Good Books and Bad Books

“A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.” 

- W.H. Auden

A decent amount of this blog post is going to be me ranting and raving about giving books as gifts. I want to let it be known, before you step into this dark place that I have deep, down in my soul, I love to get books as gifts. Please don't feel that if you've ever given me a book in the past that I have not read it, cherished it, and brought it into my life. I love books. Please continue to give me books. The point I am trying to make is not aimed at any of the readers of this blog. All of you know me as a reader, and to put that in a deeper context, you know my soul (which is a tad terrifying, knowing some of the things I like to read). Anyway, this will come later. Please continue. :)

This blog post is not going to be chronological! I am pushing myself to say things in a more creative manner. After a fair amount of people in my life are dead, I want to write the great socialist American novel (I'm thinking a memoir that I expect no one to read would be pretty awesome - I think we should start coming up with titles), so I need to begin flexing my creative muscles. It will take me a while to write this book. My attention span is too short for extended writing periods. Most of you will have to read it in heaven (which is what I really want anyway). Do you think there's a library in Heaven? What about Kindles? I honestly don't think you can call a place without some sort of theme park centered around books and writers Heaven. Maybe that will be my job in Heaven. I will create a theme park centered around books and (besides all the rocking rolling coasters and Moby Dick themed log flume ride) there will be this gigantic library with lots of tall, rolling ladders and fireplaces! Yes, Heaven.

Anyway, first to the things I am excited about this week!

Disneyland
You saw that right folks: Disneyland! On top of the large amount of Professional Development days, training, and team building the school has, they have an annual retreat in October. They let students out early on the 9th (Thursday) and we all drive to wherever they're having the retreat. Then we stay the night and do some team building and reflection and then go home. This year the retreat is in Anaheim (about an hour away - mostly because of traffic) and they've decided to get us highly discounted tickets ($40 - it's like it's free, comparatively) to Disneyland.

I'm super duper excited. So, Steven - if you are reading this one, I get to go to Disneyland on your birthday! I have always wanted to go to Disneyland during the Halloween season because they dress the park up all spooky and have lots of neat fall treats and stuff. Basically a Brandy Paradise (yes, another must in Heaven - A month long celebration of Halloween).

There are a couple of downsides:
a) Daniel can't come. Well, he can, but he doesn't get a discount ticket...and that's just too expensive, plus they really want it to be a team building experience. This is the worst part for me. I love Halloween and everything to do with it, but I like it more with Daniel by my side. Or Brooke-0. They understand my unique relationship with Halloween, haunted houses, scary movies and books, and the general need to surround myself with pumpkins this time of year.
b) We are only going to be able to be there from 3pm - close. You know me, I like to maximize my time at things like this.
c) No park hopper. I so do love me some Tower of Terror.

So, I'm really excited. I've been BEGGING Daniel to take me to Disneyland during this time since we moved here and honestly it's just not in the budget this year. Five more days until pay day and I'm counting every hour. I'm trying to understand that part and cope with the bitter disappointment of not being able to do Halloween Disneyland with my best friend. But, this definitely helps! Sometimes I feel so childish. These sorts of expensive excursions make me really happy... poor Daniel.

Tech Brandy
One year. I worked for Apple for one year. One year was long enough for Apple to completely brainwash me and turn me into a complete tech nerd when it comes to the Apple gear. It drives Daniel nuts because I have become indoctrinated with Apple's shallow advertising and crisp design. It doesn't matter, whatever he says, I prize my computer and my iPhone (even if it is NEARLY obsolete) pretty high over things I value in my life.

I would re-enter a burning building for these things, in this order:

1) Any living human beings (especially Daniel) that I love, including family and friends. Not all humans though. I don't really like people.

2) Any animals that we have brought into our home. Yeah, I even cry when my fish die.

3) My Nikon. I love my camera.

4) My computer (including external hard drive with pics). It has my life in it. My writing, my pictures, everything I do for work. Everything.

