Heather Bay

Why I Dislike Halloween- or Reasons for Staying Home on October 31

2011-11-25T23:36:00.001-08:00

1. I feel silly wearing a costume. No one needs to see a 30+year old lady dressed up like Snow White or Wonder Woman.
2. I feel tempted to dress my dog in a costume. We all get those spam emails featuring pugs dressed up like Yoda and dachsunds dressed up like hot dogs, which of course make me want to dress up my shihtzu. This never ends well, as I feel embarrased, both for my dog and for myself when other people start treating me as if I've lost my marbles.
3. I feel upset/irritated when other people feel the need to dress like the members of another racial/ethnic group. I am Asian. I feel supremely annoyed when other people dress up like samurais or geishas. Its like yellow blackface (or yellowface, I suppose). This Halloween season, I've encountered white people dressed like geishas (with slanty eye makeup), Aunt Jemima (in full blackface), and a particularly questionable Hispanic-themed costume consisting of a pancho, sombrero, and an empty tequila bottle. It is as if they are saying, "hey, your racial identity is so unreal and unhuman, I'm wearing it as a costume." What, was Party City out of zombie costumes this year, so you decided to dress in blackface/yellowface/brownface?
4. Candy ain't free. 'Nuff said.
5. I feel annoyed handing out candy to infants and/or trick-or-treaters whose voices have changed. If you don't have teeth yet and can't sit upright, I'm pretty sure your parents are going to be eating your weight in milk duds. And if you're old enough to have a drivers' license, don't you dare ring my doorbell and demand free candy.

All Good Things Must End

2011-10-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

I think my car is close to breathing its last breath, lumbering its last mile. There are some pretty severe sounds coming from under the hood, and one of my coworkers refers to it as the "deathmobile." No bueno.

This car has driven many miles between here and Utah. I've listened to many great albums in this car and had many epiphanies while behind the wheel. I've driven this car to my first teaching jobs. I've used this car to move into a host of apartments, classrooms, and most recently, into my own home.

While I'm feeling all weepy and nostalgic, I do look forward to the day when I can drive on the freeway without worrying that the engine will drop out while I'm driving 65mph.

Wedding Photos... yeeehaw!

2011-08-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

The whole family! Ramptons, Gaskills, McKinneys, Marshalls, Johnsons, Leavitts, Bays, Ferneliuses

My captions aren't very clever, but the pictures are a'plenty! For those who thought this day would never come, here are over 90 awesome photos from the wedding! Some of them are out of order thanks to the magic of blogger and I'm too tired to try to figure out why. It was a beautiful July day, and Steve and I are grateful for all of our friends and family who came to celebrate. We started out at the Bountiful Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. After that, we had a ring ceremony and luncheon at the Wight House Reception Center, which turned out to be the home of my great-great grandfather, Henry Rampton! Later that evening, Steve's parents had a reception for us at their home and a couple weeks later we had a reception in Las Vegas. Those photos will be forthcoming.


Bridal Party: Bethany, Wendy, Briana, me & Steve, Robert, Newt, Colby

Me & Mom with a photo of my late father, Roger Rampton

me, Briana, and Dave- some things never change!

me with Madison

The Bay Ladies! Katheleen, Jane, Grandma, me, Mom, Nancy, Amber

The Original Three Bay Cousins!

My mom walked me down the aisle. We've looked forward to this day for a loooong time!

Amy read one of Steve's favorite poems.

Wendy's awesome toast/roast!

My cousins read "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss.

Dave, Briana, and I played "All this Time," which is a song that is special to Steve. It was awesome.

It turned out that The Wight House Reception Center was once the home of my great-great grandfather, Henry Rampton!

We got the band back together! lol

Forgive me if you've heard this one...

2011-07-30T02:12:00.000-07:00

It seems like many of my favorite bloggers take an occasional hiatus. Sometimes it is because they're having a baby, finishing grad school, moving across the country, etc... I have done none of these things (recently). I have, however, taken a quarter year hiatus. Yikes. Here's a quick recap:

APRIL/MAY
I wrapped up another amazing school year with my students. The usual end of the year madness involved packing up my portable classroom trailer (where I moved in December due to school remodeling) and moving back into the building. Literally. Moving. Everything. Every box, book, pencil, piece of paper, file, etc... Let's just say this year taught me a lot about space management and getting rid of clutter. Perhaps this year saved me from being a hoarder in the classroom. Files that were passed down to me from someone who retired years ago? GONE! Random collections of mismatched paper plates from the last 5 years of birthday parties? GONE! Homework from students from 3 years ago? GONE!

MAY

Not to toot my own horn, but in May, I was named Nevada's History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. I was nominated by Christy Keeler, who has mentored me and supported me since grad school. I really felt honored to represent my colleagues in Nevada and receive this award. More on this later...

JUNE

We successfully held our third annual Girls Rock Vegas summer camp. Forty girls learned to play guitar, bass, keys, or drums. They formed bands, wrote original songs, and rocked out at the showcase concert. Our volunteers were especially fantastic and the girls were inspiring. In fact, this was probably the best ever year of camp up until some crazy meth head rear ended our car on the way to the showcase concert. Boooooooo crazy meth heads. YAY, however, for awesome children who melted faces at the showcase. Seriously, these kids are FEARLESS!!!

JULY

In the midst of everything else, we planned a wedding. That's right folks, Steve and I got married a couple weeks ago. In another state (Utah). We are also having a reception here in Vegas. And for those who were wondering, of course we "got the band back together" to play a special song for Steve at the reception. Also, I learned that you can indeed fill up an entire rental car, drive for eight hours, unload it in 15 minutes and still make it to rental return on time.

Don't worry. I'll post photos later. Because I know you all want to see photos.

So friends, that is where I've been. Love you all.

Bridesmaid Dress Blues

2011-04-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

Would anyone be really upset if the concept of bridesmaid dresses was just eliminated from the Earth? As a bridesmaid, I was very lucky that my friends selected comfortable, modest, stylish dresses that could be worn again. However, as I've been perusing the bridesmaid dresses currently on the market, it leads me to believe that people must really hate their friends. Why else would we make make our closest girlfriends wear these ridiculous, expensive, revealing frocks? I literally cannot find reasonably priced bridesmaid dresses that are not sleeveless, which presents a problem, considering that the majority of my bridesmaids are LDS and need to be covered up.

When did we decide that all bridesmaid dresses need to be strapless? Visit the websites for David's Bridal or Alfred Angelo. I dare you to show me even one sleeved dress. Go ahead, I dare you!

The easy answer, the answer I'm dreading, is that I need to suck it up and go to one of those LDS specialty stores. However, they are ridiculously overpriced and, based on four separate experiences at four different stores, I've found them to be generally obnoxious and very unlikable. But that's a blog for another time...

Another option (that I'm afraid I might have to reject) is having my friends just wear a dress they already have. My issue with this is that I want my bridesmaids to stand out from the crowd and look special; I don't want my very special friends to look like just another wedding guest. They have been so special and so important in my life, and I want them to look that way on my big day.

The most ludicrous option, of course, would be for me to attempt to make the dresses on my own. Unfortunately, this would involve sewing, and as we've already established, I am unable to sew in a straight line.

Yikes. Its a good thing I'm only getting married once because I really suck at this.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-04-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Steve's family invited me to join them on their family reunion trip to Disney World, and of course there's no way I could turn down a trip to sunny Florida. It was so good to spend time with everyone in such a fun place. We visited the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and my favorite, Epcot Center.

No matter how I try, I can't find a good photo of the entire family, so here's what I've got:

We also ran into Alicia and Cash!

Can I mention again that I love Epcot Center?

This was a much needed break. Let's be honest, Disney theme parks aren't Steve's favorite thing in the world, but he was (mostly) a very good sport. At one point, he even promised to bring me back in ten years, so we'll see how that turns out...

First Thanksgiving at My House

2011-04-18T00:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I realize that Thanksgiving was almost six months ago. But life happens. Anyway, my family celebrated Thanksgiving at MY house for the very first time. This was exciting and frenzied, especially considering that my refrigerator was delivered just a couple of days before the relatives showed up. Also, I had just moved in a week or so before the big day, so I wasn't really unpacked. Oh, and did I mention that I spent the day before Thanksgiving in a very-un-Heather-like WalMart shopping spree picking up kitchen necessities that I've been lacking (ie: a spatula, casserole dish, and tin foil).

It was super fun to have my mom, grandparents, and Aunt Jane/Uncle Bill/Finn over to cook and celebrate. We made ice cream, played board games, and overate. And yes, that is a card table covered with a cheap table cloth. So what if I only had seating for four? That wasn't ghetto at all, right?

Anyway, hopefully next year at Thanksgiving time, my home will feel more like a home rather than an unpacked dorm room.

Also, perhaps I should be in the market for a larger dining room table...

So we meet again...

2011-04-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

Hello blogger, long time, no see... I haven't written anything in, like, five months. Some of my other blog buddies have taken hiatuses because they were moving across the country with small children, or because they were birthing children. But not me, nope. I did move, but only across town. I'm really happy with my new home, which I won't post photos of because there are weirdos out there. Trust me, I'm in a much better place.

