Tag Archives: Reading

On My Mind

I wish I went to Hogwarts

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As you might remember from being a student (or maybe you are a student), the school year goes in cycles. There are a couple weeks in which nothing is due and then a couple weeks in which everything is due. Newsflash: It works the same way for teachers. When I assign work for my students, I often forget that it all eventually rolls back to me, which is why my 26 seventh graders turned in projects on Monday, 76 ninth graders turned in essays yesterday, and 24 eleventh graders will turn in essays tomorrow. Oops. Being a teacher means that I take work home, and I take work home often. Mitch and I (Have you noticed that I’ve been using real names? Maybe it’s because I’m beginning to trust you, oh ye nameless, faceless other worldly beings readers.) argue about that fairly regularly, or at least every couple weeks when I do this to myself. Do teachers bring more work home than the average worker? I say yes, he says no. Regardless, I still want to be done with my essays, which brings me to an Exciting Event that happened today:

I ordered a new phone case a couple weeks ago and it finally came! Amazon told me that the estimated delivery time was March 19-April 4, and here we are on March 19. Magic. (Wait for it, magic is a theme here.) It came from Hong Kong, which was a surprise, but does explain why I ordered it February 23 and just got it, why the order was not trackable, and why it took so long. Definitely worth the wait, though.

Old phone case (hand-me-down from my mum embellished with a sticker from my large collection of stickers, which dwindles every time I assign essays):

Old Phone Case

New phone case (that truly expresses who I want to be when I grow up):

New Phone Case

It’s the little things in life, right? Not bad for $8 on Amazon. So, the moral of the story is that I really wish I went to Hogwarts. I’d love to be a witch when I grow up. Hermione and I could be best friends. (One of my students told me I looked like her when I chaperoned our Winter Formal last Saturday. I was delighted!) I have a thing for Dumbledore. Who doesn’t love eccentric older gentlemen? Castles have to do with history and therefore are awesome. I bought a pack of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans once and tried every flavor. Yes, one tasted like earwax. I have a Hogwarts hoodie. And a Gryffindor scarf. And now a Marauder’s Map phone case. When I need something far away I routinely think Accio! I’m a nerd. Or a wannabe. But I’m proud enough to own it.

Hopefully you still read/like my blog now that I’ve admitted all that.

On My Mind

Afternoon Coffee

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I don’t typically take myself out for coffee on weekday afternoons, but I did today. This is the inside of Starry Nites Cafe, one of my favorite haunts.

Starry Nites

The “dining area,” for lack of a better term, is another room that you can glimpse underneath the chalkboard. There’s a tiny table in a corner that I love, but someone else clearly loves it, too. As a result, I sat at one of two tables right by the door, which let me watch the eclectic customers wander in. Naturally, I had a book to hide my peeking.

On My Mind

Food for Thought

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As loyal readers have gathered, I generally post images and sometimes I mix photography with life. The more astute readers may have also recognized that I often use quotes to describe what others have already articulated so eloquently. Why reinvent the wheel, right?

In lieu of a photo today, I wanted to share some favorite quotes that have followed me (sometimes insistently, sometimes in spite of myself, and sometimes as mantras) through various experiences. I have a scrapbook of comics, articles, and other inspiring/entertaining things with pages and pages dedicated to quotes, but I’ll limit myself to seven.

Did you know that seven is the longest sequence that, on average, the human brain can recall at a time? Really. Click here. That’s why North American phone numbers are seven digits. Sorry. I used to teach psychology. Okay, quotes (in no particular order):

1. “You have to be yourself. Be very honest about who and what you are. And if people still like you, that’s fine. If they don’t, that’s their problem.” – Sting

2. “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body but an evil friend will wound your mind.” – Buddha

3. “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” – William James

4. “Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.” – Josh Billings

5. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.” – Robert Frost

6. “If I am not for myself who will be for me? Yet, if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” – Pirkei Avot 1:14

7. “The true test of character is not what we know how to do, but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.” – John Holt

That’s probably enough imparting others’ wisdom for today. If you have good ones, please pass them along! Hope you’re all having a great week!