Rudolph where are you?

Then one foggy Christmas eve...

Update: We got out early on Thursday due to fog. We had a late start on Friday. They should cancel the game tonight, but it hasn't happened yet. Apparently it is alright to cancel school, but basketball is sacred. I lead a small group of singers in the national anthem, so naturally I need to be there. It's thicker than it was on Wednesday when they canceled school AND it's dark out. All of the schools in the area have canceled evening activities except for us. Who plans a game on the night before a long break anyway? Thank goodness for a long break! I'm glad to be leaving the valley for awhile!

I Need a Fog Horn!

I haven't been to school since Monday. That is a little strange since it is now Wednesday night! I felt like I had run into a brick wall yesterday, so I thought it would be best to call in sick. Then this morning we were in pea soup times ten! It was thick! The day began as a two hour late start. I was already showered, dressed, and had eaten breakfast. Then I was in my car on the way out of town when the principal called saying school had been cancelled. No way! Check out the photos of Dunkerooville from the KWWL Weather Blog. Good 'ol Weatherman Schnackenberg. The fog didn't leave until around noon. I went SHOPPING! It was so fun! I had always thought that a sick day would be kind of fun, but it wasn't, not even a little. I was so tired! Which made today that much more wonderful. I spent a good deal of time and money in Kohl's. They always have good sales, but this time I had an additional 30% off my purchase. Jackpot! I went to Toys-R-Us to buy Mallory's gift, then I found the same gift at Target for $10 less. I should have known it would be cheaper... I bought it at Target and owned two of them for about fifteen minutes. I had to call home and tell my mother about my bargain shopping. I'm such a nerd. It's hard to believe Christmas is next week! The weather report for tomorrow? More fog AND freezing drizzle. Hmm...

By George I've Got It!

I've been thinking... If I were a 2008 political candidate, I'd do everything in my power to end the strike in Hollywood. Think about it. Lots of people watch TV. Make these people happier, and they might vote for you. Also, you would ensure that there is an adequate audience for your television ad campaign! More viewers = more voters! Plus, I could watch new episodes of Grey's Anatomy. What can I say, its all about me.

Karev for America!

Debra, please stop drooling. ;)

Snow Day

Some days of teaching are not even worth complaining about. I'm over it. I CAN tell you that I vote for a snow day over a 2 hour late start ANY day, EVEN though we have to make them up!

Yesterday was the most wonderful snow day! I started the day with a delicious espresso americano. The closet in my office/spare room is almost completely reorganized. It looks SO much better. I finished a book I have been in the middle of for several weeks. I made an entire batch of chili. I have enough left for 6 more days... I did a small amount of shoveling and walked to the post office. I watched Drew Carey hosting the Price is Right, and I wasn't impressed. I also watched all the extras for Pirates 3. ARRRR!

It was a great day. Bring on the SNOW!

Odds and Ends

First of all, I think about being pruned quite often. Unfortunately it doesn't motivate me to post. I will try to do better, but no guarantees.

School is pretty much what I do lately. I never know what will happen on a certain day until we know what the weather will bring. Late starts bring great joy and great frustration. I get two extra hours to get ready for the day, but we lose high school music rehearsal on late start days. The elementary concert was rescheduled from last Thursday to tomorrow night. I hope they remember the music, but I'm not too worried. The high school choirs are what stress me. Two weeks to break!!

I recently planted an amaryllis bulb. It grows like a weed! It bloomed a few days ago. I included pictures. I'm so proud of my little plant.

I have been watching far too many Hallmark/Lifetime-ish Christmas movies. They are so awful, yet I can't help myself. I have to know if they get their happy ending. I did watch Pirates 3 this weekend. The swashbuckling action scenes were a nice change!

I have also watched Season 3 of Gray's Anatomy. I thoroughly enjoy it! It isn't quite as cool the second time around, as you already know who lives and who doesn't, but all the same, wonderful. I wish McDreamy and Meredith would get over themselves. It's getting a little too Ross and Rachel. Oh the drama.

Plans for Christmas Break:

1. Plan for next semester. Yuck, I know.

2. Read books.

3. Sleep in.

4. Eat. 'Tis the season!

5. Organize my closet. I have more clothes in there than I know what to do with. Time to streamline the wardrobe!

6. The other closet needs some work too... (No it is not more clothes!)

7. Go to the bank and get quarters for laundry. At most I have barely enough to clean the essentials. I went to a car wash and got change late one night. It's a bit of a gamble as one-third came out as tokens. It's okay, my car needs cleaning too.

