Hey, a day in Iowa without rain! It's a sign of the impending Rapture obviously.
We have had one damn rainy month here, and today seemed like the first *real* day of summer. You know, that hot, yellow ball in the sky and the bubbling humidity just waiting to ooze forth?
So, in my family, that means POOL TIME! Yessiree, we were off to the local swimming hole.
I wish I had new insights to regale you with, but alas, I do not. Instead, I will cross-reference you to this post...it pretty much contains the same thoughts, ruminations, occurrences, etc. Just change anything that says 2010 to 2011.
Summer Fashion Trends! - June 19, 2010
16 June 2011
12 June 2011
My Blog's Title Really Means Something Right Now!
I have returned home to Iowa after nine days in Alaska. While it's true that there's no place like home, sometimes there are other places like nowhere else on Earth. While I could spend several pages detailing the sublime beauty of Alaska, I won't. Your time is precious, as is mine, so I will leave you with some highlights and photographs.
* The state is Alaska is huge. HUGE. Unimaginably huge for an small-state dweller like myself. In fact, take a look at this graphic I found online at marciesalaskaweb.com:
Yeah. I know, right? Lengthwise, the entire state is the same as all of the lower 48. Here's what that means: driving anywhere is not a ten or fifteen-minute ordeal. We're talking hours. My brother (whom we were there to visit) lives near Fairbanks. We flew into Anchorage. To pick us up, they drove seven hours. We drove 3.5 from Anchorage to Seward to catch the Kenai Fjords Cruise. We drove 4.5 hours from Anchorage to Denali National Park. Then, another 2.5 from Denali brought us to Fairbanks. Then, we did it all again at the end of the vacation. Also, Alaska is a primitive state in many ways, not fraught with twisted highways systems and whathaveyou. Most of the western part of the state is traveled to via planes. One highway took us from Anchorage to Seward and from Anchorage to Fairbanks. And, Alaska's roads are nothing like I-80 or similar with its endless flat expanses...it's windy, hilly, and surrounded by trees and mountains. You don't really drive at 90 mph lest a wayward moose decides to cross at that time.
* However, the drive may be longer...but it's much more beautiful than anything I-80 could pony up. Especially, the Seward Highway...sandwiched right in there between the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm (of the Cook Inlet). I lost count of how many forest-covered mountains we rounded to a spectacular view of low-hanging clouds and snow-covered peaks. Honestly, there wasn't any place I didn't travel in Alaska that was ugly (of course, bear in mind that I only saw a fraction of the place).
* Speaking of ugliness, there isn't much of it in Alaska - want to know why that is? Because the people and the state are all about PRESERVATION. Denali National Park and Reserve, for instance, is a six million acre government-protected piece of land. One road runs 92 miles into the entire park and only 15 miles of that can be traversed by private vehicles (e.g. you and me). Otherwise, you pay for a tour bus. You see, here's a state that puts the ecosystem first, instead of humans. Kind of awesome, really.
* Sure, though, there are urban areas. Anchorage is home to about 300,000 people (my state's capital and largest city, Des Moines, only has 200,000ish). Then, the next largest city? Fairbanks at 32,000. Then, third, the state's capital, Juneau, at 30,000. Apparently, urbanness is relative. Fortunately, Alaskans don't really give much a flying hoot about this. Anchorage is home to an actual skyline, many shopping malls, fast-food joints, car dealerships, etc...so yeah, get that idea of igloo living out of your head. However, for my brother, it would be a seven-hour drive from Fairbanks to a Best Buy, Target, or Kohl's. It would be even more (way more) for folks who lived in Nome or Prudhoe Bay or Barrow.
* Your natural body's rhythm stands to be totally screwed up in Alaska. The summer solstice is not until June 21, and yet, we still wore sunglasses at midnight. That means the daylight hours are still growing! It's easy to lose track of time...and no big deal to still be up and about and outside at a time when most of the lower 48ers are in bed. And I totally get it. When many Alaskans deal with insane hours of darkness and cold temperatures a significant part of the year, it makes total sense that they'd take advantage of the long days.
* Moral of the story? Go. You should. There are many things I saw and did that will imprint themselves in my mind and heart forever. And while I love a larger-than-life city like Las Vegas (Alaska's total opposite), the wilderness and quirks of The Last Frontier inspire the same kind of awe, but I dunno, they do it in a pure, right way.
