I'm super excited about my third grade students' "flat" travels... so far we've been to California and Mexico, and we have many more stateside and international destinations coming up! To check up where my "flat" students have been, click here! 

Really, go ahead and click on it... it's not spam or a weird link. I promise.

This one is my Dad playing vibes and percussion in the orchestra for a weekly syndicated radio show. Again, I'm guessing that this video is from 1992-1993. This video is courtesy of my brother, Dale. 

My Dad used to bring me to these rehearsals and recordings so I could see professional musicians play their instruments- he hoped it would help me select an instrument to play myself. My Dad was so supportive about anything I wanted to do or learn. In this particular video, my mom and I are standing outside the window watching him play. 

This video is my Dad playing timpani in an orchestra- perhaps the old Nevada Philharmonic? I'm not 100% sure. From what I can tell, they are rehearsing at Ham Hall at UNLV. I'm also not sure of the exact date, but I think it's from 1992-1993. Again, this video is courtesy of my awesome brother, Dale.

I miss him.

This is a video of my Dad and his friend, Howard, after they just finished playing the "76 Trombones + 4" concert. It's an annual event here in Las Vegas. I'm not sure what year this video is from, but I'm guessing the early 1990's.

Video courtesy of my brother, Dale. =)

For more information on the Flat Stanley project, visit my class blog at:

www.ramptonsrockstars0809.blogspot.com

My class is doing the Flat Stanley project again this year! We would LOVE it if you would help us by hosting one of my "flat" students. I can deliver the Flat Stanleys in person to those of you in Vegas, or I can send them out via snail mail to those of you who are in more exotic locales. All you have to do is take digital photos of the Flat Stanley in front of landmarks or doing exciting things in your hometown. Then, email me the photos and send the Flat Stanley back in the prepaid return envelope. If you like, you can also send back souveneirs (postcards, newspapers, etc...) that are significant to your location.

photos courtesy of www.flatstanley.com

Then, my students are going to use YOUR photos as primary source documents as they research your home city/state/country. The students will write a script and use your photos to make a documentary!

For more information on the Flat Stanley project, visit http://www.flatstanley.com/ There are lots of examples and fun photos right there! The purpose of the project is to allow my third grade students to explore the world beyond our classroom walls.

Anyway, if you or someone you know would be interested in hosting a Flat Stanley, please let me know! Contact me via facebook/comments/phone calls/email/etc... My email address is my first name DOT my last name at gmail.

I saw this on Bill's blog and couldn't help myself.

How BYU are you?
77 questions.
[X] You have been kissed at lease once
[_] Your first kiss was on campus
[X] You've had a boyfriend/girlfriend
[X] You lived in the dorms your freshman year
[X] You went to Homecoming or Preference
[X] You hiked the Y
[_] You've taken a social dance class
[_] You regularly attended FHE for at least a semester (Still do, even.)
[_] You've participated in Choose to Give
[X] You've been to Liberty Square for a party at least once
[X] You've driven around south of campus for at least 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot
[X] You know the cougar fight song
[X] You've crossed the crosswalk without using the flags or biked through a red light
[X] You've been to Friday Night Live
[X] You've performed or witnessed an act that made it onto Police Beat
[X] You've been on a "date" to the bell tower or duck pond 
[X] You've been to the Bean Museum for FHE
[X] You've been to Divine Comedy
[X] You've been to International Cinema
[_] You are engaged
[_] You are married
[_] ...in the temple
[X] You were previously engaged/married
[_] You have kids or are expecting kids
[X] Your birth parents are still married
[_] ...in the temple
[X] You have at least three siblings
[X] You've taken a marriage prep or mission prep class
[X] You've taken at least one religion class that is not based on the scriptures
[X] You have slept on a couch in a restroom
[X] You have been to the BYU Creamery
[X] You have been in one of the BYU choirs
[_] You've been on a date to Fat Cats (I don't think this place existed back when I was a BYU student)
[_] You have read Twilight
[_] ...book 2
[_] ...book 3
[_] ...book 4
[X] ...seen the movie (peer pressure from coworkers)
[_] ...more than once
[_] You've waited in line at the Bookstore for the Harry Potter or Twilight book premiere
[X] You have seen The Singles Ward or Sons of Provo
[X] You have walked out of a movie you found morally reprehensible
[X] You know where the "chastity line" is
[X] You can finish the phrase "Nothing good happens after ______"
[X] You read the Daily Universe at least 3x a week (I used to work there!)
[_] ...and it's the only newspaper you read
[X] You've personally known someone who was reported to the Honor Code Office
[_] You've participated in or watched a Mr. BYU contest
[_] You've received personal revelation that he/she is "the one" 
[_] ...and told him/her about your revelation 
[_] ...and then they rejected you 
[X] You've been to the Nickelcade (Preference '99, baby!)
[X] You've been to Classic Skating
[X] You've ignored your parents' phone calls for at least 3 days
[X] ...and then they called the University Police (OMG- how did you know?!?!?!?! I thought I was the only one who had this happen!!!!!!)
[X] You've been pulled over by the University Police
[X] You watch The Office religiously (ugh. I didn't know this was a BYU thing.)
[_] You mostly wear jeans and t-shirts or plain fitted shirts
[_] You own at least 3 things from American Eagle or Hollister
[X] Your sacrament meeting is a fashion show/scam session
[X] You've been on a date to the Provo River