8. Cook. I'm excited to cook at home, where there is a dishwasher and people to eat what I make!

9. Play in the snow.

10. Drink coffee.

There you have it, the top ten things I'm hoping to do over break. Maybe I'll even blog for you.

I've been TAGGED!

I was tagged by Holli.

1. Do you promote your blog?

No, I demote it.

2. How often do you check hits?

I don't know how to do that, but that is okay!

3. Do you stick to one topic?

Yes, and that topic is me and things I like.

4. Who knows that you have a blog?

Camp friends...

5. How many blogs do you read?

Eight

6. Are you a fast reader?

Yes

7. Do you customize your blog or do anything technical?

No

8. Do you blog anonymously?

No, but I hope that none of my students try to find me... That would be annoying.

9. To what extent do you censor yourself?

I leave things out that have to do with _____ and _____.

10. The best thing about blogging?

I find great enjoyment in reading the blogs of others, and I feel the need to give back.

I tag anyone who might be reading this without my knowledge... YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Beef. It's What's for Dinner!

Hmm... delicious! I made my first pot roast yesterday. It was very exciting! I had the pleasure of hosting a couple college friends, Zach and Kristin. One of those "crazy-small world" friendships. I met Zach in my very first college class: Music Theory I. He was a Choral Ed. Major, like myself. I met Kristin in my dorm because she was randomly assigned to live with one of my closest friends from high school: Jill B. (I have two BFF Jills) They lived just around the corner from my new room. Zach and Kristin had been dating since high school. Imagine our excitement when we figured all of this out!

We shared many late nights during those first few years of school... Going to Perkins, playing taboo: the roommates versus the music nerds. Zach and I usually lost. Jill and Kristin could read each others minds! The four of us, plus another friend, went on an amazing trip to Chattanooga when UNI made it to the national title football game in Dec. '06. There's talk of going again if the Panthers do well in the play-offs. So many memories! We ate in a Wendy's and the people behind us in line kept mumbling about speaking clearly so the Yanks could understand. It is such a different world down there! My favorite moment was listening to the radio and hearing about the "Twelve Strays of Christmas." The stray dog of the day was named Zippy... one of Zach's nicknames. I laughed hard for about two hours.

The moral of the story: if you visit me, I cook for you.

Breaking and Entering

I have been wondering when it would happen... and what I would do to fix the problem. It happened today, and let me tell you all about it! I came home around 3:30 from the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Fest. I unlocked the door, and dropped the first load right inside. I then spent about half an hour checking my e-mail and straightening up the apartment. I went back out to the car around 4:00 to get the last load. When I got back to the door, it was locked. Obscenities!

I went back out to my car and sat there for a few minutes, contemplating my plan of attack. I first took inventory of what I could use to break in. Items I lacked: keys (obviously), phone to call landlord, and a ladder to reach any of my windows. Items that were available: a map of Iowa, my school ID, some cds, pumpkin bars, and a saxophone lyre that someone left near the football field after a game a few weeks ago.

I quickly hatched a plan. I would break in using the lyre. I bent the life out of it, and it didn't work.

My next plan was to talk to the nice lady who lives downstairs. I hadn't officially met her yet, but this was my best plan. Dustin, the neighbor I have talked to, wasn't home, nor was his new roommate whose name I don't know.

I trudged around the building and knocked on her door. "Hi," I said, "I'm the girl who lives upstairs."

"Come on in" she says, as I asked if I could borrow her phone to call the landlord. She introduced herself as Becky and then proceeds to tell me that she has done this herself and knows exactly how to break in. Oh, cool, I thought! So she grabs her butterknife and away we go. We worked and worked at it. She even went back downstairs to get a long sharp knife and a spatula. Nothing would get it! We cut up the door a bit too. Oops.

We eventually conceded to the fact that we were not going to be able to break in. I knowthat this is a actually a good thing, but it was frustrating today! Her door won't keep anyone out if they know what to do. We finally had to call Cyndi for a key. The first time we dialed she didn't answer. While we waited I continued to learn more about my downstairs neighbor. She is a grandma who has raised her kids and has been divorced for about eleven years. She lives with her cat Esmeralda. She likes to move a lot and loves pro-football. Awesome! I know things about pro-football! We talked for quite awhile. It turns out we are both Chargers fans. Who knew football would be a common thread with me and my grandmotherly neighbor!