Anyway, before I get too Thoreau on you, here's just a sampling of the vistas:
* The state is Alaska is huge. HUGE. Unimaginably huge for an small-state dweller like myself. In fact, take a look at this graphic I found online at marciesalaskaweb.com:
Yeah. I know, right? Lengthwise, the entire state is the same as all of the lower 48. Here's what that means: driving anywhere is not a ten or fifteen-minute ordeal. We're talking hours. My brother (whom we were there to visit) lives near Fairbanks. We flew into Anchorage. To pick us up, they drove seven hours. We drove 3.5 from Anchorage to Seward to catch the Kenai Fjords Cruise. We drove 4.5 hours from Anchorage to Denali National Park. Then, another 2.5 from Denali brought us to Fairbanks. Then, we did it all again at the end of the vacation. Also, Alaska is a primitive state in many ways, not fraught with twisted highways systems and whathaveyou. Most of the western part of the state is traveled to via planes. One highway took us from Anchorage to Seward and from Anchorage to Fairbanks. And, Alaska's roads are nothing like I-80 or similar with its endless flat expanses...it's windy, hilly, and surrounded by trees and mountains. You don't really drive at 90 mph lest a wayward moose decides to cross at that time.
* However, the drive may be longer...but it's much more beautiful than anything I-80 could pony up. Especially, the Seward Highway...sandwiched right in there between the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm (of the Cook Inlet). I lost count of how many forest-covered mountains we rounded to a spectacular view of low-hanging clouds and snow-covered peaks. Honestly, there wasn't any place I didn't travel in Alaska that was ugly (of course, bear in mind that I only saw a fraction of the place).
* Speaking of ugliness, there isn't much of it in Alaska - want to know why that is? Because the people and the state are all about PRESERVATION. Denali National Park and Reserve, for instance, is a six million acre government-protected piece of land. One road runs 92 miles into the entire park and only 15 miles of that can be traversed by private vehicles (e.g. you and me). Otherwise, you pay for a tour bus. You see, here's a state that puts the ecosystem first, instead of humans. Kind of awesome, really.
* Sure, though, there are urban areas. Anchorage is home to about 300,000 people (my state's capital and largest city, Des Moines, only has 200,000ish). Then, the next largest city? Fairbanks at 32,000. Then, third, the state's capital, Juneau, at 30,000. Apparently, urbanness is relative. Fortunately, Alaskans don't really give much a flying hoot about this. Anchorage is home to an actual skyline, many shopping malls, fast-food joints, car dealerships, etc...so yeah, get that idea of igloo living out of your head. However, for my brother, it would be a seven-hour drive from Fairbanks to a Best Buy, Target, or Kohl's. It would be even more (way more) for folks who lived in Nome or Prudhoe Bay or Barrow.
* Your natural body's rhythm stands to be totally screwed up in Alaska. The summer solstice is not until June 21, and yet, we still wore sunglasses at midnight. That means the daylight hours are still growing! It's easy to lose track of time...and no big deal to still be up and about and outside at a time when most of the lower 48ers are in bed. And I totally get it. When many Alaskans deal with insane hours of darkness and cold temperatures a significant part of the year, it makes total sense that they'd take advantage of the long days.
* Moral of the story? Go. You should. There are many things I saw and did that will imprint themselves in my mind and heart forever. And while I love a larger-than-life city like Las Vegas (Alaska's total opposite), the wilderness and quirks of The Last Frontier inspire the same kind of awe, but I dunno, they do it in a pure, right way.
Anyway, before I get too Thoreau on you, here's just a sampling of the vistas:
 |
| The sun tries to make an appearance along the scenic stretch of the Seward Highway. |
 | ||
| A view to the world below from a hilltop at Denali National Park. |
 |
| Mountains, trees, and water - in one go - Kenai Peninsula. |
 |
| These types of views were all too common (and yet still stunning) in Resurrection Bay - Seward. |
06 June 2011
Alaskan Insights
Just finishing up day four here in the Alaskan wilderness...and while I'm not saying I've been everywhere and seen everything, I do believe I feel a bit wiser.
Case in point:
1. It's quite an adjustment to go out for a walk at ten o'clock PM...and have to wear sunglasses. But it's an environmental change I find I am growing used to.
2. however, this radical change can take a toll. I sure am not the spring chicken I thought I used to be. But, it's all good.
3. Alaska is a beautiful state. I have thoroughly enjoyed the scenery...there is nothing like it on Earth to me. I believe I could live here...June through August, anyway.
4. My sister-in-law is a talented wheeler and dealer, as well as a adequate couponer, and she has made this vacation most memorable for us. And yet, while she very much is into Extreme Couponing, I've decided I cannot emulate her. My husband, on the other hand, might...
5. I will never again complain about an hour drive from my hometown to a decent shopping center...not when my brother and his family have driven seven hour from Fairbanks to Anchorage to pick us up at the airport.
6. I underestimated the "je ne c'est pas" I would get from visiting my husband's city of birth upon arrival to Alaska. We shall now cross it off the bucket list. We may accomplish other dreams.
There may be more, but I shall leave off here.