And for those of you who have been wondering, I'm in the midst of planning a wedding... which is awesome because I don't have any idea what I'm doing and also because I have a budget of about $16.00. If anyone has any ideas about how to throw a low budget wedding that doesn't look/feel like a white trash hoe-down, please let me know.

Other than that, I'm good. Just trying to get caught up.

Giving Thanks 2010 Style

2010-11-27T02:17:00.000-08:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year! Rather than provide you with a nonsensical narrative, I will create a brief list. Here we go!
1.) I am grateful to live in a beautiful home. It took so long to find the right house, and I am also thankful for my awesome realtor, Will, who really listened to my needs and helped me find the perfect place to live!
2.) I have wonderful friends, both here in Las Vegas and spread out all over the country (and abroad)!
3.) I am thankful for people who have come into and enriched my life, even for a brief period of time.
4.) My career has provided me with much fulfillment. My students make me smile every day!
5.) I am grateful for my family, near and far.
6.) I am so very thankful for the conveniences of modern life... DVR, wireless internet, indoor plumbing!
7.) My new ward has been so welcoming! I already feel like I'm part of that ward family! I haven't felt this way for a long time.

Is it too much to ask???

2010-11-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Dear female coworkers,
Since we all spend between 8-12 hours a day at work, it is inevitable that we will all have to use the restroom at least once a day. Now, I understand that there are a lot of us gals at work; we outnumber our male coworkers at a ratio of at least ten to one. Also, I'm not saying its fair that over fifty of us ladies share only two bathroom stalls. It is never fun to spend your entire twenty minute lunch break waiting in line for the restroom (while simultaneously microwaving/eating lunch, photocopying, monitoring detention students, etc...).

I know that our bathroom situation is far less than ideal. However, there are a few simple rules that can make sharing two stalls with fifty women somewhat tolerable:
1.) CLEAN UP after yourself! When I use the restroom, I should not find pubic hairs or sprays of urine on the seat.
2.) The bathroom stall should never look like someone just had an abortion in there. I understand that we all endure that special time of the month and perhaps accidents happen, but CLEAN IT UP, PEOPLE!!!
3.) I know it is too much to ask CCSD to actually have functional toilet paper dispensers in faculty restrooms. I get it. I know it is not ideal to have multiple rolls of toilet paper precariously perched along the handicapped arm rail. However, try (just TRY!) to not dunk an entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet bowl. No one wants to fish that out. And once it happens, that stall is unusable for the whole day, which effectively reduces our restroom capacity by 50%.

I don't think this is asking too much. Can we please learn to share our space in a way that is respectful to everyone? Thanks, and as always, I love you.

Hugs,
Heather Bay

Steve for House District 11

2010-10-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Steve is running for Utah House District 11. This is one of three campaign videos I made for him. As you can imagine, the other two are much more serious and appropriate in nature. But after five hours of serious commercial-making, I was starting to go a little batty.

PS: Adult Swim, you should totally give me a job. I can willingly abandon all appropriate filmmaking/editing skills and adopt, at will, the editing style of a high school sophomore.

Never Take Clean Laundry for Granted!

2010-10-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

My washing machine broke six weeks ago and has still not been fixed. Alliance Home Warranty sent a total of four repairmen. Here's the rundown:

Repairman #1: He made several racist comments (ie: I'm Korean, and he said, "I've never seen a Chinaman who couldn't do laundry, hardee har har."). He told me that he was going to order every part under the sun and then sell them on Craigslist. Insurance fraud, much?
Repairman #2: He did not bring any tools, attempted to repair my washer with his bare hands, and yelled at me for not providing him with tools.
Repairman #3: Arrived at 8pm (two hours after the service window), was clearly intoxicated, and smelled like marijuana. He fell asleep on the floor of my laundry room for two hours. When I asked him to leave, he barricaded himself in the laundry room and locked me out. I had to call 911 to have him removed.
Repairman #4: He brought tools, was prompt, and was not intoxicated, which I'm learning is a lot to ask for. However, he left on 10/5/10 because he needed to order parts, and the parts arrived on 10/12/10. Two weeks later, and they refuse to return to complete the repair.

I have called Alliance on a DAILY basis, and they refuse to do anything. For example, I spent an hour tonight on the phone with customer service. I spoke with three reps, each one more useless and volatile than the one before. One of them told me he was giving me a "direct line" to a higher supervisor, proceeded to give me a bogus 800 number, and then hung up. I found it interesting that EACH customer service rep I spoke with tonight not only claimed to be the shift supervisor, but also claimed to be the ONLY shift supervisor on duty in the call center; clearly, they are very dishonest. The bottom line is that SIX WEEKS has gone by and my washer is still broken. Alliance refuses to repair or replace my washer, and is breaking the terms of our contractual agreement.

Hot for Teacher?

2010-10-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

Back in graduate school, when professors asked what kind of teacher I wanted to be, I never thought I'd be on stage in front of hundreds of elementary school aged kids playing a parody version of a Queen song. I'm proud to be the kind of teacher that is willing to make a fool of myself for the sake of getting kids excited about reading. I'm also very proud of my excellent colleagues (Pam, Laura, and Emily) who endured (enjoyed?) hours of band practice, even after 8+ grueling hours of teaching in hot steamy classrooms with no air conditioning.

PS: Our kid-friendly band name is "The Rock-Its." We chose it because our school mascot is an astronaut.
PPS: We're still seeking ideas for a real name for our band, you know, for when we make it big (ie: play a poorly attended gig in the burbs). I suggested "Hot for Teacher," but that was quickly shot down. lol. Any band name ideas are welcome!

Home Sweet Home!

2010-09-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

Well, hell must be freezing over because I finally got the perfect house! After two years of looking and with the help of an awesome realtor, I found a beautiful house in a quiet neighborhood. The house is only three years old, and even though its a foreclosure, the previous owner left it in pristine condition. The bank put new flooring in throughout and also painted. I'm not going to post a lot of details because I'm pretty sure I saw an episode of Dateline that started with some naive newlyweds posting every detail of their new house and new purchases (flat screen tvs, furniture, appliances, etc...), and ended with them being immediately robbed by random internet browsers. Also, I'm pretty certain that they were also tied up and shot or bludgeoned or forced to watch Spongebob Squarepants. Something like that.

Anyway, Steve came over and we changed the locks. He also managed to program both garage door openers. The selling agent removed the lock box and "for sale" sign. Now I feel confident that my boxes of college dishes and dirty cleaning rags will be safe from the wandering hordes of street gangs (there aren't street gangs... yet).

For those who haven't heard the news...

2010-08-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Steve propsed on Wednesday, July 28th after a quiet, romantic, leisurely dinner on the patio at one of our favorite restaurants, The Red Iguana.

Ignorance is Bliss

2010-08-12T01:53:00.000-07:00

Steve and I were in the market for a car stereo. After getting a nearly $800 quote from the car dealer and a $500 quote from Best Buy, we decided to go with a local car stereo shop which came recommended by both Steve's brother aaaaand the sales guy at the car dealer. The local shop was charging $120 total for the exact same stereo and install, plus they could install the next morning.

So we go to the local shop. Picture your average car stereo shop in a not-awesome part of town with a super courteous employee behind the counter. While browsing around and checking out various stereos, Steve pulls me aside and solemnly says, "I think you should know something. This store was the site of some really brutal homicides back in the 70's."

WHAT?

He goes on to tell me that the employees and customers were bound, tortured, and murdered. He started to go into details, but that's when I stopped him; however not before he told me about the murderers jamming pens into people's ears and stomping on them as a form of torture.

So now it's almost three in the morning and I can't stop thinking about. I already had one nightmare. I didn't want Steve to share any more of the details, and we agreed that next time we're hanging out at the site of a high-profile homicide, he should just say, "Honey, we're in a bad neighborhood," and leave it at that. I read about the "infamous criminal case" on wikipedia, and while I might vomit, I'm finding a strange sense of security knowing that it wasn't as bad as my wandering mind allowed it to become. I feel super creepy going there tomorrow morning to drop off the car. And I'm definitely not hanging out there for a couple hours waiting for the install. In my rational mind, I know that the murders happened almost forty years ago, but I feel sick just thinking about it.

Yah, I really could have been just fine not knowing any of that. Or this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Fi_Murders

To those who are about to blog...

2010-08-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

Many of my friends have included these very sad six words in their blog entries: In case anyone actually reads this...

And to this, I say, "YES. I actually do read your blog." It doesn't matter if we haven't seen each other since we shared a shopping cart eight years ago at a grocery store in Provo. Or if we recently got in touch on facebook. I'm not an online stalker; I'm much too overworked and underpaid for that. I do, however, enjoy seeing how my friends' lives have turned out with careers, kids, families. All of those other things we have done (college, missions, starting careers, graduate school) have really prepared us for this place in life where we are now. I genuinely enjoy reading about your family vacations, potty training your kids, craft projects, career moves, etc...

So to those who are about to blog, I salute you.

(Clearly, I'm a dork. Please overlook this.)

