Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Just Say No!!!
Hubby and I took my mom, dad and students out to a Chinese buffet for my dad's birthday yesterday. I've got two words and two words only...
Never again!!!
Okay, maybe more than just two words :) The food was really good, but I always get ripped off because I believe that for myself, eating more than one plate full of food is considered as borderline gluttony. I don't eat a lot, so when we go to buffets and I try to stretch beyond normal capacity for myself, I feel sooooooo ill! When we go to buffets, we always feel compelled to get our "money's worth", which in turn is just not healthy...or natural for that matter! The place we went to said in their ad that they do not use MSG in their food (thank goodness). Though the food was oh so yummy, it was still greasier and oilier than what we are used to. Hubby and I rarely eat fried food. My students were able to pack away three plates of food each and went back for dessert twice. They told me that they have developed a system for buffets:
-never eat rice- it fills you up
-never eat soup- it fills you up
-don't drink anything except water- pop fills you up
-after your first plate of food, walk around for a bit
-pace yourself- eat slowly
-there's always room for dessert, no matter how full you are
Uhh...yeah. Right.
I felt so full and so ill last night after having consumed a plate and a half of food and fruit for dessert. I ended up not being able to fall asleep right away when we got home. I was tossing and turning and had nightmares of huge, horses (like the ones seen in Lord of the Rings--the ones the riders were riding when they were chasing Frodo). Then the dream changed to me being four months pregnant. What the heck?? WEIRD!
Lesson learned: I am never to eat at a buffet again!! (We say that all the time though!) Bleh! Hubby and I have decided that we (he and I) just aren't meant to consume copious amounts of food like that.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Toot Tooooooooot!!!
*sigh* You know you spend way too much time with kids when all your conversations end up with discussions on...farts and different types of poop!I was reading Canine's review of the Grossology Exhibit she went to. I took my nieces and students to the exhibit when it was at Science North last summer. They seemed really intrigued by the information that was there. The farts and belching always seem to get kids' attention! Canine Cologne best summed things up with :
"According to one of the exhibit placards about farts, which they call 'toots' (that sounds so lame!!!). I've recapped the more important parts:"When you pass gas, the skin around the anus vibrates.... But not all toots sound the same."Then it goes on to say that some are high pitched and others are low-pitched. Why? It's because of vibrations. A tightened anus creates a higher-pitched fart. Just like a guitar string (I love that analogy), the tenser the anus muscles, the faster the anus vibrates. Blah blah blah...Finally, the more relaxed your anus muscles, the more lower pitched the sound." (Thanks Canine! LOL!)
What is it with kids and fecal matter? When I taught in Japan, all the little kiddies were obsessed with "unko". There were even children's story books about little Unko-chan. My nieces and my students also seem to end up talking about poop all the time too! Conversations usually are centered around:
-corn poo
-ghost poo
-log jams
-Hershey squirts
-SBDs
-torpedoes
-pellets
Oh my!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Creepy!!!
While walking to my vehicle a few days ago, I spotted a creepy looking animal. I'd never seen anything like it before. I am always surprised at what kind of animals I'm able to find on the Island. This one in particular, had these strange kind of 'feelers' near its nose. It was dark grey (almost black) and its feet looked almost webbed. I'd seen moles and shrews in photographs before, but this thing looked almost like some alien life form.
After talking about my find to Hubby and Dylon, Dylon concluded that it was a star-nosed mole. After reading about it on this site, I was shocked as to why it was spotted on our driveway. Apparently, the star-nosed mole is an accomplished swimmer. Though the Blue Jay creek runs through our property, there aren't any streams or marshes near our house! What was this creature doing all the way over here in the middle of winter?? Could it be that the warm spell we had the other week had confused the animal? Poor thing. It's cold out now.
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing....
Condylura cristata!!
Copyright 1999 The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammalsedited by Don E. Wilson and Sue Ruff. All rights reserved.
Meme me all night long...
4 things meme....
From the lovely Jill at Yummy!
