June Playlist!

Here's the new playlist. I'm pretty pumped about this one. The majority of these songs really make me boogie. So many of them are songs my kiddos like to dance to...and by "kiddos," I think I am including myself in that. Could Rihanna do wrong? And then a bunch are songs performed on Conan (or maybe even Leno in may).

The only song that iTunes doesn't have on that is on the actual playlist is "Dream City" by Free Energy, which I heard on Dinner Party Download. They always have a great song to close out their show (and a funny joke to open it). I suggest you download this song here (for free) and put it at #10 in the mix (moving everything down one spot after that).

You can also get "Daylight" by Matt and Kim free here. You can also see the video for that tune at the same website. It's fabulous.

Subtlety

I love subtlety. I don't love spelling that word, but I do love subtle humor, subtle genius, subtle compassion, and the like.

This week's winner of the "Did Anyone Else Pick Up On That?!?!" Award goes to this American Life. This weekend, the show, "Fall Guy" was in four acts. The act titles were: Beat It, Be Careful Who You Love, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, and Man In The Mirror. It boggles my mind that the staff was able to find famous MJ songs that went with each of their stories on such short notice. Maybe that's just the genius of MJ. I wonder what the stories were to be called originally.

I highly recommend this episode for lots of reasons...one of them being the prevalence of Massachusetts accents. Including Mike Burbiglia, who went to St. John's (Shrews.) and can pronounce Milford like a pro. Mil-fud is the proper way to say it, in case you weren't sure.

So You Think You Can Dance?

Say what you will about MJ the man, but he was probably the best performer of my lifetime. He had a great voice, catchy songs...and man, could he dance.

All around the world, flash mobs got together on Thursday to dance in the streets. I could watch these videos for hours. Of course, I am envious of the people who were there...I would have been dancing in a heartbeat (although no where near to the level of these guys). I am hopeful that Mr. Jackson is in a better place and his death will never take away his ability to inspire people to dance. For hours.

Today, I paid tribute...I played about two hours of MJ at work. It was awesome to see the number of people discreetly bopping their shoulders or tapping their feet as they shopped around.

This video is my favorite because of the people rolling up on their bikes and just putting them aside to get down to the business of boogieing. Enjoy!

Float Ideas

While my favorite float is a Dr. Pepper one, I need some ideas.

I have the opportunity to be in a bike parade on the 4th of July. I'm thinking that I need to ride my Xtracycle and make it as cool as possible. If you have any great ideas about dressing it up in a witty way, I'd love them. I'm trying to brainstorm something political/patriotic that would require an Xtracycle's help to carry around. Or maybe a play on words. Subtlety is totally acceptable. Or maybe, I'll just tote around lots of root beer.

If all else fails, I'll harken back to my days at Hastings. Every year we had Purple Day and in 4th grade you got to decorate your bike and ride it in the "parade" at school (underclassmen were forced to walk). I had a purple bike with triathlon like covered wheels (disc wheels?). I totally decked the bike out in lots of purple streamers - wrapped around every tube and coming off the handle bars. I could do that again in a heart beat (having a 3rd of July birthday has meant lots of experience with red, white, and blue decor).

Wait...were we having a gay pride parade?

More Art With Post-Its

Back in October 2007 (!), I posted about someone who was making post-it art every day. Here's a fun video from Savannah College of Art and Design and how they use post-its.

Wear and Tear

Whew! My hands are sore from the cables, as you can see and so are my legs. My calves and quads took a beating yesterday and I'm walking a bit funny. But I'm not so sore that I can't get out on the bike. I went to the farmer's market today and loaded the Xtracycle up with goodies. In a bit, I'll head over to Stanford for a drumline competition. It's 90 degrees, so I hope it cools off before I have to sit in the stadium.

Mission Accomplished

Yippee! Another goal accomplished for 2009. I swear, I really was hiking Half Dome. I have pictures to prove it. Besides, I don't know who I'd be having an affair on anyway if I was using it as a cover. And unlike our last president, I can really say "mission accomplished" and it's actually true.

As of today the goals accomplished meter click to 2 (or #3 or #4, depending on how you look at some of them...). Actually, getting this one done makes me a heck of a lot more cool with turning 29 and it proves that I've gotten out more on the weekends (summer time in constant weekend for us teachers, right?). So, I think I've done 4 of 6 goals. What's left? 12 Books (I've done 3 for the year...as long as you let me count the audio book I listened to on the drive) and 1000 miles run (I've got 700 so far). Looking good!

