Halitosis of the intellect...

I am no longer surprised at the state that Idaho's schools are in. All you have to do is listen to those who are running for the local school board to find out some of the prevailing ideas. One gentleman, who shall remain nameless, from nearby town was recently quoted in the local newspaper as saying the following:

"Teachers didn't get in the profession to get rich, so they should have no problem with a 10% pay cut to start."

"Teachers need to teach differently than they did back in 1963 when I graduated."

"The teachers will continue to teach regardless of what they're paid, so why pay them that much?"

That really just says it all. Naturally he voted against the levy (proud of it too!). Thankfully he didn't win a seat on the school board, but the attitude towards education explains a lot, and leaves you feeling a bit sad.

I'm slightly bored, so here's some nonsense.

I have decided that my iPod has an attitude. Though I haven’t named it (I don’t even name my car), it seems to have a bit of the Herbie spirit; friendly, but with a sarcastic streak a mile wide. Bizarre, I know. And I am only half serious, but the coincidences make me giggle.

The first hint of personality bubbled to the surface as I was hiking with my sister last spring. We had both received iPods for Christmas and were jamming out to our respective playlists as we pushed our way to the top.  Arriving at the top, we stopped to rest, and were both singing along with whatever happened to be playing in our heads. All of a sudden, at exactly the same time, we both started singing the opening lines of Jason Mraz’s “Live High.”  Weird. 

A few weeks ago I went out on the track for the first time after a long winter being stuck behind a treadmill to work on running in the real world. My goal for the day was 4 miles (not all running, but as much as possible), and I (of course) had my headphones in trying to keep my mind off my burning lungs. As I lumbered forward to begin my last lap, my iPod decided to question my ability. Blaring into my ears came the query “Can you stay strong? Can you go on? Christy are you doin’ ok?”  I laughed so hard I almost tripped. But it made my last lap fly by.

After that last dig at me I decided to have some fun and try the iPod quiz that has been floating around facebook for the last little while. Not to post as a note – just for kicks. Because I have so much music, I decided to do it four or five times, by genre instead of all at once (otherwise answers might include 3 Nephi 4, or Adagio in G Minor). By and large, most of the answers were nonsense (What is 2 + 2? Let It Go), but there were a few that were fit so perfectly or were so funny, I just had to share them here.

What would describe your personality? Anything But Ordinary - Avril Lavigne

What do you want to be when you grow up? Be a Catholic - Forbidden Broadway (showtunes)

What do your parents think of you? Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson (oldies)

What do your friends think of you? Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks (country) & Trouble is a Friend - Lenka

How will you die? Running with Knives - David Hopkins

Will you ever get married? Empty Apartment - Yellowcard

What will they play at your funeral? I Am Not Yet Dead - Spamalot (showtunes), & Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

What do you like in a guy? All the Small Things - Blink 182

What is your biggest secret? Things I'll Never Say - Avril Lavigne

What is one thing you regret? I Shot the Sheriff - Bob Marley (reggae)

What makes you cry? Monday, Monday - The Mamas & The Papas (oldies)

What makes you laugh? Stuff and Nonsense - Missy Higgins

Kind of reminds me of playing with a magic 8 ball, but far more amusing. 

Ocupational Hazards

Self mutilationEven short fingernails do damage (see the nose). Good thing I don't wear jewelry!

TMII work with teenage boys. 'Nuff said.

Dangerous environments

Yup. Been there, done that. Interpreting on the slopes can be crazy!

The man in the moon

I took a walk this morning with the man in the moon. He was quite the gentleman, quiet and polite, just sitting there watching the sunrise with me and keeping me company.

With today being Earth Day, I decided to celebrate a bit and instead of driving to the gym, I walked the long way to work (it takes about an hour and a half). It was a beautiful morning that smelled like spring. Watching the sunrise was thrilling - I love seeing the clouds change from pewterish silver, to a milky mother-of-pearl,  and then gold and opalescent. 

I didn't expect to run into anyone this morning, but I got a lovely surprise when I looked up, and saw the moon watching the sunrise with me. Ok, ok, in all honesty, it was just Venus passing behind the crescent moon, but looking at the picture (it was brighter than that this morning) you can kind of see what I mean. It looks like some cartoon moon face (Venus being the nose), watching the horizon. I have to admit, the picture doesn't quite capture what I saw this morning. What with the different lighting and the cloud distortions... it had me giggling most of the morning. As they say... simple minds and all that.

Drumroll please...

Way back in October of last year I asked for a bit of advice from my more tech savvy friends and family about what kind of computer I should upgrade too, a Mac or a PC.  The opinions that resulted were incredibly fun, and luckily did not open the predicted can of worms. Since then I have done lots of researching, and debating, and agonizing, and wishing.... but no deciding.

