Favorite Sleepover Games

Fortune Teller:

Click on the picture above to enlarge.


Mash:

As essential to a sleepover as pizza, brownies and popcorn. The game that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about your future. Will I live in a shack? Or drive a orange Volvo? Who will I marry and how many kids will we have? The answers to these burning questions and many more can be discovered if only you pick the right number and count carefully.


Seven-Eleven (Also known as the Candy Bar Game) :
For Christmas this year we thought doing a family white elephant exchange would be a lot of fun. We were right, it was a laugh. The Kayners left with a jar of sock locks and the Carlyles scored big with a fleece blanket/snuggling robe hybrid, the Beechers used the sleek hand vac they won to clean up Tessa's spilled fun dip before they even left the room.

Even with as much fun as the adults were having however, we knew the younger kids would be bored. So while the parents were playing I taught their kids how to gamble. More or less.

The candy bar game is a family favorite. And like all family traditions, must be lovingly passed on to the rising generation. The game works like this:
All the players sit on the floor in a circle with a large pile of gleaming candy sitting in the center of the ring. Two pairs of dice are circulated around the group and rolled once per turn and then passed to the person on your left. If you roll a combination that adds to either a 7 (1+6, 2+5, 3+4, 4+3, 5+2 or 6+1) or an 11 (do your own math) you get to select a candy bar from the pile in the middle. After all the candy is removed from the circle, a timer is set--usually for 5 minutes? Maybe longer.
Each player then gets a paper sack and hides their candy inside. The players continue with the roll-add-pass routine until someone gets a 7 or 11 combo, at which point they get to steal a candy bar.

But here's the catch; the moral of the story is you have to ask for it nicely and if you ask the wrong player they get to open your sack and select anything they want. So you have to stay alert and watch where and when the candy bars are changing hands. But that doesn't sound too hard right?

Well there is one more thing, most of my nieces and nephews, although absolutely adorable, can't add. So we had a problem...


Aunt Karen's revised rules. Any kid who throws a tantrum may select a candy whenever they begin the tantrum. Kids who roll a dud combo roll after roll can have as many turns in a row until they win before passing the dice onto their neighbor. Kids without any wins will be compensated with hugs and all of Aunt Karen's candy. Instead of 2 dice rolled to 7 or 11? 1 dice rolled to a 1. Even a little kid can tell the difference between 1 and the sides with a bunch of dots. And the number 1 rule? Smile for the camera:

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

What a fun show! I only saw the first half because during the intermission I noticed snow dumping on the streets of Seattle and thought it was time to make my exit. I'm still a little bummed. But glad to have gotten home safely. We ended up with almost 10 inches of snow before it was all over.

Snow Driving Adventure

Me: Come on! You can do it!!
Car: I think I can.
Car: I think I can.
Car: Sorry, nope.

What's My Elevation?

Have you ever been halfway through an argument/discussion when you realized your heart wasn't really in it? Arguments are best if you win them, it's true. But I've had a few where I just didn't care anymore. The following story is NOT an example of this.

My friend Boris* (names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I got into a silly dispute years ago. We were living in Bellingham at the time and I mentioned something about being at sea level. Boris is from Houston and laughed at me and our mountains and rolling hills and said This IS Not Sea Level. I pointed to the sea, which we lived 10 blocks from and said something dumb. The problem is that we defined the word sea level differently. I'm thinking "being at the same elevation at the sea" Boris is thinking "the land is level like the sea".
Which Houston is and Bellingham is not.



Ok, Boris I apologize.

You can type in your address at this site, then click on "find" and it will give you your elevation.

My elevation 423 ft. What' s yours?

Finally a Game I Can Win!

So here's an interesting fact, I like to win. Maybe it's from being one of 10 kids, maybe it's from a sense of superiority or... inferiority. But whatever the cause, the effect is that I am a slightly competitive person. However, here's the sad truth--although I LOVE to win, I hardly ever do because my desire to win does not equate my skill to win.

Oh, don't feel bad for me, I've had my moment of glory here and there. When I'm playing cranium with Roger as my partner we are unstoppable. Tetris. (Although right now I have the lowest score on facebook...but I used to be awesome, so I'm going to focus on that)

If you love to win but don't have skills, what options are open? Here are a list of ways to win every game:

• Be the banker. This tiresome chore can be the ticket to a big win. Never mind if your only hotel is on Baltic Avenue and Aunt Kay owns all the railroads, if you're the banker you can feather the nest a little and come out ahead.
• When playing scrabble, offer to be the score keeper. No one likes to do mental math right? Your opponents will be glad to let you be in charge of this thankless task.
• Play games with small children. Sure there are big softies who would tell you to let the kid win, but don't listen. Kids have to learn sometime. This tip works well with some games, but not others, here's my advice:
• Games you can win if your opponent is a youngster: chess, checkers, risk, scrabble, trivia pursuit.
• Games you can't win if your opponent is a youngster: twister, apples to apples, sorry.
• When playing the farming game, always buy a tractor.
• Eat lots of candy bars.
  

Imagine my excitement when I stumbled across Name that Candy Bar, finally! a game I have been training for all my life.

