September 10, 2009
Adjustment
To say that going back to teaching a class at 8 a.m. is an adjustment would be a huge understatement. I am not a morning person, never have been. The good thing is that I have really great students this semester. They seem to get me, and although I have a couple slackers, we're getting along pretty well so far.
The grading is killing me though. Where are those leisurely days of summer?
Gone.
Gone.
Gone.
Because Big I is participating in both ju-jutsu and field hockey (and did I mention the girls both start swimming lessons this week?), my training time has been slashed drastically. I'm finding it extremely difficult to get to the dojo. When I was training for black belt, my family made a lot of sacrifices, and I've been doing my best to help out with coaching field hockey and giving everyone enough attention and time. It's a balancing act I'm not good at; I'm very grumpy when I'm not training regularly.
So while I suffer from writer's block or from "this is so boring no one is going to want to read this" self-editing before I even start writing business, I have some suggestions to offer you.
First, check out the reviews over at The BBM Review. I recently participated in a L'oreal make-up review and I did it in honor of Lisa.
Second, my best friend from high school runs a great non-profit called "Drug Free Pennsylvania." They're having an online auction right now and there are some fantastic deals to snag for very low bids. You can check out the auction by clicking here.
In addition, Drug Free PA is also going to do this crazy golf ball drop thing, and you can win some money in the process. It's called a Chopper Dropper and it's a fun and awesome idea. Please go check it out!
If you're into MMA, then you're going to want to check out the new MMA supply website. You can check the site out here and get 15% off anything you'd like through Saturday by using the code "elitebbm."
I guess I did have a little something to say after all. I won't make you wait so long in the future.
September 4, 2009
Ants in Your Pants Makes a Comeback
Yesterday I did my crazy listening quiz in my Speech class. Last semester I did it out of frustration. The first assignments they turn in always push the limits and not in a good way. You tell them to type it; they write it. You tell them to use Ch. 12 to get the outline format correct; they obviously don't read it. It's frustrating to say the least, especially after you spend 20 minutes in class giving instructions on how to do it.
So I passed out the quiz, which they're supposed to read entirely first, and watched the fun begin. I had a total of two students who got it from the start and did none of the nonsense. Almost everyone else did at least the first five. I had three boys make it all the way to the very end. They actually asked me to time them as they stood up and sat down 10 times as fast as they could so they could write their time on their quiz (See the above link for the actual quiz).
I finally broke my serious look and explained why I do this quiz each semester. I talked about common mistakes on their outlines and how they should at the very least, try to convince me they've done some type of proofreading (i.e. acquaintances is not spelled "aquatenses").
When all was said and done there were a lot of giggling people in the classroom and I think they got the point. Only the next assignment will tell.
***Head on over to The BBM Review for the latest reviews.
September 1, 2009
On Kissing Public Safety Officers
Today the world was conspiring against me. I woke up with a headache that made me want to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. But I couldn't. Eager students were waiting for me on campus.
I left my house at the same time I always leave the house; but my route to work now included every bus stop in the county right smack in front of me. The main road I needed to take? Yep, you guessed it, down to one lane only with major construction going on.
I arrived on campus at 7:58 exactly and knew I had to hustle. You can't preach about timeliness when you're not timely.
I pulled into the space right in front of the "Faculty/Staff" parking sign and got out of the car ready to sprint. The public safety officer who was parked two spaces over exited his SUV and said, "Miss, this is parking for Faculty and Staff only." I pointed at my parking pass that clearly says "Faculty/Staff" and he looked at me like I was insane.
He quizzed me further. "What do you do here?" he asked me.
"I teach in that building right there," I said. "You're welcome to come join my class if you don't believe me. What? You think I stole a faculty/staff tag or something?"
He apologized for holding me up and I was on my way, but not before telling him, "You know, if I wasn't running so late, I would probably kiss you."
I think that felt better than getting carded.
***If you missed it yesterday, check out my latest fantasy football post over at Bulls N Balls.
Also, please go vote for me in the "Love Your Body" contest. A girl in a gi needs to win!
August 31, 2009
Taking My Frustrations Out On Lynch
My first fantasy football column just went up over at Bulls n Balls. I wasn't able to hang out at ju-jutsu class tonight and learn some cool new techniques because Mr. BBM was extremely late getting home from work, so I'm taking my frustrations out on Marshawn Lynch. If you are a fantasy football fan, please go read and leave a comment.
August 31, 2009
Makeovers and Family Art Projects
When our playroom/office/extra guest room got a make-over last weekend, I told Mr. BBM I did not want to paint. When we bought the house, we got the creamy colored walls and white trim. I like that color combination and am still not sure about what colors I want to paint where.
But when we put up all the white bookcases and the black and white desk, I knew we needed something to make it pop. The plan is to also get a small white sleeper sofa (with a removable washable cover). I figured I'd add some bright sofa pillows and curtains.
I went with my tried and true favorite, a pretty blue-green color (curtains and accent pieces I picked up at TJ Maxx) and an apple/lime green (cheap beaded necklaces as curtain tie-backs and accent pieces and a basket from TJ Maxx). I was further encouraged by my color selection when I saw, while googling paintings yesterday, that David Bromsted used exactly those colors in one of his makeovers.
Without paint on the walls though, we needed something bright, so I bought canvases, paint in the colors I wanted to bring into the room, and we all went to work on our very own creation this weekend.
Big I and Lil C went first and they did a great job. Big I's is a tropical flower. Lil C's? Well, that's a little more complicated. We've got storm clouds, the sun, a rainbow, a "tomato" (also known as a tornado), the beach, a waterfall, and her signature.
Here's mine. Big I said it should be in a newspaper or something. I tend to disagree.
And here's Mr. BBM in process. Speaking of his process, he decided to forget the brushes after he broke one and instead used his fingers to flick paint onto his canvas. He also flicked paint onto the car, my painting (twice), me, the garage floor, etc. I was not liking his "process." I swear he made more of a mess than the girls did.
His completed masterpiece. . .
When Lil C saw it, he asked her if she liked it. Her response was, "What isit?" Mr. BBM said he wasn't sure what it was, but suggested that maybe it was spiderwebs. "So do you like it?" he asked her. "Um, no," she said. Only later, when he suggested that it might be shooting stars did she say she liked it. However, she continued to ask him what it was every time she saw it for the rest of the night.
Here are all four in the room. Now they just need to go up on the walls.
So here's the room so far. . .
Before:
After: The wall of bookshelves, still missing the lights on the top. They should go up this week.
Before: A pile of toys had nowhere to go.
After: The toys are stored in the doored cabinets, and a tempered glass desk now serves as the drawing, homework, craft area. Plus, the bench lifts up to reveal storage so I can keep all my school stuff in there.
Doing this one room has prompted an entire reorganization of the whole house. It's been busy here but good to de-clutter and get rid of things. It's also so nice that all the toys now have a home!
***Please throw me a votein the Victoria's Secret "Love Your Body" contest. The 1st place person has over 16,000 votes. Clearly I need help.
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