5) My iPhone 4S. I can't believe how much I need this sucker. It makes me disappointed in myself as a human being. Bad Brandy. I'd ditch my Nook to the flames - I got all that on my phone!

6) My violin - old, dear thing that it is.

So anyway, I'm pretty damned excited about the new iPhone software update and OS X Yosemite that's coming out pretty soon. I really want the iPhone 6 (in all it's super sexyness) but at $600 to upgrade - that ain't happening. I could care less about the watch. I honestly don't like wearing watches and I don't like tiny screens. If my phone will do it, I'm happy. However, Daniel and I have been discussing getting me an iMac (it was an incentive that he used to get me job hunting way back in March - my anxiety was through the roof and I didn't even want to think about finding a job. If I could get one before the end of the summer - I could get a new desktop. Guess who got a full time teaching job at the beginning of the summer?). I have to use my laptop as my work computer (literally - I don't have a desktop at work I can use, one of the downsides with working at CCMS, sometimes downside). So, I'd like to just be able to leave it locked up at work. Plus, I want an iMac for my photo editing, more power for gaming (Sims 4 just came out - I'm eagerly awaiting it's OSX release - not that I have time to play) and more space. My current computer only has 120 gbs for space. Great for a work computer! Not so much for all the picture editing I do.

Gli Studenti
Maybe you want to hear about how work is going? Well, I just spent most of my Saturday evening grading two major assignments for three of my four cohorts (Yale has yet to experience the great turn everything in lesson that Ms. Brown has prepared for them). Well, they're cute little 6th graders who are really just learning how to function as human beings. I think I got the best that I could hope for. 75% of the journal assignments that I had them turn in came to me without journal numbers, the journal prompts (one of the requirements that I have continuously restated these last three weeks), and without student names. Even those who remembered everything else and got everything correct forgot to put their names on their journals. *deep sigh of resigned frustration* So, even though we have had multiple power points about what journal entries should look like, every journal slide has a reminder to write the question (and to write in complete sentences), and Ms. Brown says it EVERY DAY, it still might have to be a goal for the next journal check. Adorable little demonic munchkins.

I still love working with them. I wish I could get more in depth with them. With most topics we can just barely scratch the surface before they start becoming massively confused (you can see the terror on their face as you launch into anything approaching critical thinking) but every once in a while they will take you a little bit deeper all by themselves. Sure, it's like a pin prick compared to the discussions I can have with 12th grade students (still the dream job, I think) but it's amazing to watch their little minds in motion.

They also need so much love. I've had at least three students come running into my classroom (within 3 weeks) with tears streaming down their faces. I love that they need love. The 10th grades were so stoic. They wanted to pretend that they never felt anything... at least most of the time. But these 6th graders, they just wear everything on their sleeves. At times it is frustrating, but a lot of the time it serves as a good reminder for what it's all about. They like to hug too. This is hard for me. I love hugs but it's just a huge teacher no-no these days. They sneak them in sometimes even. And what am I going to do, push them off of me? No, but it does turn awkward as I try to keep them at arms length and pat them.

Also, I've only got 7 students who are failing. Boo-Ya!

Santa Monica Clean Up
As a part of being a student at CCMS and graduating from 8th grade (yes, there's a ceremony.... gag) all students have to complete something like 36 hours of community service, starting in the 6th grade. So, the school often attends or hosts events to help students earn those hours. This Saturday was the annual beach clean up day at Santa Monica beach. This isn't something that's run by the school. It's run by a group in LA and the whole city (well, those who care) turn out with buckets and gloves and clean up the endless amounts of cigaret butts, plastic wrappers, and, for some reason, ditched clothing.

I really enjoyed this, even if we had to wake up early. It was neat because Daniel got to meet some of my students (only about 8 sixth graders turned up though). We got put in charge of 8th graders, which only served to remind me of why I like the 6th graders so much.