Okay, here comes a trip report. It'll probably be long, but if you don't read it and just skim the pictures, I won't mind. Really. My room is a mess, I have a million emails and blog posts (and deaths!) to catch up on, but it'll have to wait until I get this stuff online.

Thursday:

I was on the road by 6:45 in the morning. The ride was no different than usual, except for the traffic at the gate. I don't know if I've ever experienced that. I spent my drive getting started on Sarah Vowell's "The Wordy Shipmates." I went in and out of listening throughout the round trip. As a result, I don't think I got as much out of the book as I'd hoped...or else, the book isn't as good as I'd hoped.

I arrived at Curry Village at 10:45. I found a parking spot IMMEDIATELY (that never happens in the summer) and went to check in. Apparently, it was too early, so I decided to take my bike for a ride to check out the trailhead and anything else that my bike wanted to see.

I got to the trailhead, realized I'd hiked the first 1+ miles before, and saw the bike rack. I'm feeling ready.

Then I kept on going to Mirror Lake. Lots of families out here in the cool, clear water.

Mirror Lake.

I followed the road around as it paralleled the Merced River. The Merced is amazing. The water is so clear and refreshing.

Here are my tootsies getting a quick bath. It was glorious.

Yay! My bike takes me to cool places!

The view of Half Dome from Yosemite Valley. I'm getting itchy to get up there. It's still Thursday afternoon when I saw this view.

I continued biking around the Valley. I wish my camera could capture the movement of this long, green grass. First of all, most of the grass in California is yellowy-brown right now, but since Yosemite is fertile soil with late spring rain and summer thunderstorms, they have green grass. If I wasn't afraid of ticks (and not being able to find them on my body), I would have run amok in this field.

I regrettably bought a burger, went to check in, and promptly fell asleep in my canvas tent. For about four hours. It was fabulous. I woke up, wandered around the valley some more, ate a sandwich, and started packing. I bought the book "One Best Hike" by Rick Deutsch and it proved to be invaluable. It has great advice for the hike as well as points of interest with mileage and approximate cumulative time for each.

I was ready to go, read my book, and tried to go to sleep. Well, it was as if the kids in the tent behind me were in my tent, so I couldn't sleep. So, I turned on the head lamp and finished my book. Lemonade!

Friday morning, I woke up around 4:30am, got dressed, and had a bite to eat. I loaded up the car (you can't keep anything with a scent in your car overnight because of the bears) and turned in my key.

This is Half Dome from the parking lot right before I started my hike.

I rode my bike to the trailhead. I love saving time! Do I get a prize for being the first one to the rack?

Here is my sleepy-eyed self, ready to start hiking. It's about 5:15 am and it is pleasantly cool. Off I go!

The hike up was pretty straight forward. Have I mentioned to you how much I love my new hiking poles? Back in December, my mom and John got me some stuff from EMS. I happened to already own one of the items, so I took it back and exchanged it (plus some of my cash) for Komperdell TI-7 Ridge Lite Women's Hiking Poles. I have only heard good things about using hiking poles, so I figured I should give them a whirl. These poles made everything about my day easier. I kept my pace steady...making sure I was working hard the whole time, but not so hard that I had to stop and catch my breath. I was at the base of the cables after about 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Woo hoo! Poles! You might be able to make out the cable line behind me...it's the light colored curve going up near my left hand. I don't think there was a point all day when this smile wasn't on my face.

I'm heading up. I thought you could use a glimpse of what we were dealing with...cables on each side laced through 3 foot posts, each about 10 feet apart, with a 2 by 4 on the rock to give you something to stand on every so often. I had a rhythm to this...four or five steps to the next board, and then pause to regroup...four or five steps...pause. As I was going up, three guys were coming down, one on his butt. The last guy in the crew said to me, "Get ready for the happiest day of your life!" How did he know I am not married and don't have kids?

It took about 10 minutes to get up the 425 feet of cables. Four hours from trailhead to summit (7.1 miles via the Mist Trail). That's more than one hour faster than the book estimated. Awesome!

I sat down to journal and eat a bit and here comes this guy. I didn't zoom at all for this picture. This marmot was just all up in my business. I told him he better find someone else to hang out with...I'm a solo act today!

One of the leaders of the boy scout group I saw at the base of the cables came up (the boys were not going to summit). He took this nice picture for me. Oh, I forgot to mention the gloves. The book told me to bring gloves for the cables, specifically bike gloves. This is the only mistake in that book. My hands are currently ravaged...the skin rubbed/burned off in three places on each hand...all where the gloves weren't. Next time...full-coverage gloves! This was as close as I got to the edge. A guy died while hiking (I think he slipped when doing the cabling) recently and I had no interest in following in his footsteps. There were about 10 people at the summit, but as I went down, about 20 or 30 people were coming up, with at least 50 close behind.