Here's how it works, try to identify a candy bar by looking at a cross section of it. It helps if you close your eyes and try to imagine the taste of it in your mouth. Take your time. Savor it. Remember that winning is the primary objective, so don't rush it. Ok, are you ready?

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 

(see bottom of post for answers. If you want to cheat, no one will know, so go ahead.)

What a rush, huh? How did you do? I did AWESOME!
I knew every bar * when I first played at this site. Some of them are tricky. But my Canadian Candy Bar knowledge came through for me.

* The only one I wasn't sure about was coffee crisp, but I had a suspicion... I started noticing a bunch of Canadians. I know Coffee Crisp is a popular bar. And it looked like what I would expect it to look like inside. So kids, by using my inductive reasoning skills I won!

Canada. Our friendly neighbor to the north. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free!

Can I just say something? I know I can because this is my blog. But here it is: Canada makes the best candy bars. Have you ever eaten a Wunderbar, a Mr. Big, or a dark chocolate Kit Kat?
Oh, you have not lived if you said a lamentable no.

Cross section of a Mr. Big. Doesn't that look delicious?

Did you know that Costco is everywhere? Canada even. My favorite location is right past the Sumas border because they don't look at you too funny if you declare your reason for visiting Canada is to go to Costco's candy isle. (A true story.) Another reason is a cute guy named Ryan who works at one of the registers. My buddy Aims and I always get in his line even if the other ones are shorter. He is that cute.

ANSWERS: 1. Snickers 2. Almond Joy 3. Baby Ruth 4. Kit Kat

Pumpkin and Pecan

I know TV is TV and real life is...well, real. But watching the West Wing makes me feel smart. When I used to watch the West Wing I always felt like I was up on current events. I know. No need to remind me, it's not real, just TV. But...still.
I started wondering what was going on in my actual country with my actual President. I strted watching C-SPAN which in turn got me in a lot of trouble with my roommate at the time who thought I watched C-SPAN just to annoy her. I promise I didn't; I just found it really intriguing. I especially loved to watch the British coverage--those guys really get animated. Another favorite treat was watching Ari Fleischer do The White House press briefings. Maybe because I love Allison Janney/C.J. Cregg so much.

Real Press Secretary:

Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary for the Bush Administration until he resigned in 2003. Dana Perino is the current Press Secretary.

Pretend Press Secretary:

Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg, pretend Press Secretary in the fictional West Wing universe.

One of my favorite West Wing Episodes is a Thanksgiving episode which a little bit of internet digging revealed is titled "Shibboleth". Wherein the fictional President of the United States pardons a turkey. The annual Pardoning of the turkey is just one more thing I can add to my list of:


Things I Learned From Watching the West Wing:

• Andrew Jackson, in the main foyer of the White House, had a two-ton block of cheese.
• You can cook stuffing inside the turkey, as long as the temperature of the stuffing reaches 130°.
• There are 3 words that start with “dw” in the English Language and 14 punctuation marks.
• Nothing on the map is where you think.
• There is a contingency plan to invade Canada.
• Islamic extremist is to Islam as KKK is to Christianity.
• Goldfish are animals, but they are also crackers.

Real President pardoning a turkey:

Pretend President pardoning a turkey:

In real life, President Bush pardoned 2 turkeys up front so it's unlikely that this little scene played out in the actual White House.

Humorously, the pardoned turkeys are named each year by the democratic process. About a week ago I went to this site to pick my choice. I carefully looked at each of the candidates and weighed the pros and cons of each pair of names. Obviously my love of pie forced me to choose Pumpkin and Peacn, although Dawn and Early Light were a close second until I remembered that I love my sister Emily (sorry, it's an inside joke).
The American people agreed with me I guess, or I'm the only one who voted. Therefore the lucky pardoned turkeys will henceforth be known as Pumpkin and Pecan.

Yum, I love pie.

Thanksgiving 2008 celebrated at the real White House:

Human Tetris

Today's low calorie Friday treat is a fun video titled "Human Tetris". This video does not disappoint. If you love tetris, as I do, you might enjoy reading this earlier post: The Breakfast of Champions



The students loved it! I heard a lot of kids humming the song in the hallways after class.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Top 10 reasons why was a rad year.

Reason #10: Everyone held their breath to see if big brother would take over society...and it didn't! Whew!

Reason #9: The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.

Reason #8: Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk.


Reason #7: Mountain View Elementary school declared Fridays as "Pizza Day".


Reason #6: Van Halen releases 1984, their hit record/8track?/cassette. And rocks out on MTV to their awesome song, "Jump". This song still totally rocks!


Reason #5: Atari.

Reason #4: Santa really came though this year. A bike with a banana seat, basket and streamers. PLUS, a cake with green frosting. Yum. Cake, the breakfast of champions.


Reason #3: Jelly shoes and jelly bracelets.


Reason #2: "Weird" Al Yankovic records "Eat It".

And the NUMBER ONE reason why 1984 was a great year?

Reason #1: David Duncan White was born!
I love you so much, hope your birthday is spectacular.

Dave and Angie. So cute!