Four places I have worked:
1. Senior citizens' home taking care of the elderly
2. Summer camp for kids in Northern Quebec
3. English Academy in Japan
4. English school in Toronto
Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. West Side Story
2. Grease
3. The Outsiders
5. The Wedding Date
Four of my favorite TV shows:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. CSI (Las Vegas)
3. Desperate Housewives
4. The Barefoot Contessa
Four places I have been on vacation:
1. The Philippines
2. Singapore
3. Bali
4. Pennsylvania-Kansas-Missouri
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Thai
2. Indian
3. Sushi
4. Pasta
Four things I like to do in my spare time:
1. Spend time with my husband
2. go for walks
3. Blog
4. it's a toss up between gardening, writing, drawing, and visiting with friends!
Four people I tag (tag as many as you like, it's okay)
Grrr...Jill already tagged Dina and Curiosity Killer! Does that mean I can't tag them??
1. Ms. Mamma
2. Danielle
3. Northern Mom and Sharkey
4. Canine Cologne (even if she probably won't do it! lol)
From the lovely Jill at Yummy!
Four places I have worked:
1. Senior citizens' home taking care of the elderly
2. Summer camp for kids in Northern Quebec
3. English Academy in Japan
4. English school in Toronto
Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. West Side Story
2. Grease
3. The Outsiders
5. The Wedding Date
Four of my favorite TV shows:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. CSI (Las Vegas)
3. Desperate Housewives
4. The Barefoot Contessa
Four places I have been on vacation:
1. The Philippines
2. Singapore
3. Bali
4. Pennsylvania-Kansas-Missouri
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Thai
2. Indian
3. Sushi
4. Pasta
Four things I like to do in my spare time:
1. Spend time with my husband
2. go for walks
3. Blog
4. it's a toss up between gardening, writing, drawing, and visiting with friends!
Four people I tag (tag as many as you like, it's okay)
Grrr...Jill already tagged Dina and Curiosity Killer! Does that mean I can't tag them??
1. Ms. Mamma
2. Danielle
3. Northern Mom and Sharkey
4. Canine Cologne (even if she probably won't do it! lol)
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Something to think about...
We had some friends over today/tonight and had some interesting conversations about things to do on the Island, solar and wind power, how to publish your own books, technology, video games from the 80's, food, cool movies...which led to favorite TV shows. CSI (Las Vegas) seemed to be the favorite amongst all of us and as we got to talking about the show, our friends shed some interesting perspective on what may happen in the next few episodes. We got to talking about the elusive 'miniature murderer' and one person suspects that the new guy, Agent Keppler, may be the killer. Another person thinks it may be Grissom (who is on leave 'teaching a seminar' for four weeks. A comment was made on the box that was on Grissom's desk when Sarah went to retrieve the key in his desk drawer. Hmmm...interesting theories. Can't wait to see how things unfold!
Yeah...you know you're wayyyyy too involved in a TV show when you begin to ponder these things! I'm a geek. I admit it :)
Just a regular Saturday morning
To Do:
- laundry, 4 loads
-mop floors
- vacuum floors
-clean bathroom
-wash dishes
-dust
-clean office(Hubby's office, so I can't touch it..grrr)
-clean master bedroom
-clean kitchen
-do groceries
-clean student#1's room
-clean student#2's room *students cleaned their own rooms. Thank goodness!
-clean foyer
-clean car
All this done before lunch time.
Student #2 and I were chatting while cleaning the car (and student #1 was feeding the animals). I was kind of tired and a bit bummed that Student #1 has been behaving poorly. Student #2 innocently said, "Christine, I don't think my brother is malevolent. I think he's just simple." LOL!!! That totally made my day. I love that kid. He's so clever.
- laundry, 4 loads
-
-
-
-
-
-clean office(Hubby's office, so I can't touch it..grrr)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
All this done before lunch time.
Student #2 and I were chatting while cleaning the car (and student #1 was feeding the animals). I was kind of tired and a bit bummed that Student #1 has been behaving poorly. Student #2 innocently said, "Christine, I don't think my brother is malevolent. I think he's just simple." LOL!!! That totally made my day. I love that kid. He's so clever.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Things I REALLY need to get done ASAP
1. Get all my paperwork sorted for tax season. Urgh! I hate this time of the year!
2. Finish reading the book Dylon lent me AGES ago!
3. Learn how to play the guitar! Thanks Curiosity, for mailing me the present! A guitar book and CD! I’m so excited! This is something I’ve always wanted to learn!