When I reached the bottom of the cables, I saw a woman who I hadn't seen since the first mile when we talked about my arm warmers (they don't actually make me stronger, but I like to think they do). At this point, her two friends had gone up the cables but she was too nervous to go with them. We talked a bit about the climb and I tried to assuage her fears. She was incredibly nice and friendly (she actually seemed Southern, but was from Visalia, CA...so that probably explains it). What struck me is that she asked, "What's it like to hike alone?" I didn't know how to answer her. She asked further...if I ever felt scared or nervous. I don't. When I hike, I just feel strong and confident. I never really think about the fact that I'm alone...unless I think of my parents, who are probably thinking about the fact that I'm alone out there. It helps that there are usually a bunch of other people out there by themselves. Not tons, but enough that it seems normal.

My hike back down to the valley was fun. I ran whenever possible, prompting many people to comment. It was fun, and much more safe because of my poles. I was mostly on my own for the day (and spent nearly the entire first four hours by myself), but I caught two guys who were backpacking. They hung with me and it was nice to have people to chat with. They came from Arizona and wanted to climb the face of Half Dome, but the queue was too long. They were heading back to Camp 4 (where the climbers hang) to regroup for a climb somewhere else tomorrow. When they stopped for water, I kept going, skipping and running some more (my Camelbak makes hydrating so easy). While many people commented on my quick descent, more people asked me about the damage to my legs (the road rash on both knees). I think they were relieved to find out that it had nothing to do with hiking.

You see all kinds on these hikes. There are people who are totally legit...either super-fast day hikers or those who look so at ease with a 50 pound pack on their back. You also see people in sneakers (not too bad) or slip-on Vans (not the best for Half Dome), people in jeans, and people who are carrying nothing. The book I had said "no tennis shoes." I was worried the whole time about my trail running shoes...thinking they might not be as grippy as my hiking shoes (which are older and not as comfy anymore). My shoes did just fine.

I was down to the Falls in no time (less than 3 miles to go).

This is a view of Nevada Fall. Wow.

Here's the only survey marker I saw all day. This is below Nevada Fall on the John Muir trail, but still at 5,246 feet. I took the Mist Trail up, but the John Muir trail down for a bit, to get a better view of Nevada.

I had the opportunity to rejoin the Mist Trail. It's called this because of the mist that comes off the falls. Here's a view looking at Vernal Fall. Look at that rainbow! At this point, I have about a mile left but the trail is chock full o' people. Getting to the top of Vernal Fall is a quick hike, so lots of people do it.

Note: A "Fall" is a waterfall that falls straight down with no obstructions. "Falls" is a word for a waterfall that does hit rocks as it makes its way down to the pool below, e.g. Yosemite Falls.

Seven and a half hours after I first passed this sign, I was done. A nice couple from Spain, who spoke no English except "I don't speak English" took thie picture for me. I did about 15 miles (I mixed and matched the trails). From here, I walked the short way to my bike and rode to the car. It felt so good to ride after this hike. My knees (especially the right one...which is way more banged up from the bike crash) were toast and the ibuprofen didn't seem to be working.

At the car, I investigated my 100 oz. Camelbak. Yay for drinking almost all my water! From here, I biked to the market for some root beer and chips (yay salt and sugar). I brought them to the banks of the river and I stood in the calm, cool water for 10 minutes as my ice bath. I wish I lived close to a river to do this all the time.

So, what's next? Well, I got a book of hikes in the bay area. I'd like to do a few from that book this summer. I'd also like to head back to Yosemite and float down the river in a raft (not near any of the falls or rapids, but the calm part). I'd also like to see if I can get my feet wet as a backpacker. This might be a pipe dream right now, but it's something I've wanted to do for years. I've never been backpacking (unless you count Mt. Manadnock when I was five) but I think I'd really like it. Carrying all my gear, walking slow and steady from campsite to campsite, having a trail name... We'll see. Otherwise, that might have to be a goal for 2010.

Hope you enjoyed the report. I have some video I shot. As soon as I can figure out how to edit it together on my PC, I'll post it here.

Cover This

This girl is too cute! Here she is doing "Survivor" by Destiny's Child and "Bye, Bye, Bye" by 'Nsync. Combining two things I love...groups from the late 90's and the ukulele. Love it!

Running Far

Western States Endurance Run goes off at 5am on Saturday morning. You get a sweet belt buckle if you do it under 24 hours. I don't know if it's as sweet as my belt buckle, but it'd do in a pinch.

