I’m still
here … still reading.  I’ve just been crazy busy lately. 
And, I’ve been cranky this week because I caved to peer pressure and
I’m starting the South Beach diet.  The first two weeks are no
carb, so I’m like a crack addict in withdrawal.  When you want a
chocolate glazed donut, a plate of steamed broccoli just doesn’t make
you a happy camper. 



Of course, the kids met one
of their monthly goals and got to choose a reward.  Bet you can’t
guess what they picked!  Breakfast party … yep … 
donuts.  Aiya!  I’m gonna try my best to resist the
leftovers.  I looked for some kind of donut that I don’t like so I
wouldn’t be tempted, but I don’t think that such a donut exists. 

I’m proud of
myself because I’ve managed to get up at 5am every morning this week
and ride my stationary bike for 20 minutes.  Okay … so my pace
was that of a leisurely ride through the countryside, but hey, I’ve
gotta start somewhere.

Quote of the Day:

“Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.”

   
              
              
              
              
              
            –Redd Foxx

Field trip tomorrow to the LA County Museum of Art and I just realized
that I forgot to have the “beauty of the human form” discussion. 
“If you were born in a place where they didn’t wear clothes, it
wouldn’t be a big deal …  bodies are bodies …  we all
have butts … the human body is beautiful.”  I try to cover all
the angles.  I did such a good job last time that one of my boys
caught another kid giggling at a protruding body part on a statue and
said, “Hey, it’s just a human body.  Why don’t you grow up
already?!”

Oh ….. my …….god! 

Quotes of the Day (yep, you get two!)

Okay … today was a depressing day. 



It started off with a
disgusting snippet on the news.  Apparently trading around
horrific pictures has become boring and passe to all the pedophiles out
there, so now they’ve taken to live webcasts of molestation. 
Apparently there was a sting, and the authorities caught a bunch of
people.  What kind of sick world do we live in?  The youngest
victim was only 18 months old.  I can’t even imagine what kind of
person could do such a thing.  It literally makes me sick.    When I hear news like that, I just feel so hopeless about the state of the world and the people in it.



Then on my way to work
there was an accident on the opposite side of the freeway.  As I
passed it, I saw the coroner’s van pulling up.  Someone on their
way to work just like any other day wouldn’t be going home that night
to his family.  While we were all grumbling about being stuck in
traffic or late to work, a family had been irrevocably altered. 
Made me think … I take so many things for granted and so often let my
life live itself.  I need to step back and get some perspective;
these days I often feel like I am just existing rather than really
living.



And finally, at the end of
the day, one of my little girls (I’ll call her D) approached me to say
that she wasn’t feeling well.  She felt so sick that she couldn’t
even really verbalize what was wrong.  I sent her to the restroom
in case she needed to throw up and told her to then go straight to the
office. 



Last week, this same little
girl had petechiae (little broken blood vessels) under her eyes. 
It worried me so I sent her to the health aide who then called the
district nurse.  The nurse said they were probably caused by
sneezing or coughing.  That night I looked it up online and found
that while petechiae can be caused by sneezing or coughing, they can
also be a sign of something much more serious.  Now, you have to
understand that given an ache or pain and a good ten minutes with a
medical encyclopedia, I can diagnose myself with any number of deadly
illnesses, so I tried not to jump to conclusions.  The next day,
D’s red spots had begun to fade and she was behaving normally … doing
cartwheels at recess, etc.  So, I thought the nurse must be right
and just let it go with the note the nurse had sent home to mom. 



But, earlier today D
complained of a tender spot on her neck.  I explained that it was
probably a swollen gland which just meant that her body was working on
fighting off some infection, but in my mind all kinds of bells and
whistles were going off. 



After I sent D to the
office this afternoon, her friends told me that during lunch she
suddenly felt so tired that she just laid down on the grass.  And
when I went to see her in the office after school she said that she had
a headache and felt like throwing up and just suddenly felt so tired
… all symptoms of leukemia, as are petechiae and swollen
glands.  I keep telling myself that it’s probably nothing, but I’m
just so scared for her.  So, if you’re of the praying persuasion,
please say a prayer for D as you read this.  All children are
special, but D is truly an amazing child … the kind of little girl
who can perceive when someone needs a hug or word of encouragement and
is always there to fill that need.



Sorry so bleak … hopefully tomorrow will bring good news of some kind. 

Argghhhh! 
I’m so frustrated!  I just wrote this long post and then my
computer decided to take a nap.  I lost the whole thing! 
Maybe I’ll try again, but right now I just feel like throwing my
computer off the balcony. 

On
Wednesdays we go to read to our Kindergarten buddies.  My Moses is paired up with a real naughtypants boy … no, not by
coincidence.  Today after buddy
reading, he says to me, “Miss G., my buddy drove me crazy today. 
He wouldn’t listen to me and kept wiggling around.  No matter what
I did, he wouldn’t pay attention!”  Ahhh …. revenge is sweet. 

Woohoo!  I got tagged.  It’s my first time. (Yes, I am a dork.)   Thanks, Katie!

– NINE DREAMS BEFORE DEATH –

1.  have a family of my own

2.  see my mom happy, healthy, and stress free

3. travel to Mainland China

4. see all my students go on to lead fulfilling, productive lives

5. take my students to visit the Louvre (and then Disneyland!)