Case in point:
1. It's quite an adjustment to go out for a walk at ten o'clock PM...and have to wear sunglasses. But it's an environmental change I find I am growing used to.
2. however, this radical change can take a toll. I sure am not the spring chicken I thought I used to be. But, it's all good.
3. Alaska is a beautiful state. I have thoroughly enjoyed the scenery...there is nothing like it on Earth to me. I believe I could live here...June through August, anyway.
4. My sister-in-law is a talented wheeler and dealer, as well as a adequate couponer, and she has made this vacation most memorable for us. And yet, while she very much is into Extreme Couponing, I've decided I cannot emulate her. My husband, on the other hand, might...
5. I will never again complain about an hour drive from my hometown to a decent shopping center...not when my brother and his family have driven seven hour from Fairbanks to Anchorage to pick us up at the airport.
6. I underestimated the "je ne c'est pas" I would get from visiting my husband's city of birth upon arrival to Alaska. We shall now cross it off the bucket list. We may accomplish other dreams.
There may be more, but I shall leave off here.
31 May 2011
Nearly A Week Into Summer Vacation
I have been on summer break for almost a week. Here's what I've done:
Camped over the holiday weekend.
Cleaned out/reorganized the craft/workroom.
Scrubbed upstairs toilets.
Vacuumed nearly every room in the house.
Tidied up downstairs.
Completed all but one load of laundry.
Submitted twenty yearbook pages.
Ordered textbook samples for my college Am Lit class.
Run various odd-and-end errands.
Began and abandoned two books ("Glamorama" by Bret Easton Ellis and "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain)
Begun "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Tomorrow looks to be a fairly frantic day - it's The Day Before We Leave For Vacation. You all know that day, right? Pure, unadulterated craziness.
Camped over the holiday weekend.
Cleaned out/reorganized the craft/workroom.
Scrubbed upstairs toilets.
Vacuumed nearly every room in the house.
Tidied up downstairs.
Completed all but one load of laundry.
Submitted twenty yearbook pages.
Ordered textbook samples for my college Am Lit class.
Run various odd-and-end errands.
Began and abandoned two books ("Glamorama" by Bret Easton Ellis and "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain)
Begun "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Tomorrow looks to be a fairly frantic day - it's The Day Before We Leave For Vacation. You all know that day, right? Pure, unadulterated craziness.
26 May 2011
Blue Skies, Green Flora
Today was the last day of school.
When you're a teacher (or student), the world is seen through an entirely different lens on the last day of school. I don't care if it's gloomy, overcast, or pouring down rain, things seem a lot brighter on the last day of school. It *seems* like the sun is out, for sure.
Today, by a matter of circumstance, my children and I walked home from school. About a five-minute walk, but it was really beautiful. Bluest blue skies I'd seen in awhile and everything (and I mean everything) was green and verdant. The laden-down backpack I was schlepping seemed filled with feathers!
Welcome summer!
When you're a teacher (or student), the world is seen through an entirely different lens on the last day of school. I don't care if it's gloomy, overcast, or pouring down rain, things seem a lot brighter on the last day of school. It *seems* like the sun is out, for sure.
Today, by a matter of circumstance, my children and I walked home from school. About a five-minute walk, but it was really beautiful. Bluest blue skies I'd seen in awhile and everything (and I mean everything) was green and verdant. The laden-down backpack I was schlepping seemed filled with feathers!
Welcome summer!
25 May 2011
The Closing of a Door
After tomorrow, I bid adieu to my public-schoolteaching career...for the time being.
I graduated from college in 1998 and began my first teaching job in August of 1999. I have taught middle school reading, sophomore literature, freshman English, yearbook, journalism, and more. With the exception of a few months here and there I took off for maternity leave, I have been in public education for eleven years.
And now, I'm getting out.
It's been a sweet ride, really. I shouldn't complain at all. I've made some great friends and had some really great moments. But, well, it's not enough anymore.
So, tomorrow, I will be spending my last day with high school students. It is a bittersweet thing, because really, I enjoy most students. Yeah, I've got some real chowderheads, but there always are anyway. But, I've noticed a disturbing trend - those who don't value their education is on the rise - and we've let them, even enabling it in some ways.
And yeah, for all the technology we're infusing into schools these days, it hasn't improved communication very much. In my experience, teachers are heard less and put upon more. I wish more folks could understand this, but unfortunately, most parents are armchair quarterbacks - very willing to call the shots without really having any real field experience.
And I don't think things are getting better. Teachers are becoming complacently numb, or they leave the profession.
I am very lucky. Financially, I can leave the school district and take a part-time job teaching at the college level; I know many of my colleagues don't have that luxury. Don't think I don't count my blessings every day.