Good luck to those running. Catch the action here on Saturday.

What Comes Before Block Part B?

Block Partayyyy!

(Maybe you have to say it out loud to get the joke, I don't know.)

Took the Xtracycle down to Santa Cruz Ave (aka "The Main Drag") for the Block Party. So many people were out and there was a lot going on.

There were bands,

bubbles,

and Old Tom.

The event is to promote Menlo Park businesses and to encourage people to Shop Local. I try to do a lot of that, when I can, and I met a lot of cool people tonight. The Green Menlo Park people, the Historical Society people, and the Sustainable Menlo Park people. All eyes were on the Xtracycle though. I talked to a lot of people about the bike and why I love it. I also talked to someone about programs around here that encourage kids to bike ride to school. So awesome!

There's another block party on August 12th and I'll make sure to be there to try some yummy food and spin the chance wheels to win some stuff. Overall, it was fun and it makes me proud to be a part of this cute community.

Round and Round We Go

Bec and I headed out early to get to Angel Island for some fun. Here we are, waiting with a church youth group for the ferry to arrive. The Tiburon ferry was unloading and the high school kids were clapping and going nuts for the people getting off, yelling "You're awesome! Have a great day! Woo hoo!" It was like these people were movie stars to them (now for those of you who don't spend your lives with teenagers, they were just kids being funny and silly).

Here's this guy, taking in the crowds adoration.

That's where we're going. That's Angel Island! It used to be an army base, but now it's just a park. It's awesome how it's basically still how it was when the Miwok Tribespeople were going there to fish.

Yeah, I always have some sort of dumb look on my face, but here we are...having some fun as we ride around the circumference of the island.

Woo hoo! I love my bike! It's so handy for going fast and seeing a lot of the world in a short amount of time. The Perimeter Road on Angel Island is about 5 miles around. We did it twice and then we were pooped. I know, kind of lame, but Bec just got back from Peru and I...have few excuses.

On the bike ride back, I crashed on Embarcadero. Not the best place to sprawl out on the pavement. I was going less than 10 miles an hour when my wheel went into the trolley tracks and stayed there. It took me down, right in front of a car. The car was hardly moving too, so nothing bad happened, except my knee is now twice the size of the other one and I have road rash for the first time in my life (this just days after saying to my boss, "I've never experienced road rash." Speak of the devil!). Shortly after this incident, some guy on a sweet single speed pulled up next to us. I told him I liked his bike, then he asked if we were playing hooky. Turns out that he was.

Huh. It actually doesn't look as bad as it feels. That's good.

Tomorrow I drive to Yosemite for a day of just poking around. I'll be resting up for Friday, which will be 14-16 miles of Half Dome awesomeness. I am ready. If I remember, I may even shoot some video of the journey. I love Yosemite. It's just an amazing place that humbles me every time I'm there.

Okay, I have a few things to do before bed and I still want to bike downtown for the block party in The 'Lo. I have no idea what I'm going to do there, but I am going to get some cheese, I think.

Hot Tomales!

On Tuesday, I got up early and drove up north. Not too far, only about 80 miles to the Point Reyes National Seashore. The drive was gorgeous. There was not an ounce of fog in SF, so the GG Bridge was clear as day, and my drive on Route 1 was stunning. Like, "Keep Your Eyes On The Road!" stunning.

Here's my car. When you drive around in a car, you can take whatever you want. I've got...my bike and bike accouterments, 2 pair of hiking shoes, tent, sleeping bag & pads, and all the clothes I might need (except hiking pants...how did I not pack those?).

Oh man...it's like the California version of the "Wizard Of Oz!" I loved this field.

...especially because there were cows right across from it. If you know me, you know how much cows make me happy. And these are some of the supposed "Happy Cows" of California, who make our milk and cheese. These cows actually probably make my butter, since I often buy their brand. Point Reyes was once well known for THE BEST butter in the area. Now, I don't think anyone knows any butter from another, which saddens me.

I arrived at the trailhead of Tomales Bay around 9:30 and got moving. The farm buildings here are left over from another time...when farms ruled. I would love to return when this place is all green from the rain.

This was the view I saw for most of the hike. If this does not convince you that you need to see California, I don't know what will.

This is the other view I had for the entire hike. It's interesting to walk in a place with no trees. My East Coast sensibilities don't quite understand it yet. Everytime I hike, I think, "Who made this trail? Why is it going here and not over there? How did they make it?" I never have any answers to these questions, which is why I am interested in time travel.