Where has summer gone?

2010-07-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! It has been a relatively quiet summer. Here's what I've been up to:

Girls Rock Vegas camp. 5 days, 40 girls, 20+ volunteers, and enough guitars/basses/drums for all of them!
Zion National Park with Steve's family
My first quilt, which has been cut but not sewn
Actively searching for a new home with my awesome realtor

Reckless Abandon

2010-07-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

... and it is with this reckless abandon that I am splurging on a week-long vacation/road trip through Utah with Steve's family. I realize that Zion is a National Park, but holy cow, hotels there are expensive! Almost as much as in San Diego or Chicago or other expensive hotel cities. I got my flight at twice the normal cost, and I could only find a room for one of the two nights at Zion; everything was sold out! I couldn't figure out why until I realized that it is a HOLIDAY WEEKEND (in Utah).

That's right friends, Utah is celebrating Pioneer Day. Of course I'm grateful for our Pioneer ancestors and their brave and gallant trek across the country... I just wish that it wasn't so expensive to travel to Utah during this state-specific holiday.

Luckily this out-of-town excursion coincides perfectly with my realtor's vacation, so it won't impair my house-buying abilities at all. Staying in town due to real estate emergencies has been trying.

Summertime Blues

2010-07-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

This is the first summer since I started teaching that I haven't been able to leave town. Not even once. A nice opportunity came up to meet up with Steve on his family vacation with his parents and brother's family. His brother's family is driving through Vegas on their way to Zion, and I could have caught a ride up there with them. However, between paying for two nights of hotel near Zion National Park on a holiday weekend, plus a pricey flight home from Salt Lake City, it is just completely out the realm of affordability right now. It isn't like $300 is that much money, but to me, that's a credit card payment/2 months of student loan payments/half a mortgage payment.

Boohoo, right? I'm really frustrated because I work so hard all year, I'm financially supporting my mom, and I deserve just a few days to relax on vacation. During the school year, it is impossible to take time off (I don't get any personal days). Here I have eight weeks of vacation, and I'm stuck at home in a house where my mom watches Korean drama DVDs 16+hours a day while chainsmoking.

I seriously can't take this anymore. I need to get out of town. I need to be able to spend some time/money on myself for once.

To Avoid Confusion...

2010-07-04T23:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks Jessica W. for pointing this out: http://heatherbay.blogpot.com/

Yah, for future reference, "heatherbay" *dot* blogPOT is definitely NOT my website.

Also for future reference, my blog is NOT a:
"MEGA-SITE of Bible, church, Christian & religious info, & studies. Easy to navigate
If YOU have ANY concern about your future on earth + eternity, it is critical you read this page."

Yah, if you have concern about your future on Earth, I'm really not the person to talk about it with. Um, so, (uncomfortable silence)... yah.

We SURVIVED!

2010-06-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

almost 40 girls, most of which who never touched an instrument before last Monday
a cast of 25 of the most amazing volunteers ever
eight classrooms

= Girls Rock Vegas Camp 2010!!!

(Above pic: Our campers enjoying a concert played by Chick Band, a local all-woman band)
More details coming soon after I've had sufficient time to recover!

End of an Era...

2010-06-07T01:47:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong- I love my 2001 Toyota. I purchased it brand spanking new, and it has been a great car. It has survived countless trips to and from the Motherland, has facilitated moving in and out of several houses/apartments across two states, endured the abuse of hauling my drum set and other music gear, and even survived being rear-ended by a vanful of polygamists (true story). I drove this car to class while I earned a B.A. and a M.Ed. This car moved me into my first classroom, and moved me in and out of three different schools in five years. I discovered that my car has the capacity to fit myself and two passengers, as well as a full drum set, including all hardware and cymbals, a bass guitar, acoustic guitar, and amps. That's a lot for a compact sedan.

Sadly, I fear that our time together is coming to a close. A symphony of undesirable sounds is coming from under the hood and it sounds like a racecar (which it is not) when I exceed 45mph. My coworker has termed my car the "deathmobile." I just hope it can hang on for a few more years until I can afford to replace it with a hovercar. Those should roll off the assembly lines pretty soon, right?

At least the air-conditoning still works!

What a DIfference a Year Makes...

2010-05-24T04:40:00.000-07:00

So apparently I've taken to titling blog entries exclusively with songs featured in commercials from bygone eras... but that's another topic for another day. My lovely friend Wendy wrote a blog entry about how she feels that she only blogs when she "has something to kvetch about," and then I realized that I, too, often blog only to complain about this or that. So I decided to read through my blog entries for the last 12 months and tally how many were rant-filled blog entries, and then calculate a percentage. You know, because its not like its 4am and its not like I need sleep.

But don't worry, as soon as I started reading previous blog entries, I was sucked in as if my blogging was indeed a work of mediocre teen literature. And then I got to blog entries from about a year ago at this time... and I recognized that, although I feel I'm at a standstill, life goes on and changes and twists and turns.

Before I use any more tired cliches (which is itself a tired cliche), I will use bullet points to illustrate the differences from 12 months ago:

THEN: I felt I was a more creative and more energetic writer. NOW: I feel tired and bleh.
THEN: Girls Rock Vegas was just starting out! NOW: Our girls just played the House of Blues!
THEN: I got my very first hatemail! NOW: Girls Rock Vegas is supported by the Nevada Arts Council and has a successful partnership with After School All Stars. Don't hate the playa, hate the game (not sure why, but I really felt the need to type that).
THEN: I was rocking my pink Motorola Razor phone and loving it, even though it only held a battery charge for about 20 minutes. NOW: My beloved pink Razor phone was stolen while I was in D.C. last summer, so now I have a Verizon smartphone. And yes, I feel smarter. And yes, I still have a M*A*S*H ringtone and an Alan Alda background on my display.
THEN: My laptop emitted high-pitched noises that made my dog hide under furniture. NOW: Dell did right by me and sent a spiffy replacement.
THEN: Mr. F****, the guy who owned the house next door was a greedy-bastard-slumlord who was basically one shade above a human trafficker as he exploited people trying to make an honest wage (this was when he wasn't threatening the neighbors with trespassing and assault). NOW: Mr. F**** has foreclosed on the house next door. It sold for $49k, when he bought it almost $300k. Don't feel bad, he lives in a $900k in an exclusive Vegas neighborhood... this was just one of his many rental properties. I looked into buying it, but it wouldn't pass an FHA inspection. Some unidentified investor purchased it with cash and is currently renting it to a nice young family who have earned my approval because they don't let their children play ransack my yard (at least not when I'm looking, which is really all I can ask for at this point).
THEN: I was working in a terrible place where money was misappropriated, staff was abused, and dishonesty and harassment abounded. I was incredibly depressed and so stressed that it was taking a toll on my physical health. NOW: I work at pretty much the best school ever for the most supportive adminstrators I have ever had. When I reflect on the situation last year, it seems like a really bad dream, or at least like an episode of 20/20 I saw once where a school administrator abused a teaching staff so profoundly that they all collectively sued her and won. I can't believe I ever had second thoughts about leaving that place!

Perhaps our friends from Jimmy Eat World were right after all...
It just takes some time,
little girl, you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine,
Everything, everything will be alright.

Wow. I just quoted Jimmy Eat World. Now it is officially time for bed.

A Busy Week in the Life of Girls Rock Vegas

2010-05-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, at the House of Blues.

And at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

I am really proud of our awesome girls! I am also very grateful for our partnership with After School All Stars and support from the House of Blues Schoolhouse Foundation, as well as from dedicated parents, teachers, and supporters! Girls Rock Vegas is going into our second year, and we have grown in ways I never expected. Last year at this time, when we were planning our first camp, I never would have dreamed that just one year later we'd be playing at the Springs Preserve, let alone the House of Blues! What a great experience for our rockers!!!

We Work Haaaard for the Money

2010-05-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Girls Rock Vegas rounded up some of our dedicated supporters and we trekked out to Lake Las Vegas to volunteer at the Iron Girl Triathlon. We did everything from handing out medals at the finish line to monitoring the bike course. We raised over $250 for our Girls Rock Vegas Camp financial aid fund! The athletes were amazing and they even managed to inspire many of our Girls Rock Vegas volunteers to start training for next year's triathlon!

What I'm looking forward to this week...

2010-05-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday... (morning) Field trip with my 5th graders, (afternoon) Arts in the Park night at school with a Girls Rock Vegas performance
Wednesday... Girls Rock Vegas dress rehearsal with over 30 elementary school rockers
Thursday... Girls Rock Vegas show at the Springs Preserve! Steve's flight gets in, too
Friday... load up Girls Rock Vegas equipment into a giant moving van
Saturday... Girls Rock Vegas after-school program showcase concert at THE HOUSE OF BLUES!!!
Sunday... relax

I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon...

2010-05-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites from www.angrylittlegirls.com.
Love, H

14,000 minus 1

2010-05-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

I went to a church meeting the other night where the speaker told us how a high level church official implored him to raise the number of single adults that attend activities. Apparently, there are over 14,000 single adults in the Las Vegas valley. Less than 300 regularly attend church activities. He wondered why so many single adults don't attend activities. I've got a few ideas about this.