6.  finally be fluent in Mandarin

7.  see art, music, and P.E. programs restored in the schools

8.  learn to say no and not feel guilty

9.  see someone special one last time … and find someone who will make that loss make sense

9 1/2. attend the Sound of Music singalong at the Hollywood Bowl … okay, it’s dorky, but I soooo want to go!

~~~~~

– NINE THINGS I CAN’T (won’t) DO IN THIS LIFETIME –

1.  be perfect

2. be a rock star (although it is my secret fantasy)

3.  prostitute myself

4.  be an Olympic medalist

5.  betray a loved one

6.  cheat

7.  live in Las Vegas … YUCK! (2 days at a time are plenty for me, thanks)

8.  eat straight mayonnaise … I can’t even wash dishes with mayo on them without gagging

9.  be on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition

9 1/2. shop at Wal-Mart

~~~~~

– NINE THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME –

In a partner:

1. integrity

2. laughter

3. intelligence

4. broad smile

5.
Asian men (I’m with Katie on this one … I actually find all kinds of
men (read Johnny Depp) attractive but seem to attract mostly Asian men
… and that’s okay by me)

In general:

6. book stores

7. sales

8. open house signs

9.  places that aren’t Los Angeles

~~~~

– NINE THINGS I SAY –

1. Aiya!

2. Good morning, fishfaces! (to my fishies, of course)

3.  No, you come here

4. It’s get-it-yourself night (in response to the question “what’s for dinner?”

5.  Don’t be a fish-giver! (in my classroom … we don’t give people fish … we teach them to fish)

6.  Sure, I’ll do it (while kicking myself)

7.   Oh my goodness! (as well as “my word!” and “goodness gracious!” … it’s a teacher disease)

8.   Hello, Taj Majal reservation desk …

9.   I like how [insert name here] is …   (yep … still works every time!)

~~~

– NINE BOOKS THAT I LOVE –

1. Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol … this book changed my life

2.  my Chinese dictionary and Lonely Planet Taiwan guide … my constant companions during the biggest adventure of my life

3. Little Women

4. anything by Bill Bryson … that guy cracks me up!

5. Little House Series and Anne of Green Gables … old friends

6. Chronicles of Narnia

7.  The Distant Land of My Father

8. To Kill a Mockingbird

9. Junie B. Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells … P.S. So Does May

~~~

– NINE MOVIES THAT I LOVE –

1.  To Kill a Mockingbird

2. Life is Beautiful

3. Kikujiro

4. Good Will Hunting

5. Chocolat

6. Coalminer’s Daughter

7. Dirty Dancing — “nobody puts Baby in a corner”

8. Joy Luck Club, Last Emperor, The Wedding Banquet, Lost in Translation

9. Lilo and Stitch

I won’t tag anyone because I know that the novelty has worn off for all of  you veterans. 

It took me 2 HOURS to get home from work tonight! 
Left at 5:15 and got home at 7:15.  What makes that amazing is
that my school is less than 10 miles from my house. 

The
freeway was closed in both directions for a mile stretch.  There
were four helicopters hovering.  All the radio reports said was
that the freeway was closed due to police activity.  Well, yeah,
okay … I gathered that much.  What kind of activity? 
Poker?  Lawnbowling?  Come on … if you’re gonna leave me
sitting on the freeway for two hours at least give me a little more
than that!  To make matters worse, the connecting freeway had an
accident in each direction, so once I managed to get off the freeway,
the local streets were hell, too.  Good thing I had gas in my car,
had just downloaded some new music on my iPod, and used the restroom
right before leaving work. 

Quote of the Day:

“From the South Bay to the Valley



From the West Side to the East Side


Everybody’s very happy


‘Cause the sun is shining all the time


Looks like another perfect day

I love L.A.!”

               
              
–Randy Newman “I Love L.A.”

Well, Randy, I beg to differ. 
I just spent 2 hours under a dark, ominous sky with lots of very
grouchy folks …  yep, another perfect day … can you tell how
much I love L.A. right now?

“If
they’d lower the taxes and get rid of the smog and clean up the traffic
mess, I really believe I’d settle here until the next earthquake.”
               
               —
Groucho Marx

Here’s the news story:

“Authorities re-opened the 605 Freeway Thursday after a suspicious
package turned out to be a cast-iron pipe.The California Highway Patrol
said the package was found under the Arrow Highway overpass. The
package was found at about 5 p.m.CHP deputies diverted traffic onto
exit ramps and around the site of the investigation.After the bomb
squad investigated the package, they determined it was a cast-iron pipe
and took it away.”

Woohoo!  I
just saved 50% on my groceries!  Over $88!  That’s not the
best I’ve done, but it’s pretty darn good, especially since Toshi was
with me and he tends to sneak stuff into the cart when I’m not
looking.    We even got free bread, bacon, juice, and eggs, too … a special promotion for this week. 

Just basking in the coupon shopping afterglow … yes, sometimes it’s the little things …

This is how I spent my day …

That’s Nicholas (my newest nephew) and his proud sisters, Sophia and Grace. 

When Nicholas
wasn’t on my lap, my other nephew, Joseph, kept it warm for him; boy,
that kid has a bony behind.   We played with Legos at the table
for about an hour and a half.  Why is it that boys have to turn
everything into a weapon?    Of
course I wasn’t the first choice for play.  Joseph ran up to me,
full of excitement, and the first words out of his mouth were “Hi, Aunt
Kelly!  When’s Toshi coming?”   

Toshi
couldn’t make it because he’s been fighting a sinus infection all
week.  I’ve been getting hourly updates  for days on what
percentage of each nostril is open, and lately he’s taken to sporting a
tissue nosering … you know, one end of a tissue up each
nostril.  Gag!  I tried sleeping on the sofa
one night this week because the gurgling was making my stomach turn, but sleeping on a
leather sofa is much like trying to get cozy on a slip ‘n’ slide. 
Now I just try to fall asleep before he does.   
Thankfully, he is finally on the mend. 

Quote of the Day:



Babies are such a nice way to start people. 
           
           
           
        ~Don Herrold