Yippee! About 3 miles in, this sign came out of nowhere (well, the bushes were totally all over me). After this sign, the hike became a bristly car wash for my legs. The bushes were totally crowding the trail (where do they get off?) and I wasn't wearing pants. Somehow, I survived.

As I walked back, the woman ahead of me had the Elks in a staredown. This cracked me up. This is an Elk Preserve, too. They are beautiful, serene creatures, who were totally fine with humans walking all around their land. In fact, they seemed a bit nervous to get too close. Of the dozens I saw, only two had horns. I don't know why that is. Are there really only two adult males out there? Are the females okay with the polygamy? Again...so many questions.

Ah! I love seeing these animals almost as much as when I see cows.

Yay! I finished. I didn't go out all the way to the end because...1) You get the idea after a while and 2) the bristly leg car wash was not fun. I'm guilty of wearing my iPod, but only for the last 20 minutes. After a while, I just ran out of things to think about. I did listen to the Fresh Air show that was about The Colbert Report's trip to Iraq. I'll have to watch those episodes, as it seems like it was fun and awesome for our troops.

Things I love: My wool shirt. Keeps me so nice and dry and happy and I could wear you for days on end and you wouldn't stink. My MoeBen arm warmers that protect me from the sun andkeep me both warm and cool...I don't understand how they work like that. And, my Patagonia Catalyst pack. I got this on sale about a year ago because I was worried about what I would do when my "Old Faithful" wears out...I think that's way far down the line, but I still get nervous about stuff like that. Anyway, the Catalyst, which Patagonia foolishly no longer makes, is amazing. It fits my 100oz hydration bladder (Hydrate or Die!) and has two pockets on the waist belt. I basically never have to take it on or off my back for any reason, unless it's to change clothes. Genius!

On my drive home, I stopped at Whale of a Deli in Point Reyes and got a yummy sandwich and in Fairfax for an iced tea. Fairfax is the cutest darn town ever. I once saw some bluegrass there and it never fails to suck you in.

If I Could Sing...Well

I had a friend in high school who used to say, "If I could sing like Paul McCartney, I'd sing all the time." I have thought this about many a singer, but today, I was thinking that about Scott Avett of the Avett Brothers. Check them out as part of the "Tiny Desk Concert" that NPR does (they have bands play behind one of their office desks). It is worth every second away from whatever it is you normally do after you read my blog. Shout out to my little sis who is seeing them in concert right now in the STL! What up 314?!?

Cali = Fun

Ahhh...summer vacation sure is fun. I'll try to give you today's highlights and let you know about the next adventures quickly...so I can get to sleep!

I worked today and around lunchtime, I saw my friend Edo trying to stuff boxes into a backpack so he could run to the PO. I asked, "Why don't you take my xtracycle? And why don't I ride on the back?" And then, the fun began.

Here's Edo sizing up the ride. Yeah, that box would have been much more awkward on his back.

We are ready. I decided that I should wait until we were pointed at the PO before I got on the back. Not in this picture: the sticker I put on my chest with our store's name. Just in case I fell off, I thought it would help people return me to some people that could assist further.

Edo proved to be a great driver. He got the rig going with me on the back with no trouble. I, on the other hand, almost killed us when I tried to drive with him on the back. Seriously...I was wobbling between parked cars on my right and moving cars on my left, without much room to breathe. I tried to drive for about a block, which was actually more of me and Edo "Fred Flintstoning" it down the street. Then I let Edo drive back to work. It's just safer that way.

This evening, I saw "The Hangover." Funny movie, not too inappropriate, but probably not something I'd pay to watch again. Ed Helms is just hilarious, so I'd watch it again to see him. Some of the things that come out of his mouth is this movie are just priceless (and not repeatable).

Next Steps:

I bought some books today about hiking around here. Then, after consulting with Bec, here's my plan. I'll make sure to check in with someone (most likely Bec) each night to confirm my safety.

Tuesday: Drive up to Point Reyes and hike around Tomales Bay. Drive back to Bec's for the evening?

Wednesday: Bec and I will play on Angel Island on foot and two wheels and perhaps just have some good SF time. I'm hoping for a clear day.

Thursday: Drive to Yosemite. Hang around/bike around/have fun in the valley.

Friday: Attempt Half Dome Summit. I have no desire to complete this if it's pushing the line between safe and dangerous, but I will be out on the trail at dawn on Friday, enjoying the fresh air.

Saturday: ?? I might stay in Yosemite for half a day or I might just hang in The 'Lo. Either way, there's a drumline competition at Stanford that night, and I will be there.

Sunday: Back to work. Yippee!

