• Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 78 other subscribers
  • “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” — Isaac Asimov

  • Recent Posts

  • Pages

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Blog Stats

    • 195,062 hits

Directionally Challenged Hodgepodge

It’s time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge, when bloggers everywhere get to relax their brains and just have fun!

Oh wait.  Joyce’s questions aren’t always that easy.  Hey, at least we don’t have to come up with the topics of our blogs.  There ya go!

Drive (get it…with the direction theme) on over to Joyce’s blog and link up!

1.  National Read a Road Map Day falls on April 5th.  Would people say you have a good sense of direction?  Do you rely on a GPS when you drive someplace new?  When was the last time you used a map?

Uh oh.  This is embarrassing.  I get lost a lot.  It all started when I began driving while I was in high school.  Living in Super Podunk, USA was tough…lots of small back roads.  One night, I was driving home after a high school football game, and I got so lost that I wound up two hours away from home.  That was in the day of pay phones.  I had two friends in the car, and we all had to stop, around midnight, and call our families.  Not fun.

I am infamous for calling up friends to get help.  My not-so-favorite time was when, on my way to a soccer field way out in Podunk, New Orleans (why do they stick soccer fields in hard-to-find places?), I called up my daughter’s best friend’s dad.  He could find his way out of the Sahara Desert.  He asks, “Where are you?  What do you see?”

I shouted back in frustration, “All I see are trees.  Lots of stupid trees.”

Yeah.

Ok…so it’s obvious that I use a GPS all the time!  Even then, I still get lost!!!  The GPS actually once yelled at me (I kid you not) when I was looking for a yarn store in New Orleans (different trip).  Maybe she was mad because I really wasn’t supposed to be spending money.  I’m sure the Mr. had paid her off.

The last time I used a GPS was two weeks ago…on my way across town to the high school where my mentor teaches.  I had passed this school the two times Rooster’s band had to play at that school.  I didn’t trust myself, especially in early-morning rush hour traffic.

2.  What’s your favorite cookbook?

Ha, ha, ha!  Funny one, Joyce!  Right now it’s the menu of Panera.  Take 1 bowl of Black Bean Soup, add 1 long baguette, and take it To Go.  Serves 1.  (I’m a pig and eat the entire baguette…to help keep my weight up, I might add.)

Sorry folks.  That’s my life right now.  On the plus side, I’m earning a lot of free goodies thanks to the frequent buyer card the place has.  😉

3.  What painting would you like to “walk into” and experience?  Why?

The first thing that came to mind was The Last Supper

Oh my word, but just to be with Jesus while He was still on earth and be able to break bread with Him!!  Wow!

But, I will get to do that when I enter heaven one day, and that will be even better!!

4.  What annoys you more:  misspellings or mispronunciations?

Hmmm…English teacher speaking here…I can’t say that one annoys me more than another.  I probably encounter mispronunciations more often than misspellings; however, I cannot stand to read misspelled words…especially on prestigious web sites or, say, in teenagers’ essays.  It’s called Spell Check, people!!

5.  What is something your mother or father considered important?

A good work ethic is the legacy my parents handed down to me.  I’ve recently been called a workaholic.  I don’t see myself as that.  I do see myself as an overachiever (my mentor alluded to this as well in an email I received from him yesterday).  I just cannot accept anything less than my best or others’ best.  My poor students have had this drilled into their heads this year.

6.  Do you like or dislike schedules?

I dislike them only because I have to live by them so rigorously right now.  I am ready to retire and not be tied to any kind of schedule.

7.  Let’s have some fun with National Poetry Month (that would be April).  Write your own ending to this poem:

“Roses are Red
Violets are blue…
One of my students
Likes to write about poo-poo.”

I kid you not.  My juniors and seniors have been maintaining blogs, and this student of mine is extremely funny (of course, she has me as a great role model in that department…har-de-har-har).  If you have a sec, would you visit her page and give her a comment?  These kids come into class smiling when they get comments.

8.  My Random Thought

Words with Friends is going to be the death of me.  The Mr. doesn’t know how to use half of the features of his fancy, schmancy phone, but somehow, he discovered how to download, install, and use this app.  And now he expects everyone else to play the game with him.

Folks, he LIVES for this game.

I resisted the urge to play along, but after I started games with Chicky and Rooster, the Mr. pouted.

I was trying to be a good girl and not get too distracted from my classes.

He pouted.

Finally, I invited him to play a game.

Oh, good gravy.

Now, we have two games going.  When one ends, he invites me to a rematch.  Even though I decline, he persists.