*Sigh* I've known since late fall I wanted to resign my high school job. I sent the actual letter in mid-April. May 26th seemed so, so, so far away, though, at those times. But, it's not. It's tomorrow. My lifepath will take a totally new direction. All I want now is to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead with optimism, hope, and resolve.
Those are things I've lose in the last three months.
I graduated from college in 1998 and began my first teaching job in August of 1999. I have taught middle school reading, sophomore literature, freshman English, yearbook, journalism, and more. With the exception of a few months here and there I took off for maternity leave, I have been in public education for eleven years.
And now, I'm getting out.
It's been a sweet ride, really. I shouldn't complain at all. I've made some great friends and had some really great moments. But, well, it's not enough anymore.
So, tomorrow, I will be spending my last day with high school students. It is a bittersweet thing, because really, I enjoy most students. Yeah, I've got some real chowderheads, but there always are anyway. But, I've noticed a disturbing trend - those who don't value their education is on the rise - and we've let them, even enabling it in some ways.
And yeah, for all the technology we're infusing into schools these days, it hasn't improved communication very much. In my experience, teachers are heard less and put upon more. I wish more folks could understand this, but unfortunately, most parents are armchair quarterbacks - very willing to call the shots without really having any real field experience.
And I don't think things are getting better. Teachers are becoming complacently numb, or they leave the profession.
I am very lucky. Financially, I can leave the school district and take a part-time job teaching at the college level; I know many of my colleagues don't have that luxury. Don't think I don't count my blessings every day.
*Sigh* I've known since late fall I wanted to resign my high school job. I sent the actual letter in mid-April. May 26th seemed so, so, so far away, though, at those times. But, it's not. It's tomorrow. My lifepath will take a totally new direction. All I want now is to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead with optimism, hope, and resolve.
Those are things I've lose in the last three months.
21 May 2011
Getting a Grip on Graduation
This time of year means the season of graduation parties is among us. Every year I am awed by the numbers...of people having them, of pounds of food, of cakes being made, invites being given out...everything.
A few teachers and I were discussing this very phenomenon a couple of days in the lounge during lunch. One colleague wondered if parents would throw such elaborate shindigs for their child's college graduations. I have no data to support my hypothesis, but I would venture to answer that question with a 'probably not'.
Which is rather interesting, I think. College graduation seems much more monumental than high school, I think, and therefore, worth a larger celebration. However, for an eighteen-year-old, there is no greater highlight to their lives than graduating from high school.
Thoughts like these lead me to even more pensive ones, like: Is this part of the reason why I fear getting old? Because we as a society seem to prize and place value on youth? Now that I've graduated high school, college, am married, had all my babies...what else can I celebrate? What other milestones are there?
The self-help section of the bookstore tells me: Life. I'm supposed to find peace at this time of my life, and stability because I'm getting mature and wise. I'm supposed to worry less about things and more about people, and I'm supposed to become reflective and discover who I am on the inside. I know that it's not about getting what I want, it's wanting what I've got. I'm supposed to remember the idea of perspective and that things could be worse. There are a lot of books, magazine articles, websites, blogs, etc. that remind us that we don't need to envy the younger set...which makes me wonder why we're trying so hard to convince ourselves.
It's a process - I understand. I do think I'm getting there (to wisdom). But, I'm straddling that fine line, too, you know? One foot here, one foot there. I'm growing, and maturing, yes, but I'm also leaving things behind. I'm finding it a bit painful.
A few teachers and I were discussing this very phenomenon a couple of days in the lounge during lunch. One colleague wondered if parents would throw such elaborate shindigs for their child's college graduations. I have no data to support my hypothesis, but I would venture to answer that question with a 'probably not'.
Which is rather interesting, I think. College graduation seems much more monumental than high school, I think, and therefore, worth a larger celebration. However, for an eighteen-year-old, there is no greater highlight to their lives than graduating from high school.
Thoughts like these lead me to even more pensive ones, like: Is this part of the reason why I fear getting old? Because we as a society seem to prize and place value on youth? Now that I've graduated high school, college, am married, had all my babies...what else can I celebrate? What other milestones are there?
The self-help section of the bookstore tells me: Life. I'm supposed to find peace at this time of my life, and stability because I'm getting mature and wise. I'm supposed to worry less about things and more about people, and I'm supposed to become reflective and discover who I am on the inside. I know that it's not about getting what I want, it's wanting what I've got. I'm supposed to remember the idea of perspective and that things could be worse. There are a lot of books, magazine articles, websites, blogs, etc. that remind us that we don't need to envy the younger set...which makes me wonder why we're trying so hard to convince ourselves.
It's a process - I understand. I do think I'm getting there (to wisdom). But, I'm straddling that fine line, too, you know? One foot here, one foot there. I'm growing, and maturing, yes, but I'm also leaving things behind. I'm finding it a bit painful.
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