1) We are adults, not kids. A YSA ward shouldn't be treated as if it is an extension of Mutual groups. Many of us went to college and even have advanced degrees. Many of us have professional jobs that have hefty requirements. Playing broom hockey in the church gym just isn't appealing after a 10+ hour day of work.

2) The pressure to date and get married is intense. I think most of us would like to date and get married. However, there is a definite "type" of gal that gets asked out. Twenty-nine year old women with masters degrees who don't look like Barbie generally do not get asked out. Its fine to not get asked out, but its stressful when the focus of the ward is on dating and getting married. Shouldn't Christ be the focus of church?

3) The focus on dating can be hurtful when the men get the idea that they don't even have to be nice to people they aren't physically attracted to. Once, I called my home teacher, who had never met me before even though he had been my home teacher for months. When I told him who I was, his first question was, "Soooo, are you hot?" (This was years ago. I now have an awesome home teacher). Another example was when I attended a church luncheon. I sat down, and the guy next to me immediately grabbed his plate, glared at me, and stood up and moved to sit next to a (younger and hotter) gal on the other side of the table. Gee, sorry for taking up space.

4) People act like inconsiderate fools, Part One. A church leader once asked me why I'm single at my age. He didn't really want to know, as he cut me off before I could give an explanation. He then proceeded to rattle off a list of other overweight, "undateable" (his words, not mine) women in my age range and suggested that I hang out with them. Never mind that I have nothing in common with these women other than the fact that we are not size zeros, older than most, and single. That would be like me rattling off a random list of other Caucasian senior citizens and suggesting that they all go play a round of golf.

5) People act like inconsiderate fools, Part Two. Case in point:

On more than one occasion, I've seen this and other cars parked in the handicapped parking spaces' unloading zones. This is totally obnoxious. There are only three or four handicapped spaces and about nine jillion regular parking spaces available. This is totally not acceptable. This just symbolizes the kind of entitlement and obnoxious/immature behavior that encountered at the YSA ward.

I can't speak for the other 14,000 single LDS adults in Las Vegas, but these are just a few reasons why I don't attend YSA activities. I'd rather stay home and read a book instead of being rejected by people who are a decade younger than I am. I'll go to church. I'll read scriptures. I'll pray and pay tithing. But I'm done playing broom hockey.

Taking Care of Business

2010-04-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

I am not a realtor. I am, however, a potential client. As a client, there are things that I would assume would be obvious to real estate professionals (or any professionals). However, this does not appear to be the case. After a week-long headache, I've compiled this list of things that I took for granted:

1) When a client explains to you that they can't make personal phone calls at work because they teach children (which, despite what you may think, is a full-time job), please respect that. You wouldn't want your child's teacher making personal phone calls during the school day, would you?

2) When the same client requests that you CC' their work email on important communication (because gmail is blocked on school district computers), cc' their work email. When the same client requests that you do it the second and third time, DO IT.

3) Do not constantly use "text-speak" in email (ie: r u 4geting sumthin?). This makes you sound very unprofessional.

4) Get a professional sounding email address, hopefully associated with the office where you work. Email addresses that involve words like "rainbow," "kitty," "unicorn," etc... make potential clients hesitate to take you seriously as a professional.

5) If you are planning on going on vacation and planning to pawn a client off on another realtor, YOU should be the one to tell the client this information. The client should not hear this information from a third-party.

6) If you want to get in touch with your client, call them. If you lost their number, either look it up or get it from the broker. Do not call a mutual friend and ask the mutual friend to call you client and have them call you.

National Geographic Giant Traveling Map

2010-04-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Herb T., my school was able to participate in National Geographic's Giant Traveling Map program. We had this giant map for four days and were lucky enough to be able to set it up in the Boys and Girls Club gym. It was an awesome learning experience for our students, as they were able to literally walk all over North America. This photo shows me and and my wonderful colleagues right after we set up the map. Thank you to Herb and National Geographic for giving us this awesome opportunity!

Steve's Urban Hunting Tips, Part 1

2010-04-11T11:13:00.003-07:00

Sigh. Honestly, I don't know what he would have done if he'd caught one.

best. birthday weekend. ever.

2010-04-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

Started off with this:

Girls Rock Camp Alliance Conference- about 80 women representing over 20 Girls Rock camps worldwide!

I finally got to see this:

And yes, even the cheap seats were fantastic!

Spent time with my long-lost cousin and his awesome girlfriend:

And had a lovely birthday breakfast with some of my favorite people in the world:

Happy birthday to me!

Valentine's Day

2010-04-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

Valentine's Day 2010:
This was our third Valentine's Day together! We had a brunch with my mom at Sura, our favorite Korean restaurant. We walked it off by doing some fancy shopping at some fancy stores, and then we had a late dinner at Kona Grill. Two fancy meals in one day = lots of leftovers. It was fun to get dressed up and have an evening out on the town. Even though I live here in Vegas, I sometimes forget about all of the "fancy dress-up" things there are to do here.

Valentine's Day 2009:
We had breakfast at Omelet House, after which Steve got incredibly sick and could barely sit up. Then, we went to my school (can't remember why), where Steve assumed the fetal position in my classroom library. Poor Steve; he was in a lot of pain. I should have known better. When I used to work at UNLV, some of my coworkers and I went to lunch at that same location, and we ALL got sick and one of my coworkers had to be hooked up to an IV drip so he could stay dehydrated. Why I thought it was a good idea to go there for breakfast... I'm not sure. Anyway, Steve gave me a beautiful Tiffany necklace which was absolutely perfect. And apparently, I gave him food poisoning. =(

Valentine's Day 2008:
We weren't able to be together this year, but Steve sent flowers to my work, which was AWESOME! I gave Steve one of these filled with fishing gear, along with this lighthearted paper doll book. I was living with Jessica at the time, and we drove from sporting goods store to sporting good store trying to find fishing gear that would fit in the bottle while eating chocolate Skittles.

"Wholphin" or "How I Learned to Get a Job"

2010-02-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Netflix, I rented "Wholphin 6," a collection of independent short films. There was one about a kid in London who lived next door to a crazy man who banged on the wall all the time. Another film was a documentary about Chinese third graders who battle over the job of class monitor. A surprising film featured some hardcore gangstas who stole a fancy SUV in order to get to Jersey to purchase expensive tennis shoes. They wanted to buy matching shoes for their friend's seeing-eye shetland pony (he was allergic to dogs). Yes, I said seeing-eye pony. They needed the matching shoes so they could match with the pony for their prom pictures. No, I can't make this up. Another film just featured an Australian stunt man who escaped from the trunk of a moving car.

None of these films were very good. But each one of them had a lengthy set of credits. Lots of people worked really hard on these films. And that brought me back to my days as a BYU film student. Several years of my life (okay, like three...) revolved around making these same sort of silly short films. This was a very serious thing back then. We stayed up late into the night preparing shooting schedules, props, costumes, etc... A lot of my classmates opened credit cards and went into major debt funding these films, which often cost several thousand dollars.

Even after we graduated, several of my friends hung around Provo making more and more short films. Short documentaries, comedic shorts, dramatic shorts, speculative ads. You name it, they (okay, "we") made it. Almost everyone I knew said things like, "oh, that would make a great short." It seemed like that's all my friends and I talked about.

And then something happened. My friend Michael Moore (no, not that Michael Moore), said something that pretty much summed up everything I felt. He said, "No one is getting anywhere hanging around making these short films. I'm going to stop making them because I need to get a job and move on with my life."

It was like my apprehension was validated, knowing that someone else shared my feelings. I stopped working on short films and I moved on with my life. I recognized that independent film wasn't going to ever become profitable for me. I needed a real career. I needed health insurance. So I took a lousy job which provided those things while I completed my M.Ed. degree. When that was done, I became a teacher. This was never my dream job, but it has evolved into something I love, and I don't ever regret it. But sometimes I wonder what could have happened if I'd just stuck with it.

Now I know. Despite my best effort, my cherished (and expensive) film would maybe have worked through the festival circuit, only to end up on a DVD compilation like Wholphin, while prestigious, would not have likely paid my bills. I'd be working at Blockbuster trying to pay off the debt of a lousy short film.

2009 in Review

2009-12-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

Books Read:
Dystopian Literature Kick
We- Zamyatin
1984- George Orwell
Handmaids Tale- Margaret Atwood
Mild Embarrassment
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- JK Rowling
Incredible Embarrassment
Twlight- Stephenie Meyer
New Moon- Stephenie Meyer
Other Books Read
Diary of a Young Girl -Anne Frank
Number the Stars- Lois Lowry

Concerts Attended:
Blondie
Beach Boys
Frankie Valli
JoDee Messina
Barenaked Ladies
Girl in a Coma (twice!)
Joan Jett
Better Than Ezra
The Dollyrots
Wilco

Places Visited:
Salt Lake City/Ogden/Davis County, Utah (visits with Steve and Sundance Film Festival)
Austin, Texas (Girls Rock Camp Alliance)
Grand Canyon! (with Nevada Social Studies Teachers)
Chicago, IL (with Steve and the Archer fam)
Washington DC (Girls Rock DC and visiting Natalie!)