As I sit in the main room working on assignments, all I hear is the tinging noise that signals that he has entered a new word.

This goes on ALL NIGHT LONG.

Seriously.

Yesterday, he even hunted down Rooster…dared to enter a teenage boy’s room…and asked, “Why haven’t you put a word in?”

Yeah.

What about you?  Have you discovered this game yet?

 

Disclaimer: That is not my username.

What Did AuburnChick Do Today?

Today was busy.

Still, I made sure I carved out time to visit my local Panera, which opened YESTERDAY!!!  Many thanks to the student who told me!  I ran out during my Planning/lunch and grabbed Black Bean Soup, bread (I could only eat the soft innards), and fresh lemonade!  YUM!

Later, Chicky’s team was playing in the Regional Quarterfinals.  I took my knitting along, not really expecting to actually knit.  My bag is like a security blanket.  It goes everywhere with me.  But, lo and behold, I did actually knit two rows of my newest project (the Super-Secret Project will be revealed in a few days, I promise)…

Chicky’s team won!  Yay!

I managed to keep my mouth shut for most of the game.  Yay!

Wonder what I’ll be doing tomorrow…

Pre-Game Rituals

Every athlete has a ritual he/she performs before a game.

The parents are no different.  We either busy ourselves with filling coolers with ice or caffeinate ourselves with Starbucks.

I have developed a unique pre-game ritual.

I go yarn shopping.

Because all of our games are played out-of-town, I have had many opportunities to find new yarn shops.

This weekend, Chicky and I are in South Carolina.  We left Friday for our nine-hour drive with one of Chicky’s teammates riding along.

Now, you’d think that after playing travel soccer for over ten years, Chicky would have this packing thing down pat.

Think again.

When we got to Chicky’s teammate’s house, I offhandedly asked if Chicky had packed her soccer bag.

She said, “Hmmm” before her eyes got big.

She had left it at home.

Thank goodness I asked!

We drove the ten minutes back to the house and found it waiting patiently in the garage, right where she had put it.

Lovely start to the weekend, eh?  We wound up leaving 45 minutes behind schedule.

The delay was a sign of things to come.

After hitting the highway, we saw this…

Construction.

More delays.

For lunch, the girls decided they wanted Chick-fil-A.  The GPS first took us to a hospital.  Maybe the employees can buy Chick-fil-A sandwiches there?  I don’t know.

We managed to get the GPS to lead us to another location…the mall…

No shopping allowed though!  We went straight in, grabbed our stuff to-go, and left.

We encountered more construction…forcing us to go 45 miles per hour.

I must have been the only person who read the traffic signs.  Everybody passed me, including an old man who honked.

Sometimes you fly solo when you follow the law (I’ve learned this as a Christian as well).

The rest of our trip proceeded without any more delays.  We eagerly watched the signs that told us how much farther…

Nine and a half hours later, we arrived at our destination…Columbia, South Carolina.

At least the weather was clear and sunny.  Perfect for the drive…

We were very pleased with the hotel and its proximity to great shopping and yummy eating.

This morning we arose at a decent hour…ready for a busy day.

First things first…dropping off the girls at the mall…

And then my pre-game ritual…yarn shopping!!

I only planned on visiting one store, although I had mapped the locations of two.

The first one wasn’t open when I got there…

So I headed to the other store…

This store was located in a beautiful section of downtown Columbia, and I had high hopes.

However, it was a little small, and the assortment of yarn just wasn’t for me.  The owner had lots of Noro, which I like but wasn’t in the mood for, and lots of another brand that I can’t remember.  But nothing hollered out my name, so I left without buying anything.

The girls and I had a quick chat on the phone, and we arranged for a later pickup than originally planned.

I was thrilled because I had an extra thirty minutes to shop.

Guess where I went?

Back to the first shop.

Now, I’ll admit that I really didn’t think there would be much in the store.  It was not located in the quaintest of areas.

Folks, do not judge a store by its location.

When I walked in, look at what I saw…

And…

And…

And…

The owner was sooo friendly, putting me right at ease and giving me time to love on her yarn.

Two yarns leapt into my arms, begging to be taken home.  I’ve got a soft spot for sock yarn, so I didn’t say no…

Oh boy, I could have stayed in that store for a long time, but I had to go pick up the girls.

We had to get lunch…my favorite…

And one more stop for my pre-game ritual…

One of the biggest Michaels Ive ever been in!

One of the biggest Michael's I've ever been in!

I didn’t buy anything at Michael’s, being a good girl for once.

And then it was time to head for the game…

More on that tomorrow or Monday.