4. Get myself a guitar! LOL! I know…
5. Figure a way how to keep my house clean. I mean, I can get it sparkling clean, but with two teenage students, a husband, two kittens (the older cat ran away again and we haven’t seen her all winter) and a dog (who only comes in when it’s really cold outside), it is so incredibly hard to keep this house clean! I sometimes feel like I’m going bonkers since it seems impossible- especially when the boys just leave their clothes and things all over the house! Aaargh!
6. Change the curtains in the living room.
7. Change the faucet and fixtures in the kitchen.
8. Give away, recycle, and throw away all the stuff in the house that we don’t use or need.
9. Try to be more patient.
10. Delete and get rid of all the extra junk on my computer.
11. Get Dylon to set up a wireless connection for our office and personal computers.
12. Investigate new computer packages and deals. My computer is still good, but hubby’s is almost antique! LOL
13. Start doing Turbo Jam and the Slim Series from Beachbody again.
14. Get more firewood split and piled.
15. Spend some alone time with hubby if we can. We seriously need to go away together. Maybe when the students are no longer living with us. Maybe.
2. Finish reading the book Dylon lent me AGES ago!
3. Learn how to play the guitar! Thanks Curiosity, for mailing me the present! A guitar book and CD! I’m so excited! This is something I’ve always wanted to learn!
4. Get myself a guitar! LOL! I know…
5. Figure a way how to keep my house clean. I mean, I can get it sparkling clean, but with two teenage students, a husband, two kittens (the older cat ran away again and we haven’t seen her all winter) and a dog (who only comes in when it’s really cold outside), it is so incredibly hard to keep this house clean! I sometimes feel like I’m going bonkers since it seems impossible- especially when the boys just leave their clothes and things all over the house! Aaargh!
6. Change the curtains in the living room.
7. Change the faucet and fixtures in the kitchen.
8. Give away, recycle, and throw away all the stuff in the house that we don’t use or need.
9. Try to be more patient.
10. Delete and get rid of all the extra junk on my computer.
11. Get Dylon to set up a wireless connection for our office and personal computers.
12. Investigate new computer packages and deals. My computer is still good, but hubby’s is almost antique! LOL
13. Start doing Turbo Jam and the Slim Series from Beachbody again.
14. Get more firewood split and piled.
15. Spend some alone time with hubby if we can. We seriously need to go away together. Maybe when the students are no longer living with us. Maybe.
The wonders of apple cider vinegar
For years and years, people have been using apple cider vinegar for minor ailments, due to its amazing power to remedy many different health problems. Of course, there are some that don't agree with the use of apple cider vinegar and its ability to help with one's minor ailments, but my mother-in-law and my hubby swear by the stuff.
I've read books, health magazines, pamphlets from the health food store, and websites galore on apple cider vinegar. I take it every now and then when I feel a sore throat coming. Whenever hubby feels under the weather, he immediately takes a few tablespoons of cider vinegar in a glass of water, and drinks it.
Cider vinegar is reported to help with high blood pressure, sore throats, chronic fatigue, and even in weight loss. Do you use apple cider vinegar in your house? If you do, what do you use it for?
Adventures in ESL
I'm always amazed when I see the progress my students are making. I'm also in shock at how much more they have to learn about the English language than people who speak English as a first language. English is my first language, so it just seems so natural to me. I've studied English and linguistics in university and have taken courses so I can teach ESL. Had I not studied to teach English as a second language, I probably would not know the ins and outs of grammar like I do now. I mean, my ESL students learn everything from dangling modifiers, conditional clauses, prepositional phrases, to phrasal verbs, tag questions and other fun things!
We certainly take for granted that we as English speakers don't have to always 'think' about the components of English. I was telling my students that sure, English speakers may speak fluently, but quite often grammar is not perfect.
Just by listening to people I know speak, I can point out to my students some common errors. This way, they don't feel so discouraged and they know that they're not the only ones making errors. Even people who have English as their first language can make mistakes. I'm guilty of this sometimes and I've been teaching ESL since 1998!
Most of the errors I hear often are SVA (subject/verb agreement) errors or VT (verb tense) errors.