Longest Day

Happy Solstice to you all! I think I was meant to be a pagan, because I love both Solstices in a way that feels innate. I was working today, but as soon as my shift was over, I bolted for the Pacific. I read the paper while I watched the sun set. Around 8:32,the orb had disappeared.

My Solstice celebration was tame compared to what goes on around the world. On Friday, some Swedes stopped into the store. I started chatting with them and they mentioned that they would be celebrating the Solstice with a party, equipped with herring and vodka, as is common in their country. I'd have some vodka too if I had more than 18 hours of daylight. At some point, you probably just need something else to do.

Unfortunately, they days are about to get shorter, but it's summer. There's plenty of daylight for me!

Four Days

I think that I have four days with nothing planned next week. Sure, I should take care of some odds and ends here and go clean my classroom and office, but that can wait.

So, I have Tuesday-Friday with nothing on the calendar. I'm thinking about getting in the car with a few bucks, my tent, my sleeping bag, and my atlas and seeing what happens. I've been scouring the internet, but I can't seem to find exactly what I need (I don't really know what that is, but basically a website for someone like me, who doesn't really know all the cool things in California, isn't an expert on being in the outdoors, but is totally game for anything).

Any ideas?

Yes, Just One Person

Tonight I went to Borrone's to get some food, read the paper, attempt the crossword puzzles, and listen to the jazz quintet that plays each Friday. When I got there, all the tables were completely full. It was 5 minutes before I could get a stool at the bar, where I kept an eye on the tables so I could sit and spread out the paper. As soon as I saw a couple start to clear out, I was up and next to the table. While they were gathering their things, a guy who was also at the bar, turned around to try to get the table. He asked me, "Are you really going to take that table?" (I guess he asked this because it was a table that could fit three people, he was part of a couple, and I was only one.) Of course, I said, "Yes, I am." Then he turned to his female companion and I heard him say, "One person is going to take that table." I didn't say anything, because it didn't really matter, but I almost wanted to turn to him and say, "I wish I had someone to dine with me, but I don't. Just because I'm single, doesn't mean I should automatically be shafted. In fact, I'd much rather be sitting with someone in bar stools than alone but more comfortable."

I know he didn't mean anything against me personally, but sometimes I'm just done. Maybe it's the rash of engagements of people I know (that I've had to find out about over the Internet). You know when it's just the last straw? But then again, I did have a blast at girls' night hosted by my friend EF, who is 5 years older than me, single, and awesome, followed by a sleepover with my friend P-squared who "enhanced" my hair the other day and always, always makes me feel like a million bucks. Yes, we are hoping to find EF a husband, but she has the confidence that I always want to have with life and boys. Note to me: spend more time with the girls.

The interaction tonight reminded me of a guy who was in a math teacher's workshop with me the other day. We were looking at student work, which included a written explanation by a student about why they chose the multiple choice answer. The student did the problem correctly and did a good job explaining, except for some misuse of words. In our small group, we started talking about how we would handle those incorrect words and this male teacher said, "Oh I don't care about that. I'm not an English teacher." My response (envision me trying to flip out but stay professional) was something along the lines of: "Oh, what language do you teach in?" I've reached my tipping point on some things and the slightest thing tips me off (like being single and people treating me differently because of it). I'm just so tired of being labeled as a math teacher who 1) is asked to do all the adding in meetings as if we're the only ones who know how, 2) apparently doesn't know anything about grammer, 3) is told how to write a haiku, and 4) is thought to not care about language. I could go on, but then I'd be ranting even more. I am a teacher. It just do happens that math is my strong suit. But honestly, I fantisize about teaching US History or English or Environmental Science. I do. When I sub for those classes, I work as hard to help students understand content and make sense of things as I am in my own classroom. I know not everyone is like this (I was a rare child who LOVED school like crazy all throughout), but how are we going to help our students love learning all subjects if some people devalue an entire subject that our schools deem important?

I'm carrying on. I know that I've got to stick to my principles and the more I can positively interact with people, the better we will co-exist. This single math teacher plans to spend all of her Saturday reading books. Yes, I can actually read. I can't wait!

Thursday Appreciations

Here's the mix I gave to my mentees for graduation. There are a few songs on here that I believe are on my upcoming June mix, but I like this one because it's a blend of songs I thought about when trying to say goodbye to them with songs they like and suggested.

