, so it's down to just Ash and the boys. Kyle is a speedster on his bike and likes to call people "dude," which I find amusing. Kody likes to be in charge and we recently learned that he has no problem sticking up for the underdog. I think he might end up in law enforcement.
Al and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on Sunday. We are headed to Vegas with my mom, Jeff, Ashley, Ashley, and the boys at the end of the week, so our actual anniversary wasn't that big of a deal. We went to MaCool's for brunch with Al's mom, who we hadn't seen in an unacceptably long time. Al needs new dress shoes, so we went over to DSW where I discovered their clearance event going on (you know I have to blog about this!). 30% off already clearance prices. I spent $60 on three pairs and saved $170. I was the only one who ended up with shoes.
Al didn't feel too badly about that because he's started collecting golf stuff. He's been out three times and is really enjoying it, so he's investing in his own gear. He found a great set of used irons for $260 the day before the anniversary. We spent the rest of the day with my parents, sister, and nephews. We watched Knowing. I'm telling you right now, don't waste your time. Or watch the first 3/4 and make up your own ending.
I have enjoyed summer movie season. I ended up seeing Harry Potter three times. I mostly liked Transformers, but was annoyed at Megan Fox as well as the huge leaps they took from the actual Transformer mythology. I really liked GI Joe. The Proposal was funny, but predictable...your typical romantic comedy.
Today, Al and I are heading up to Brigham City to celebrate my grandparents' 70th wedding anniversary. I think that's just amazing. Congratulations to them!
We'll be doing some shopping at the Park City Outlet Mall tomorrow, and I'm sure we have something going on Thursday. Who knows? Then Friday-Tuesday is Vegas and I go back to school on Wednesday. So much for summer...
That's the Cliff's Notes version. I'm leaving a lot out, but this post has gone on long enough for now. If you'd like to see pictures, please visit my Facebook "Familypalooza" album. I'll be adding more photos as the fun continues!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=99809&id=750332531
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Culinary Adventures--An American White Girl Makes Indian Food
It all started with paneer. This is a yummy cottage-cheese-type product that is a staple in Indian food. It's very firm and maintains its shape instead of melting. I've thoroughly enjoyed it every time I've ordered a dish that contained it.
It seemed easy enough to make, and as it turns out, it was. I took a gallon of skim milk and heated it on medium until it boiled. It has to boil, not just simmer. I stirred occasionally and did other things while I was waiting patiently for it to boil--and it takes a long time, I'm guessing 40 minutes or so; I should have paid more attention. Once boiling, I added 8 TBSP of lemon juice, which curdles the milk. I took it off the heat, stirred it well and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to finish curdling. Then I poured it into a strainer lined with cheesecloth, covered the top with the cheesecloth, and pushed on it with the back of my wooden spoon to squish out the remaining whey (liquid). After a minute or two, I could get in there comfortably with my hands. To really get it drained, I put it on a cookie sheet, filled the pot with water for weight, and put the pot on top of the cheese for about 20 minutes. (I put a clean dish towel between the cheese and the pot, just in case.) I ended up with some mighty nice, fat-free paneer. A gallon of milk got me about a pound of cheese. Not bad...cheese for about $2.50-$3.00 per pound.
Once I knew I could make the paneer happen, I started looking up recipes. I love saag paneer, so that was one of the recipes I searched. I needed something that was fairly simple and didn't call for a bunch of weird ingredients that I'd have to find and order online. The one I finally settled on was from the Food Network page: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/saag-paneer-recipe/index.html.
I appreciated that it gave the recipe for ghee, a clarified butter product. I have seen it at the natural food store I frequent, but it's rather expensive. But given the high fat content, I decided to substitute plain old butter for the ghee, a common switcheroo that I came across quite often in my recipe research. I also used about half of what the recipe called for--just enough to get my paneer cooked and the veggies sauteed. My paneer didn't actually brown, though. I think it might be because it was non-fat or because I used butter instead of ghee, or maybe a little of both. It was still fabulous, though.
The Food Network site also gave a recipe for curry, which I might use in the future. This time, I used a hot curry powder I'd gotten at the New World Market and already had on hand. In the end, it wasn't quite as hot as I'd prefer, but it was a nice slow burn that still let you taste the food.
I made a little adjustment to the recipe by throwing in a couple of handfuls of sliced almonds. It gave a little texture and tasted awesome. I've had this before in restaurants with dates in there as well, so maybe that will be a next time thing. (And by dates I mean the fruit, not the boys I went to Indian restaurants with.)
A couple of other next-time things: The fat-free paneer was good, but it had a squeaky texture to it. I'll probably use 2% milk next time to get some creamy-ness back in. I'll also use more spinach and yogurt to give it a more sauce-like texture. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll blend the spinach and veggies as well. They do that at the Bombay Grill and it's pretty good!
Now for the side dishes!
At the natural food store, I found brown basmati rice. I'd never cooked it before, so I used their ratio and time setting: 2 parts water to 1 part rice, wash rice, put in boiling water, simmer covered for 40-50 minutes. When the rice was done cooking, there was still water left over and it was sticky, not fluffy, even after I uncovered it and tried to simmer off the remaining moisture. I'll need to decrease the water next time...maybe 1.5 parts water to 1 part rice, watch it carefully and add water if necessary. I'd made some white basmati in our rice cooker, though, and the brown rice was still quite good, so it wasn't a big deal.
I had to finish the day with naan--basically a yeasted flat bread, or dinner rolls flattened and cooked on a grill. I found a simple recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Naan/Detail.aspx
I didn't trust the cleanliness of our grill, plus it's a gas grill and it might have been gross tasting. I couldn't find our little hot dog oven-top grill, so I pulled out our pancake griddle. I was able to cook six at a time and got through it all pretty fast. So I didn't have pretty grill marks on the bread, but it didn't really matter. I did hand-flatten and shape them, so they were a bit thicker than they should be. Had I bothered to clean off the counter and make another mess, I could have rolled them out to be really flat and more authentic, but I was lazy and in a hurry.
As a cooling-factor--something I think is important with spicy food--I made another batch of my herbed yogurt and cheese spread from my "Book of Yogurt" by Sonia Uvezian. It's basically low fat cream cheese, feta, and yogurt with fresh mint, dill, chives, and garlic. I substitute yogurt cheese for the cream cheese and eyeball quantities, and it turns out really well. It was excellent on the naan, provided a nice little cool break from the curry, and also allowed me to take credit for a little fusion cuisine!
So in all, this adventure was a success! It required quite a bit of pre-planning, since I made the paneer ahead of time and yeast bread always needs wait-time, but I'd do it again. We have a lot of leftover naan (I purposefully doubled the recipe) and I think it will make good snacks and sandwiches (some more fusion cuisine).
The next project: homemade frozen yogurt. Stay tuned.
It seemed easy enough to make, and as it turns out, it was. I took a gallon of skim milk and heated it on medium until it boiled. It has to boil, not just simmer. I stirred occasionally and did other things while I was waiting patiently for it to boil--and it takes a long time, I'm guessing 40 minutes or so; I should have paid more attention. Once boiling, I added 8 TBSP of lemon juice, which curdles the milk. I took it off the heat, stirred it well and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to finish curdling. Then I poured it into a strainer lined with cheesecloth, covered the top with the cheesecloth, and pushed on it with the back of my wooden spoon to squish out the remaining whey (liquid). After a minute or two, I could get in there comfortably with my hands. To really get it drained, I put it on a cookie sheet, filled the pot with water for weight, and put the pot on top of the cheese for about 20 minutes. (I put a clean dish towel between the cheese and the pot, just in case.) I ended up with some mighty nice, fat-free paneer. A gallon of milk got me about a pound of cheese. Not bad...cheese for about $2.50-$3.00 per pound.
Once I knew I could make the paneer happen, I started looking up recipes. I love saag paneer, so that was one of the recipes I searched. I needed something that was fairly simple and didn't call for a bunch of weird ingredients that I'd have to find and order online. The one I finally settled on was from the Food Network page: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/saag-paneer-recipe/index.html.
I appreciated that it gave the recipe for ghee, a clarified butter product. I have seen it at the natural food store I frequent, but it's rather expensive. But given the high fat content, I decided to substitute plain old butter for the ghee, a common switcheroo that I came across quite often in my recipe research. I also used about half of what the recipe called for--just enough to get my paneer cooked and the veggies sauteed. My paneer didn't actually brown, though. I think it might be because it was non-fat or because I used butter instead of ghee, or maybe a little of both. It was still fabulous, though.
The Food Network site also gave a recipe for curry, which I might use in the future. This time, I used a hot curry powder I'd gotten at the New World Market and already had on hand. In the end, it wasn't quite as hot as I'd prefer, but it was a nice slow burn that still let you taste the food.
I made a little adjustment to the recipe by throwing in a couple of handfuls of sliced almonds. It gave a little texture and tasted awesome. I've had this before in restaurants with dates in there as well, so maybe that will be a next time thing. (And by dates I mean the fruit, not the boys I went to Indian restaurants with.)
A couple of other next-time things: The fat-free paneer was good, but it had a squeaky texture to it. I'll probably use 2% milk next time to get some creamy-ness back in. I'll also use more spinach and yogurt to give it a more sauce-like texture. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll blend the spinach and veggies as well. They do that at the Bombay Grill and it's pretty good!
Now for the side dishes!
At the natural food store, I found brown basmati rice. I'd never cooked it before, so I used their ratio and time setting: 2 parts water to 1 part rice, wash rice, put in boiling water, simmer covered for 40-50 minutes. When the rice was done cooking, there was still water left over and it was sticky, not fluffy, even after I uncovered it and tried to simmer off the remaining moisture. I'll need to decrease the water next time...maybe 1.5 parts water to 1 part rice, watch it carefully and add water if necessary. I'd made some white basmati in our rice cooker, though, and the brown rice was still quite good, so it wasn't a big deal.
I had to finish the day with naan--basically a yeasted flat bread, or dinner rolls flattened and cooked on a grill. I found a simple recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Naan/Detail.aspx
I didn't trust the cleanliness of our grill, plus it's a gas grill and it might have been gross tasting. I couldn't find our little hot dog oven-top grill, so I pulled out our pancake griddle. I was able to cook six at a time and got through it all pretty fast. So I didn't have pretty grill marks on the bread, but it didn't really matter. I did hand-flatten and shape them, so they were a bit thicker than they should be. Had I bothered to clean off the counter and make another mess, I could have rolled them out to be really flat and more authentic, but I was lazy and in a hurry.
As a cooling-factor--something I think is important with spicy food--I made another batch of my herbed yogurt and cheese spread from my "Book of Yogurt" by Sonia Uvezian. It's basically low fat cream cheese, feta, and yogurt with fresh mint, dill, chives, and garlic. I substitute yogurt cheese for the cream cheese and eyeball quantities, and it turns out really well. It was excellent on the naan, provided a nice little cool break from the curry, and also allowed me to take credit for a little fusion cuisine!
So in all, this adventure was a success! It required quite a bit of pre-planning, since I made the paneer ahead of time and yeast bread always needs wait-time, but I'd do it again. We have a lot of leftover naan (I purposefully doubled the recipe) and I think it will make good snacks and sandwiches (some more fusion cuisine).
The next project: homemade frozen yogurt. Stay tuned.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Culinary Adventures--Yogurt and Yogurt Cheese
You may have already read this on my Facebook notes. So here it is again...this time with links!
I read in Yoga Journal last month about how to make yogurt. It seemed pretty easy, so I figured I might as well give it a try. All-natural, pectin-free, made-fresh yogurt seemed like a worthwhile endeavor.
I used the recipe from Yoga Journal, which involves heating up 4 cups of milk to 185, then keeping it there for 30 minutes. Let it cool to 110-112, then add 1/2 cup plain yogurt. Put it in small-ish (8oz or so) containers that seal tightly. Place them in an oven that has been warmed and has a pan of boiling water at the bottom. Let sit for several hours: 6-8 for whole or low-fat milk, 10 for skim.