Austin, TX

March 2009- Girls Rock Camp Alliance Conference

Grand Canyon- June 2009

Salt Lake City, UT

July 2009- me and Steve with the band, Girl in a Coma

Salt Lake City, UT

July 2009- Tracy Aviary with Briana and Steve

Chicago, IL- July 2009

Washington D.C.- August 2009

Smithsonian Museum of Art with Natalie

Washington D.C.- August 2009

Girls Rock D.C. Party with Natalie and Emily

Girls Rock D.C. Counselor Band

August 2009

Dollyrot Love

2009-12-27T02:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Dollyrots,

Thank you for autographing this guitar for Girls Rock Vegas. You guys played an awesome show and were super fun to hang out with afterward. Steve and I had a great time at your show and we are totally going to DVR your January 15th appearance on The Price is Right! Kelly Ogden, you are a great role model for young women.

Love, HeatherBay

Letter to a Pervert

2009-12-07T22:31:00.001-08:00

Dear Pervert,
Could you please not post gross comments on my blog? Yah, thanks.
Love, H

Holiday Shopping

2009-12-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

I have a surprisingly small number of people to shop for this season. There's my mom, of course, and Steve. That's pretty much it. My mom and I are going in together on some kind of gift for my grandparents. And sure, I've got some random friends and coworkers to shop for, but that's pretty much it. Making a conscious effort to no longer communicate with selfish, hurtful relatives has not only been good for my self-esteem, but has also been friendly to my checking account. Since I won't be spending insanse amounts of money on people who love to chip away at my self-worth, what should I spend the extra money on?
A.) cruise or other such vacation
B.) downpayment on house
C.) credit cards and student loan reduction

Salt Flats and Joan Jett

2009-11-29T23:29:00.000-08:00

Last month, Steve and I had an awesome mini vacation to Wendover. What? Wendover? Yes, that's what I said. We went to see Joan Jett, which was totally awesome. It was a small venue, less than a thousand people. She sang all of her old classics, sprinkled with a few of her new songs, which were, of course, fabulous.

We also checked out other landmarks, including the Bonneville Salt Flats and "The Tree." We took plenty of Flat Stanley photos for one of my students, and Steve broke off a huge chunk of salt that I could take back for my fifth graders.

Usually when I think of Wendover, I think of sleazy and/or hypocritical Utahns going there to raise heck. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Letter of Gratitude

2009-11-27T01:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Ms. A*****,

Thank you for not killing my grandparents while you were driving recklessly on the freeway today. My family spent all of Thanksgiving at the hospital while my grandparents endured round after round of tests, which were quite unpleasant, especially ...since my grandmother just had a round of chemo YESTERDAY.

We got home from the hospital around 8pm, where everyone was too shook up to eat. So thank you for saving us from ingesting unnecessary calories.

Also, thank you for providing us with such a craptastic holiday that every Thanksgiving in the future will be fantastic by comparison.

But mostly, I'm just grateful that you did not kill my grandparents today while you chose to drive drunk.

I hope you had a great holiday, which I'm assuming you did, since you were laughing hysterically on your cellphone while my Grandpa was filling out the police report this afternoon at the accident scene. While you laughed and carried on with your giddy cell phone conversation, my Grandma was doubled over in the fetal position in pain because the right side of her face slammed against the inside of the car when you hit them. In case you didn't know, she had major reconstructive surgery on the right side of her face because a specialist at UCLA had to remove cancer from her sinus cavity.

But again, thank you for not killing my grandparents. Also, thank you for having car insurance.

Gratefully Yours,
HeatherBay

PS: I hope you continue to provide such a wonderful example to your students, seeing as how you teach high school social studies and many of your students probably look up to you as a role model.

PPS: I usually don't take cheap shots, but I think it was very sad that your car was completely decked out in Disney decals and other such Disney paraphernalia, especially since you were drunk driving. You are a 40 year old woman and your car looks like a 5th grade girl's notebook.

Foolish?

2009-11-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

Was I foolish to think that I could spend 7+ hours each day in a cinderblock cell with 30 germ infested children and emerge victorious (ie: illness free)? Probably. However, I managed to survive the first TWELVE weeks of school without getting sick. That's one-third of the school year, folks.

Unfortunately, I have succumbed to illness. Steve thinks it might be strep throat.

Oh well. It was good while it lasted! Congrats to me and my immune system!
(...and booooo to whichever of my students is spreading death germs in my classroom.)

Reason #211 to Love Joan Jett

2009-11-01T21:49:00.000-08:00

Wise Words #8

2009-10-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is a snippet of a conversation that my dear friend J.W. and I had today:
ME: I hate being home on Friday night, watching crappy t.v. How is it that mentally retarded people (on TV at the time) can manage to find each other and get married?

J: Well, wouldn't you rather be awesome and single instead of mentally retarded and married?

(silence)

ME: If I were mentally retarded and married, at least I'd have someone to go to the movies with me.

I love stuff like this. Not sure what that says about me...

2009-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Racheal. This is awesome.

Dear Geocities & Yahoo... YOU SUCK

2009-09-20T00:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Geocities,

You said we had until October 26th before you deleted our websites. Today is September 20th. When I went to the once-beloved website that I created for my college band, Brickle, this is what I found.

Bastards.

Now my future children will never know that I was in a hip rock band in college. Briana, Dave, Melinda and I no longer have photos of us being young, thin, and cool. If I hadn't spent so much time working on this stupid Geocities site back in 2002, I might have had more time to finish up that business minor I started.

Its one thing that you folks at Geocities will be shutting down our websites. You gave us an October 26th deadline. But what's up with you shutting it down a FULL MONTH before the deadline? Seriously?!? You guys suck. I hope all of you at geocities lose your priceless childhood photos and family memories in a fire. Or a flood. Or a shark attack.

You might ask why I didn't back up the site. I WAS TRYING TO DO THAT VERY THING WHEN I DISCOVERED YOU PREMATURELY DELETED IT!!!

Your non-friend,

HeatherBay

Three weeks have passed...

2009-09-13T02:33:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last three weeks among the 5th graders, and this is what I've learned:
1. 5th graders don't care about cutesy bulletin boards. Not even a little bit. The hours and hours you spent making sure everything was perfect? Not even noticed. You might as well forego the butcher paper and fabric and cutesy laminated cut outs.
2. 5th grade boys try to act tough. They think its cool to act like gangstas/pimps/thugs (at least where I work). This must be nipped in the bud ASAP.
3. Rites of passage seem to include: starting to wear deodorant, leg hair/shaving leg hair, training bras, and menstruation.
4. They are old enough to use nasty language and be disgusting, but are young enough to still like Hannah Montana. And High School Musical. Aaaaand the Jonas Brothers. (gag)
5. It is imperative that they begin wearing deodorant. Soon.

Dude looks like a lady??? (or "Why I Love Fifth Grade)

2009-08-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

My class theme is "rockstars" and each table group is made up of four kids. Each kid has a role- guitarist, drummer, bassist, piano player. It's just a classroom management thing. That way, I can say, all right, all the "guitarists" come pick up materials for your group. Or "bassists," start a table discussion with the "drummer." and so on... That way all the kids rotate through positions and they think they're hip and cool, etc... It is all based on Kagan principles.

Anyway, in introducing this to the kids, I showed them a powerpoint which introduced them to the instruments (guitar, bass, drums, piano). I also showed them some photos of famous bands so they could recognize the various instruments. The whole point of the exercise was to make the kids realize that people in bands have to work together, listen to each other, and work through their differences to be successful. The kids quickly picked up that, as a table group, they ALSO have to work together, listen to each other, and work through their differences to be successful. Sweet.

However, this seemingly simple exercise developed into a more complex conversation. I showed the kids pictures of bands that I thought were important: The Beatles, The Runaways, and Ben Folds Five (because they feature a pianist).

From this photo, the kids thought Joan Jett was a man (Joan Jett is the one in the long-sleeved red shirt).
After much discussion, they revealed that they felt this way because she wasn't "dressed slutty." So apparently a woman in long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and short hair can't play rock and roll. I pointed out that a lot of teachers have short hair and wear modest clothes. The kids pointed out that regular women could wear modest clothes, but rockstars should wear tight/revealing clothes, wear a lot of makeup, and show a lot of skin. This led to a deep conversation about body image and the role of women in media.

I love fifth grade.

Oldies but Goodies #1

2009-07-28T16:08:00.001-07:00

Briana and I have taken to posting our old Portland pics on facebook, so I dug up this gem from youtube. It's a bunch of our old pics from 2006. Highlights include: OMSI, public transportation, and the zoo. Good times!

Augusten Burroughs

2009-07-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Augusten Burroughs, one of my favorite authors, came to speak at the Clark County Library a few weeks ago. He spoke for about an hour, answered questions, and was kind enough to sign books for his fans. I unexpectedly ran into my dear friends Deanna Rilling and Toni A., along with her husband, Scott. That was a nice bonus, and it was nice to have someone to sit with. I was also pleased to see that the 400 seat was PACKED with fans. See? Las Vegas isn't as culturally unaware as you all might think.