By not deciding, I realize that I have been cruel to you all, and kept you all worried about my eternal soul... for this I sincerely apologize and beg forgiveness.

Now, to satisfy your burning curiosity, I present my decision :)

I want an iMac. I have learned the basics of navigating a Mac, and while I have a ways to go before becoming proficient, I like it enough to want to give it a shot.  I like the look and feel of it, I can live with the price, I love the huge memory and the part where the hardware and the software are all made by the same people, but I think thing that sold me at the end was the iPhoto software. 

With all the scanning I do, and the thousands of old family photos that I store, I love what I will be able to do using iPhoto, and the MANY different ways that I can organize my photos. Organizing with faces is what got me really excited, especially after spending three hours going through my entire collection trying to find every last picture of my Grandma for someone.  What a mind numbing process. Imagine being able to find every picture of your favorite cousin with the touch of a button. Happy sigh...

Right now though, I am facing reality. I will have to save for a while before I can make this purchase. Sadness. Till then, I will just have to live with the frustration of the 'thermal events,' dwindling memory, and crashes that plague my computer. But the fact that my car didn't need expensive repairs, and that I will be getting my track paycheck in a few months puts me a few steps closer to computer nirvana. (And yes Ben, I would LOVE to take advantage of your student discount once I get my money saved!)

Bliss.

(Those of you who now believe I am going to computer hell are welcome to present additional arguments to try and save me.)

"When am I EVER going to use this?"

That is the question every teacher hates, and every student asks at some time (usually in the middle of math class).  And they have a point.  How often do  you really use Avogadro's constant in your everyday life (unless you are a chemist)? In general the point of public education is to give a good foundation of knowledge, broaden horizons, teach critical thinking, new ways of using abstract ideas, applying knowledge learned in the past to present situations... etc. I figured that out fairly early in life, so that was a question I didn't ask often. Plus, I always figured that whatever I learned would some day be useful when the final Jeopardy question I was asked (on which I would wager all $10,907) would be about which US president was given a 1,400 lb block of cheese, and I would win because I knew it was Andrew Jackson. 

The question of real world applicability has popped up more and more frequently the last few weeks in Algebra, and as I was interpreting the question yet again, (this time about natural logarithms), I answered it for myself. I am using right it now. I got a good chuckle out of that. Who would have thought little ol' anti-number me would be using logs and antilogs at work. Certainly not something I had expected when I picked an English degree during my first round of college. I laughed even more as I looked back, and realized that there isn't one class I have ever taken, that hasn't had direct application to either my life, or (more usually) my work. How many people can honestly say that? Of all strange things, even my fencing class came in useful. And here I thought I was just using it to get some easy PE credits.

So, when am I EVER going to use it in my life? Careful what you ask because you might just end up like me, and have to answer "Every day. For the rest of my career."

That makes me laugh.

Warning - contents are revolting.

I know, I know... I am a slacker sometimes when it comes to blogging (ok, maybe a little more than sometimes...). Mostly because lately all I have been doing is scanning, and how many times can I post about how much my butt hurts from sitting or about the cute pic I just found? Once is enough. Well, it is enough for now. 

But while I am just sitting here, I thought perhaps this would be an opportune time to sound the alarm and warn those who read my bits of mindless drivel.  

There are not many things I hate - I was taught as a child that "hate is a strong word" and shouldn't be used lightly. So I don't use it for much. Instead, I choose to use the word detest. Still, the list of things I detest is not a long one. Surprisingly, particle board is ranked fairly high on that list. 

Was it really only 5 years ago that I was blissfully unaware of this blight? Sadly, since I moved into my home, I have come to know it far too well, and have spent much of that time attempting to eradicate it. A frustrating task, I can tell you. Particle board seems to be the material of choice for mobile home manufacturers. Like an infestation of roaches, I found it everywhere!! Kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms... even in the floor!! Disgusting! It soaks things up like a sponge - and holds on to it with a death grip. Water leaks, smoke... other things I would rather not think about... It is a cheap substitution for the real thing (which also happens to be fairly cheap). Heaven only knows what the stuff is actually made of - I certainly don't, and I doubt the manufacturers know either. It is impossible to clean. If it gets damp at all, it swells and stinks forever more, it can't be repaired (like you would want to fix it anyhow!) and disintegrates for no good reason.

As a result, I have ripped out my kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom cabinets, and replaced sections of my subfloor - all with good results, things are MUCH better with those gone. Now, I have discovered that like termites, the infestation is much worse than it always seems at the beginning. Who, in their right mind (or even in their wrong mind) would ever even CONSIDER making an outside door of this rubbish?? Apparently, the skinflint that tossed my place together thought it was a brilliant idea. As you can see above.

It makes for an awfully cold winter when your door doesn't actually shut. It also makes for a really high gas bill. 

Any guesses about what will be replaced next?