While we watched the Chicago-Philadelphia game, Cyndi called back and said she would come over. I felt really bad, but then when I talked to her, it wasn't a big deal. Cyndi was going to ride her motorcycle anyhow, and needed somewhere to go. She was wearing some sweet chaps! She also mentioned that she sings for the Metropolitan Chorale. Their director conducts the top choirs at Wartburg and also the IAM Europpean tour that I went on in high school. It's so crazy how everyone has connections.

I was finally able to get into my apartment around 5:00. It sure is a good thing that it's Sunday and I only have a few things to do before tomorrow. I can assure you that this won't happen anytime soon! I guess if it does I can hang out with the neighbor.

Prunes are good for you!

This post could probably be 5 pages long, but I go to bed before ten, so that is unlikely. That's right, I'm a first year teacher. I go to bed hours before my Grandma and my idea of a good time is a trip to the grocery store. Complete truth! My apartment has curtains and a sofa now. Good times! I should probably share photos of the apartment. Look forward to those in a few months. I'm too tired right now. I rather enjoy cooking for myself. I made a fabulous lasagna a few weeks ago, almost entirely from scratch. It was delicious the first time, and all of the leftovers since. I still have two servings in the freezer. After my success with lasagna, I nearly ruined a frozen pizza. The smoke alarm went off, but mostly it was because I tried to bake it without a pan. Yes, I am dumb. I do know better. I have added a pizza pan to my Christmas list. Swing Show is November 2 and 3. I don't want to talk about it... I will be thrilled when it is over. I spend too much time in the picture above. This picture is a game... Where's Waldo?!? Only not Waldo... You can find Mandy, Debra, Jaron, and Joel if you squint really hard. Don't hurt yourself. The pictures below are other angles on the main room.

That's all for now friends. I'll try not to be a dried up old plum! I WILL be hitting the hay soon...

Harry Potter

I finished it. It was [The rest of this post has been censored by the CIA, FBI, NAACP, and XYZ for presence of possible spoilers. Have a nice day!]

Home Sweet Home

This post DESERVES a picture... but it's only getting a map. That way you can come see for yourself where I live! At least for now, because my apartment isn't decorated. I have really trashy "curtains" at the moment. I tacked up some sheets so I would at least have some privacy. I'm not certain if I'm going to put up curtain rods or some sort of blinds... I should probably talk to the landlord, hence the current lack of window treatment. I will be taking care of those things when I have the time. I have two bedrooms, one of with is a sort of office. When the family helped me move in we called it the mystery room. It was easier for Mallory to grasp the idea of mystery room rather than office. If you don't know where it goes, put it in the mystery room! I also have a bathroom, living room, kitchen, and a balcony. I am just blocks from the bike trails. There are two parks in town, one is basically my backyard. I can walk down from my house to a great little park which is right next to the river. It's a really quiet small town. Earlier this week I saw the marching band passing by my apartment. It was awesome. Is there anything wrong with the apartment. YES! I'm the only one living here! What would be really great is if you could all move into the empty apartments next door! Debra?!? I'm going to take a break from this business and go vacuum. Debra and other friends who like to bike... CLICK HERE

Camp

It was another great summer at camp! It was getting hard towards the end to focus adequate attention on both camp and the new job, but it worked! I couldn't be much more prepared for what I'm doing. I really enjoyed this year's staff. It was also really cool working with J-Staff. I have to remind myself that the J-Staff are the same age as many of my students. I loved being able to share camp with some of my family! Otherwise I would probably not have seen much of them.

Harry Potter

I loved the movie. I haven't read the book. I'm waiting until September when I have some advance lesson planning done. Right now I'm barely surviving. I can't talk about that yet though. Back to Parry Hotter, I mean Harry Potter! DEBRA!!! Holli had me completely fooled with her Harry Potter post. I have no hopes of doing the same as this is just me rambling on and on. I am looking forward to Book 7. The main point of this post is that I still haven't read it, so don't spoil it!

I'm BAAAAACK!

