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wiselikeorangutan thatwasme
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[04 Nov 2009|07:34pm] |
Today was so unbelievably hectic. It was Curriculum Night at school, but only three (including me) teachers could stay out of the six total that work in our room. Kids getting picked up late, having a whole room to set up.... it was really flustering. We had four activities set out for the kids to do: Sensory tables (one with just dirt with shovels and pails, and one full of dirt and worms [real]), blocks of all different shapes, colors, sizes, and textures, hand puppets, and books (both board and soft washable ones). These all could be tied back to the book Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek, which our kids absolutely swear by. We started out the night by saying hello, givin a brief introduction, and then reading Butterfly, Butterfly outloud (my little primary student Elena, almost one, was so excited to get to the end where we all kiss the butterfly, that it didn't seem to matter that none of our older kids who know the words were there to help me read, which I wanted the adults to hear).
For each activity, we had to write up how they fit into the Missouri Pre-K standards (Math, Science, Literacy, Physical, etc), but also how they fit into the school;s own philosophy of attuning to the three spheres of development (such as early literacy and psychodynamic), such as "this activity teaches empathy and compassion/phonological awareness/autonomy/independence/etc by such and such and such. It was a LOT of work, but I think it really came out great. We had such a tiny group this year that it was a lot less stress once the night actually started than I thought... I gave the introduction and read the opening book to only three families! The rest that were there had been in a sibling's room to start instead and came in and out as the night went on. Doing stuff like this stresses me out and sometimes feels like BS, but then when it's all done I look at it and feel proud and like I actually know what I'm talking about.
I'm exhausted. Going to have a pot of tea and curl up on the couch.
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[02 Nov 2009|12:21am] |
Oy long day, but a good day. Hiking Lone Elk Park with roomie, allison, and Tanya, followed by the London Tea Room, getting my TB results from Walgreens (less fun, but negative-- I hate that we have to get one every year), and dinner with the folks to watch Amazing Race.
Post on the hike today at pocketranger.blogspot.com/ which I'm still testing out to see if I can get any followers or not (my only two so far being Allison and my mother XD). So feel free to do so if you're interested!
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[01 Nov 2009|09:05am] |
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Going back in your lj archives and reading random lj entries from 5 years ago is actually slightly terrifying.
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[29 Oct 2009|08:28am] |
Last night went to the London Tea Room for a tea cupping (which is like a tasting), and had a lovely time. We got to try six teas, some of which I'd had before, and learn about their histories, where/how they're grown, etc. AFterwards Allison and I hung around for a bit and talked to one of the owners and workers, where we both practically got offered jobs to work there. I would totally consider a part time job there, and she said she'd rather hire people she knew loved tea and the tea room. I seriously *need* a second job, just the idea of giving up my weekend is saddening, so I'm not sure if I'll do it.
I also found a tea that tastes the CLOSEST to the blood orange tea I fell in love with at the Salzach Hotel in Salzburg. I have tried many blood-orange teas in America (all bagged if I remember correctly), but nothing has even come close. The tea I tried last night was a tangerine ginger tea and is more of a pink than a deep orange, but taste-wise it brought me back to a cold Salzburg winter, studying for my art history test at the top of the cafe overlooking the river. I bought some, to say the least, and I'm really happy about it.
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| KC trip 2009 |
[27 Oct 2009|11:00pm] |
First off, trying something a little new. Thought I'd try out having a separate hiking blog using blogger, to see how that went. If I think it's too out of the way from most people I know at alllll likely to read it (since most of you are on lj), I'll move it back here. But if anyone's inerested: pocketranger.blogspot.com/
Second, back from Kansas City road trip to see the Pogues and Bruce Springsteen. The Pogues were amazing, if not hillarious considering the lead singer was so stone drunk no one could understand him whether hew as talking OR singing, and he tripped and fell on stage and wore sunglasses the whole time and drank gin from a cup and has no teeth and in general was completely, utterly smashed. The Bruce Springsteen concert was cancelled due to a death in his family, so that's really, really sad. I was sorry and disappointed to come away from Kansas City without seeing Bruce, but understandable, of course.