I was delighted when it actually worked. It was easy and yummy and made by me! After a couple of batches, I knew this was something I could keep up, since I love yogurt. But I wanted more than just my usual fruit, sweetener, and flax seed concoction. I also wanted a more consistent preparation method so I could know for sure that when I experimented, it would be my changes and not some temperature fluke that had results, good or bad. I consulted my online guru-for-everything: amazon.com.
I looked up yogurt makers and found several. After sorting through customer reviews, I settled on the one made by Donvier. It's moderately priced (pretty much in the middle at $50), has an automatic shut-off, makes about 6 cups of yogurt per batch, and replacement/extra cups and lids are reasonably priced. On Amazon, I got a little bit of a deal if I bought it along with the Donvier Yogurt Cheese maker. The yogurt cheese maker was regularly priced at $18, so it wasn't a huge investment and after peeking at customer reviews, I knew that yogurt cheese was the next step in this adventure, so I splurged.
I found a book called The Book of Yogurt by Sonia Uvezian. Customer reviews were very good. I also needed something to help me along my path to yogurt cheese usage, so I also picked up Not Just Cheesecake: A Yogurt Cheese Cookbook by Shelly Melvin, also highly reviewed.
I have not been disappointed. I've started using Uvezian's yogurt preparation method. I bring 6 cups of milk to 185 degrees, turn off the heat, let it cool to 110-112, add 3 TBSP yogurt and incubate for 10 hours in the yogurt maker. Then I transfer the cups of yogurt into the fridge.
To make yogurt cheese, I put three cups of yogurt into the yogurt cheese maker, which is basically an airtight square container with a strainer inside. It drains the whey (liquid) from the yogurt and leaves you with something resembling the consistency of sour cream and mimicking the taste of cream cheese--just tangier. From the yogurt you put in, you'll get about half that amount in yogurt cheese. I throw away the whey, but apparently, it's good in soups and can also be fed to infants who cannot digest milk. Who knew? I may try the whey in soup thing a bit later, but I'm not quite up to that yet.
I've tried a couple of recipes from Uvezian's book. One of my favorites so far is a dip/spread. Yogurt cheese (in place of reduced-fat cream cheese), yogurt, feta, fresh dill, mint, chives, and garlic. Totally fresh and close to non-fat. I served it with rye and pumpernickle and also used it on a tofu burger. I'll be trying a recipe from the soup section soon.
From the Not Just Cheesecake book, I've made...cheesecake. The first attempt I made exactly according to recipe. It was actually really good--tangy and spongy, not exactly cheesecake, but nothing to frown at. My complaints were that it had an eggy taste and I wasn't a big fan of no crust. For take two I used a premade graham crust and instead of using two eggs, I used 4 egg whites. This was not good. The absence of the fat in the yolks made the cake dry. It also wasn't very tangy. I think this might be because of the sweetness of the crust, but it also might have to do with the eggs. For my third attempt, I will keep the crust and try Egg Beaters instead of eggs.
Also with yogurt cheese, I substituted it for cream cheese when preparing the Harry and David Pepper Relish that Al and I both love. I also used it instead of sour cream when making onion dip. Both had great results. Al is using it as a garnish on his burgers and I've sweetened it with agave or honey and used it on English muffins.
Yogurt Maker:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Electronic-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B0000DE4TY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1244822014&sr=8-1
Extra Yogurt-Maker Supplies:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Maker-Jars/dp/B0000DDXD2/ref=pd_sim_k_1
Yogurt Cheese Maker:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Cheese-Maker/dp/B000064841/ref=pd_sim_k_2
The Book of Yogurt:
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Yogurt-Sonia-Uvezian/dp/0880016515/ref=pd_sim_k_2
Not Just Cheesecake: A Yogurt Cheese Cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Just-Cheesecake-Yogurt-Cookbook/dp/0937404454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244822175&sr=1-1
I read in Yoga Journal last month about how to make yogurt. It seemed pretty easy, so I figured I might as well give it a try. All-natural, pectin-free, made-fresh yogurt seemed like a worthwhile endeavor.
I used the recipe from Yoga Journal, which involves heating up 4 cups of milk to 185, then keeping it there for 30 minutes. Let it cool to 110-112, then add 1/2 cup plain yogurt. Put it in small-ish (8oz or so) containers that seal tightly. Place them in an oven that has been warmed and has a pan of boiling water at the bottom. Let sit for several hours: 6-8 for whole or low-fat milk, 10 for skim.
I was delighted when it actually worked. It was easy and yummy and made by me! After a couple of batches, I knew this was something I could keep up, since I love yogurt. But I wanted more than just my usual fruit, sweetener, and flax seed concoction. I also wanted a more consistent preparation method so I could know for sure that when I experimented, it would be my changes and not some temperature fluke that had results, good or bad. I consulted my online guru-for-everything: amazon.com.
I looked up yogurt makers and found several. After sorting through customer reviews, I settled on the one made by Donvier. It's moderately priced (pretty much in the middle at $50), has an automatic shut-off, makes about 6 cups of yogurt per batch, and replacement/extra cups and lids are reasonably priced. On Amazon, I got a little bit of a deal if I bought it along with the Donvier Yogurt Cheese maker. The yogurt cheese maker was regularly priced at $18, so it wasn't a huge investment and after peeking at customer reviews, I knew that yogurt cheese was the next step in this adventure, so I splurged.
I found a book called The Book of Yogurt by Sonia Uvezian. Customer reviews were very good. I also needed something to help me along my path to yogurt cheese usage, so I also picked up Not Just Cheesecake: A Yogurt Cheese Cookbook by Shelly Melvin, also highly reviewed.
I have not been disappointed. I've started using Uvezian's yogurt preparation method. I bring 6 cups of milk to 185 degrees, turn off the heat, let it cool to 110-112, add 3 TBSP yogurt and incubate for 10 hours in the yogurt maker. Then I transfer the cups of yogurt into the fridge.
To make yogurt cheese, I put three cups of yogurt into the yogurt cheese maker, which is basically an airtight square container with a strainer inside. It drains the whey (liquid) from the yogurt and leaves you with something resembling the consistency of sour cream and mimicking the taste of cream cheese--just tangier. From the yogurt you put in, you'll get about half that amount in yogurt cheese. I throw away the whey, but apparently, it's good in soups and can also be fed to infants who cannot digest milk. Who knew? I may try the whey in soup thing a bit later, but I'm not quite up to that yet.
I've tried a couple of recipes from Uvezian's book. One of my favorites so far is a dip/spread. Yogurt cheese (in place of reduced-fat cream cheese), yogurt, feta, fresh dill, mint, chives, and garlic. Totally fresh and close to non-fat. I served it with rye and pumpernickle and also used it on a tofu burger. I'll be trying a recipe from the soup section soon.
From the Not Just Cheesecake book, I've made...cheesecake. The first attempt I made exactly according to recipe. It was actually really good--tangy and spongy, not exactly cheesecake, but nothing to frown at. My complaints were that it had an eggy taste and I wasn't a big fan of no crust. For take two I used a premade graham crust and instead of using two eggs, I used 4 egg whites. This was not good. The absence of the fat in the yolks made the cake dry. It also wasn't very tangy. I think this might be because of the sweetness of the crust, but it also might have to do with the eggs. For my third attempt, I will keep the crust and try Egg Beaters instead of eggs.
Also with yogurt cheese, I substituted it for cream cheese when preparing the Harry and David Pepper Relish that Al and I both love. I also used it instead of sour cream when making onion dip. Both had great results. Al is using it as a garnish on his burgers and I've sweetened it with agave or honey and used it on English muffins.
Yogurt Maker:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Electronic-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B0000DE4TY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1244822014&sr=8-1
Extra Yogurt-Maker Supplies:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Maker-Jars/dp/B0000DDXD2/ref=pd_sim_k_1
Yogurt Cheese Maker:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Cheese-Maker/dp/B000064841/ref=pd_sim_k_2
The Book of Yogurt:
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Yogurt-Sonia-Uvezian/dp/0880016515/ref=pd_sim_k_2
Not Just Cheesecake: A Yogurt Cheese Cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Just-Cheesecake-Yogurt-Cookbook/dp/0937404454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244822175&sr=1-1
Monday, May 11, 2009
See What My Kids Can Do!
Our school's literary magazine Dominion is online! We got it posted on Friday. This is my first year doing this, but I pretty much just delegated and stressed a lot. My students did a fabulous job! I hope you'll take a look!
http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/nhs/magazine/NHS_Lit_Mag_Finished_Online.pdf
http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/nhs/magazine/NHS_Lit_Mag_Finished_Online.pdf
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day, Moms!
To Mom and Mom-in-Law!
We hope you both have a great day! We love you and appreciate everything you've done to help us become who we are today. You both managed to raise more than one decent human being, which is no small task these days.
Love,
Ang and Al
We hope you both have a great day! We love you and appreciate everything you've done to help us become who we are today. You both managed to raise more than one decent human being, which is no small task these days.
Love,
Ang and Al
Sunday, May 3, 2009
People With Too Much Time on Their Hands
This one was introduced to me by Kenzie:
And this is a music video by the band OK Go. Kind of makes me want to play Rock Band!
And this is a music video by the band OK Go. Kind of makes me want to play Rock Band!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Three Reasons to Eat Less Meat--Part 3
Today won’t be about a lot of facts and figures. While the information I’ve given in the last two posts are undeniable, research proves that this is not the case for vegetarian/less-meat/carnivorous diets. For every benefit of vegetarianism, there is a drawback, and vice-versa. There is really no cut-and-dry, simple answer. What good health ultimately boils down to is lifestyle.
The myth is that vegetarians are healthier because they ingest less fat, more grains, healthy protein, etc. But plenty of vegetarian foods can be very high in fat content: French fries, chocolate cake, cheese quesadillas. It is very easy for vegetarians to eat unhealthily. Likewise, meat-based diets can be very low in fat. Vegetarians might have difficulty getting certain vitamins, but meat eaters can face their own set of vitamin deficiencies as well. The herbivore-omnivore arguments go back and forth and around in circles.
Studies and research have shown that overall, vegetarians tend to live longer and be more healthy than meat-eaters. I don’t think it’s so much the diet as it is the knowledge and thoughtfulness that vegetarians tend to put into their daily health and nutrition decisions. The majority of the vegetarians I know are very well-educated on nutrition, sources of vitamins, their daily needs, etc. They are also very mindful of exercise. I think this is a simple side-effect of analyzing every single thing you put in your mouth.
Omnivores don’t have to do this thinking. They generally don’t have to look for alternative sources of vitamins or minerals. My observations have shown me that health-conscious omnivores are usually concerned first with calories, then with fat. Vegetarians are concerned first with the absence of meat, then with nutritional value.
I know I’m generalizing here, but that’s beside the point. The real point is that the more mindful you are about your food, the healthier you will be. Healthful living is all about mindset, which affects diet, which affects lifestyle, which affects health.
Eating vegetarian twice a week will help you to get into that mindset. You will analyze your food and become more mindful about what is in the food you eat. You will research vegetarian recipes and educate yourself on the basics of nutrition. I think that this change in diet, then in mindset, will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
For my non-Mormon friends, you can move on to my links. For my LDS readers, there is one more thing I’d like to present. The following is from Doctrine and Covenants 89:12-15. You should recognize section 89 as the Word of Wisdom.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and thf fowls of heaven, and alll wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess hunger.
Now, I know it’s my fault for not being a more thorough reader of the D&C, but I find it interesting that for 18 years, I went to Sunday School and seminary, and we debated whether or not caffeine was included in the “strong drinks” category, but this simple direction to eat meat as a last resort was never mentioned.
I’ve done my research on Joseph Smith, and I’ll be the first to tell you that he was both smart and practical. So if this came from him, I’d take it as good advice for the same reasons that the biosphere scientists chose a vegetarian diet over a meat-based one. But those faithful members of the church will say that this direction came from God, who knows all and sees all. Either way, this teaching should be practiced church-wide. Why is it, then, that this very simple, very direct instruction is being ignored by the general population of the LDS faith?
