Spring Cleaning - Gadgets You Can Get Rid Of - NYTimes.com

Spring Cleaning - Gadgets You Can Get Rid Of - NYTimes.com

What do you think of this list of gadgets to keep and lose?

I still have a desktop - and so does my husband. But I am looking into buying a new ultraportable (think Lenova's Thinkpad...) and an iPad soon. Yes, I am definitely moving in this direction.

We still need Internet at home, as our phones are dumb (get it...not smart...).

Cable TV: haven't had it for years!

Camera and camcorder: still have them and use them and love them.

Thumb drive: I just email files!

I have an iPod Shuffle for working out. Never had an iPod, and now I probably never will!

Alarm clock: Nope, we use our phones!

GPS: Nope. I print directions from mapquest!

Books: Still reading the real deal. Maybe once I get my iPad, that will change...

Just cool to see the products we have now and the way technology has changed our lives in just a few short years. And it keeps getting faster. Crazy. Singularity, here we come!

Two Children on a Plane.

Maybe not quite as exciting or scary as snakes on a plane, but tonight promises to be an adventure! We are taking the kids to visit friends in Denver for spring break. The last time we headed out West, Riley was turning one, and we met Alli and CE in Oregon at a resort there. I can't wait to see some mountains and hang out with our good friends, Clay and Krista. And this vacation is much needed after turning in my thesis on Monday. My plan is to start reading again (thanks, Irene, for the books!!).

I may be able to blog from Denver, but if not, I'll be back in about a week with stories and pictures!

Cheers!

Consignment Stock-up!

Here's what I got for 15 dollars at a mega-consignment sale on Saturday:

7 pairs of shorts for Adrian

1 pair of pants

2 shirts

1 jacket

1 jumper

3 shirts for Riley

I was super pumped! The kids looked really nice all dudded out this morning.

Write a Collection of Short Stories. Check.

Collection Title: The Milk Tree.

Last night, I stayed up until 3:00 to finish my creative thesis. Now I am one step closer to completing my MFA from Sewanee University's School of Letters. I read through the 144 page document in its entirety from 10 until 3, and now it has been sent to my advisor and I am done. For now. Hopefully, this body of work will be in print one day. That's the goal. But for now, I am just so happy it is written. 48,982 words. Over 200,000 characters.

In case you are wondering what a creative thesis is and what goes into it, here's some info:

In our School of Letters Catalogue, this is how the thesis is described:

"All M.F.A. students must complete a thesis. This is a substantial creative

manuscript: a novel or sustained nonfiction narrative, a collection of short stories

or essays, or a collection of poems. Length for the M.F.A. thesis may be anywhere

from 80 to 200 pages of prose or 40 to 50 pages of poetry.

Work on the thesis for either program may begin at any time after required

course work has been completed. The thesis is written under the supervision of an

advisor, chosen by the candidate, who may be any willing member of the School of

Letters faculty. As the project nears completion, a second reader will be appointed

by the Director of the School of Letters. When the thesis has been completed and

conditionally approved, the candidate for the degree will submit to a one-hour oral

examination conducted by the advisor and second reader."

In real life, that looks like this:

• 1-2 marathon writing sessions every weekend at Panera (literally, 4 hours!) from October to March.
• Writing after school most days (1-2 hours). I gave up working out this year.
• Writing before school (wake up - 5am) when I could wake up.
• Writing at night (after the kids when to bed) when I could stay awake.
• Writing A LOT on holidays (mini-break, Christmas break, Thanksgiving break). Panera was empty with out the UF students, and I would spend 5-7 hours writing there or at school.
• Lots of coffee (at Panera and at school)!
• Endless preoccupation with characters, their problems, their struggles, their successes, their conversations, and story titles.
• Editing, revising, and cutting. I literally halved a story from its first submission to now.

And somehow, I got it done despite my adorable children, 80 students and a full workday, SGA events, family, friends, and GOLD. Family and friends, thank you for your support. Thank you, readers! Actually, writing a book is a lot like raising a child. It takes a village. It drained me. It exhilarated me. And even sleep-deprived, I loved every. single. second.

Say What?

Last night -

Riley: I don't like to take baths.
Me: What about a shower?
Riley: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, nope.
Me: Then how are you going to get clean?
Riley: I can use a wipey!

The other night -

Riley picked up a stick on our walk. Then she proceeded to announce in her best announcer voice:

"Ladies and Genitals!"

This she repeated all the way home. Shawn and I could not stop laughing!

Bill on teacher pay, tenure goes to Gov. Scott

Florida House lawmakers passed an overhaul of the way teachers are evaluated and paid | Gainesville.com

Will someone please explain this to me? Merit pay based on standardized test scores? Are you kidding me? Yes, our country needs more great teachers. Yes, the education system we have is flawed and falling behind.

This is not the fix.

I do think districts should have a way to get ineffective teachers out (or at least require them to work on their skills, lessons, etc.). But to base it on standardized tests is ridiculous. Test scores should not be the only measure. That puts too much weight on a test. Education is about so much more than that.

I am happy I teach at an independent school.

Birthday Plans and Baby Talk