Lent Day 42: Thunderstorms

It's a cloudy day here in Anchorage and I find myself pining for a thunderstorm. (Isn't pining such a good word?)

But thanks to science (ugh, science!) we don't usually have ththunderstorms here. I've heard thunder once in almost 5 years, so I have to get my thunderstorms elsewhere. Lucky for me, there was one while I was in Hawaii. I was probably one of the few people hoping for rain on my vacation.

One of my goals in life is to learn how to photograph lightning. Without getting struck by lightning, of course. I guess I better find somewhere to practice.

Lent Day 41: Making Use

Getting down to the wire, readers. (Are you still reading?) Easter is just around the corner, and you know what that means, Easter candy will be on sale. Thank goodness. 

I can eat 50 Reese's eggs.

Anyway, the other day at work I had to list 3 things I enjoy about my job. Teaching, kids, yada yada. (If it wasn't for an official capacity, I would have listed hot dads. Yowza.) I did list teaching, but another, somewhat unexpected, thing I enjoy, is making use of supplies I already have. 

I inheirted a ton of stuff when I took my job. Like 5 van de graff machines, a jar of dried crickets, and a human elbow model. Most of the stuff in my classroom doesn't get used. That's where making use comes in. Maybe it's my Midwest sensibility,  but I don't like to waste anything. And as far as I'm concerned, if it's not being used, it's being wasted. 

I love digging through the cabinets and coming up with ways to use all the stuff growing dusty from lack of use. 

But I'm still looking for ways to use the crickets.

Lent Day 40: Mysteries

For those of you keeping track at home (or if you have read today's title), today is day 40 of Lent. But it is not Easter. Yeah, Lent is actually longer than 40 days.

Catholics are gluttons for punishment. Wait, what? Deadly sins?

Sometimes I put popular/new releases on hold at the library and then forget about them until I get the email, many weeks later, that my book is in. That's what happened last week. I just started reading The Luminaries,  it's 800some pages (which I didn't know when I put it on hold) and I'm never going to finish it before I have to return it. (I assume that I'm not the only one who wants to read it, so I won't be able to renew it.) Which is really unfortunate, because it is a really good mystery.

I've always loved mysteries. When I was a kid I read a lot of Nancy Drew and Boxcar Children and Encyclopedia Brown books. I loved Harriett the Spy (although, rewatching the movie made me realize that Harriett is a jerk.) I wanted to solve mysteries, but growing up in suburban Illinois didn't lead to a lot of mysteries.

There was not a lot of trouble brewing on Bradford Lane*

Fictional mysteries, real mysteries. Don't care, love them all. What happened to Amelia Earhart? Or the Lindbergh Baby? What are spies really doing? Did Mystery, the Pick Up Artist ever actually pick up any women (double mystery!)?  I think it comes from being both curious and nosy, but I just want to know everything. Is that too much to ask?

*not actually an image of Bradford Lane

Lent Day 39: Road Trips

My first plane ride was in 7th grade, I went to Washington DC. I had never ridden in a plane before because my family always went on driving vacations. (Stopping at all interesting signs and roadside attractions along the way. See header photo."

To this day I really enjoy a road trip. Packing up the car, checking the map (because I still prefer to use an actual map), and hitting the road.

Here in Alaska we don't have a lot of roads.  I mean, you can only drive half way across the state, east to west, before you just run out of road. But luckily, half way across the state is still a long way.

I have one more Alaska road trip on my list: driving up the haul road all the way to the top.

Lent Day 38: Hammocks

All around the lower 48 (and of course, other places in the northern hemisphere) it's spring time. That is not the case here in Alaska for a number of reasons 1) we don't even have spring, we have break up and it's as bad as it sounds 2) there is still snow in the forecast..

Yes, the snow is starting to melt and it warms up to above freezing most days, but it's not spring. To make matters worse, all over Facebook people are enjoying their patios, and wearing dresses without tights, and farmers markets.

I'm jealous because I love enjoying a patio, wearing dresses, and farmers markets. But my favorite nice weather pastime is relaxing in a hammock. What's not to enjoy? The womb like cocoon? The gentle rocking? The blue sky view? All those things are great. I mean, try being mad in a hammock. You just can't.

Sigh. I guess I'll just have to wait a few more...months...

Lent Day 37: Finishing Things

I love the feeling of finishing something I've started. Especially if it's been a long time in the works. It goes along with that to-do list feeling, I think.

This week is a good example - I've done a ton of teaching and tonight I have a big event, so it's been a lot of "put your head down and get it done" sort of stuff. And tomorrow is Friday. I'm feeling very accomplished.

Thank goodness

I'm also feeling very tired.

Lent Day 36: Unnecessary Quotation Marks

A couple years ago, I happened to be working at a school during Drug Free Week. In celebration (?), the teachers were instructed to hand out bookmarks to all the students. They were large and pink and said:

I PLEDGE TO BE "DRUG FREE"

Yes, with the quotes. 

I love the implied *wink wink* of unnecessary quotations marks. "Yeah sure, I pledge to be  'drug free.' Well, you know, except for alcohol. And crack."

I'm "sorry" I implied kids are drinking and doing crack

I feel like BBC news uses a lot of unnecessary quotes. Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's an American thing, but every time I read one of their, very serious, often sad, headlines, I can't help but hear the if you know what I mean voice...

"Rio says the games are going to be 'great'. Surrrreeee."