The popular rationalization is that meat was scarce way back then. Yes, meat was not readily available. People farmed and raised grain to feed themselves and their work animals. Raising enough meat animals for a small family would have exhausted resources and workers—and we know the LDS standing on family size, so raising a bunch of meat wasn’t all that practical. That same impracticality still exists today. Check out my part one of this “Eat Less Meat” diatribe. So while, yes, we can eat more meat today, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should eat more meat.
The Word of Wisdom clearly states that meat should be eaten as a last resort. That fact cannot be rationalized or argued. Why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints doesn’t advertise, teach, or encourage this is beyond me. But I think it is some of the best advice out there.
Let’s take a walk down a tangent and do a fun math problem. We’ve already established that the average American consumes 273 pounds of meat each year. For each pound of meat, 7 pounds of grain is required. In 2005, church records indicated membership to be 5.5 million Mormons in the U.S. Let’s round that up conservatively to 6 million in order to account for new converts over the past four years and children under eight. Activity estimates are anywhere between 50%-80% being active members, so let’s again be conservative and say that there are 3 million active members in the United States. If each of those people became 2-day vegetarians, they would consume 76.5 pounds less meat per year each. Multiplied by 3 million, that’s 229.5 million pounds of meat not needed. How much good could the LDS charitable organizations do with the 1 billion, 606.5 million pounds of grain that wasn’t used for meat agriculture?
That’s what can happen if a lot of people do a little. All it takes to save 1.6 billion pounds of grain is for half of American Mormons to eat vegetarian twice each week.
Hopefully, by now, you’re thinking that this might actually be worth a try. I’m sure you’re wondering, like I was when I made this decision, “How do I do this?” One thing about vegetarian activists: they like to share. There are so many great resources out there. The best one is:
http://www.goveg.org/
They have recipes, advice, all sorts of information, links, whatever. One of the coolest resources is the free get started kit!
Another comprehensive site is:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4860859_eat-less-meat-become-vegetarian.html
I think I’m finished ranting about conservationism now. I’ll look into posting a fun video or something tomorrow in order to lighten the mood a bit! Thanks for reading!
The myth is that vegetarians are healthier because they ingest less fat, more grains, healthy protein, etc. But plenty of vegetarian foods can be very high in fat content: French fries, chocolate cake, cheese quesadillas. It is very easy for vegetarians to eat unhealthily. Likewise, meat-based diets can be very low in fat. Vegetarians might have difficulty getting certain vitamins, but meat eaters can face their own set of vitamin deficiencies as well. The herbivore-omnivore arguments go back and forth and around in circles.
Studies and research have shown that overall, vegetarians tend to live longer and be more healthy than meat-eaters. I don’t think it’s so much the diet as it is the knowledge and thoughtfulness that vegetarians tend to put into their daily health and nutrition decisions. The majority of the vegetarians I know are very well-educated on nutrition, sources of vitamins, their daily needs, etc. They are also very mindful of exercise. I think this is a simple side-effect of analyzing every single thing you put in your mouth.
Omnivores don’t have to do this thinking. They generally don’t have to look for alternative sources of vitamins or minerals. My observations have shown me that health-conscious omnivores are usually concerned first with calories, then with fat. Vegetarians are concerned first with the absence of meat, then with nutritional value.
I know I’m generalizing here, but that’s beside the point. The real point is that the more mindful you are about your food, the healthier you will be. Healthful living is all about mindset, which affects diet, which affects lifestyle, which affects health.
Eating vegetarian twice a week will help you to get into that mindset. You will analyze your food and become more mindful about what is in the food you eat. You will research vegetarian recipes and educate yourself on the basics of nutrition. I think that this change in diet, then in mindset, will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
For my non-Mormon friends, you can move on to my links. For my LDS readers, there is one more thing I’d like to present. The following is from Doctrine and Covenants 89:12-15. You should recognize section 89 as the Word of Wisdom.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and thf fowls of heaven, and alll wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess hunger.
Now, I know it’s my fault for not being a more thorough reader of the D&C, but I find it interesting that for 18 years, I went to Sunday School and seminary, and we debated whether or not caffeine was included in the “strong drinks” category, but this simple direction to eat meat as a last resort was never mentioned.
I’ve done my research on Joseph Smith, and I’ll be the first to tell you that he was both smart and practical. So if this came from him, I’d take it as good advice for the same reasons that the biosphere scientists chose a vegetarian diet over a meat-based one. But those faithful members of the church will say that this direction came from God, who knows all and sees all. Either way, this teaching should be practiced church-wide. Why is it, then, that this very simple, very direct instruction is being ignored by the general population of the LDS faith?
The popular rationalization is that meat was scarce way back then. Yes, meat was not readily available. People farmed and raised grain to feed themselves and their work animals. Raising enough meat animals for a small family would have exhausted resources and workers—and we know the LDS standing on family size, so raising a bunch of meat wasn’t all that practical. That same impracticality still exists today. Check out my part one of this “Eat Less Meat” diatribe. So while, yes, we can eat more meat today, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should eat more meat.
The Word of Wisdom clearly states that meat should be eaten as a last resort. That fact cannot be rationalized or argued. Why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints doesn’t advertise, teach, or encourage this is beyond me. But I think it is some of the best advice out there.
Let’s take a walk down a tangent and do a fun math problem. We’ve already established that the average American consumes 273 pounds of meat each year. For each pound of meat, 7 pounds of grain is required. In 2005, church records indicated membership to be 5.5 million Mormons in the U.S. Let’s round that up conservatively to 6 million in order to account for new converts over the past four years and children under eight. Activity estimates are anywhere between 50%-80% being active members, so let’s again be conservative and say that there are 3 million active members in the United States. If each of those people became 2-day vegetarians, they would consume 76.5 pounds less meat per year each. Multiplied by 3 million, that’s 229.5 million pounds of meat not needed. How much good could the LDS charitable organizations do with the 1 billion, 606.5 million pounds of grain that wasn’t used for meat agriculture?
That’s what can happen if a lot of people do a little. All it takes to save 1.6 billion pounds of grain is for half of American Mormons to eat vegetarian twice each week.
Hopefully, by now, you’re thinking that this might actually be worth a try. I’m sure you’re wondering, like I was when I made this decision, “How do I do this?” One thing about vegetarian activists: they like to share. There are so many great resources out there. The best one is:
http://www.goveg.org/
They have recipes, advice, all sorts of information, links, whatever. One of the coolest resources is the free get started kit!
Another comprehensive site is:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4860859_eat-less-meat-become-vegetarian.html
I think I’m finished ranting about conservationism now. I’ll look into posting a fun video or something tomorrow in order to lighten the mood a bit! Thanks for reading!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
3 Reasons to Eat Less Meat--Part 2
Yesterday, I subjected you to the horrors of factory farming. Hopefully, it got you thinking seriously about reducing your meat consumption. But if animal cruelty and the absence of respect for farm animals isn’t enough to get you taking action and cutting back, maybe an environmental issue can help move you in that direction.
Factory farming is terrible for the environment. The amount of product is disproportionate to the resources required to produce it. You could say that the cost is too high for such a small product.
I’ll get right down and dirty and give you the facts:
· Half of all water used in the United States goes toward animal agriculture, either through watering the animals, watering the grain for the feed, or being used in the farms and slaughterhouses.
· 70% of all grain produced in the U.S. is used for animal agriculture. Scientists at Cornell estimate that the grain used for the meat industry each year could feed 800 million people for that year.
· To produce that one pound of ground beef for your Hamburger Helper, it cost 2,400 gallons of water (the rough equivalent of running your shower for 25 hours—do the math and see how many showers you can take in 25 hours) and 7 pounds of grain. Add into that the average American consumption of 97 pounds of beef annually, and one person alone requires 232,800 gallons of water and 679 pounds of grain just to eat beef. This doesn’t include the 176 pounds of white meat consumed each year by the average American.
· Each day, more and more forests are being cleared in order to make room for factory farms or to produce grain to support these farms. This leads to soil erosion, habitat loss, and endangerment and even extinction of species.
· Farm animals create 130 times more excrement than the human population. In areas around factory farms, the soil and water sources are poisoned by the excrement. Millions of fish are killed by this poisoning each year and the soil will likely not be able to support vegetation for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.
· Gasses given off by the animals and their excrement include hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, as well as two major gasses involved in global warming: methane and nitrous oxide.
· Producing one pound of chicken produces the same amount of carbon dioxide as the average daily output of 250,000 American drivers. If a family of four forgoes one chicken dinner, it is the same carbon dioxide savings as taking 375,000-500,000 cars off of the road for a day.
Just to let you know, I used the most conservative statistics out there. For example, the amount of water necessary to produce a pound of beef varied between 2,400 and 8,000 depending on the source. A five-minute shower uses between 4 and 8 gallons of water, so I calculated the time using the larger amount. All of my information here is the low end of the spectrum.
I also find it interesting to note that when conducting biosphere experiments, the scientists involved did not raise livestock. Since they would have to use water and space to grow the food to feed themselves and the animals, then use more water and space to raise the animals, it was determined that they were better off simply using water to grow the food for themselves. The added bonus was that they didn’t have to find ways to dispose of excrement and counteract gasses produced by the excrement and the animals themselves. So, a group of scientists whose entire purpose was to create a sustainable environment chose a vegetarian diet for purely environmental reasons. I think that says a lot.
Agriculturists and scientists all agree that grazing animals in a pasture is better for the environment. I’m sure the animals would agree. But as long as we keep the demand high, factory farming will remain big business.
Here are some good sites if you want to know more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_vegetarianism
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Toxic/factoryfarm.cfm
http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp
Factory farming is terrible for the environment. The amount of product is disproportionate to the resources required to produce it. You could say that the cost is too high for such a small product.
I’ll get right down and dirty and give you the facts:
· Half of all water used in the United States goes toward animal agriculture, either through watering the animals, watering the grain for the feed, or being used in the farms and slaughterhouses.
· 70% of all grain produced in the U.S. is used for animal agriculture. Scientists at Cornell estimate that the grain used for the meat industry each year could feed 800 million people for that year.
· To produce that one pound of ground beef for your Hamburger Helper, it cost 2,400 gallons of water (the rough equivalent of running your shower for 25 hours—do the math and see how many showers you can take in 25 hours) and 7 pounds of grain. Add into that the average American consumption of 97 pounds of beef annually, and one person alone requires 232,800 gallons of water and 679 pounds of grain just to eat beef. This doesn’t include the 176 pounds of white meat consumed each year by the average American.
· Each day, more and more forests are being cleared in order to make room for factory farms or to produce grain to support these farms. This leads to soil erosion, habitat loss, and endangerment and even extinction of species.
· Farm animals create 130 times more excrement than the human population. In areas around factory farms, the soil and water sources are poisoned by the excrement. Millions of fish are killed by this poisoning each year and the soil will likely not be able to support vegetation for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.
· Gasses given off by the animals and their excrement include hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, as well as two major gasses involved in global warming: methane and nitrous oxide.
· Producing one pound of chicken produces the same amount of carbon dioxide as the average daily output of 250,000 American drivers. If a family of four forgoes one chicken dinner, it is the same carbon dioxide savings as taking 375,000-500,000 cars off of the road for a day.
Just to let you know, I used the most conservative statistics out there. For example, the amount of water necessary to produce a pound of beef varied between 2,400 and 8,000 depending on the source. A five-minute shower uses between 4 and 8 gallons of water, so I calculated the time using the larger amount. All of my information here is the low end of the spectrum.
I also find it interesting to note that when conducting biosphere experiments, the scientists involved did not raise livestock. Since they would have to use water and space to grow the food to feed themselves and the animals, then use more water and space to raise the animals, it was determined that they were better off simply using water to grow the food for themselves. The added bonus was that they didn’t have to find ways to dispose of excrement and counteract gasses produced by the excrement and the animals themselves. So, a group of scientists whose entire purpose was to create a sustainable environment chose a vegetarian diet for purely environmental reasons. I think that says a lot.
Agriculturists and scientists all agree that grazing animals in a pasture is better for the environment. I’m sure the animals would agree. But as long as we keep the demand high, factory farming will remain big business.