Pileated Woodpecker

I've been sitting in my room working this morning with my window open listening to the woodpecker singing away in the backyard. I went to this website, which has a recording identical to what I'm hearing from outside. I turned it up, opened the window wider and played the first few seconds to try to get our woodpecker to respond. But alas, nothing. I hope the recording isn't bird language for "Get out of my yard!"

Although Tessa and I have both seen the elusive bird and it is often heard, this picture is added for dramatic effect only and is not the actual woodpecker from the backyard.

This picture came from the National Geographic website. To find out more information about the Pileated Woodpecker click here.

To find out more information without the annoyance of having to read, watch the video below:

Alphabet of Nations

Here's this week's low calorie Friday treat.
It's not about science but it is fun.
Hope you enjoy!

(to fully enjoy, be sure to scroll down and turn off my music)



They Might Be Giants, Alphabet of Nations

Instruments of the Lord’s Peace

A friend recently referred to this article by Elder Robert S. Wood, a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I thought it would be helpful to review it in light of the many polarized political views many of us have been sharing with each other.

I'll share some of it below, however, for a complete transcript go here.

"Alma at the waters of Mormon invited those who would enter into a covenant relationship with God to stand as witnesses of God and to bear one another's burdens. As those who have indeed entered into a sacred covenant, we must remain true to the way, the truth, and the life, who is Jesus Christ.
"Have we who have taken upon us the name of Christ slipped unknowingly into patterns of slander, evil speaking, and bitter stereotyping? Have personal or partisan or business or religious differences been translated into a kind of demonizing of those of different views? Do we pause to understand the seemingly different positions of others and seek, where possible, common ground?"

"President George Albert Smith observed, 'There is nothing in the world more deleterious or harmful to the human family than hatred, prejudice, suspicion, and the attitude that some people have toward their fellows, of unkindness.' In matters of politics, he warned, 'Whenever your politics cause you to speak unkindly of your brethren, know this, that you are upon dangerous ground.' Speaking of the great mission of the latter-day kingdom, he counseled: 'This is not a militant church to which we belong. This is a church that holds out peace to the world. It is not our duty to go into the world and find fault with others, neither to criticize men because they do not understand. But it is our privilege, in kindness and love, to go among them and divide with them the truth that the Lord has revealed in this latter day.' "

Finally, he finishes with this, my favorite point:

"In a world beset by wrath, the prophet of our day, President Gordon B. Hinckley, has counseled: 'Now, there is much that we can and must do in these perilous times. We can give our opinions on the merit of the situation as we see it, but never let us become a party to words or works of evil concerning our brothers and sisters in various nations on one side or the other. Political differences never justify hatred or ill will. I hope that the Lord's people may be at peace one with another during times of trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to different governments or parties.' "

My hope is that as we look forward to the future, we can each put our trust in the Lord, find peace and ultimately be instruments in sharing this peace with our brothers and sisters.

Kia Ora!

Now that DST is over, I am unhappy. It is too dark. Today was too rainy.
I have decided to move to New Zealand. Useful vocab for those of you who want to come with me:

e noho rā.....good bye (what I'll soon say to darkness and rain)
aroha nui.....I love you
aotearoa.....Land of The Long White Cloud or New Zealand
purini.....dessert (you should always know how to say this, no matter what language)
āe.....Yes. (What I'll say if you ask me if I want purini)

E noho rā Puget Sound convergence zone!
Kia ora Aotearoa!
He tiakarete anō māu?* āe!

I think this is my new dream car, especially if it runs on bio-diesel.

*He tiakarete anō māu? = Would you like another chocolate?

Ok, so this one I had to look up :) But I think it will come in handy.

Helpful Maori language online dictionary: http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/index.cfm

Existentialism leads to Extinction

Something to enjoy. A pumpkin comes into existence only to find loneliness. In an effort to make a new friend he creates a nightmare.

A scary story just in time for Halloween.

Happy 1/2 Birthday to Me!

Today is my half birthday. Awesome.

Happy Half Birthday to me!
Happy Half Birthday to me!

That's it. I only get to sing half the song.

555-WREN

I was tagged by my friend Aimee. Now I tag you.

JOYS

1. dark chocolate


2. glow in the darks stars


3. riding my bike downhill while pedaling as fast as I can; I have a speedometer on my bike so I’m always trying to break my record--currently 27MPH


4. piñatas cracking open; it’s like every dream you ever had coming true all at once


5. free stuff

FEARS

1. centipedes


2. that someday the world will run out of chocolate


3. people with a gun and a grudge


4. heights


5. being betrayed again by a wrap-around skirt

OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS

1. rocks; (currently over 200 in my collection) maybe you’ll think twice before agreeing to help me move!


2. Whitney and I often get into these “conversations”/disputes over grammar and pronunciation; we usually have to consult an outside source for verification


3. facebook; can’t get enough


4. I want to visit every national park


5. snoqualmie ice cream; so creamy and delicious

SURPRISING THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I have a freckle in my left eye


2. I have all these weird mannerisms that I don’t realize I always do, then someone points it out to me and I am surprised to realize they’re right later when I catch myself at it--a few examples:




1. I pull my left sleeve down and hold it in my fist if I’m wearing a long sleeve shirt.


2. I drive with my right hand under my left knee.


3. If I have to get back into bed after hitting snooze (and folks, I do HAVE to) I always lie back down on the opposite side.


