If there’s one thing Southern gals know how to do, it’s gab. Silly or serious, all it takes is a glass of iced tea and time. Pull up a chair, kick off your shoes, and make yourself comfy…get ready to dish!
As God Is My Witness, I’ll Never Garage Sale Again
I’m not a complete Philistine. I know that garage sales are a Great American tradition. Some people plan their whole weekends around which garage sales are where and what they hope to find while browsing.My sister decided a month ago that the two of us, our mom, and her MIL would combine for a multi-family, colossal garage sale. So far, so good. I’m in purge mode. Purge resulting in cash in my hand sounded pretty good. So we’ve been stockpiling things in the garage for the upcoming garage sale, imagining dollar signs...
read moreOperation Adult Bedroom
It’s not what you think.DH and I are taking advantage of the fact that both kids are at camp for the next four days to launch Operation Adult Bedroom. And no, it doesn’t mean that we’re installing a trapeze or a mirrored ceiling. Although…Seriously though, if your bedroom in your house with young children is anything like mine, amidst all the adult trappings are an avalanche of books and toys suitable for the under-teen set. Like Barbara Kingsolver sharing my bedside table with Judy Moody, or stepping on those infernal...
read moreHack ‘n Slash
Gettin’ tough with the bad haircolor. Most of it’s gone now, thanks to a major haircut. Let’s just say the nape of my neck is seeing daylight for the first time in yeeeeeeeears. Short on the neck, longer in the front, a little more height on the crown. We’ll see how the curls react with less weight on them. I’ve got about an inch or so of old, tired medium golden brown here and there, but by the end of the summer, I’ll have my own color all over: dark, dark brown, and startling white. Can’t decide if...
read moreTen Things That Annoy You About Work
This should be cathartic, since we finished school last week. Here we go:The Living Dead. Teachers who can’t remember why they chose teaching as a career need to pick up stakes and find another homestead.Whining. The lengths to which kids will go to excuse their missing work are incredible.Stuck on Stupid. Policies and people who don’t use actual logic or observation as their basis for advancement.God’s Gifts to Education. Or so they think. You know, the teachers who have contempt for everyone’s class but their own, or...
read moreTen Ways the World Has Changed Since You’ve Been in School
iPods. We thought cassette tapes were the bomb. Now we can make mixes of anything and download yoga podcasts.Yoga. When I was in school, only weird triple-jointed people did yoga (or so we thought). Good thing we learned more about it, huh?DVDs. Skipping ahead to the good parts (like when Mr. Darcy emerges from the bath all wet and yummy) is so much easier!!Viable minority and female candidates for President (one of whom will be the Democratic nominee, thank you very much). This is actually darned exciting.Fall of the Iron Curtain. I actually...
read moreSeniors Go Bye-Bye
Graduation’s over! Goodbye to the Class of ’08. They were a decent class–definitely a step up from last year, given their accomplishments and their overall behavior–but we were ready to watch them walk. Seniors during the last week of school are absolutely NUTS. This group was no different. Tomorrow night, I spend my last night with them at Project Graduation. This should be interesting! Let’s hope I can catch up on my sleep this weekend.
read moreTen Favorite Time Wasters
As an Olympic-caliber time waster, I can certainly do this. Here are favorite ways to let the time pass me by.Infosnacking. Netsurfing. Whatever you call it. If it’s on the web, I can find it.Bookstore browsing. Time just flies by.Palm games. Crazy Daisy and Bejeweled, usually, with occasional forays into Bookworm.Reading organizational books. So much more satisfying than actual organizing, since you can create the Plato’s cave version of your lovely home without all that messy work.Reading. Anything. I will reread books...
read moreMusings: Shirley Valentine
I can’t remember which female friend advised–nay, DEMANDED–that I watch Shirley Valentine, but apparently it made enough of an impression that I at least added it to the Netflix queue. Shirley arrived this week, and since we’re off from school today, I popped it in.Well, anonymous friend was right. This was a treat. The film is based on a play of the same name by Willy Russell. Pauline Collins, who plays Shirley, won a Tony for the stage version and was nominated for an Oscar for the film.If you’re not familiar...
read moreGutsy Broad: Tina Fey
Well, she’s technically not a broad yet, but she’s no chick. What she is is incredibly clever and smart. Geeky, even. (Work those glasses, girl!) This is the brain behind SNL’s revived Weekend Update, the Emmy-winning 30 Rock, and Mean Girls. She’s beautiful but not obnoxious about it, and she seems to be having a ball. We should all have it so good.
read moreTen Movies You’re Excited to See
Summer blockbuster season is upon us! Here are my top ten choices–one’s I’d be willing to spend full price to see…although given the fact that teachers don’t get paid between June and early September, I’ll be spending plenty of time at the dollar movie theater instead…Iron Man. Saw it already. Worth the ticket. A must-buy on DVD when it comes out. This is how to do a superhero movie right, people!Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’ve figured out at least one major plot point...
read more