Girl in a Coma

2009-07-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

On June 8th, Steve and I went to see the band Girl in a Coma play at Burt's Tiki Lounge in Salt Lake City. This band was amazing. The band is made up of two sisters, Phanie and Nina, and their friend Jenn, all from San Antonio. They met back when they were in junior high. What I really like about them is that they care about their MUSIC, not sex appeal. This band is a great model for young women, especially the young ladies of Girls Rock Vegas.

Their show was freaking amazing. Nina, the guitarist, played the guitar like a woman possessed. Also, they were really cool. After the show, they talked with fans and took photos, signed CDs and were generally really cool. While their opening band was playing, the band members of Girl in a Coma were even selling merch- totally down to Earth.

Anyway, please check out this band. They rock.

Grand Canyon!

2009-07-09T03:30:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned that I hiked in the Grand Canyon? Well, I did. And I survived. It was amazing and beautiful and I can't wait to go back after I get in better shape.
We also visited Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam.
I traveled with these awesome people from the Geographical Alliance of Nevada, led by Chris Ryan. This group was made up of teachers and university professors from both southern and northern Nevada. We learned a lot, traveled a lot, and had a great time.

July, July!

2009-07-03T04:30:00.001-07:00

I say your uncle was a crooked French Canadian...

P.S.
Can you believe it's already July?!?

Clarification...

2009-07-03T02:47:00.000-07:00

So perhaps I've been a little vague. Here's an update on my career situation:

I am still teaching. I am moving to a different school and I will be teaching fifth grade.
I didn't not lose my job- just voluntarily moved to a different school. At last count, there are 213 elementary schools in our district.

That's all.

Student Filmmaking

2009-06-27T15:20:00.001-07:00

Gee, I'm sure glad I got an undergraduate degree in Media Arts from BYU. Some kind stranger has posted my TMA 285 project on YouTube!

This was created in a class where we formed a "film crew," wrote an original script, shot it on 16mm film, and edited it using Avid and ProTools- all in one semester. I had some awesome team members, including:
Kirsten Bales-Heder
Jason Conforto
Jonathon Dayton
Robert Fewkes
Todd Hamilton
Daniel Heder
Sarah Heder
Ryan James
Heather Rampton
Jana Schurig

Seriously though, I've been trying to find a copy of this for, like, the past five years. So thank you, kind stranger!

Let the purging begin!

2009-06-27T03:27:00.000-07:00

As I'm closing one chapter of my career and preparing to begin a new chapter, I felt a little purging was in order. Nevermind that I have 13 giant Rubbermaid containers full of teacher junk. Nevermind that I own enough children's books to start a smalltown library (thanks to Scholastic, eBay, and Goodwill). Since purging junk and books takes a degree of organization that I can't muster at midnight, I decided to start small... just a little facebook purging.
It's not like I'm super snotty about facebook; I am "friends" with enough childhood friends and former coworkers to start a marching band. However, there are just some people that I don't care to be in contact with anymore. These are former coworkers that generally spread drama wherever they went and created a toxic work environment... for fun and sport. I just don't want these negative influences in my life anymore. So I blocked them.

...and I feel better already!

Note to self: #1 Task for tomorrow: tackle the 13 giant Rubbermaid containers.

Girls Rock Vegas... totally awesome week of camp!

2009-06-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Denise Rosch and Channel 3 for visiting our camp and telling our story!

Aired June 12, 2009 on the 4:00pm news

I can't even begin to describe how amazing our first annual Girls Rock Vegas Summer Camp has been. The campers, counselors, and musicians worked so hard to make it a success! We are empowering girls, one chord at a time!

(I realize that sounds cheesy in general blog conversation, but that's our camp slogan.)

Heather = Toby (or, Free at Last!!!)

2009-06-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

As I went to the office to return my classroom keys, a certain admin stopped what she was doing to exclaim, "I need to check you out and inspect your room!" even though the member of the office staff assigned to inspect classrooms had already done her job. That person explained that I was already checked out and that my room was fine. So the admin grabbed my checkout sheet and scrutinzed every last thing, even though I had gone above and beyond, creating my own typed and categorized inventory sheet for items in my classroom (this school has NEVER inventoried their materials, even though they have had millions of dollars of state and federal money poured into it when they became an empowerment school). I also provided receipts for everything I had purchased for my classroom in the last two years (totalling over $4,000).

"What about your whiteboards, sweetie?" she asked.

"I never received white boards from this school." I answered. During my first year of teaching at Vegas Verdes ES, I went to Home Depot, ordered a large piece of melamine tile board, which I had cut into 1' by 1' squares. Ghetto? Yes, but a much more economical solution than the Lakeshore Learning addiction that this school suffers from.

"Well, every classroom received whiteboards." she said.

"No, they did not." I wanted to tell her that some classrooms also received easels, smart boards, curtains, custom tiled floors and paint jobs, furniture, plastic trees, etc...

"I'm sure they didn't just grow feet and walk off," she said, trying to rally the support of the office full of other teachers and office staff. "Hmph. I guess next year we'll have to take an inventory and make a sign out sheet so these things don't just continue WALK OFF when people leave."

"Um, okay. Here are my keys."

I may be a perfectionist, I may be a little messy, and I may come to school with wet hair a few times a year... but I am NOT a thief. I haven't stolen so much as a paper clip from that freaking place. It infuriates me that Dr. G would try to imply that I stole from children, when in fact, she and her inner circle had been misappropriating funds for the last three years. I'd been harassed for the last few weeks of school, but trying to publicly call me out on whiteboard theft while I'm dropping off my keys? Unbelievable.

More "Fun and Exciting" things that I choose not to be a part of:

Multi-age classrooms (1st grade - 3rd grade) where older gifted students are required to "teach" remedial students. Kids don't come to school to teach, they come to school to learn.
Not making Adequate Yearly Progress for several years in a row due to a lack of structure and actual teaching.
Spending tens of thousands of dollars to fly out personal friends and pay for their travel expenses, under the guise of hiring "consultants."
General misuse of state and federal money.
Teacher turnover rate of more than 50%
and many, many more...

From our Union's website:
NRS 388.132 requires schools to provide a safe and respectful learning environment. This applies as much to students as it does to teachers. Teachers often discuss issues regarding parent and/or administrator threats, abuse, and harassment. There are statutes and school district polices to protect teachers from these types of actions. Because of the requirements of NRS 388.132, the school district promulgated Policy 5137 which provides that teachers have the right to work in an environment free from harassment, abuse, and threats.

Click here for some further insight into my journey at an "empowerment" school.
Michael and Toby's Greatest Moments

And just to show that we're not all fun and games, here is a little food for thought...

And then I realized... (Episode 2)

2009-06-07T00:25:00.000-07:00

... that a job is just a job. My problem was that I put too much of my heart and soul (and money) into a job where I wasn't appreciated. I am really hurt because I gave that place 100% of myself for the last two years, and now that I'm leaving, I feel like Toby, from "The Office."

Heather = Toby.
Here are some of the things I "choose to be":

I choose to frame my instruction from state and district standards, use district-adopted textbooks and programs, and use assessment to drive my instruction.
I choose to use school funds wisely and honestly in a manner that benefits students.
I choose to give all students the instruction that they need. Differentiation is NOT discrimination.

At least Toby got a party and a Michael Scott parody song when he left. All I got was some nasty emails.

Class Photos

2009-06-02T06:54:00.000-07:00

I will be removing these later today, as I don't really think its a wise idea to post a photo of my students online. However, I need these pics for our class yearbook, and I tried to email them to my work email, which had already exceeded its whopping 20mb capacity.

Dude, DON'T buy a Dell...

2009-05-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Unless you want to spend 4.5 hours on the phone with tech support regarding a brand new laptop that sounds like a lawn mower, has 2 USB ports that won't work, and won't accept any external hard drives. Seriously, the ear-piercing sounds coming from the fan are horrid enough to hear ACROSS the house, and my dog is terrified of them- she is currently hiding under a chair.

... and then I realized (Episode 1)

2009-05-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

I spent most of today driving to and from St. George because I had to pick up some equipment for Girls Rock Camp. The night before, I made a super awesome iTunes playlist so I'd have some sweet tunes to blast. I was really looking forward to driving for 5 hours and singing along (poorly) at the top of my lungs. It was also nice to be have some time to drive fast and clear my head.

You know, there was even a time when I thought it would be pretty sweet to be a big rig driver. It sounded like a lucrative summer job as well as a fun and exciting way to explore America's extensive highway system.

HOWEVER...
#1: My car is not as rock steady as it used to be. I can barely go over 65 mph before it feels (and sounds) like it might explode. Also, my brake light is constantly on and I can't figure out why. And when I put my foot on the gas, a scary gurgling/farting sound comes from under the hood. This can't be good.
#2: Semi trucks. For some reason, when they pull alongside me, I have this overwhelming urge to drive into them, like there is some kind of magnetic force drawing my car into the underbelly of the semi. I hate when that happens.
#3. Wind that blows my Corolla all around the road like a wadded up tissue on an air hockey table.
... and then I realized that I really just enjoy air conditioning and listening to loud music.