On the way back, AShley and I decided to get a taste of small-town Missouri by visiting the memorials of two amazing dogs, Old Drum and Jim the Wonder Dog. Old Drum has a statue of himself in front of the courthouse, and Jim the Wonder Dog (who was apparently pyschic) has a memorial garden!!! It was amazing. pictures under the cuts of Ash and I being annoying tourists to ridiculous sites. The first pictures are the ones of the park, but if you're really interested in the story of Jim the Wonder Dog and how he was psychic and amazing, I posted pictures of all the plaques in the memorial garden detailing Jim's story. XD
( Wonder Dogs )( Wonder Dogs )</div>
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| Castlewood State Park - Scenic River Trail (?) |
[24 Oct 2009|04:53pm] |
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Amelie soundtrack, Indigo girls on ipod mix |
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Still working on getting a separate hiking blog. This may seem silly to ask this ON livejournal, but do any other people use other online blogging tools? I'm trying to decide if livejournal is the right place to make a hiking blog, or some other place.
After my weekend roadtrip got pushed back, I decided not to let this fantastic fall day go to waste. The trail I was on was crowded with lots of people and families, which I'm not always crazy about, but granted this was a Saturday afternoon, and the first sunny day we've had after what feels like almost two weeks of straight rain. It was sunny, cool but not cold, and the fall colors were breathtaking... can't hold it against people to want to take advantage of that! I had no trouble parking or anything, and there were still moments of my hike where I was alone.
This hike was very simliar to the Lewis & Clark trail hike I did a few weeks ago in the sense that it had a variety of scenes, both rocky bluffs looking out over hills of trees and a river (the Meramec River this time), as well as long walks through the woods. However the second half of the Lewis & Clark trail was really more deep wood walking, while this trail had a more relaxed trail, very flat, that just followed the river (and was very muddy, but again the rain is to blame there). There was really almost no hard parts, except maybe one incline right at the very beginning, with all the steeper descents helped along by wooden steps leading down to the river banks. There is a mix of outlooks that are both free rocks and then platforms as well. The trail itself is mostly rocks on the bluff part, which with all the leaves on the ground made it a little hazardous for a clumsy person like me, and the river trail is mostly packed dirt (or lots and lots of mud in this case). The scenic outlooks over the Meramec River and the fall foliage was absolutely beeeautiful, and I would definitely recommend this time of year for this hike.
My main problem was the lack of trail markings. The trailhead for the Scenic River Trail was actually to the side of the parking lot and then right when you start, I couldn't figure out if there was a trail leading to the right as well as left before noticing the red marker nailed to a tree on my left showing where to start. There weren't too many problems with keeping to the trail on the bluffs section, except for a few times were it looked like the trail split off-- usually both split offs ended up joinin back together within a minute, and a few signs mentioned which trail was the bike trail as opposed to the hiking trail. However once you get to the trail that follows the river, you cross into a large open field and a crossroads that I found incredibly confusing. Going to the left, I find a sign pointing to a different trail, and the red marker pointing back the way I came. Another sign points out the parking lot. Then to the right, the trail through the field continues back to the river through the woods, with no sign saying which trail it was, though a little way in there was another red marker that COULD have been orange. The map that I got at the park office and the map in the 60 Hikes within 60 Miles book were of no help because it was really hard to tell where you were on the trail. None of the trailmaps I found along the way had markers to say where you were or a name of the trail, so I could only assume I was still on the Scenic River Trail, or at least one of the spurs that were described in my book. Then at the end of the trail (I kept following ht river), I was confused because I hit the actual road again, and went under a bridge and walked along the road until I found the parking lot I'd started in. So super confusing, and even a couple that I stopped had no idea what trail they were on or where they needed to go.
Overall, despite the confusion, it was beautiful and a great hike. The views were fantastic, the walk was relaxing and I had a great afternoon. I didn't want to miss the last chance I might have to enjoy not only the fall weather,but he changing of the leaves. ( Photographs )</div>
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