When it went to my students, the mix was called "Thursday Appreciations" because that was the one constant for us for the last two years. Every Thursday, we all stopped to appreciate something or many things. On my last day with my mentees, our final appreciations brought me to tears. For the first time, I was appreciated by some of my mentees (and it was the boys you'd never expect), and they decided that we're going to have a group on Facebook for Thursday appreciations. That's when the sobbing really happened. Then, my mentee who is going into the Marines asked for my address so he can send me apprecations. Oh man!

Anyway, this mix sums up my group--their love of "Scrubs," being cheezy, all things bizarre, songs that I associate with frat parties...and my desire to shove Bob Dylan down their throats.

Gleeeeee!

If you haven't watched the Pilot for "Glee" yet, you should make some time for the 45 minute episode. I wish I had the time right now to fully review this for you, but I will just say that Glee is a hoot. I've never seen High School Musical, but I'm guessing this is better..or at least for those of us not still in high school. It's a bit dark, very funny, and the music is just fun. The Pilot came out now to get us all excited about this show, which really starts in the fall.

You can watch it on hulu. (Photo from imdb.com)

My Mentees

Here we are...moments from graduation. I couldn't be more proud of my kids.

And here's my boss's son. Class of 2020. This boy is the greatest. That distinction is influenced mostly by the fact that he loves me, gets so excited whenever he sees me, and asks me when we can go bowling again (we went about 16 months ago). I haven't met any boys my age lately who treat me as well as he does, so I'm sticking with him.

Student Art

Throughout this year, photos like the one above have been appearing around the school. Mysteriously. We'll come in, and there'll be something like this on one of the office windows. They are like this one-- a play on the teacher's name or subject area with some way of incorporating their picture into the photo. Our principal, who used to teach physics has one that says "What's Your Favorite Principal of Physics?" I like mine for many reasons...one being that my 4th grade teacher used to call me MilkDuds, as did a few students at FHS. And now, I have the MDuds license plate on the wagon. Although, the irony of this photo is that it's of me on my phone (I was talking to you Ali right before my visit in March). For those of you that call me, you know that I NEVER have my phone on and I pretty much never use my phone. This is a rare sight.

While I can totally imagine creating something like this when I was in high school (if we had the technology), I can't imagine is actually putting them up for the teachers and all students to see.

I had a hunch about who was doing it, aided by the initals at the bottom (which were not on early works), and we found out on the last day of school that it was a brother and sister team (along with some brainstorming help from their parents). What fun they must have had!

Class of 2009

Here we are...getting ready to let another class of students out into the world. They are ready and they are pretty awesome. In my travels this summer, I'll try to remember to pack The Grad Film. One of our graduates is a filmmaker and he was the director of two films this year: "Senioritis," a zombie film and "The Grad Film." The latter was premiered yesterday at graduation and it's a fun video, set to MGMT's "Kids," which is one of my favorite songs of the year, of all the senior mentor groups being all fun and/or glamorous as well as the mentors (from the day we were all fancy). I can't wait for you guys to see it. I don't believe it's online, which makes sense. The student director is trying to make it in film, and I think he will. He's go to protect his work as an amateur.

Here's another graduate, who is a phenomenal singer, but we never got to hear him until the end of this year. I'm not sure why he and Jack were "stuck in a room for two hours," but I'm glad they were. Enjoy! (And, yeah...teenagers swear...I don't like it, but I'm used to it.)

T-Minus Four

Four more days.

Not sure I'll get it all done, but I have to, right?

I'm up too late.

The song input has been amazing.  Thanks.

Now I just need to burn these things sometime and make some album covers.

Ran 5 miles today.  Felt great (and was surprisingly fast).

I'm training for my next marathon (I think).

I put 28 commuting miles on my bike today going to school, dinner party, then home. 

Oh, how I love my bikes.

I now have 666 miles on my bike since Dec 2008.

What is the devil trying to tell me?

Bedtime.

Taking Requests

I've been a little weepy these days.  No, it's nothing bad.  It's just that graduation is on Friday and my 16 "kids" are leaving the nest.  Actually, my 95 kids are leaving me.  Last year, I was indoctrinated into the Summit culture by the Class of 2009.  Sixteen of those students are my mentees.  And literally, they are like my kids.  I've vistited them when they were on pain killers after bike accidents, taken them to register for college, and pulled them by the ears to office hours to get their work done.  Last Friday, we had our awards ceremony.  What I love about my school is that we honor kids for being tops in their classes, but also for Perserverce, Wit, and our Core Characteristics (Compassion, Courage, Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, and Curiosity).  Five of my mentees received awards (out of about 9 or 10 senior awards).  They won awards for AP Statistics Student of the Year, AP Calculus Student of the Year (I swear, I had nothing to do with that except that I taught them last year), AP Government Student of the Year, Most Improved in the 12th Grade, and Perserverence.