On a positive note, this was one of the first times I went on a solo road trip with an iPod. How did we travel without iPods? It seems like so long ago that I used to drive between Provo and Vegas with a portable CD player and, like, 900 burned CDs. It was awesome to just set up my playlist and let it go without having to fiddle with anything audio related for the entire trip. I feel way less like I'm going to veer off the road to my death.

Where the passengers change, they don't change anything...

2009-05-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

Oh Ben Folds, how do you always know exactly what I need to hear???

Fred sits alone at his desk in the dark
There's an awkward young shadow that waits in the hall
He's cleared all his things and he's put them in boxes
Things that remind him: 'Life has been good'
Twenty-five years
He's worked at the paper
A man's here to take him downstairs
And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones
It's time
There was no party, there were no songs
'Cause today's just a day like the day that he started
No one is left here that knows his first name
And life barrels on like a runaway train
Where the passengers change
They don't change anything
You get off; someone else can get on
And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones
It's time
Streetlight shines through the shades
Casting lines on the floor, and lines on his face
He reflects on the day
Fred gets his paints out and goes to the basement
Projecting some slides onto a plain white
Canvas and traces it
Fills in the spaces
He turns off the slides, and it doesn't look right
Yeah, and all of these bastards
Have taken his place
He's forgotten but not yet gone
And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones
And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones
And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones
It's time

They're the Girls of DC...

2009-05-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

...and they are definitely ready to rock!

Here's the awesome camp song from Girls Rock DC. I hope they won't mind me posting it here because it is a totally amazing song that summarizes what I want our girls to take away from camp. Go DC! If all goes as planned, I'll be going to volunteer at their camp later this summer. I can't wait to learn from them!

T-shirts available soon!

2009-05-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the very talented Sarah (at www.sarahmarie.com), these awesome t-shirts will be available soon from Girls Rock Vegas. What do you think?

OOOOOOO eeeeeeee OOOOOOOO...

2009-05-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

I look just like Buddy Holly...

This will always be my favorite music video ever.

Oh, the Mayflower...

2009-04-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Confession

2009-04-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

I've had my pink Motorola razor for three years now. Well, that's not entirely true. My current phone was a replacement for the one I mysteriously lost in the Vegas Verdes parking lot one morning before work. Embarrassingly, the default ringtone was the theme song from "M*A*S*H," and the wallpaper was this hot pic of Alan Alda:

Honestly, I was more worried that someone might find that phone and track it back to me. I just really like M*A*S*H, okay?

Anyway, I confess that I've been untrue to my pink razor- I've been contemplating an upgrade to an iPhone; those dang apps are so appealing!!! I even went so far as to download an AT&T checklist for switching wireless carriers.

But every time I think about going through with it, I think about how much I really do like the pink razor. Its so adorable how it desperately tries to keep up with the texting prowess of my friends' fancy qwerty keyboard phones. It even remembers weird random words that I text and it spits them out as I clumsily maneuver the keys. I love my ringtones, the Barbie-pink color, and I even love how the battery falls out of the phone every time I drop it (even on carpet).

Why fix it if it ain't broken?

Our first hate mail!

2009-04-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today is a milestone because Girls Rock Vegas has just gotten our very first hate mail! I've taken the liberty of highlighting the mistakes in red and making a few corrections, just like I would do for my students.

you go to the bar and you have Lady's night(.) of course you drink free, an next stop is one of the many Lady's only work out areas, and then off to the "friend of the court(--) a place that takes all the husband(')s monie, and now a place for Lady's to play instruments together so they fell empowered.
My daughter plays guitar(.) she think people like you make woman look weak and I agrey(.)
Everyone has issues(.) get over it(.)
And I love woman(.) have a wife an 3 daughters(.) thay are all just fine so please dont tell me I have a chip on my sholder.

No dude, I wouldn't worry about having a chip on your shoulder. I would, however, worry about your lack of writing skills. Seriously, I teach third grade and my students hand in better work than this.

I think people who write nasty hater emails at 7am with multiple spelling and grammatical errors look weak.

Misogynist City Employee

2009-04-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, we went down to the City of Las Vegas Financial and Business office on 400 Stewart Street in downtown Las Vegas to inquire about getting a business permit for Girls Rock Vegas. I explained that Girls Rock Vegas is just a 5-day summer camp for girls, ages 9-17.

When I expressed frustration about the immense cost of filing fees (nearly $1,000), this was the Business License Technician (ie: pinchy-faced clerk)'s sarcastic response:

"Why don't you just have a little bake sale or something?"

Really? REALLY? A "little bake sale"? Would he have had that same response to a motorcycle enthusiast club or a retail porn business? Probably not.

Bastard.

Pleeeeease help us out!

2009-04-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Yes, I'm posting about Girls Rock Vegas Camp again. We found a donor who is willing to match whatever funds we generate in the next week. So whatever money we generate, they will double it! Even small donations, like $5 or $10 will help. Every dollar we generate is going right back into the hands of girls who need the gift of ROCK AND ROLL.

Please help!!!

Girls Rock Vegas

2009-03-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Please share the goodness of Girls Rock Vegas! Right-click and "save as" on this image, and please share it with the world! You can post it on myspace, facebook, your own blog, or you can even print it and hand it out to your peeps. Let's spread the word about Girls Rock Vegas!

Planet Percussion!

2009-03-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

This is a video by Howard Agster, uploaded by my brother Dale. This was shot at Planet Percussion, the store he and my father owned until my father passed away. They manufactured percussion mallets and accessories. Also, as evidenced in this video, all the cool kids hung out here to play tunes.

Girls Rock Vegas stuff... just what you all wanted

2009-03-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

We're going to put these images on 1" buttons. We've heard that all the cool kids are wearing them these days to advertise things they like. Of course, we'll just get by with these logos for now. My dear friend Sarah will likely be doing some design work for us in the new future. You can visit her site at www.sarahmarie.com

What do you think of our modified logos? Which one is your favorite?

Maybe it's time for a move...

2009-03-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

The guy who owns the house next door is renting it out to a giant family. That's fine. He is also renting out the detached garage of that house to another large family. There is no plumbing in that garage, by the way. He is also renting out the toolshed in the backyard to another large family. That's right. A toolshed, like, the kind you buy for $300 at Costco. There are nearly twenty people living next door, approximately fifteen of which are living in structures that are not zoned for human inhabitance. (Instead of ski equipment and dusty boxes, imagine a family of five living in here. This is what's going on next door.)

This guy, who I've gathered from the Clark County Real Property Records is named Mr. F****, was blocking my driveway this morning. I asked him to move his truck. He refused. He said he watches my house every day and no one ever uses our driveway. Really? Really?!? He went on to say that he knows every way in and out of my house because he already checked it out. He also said that he would get into my house when I least expect it to teach me a lesson I won't walk away from. Nice!

With a bit of sleuthing, I've discovered that Mr. F owns a construction business (the name and info of said construction business is plastered all over the giant truck blocking my driveway). It turns out that most of the able-bodied men living next door work for Mr. F's construction business as day laborers. I've seen him pick them up in his truck (they ride in the back, of course) early in the morning when I'm leaving for work. I've also seen Mr. F pick up other people standing on the corner of the Star Nursery, presumably for day labor jobs.

So Mr. F is, like, one step above being a human trafficker. According to the Clark County Real Property Records, Mr. F lives in a $900,000 house off Decatur and the 215, while his workers live in a toolshed. How is this legal?

Greedy, ill-mannered bastard. And a bad neighbor, to boot.

Girls Rock Vegas- a summer camp for girls

2009-02-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

Please visit the site for www.girlsrockvegas.blogspot.com

This project has been my heart and soul for the last few months. The other site has all of the information about the summer camp, but here I feel comfortable telling you how strongly I believe in this cause. This camp will surely benefit young women. I know what it feels like to be empowered through music and I want to give this gift to other young women. I have started this camp, along with some dedicated colleagues, and I am working like crazy to get it off the ground.

Please consider donating through our paypal button- even just a few dollars will help. We are trying to buy/rent instruments, pay for food, etc... Every dollar will go directly to students.

If you know a girl ages 9-17 that would be interested in coming to camp, the application can be found on our site. Or contact us if you would be interesting in volunteering or donating goods/services.

Thanks!

Love, H

Valentine Weekend

2009-02-18T17:56:00.001-08:00

After a fast and furious Valentine's party with my students, I thought the weekend festivities were over. Luckily, I was wrong. This holiday weekend included:

Coraline in 3D
The Himalayan
Metro Pizza
Pin Kaow
Warhol Exhibit at the Bellagio Fine Arts Gallery
Howl's Moving Castle
and most importantly, the best boyfriend ever =)

2009-01-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

If you're not into fake sword fights
Pointy slippers and green wool tights
Take a tip from a knight who knows
Free Credit Report dot com, let's go!