Here are some good sites if you want to know more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_vegetarianism
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Toxic/factoryfarm.cfm
http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Three Reasons to Eat Less Meat--Part 1
And I’m back. I think this will be my final installment of my ecological stream of conscious. However, of the three, this is the one I am most passionate about. For that reason, this installment alone will take me about three posts to fully express myself.
A few years ago, I started to cut back on my meat consumption. I started with red meat, in order to decrease my intake of saturated fat. That had me feeling pretty good. I knew I could cut back even more, so I decided to not only keep going with my drastic red meat reduction, but to also go vegetarian twice a week. I’ve since extended that even more. This is because while I was researching vegetarian meals and nutrition, I came across information on factory farming.
Over the next two days, I’m going to try to convince you to go vegetarian at least two days each week. Again, this is about a lot of people who do a little as individuals, but make a big impact when put together. Today, I’d like you to look into factory farming so you can understand why I have such strong feelings about it. Then, tomorrow and Friday, I’ll go over the environmental and health benefits of eating less or no meat.
I should probably tell you right now that I’m not here to tell you that meat is murder and that meat eaters deserve a very special place in hell. I am acquainted with the circle of life and the food chain. However, I have noticed a gluttonous way that we Americans consume meat two or three meals per day and also in snacks. Walk into a Walmart or Costco and look at their meat section. Then check out the frozen food. Then the soup aisle and the canned meat aisle. How many more Walmarts and Costcos are out there with just as much meat? How much of it is wasted because it sits too long? How many animals is that? How many cows and chickens does it take to keep one McDonald’s location in business? We’ve built a dependence on meat that has created a huge demand, which has in turn required the use of factory farming in order to meet that demand.
How much of a demand can it be? It is estimated that each American eats approximately 273 pounds of meat per year, 97 pounds of that being beef. It sounds like a lot, but think about it. That’s an average of only ¾ of a pound per day. A half a pound is eight ounces. If you go out to eat, that’s the tiny steak. We feel ripped off if a hamburger is anything less than a quarter pounder. Most families of four require one and a half to two pounds of chicken to make a meal. Plus, there is meat in places we don’t even notice it—bacon bits on your salad, a vegetable soup made with chicken broth, lard in your refried beans. I’d say that’s a pretty reasonable statistic.
If you take fifteen minutes to look into factory farming, you will be disgusted. After that fifteen minutes of research, you will have enough information to make you heart ache and your stomach turn whenever you allow yourself to think about it for a few seconds. So while I won’t get preachy and say that eating meat is wrong, I will definitely jump on my soap box and tell you that factory farming is one of the most horrible practices out there.
Here are some basics on factory farming:
· The purpose of factory farming is to raise the most possible animals to the biggest possible size in the smallest possible space for the lowest possible cost. It’s about business, not respect.
· Adding vitamins A and D to the feed negates the need for sunlight and exercise. Factory farmed animals live in tiny pens where they cannot even turn around. Farms are usually indoors, so the business can continue year-round.
· Little to no lighting in factory farms prevents the tightly-packed animals from fighting.
· With so many animals packed in such a tight space, disease is a concern. Therefore, the animals are treated with antibiotics, whether they need them or not. This goes into the blood, which goes into the meat, which goes into the consumer.
· Along with antibiotics, hormones are used to increase growth, allowing younger animals to reach a suitable slaughter size. Growing so quickly and being so heavy causes many painful health issues, such as bone and joint deterioration, respiratory problems, and heart problems. Another problem: consumers also ingest these hormones.
· Factory farmed animals are subjected to mutilations: beak searing (removal with a hot blade) in chickens, castration for male beef cattle, horn amputation, plus tail docking and ear cutting, and branding, all without pain killers.
· Genetic manipulation has caused chickens to have larger breasts and legs (the most popular pieces). This leads to skeletal deformities that make it painful to move.
· Ammonia from the huge amounts of manure that build up causes the majority of animals (80% of pigs) to have pneumonia at the time of slaughter. Yum!
· Once the animals leave the farm, they usually face a long trip to a slaughterhouse. It is not unusual for animals to be transported to another state to be slaughtered. It isn’t thought profitable for animals to be fed and watered during the final days of life, or to transport them in a climate-controlled cage, so they often arrive at the slaughterhouse dehydrated, starving, and exposed to whatever weather elements it was their luck to get. Through it all, they have also suffered from the health ailments caused by their experiences at the factory farm. You’d think that the quick death of the slaughterhouse would be a welcome release? Think again.
· The average kill-rate of a slaughterhouse is 400 animals per hour. In order to work this quickly, the killing process is begun, but the animal is often still alive and conscious while being seared in boiling water and dismembered. Production can’t be stopped simply because an animal is still alive.
I could post a video or two or five to further prove my point, but I’m afraid I would throw up—or make you throw up. If you’d like to see video of undercover investigations and plain old documentation, I’d suggest going to http://www.meetyourmeat.com/. Watching just one will change your life if you let it. I suffered through them in order to firm my own resolve.
If you are thoroughly disgusted by all of this and would like to find meat from small farms that treat their animals more humanely, go to www.greenyour.com/lifestyle/food-drink/meat/tips/choose-local-small-scale-farm-meat.
If you’re curious about these facts and would like to know more, do a google search for “factory farming.” Or try these sites, which I think are the most comprehensive:
http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfarmfacts.html
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Toxic/factoryfarm.cfm
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=103
What I wish in all of this is that people would just be more mindful of what they eat. We take our meat for granted. When I learned all of this about factory farming, I vowed to stop and think every time I ate meat. I thought about the fact that it was once alive and wondered what the animal had to go through in order for me to have the chicken sandwich. I changed my perspective.
Sure, I’m just one person, but I’m doing my part to stop the demand and support for factory farming. Please help. Start by cutting back on your meat consumption. I’m only asking you to go vegetarian two days each week, thereby cutting your meat consumption by 28%. You can also start buying meat from small farms by using the link I’ve provided.
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Be the Change
I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of a collective effort making big changes, even though the individuals are each playing a very small role. Last school year, we had done some work with Thoreau, Emerson, King, and Gandhi just after Winter Break. All of these people encouraged this type of change-making, where it starts with the individual changing him/herself. Gandhi said it quite simply when he said, “Be the change you want to see.” We can’t do much if we simply delegate, but if we do something and take a personal action, then our example inspires others, and we will see a snowball effect. Change will occur—albeit slowly.
I used to be a notorious disposable-water-bottle abuser. I would go to Costco and buy a 48-pack of 20-ounce Arrowhead water bottles. I’d keep them in my classroom, at home, and in the car. It wasn’t unusual for me to leave an unfinished one on my desk one afternoon and bring a half-full one with me the next morning and have two bottles on my desk. There was also probably a new one somewhere close by, as well. At home, water bottles lived on my nightstand, computer desk, end table, and kitchen.
No, I didn’t refill them. I am very sensitive to mineral tastes in water and can only drink tap water when it’s full of ice and lemon juice. This wasn’t an option at the times I carried my bottles around, so I’d drink one and recycle it. Arrowhead was my preferred brand because they used “light” bottles, which are very thin plastic. I also rationalized that I recycled.
Our “Being the Change” unit made me think quite a bit about changes I would want to “be.” My big issues are educational ones, and I stand up for my education philosophy and beliefs each time I stand up in front of my students. My big educational change would be for every teacher to do two things: use research-based best practices and teach reading strategies specific to their subject/textbook. There are more things I’d like teachers to do, but those two are the biggest. I already do both and have seen results. I keep up with the research through journals, professional development, and collaboration with other teachers. We focus on reading strategies as both readers and writers.
The “Be the Change” unit bothered me because I couldn’t do what I was asking of my students: to find a change I would want to be. I settled for continuing to be the change I was already being, and I focused on finding new ways to use best practices in my classroom.
Then, Earth Day 2008 rolled around. A couple of weeks before, one of my students made a comment that I had water bottles everywhere. And it was a true comment. I think at that time, I had three visible. As I allowed this comment to sink in for a few days, I reconnected with the idea of being the change. I realized that being the change didn’t have to be about major career issues. It could be personal and simple. So I rededicated myself right then—switching to reusable water bottles and never going back.
Not quite. In reality, changing habits is hard. I liked the bottles—they were small, easy to handle, the perfect size if I wanted to add an individual drink mix, and spill-proof when tossed about in my bag. So I made a half-change. Al was already buying water at the filling station at Harmons and we had about six refillable gallon containers. The water tasted good, but he kept it reserved for his homebrewing. I started pilfering his H2O stash to refill my disposable Arrowheads, which caused him some minor annoyance.
The real push to switch to a permanent, dishwasher-safe water bottle came in a more materialistic fashion. I was shopping at Victoria’s Secret and in the Pink section, there were 32-ounce bottles with the Pink logo and cute little phrases on the bottle to encourage you to drink up. Things like, “Aren’t you thirsty?” and “Hey! Have a sip!” Here was something that I could carry around without feeling like some mountaineering, Birkenstock-and-sock-clad activist. (I really don’t think this about water-bottle people, but it’s how I felt about me carrying one. And you all should know by now how seriously I take my shoes. )
So thank you, Victoria’s Secret, for helping me along with my water-bottle conversion. I estimate that this year alone, I avoided the need to recycle about 400 water bottles (Last year, I went through about one 48-pack per term at school and another one about every three months at home). I’ve also noticed that I drink more water now because the container is bigger. Being better hydrated has improved my overall health, awareness, and energy levels.
Don’t get me wrong, the cute bottle was a great motivator, but I still did need to make some adjustments. I no longer put the bottle in my bag. I carry it, to avoid leakage when I throw my bag around, and also because it doesn’t fit a lot of the time. I have to keep track of one bottle and not have a bottle in every conceivable place. I’ve since built a collection of various reusable mugs, cups, and bottles to keep around the house. (Real glasses aren’t the best choice for me since I tend to leave leftovers for later, and this has proven disastrous when the cat or dogs have knocked them over.) I also have to clean the bottle on occasion, instead of trading it in for a fresh one. Simple changes, sure, but that just goes to show you how resistant we are to change.
In this case, change was good. I feel happy about the small part this one action has made in the overall waste issue. I feel hydrated and healthy. I still drink water that tastes good and doesn’t leave a white chalk behind when it evaporates. I spend less money ($0.38/gallon as opposed to about $5.00 for 7.5 gallons--$0.66/gallon), get more water, and have cut my water-by-product waste by 100%. I’ve also drastically decreased my soda-consumption—an unforeseen side-effect. Since I always have water handy, I can reason with myself that I don’t actually need the diet soda.
If you’re looking for a small change that you can make, I’d strongly recommend this one. Even if you’re not a disposable-water-abuser like I was, carrying water in a nondisposable container and taking advantage of the water filling stations has had a notable impact on me and my overall health. I think you will come to enjoy this practice, and I promise you’ll never go thirsty!
But just to keep things in balance, I should confess that my next project is to lessen my dependence on the convenience of disposable plates, bowls, and plasticware. I’ve been an at-work- lunch-stuff-abuser for too long!
I used to be a notorious disposable-water-bottle abuser. I would go to Costco and buy a 48-pack of 20-ounce Arrowhead water bottles. I’d keep them in my classroom, at home, and in the car. It wasn’t unusual for me to leave an unfinished one on my desk one afternoon and bring a half-full one with me the next morning and have two bottles on my desk. There was also probably a new one somewhere close by, as well. At home, water bottles lived on my nightstand, computer desk, end table, and kitchen.
No, I didn’t refill them. I am very sensitive to mineral tastes in water and can only drink tap water when it’s full of ice and lemon juice. This wasn’t an option at the times I carried my bottles around, so I’d drink one and recycle it. Arrowhead was my preferred brand because they used “light” bottles, which are very thin plastic. I also rationalized that I recycled.