I have a lot of catching up to do! So I will post in little bursts as I remember what it was I wanted to post about. Don't get to excited. There is also a chance that I'm lying right now and will fall asleep before my 8-yr old sister. I'd say grandma, but I KNOW she stays up later than I do. I have internet now. That makes this a whole lot easier. I think I would have felt a little strange typing a blog at school. I can't talk about school though. That's another post.

uh... yeah...

AAAAAAH! I've been pruned!

Beatboxing Flute Sesame Street

This amazing artist is playing flute AND beat-boxing. Take that Blake Lewis!

Tidbits

I recently acquired a new toy. It's bright, shiny, and has two wheels.

I have only 8 days left of school!

One of my students escaped today...

Next week at this time I'll be watching the Blue Man Group.

Last night Debra and I finished watching season 2 of Gray's Anatomy. McAWESOME!

I have become quite addicted to ancestry.com and discovering my "roots."

I don't have school tomorrow! HURRAY!

eSIP Award!

Wow, I'd like to first thank Miles of milesrausch.com for making this possible. Thanks also to my sister who was the inspiration for the post. Mallory, you're great! Thanks to Mom and Dad and all my friends and family who... aaah the music... stop the music I'm not done yet... (Jackie is dragged off stage while shouting last minute acknowledgements.)

Winning Post: The Power of Suggestion

Breaking News!!

I actually typed the following blog about a week ago, making it not-so-breaking news, but I decided to wait until my "invisibility cloak" took effect. I've gone into hiding from future students...

This just in... Dunkerton Community School District has a new VOCAL DIRECTOR!!

How did this happen? Well, that's a good question. You see, I knew someone who had student taught in the district. She told me that the current teacher is retiring at the end of the school year. I visited in December to see if it would be a place I could see myself. I sent in my papers, got the interview, and the rest as they say, is history.

What was your interview like? It was unlike any I had experienced before. I arrived at noon and was finished at 3:45, including teaching two lessons and answering about a thousand questions. Whew, what a day!

What grade levels will you teach? I will have upper elementary (5-6), junior high (7-8), and high school.

So are their sports teams the Dunkerton Dunkeroos? Well, Debra... actually no, they are the Raiders.

What is there to do in Dunkerton? Uh... teach? It's small.

Important demographical information? STATE CHAMPS! That's all you need to know. Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkerton,_Iowa if you don't believe me!

How do you feel about this? I'm excited about the big life change. I am excited to find a place to live. I've found from subbing that I tend to have a permanent case of butterflies in my stomach when it comes to teaching. I'm getting used to it now.

So, Miss Zwiefel, you've just secured a job for next fall, what are you going to do next? I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

"Bailey-sitting"

The Shews are in Disney World... While they're gone, Debra and I are watching Bailey. It's been a good time. If you notice in the picture, her tail is wagging. Which is translated as, "I am having tons of fun even though my family is gone to a warmer climate without me and Debra won't let me jump on her bed!" She makes sure Debra gets out of bed in the mornings to get ready for school. Better than a snooze alarm, right Debra? Bailey and I have bonded, though I think she'd like anyone who offers to throw things for her to fetch and scratch her back. Right now she's watching Debra make bacon with a bacon press. Someone awesome must have thought to give her a bacon press for her birthday. Soon Bailey and I will brave the cold to make some routine checks on things and get the mail. It's hilarious to watch her sniff around and stir up clouds of snow. The plan after that? "First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookiedough as fast as we can, and then, we'll snuggle."

The Phantom of the Opera!

For my mom's birthday, I gave her two tickets to The Phantom of the Opera, now showing at the Civic Center in Des Moines. Secretly I really wanted to go, and I knew my mom would enjoy it too. Yesterday I drove to Fenton to pick up my mom, then on to Des Moines. We spent a few hours at Jordan Creek and then had dinner with my sister Nicole. My sister and I both had rib tips at Famous Dave's. My mom found the sight of two girls, each with her own mound of meat, quite entertaining. Then my sister dropped us off at the front door for a couple hours of quality entertainment. It was awesome! Mom liked it too. On the way home we talked about going to see the Blue Man Group, which would be AMAZING!

There's no substitute...

