Today officially starts spring break and I couldn't be more ready. You know you're ready for spring break when your kids are perfectly behaved and you're still snapping at them!
So what are my plans over break?
1. Grading! Grades are due at the end of break and I have poetry anthologies, essays, and soundtracks to finish grading.
I have no one to blame but myself...
I love our poetry unit, by the way. If we're friends on Facebook, you may have seen my post about the kids' slam poems bringing each other to tears. It was such a heartwarming and rewarding experience.
2. Sleep! I know this isn't a revolutionary or fun thing to list, but it's probably the thing I'm most looking forward to. I've really been dragging over the last couple weeks and I could use the extra Z's.
I have actually had dreams about sleeping. Maybe I have a problem.
3. Sun! Florida doesn't have much "spring" in its spring; we really go from winter straight into summer. I'm hoping to get a little sun before it's pushing 90 and being outside for even five minutes is torture.
4. TV & Books! Matt and I are literally weeks behind on our favorite shows because I just haven't had the urge to sit down and watch anything, and I haven't had time to read either. It will be nice to empty out my brain with junk TV, then fill it back up again with quality reading.
I have very eclectic taste in TV.
5. Atlanta! At the end of break, I'm taking a trip to ASCD in Atlanta with our curriculum and administrative teams. Last year ASCD took us to Houston, and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to go again. Last year there were tons to learn and absorb, and I came back so ready to implement the new stuff in my class. I could definitely use another dose of inspiration from the conference.
Last year at ASCD.
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to break...Really, it's the little things that will bring me joy and some much needed relief.
There's no rhyme or reason to this post; there are a few things swirling around in my head right now, so today HtGR is going to take on a diary-esque feel. Sometimes I just need to let a brain-dump happen!
1. I have no shame about being completely and totally devastated by both David Bowie and Alan Rickman's deaths. When I first heard about Bowie, I immediately went into denial mode, and since Sunday I've been listening to his music nonstop. Growing up, my siblings and I watched Labyrinth literally hundreds of times - anytime my parents had a date-night, that was the movie we put on. Of course my parents were big fans of his music (our first dog was named Bowie, in fact) so he was a big part of my childhood. His willingness to try new things and test boundaries was always something I admired, and his artistry is unmatched in the musical world.
(Bowie released his final album as a parting gift to the world, and this song is just haunting. Below is a favorite from Labyrinth. Fun fact: the album from Labyrinth was my first CD.)
Likewise, Alan Rickman has always been a favorite of mine. I was in the middle of teaching when I received my sister's text that he had died, and I literally stopped mid-sentence (this is the one con of wearing an Apple watch - I got the text and saw it immediately, rather than waiting to check messages at lunch like usual) and had to check for confirmation.
The nuance in his acting in everything I have ever seen him in was just brilliant; I'd forget I was watching an actor, even though I loved the actor, and that's really the highest compliment I can pay. Of course, he also brought one of my favorite book characters to life as Severus Snape - that's one complex and complicated character, and he portrayed Snape convincingly, honestly, and compassionately. I love watching Rickman play conflicted characters - his role as Harry in Love, Actually is simply gorgeous. He brought a lot of depth to a movie that is, at its heart, just a rom-com.
My biggest gripe about the HP movies is their casting - the older characters (from Harry's parents' years at Hogwarts) should have been in their 30s. But I could forgive the mistake with Rickman, because he was literally the perfect Snape, even if he was twenty years too old.
More importantly, Rickman was an outspoken feminist and activist. As wonderful an actor as he was, I appreciated his character - not those he played - the most.
2. We've been having July weather in January this year, and for us, that means hurricanes (or hurricane-like weather). Florida isn't known for tornadoes, but we've had those, too. Our district announced that Friday would be an excused absence for any students who missed school because the weather looked bad, and sure enough, school was interrupted twice for tornado watches. I guess those drills we practice paid off; our kids were well-prepared and the teachers kept our cool.