Our “Being the Change” unit made me think quite a bit about changes I would want to “be.” My big issues are educational ones, and I stand up for my education philosophy and beliefs each time I stand up in front of my students. My big educational change would be for every teacher to do two things: use research-based best practices and teach reading strategies specific to their subject/textbook. There are more things I’d like teachers to do, but those two are the biggest. I already do both and have seen results. I keep up with the research through journals, professional development, and collaboration with other teachers. We focus on reading strategies as both readers and writers.
The “Be the Change” unit bothered me because I couldn’t do what I was asking of my students: to find a change I would want to be. I settled for continuing to be the change I was already being, and I focused on finding new ways to use best practices in my classroom.
Then, Earth Day 2008 rolled around. A couple of weeks before, one of my students made a comment that I had water bottles everywhere. And it was a true comment. I think at that time, I had three visible. As I allowed this comment to sink in for a few days, I reconnected with the idea of being the change. I realized that being the change didn’t have to be about major career issues. It could be personal and simple. So I rededicated myself right then—switching to reusable water bottles and never going back.
Not quite. In reality, changing habits is hard. I liked the bottles—they were small, easy to handle, the perfect size if I wanted to add an individual drink mix, and spill-proof when tossed about in my bag. So I made a half-change. Al was already buying water at the filling station at Harmons and we had about six refillable gallon containers. The water tasted good, but he kept it reserved for his homebrewing. I started pilfering his H2O stash to refill my disposable Arrowheads, which caused him some minor annoyance.
The real push to switch to a permanent, dishwasher-safe water bottle came in a more materialistic fashion. I was shopping at Victoria’s Secret and in the Pink section, there were 32-ounce bottles with the Pink logo and cute little phrases on the bottle to encourage you to drink up. Things like, “Aren’t you thirsty?” and “Hey! Have a sip!” Here was something that I could carry around without feeling like some mountaineering, Birkenstock-and-sock-clad activist. (I really don’t think this about water-bottle people, but it’s how I felt about me carrying one. And you all should know by now how seriously I take my shoes. )
So thank you, Victoria’s Secret, for helping me along with my water-bottle conversion. I estimate that this year alone, I avoided the need to recycle about 400 water bottles (Last year, I went through about one 48-pack per term at school and another one about every three months at home). I’ve also noticed that I drink more water now because the container is bigger. Being better hydrated has improved my overall health, awareness, and energy levels.
Don’t get me wrong, the cute bottle was a great motivator, but I still did need to make some adjustments. I no longer put the bottle in my bag. I carry it, to avoid leakage when I throw my bag around, and also because it doesn’t fit a lot of the time. I have to keep track of one bottle and not have a bottle in every conceivable place. I’ve since built a collection of various reusable mugs, cups, and bottles to keep around the house. (Real glasses aren’t the best choice for me since I tend to leave leftovers for later, and this has proven disastrous when the cat or dogs have knocked them over.) I also have to clean the bottle on occasion, instead of trading it in for a fresh one. Simple changes, sure, but that just goes to show you how resistant we are to change.
In this case, change was good. I feel happy about the small part this one action has made in the overall waste issue. I feel hydrated and healthy. I still drink water that tastes good and doesn’t leave a white chalk behind when it evaporates. I spend less money ($0.38/gallon as opposed to about $5.00 for 7.5 gallons--$0.66/gallon), get more water, and have cut my water-by-product waste by 100%. I’ve also drastically decreased my soda-consumption—an unforeseen side-effect. Since I always have water handy, I can reason with myself that I don’t actually need the diet soda.
If you’re looking for a small change that you can make, I’d strongly recommend this one. Even if you’re not a disposable-water-abuser like I was, carrying water in a nondisposable container and taking advantage of the water filling stations has had a notable impact on me and my overall health. I think you will come to enjoy this practice, and I promise you’ll never go thirsty!
But just to keep things in balance, I should confess that my next project is to lessen my dependence on the convenience of disposable plates, bowls, and plasticware. I’ve been an at-work- lunch-stuff-abuser for too long!
Some Links About Water Bottle Waste:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5279230/
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/waterbottles.pdf
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/348952,CST-NWS-eatwater19.article
Monday, April 27, 2009
Musings on the Earth: Part 1
I love springtime. After the snow and cold of winter, I feel so refreshed when I see my tulips coming out of the cold, muddy ground, and leaves and blossoms bringing life to the dead-looking trees. My thoughts turn away from dreading a chaotic snowstorm drive, heating bills, and sock-and-boot covered feet, and lighten with more hopeful things: how to improve the yard, what to plant in the garden, and painting my toenails a cute shade of light blue to be shown off in flip-flops.
It’s no wonder that this is the time of year chosen to observe Earth Day (April 22). I appreciate the reminder to treat my planet more gently, especially during these hopeful weeks when I’m instinctively thinking about nature (and, yes, cute shoes, too) anyway. So, over the next few days, I’m going to subject you to my musings on conservationism, my strengths, wanna-be-strengths, and many, many weaknesses.
Some of you may have heard about or participated in Earth Hour, an event sponsored by the World Wildlife Foundation on March 28 of this year. It was the third year for this event, in which cities and individuals turned off unnecessary energy-consuming devices between 8:30-9:30 pm local time (For info see http://www.earthhour.org/). This event has been criticized by conservative media as being overly symbolic and ultimately meaningless, because one hour once a year is hardly a change.
I agree that it isn’t a change, per se, but what Earth Hour does is show us what can be done if many people commit to doing a little. Percentage-wise, participating cities saw negligible drops in energy consumption, on average 3-5% in heavily populated major cities. However, when we look at how much energy those cities use, even that small of a drop amounts to big savings. In Chicago, 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide were conserved, which is the equivalent of the hourly output of 104 acres of trees. (I wish I had that statistic in a monetary figure, since we Americans tend to think in terms of wallet-green.) Put in a global perspective, Chicago is just one city out of millions, a million people out of billions.
So, sure, Earth Hour isn’t something we can or should do every day, but as individuals, we can do our part. Turn off the lights when you’re not in a room. Don’t leave your computer on when you go home from work. Take the minute or two in the morning to get it up and running. If two people are in separate rooms watching the same show…why not spend some time together near one television? Very simple changes, made on an individual basis, can have a big impact when multiplied.
To further illustrate this point, school districts have been starting to use technology to turn off computers remotely a few hours after school has let out for the day. Larger districts (in places like Los Angeles and Houston) have reported savings between one and two million dollars in a school year. This money is being saved simply by one school district turning off computers that aren’t being used!
So, many people doing a little each certainly gets a big job done! “Many hands make light work” has been adapted for a new age of technology. And this doesn’t have to be a sideways movement, focusing on those already here. If we can teach our children to be less wasteful, they will in turn teach their children the same. Start now, and your impact could be bigger than you ever imagined.
When I first heard about Earth Hour in March 2008, I was intrigued by the idea. The results amazed me, and I committed to being less wasteful with energy. However, my resolve has wavered, more to do with my own laziness than anything else. I leave empty Glade Plug-ins plugged in, I keep our mist fountain on overnight when no one is enjoying it. I turn on the three lights in our basement, but end up really only using one. The computer is left on all the time simply because it takes approximately 4 minutes to get going (a problem which has since been alleviated by the building of a new computer). I’ll walk away from the XBox 360, leaving it on with no explanation at all. I don’t think only vacuuming once every week or two actually makes up for that wastefulness, so it seems a personal commitment renewal is in order.
So that’s what Earth Day got me thinking about this year. Stay tuned for resolutions and musings it has inspired in previous years!
It’s no wonder that this is the time of year chosen to observe Earth Day (April 22). I appreciate the reminder to treat my planet more gently, especially during these hopeful weeks when I’m instinctively thinking about nature (and, yes, cute shoes, too) anyway. So, over the next few days, I’m going to subject you to my musings on conservationism, my strengths, wanna-be-strengths, and many, many weaknesses.
Some of you may have heard about or participated in Earth Hour, an event sponsored by the World Wildlife Foundation on March 28 of this year. It was the third year for this event, in which cities and individuals turned off unnecessary energy-consuming devices between 8:30-9:30 pm local time (For info see http://www.earthhour.org/). This event has been criticized by conservative media as being overly symbolic and ultimately meaningless, because one hour once a year is hardly a change.
I agree that it isn’t a change, per se, but what Earth Hour does is show us what can be done if many people commit to doing a little. Percentage-wise, participating cities saw negligible drops in energy consumption, on average 3-5% in heavily populated major cities. However, when we look at how much energy those cities use, even that small of a drop amounts to big savings. In Chicago, 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide were conserved, which is the equivalent of the hourly output of 104 acres of trees. (I wish I had that statistic in a monetary figure, since we Americans tend to think in terms of wallet-green.) Put in a global perspective, Chicago is just one city out of millions, a million people out of billions.
So, sure, Earth Hour isn’t something we can or should do every day, but as individuals, we can do our part. Turn off the lights when you’re not in a room. Don’t leave your computer on when you go home from work. Take the minute or two in the morning to get it up and running. If two people are in separate rooms watching the same show…why not spend some time together near one television? Very simple changes, made on an individual basis, can have a big impact when multiplied.
To further illustrate this point, school districts have been starting to use technology to turn off computers remotely a few hours after school has let out for the day. Larger districts (in places like Los Angeles and Houston) have reported savings between one and two million dollars in a school year. This money is being saved simply by one school district turning off computers that aren’t being used!
So, many people doing a little each certainly gets a big job done! “Many hands make light work” has been adapted for a new age of technology. And this doesn’t have to be a sideways movement, focusing on those already here. If we can teach our children to be less wasteful, they will in turn teach their children the same. Start now, and your impact could be bigger than you ever imagined.
When I first heard about Earth Hour in March 2008, I was intrigued by the idea. The results amazed me, and I committed to being less wasteful with energy. However, my resolve has wavered, more to do with my own laziness than anything else. I leave empty Glade Plug-ins plugged in, I keep our mist fountain on overnight when no one is enjoying it. I turn on the three lights in our basement, but end up really only using one. The computer is left on all the time simply because it takes approximately 4 minutes to get going (a problem which has since been alleviated by the building of a new computer). I’ll walk away from the XBox 360, leaving it on with no explanation at all. I don’t think only vacuuming once every week or two actually makes up for that wastefulness, so it seems a personal commitment renewal is in order.
So that’s what Earth Day got me thinking about this year. Stay tuned for resolutions and musings it has inspired in previous years!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Just For Fun
For the past few months, I've been rewatching our collection of Frasier. I loved the show while it was on the air and I still love it. It's great writing and a great cast. I think what really got me hooked, though, was David Hyde Pierce. Most of the laugh-out-loud moments I have with the show are courtesy of Niles. I really, really hope that one day, there will be a DVD of the original cast of Spamalot, since he was a part of it.
So please take five minutes and enjoy some of the more memorable Niles moments. Then, start collecting the seasons on DVD!
So please take five minutes and enjoy some of the more memorable Niles moments. Then, start collecting the seasons on DVD!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Because at 31, my metabolism is slowing down...
Al and I have finished day 9 of the P90X program. Wow! This workout is nuts! You'll need a chin-up bar and hand weights (I use 5, 8, 10, and 15. Al uses 10, 15, 20, and 25), as well as a yoga mat and a willingness to keep going in spite of wanting to die a little. I would just like to say, that I did a whole pull up on my own yesterday. It was just one, but it was start to finish and I haven't done that since somewhere around 4th grade.
I'm sore and I'm loving it. The program is a bit expensive, but it's worth it. You can find it used on Amazon.com, as well, which is cheaper. When put in perspective, though, Al and I spend $50 a month for a couple's membership to the gym. This 3-month program is cheaper than 3 months at the gym! And, we can use it beyond the 3 months!
You do need to keep in mind, though, that this is a strength-building program. Yes, there is cardio, but the purpose of the program is to build muscle, endurance, and strength. You will gain weight before losing. However, muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat does, so eventually, the metabolism will start helping you to see weight loss as long as you are consuming fewer calories than you are using each week.