I'll be starting a long-term substitute job soon. For eight weeks! It all happened so fast. About 3 weeks ago I had three copies of an e-mail from a teacher in the Harris - Lake Park School District. Their district was looking for a substitute for middle and high school vocal music! I called on Thursday, interviewed on Friday and had the job by 3:00 that afternoon. I still can't believe how things work out. I already live so close AND I'm in the market for sub jobs! The current teacher will be taking maternity leave, beginning as early as February 14. I am going to spend the day there tomorrow to check things out. I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. The school is about the same size as good ol' Sentral, teeny-tiny! (For those of you who don't know, yes I DID spell that right!) I'm very excited about this opportunity. It has the potential to be a great learning experience with minimal stress. I say that now, but I am responsible for the middle school concert and solo/ensemble contest, YIKES! Now you'll know why if I don't blog for awhile.

You've Got No Mail

Today I lost a dear friend. My UNI e-mail account was officially deleted. This dear friend has been there through thick and thin for over four and a half years. From the day I chose my user name to sometime early this morning, I have never been let down. Over the years I have received fun e-mails from family and friends, class cancellations (rarely, but hey... it happened!), and even job opportunities. DAYLE@UNI.EDU was survived by an older brother and a younger sister, both residing at the yahoo.com domain. Any messages sent to the deceased will be lost in cyberspace or returned to you by that crazy mailer-daemon. In other news, I really enjoy Yahoo! Mail Beta. While it loads the program you are entertained by an animation of a man being chased by an ostrich.

Feed Your Inner Mexican

I was recently inspired to share with you an Australian ad for McDonalds. I saw the commercial so many times while I was there it was ridiculous. Looking back on it now makes me wonder even more why they thought this was good marketing. I tried to find the actual video, however I was unsuccessful. There is another version of the ad campaign that features small children. Watch the clip, but imagine a small mustached Mexican man in full Mariachi attire carrying a guitar who climbs out of a white guy and goes to the counter at McDonalds to order the "legendary" El Maco! The only word I can think of to describe it is RIDICULOUS! Stinks that I couldn't find the original commercial.

McDonalds Ad

Ready, Set....Happiest Place on Earth!

Who: You (Unless you're a cyber-stalker who doesn't really know us) and any other connectedly campy people since this is an open invitation

What: A truly magical experience with amazingly wonderful people to the happiest place on earth

When: November 20 - 25, 2007 (For all you teacher friends, this probably means only taking one to one-and-a-half days off of school due to the holiday); 10 months and 5 days to save money for smashed pennies with pictures of the seven dwarfs on them and fast passes and swims in character shaped pools and curbside seats while wearing your glow-in-the-dark necklaces at the Spectromagic parade and going 0 to 60 on Aerosmith's Rock'n'Roller Coaster and photographs with Aladdin and Jasmine and getting the tune "It's a Small World After All" stuck in your head and seeing the new additions to the Pirates ride and visits to foreign countries Epcot style and riding Space Mountain till you puke and hearing the history of our nation in the Hall of the Presidents and spinning around on a giant gray elephant and getting sea sick on the spinning teacups and spending an hour's wages on a silhouette-shaped ice cream bar on a stick.

Where: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios
We think it would be good to stay on the site to get the most bang for our buck!

Why: An unnamed family has infected us with their Disney fever and the only cure is more mouse ears and pictures of camp friends busting their move at the Cinderellabration


M - I - C (See ya real soon)
K - E - Y (Why? Because we like you, a lot.)
M - O - U - S - E!!!

Disclaimer: We are NOT being crazy. We're seriously planning a trip to Florida in November and just want to see if anyone else is even remotely interested. We wanted to give you a heads up so you can start saving now.

I'm a Real Teacher Now

Hello blogland! I'm back from a nice long Christmas Break! Hopefully I'll blog more frequently. I can't make promises though. I break them, just ask Debra.

I had my very first day as a licensed teacher today. It was awesome. First of all, I would never have told you before today that I would enjoy teaching middle school band. Fortunately, I had no time to think about it. I got the call at 7:40 and was on the job in less than an hour. I taught fifth grade lessons all day except for a couple of other-graders and the fifth grade group rehearsal. I had two requests for instrument repair, the first being a trumpet and the second being a bassoon brought in by my neighbor! Hooray for friendly faces! As for the repairs... I was of little help there. Fifth grade band rehearsal went so much better than I could have hoped. I have a deep sense of respect for those willing to take on the daily task of teaching middle schoolers armed with instruments. I think my ear drums are still feeling the effects of those trumpet lessons.