Cape Alava

I'm pretty wimpy. I've never been that interested in developing athletic prowess or even adequate upper body strength. I am, to be pithy, an easy target for zombies.

But once in a while I find myself in an entirely self-inflicted physically grueling situation. One where stamina and indefatigability are requirements for survival. I try to be graceful at such times but it's never a complete success and I tend to dip a little too far into the whiney-pants end of the spectrum. This summer I found myself in exactly such a mess and I made it out alive. High five!

I went backpacking out at Cape Alava on the northern Washington coast in the Olympic National Park.  My pack was ridiculously heavy. Why does anyone need that much stuff for two nights? I didn’t even haul a tent, which turned out to be an important detail . . .

But the experience was incredible. I’m glad I did it and look how pretty the campsite was.

Where Are All the Notes?

Dear loyal blog reader,

Have you wondered what ever happened to me posting confiscated student notes? Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to start posting more soon. Last year I was teaching honors classes and the thing about honors students is they are smart (translate to sneaky). Either that or they aren't very interested in advancing their social agenda. Either way, I didn't find any discarded notes lying about and I rarely saw a kiddo writing a note. I usually at least warn them before taking their notes, a practice for which I apologize to you, dear blog reader. This school year, which starts in just a week (!), promises to be a better haul. I am only teaching 2 honors classes, the other three are just regular 8th grade science classes. Eighth grader's notes are usually better anyway, let's be honest. More drama and angst.

I will try to show at least one super boring science video during September and lurk in the back waiting for some good stuff to come rolling in. Videos are great for note collecting because the kids try to counter extreme disinterest with socializing.

Until then, consider rereading some of your favorites from the past.

Confiscated Notes

Dating and Fashion Advice

do u want 2 d8 me?

Dream

Last night I had a dream that I was drumming on a drum kit and I was confused because no matter how hard I pounded on the drum I couldn't hear it. Then the thought occurred to me that I must be in space. So I looked around me and I was in space. If only.

And this, because it's Friday. Enjoy.

Nanometers

I attend a Sunday School class each week that has a tradition of having everyone introduce themselves before the lesson starts. Usually the teacher will set the parameters of the introduction routine by asking everyone to state their name and something about themselves within a certain topic. As an adult when someone asks me to say my name and my favorite color I roll my eyes a little. Do adults have favorite colors? But I can tell you that little Karen loved yellow with all her heart so I whipped out my little internet device did some quick research to consult the following diagram:

Then announced to the class that my favorite color is the wavelength at 600 nanometers. It would have been more appropriate to state that my favorite color was within in a range of 570 to 589 nanometers because 600 is getting more into the orange light range but I didn't want to sound like a nerd.

Black Dot