I have to tell you this: So, I'm in charge of these 8th graders and it's hard enough to keep them focused on the community service and actually CLEANING the beach. They kept sitting and playing in the sand or grouping up into a circle with a cellphone in the middle. Still, any opaque piece of plastic that we found, no matter what it was shaped like, was a "condom." Good God! 8th graders are really only focused on one thing! And when we did actually find a used condom... they kept wanting to take it out and show the other students (soooo gross). I eventually took the bucket with the condom in it... so not safe. 

Even with that adventure, we had a great time. After cleaning, Daniel and I strolled along the pier again. Now that summer is over - everything is much less busy. Me likey. 

This Week's Project
So, I saw another project that I HAD to try on Pinterest the other day. In order to begin, though, I had to commit utter sacrilege and cut up a book in the shape of a pumpkin. And now for the forewarned discussion. Luckily I have a couple of books on my extremely overcrowded shelves (we still have books in boxes and this is after purchasing a new book shelf after we moved) that I have never read and don't really care about. I don't know if any of you saw my Xmas tree ornament last christmas but that was another time that I completely shredded one of these poor book souls. That one was a book given to me before Dan and I were married about how to make Mormon marriages work.... oops.

I think that one major frustration of an English Major is how many times you get given a book that you have no plan to read. This is not because you don't like to read, obviously. This is not because you don't value that person's taste in books. This is not because you don't like that person. It is because, as an English Major, you have about ten books in one semester that you are already required to read and not all of them are particularly appealing to you as a reader. 

So, this book that got turned into a pumpkin (see I'm just Cinderella's fairy god mother) was given to me by someone who really didn't understand. This person obviously picked up this book at a library book sale (it had University of Utah Marriot Library stamped all over it), thinking it was 50 cents, might as well see if it is any good. Well, this book must have been sitting in their trunk for a while because they must have found out it was my birthday or something and, lacking a more thought out or cheaper gift, they gave it to me. Okay - thanks. I appreciate it. Okay, I don't. 

I'm an English teacher now. Not only do I have books of my own that I want to read (I miss my Stephen King) but I've got 6th graders begging me to read their favorite books now. I just finished City of Ember. While I can appreciate why a 6th grader likes it... I was so bored. This is just it though. I've got enough books on my list or that need to be on my shelf that I don't want to read. 

Let me reiterate. This doesn't mean that I don't like books for presents. I love books for presents! Especially from my closest friends and family. Here's the difference: you guys know me. You know what is actually going to interest me as a reader. You know what speaks to me. I'm not going to read a Mormon Marriage How-To (even if it's given to me with the best of intentions). I'm more of a have-to-touch-the-hot-stove-and-be-burned type of person. This is actually WHY I read. It also explains my interest in fiction, historical fiction, and memoir. I love the experiences I receive from books. I don't have the patience for non-fiction, better your lives by reading what I do because we're all people and all people are the same, because I am an experiential learner. I believe life was given to us to experience it. This can happen through books... but I have to be with you on the journey. 

Anyway, I'm sorry if I hurt any feelings on that. Let me just say it again: this wasn't directed at anyone who reads this blog at all! It was just me being a critic. I can be that way sometimes. Now I feel like a jerk.

Back to my project! It turned out! I am so surprised! I actually made something that looks good. So, here's the picture!

Bird Feeder Update
Speaking of projects that didn't work out.... my apple bird feeder. I still haven't had any birds visit. I've moved the feeder a couple of times to try and appeal to them... Nothing. I'm sad. I also have a whole bag of bird seed.... sad.

We have seen our raccoon friends again though! I heard them having a discussion/fighting on the fence the other night. We shined a flashlight outside and they started GROWLING at us. It was so cute. Miya does not like them.


Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte - and that healthy-ish dinner that I made
Also as a part of my Fall domestic life I have been cooking one fall themed dessert and fall themed one meal a week. This week as my "dessert" I made pumpkin spice latte in a crockpot. It turned out really good but there's way too much of it for just the two of us. I hope it heats up well. Also, I made a fettucini and sausage pasta today. That was okay. Still waiting to find a good fall meal. White Chicken Chili is next week! Also, I'm going to try a pumpkin creme brule (spelling)... wish me luck!


<3/ Brandy