If you're curious: www.beachbody.com/p90x
I'd also like to share with you one of my favorite workout aids. Lady Fitness uses Bender Balls, so that's how I found out about them. When I was at the Gateway recently, I wandered through the sporting goods store and saw them for sale. I love them, so for $20, I grabbed one and brought it home. That's when I noticed that it came with three DVDs. This is totally a great deal. If you're looking to build core strength or develop your abs, I highly recommend this little green goody. The ball itself is only about 7-8 inches in diameter, so it's easy to store. If it's a little flat, it makes the workouts harder. Check it out at www.benderball.com.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Snakes, Authors, Reading, and Books
Thank you all for your birthday wishes to Al yesterday! We are pleased to announce that in honor of his birthday, we are adding to our reptile collection. This is Aornis, a female black pastel ball python who was hatched in February. She will be shipped to us this coming Thursday from VPI, a breeder out of Texas.
We are both very excited to have this cute little girl join Acheron! If anyone is curious about the name, we named Acheron after Acheron Hades, a villian in the Thursday Next series of books. In the books, the evil Hades family is made up of siblings named after the rivers of the Underworld. Aornis isn't actually a river, Jasper Fforde made it up and pretended it was one, counting on the average person's knowledge of the underworld rivers being limited to Acheron and Styx...
And finally, a couple of book recommendations from my recent reading experiences. The first is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is the first in a series of books. Written for young adults, the premise is that in the future, the U.S. has a big war, leaving behind a capital city and 13 districts. The capital city is oppressive, and when District 13 rebels, it is completely destroyed. Now to keep the rest of the districts in check, every year, each district has to hold a lottery in which one boy and one girl ages 12-18 is chosen to participate in the Hunger Games. They are sent off to the capital, thrown into an "arena," which is a large expanse of wilderness, and left to fight to the last man/woman standing, while cameras catch all the action and turn the event into reality TV. The book follows the experiences of a sixteen-year-old girl who ends up in the arena.
Yeah, it sounds horrifying. It's not about blood and guts, though. There are not elaborate descriptions of people's deaths. It's more about strategizing and issues of trust, humanity, and whether or not it's ok to sacrifice another to save yourself. It also asks how far we will go for entertainment. Once upon a time, it was considered great fun to tie up a bear so it couldn't defend itself and watch the dogs kill it. Then there is the coloseum in Rome...arena...fighting to the death...sound familiar? Reality TV is turning into the capitalization of suffering; audiences eat it up. How far away are we from this, really?
So I highly recommend The Hunger Games. It's an engaging and fast read that can really get a good discussion going. And yes, Jill, I think Kenzie would love it. The Pirates of the Carribean movies were far more violent than this book.
We are both very excited to have this cute little girl join Acheron! If anyone is curious about the name, we named Acheron after Acheron Hades, a villian in the Thursday Next series of books. In the books, the evil Hades family is made up of siblings named after the rivers of the Underworld. Aornis isn't actually a river, Jasper Fforde made it up and pretended it was one, counting on the average person's knowledge of the underworld rivers being limited to Acheron and Styx...So she's named after another Thursday Next villian. Dad has also said that he'd like to learn how to handle a snake! Stay tuned for pictures. We'll be sure to document the occasion. He should have an easy time with our snakes. Acheron is very laid back.
In other news, for the past three days, I have had the opportunity to learn under Will Hobbs, a young adult author of 17 novels and 2 picture books. I haven't read any of his books, but I do plan to. He primarily writes western adventure novels, but has expanded to historical and realistic fiction and sci/fi comedy. The cool thing about his writing is that he's a real outdoorsman. All of his settings are real places, so when he talks about a mountain, a dirt road, or a bend in a river, he's actually been there.
He was at our district in connection with the young writers conference. Remember that school-wide writing contest I was in charge of? That was a part of this conference. On Tuesday, he came to Northridge, where I teach, to do presentations for students. It was kind of a stroke of luck that he came to my school, and on a B-day, so I was able to take my creative writing class to his presentation. I was a bit surprised that I was the ONLY Northridge teacher to take students, though, seeing as though the presentation was on campus. The rest of the district sure took advantage; his morning session was 1,200 kids, and the afternoon session 500.
On Wednesday, he did a writing workshop for the winners of the school contests. I went down to be with our students. Then, Thursday, he spoke to teachers. Since he's a former teacher, he came at it from a writing teacher's perspective, which was nice. He also did some pretty hard sells of his books, but I guess that is to be expected. I bought a couple and got them signed. I was pretty impressed that after three days of being on display in the Davis District that he was still so friendly. Even on the last day, he was acting as if he'd just arrived! In truth, his personality reminded me a little of Dad. He was just very at-ease with people.
I do want to clarify that even though I've never read his books, it isn't because they aren't good. In fact, they've won many awards for young adult literature and span young readers from upper-elementary school to high school. Typically, my reading does not take me on Western adventures down the Colorado River, so I just haven't been exposed to him just yet. I am very excited to read Crossing the Wire, about a 15-year-old Mexican boy who immigrates illegally to the U.S. in order to support his family. Hobbs put a great deal of research into it and every review I've seen says that it is very even-handed, exposing the goods and evils of both sides of this issue, while putting a human face on something that usually only gets a label.
If you want to know more about his books, his website is website is: http://www.willhobbsauthor.com/ I've spent some time looking it over and it is a very cool site. Every book has tons of information about it, including an interview with him about the different events and places.
And speaking of reading, on Tuesday night, I had my last writing class, which was also my last class for my reading endorsement! Once my credit posts on the State Education Office database, I apply and pay an application fee, and then I am highly qualified to teach reading. This is technically different from teaching literature (but in a perfect world, they would be the same thing). In a reading class, we discuss reading strategies and help students who struggle with reading come to understand what good readers do, then purposefully and consciously use those same strategies when they're reading.
The extra credit hours of work will also go into a lane change application, which will result in a raise for me, too!
This is my level I endorsement. I could go for my level II, which is a few more classes and an internship. As a level II endorsed person, I could apply for district level jobs, like a literacy specialist or a teacher of the level I classes. The district started a group through that process this year. It will probably be another year or two before they offer the opportunity again. I'm really thinking seriously of doing it.
I'm glad to have this out of the way. I should have actually finished it last summer, but Al's vacation was the same week as the writing class was offered, so I wasn't able to enroll. It feels good to have this done, now, though. I've been working on it since September of 2006!
And finally, a couple of book recommendations from my recent reading experiences. The first is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is the first in a series of books. Written for young adults, the premise is that in the future, the U.S. has a big war, leaving behind a capital city and 13 districts. The capital city is oppressive, and when District 13 rebels, it is completely destroyed. Now to keep the rest of the districts in check, every year, each district has to hold a lottery in which one boy and one girl ages 12-18 is chosen to participate in the Hunger Games. They are sent off to the capital, thrown into an "arena," which is a large expanse of wilderness, and left to fight to the last man/woman standing, while cameras catch all the action and turn the event into reality TV. The book follows the experiences of a sixteen-year-old girl who ends up in the arena.Yeah, it sounds horrifying. It's not about blood and guts, though. There are not elaborate descriptions of people's deaths. It's more about strategizing and issues of trust, humanity, and whether or not it's ok to sacrifice another to save yourself. It also asks how far we will go for entertainment. Once upon a time, it was considered great fun to tie up a bear so it couldn't defend itself and watch the dogs kill it. Then there is the coloseum in Rome...arena...fighting to the death...sound familiar? Reality TV is turning into the capitalization of suffering; audiences eat it up. How far away are we from this, really?
So I highly recommend The Hunger Games. It's an engaging and fast read that can really get a good discussion going. And yes, Jill, I think Kenzie would love it. The Pirates of the Carribean movies were far more violent than this book.
Then there's The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I read this because it was the selection for high schools in our Davis Reads program. (For those of you who don't know, Davis is my school district.) I picked it up in September or so and flew through it. It really pulled a lot of writing out of me, as well. I was very excited when Jeffrey Zaslow visited our district (another author presentation that I took my creative writers to) and I got my copy signed!
If you haven't read this book, get it now. Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon, which has a tradition of asking retiring professors to give a last lecture in which they talk about what they've learned in life. Paush found out that he had advanced pancreatic cancer and only a few months of good health left. He saw the lecture as an opportunity for his young children to have fatherly advice after he had passed away. Zaslow, a columnist for Wall Street Journal attended the lecture and wrote a column about it. The lecture became a huge hit on YouTube (it's still there). The book idea wasn't appealing to Randy at first because he wanted to spend the last months with his family, not writing a book. But the revenue from book sales would be a way to provide for them. So he got a cell phone with a head set and every day he would bike for an hour around his house (to keep his health up) and dictate to Zaslow, who put the book together.
Seriously, this is one of the best books I've read in a while. I found myself saying "AMEN!" to a lot of what he had to say. It's just so common sense, but now someone who is actually being listened to is saying it! Plus, Randy is an amazing person. You'll find yourself truly inspired by what he managed to accomplish in his life, his positive attitude, and the way he really puts things in perspective. The book isn't terribly long, so you'll find that the actual reading is quick. You'll probably spend three times the amount of time thinking about what he has to say.
A couple of quotations to get you acquainted:
- Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted.
- Brick walls are there for a reason. They keep the other people out. (He's talking about perseverence.)
Well, I hope you enjoyed my random list of stuff today. To sum up the rest of life, I'm busy, the weather stinks, and I'm really excited for Spring Break next week!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Conspiracies
I'm pretty sure that someone somewhere is conspiring against me. I was in charge of our school-wide writing contest, which took me about 15 hours to organize entries, get them copied, get them to the judges, and then keep the judges organized. That was all going on about the same time that I needed to get the school's literary journal started, which is also a lot of work. My juniors were also finishing a big project that took me several hours to grade and I had already fallen behind on commenting to my creative writers.
I'm trying a new reading program with my READ 180 students, which requires a lot more preparation than the one we've been using, but overall, I think it is a superior program and I'm seeing a lot more enthusiasm from my students. I'm also trying out A Raisin in the Sun with my Juniors, something I haven't taught before and am starting from scratch.
Plus, I'm doing the writing class, participating in the district literacy committee, trying to make it to the bellydancing class I paid for, and ... well, you get the idea.
This is the last week of the term, so hopefully, I will be able to stay on top of things. Last week was especially hectic, but I met my goals and felt like I was able to breathe this weekend, which was especially nice because Al had Saturday off. We spent the morning cleaning up the house a bit, ran some errands, and went out to dinner. It was a pretty good day.
So sorry I haven't been blogging or commenting lately. When I am able to come up for air longer, I'll be sure to post something better!
I'm trying a new reading program with my READ 180 students, which requires a lot more preparation than the one we've been using, but overall, I think it is a superior program and I'm seeing a lot more enthusiasm from my students. I'm also trying out A Raisin in the Sun with my Juniors, something I haven't taught before and am starting from scratch.
Plus, I'm doing the writing class, participating in the district literacy committee, trying to make it to the bellydancing class I paid for, and ... well, you get the idea.
This is the last week of the term, so hopefully, I will be able to stay on top of things. Last week was especially hectic, but I met my goals and felt like I was able to breathe this weekend, which was especially nice because Al had Saturday off. We spent the morning cleaning up the house a bit, ran some errands, and went out to dinner. It was a pretty good day.
So sorry I haven't been blogging or commenting lately. When I am able to come up for air longer, I'll be sure to post something better!
Monday, February 9, 2009
More Stuff
At 4:30, I finished my PowerPoint for my presentation in my writing class tomorrow. Bellydancing class is at 6:00. I realized I might as well stay here, since bellydancing is right down the street and my house is 30 minutes away.
So I'm at school and I should be writing my memoir rough draft for tomorrow night, but I've been trying to get that done since last Wednesday and it's just not working out right now. So I guess I'll blog about all the fun we're having here.
The new semester has been an adventure. I have almost all new students in my reading and creative writing classes. The writing class I'm taking is proving to be very strenuous. I put about 15 hours of reading/writing per week, plus three hours of class time each week. But when I'm done, I have my reading endorsement. I've been working on it for two years, so it will be nice to have it over with.
I've been recruited to join the district's literacy committee, as well. I go to my first meeting on Wednesday after school. So there's another new thing I've added this year. When I get done with the writing class, I'll probably also be joining the group that reads and approves novels for the district.