You've kissed in a...
[X] ...campus parking lot
[X] ...Provo Canyon or Squaw Peak
[X] ...on temple grounds
[X] ...on a couch as soon as your roommates left the room
[X] You think UVU is not a real university
[_] You hate U of U with a passion

FOR GIRLS (don't answer if you're a guy)
[X] You own knee-length shorts
[X] You regularly wear camisoles/undershirts for modesty reasons
[_] You are a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science Major
[X] Your major crush ended up dating a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science major
[X] You have had at least one roommate who is in hair or dental school
[_] You own The Italian Job or The Princess Bride 
[_] You wear makeup at least 3x a week
[_] You do something with your hair (other than brush it/ponytail) at least 3x a week
[X] You went or plan on going on a mission
[_] ...because you couldn't get married (What an insulting question!)


FOR GUYS (don't answer if you're a girl)
[_] You shave every (or almost every) morning
[_] You know when your hair is "too long"
[_] You know what the "divide by 2 and add 7" dating rule is
[_] ...and you follow it 
[_] You've dated freshmen girls as a RM
[_] ...when you already knew better
[_] You've used the phrase "On my mission..." to a girl 
[_] At least 3 girls have baked cookies or meals for you
[_] You went or plan on going on a mission
[_] ...because you wanted to get married

TOTAL: 40

A: 68-77
B: 60-67
C: 53-66
D: 45-52
F: 44 or below

Thank goodness I got a "D." I was starting to get worried. I can tag people, right? Of course I can. So I'm tagging any of y'all who went to BYU. Have fun!!!

I can repost some tidbits from a previous blog entry, right? Of course I can... especially since the blog entry was from over two years ago and, well, it's pretty much awesome. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the documentary, Sherman's March by Ross McElwee. This film started out as a doc about General Sherman's march through the south during the Civil War, but ended up with the filmmaker pretty much just using his camera to meet chicks.

“I spent the next few days with Cam and his friends. They seem to spend a lot of time collecting and trading plastic animals, like the kind you used get in cereal boxes, except larger. I never really understood what it was all about.”

“I’ve come to the end of my journey with no car, no money, and only one roll of film. What’s worse is that I don’t seem to have a real life anymore. My real life has fallen into the crack between myself and my film. I begin to feel paralyzed by these speculations, when suddenly, a news item on the radio snaps me out of my stupor: my old nemesis, Burt Reynolds, is back in
town... and I decided that this time, I have to find him and film him.”

“For a long time I’ve had this notion that love was possible, I mean, romantic love. You know, two people falling deeply in love with each other and somehow managing to stay together for more than two weeks.”

“Having two large empty beds is twice as depressing as having one large empty bed.”

Thank to Netflix, I happened upon a darling film that embodies an overwhelmingly large amount of things that I hold dear. Here's the summary, courtesy of IMDB:
Michael has written a scholarly book on the revolutionary war. He has sold the film rights. The arrival of the film crew seriously disrupts him as actors want to change their characters, directors want to re-stage battles, and he becomes very infatuated with Faith who will play the female lead in the movie. At the same time, he is fighting with his crazy mother who thinks the Devil lives in her kitchen, and his girlfriend who he wants to live with, but does not want to marry.

Here's the shortlist of my interests that were oddly all included in this film:

• Alan Alda, my "#1 old man crush"
  
• The Korean War 
• Faults of historical accuracy (or inaccuracy) in filmmaking
  
• Media ethics
  
• A reflective look at filmmaking process
• Pursuing a doctoral degree at prestigious university
  
• Colonial America and the human stories behind the Revolutionary War
  
• Feeling guilty about aging parents who become increasingly demanding
  
• John C. McGinley pole-vaulting and being very "un-Dr. Cox"
  
• Lilian Gish
  
• Lynne Thigpen (yes, from "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?"
• Dealing with a romantic relationship where one partner is unable to make even the slightest effort towards lasting commitment (ie: men who cringe at the mere mention of the word proposal, even in other contexts)

I splurged and bought one of these:

All I can say is WOW. These four inches of memory foam made such a huge difference! It's not like I was having trouble sleeping in the first place, though. Anyway, I stayed in some fancy schmancy hotels this summer in Washington D.C. that had were sporting these memory-foam mattresses and I've been pining for a memory-foam-induced coma ever since. Love it!