3. I flunked second grade, surprising when you consider how brilliant I am now :)


4. Unlike regular kids who wake up on Christmas morning to presents from Santa, I get something from both the Clauses. Mrs. Claus always makes me a cake and sends it along with her sweetheart.


5. In my last life I was a hamster, don’t worry I wasn’t one of those non-cute rodents. Viva la Hamsters!

Vote Help

Here's a website I found for undecided voters.

VoteHelp is a nonpartisan candidate calculator that compares your views to those of Barack Obama and John McCain. You take a quiz to compare how you would vote on issues and see who is most similar.

1. Input your opinions
2. Weight the importance of the issues
3. Find out how McCain and Obama's views match your own

Here's the link again: http://www.votehelp.org/

Happy voting!

Low Calorie Friday Treat

So here's how this started:
A few years ago, I brought cookies for my students on a Friday. Not just because it was Friday, there was a valid educational reason. Something do do with testing variables.
Controlled Variable: Oreo type sandwich cookie top and bottom
Manipulated Variable: Creme filling in chocolate, vanilla and mint
Responding Variable: Number of students who chose each cookie type
But the facade was transparent and easy to push aside. I knew it. They knew it. It was Friday and I thought a treat was in order.

So a few weeks later, on a treat-less Friday, the students begged for a Friday treat. I said, um, ok. But that I didn't have any high calorie treats so it would have to be a low calorie treat. Then I dug around on my hard drive and found this sound clip.

They loved it, so the tradition began.

• movie clips
• audio clips
• funny cartoons
• weird stories
• once we figured out our secret code names with the Name Change-o-Chart 2000
  

But the tradition has morphed and now I try to find something "educational". Here's one from a couple of weeks ago when we were studying energy transfers:

But this week we are talking about the nature of light. Does it move as particles or waves?? I couldn't find anything to give them. So after we cleaned up after the lab. SUPER MESSY today; we had to get the mop out and everything. I played some Queen for them and we practiced our air guitar.

It's become a fun tradition for me and the scholars entrusted into my care. I even sometimes have former students stopping by my classroom on Fridays to get treats. But I need some multimedia resources. If you, or anyone you can think of has any thoughts, ideas or favorite clips, please let me know.

I'm excited to hear your suggestions--don't disappoint the kids!

Love, Loopy Wafflesniffer

Beans and Holes of the Black Variety

Earlier today I was trying to remember what exactly a pulsar is. I know this is information that was once at my fingertips but it seems to have retreated into the dark recesses of where ever forgotten things go, something to do with the hippocampus, but I forget.

(that is a funny joke, get it? hippocampus, memory, I forget. )

Ok, I apologize. I should relabel it simply as "a joke" not as "a funny joke".

So I looked through some books to try to pry the info out of either the book or my brain. Then got sucked into this little astronomy book I found. Sucked in figuratively not literally, as in a black hole. So now I remember that a pulsar is a tiny, super dense, rapidly spinning neutron star. But I find myself once again totally mystified as to what exactly a black hole is. I can explain the words; I read the chapter twice. It's the concept that remains elusive. A black hole is an incredibly massive object that doesn't take up any space. None. Not even a little bit. Very strange. The laws of physics break down and can't really explain it, so how can I be expected to explain it here? And yet for all its strangeness and mysteriousness--how very, very cool!

Want to know something else strange but cool. There is a woman in Bellingham who makes black licorice scented soap. I have a bar on my desk. As I'm typing this post, I'm breathing in the rich aroma and CRAVING black licorice. I'm not so foolish as to take a lick, I know that would end badly, but I want to. So very, very much.

Downstairs we have a big jar of jelly beans; I like to dig out the black ones. So even if I went down there to get a bean, I don't think there are any black ones left to mine.
Yesterday I was standing in the kitchen digging through the jar looking for favorites. Soon my 1 year old nephew is standing at my knees yelling "kis, kis" his word for skittles, it works for jelly beans too. I have no ability to say no to a fellow sweets lover. And my nieces and nephews can all attest to the fact that I have never willingly said no to anything they've asked for.
Soon there were 8 n&n's standing around me and I was doling out candy to everyone :)

Tess will only eat pink ones. I tried to give Jack and Kate ones that matched their shirts as they both drool profusely when eating candy. Brielle wanted a root beer one but got shafted when she bit into a coffee flavored one. Yuck! Also yucky is the buttered popcorn bean. My own opinion, not shared with the rest of the world apparently, as it pops up on a lot of jelly bean eaters favorites list; including my niece Anna. Megan liked the strawberry cheesecake. Linzi, the blueberry.
But now they are all gone, even Jack who was staying here for a week with my sister Siri. So I have the beans all to myself! (Insert evil laughter here.)