Al has been doing well. We had quite a scare a couple of weeks ago. We got word that Al's Area Director had been laid off and Chili's was closing stores. Rumors and assumptions were flying everywhere from about 5:00 on a Tuesday night until about 10:00 Wednesday morning. I was trying to come to terms with the idea that I might be serving tables again to supplement income. In the end, they closed seven stores in the region, none of which were in Utah. Of course, that doesn't mean that there won't be more cuts, so we pretty much are keeping our fingers crossed and Al is trying to be an even better manager than he already is. That whole scare made us pretty appreciative of the money we've managed to save and for my job security. It made the whole "rainy day" scenario very real. I just feel horrible, though, for the managers and employees of the stores that were closed. The recession is hitting a little too close to home.
Even though my job is secure, we're looking at really cutting back on education budgets. One idea on the table is to make all high school teachers teach seven periods, whereas right now they teach six (3 on A-days, 3 on B-Days, with one prep period each day). I'm doing that schedule this year and am getting paid extra for productivity. Let me tell you, it's killer! I'm expecting a big fight with the union if this becomes a serious possibility. Even being paid extra, it's barely worth it. I'm stretched so thin and I know I'm not as effective of a teacher.
Being an aunt again is also a lot of fun. I haven't been able to spend much time with Blakelee, but the time I've had with her so far has been fabulous. Perhaps when she starts being more awake it'll be even better! Even Al has been trying to become more comfortable with her, since right now, he's really only comfortable with kids 8 and up. He's doing a good job!
Well, there's about a million things I should be doing now, so I'm going to go and get to them before I have to leave school for bellydancing class. If you'd like to see my brilliant PowerPoint on how I teach the voice writing trait, please let me know. I even downloaded a special theme for it...that's how fancy I'm getting!
This time next week, I'll be packing for Vegas!
So I'm at school and I should be writing my memoir rough draft for tomorrow night, but I've been trying to get that done since last Wednesday and it's just not working out right now. So I guess I'll blog about all the fun we're having here.
The new semester has been an adventure. I have almost all new students in my reading and creative writing classes. The writing class I'm taking is proving to be very strenuous. I put about 15 hours of reading/writing per week, plus three hours of class time each week. But when I'm done, I have my reading endorsement. I've been working on it for two years, so it will be nice to have it over with.
I've been recruited to join the district's literacy committee, as well. I go to my first meeting on Wednesday after school. So there's another new thing I've added this year. When I get done with the writing class, I'll probably also be joining the group that reads and approves novels for the district.
Al has been doing well. We had quite a scare a couple of weeks ago. We got word that Al's Area Director had been laid off and Chili's was closing stores. Rumors and assumptions were flying everywhere from about 5:00 on a Tuesday night until about 10:00 Wednesday morning. I was trying to come to terms with the idea that I might be serving tables again to supplement income. In the end, they closed seven stores in the region, none of which were in Utah. Of course, that doesn't mean that there won't be more cuts, so we pretty much are keeping our fingers crossed and Al is trying to be an even better manager than he already is. That whole scare made us pretty appreciative of the money we've managed to save and for my job security. It made the whole "rainy day" scenario very real. I just feel horrible, though, for the managers and employees of the stores that were closed. The recession is hitting a little too close to home.
Even though my job is secure, we're looking at really cutting back on education budgets. One idea on the table is to make all high school teachers teach seven periods, whereas right now they teach six (3 on A-days, 3 on B-Days, with one prep period each day). I'm doing that schedule this year and am getting paid extra for productivity. Let me tell you, it's killer! I'm expecting a big fight with the union if this becomes a serious possibility. Even being paid extra, it's barely worth it. I'm stretched so thin and I know I'm not as effective of a teacher.
Being an aunt again is also a lot of fun. I haven't been able to spend much time with Blakelee, but the time I've had with her so far has been fabulous. Perhaps when she starts being more awake it'll be even better! Even Al has been trying to become more comfortable with her, since right now, he's really only comfortable with kids 8 and up. He's doing a good job!
Well, there's about a million things I should be doing now, so I'm going to go and get to them before I have to leave school for bellydancing class. If you'd like to see my brilliant PowerPoint on how I teach the voice writing trait, please let me know. I even downloaded a special theme for it...that's how fancy I'm getting!
This time next week, I'll be packing for Vegas!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Country On My Mind
It's no secret that I'm a supporter of President Obama. Those who don't want to support him certainly have a right to their own opinions, but I'm amused by the people who think they can simply deny he is now our President. I grew out of the whole If-I-Don't-See-You-Then-You-Aren't-There mentality before Kindergarten.
I'm also tired of being told by the outspoken Nobamas that I should not voice my support, because by doing so I'm automatically naive and think he's omniscient (I'm not and I don't), and that by supporting the President, I'm unamerican and a socialist (again, I'm not and I'm not). I also find it ironic that most of these unamerican accusations come from people who think it's ok to deny homosexuals their "unalienable right to...the pursuit of happiness," but that's another issue for another day.
I'm not going to agree with everything Obama says or does. He was my choice for President because I agreed with him on more issues than McCain. Obama is a stout supporter of education issues and the need to reform a well-intentioned but poorly administrated program. McCain wanted to ignore a problem he didn't believe existed. Obama wants to change things that aren't working. McCain wanted to keep things pretty much the same. Obama wants to socialize medicine. I think that's something that should be explored in order to protect our "unalienable right to life...." And I don't see anything Obama is doing that will endanger our right to liberty. That being said, I didn't agree with him on 100% of the issues so naturally I'm not going to agree with everything he does. I don't think that makes me hypocritical or unsupportive. And for those of you who are going to jump on the "You said you're not a socialist but you support socialized medicine" argument, let me say that I am also in favor of public education...which could also be correctly labeled "socialist education." Yes, certain aspects of our society should be socialized, NOT society as a whole. "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"--health and education are critical elements of those rights that we hold dear.
So for the record, here is where I currently stand:
Things that we should not be arguing about:
- A $500,000 salary cap on executives of companies that are being bailed out by government money: Apparently, all this talent is going to go somewhere where it can be paid millions of dollars and get Las Vegas getaways and free cars. Then the companies left "talentless" are going to tank...period. Well, if these top execs were so talented, then they wouldn't need the government and the "little people" to bail out the companies that they couldn't manage to run profitably. Let them leave. (Assuming they can find a job--what flourishing company is going to hire someone who helped drive a company under and then bailed when they were asked to show a little personal sacrifice?) But if by some miracle, they move on to a new multi-million dollar company to ruin, and these failing companies that are left behind manage to find someone who's willing to do the same job for a paltry half-million a year, we might actually be dealing with a person who isn't obsessed with his/her own personal greed. Once the company is back on track and has paid back the government money, then it becomes a private industry and can pay whatever it wants in salaries, which may just help to motivate these poor new execs during this difficult time of $500,000-per-year budgeting.
- The tax issues of Cabinet nominees: people lie. Obama is not omniscient. The truth came out, they're gone, and now there's room for more honest people in their places. The fact that Obama didn't make excuses or try to keep them on is proof that he is committed to the high standards he has set for himself and his people.
- The need for improved child health care. These kids whose parents can't afford health care didn't choose to be born. They'll suffer enough for their parent's stupidity in other ways and in other places; they should at least be healthy in the mean time.
Things we should be questioning:
- Using tobacco money to support the child health care improvements: This is going to hit the poor the hardest. Poverty studies show that when individuals and families live below the poverty line, they tend to value entertainment above other things. This means that when you walk into a poor area, you're going to see nice cars with thousands of dollars of enhancements and a great alarm system, gaming systems and expensive televisions in the living room, iPhones and Blackberries, great stereo systems, etc. Meanwhile, the kids are eating ramen noodles and wearing too-small clothes that were bought for them last year at the Salvation Army. Poverty is usually caused by the failure to manage money well. The majority of smokers are beneath the poverty level. Raising taxes on cigarettes is not going to reduce smoking--this entire plan is counting on smokers continuing to shell out more money for the same product. Smoking budget goes up, Joe Smoker compensates by taking it out of the food/clothing fund, kids suffer. I think smoking is disgusting, and I think we need to do more to stop it, but I'm opposed to anything that wants to raise the tax on smoking. It won't prevent/reduce smoking, and innocent dependents are the ones who are going to get the brunt of it.
- Delaying Digital TV: This shouldn't even be an issue. Get your free converter box from your cable company. Now you're fine. You've had months and months to do this. The people who waited this long are the same people who are going to wait until after the next deadline as well. More time isn't going to solve any of the potential problems, so let's get it over with and just rip off the band-aid. I don't even know why this should be something the President is worrying about.
Something we should appreciate:
- A President who is willing to go on the record and say "I screwed up." No excuses, no justification or rationalization, just a simple statement of human fault. "I screwed up." He could have rationalized his ingorance of his cabinet nominees' tax history, but he just admitted he was wrong. Bush screwed up all the time. Did he say it? No. He wouldn't even pronounce "nuclear" correctly, which only solidified his ideas that his way was the right way because he was the President. After all, if he suddenly started saying it right, people would notice and then everyone would know that he was wrong about something, which would completely undermine his authority. (At least that's how I think he saw it.) Then there was Clinton--"I didn't inhale." "I did not have sexual intercourse with that woman." Why he couldn't have just admitted that he did it and he was wrong is beyond me. The fact that he was clearly lying was the only reason people even cared and still remember about it. Meanwhile, Obama answered the pot question with "I inhaled--frequently--that was the point." He also admits to being an ex-smoker who uses Nicorette and still sometimes gives in to cravings. On both of these issues, the American public seems to be saying, "Thanks for being honest. Let's move on to things that are actually important." We're not wasting our time obsessing about how the President lied to us. So no, Obama is not a deity flying in on some winged mythical creature to save the day, and he is able to stand in front of a camera and admit that he's an actual fallible human being. I have to say that I like that.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Special Olympics
I really do have a lot to blog about. So many things have happened...a new neice, a new president, new hatchlings! But I've also been dealing with a new semester and a hectic schedule. I'm finishing my reading endorsement with a writing course at night, I've taken up a 6-week belly dancing class, and I'm still trying to make it to the gym every now and then. When I finally am at home, I just want to crash...you know? So I'm sorry about being lazy with the blogging. I will play catch-up this weekend while I watch tv online, but for now, here is the latest fun time...Fullers Field playing the Special Olympics opening ceremonies dance!
Here's a friend we made:
Even more balloons:
Check out Mom and Dad's dance lesson moves! Also, off to the right, you can see Danny dancing with one of the athletes. She was in heaven!
Here's a friend we made:
99 Red Balloons:
Even more balloons:
And the end of the song...Danny is dancing with his little friend again!
I didn't get it on video, but I put some pictures on FaceBook of when the band let some athletes take the instruments to perform Jordan's Jingle. It was so cute. They just loved being the center of attention!
A little bit of "Keep Swingin'"
"Take On Me"
More "Take On Me"
And the end of the song...with a big finish:
Signing autographs:
But in the end, the band rocked so hard that Little Jeremy lost his head in a tragic falling incident. Superglue, anyone?
Monday, January 12, 2009
My Very Special Friend
I think I may have to make this a tradition. January 12 is a day when my thoughts are consumed by Josh, since today is the 8th anniversary of his death. I remember a lot about that day and the week following, but it all blurs together and time becomes more of a river than a nice, organized, segmented collection of frames. But I don't dwell on that time, I dwell on the crazy things he did and the good times...like how when I'd get dressed up and ask him how I looked, he'd say, "Yuck!"...how everything got dipped in ketchup...how he could crack all of his fingers and all of his toes...my amazement when he cracked an egg all by himself...trying futily to hit that stupid pinata...knowing when my family arrived at my basketball games because he was the best cheerer out there...how when we huddled up after said game, I'd feel him hugging me from behind, and then he'd walk with me while I went through the motions of the obligatory "good game, good game, good game" high fives...I could quite easily list the millions of these.