 

Now, imagine if you had sixteen kids.  They probably wouldn't agree on anything...just like mine.  So, rather than try to figure out a present to give them that they all would like, I think I'm going to make them a CD.  It's very low cost and if they never listen to it, who really cares.  I have emailed all of them asking for their requests.  I am not confident that I'll get anything back from them...because they don't check email (although I did just break down and added one of my mentees on facebook to get the word out).

Soooo...what would you put on this mix.  I am looking for songs that make you dance/are about moving on/make you dance.  Right now, I have "Daylight," "Forever Young," and "Don't Stop Believin'."  Yes, it can be cheezy.  I'm looking for backup songs in case they don't come through with their 16 songs.

Getting Involved

Tonight, I went to a meeting for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.  I recently joined this organization because I am on my bike nearly every day and the work they do is helping me commute easier.

I wanted to go to this meeting to get the vibe of the organization (I've already really liked their work with Bike To Work Day and a bike parking lot at the Maker Faire) and see if there might be ways I can contribute.  There's definitely some regulars here, which is cool.  The people basically all knew each other, but were very welcoming to me.  I gave my input on seizing opportunities to get new members and ways to get "Share The Road" as clear as possible to all stakeholders.  Of course, someone immediately said, "Are you going to volunteer to do these things."  I have to remember that these people don't know me, yet.

Most of the people there were at least a decade older than I, but I enjoyed learning A LOT about the local agencies that are involved around here (C/CAG, BPAC, etc.).  I'm looking forward to seeing where this relationship goes with SVBC.  I'm inspired by the people who are doing so much bike advocacy.  I am interested in learning more about outreach to schools and how/if we can encourage more kids to ride to school and more parents to be excited about their kids riding to school.  As I've mentioned, it's a very popular way to commute for the younger set, but I think more can be done on that front to get more kids involved in healthy lifestyles.

I was on the road bike today, but I'll be xtracycling tomorrow as I have awards night and need to transport my dress, heels, and hair products.  It will redefine how I think about what can be done on a bike.  I may need to take an iron too...I need to be presentable for the parents when 6pm rolls around.

Yay for community!  

Resolve Status

I resolved to do six things this year.  I'm not doing such a great job.

I haven't run in over 10 days.  I'll get to my goal of 1000 miles for the year, as I'm already at 700, but I'm feeling like a running slug.  And I have until Friday to decide if I'm going to do Chicago with TNT.  Yikes.

I have read 1.5 books.  That is sad.  I'm hoping for a productive summer on that front.

I'm not too pumped about turning 29 (but not too down about it either).

I have not yet gone to Half Dome (but I will...that is imminent...just waiting for school to be over).

I don't think I've been great about getting out on the weekends, but I haven't been a total hermit.

None of my goals is a complete wash yet, but I have work to do.  Buuuuuut...

Today, I put 28 miles on the Xtracycle, bringing my bike miles instead of car miles above 600 miles for the semester.  One goal has been met!  School and back and then errands around Palo Alto and then back to RWC for tutoring.  Woo hoo!  Like I said when I put down my 2009 goals, I planned to put $1 for every mile on the bike rather than the car in a bike savings account, which I did through the help of Greenlight.com and ING.  I just drained $500 of that for the Xtracycle, which was a bike set-up I had been eyeing for a few months and will immediately increase my bike miles (for example, I put at least 8 miles on the bike today that I normally would have driven, but I was able to use the cargo space for all the stuff I had to haul around).  I need to pimp out the new ride a bit...reflectors, bungee cords, a stash of tote bags, and a cup holder for when I'm cruising around this summer and want an ice tea at my fingertips.  Plus I need all the normal stuff...tubes, tire levers, bus fare, lights, and a locking system that fits the largess of the beast.

I still have my eye on a fixie.  That will likely come in the next 6 months...or really, whenever I have enough money back in the account.  I'm actually happy to have more time to decide on the best bike for me.  There are just so many sweet choices out there, but I'm learning that I probably want a bike that looks plain and not flashy.  No one wants their trusty bike to be stolen (speaking of which, I registering my bikes asap).  And there are a lot of American made bikes and local (as in SF) companies that would be great to support.

And I really hope that the the PHIT Act (House Bill 2105, The Personal Health Investment Today Act) goes through, which would allow for pre-tax money to go towards athletic expenses...like bikes (but not running shoes).

Sadness for the Children of California

They don't know what fireflies are.  That makes me sad.  

I miss hot summer thunderstorms and fireflies ushering in the night.