I do have to fight the parentals and Kay for them, but I think I can outrun my parents and Kay uses a walker, so I should be able to take her. She's sneaky though. We sometimes hear her down in the kitchen in the middle of the night dumping jelly bellies onto her walker tray. What she lacks in stealth she more than makes up for in determination.

For Christmas about 5 years ago I bought Damon a packet of the Harry Potter inspired Jelly Beans. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. We enjoyed them together. I remember trying dirt, soap, black pepper and sausage (it could have been bacon?, I'm not sure). But didn't try vomit or booger, which sound even more disgusting than buttered popcorn. Of the weird-o flavors, dirt was my favorite, but one was enough. In other words, dirt isn't going to show up on my top three flavors list. No, that special place of honor belongs to Hot Cinnamon, Black Licorice and Coconut.

What's your favorite flavor bean?

Avast Ye, Scurvy Dogs: School Be In Session!

Ahoy, me Hearties!

School has started and it be in full swing. I have one class o' 38 students. 38! I be not lying to ye. But th' principal be in th' process o' hiring a couple o' new teachers, so that should fix th' problem. ARrrr! Aft we adjust th' schedule I will only teach science, no math this year. It makes me down hearted. Last year I taught three classes o' math, I will surely miss it.

I went to a book sale at th' library on Saturday morning. ARrrr! It was pretty cool. I bought about 25 books, some o' them in brand new condition for a song. Me favorite book? An algebra book printed in 1885. Blimey! It’s in shipshape condition too. Here’s something neat I learned: before we used th' symbols + and –. Yar landlubbin’ mathematicians wrote out the words plus and minus, then in th' sixteenth century Italian mathematicians stared to write p and m. Which, when written super-fast flatten out into what ye be knowin' them as today. Savvy?

One o' th' books I got be called: This Is The Teacher. It be a riot! Here be a excerpt:

This is the teacher all ready for school.

These are the students who rush through the door, who drop sacks of lunches that smash! on the floor and topple the teacher all ready for school.

This is the ant farm that spilled-oh, my!- on top of the desk with the tissue supply by the students who rushed and toppled the teacher all ready for school.

Th' illustrations be what make th' book funny to ye. Here they be:

Aye tis me at th' end o' a long day. Arrrhh. It be a teacher's life for me. Arrhhhh!

Yar probably wonderin' what be the deal with the pirate talk. Wonder no more ye Scallywags, tis Talk Like a Pirate day.

Listed below are some pirate words and phrases. These words (borrowed from here) will be right handy to ye. Also go to the pirate translator. English goes in, pirate comes out!

• Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! - exhortation of discontent or disgust
• Ahoy! - Hello!
• Ahoy, Matey - Hello, my friend!
• Ahoy, me Hearties! - the same as saying “Hello, my friends!”
• Avast ye - stop and check this out or pay attention
• Aye - yes
• Bilge-sucking - insult
• Blimey! - exhortation of surprise
• Booty - treasure
• Buccaneer - a pirate
• Bucko - a buccaneer
• Crow’s nest - small platform atop the mast where the lookout stands
• Davy Jones’ Locker - fabled, mythical place at the bottom of the ocean where the evil spirit of Davy Jones brings sailor and pirates to die
• Dead men tell no tales - phrase indicating to leave no survivors
• Doubloons - other coins or found in pirate hoards and stashes
• Feed the fish - will soon die
• Head - the pirate ship’s toilet
• Heave Ho - give it some muscle and push it
• Hornswaggle - to defraud or cheat out of money or belongings
• Jolly Roger - pirate’s flag including white skull and crossbones over a black field
• Landlubber - big, slow clumsy person who doesn’t know how to sail
• Me - my
• Mizzen - the mizzen mast is the one aft of the main mast, not just the third mast (consequently, it could be the second mast in a two-mast rig)
• Old Salt - an experienced sailor
• Pieces of eight - coins or found in pirate stashes
• Pillage - rob, sack or plunder
• Poop deck - the part of the ship farthest to the back, which is usually above the captain’s quarters. This is not the bathroom.
• Savvy? - do you understand and do you agree?
• Scallywag - mild insult akin to rapscallion or rogue
• Scurvy dog - the pirate is talking directly to you with mild insult
• Seadog - old pirate or sailor
• Shark bait - will soon join Davy Jones’ Locker
• Shipshape - cleaned up and under control
• Shiver me timbers! - comparable to “Holy Cow!”
• Son of a Biscuit Eater - insult directed towards someone you don’t like
• Thar she blows! - Whale sighting
• Walk the plank - punishment in which person walks off a board jutting over the side of the ship while at sea. The consequence is drowning and a visit to Davy Jones’ Locker.
• Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! - pull up the anchor and the sail and let’s get going
• Ye - you
• Yo Ho Ho - cheerful exhortation to demand attention

Arrrrgghhh! Farewell ye landlubbers!

Is it Syllabuses or Syllabi?

I was in a bookstore Saturday digging through the clearance table and found a treasure. I've wanted this book forever; I saw it about 2 years ago, but at $50 it was too rich for my blood. So it was there for $20. Even then I hemmed and hawed (as anyone who's ever been shopping with me can tell you is not uncommon), because last Saturday I spent all my money on a beautiful new bag. I've gotten a lot of compliments (free) for my bag ($50). I like compliments. Feel free to send me as many as you want. C'mon, they're free.