One of our most popular half marathons was canceled due to the storms...this is the race course right now; it's completely submerged.
One tornado hit thirty minutes from us, and Sunday morning four hit my parents' city. They're okay, and so are Matt's parents, but there were casualties and our most famous beach was hit pretty hard.
We don't get these kinds of storms in winter. It's disconcerting, to say the least.
3. After the storms cleared, it was still crazy windy all day. No more 60 mph gusts, but doing my long run in 21 mph winds was...challenging. Still, I got it done. My right leg felt like rocks this weekend, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to treat it! (It feels like when you've done a million crunches and your muscles are just super fatigued and you have lactic-acid buildup, but it's been feeling that way within the first mile, and it didn't go away until mile 6 of my long-run Sunday.)
Midway through my run, I tried to figure out where my mind is on A1A. I know I don't have to decide yet, but next weekend is my 20-miler, so I need to at least decide if I'm interested enough in possibly running the full to do 20. If my leg feels like it did today, I don't think I will; it was not good. But if I can rest and recover nicely this week and nail my 20, then the full is still a possiblity.
Why do hats make me look so weird?! Anyway, Elizabeth conquered her longest run ever: 9.1 miles! It was weird to start this run at 3pm. I'm definitely not a fan of evening long runs.
4. I've been binge-watching The West Wing this weekend. I was going to watch Labyrinth but Matt wanted me to wait until he can watch, too, so instead I chose another old favorite. TWW reminds me of my dad; watching it with him was what introduced me to politics, and I always liked that it was something we shared.
I love that, despite being 10 years old, this show was so on-point! It covers abortion rights, Islamophobia, war in the Middle East, gay rights, mandatory minimums, assisted suicide...you name it...and it's funny! I guess it just goes to show that politics is always the same old argument rehashed over and over again.
Another timeless, perfect moment.
5. It's been cold. Finally! I hope it lasts!
What's on your mind this week? Any tips for my leg situation? Are you a Bowie fan? ABK
Does everybody's hunger feel the same? How do people seem to assuage hunger with something as small as yogurt?!
I've been enjoying using Matt's Indo Board lately. I fell off once and skinned my elbow, but it's a nice little full-body workout if you do it right!
This is harder than it looks, I swear!
I could seriously watch Forensic Files and Dr. G: Medical Examiner for hours straight. Thanks, HLN.
At what point do TV shows cross the line from adorably/ironically corny to totally lame?
I'm looking at you, Bones. (I like that David Boreanaz is totally like, what us?, in this pic.)
I've signed up for paperless billing and statements; why do I still get so much mail from my credit card and insurance companies?!
How the heck did we have a cold front on May 1st?! No, no...don't look a gift horse in the mouth here.
I hope this lasts until tomorrow morning and I can enjoy my first "long run" in cool weather!
I wonder if those teens from last weekend got found out...I wonder what their blog post about the incident would look like?
Is it better to count down to summer including or excluding weekends?
There are this many days left. That's all I know.
Why does my internet work for every device in the house except my laptop? (I am constantly using my hot spot to get online!)
I do not "meal plan" but this week I did a great job making extra food so we could have leftovers all week. Go me!
Salmon, shrimp, peas, and yellow rice. Yum! I also made a week's worth of chicken on Sunday night.
I know that changing your mindset is the first step in getting healthier, but how do I get my taste-buds on board with that theory?
Oh this is dangerous...I can buy things off Amazon using accumulated credit card points?! That makes it FREE!
Running is clearly the fountain of youth!
Have you tried this robot yet? It guesses your age...I've gotten everything from 27 to 37! I apparently looked really rough after my marathon and while we were camping.
I'm trying to figure out how to download Instagram videos to my computer so I can make a playlist of fun at-home workouts.
A video posted by Alexa Jean Brown (@alexajeanfitness) on
Finally, I don't realize how much I'm not myself leading up to my TPE/follow-up meeting, and then when it's over, I feel totally weightless! I suddenly feel so happy in my classroom again!
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