In honor of Josh, here is a short story I wrote this past year. It's based on real events, but a lot has been fictionalized. I'll tell you at the end what's what:
“You must be a retard, too!”
“Don’t you have any real friends?”
“Are you stupid like them?”
The disdain of fifth graders can be cruel, and this was no exception. I’d signed up for the Special Friends program because I thought it would be fun and I was genuinely interested in being involved. As a Special Friend, I spent a half an hour in the Special Education room three days a week. I also ate lunch with the class and teachers in their room on Wednesdays. In 1988, Mainstreaming, now known as “Inclusion,” was a fairly new idea. My elementary school, instead of putting special education students into regular education classrooms, did the opposite and brought regular education students into the special education classroom.
I had eagerly agreed to participate in the program when I registered, but this wasn’t turning out the way I’d expected. As an Army Brat I found myself, once again, the new kid in school, and aligning myself with the “retards” was nothing short of social suicide. In the newly forming world of elementary school social status, I was swiftly sliding to an inevitable future as the fifth grade pariah.
Things were great during those half-hour visits. I was amazed at Jared’s superhuman hearing and ability to recognize me by the sound of my footsteps and his internal clock that told him it was 10:30am. I loved that he learned to say my name after three visits, even though he could barely communicate verbally. Any bad day was wiped away by Sophia’s sweet disposition and everpresent smile. She always knew when I needed a hug. Tyrone could memorize anything after hearing it twice and I found that he was the perfect study-buddy. In spite of his being in Special Education, I credit him with helping me through fifth grade math.
And then there was Eddie. “Hey, buddy!” was his standard greeting, no matter who he was talking to or even if he knew them. If his target made eye contact, then “Shake hands!” was next. “Me, Eddie. Your name?” he’d ask while pumping his new friend’s hand in his tight grip. Once Eddie was introduced, there was a hug to seal the friendship and he moved on to meet the next person. In his mind, Eddie had a lot of friends in the school. But I saw that the social stigma of being “retarded,” in Eddie’s case, having Down Syndrome, loomed dangerously near, threatening to crush his spirit.
I was sure that the horrible behavior of the “regular” students would wear him down, and I dreaded the day that Eddie finally figured out that his “friends” were really just the unlucky kids who didn’t see him quickly enough and get away in time. Calls of “Run! It’s the hugging retard!” echoed down the hall as students fled in front of him, screaming, ignoring the teachers’ futile reminders to “Please walk, students!” and “Inside voices!” Students behind him cringed in doorways, in obvious fear that he would turn around and trap them, but eager to see who would be his latest victim.
Anyone slow enough to be a hugging-Eddie-casualty would be subjected to endless torment at lunch, often required to keep a one-empty-seat barrier between himself and all others at the table – at least until the next day when the hugging-Eddie-germs had miraculously disappeared.
For me, this was a daily reality. My peers knew when I had spent time in the Special Ed room and tormented me mercilessly. No one would sit directly next to me for fear of catching whatever invisible germs I might be carrying. Even my best friend, Heather, participated in my ostracization. She dutifully sat one chair away as she opened her brown bag lunch and carefully studied the landscape of her bread in order to avoid direct eye contact. Looking back, I’m sure it was self-preservation that led her to participate. Nevertheless, to my fifth grade self esteem, it was a powerful blow.
I was miserable, but I also worried for Eddie, sure that the truth would finally hit him. I knew that one day, very soon, I would walk into room 111 and find him inconsolable with the realization that he didn’t really have friends, just kids he hunted down in the hall.
“So why do you want to leave the program?” The counselor looked at me with an unreadable expression. I was expecting disappointment, shame, accusation. But it was a simple, matter-of-fact question.
I didn’t want to tell her about the lunchroom or about how I couldn’t deal with Eddie finding out that he was as more of an outcast than me. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I wanted my best friend to talk to me again instead of staring at her sandwich. I didn’t tell her that I went home sick every day, either because I’d been in room 111 or knew I’d have to go tomorrow. But more than anything, I was ashamed to admit who I was really letting down, the reason I looked for disappointment, shame, and accusation on her face.
Josh was two years old at the time. Born with Down Syndrome, he’d already been through two open-heart surgeries to repair a leaking mitral valve. My interest in being a Special Friend had everything to do with him. Faced with this question, “Why do you want to leave the program?” I realized that even though I had so many reasons to get out, I had an even bigger reason to stay.
If this is what Josh had to look forward to when he entered school, then I wanted to change it. I wanted him to have real friends. I wanted him to be accepted, not just in spite of his differences, but because of them. I wanted him to never have to face the meanness and spitefulness of the “normal” kids.
Sitting there facing the counselor, I knew that if I quit, then I became just like them and I might as well be running, screaming, down the hall from an Eddie hug. But I knew better. I wasn’t going to be that girl. I knew that continuing would be insignificant in the long run, as far as everyone in the school was concerned. Nothing would change. Heather would remain my weekend-friend. I would continue to eat alone and face the taunts of my classmates. But sticking with it was the only solution I could be happy with.
“I changed my mind,” I replied. “I think I’ll stay.”
So, I don't remember the room number. "Retard" was a word kids used. I still find it greatly offensive. I don't remember the names of the Special Education kids, but I do remember what they were like. My descriptions of them are true. Hugging-Eddie is the exception to the name-forgetting, but he wasn't Down Syndrome--I just wanted the connection to Josh for the story. I did get made fun of, but the seat thing didn't happen to me, but there was a certain group who would pretty much shun the people who'd been hugged by Eddie...me and the other Special Friends included. So the one-seat-barrier did exist, it just wasn't as widepread as I made it out to be.
I wasn't what you would call popular, so most people ignored me, anyway, but I did hear whispers quite often about how I did Special Friends (the real name of the program), and when a mean popular kid wanted to put me down, that was the ammunition. I did feel like quitting for a while, but I really did have the realization that I would be letting myself and Josh down by becoming like everyone else. I didn't, however, make this realization in such a dramatic way. It came to me slowly, the more I thought about it.
So I did take some license, but I like how this ended up. I hope you liked it too. I miss you, Joshie! (Photo pilfered from Jill's blog.)
In honor of Josh, here is a short story I wrote this past year. It's based on real events, but a lot has been fictionalized. I'll tell you at the end what's what:
“You must be a retard, too!”
“Don’t you have any real friends?”
“Are you stupid like them?”
The disdain of fifth graders can be cruel, and this was no exception. I’d signed up for the Special Friends program because I thought it would be fun and I was genuinely interested in being involved. As a Special Friend, I spent a half an hour in the Special Education room three days a week. I also ate lunch with the class and teachers in their room on Wednesdays. In 1988, Mainstreaming, now known as “Inclusion,” was a fairly new idea. My elementary school, instead of putting special education students into regular education classrooms, did the opposite and brought regular education students into the special education classroom.
I had eagerly agreed to participate in the program when I registered, but this wasn’t turning out the way I’d expected. As an Army Brat I found myself, once again, the new kid in school, and aligning myself with the “retards” was nothing short of social suicide. In the newly forming world of elementary school social status, I was swiftly sliding to an inevitable future as the fifth grade pariah.
Things were great during those half-hour visits. I was amazed at Jared’s superhuman hearing and ability to recognize me by the sound of my footsteps and his internal clock that told him it was 10:30am. I loved that he learned to say my name after three visits, even though he could barely communicate verbally. Any bad day was wiped away by Sophia’s sweet disposition and everpresent smile. She always knew when I needed a hug. Tyrone could memorize anything after hearing it twice and I found that he was the perfect study-buddy. In spite of his being in Special Education, I credit him with helping me through fifth grade math.
And then there was Eddie. “Hey, buddy!” was his standard greeting, no matter who he was talking to or even if he knew them. If his target made eye contact, then “Shake hands!” was next. “Me, Eddie. Your name?” he’d ask while pumping his new friend’s hand in his tight grip. Once Eddie was introduced, there was a hug to seal the friendship and he moved on to meet the next person. In his mind, Eddie had a lot of friends in the school. But I saw that the social stigma of being “retarded,” in Eddie’s case, having Down Syndrome, loomed dangerously near, threatening to crush his spirit.
I was sure that the horrible behavior of the “regular” students would wear him down, and I dreaded the day that Eddie finally figured out that his “friends” were really just the unlucky kids who didn’t see him quickly enough and get away in time. Calls of “Run! It’s the hugging retard!” echoed down the hall as students fled in front of him, screaming, ignoring the teachers’ futile reminders to “Please walk, students!” and “Inside voices!” Students behind him cringed in doorways, in obvious fear that he would turn around and trap them, but eager to see who would be his latest victim.
Anyone slow enough to be a hugging-Eddie-casualty would be subjected to endless torment at lunch, often required to keep a one-empty-seat barrier between himself and all others at the table – at least until the next day when the hugging-Eddie-germs had miraculously disappeared.
For me, this was a daily reality. My peers knew when I had spent time in the Special Ed room and tormented me mercilessly. No one would sit directly next to me for fear of catching whatever invisible germs I might be carrying. Even my best friend, Heather, participated in my ostracization. She dutifully sat one chair away as she opened her brown bag lunch and carefully studied the landscape of her bread in order to avoid direct eye contact. Looking back, I’m sure it was self-preservation that led her to participate. Nevertheless, to my fifth grade self esteem, it was a powerful blow.
I was miserable, but I also worried for Eddie, sure that the truth would finally hit him. I knew that one day, very soon, I would walk into room 111 and find him inconsolable with the realization that he didn’t really have friends, just kids he hunted down in the hall.
“So why do you want to leave the program?” The counselor looked at me with an unreadable expression. I was expecting disappointment, shame, accusation. But it was a simple, matter-of-fact question.
I didn’t want to tell her about the lunchroom or about how I couldn’t deal with Eddie finding out that he was as more of an outcast than me. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I wanted my best friend to talk to me again instead of staring at her sandwich. I didn’t tell her that I went home sick every day, either because I’d been in room 111 or knew I’d have to go tomorrow. But more than anything, I was ashamed to admit who I was really letting down, the reason I looked for disappointment, shame, and accusation on her face.
Josh was two years old at the time. Born with Down Syndrome, he’d already been through two open-heart surgeries to repair a leaking mitral valve. My interest in being a Special Friend had everything to do with him. Faced with this question, “Why do you want to leave the program?” I realized that even though I had so many reasons to get out, I had an even bigger reason to stay.
If this is what Josh had to look forward to when he entered school, then I wanted to change it. I wanted him to have real friends. I wanted him to be accepted, not just in spite of his differences, but because of them. I wanted him to never have to face the meanness and spitefulness of the “normal” kids.
Sitting there facing the counselor, I knew that if I quit, then I became just like them and I might as well be running, screaming, down the hall from an Eddie hug. But I knew better. I wasn’t going to be that girl. I knew that continuing would be insignificant in the long run, as far as everyone in the school was concerned. Nothing would change. Heather would remain my weekend-friend. I would continue to eat alone and face the taunts of my classmates. But sticking with it was the only solution I could be happy with.
“I changed my mind,” I replied. “I think I’ll stay.”
So, I don't remember the room number. "Retard" was a word kids used. I still find it greatly offensive. I don't remember the names of the Special Education kids, but I do remember what they were like. My descriptions of them are true. Hugging-Eddie is the exception to the name-forgetting, but he wasn't Down Syndrome--I just wanted the connection to Josh for the story. I did get made fun of, but the seat thing didn't happen to me, but there was a certain group who would pretty much shun the people who'd been hugged by Eddie...me and the other Special Friends included. So the one-seat-barrier did exist, it just wasn't as widepread as I made it out to be.
I wasn't what you would call popular, so most people ignored me, anyway, but I did hear whispers quite often about how I did Special Friends (the real name of the program), and when a mean popular kid wanted to put me down, that was the ammunition. I did feel like quitting for a while, but I really did have the realization that I would be letting myself and Josh down by becoming like everyone else. I didn't, however, make this realization in such a dramatic way. It came to me slowly, the more I thought about it.
So I did take some license, but I like how this ended up. I hope you liked it too. I miss you, Joshie! (Photo pilfered from Jill's blog.)
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