More of the bag story: I was at the farmer's market in Bellingham with my friend Kim, recently returned from exotic travel to Egypt, where haggling for prices is common and expected, so she tells me I should try to talk the price down. It felt like a dirty trick as I'm telling the woman (the bag's creator) "I'll give you $50." (originally priced at $55) To which she agreed easily but I still feel guilty. It's the American in me I think, where going into a store is straight forward, you look at the tag, pay the price, hold onto your receipt, if you realize later that your purchase was:

• a mistake
• overpriced
• rubbishly made
• rent's due
• etc.

so, you go back to the store and after standing in line you walk back out with your cash. $$

More of the book story: I was in my yard (my parentals actually) earlier this year and saw a huge, beautiful woodpecker. It was gorgeous. I could not believe it. I knew we had woodpeckers (you can hear them, and see their holes all over the tall dead, craggy tree in the back yard) but I didn't realize what kind. After some investigation I was excited discover that it was the Pileated Woodpeaker. Although uncommon in western Washington, not impossible as shown in this map:

I found a website (see side panel for link) that is a treasure trove of information and bird call recordings, and so began my love affair with birdwatching. I started looking everywhere for birds, I carried a little bird field guide around in my bag for a while. We also have barn owls (confirmed by Angie and Dave) and bats (not birds). This spring and summer I've seen eagles, hawks, swallows, finches and lots of others. The barn swallow is a fun one to watch. They are like kamikaze fliers zippy around, nose diving and pulling out at the last minute. Barn owls mate for life and raise two or three little families of owlets each summer (some in our backyard). But my favorite bird watching experience? I went down to the Nisqually Wildlife Refugee, and I saw a cheeky Canadian goose making her nest in an abandoned eagle nest! Truly. It's about a hundred feet up a tall tree and one of the tour guides I talked to later said it's the 4th year in row that she's done it. When the goslings get big enough to climb out, it's a long way down. They also have wood duck houses all over the refuge. Have you seen Planet Earth? The wood ducks in that are one of my favorite scenes and probably closely depict what the little Canadian goslings experience when they venture out of the nest. We don't have Mandarin ducks here, but they are close relatives to the wood ducks down at Nisqually. Turn my music off to hear the video better.

I digress, back to the book story: So, I'm standing there, flipping through the book, longing to own it. Each page shows a bird, describes it and assigns it a number. You find the numerical equivalent in the small screen to the right and hit play to hear the bird's call. HOW COOL IS THAT!! Very cool indeed. Folks, I bought it. What could I do, I realized that it would be a perfect addition to my classroom library.Which leads to a depressing topic. My days of freedom are dwindling (one of 3 words in English starting with dw, extra credit if you can name the others).

Wednesday is the first day of school. I know my sisters are excited because their kids will be getting back into a routine again but I can't decide what to wear. I need to go school shopping. The best part about a new school year.

Come On Kiwis!

I've been watching the Olympics for the last several days. I have to report some sad news: after reviewing the medals count, (yeah! Micheal Phelps) it has come to my attention that my beloved (adopted) homeland of New Zealand has yet to secure a medal. *sigh*

Never fear, more events, great athletes and some exciting competitions coming up in the que. We're cheering for you guys!


So for now, if you want to hear the Kiwi National Anthem, you'll have to hear it here. (It's on my playlist).



Understandably, cheering on the Olympians makes me hungry for carbs. So, I mixed up a large bowl of blueberry pancake batter; YUM!
Now I'm cheering and fulfilling a deep psychological need for maple coated, blueberry infused, carbohydrates. What could be better?

New Zealand on the platform.

GO KIWIS!

Oh, this is just sad.

I'm so embarrassed. Here are my results.

Created by OnePlusYou - Online Dating Site

I teach 8th grade science for crying out loud!! I guess you should be glad that I don't teach your kid.

Star-Crossed Journey to the Promised Land

There are some things I refuse to be totally honest about. With that disclaimer, you can know that some of what you're about to read is complete rubbish. But I will start with a true premise and embellish it in whatever way seems appropriate.
The locking system on Honda cars is diabolical. In order to secure the premises, you must lift the handle to the diver's door as you are shutting it or it doesn't actually lock. This is a detail I knew and understood on Saturday morning when I drove myself to the airport in a friend's Honda. The plan? I drive myself. Put the car in long term parking. She'll pick it up when she gets back to town on Tuesday. It's a great plan because, although I was staying in San Antonio, I was flying out of Austin.

But, due to a series of star-crossed events, my wallet (with my photographic identification) was no where to be found on Saturday morning. My hope was to arrive to the airport with plenty of time to spare. My hopes, however, were fated to be dashed.

I unpacked and repacked my suitcase 3 times. Looked under couches, chairs, beds, tables, laundry baskets and even the fridge. Where is it?! No clue.

