Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Link up, link back. Stop and say hi!

1. My husband told me to check out the GoGirl site for a good laugh (he saw it on Twitter, just to clarify). He was right. It's ridiculous. I guess useful if you do a lot of, like, biking? Or work at a construction site with disgusting porta-potties and men? But what do I know. Maybe this is a real thing that will catch on in thirty years sitting down will be seen as archaic. 

[source]

2. Someone once told me that when the jacaranda trees were blooming it was time for school to get out. Well, their abundance is spread throughout me neighborhood. A sign, indeed.

3. This week I'm conferencing with my students on their outside reading (700 pages of approved reading a semester) and it has been quite enjoyable. The periods go by very fast and it really is a pleasure to talk hear their opinions about books. It gives me an opportunity to sit with each student for a few minutes, which is a rarity.

4. Today I finally made it official- this was my last year as the yearbook adviser at our school. It's been in the works for some time, but the master schedule for next year came out, so I finally felt it was time to tell students. There was some scheduling difficulties for next year, so this was the best solution and allowed me to keep my IB kids together as seniors. Plus, I was planning on making next year my last. I found a willing, capable, replacement, so I feel pretty good about it.

[and that's a wrap!]

5. So Sawyer has one of those Sophie giraffes and  somehow he knows that when I say "break her neck!" he's supposed to bend her neck so she squeaks. I know we need to start being more careful about these sorts of things, and set a better example, but... maybe later. 

6. We're trying to put together some recommendations for next school year's English department book club and I recommended Still Alice by Lisa Genova, The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt, anything by TC Boyle, or Euphoria by Lily King. 

7. I've had to couple being both assertive and apologetic a few time lately at work and while I'm proud of myself to sticking to my guns on a few things, this has only heightened my need for a break. 

8. I have tracked all my expenditures for the last four weeks to make sure to stick to my weekly allotment (this is self-imposed, since my husband and I keep separate accounts). I budget a certain amount per month for gas, food, entertainment, and personal purchases, and then divide that by four. I came in right under budget and, predictably, my biggest expense is gas (about $130 a month) and then food/coffee. I've never done this before, but I've found that it keeps you on track in the same way as calorie counting does.

9. Last weekend was gloomy and drizzly, but this weekend is supposed to be sunny and in the nineties. I think it's time to brown up these white legs and get in some pool time. 

10. I'm reading The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd right now for book club and it's... okay. It's nothing that I feel hasn't been done before, and, as I've described it to a few people, it's "the Oscar bait of books." Granted I'm only about 100 pages in, so I could change my mind, but so far I just don't think it's anything innovative.