For example:
My family are coming for supper tonight.
He don't know his a$$ from his elbow!
Yous guys don't know nothing.
Each student that goes to that school get good grades.
Yous guys got a problem.
I wrote down the sentences I heard and showed it to the students. They were immediately able to point out the mistakes. English is such an interesting language, isn't it?
Just for kicks- 100 most commonly misspelled words. Click here.
We certainly take for granted that we as English speakers don't have to always 'think' about the components of English. I was telling my students that sure, English speakers may speak fluently, but quite often grammar is not perfect.
Just by listening to people I know speak, I can point out to my students some common errors. This way, they don't feel so discouraged and they know that they're not the only ones making errors. Even people who have English as their first language can make mistakes. I'm guilty of this sometimes and I've been teaching ESL since 1998!
Most of the errors I hear often are SVA (subject/verb agreement) errors or VT (verb tense) errors.
For example:
My family are coming for supper tonight.
He don't know his a$$ from his elbow!
Yous guys don't know nothing.
Each student that goes to that school get good grades.
Yous guys got a problem.
I wrote down the sentences I heard and showed it to the students. They were immediately able to point out the mistakes. English is such an interesting language, isn't it?
Just for kicks- 100 most commonly misspelled words. Click here.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
A game I wanna play
Curiosity Killer had this on her blog and it looked like fun, so I decided I wanted to play. She was assigned the letter “L” and then assigned me the letter "T". If you would like to play, with or without variation of adding Things I DON’T love, let me know in the comments. I’ll assign you a letter. Here we go, Ten Things I Love That Begin With “T”, and 10 things that I don’t love that also start with “T”.10 Things I love that begin with a "T"
1. Travel- my first love :) I just love globe trotting and jet setting! The more exotic the place, the better!
2. Tulips- they're so pretty in the spring!
3. Teaching- it's so much fun and I learn almost as much from the students as they do from me)
4. Thai food! I love it! Gimme a good pad thai anytime!
5. Theater- I love a good play or musical. One of my fave places in Canada is Stratford, Ontario. I love anything from Shakespeare to Gilbert and Sullivan!
6. Tiramisu- I don't have it often...perhaps once or twice every few years, but I love the richness and decadence of tiramisu.
7. Talking- to friends, family, students, strangers...LOL! I just love meeting new people and getting to know their personal stories.
8. Time with my husband. We don't get a lot of time together since the type of work we do and everything else seem to prevent us from having quality/alone time.
9. Tomato juice- I love it! Homemade is the best. It's so refreshing (and healthy)
10. Temples- when I traveled to Japan and Bali, I enjoyed visiting the temples there. I love learning about old, sacred places, appreciating the history and beauty of different cultures.
10 Things I DON’T love that begins with a "T"
10 Things I DON’T love that begins with a "T"
1. Toes and toe nails really freak me out. I know I'm weird, but I think they're creepy looking.
2. Thistle- I don't like the way it scratches my legs when I walk in the fields
3. Tests- I know I'm a teacher and I sometimes give students tests, but I've never been one to do well under pressure. I get a bit of anxiety when taking tests. My driving test...yeah, let's not talk about that! LOL!
4. Trucks- I hate driving behind, in front of, or next to big trucks on the highway. They just freak me out.
5. Trailers (movie trailers) on DVDs and in the cinemas. I just want to watch the darn movie...forget the previews for the other movies!
6. Tom Cruise- I don't know why. I used to love him as an actor. Now he just seems so one dimensional and...weird.
7. Tar- well, more like the smell of it. It gives me a headache.
8. Tamarind- it's a delicacy in my mom's country, but I don't know why I'm not the biggest fan of it. It's kind of sticky and sweet and sour at the same time.
9. Thieves- I can't stand it when people steal things or take things that don't belong to them. Fortunately, I've never been a victim of theft, but I don't see how anyone can take something that's not theirs.
10. Toast- I'm not a big bread eater like hubby is. He grew up eating bread with every meal.
*An honorable mention goes out to 'tarantulas'. I HATE spiders and all kinds of creepy crawlies!
If you would like to play, with or without variation of adding Things I DON’T love, let me know in the comments. I’ll assign you a letter. Have fun!!
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About the Blog Author
City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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