So, I got to the airport a little later than anticipated. As I’m driving up to the parking lot, the concern that’s rolling through my brain is what if I can’t get through the security gate with my Pacific Science Center ID? What will I do if the car is locked and I can’t get back in? So let me pause here and tell you the correct answer: take the car key with you. Obviously my friend has a spare key, because the plan was always that I should just leave the key under the mat, lock up the car (see directions above) and she’ll get it later. While I fully acknowledge the brilliance of that plan now, it did not cross my mind at the time. My plan was to leave one of the back doors unlocked. What’s the chance that anyone would notice and steal the car? In my defense it was early, no one I knew in any time zone was awake to tell me what a dumb plan I had conjured out of the depths of my brain. So I went with it.

I remembered to lift the handle as I shutting the driver’s door. I walked around to the back seat passenger side door I had planned to leave unlocked. Reached for the handle. Nothing. Here’s the theatrical rendition.

Car: I am locked.

Me: Locked?!

Car: Yes.

Me: No!!!!

One detail I didn’t know about the Honda car door locking system, is that lifting the handle locks all the doors. Even the one you just reached over and lifted the button to leave unlocked. Even the one specifically selected because that’s the side of the backseat where your suitcase is sitting. So there I was, standing in the parking lot of the Austin, Texas airport, with no suitcase, no wallet and no time.

I realized that my only choice now was to walk away and hope the security guard thinks my smile is charming enough to let me through with my expired voter’s card (no picture) and my WWU student ID (fuzzy picture from 5 years ago).

Luckily charm is something I have in abundance, so a few agonizing minutes later I was seated in seat 16B on my way back to the Promised Land.

What’s the best part of the story—when I got to Seattle I didn’t have to stand at the baggage claim and wait forever for my suitcase to come rolling around the carousel.

Summer Adventure Update

Especially when I'm flying over the continental US, but sometimes just when I see something amazing I can't help wondering, "How did that happen?!" Giant hills that seem to roll, canyons, rocks shaped like square columns smashed together, volcanoes. Holy Cow! this stuff is spectacular. A couple of years ago I bought this now favorite book, Parks and Plates.

"Many of our national parks, monuments, and seashores were established because of their inspiring geological features. The geysers of Yellowstone, the volcanoes of Hawaii, and the granite peaks of Yosemite bear witness to the "national park idea" as one of our country's greatest contributions to society. Parks and Plates explains the fascinating geological processes that formed the mountain ranges, volcanoes, shorelines, and other dramatic landscapes of America's national treasures."

Since getting this book, it has been my dream to visit every National Park and as many monuments as possible. This summer I hit another one: Crater Lake. Bringing my total so far to: just 9...
47 to go!
Crater Lake

The Grand Canyon

As you can see in the photos above, I went with my brother, sister and their families. We had a fun time, very relaxing. A few years ago, I went with a different brother and sister to The Grand Canyon (see below):

Left to Right: Alexa, Siri, Chris, Damon (looking very cool with his award winning hairstyle and ear buds) and Me.

1.

2.

3.

1. Dad, holding on tight! 2. My cute parents together. 3. View looking down.

North Cascades

To see a picture of yet another National Park, or just to look at that cute Ranger Matt, scroll down or click here.

Dirty Mouth? Clean It Up!

I was washing the dishes tonight and picked up the scissors to rinse them and started to laugh. I tried to explain this commercial I saw last week to my mom, but realized she had to see it to believe it. Maybe you've seen it, maybe not. But here it is for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Summer Reading

I like summer vacation. I do. I'm not going to say that I don't, but here's the reality:
it is slightly possible that I'm a little bit bored...
Bored is maybe a little too strong though. It sounds negative. Sometimes bored is good.
So far this week I've:
1. Napped on the couch.
2. Napped on the deck.
3. Alternated between reading a few pages of a book, napped a while, woke up, read a few more pages. Repeat. In my defense that book was really boring. (Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley)
4. Speaking of boring books--I've also been reading a book about Microbes. Interesting for about an hour, then I had to find something else. Not because it wasn't interesting, but 60 minutes seems to be my threshold for reading about E. coli and all its microbial buddies.
5. Yes, you read that right E. coli.
6. But I am not complaining, just reporting.
7. Now I am off to find an adventure. Hopefully one that doesn't involve any real life encounters with E. coli.

Two Truths and a Lie.

I often nap on public transportation. On the way to work one morning I was horrified to wake up with my head resting on the shoulder on some stranger! Wait for it, it gets much worse...I was drooling on his suit!
Status: True!
When I first started riding the bus to work, I was nervous about weirdos. It was at this moment I faced the truth—I am the weirdo on the bus!

I got a shout out from the Bat Commander at the Aquabats concert I went to in Seattle. He told me he liked my vest (unquestionably mocking me) and then blew me a kiss (to make up). I forgave him.
Status: True!
I was running late after school and didn’t have time to go home and change into a more appropriate for a rock concert outfit. So, I wore a fleece vest. Very tacky. I thought I might get cold later… No, I actually have no excuse. But he really did blow me a kiss. This story can be corroborated by my friend Jeremy.

On the 1st day of the sailing class I took at WWU, I had to capsize the boat out on the lake, so the sail was all the way under (90 degrees to the surface) then try to get the boat back up and crawl back in! I got very wet and but had so much fun!
Status: False!
This story was almost true. I signed up for sailing lessons. Hard to do unless you have a copiousness number of credits so you are one of the first to register, as this class fills promptly. I got out to the lake and saw the class before me out on the lake doing the exercise described and fear flooded my heart. After confirming that that was not the advanced sailing class, as I first hoped, I decided not to proceed. Some scary things in life I’ve regretted not doing. I often wish I was braver. But crazy isn’t something I want to be. This was beyond scary and into the crazy category!

Happy Donut Day!

Consider the humble donut. So simple in its construction, yet able to bring a grown woman to her knees. I will not deny it. I love a good donut. Or if you prefer, doughnut. Either way you spell it, it is delicious. Not every one loves them with the same pure abandonment as I do however. So, if you are not a donut lover; first of all, my heart goes out to you in sympathy for missing out on one of life’s simple pleasures, secondly, I am jealous of your slender waistline.

When I was very little, I remember having a special affinity for Dunkin Donuts. I’m sure it was kindled by my love of my dad, who shares a name (Duncan) with this wondrous place. While that may have been the beginning, the experience of standing in front of that window (not simply standing but situating myself with my hands and nosed pressed to the glass, moving when it got too foggy, imagining the possibilities) is the memory that wafts deliciously into my heart when I smell maple icing.

Some memories seem to be peppered with tastes and sounds.
For me, driving to early morning seminary sounds like Ace of Base (The Sign) and tastes like a cinnamon twist from Happy Donuts.

Bellingham Washington has many charms. Lafeen’s Donuts (where instead of first thing in the morning, they put the hot donuts out at 10 p.m.) is one of them. The problem is that at 10:05 most nights someone in your house is roaming room to room collecting loose change and donut orders. It is here, that I came face to face with the future love of my life: the lucullan French Cruller. I’d watched one of my roommates order the cruller every time. I was unimpressed. It was showy and proud, but looked dry and suspiciously like it lacked substance. However, as fate would have it, an order was botched, the cruller sat superciliously before me, I took a bite and never looked back. I now consider a French Cruller to be my choice for a well balanced breakfast.

Most Saturdays I wake up, put my shoes on, wonder out to my car and head for Happy Donuts. Where happily, a French Cruller is waiting for me in all its sticky glory.

This post is dedicated:

• to Aims, who alerted me that yesterday was Donut Day;
• to Whitney, who ordered that first French cruller, has shared many with me since then, and with whom I hope to share many more;
• and especially to Bella, who has often waited in the car after being lured out of bed early on Saturdays with the promise of a walk only to sit in the car while I was fogging up the display window at Happy Donuts.

If I wandered into your room right now for your donut order what would you choose?

29 Stellar Orbits

Happy Birthday Cori! This seems a good day to say how much I love you. And I really, truly do! It also seems appropriate to apologize for teasing you have endured over the years.
Being the youngest girl of six is not an enviable position. Especially as a certain twosome, Honerd* and Rojerk*, (*names changed to protect the guilty) found you to be an especially easy target.

In tribute to unpleasant memories:

• Do you remember how your loving siblings pointed out to you that all the Book of Mormon "Cori"s were baddies: Corianton (naughty son of Alma), Coriantumr (killed off all the Jaredites), Korihor (an Antichrist).

• Remember when we went to Utah that summer without our parents? And someone said you were 11, but you were 12. After you pointed that out, everyone kept referring to you as Cori-who-is-12.

• I also remember with shame how Honor and I would chant "Sharks! Sharks! Octopi! Octopi!" under our breath when we rode over long bridges in the van on road trips.

Ah, good times. Maybe not for you though?

I hope your next stellar orbit is happy and involves a lot less teasing than your first 29 have.
I love you Cori-who-is-29!

Tired of Correcting Lab Reports

Some people think a hypothesis is a guess. They guessed wrong.
A hypothesis is a prediction of future events based on scientific observations. After making a hypothesis you should test an isolated variable and see if it supports your hypothesis.

After you perform your tests, it is appropriate to write a conclusion. In your conclusion, you should never write "my hypothesis was correct" or equally erroneous, "I proved my hypothesis". You should only explain that your data supported or did not support your hypothesis. It would then be correct to explain what further tests you think should be run and what possible errors you might have made in your lab protocol. Your teacher will not mark you down if you explain that you might have collected incorrect data when you knocked the beaker on the floor, ignited your lab coat, ran from the room screaming and later contaminated your apparatus with the contents of a fire extinguisher. Honesty at these times is best. No one believes you if you write that no errors happened when you conducted your lab anyway.

One last piece of helpful information, your report title should be a scientific title, not something you'd write in a creative writing class. Here are some examples.
Gaseous Components Needed for Combustion vs. Our Friend Oxygen Goes Up in Flames.

I hope this was helpful. Please consider using this advice when writing your next lab report.
Also, encourage all you friends to do the same.

Thank you,
Ms. W.

Are We There Yet? Almost.