2008 Review

2009-01-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

Kristine tagged me on a post about "Top 10 Goals for 2009." I didn't feel right about doing that tag without first reviewing the great things that happened in 2008. Sure, the economy may be falling apart, I'm financially supporting my unemployed mother who refuses healthcare, and I still make less money than a garbage man... however, I refuse to believe that 2008 was completely devoid of positive memories. Please humor my self-indulgent recap of 2008.

Thanks to the support of Christy Keeler, Ph.D., I presented for the first time at two national academic conferences: NECC (National Educational Computing Convention), and NCSS (National Council for Social Studies).
My students won first place in the Southern Nevada Computer-Using Educators Multimedia Contest with their short film about gravity.
I spent a week in Washington D.C. and Colonial Williamsburg as part of the Teaching American History Grant.
Also this summer, I attended the week long training for "We The People" at Sierra Nevada College at Lake Tahoe. We learned about ways to teach elementary students about the Constitution.
I spent a lot of time in Utah this year.
Steve and I visited with Amie and Diego and their family in Florida.
I paid off one of my credit cards!!! One down... more to go....
I finally bought a Wii. Gotta love Dr. Mario.
I actually put up a Christmas tree, lights, and holiday decorations at my house for the first time in several years.

See? 2008 wasn't a complete downer after all.

2008-12-31T20:46:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-26T21:34:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-12-26T02:09:00.000-08:00

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. =)

2008-12-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

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

www.ramptonsrockstars0809.blogspot.com

2008-12-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-12-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

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.”

2008-12-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

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)

2008-12-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-23T20:16:00.001-08:00

I stole this video from B. Sorry, B- I'm always stealing stuff from your blog.
Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

2008-11-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

Some of the things I've been looking forward to have come and passed in the last few weeks, chiefly the election, and also the second of two sessions I copresented with Dr. Keeler at national academic conferences. So let's recap:

1. I got to dress up as Betsy Ross for Halloween with my third graders. They have been learning about Colonial America, and some of them have been creating a virtual museum about colonial clothing. They learned enough about colonial clothing to ask me questions about my colonial underwear. Oh my. I'm glad to see that my students are actively applying their knowledge to real-world situations. =)

2. Obama won. I was looking forward to staying up all night watching the election results roll in, eagerly anticipating the inevitable sleepy Dan Rather-ish commentary of the "if a frog had sidepockets" variety.

3. Conference #1, the National Educational Computing Conference in San Antionio. We presented on Project-Based Learning from Kindergarten to College. Read more here! Seriously, it's interesting, official, and this link makes me sound smart.

4. Conference #2, Dr. Keeler and I presented Technology-Based PBL (project-based learning) for the Young Learner. This was presented at the National Council for Social Studies annual conference in Houston. Click here for our PowerPoint presentation, audio from our presentation, and pertinent links. I really liked this presentation because it showed off my students' hard work.

2008-11-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

While I enjoyed everyone's fabulous Halloween photos with their adorable children, I feel sad that I don't have anything likewise to share. I didn't have the heart to dress Cocoa up this year (see Wendy?), but I did get dressed up with my fellow third grade teachers at school. We are currently teaching our students about symbols of the United States, the election, and colonial America. So we had Uncle Sam, George W. Bush, Hillary, and Betsy Ross. Who knew that my Nauvoo dress would come in handy as such a versatile costume? (Thanks, Sister Hatfield!!!)

Keeping with the patriotic theme, I hope that everyone makes it out to vote today!!! I am so grateful to live in a country where we can have a voice and make a choice. It brought tears to my eyes to see my third grade grade students, who come from a very low socioeconomic area, actively research the candidates and make an informed choice about who they support. These young kids are so excited about democracy, about voting, and about making a difference in their community.

If you want to have a heartwarming experience, click here to view my school's patriotic morning ceremonies. I'm a little partial to the third grade video from September 26th and the fifth grade video from September 12th. =)

2008-11-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

2008-10-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

In this time of introspection,

On the eve of my election,

I say to my reflection,

"God please spare me more rejection."

- Ben Folds, Army

For the last 10 years or so, I've chosen the end of October as a time to reevaluate the direction in which my life is heading. I know that most people do this on New Years, but I feel like that's the easy way out because everyone knows that New Years' Resolutions are just a token effort to feel better about ones' self after eating ones' own weight in holiday food. =)

So the biggest change in my life is that I find myself newly single, after ending a 10 month, largely long-distance, relationship with a very special person. Sure, it's easy to wallow in a puddle of "what if's." At this point, however, I think the healthiest thing would be to just suck it up, consider what I learned, and focus on the future. This is the strategy that I usually rely on after a devastating disappointment, and so far it's proven well.

2008-10-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

To my friends with school-age children, fellow teachers, and people who enjoy a custom word search,

This is the most amazing site in the whole world. Really. I will never have to give (or grade) another spelling test as long as I live! Not only does it have a dozen custom spelling games, but it gives an individualized test for each kid, reads each word AND uses it in a sentence! And it reads it in a HUMAN voice, not a creepy computer voice. Kids can take the test at their own pace with less testing anxiety. When the kids are done with the test, they print out a certificate with their score and which words they missed! This is truly amazing, people.

... and it's free!!!

2008-10-07T21:24:00.001-07:00

Maybe life isn't so bad after all. Over a year ago, Briana and I toyed with the idea of starting a "good things" blog, where we would each share one thing that made us happy. We planned on doing this every week so we would get in the habit of focusing on positive things. Well, like many good ideas, this never came to fruition.

So I'm going to start it now by listing some lovely things from this week:

To usher in fall, I made pumpkin pie... from scratch. Baking pumpkin pie always reminds me of my dad's Thanksgiving tradition of baking 900 kinds of pies, all from scratch. The aroma of pumpkin pie baking in the oven makes me feel like my dad is still here.

At the neighborhood grocery store tonight, I was greeted by a little girl who was in my class last year. She ran up to me with open arms, gave me a huge hug, and shouted, "Maestra!" ("maestra" = "teacher" in Spanish).

I realize this is kind of lame, but I'm going to share it anyway. I very rarely watch Futurama. But tonight, the one time I turned it on in months, it just happened to be my favorite episode (In case you were wondering, it was the one where Lela met her long-lost parents. Hey- I said it was lame).

On facebook, I had an instant message discussion with one of my classmates from BYU. I was really happy to hear that he is gainfully and happily employed in broadcasting. It always makes me smile when I hear that my broadcasting/film school classmates are actually employed in our field! However, there was always something special about this particular classmate. He is a very talented journalist, but in college, he proved to also be humble, kind, and genuinely good. There's just something awesome about knowing that good things really do happen to good people.

2008-10-04T22:36:00.001-07:00

I can't believe six weeks of school are already over! If this were college, it'd be midterm time. I am so happy with my (gigantic) class. The kids have really learned our routines and procedures and they are learning so much. I love third grade. The kids are still sweet and somewhat innocent, but they are mature enough to handle joking around.

2008-10-01T22:10:00.001-07:00

Please click here for a lovely blog entry from my dear friend, Blair. This made my day and could quite possibly make your day, too.

Love, H

2008-09-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

I got this forwarded email from a well-intentioned source who meant no harm. This created the following exchange:
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RE: Photography shoot for the LDS Curriculum Department

Dear Talent File Participant,
I apologize for the extreme tardiness of this request. I have been given the assignment to find "non-Caucasian" families and singles to attend a photo shoot this Sunday, September 28th. It was my desire to glean help from the surrounding wards, thereby not taxing our talent pool yet again, with requests for ethnicities. However, the members in that area have not responded to the call, and I am now desperate for help!
Would you, or ANYONE you know, be willing to attend this small photo shoot for Church Curriculum? (By "ethnic," at this point, we'd be grateful to have anyone with a dark tan!)
Here is the information I have available:
Project: Photographs for the new "Gospel Principles" manual to be released in 2010.
Setting: A Ward Sacrament Meeting
Needed: Ethnic Minorities (non-Caucasian) who can follow directions in English. Singles are welcome! Families are welcome! All children need to be accompanied by at least one parent.
Location: LDS Chapel located at 1925 Gunderson Lane, Holladay, UT
Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008
Time: Please arrive between 3:30 – 3:45pm. (No later than 3:45pm.)
Duration: Until about 5:00pm.
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This is the reply I sent:
Hello. I just received a forwarded email requesting "ethnic" members for a photo shoot. As a person of color, I find the manner of this request quite insensitive. For your future reference, next time you put out an all-call for "ethnic minorities," please don't say "by 'ethnic,' at this point, we'd be grateful to have anyone with a dark tan!"
Also, my skin may be dark, but I am able to "follow directions in English." I followed them just fine during my undergrad studies at BYU and during my graduate work. Your assumption that members of the church with dark skin are unable to follow rudimentary directions in English is quite offensive. I would have hoped that the general population of our church would be more enlightened, if not especially the leadership and those working for church media.
Please be more sensitive- or at least less openly ignorant- when making future requests.
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They responded quickly, but CC'd to everyone in the whole world. Basically, they told me that they are "sorry I feel this way."
Here is their response:

I am sorry that you took offense where none was intended. Many "ethnic minorities" come from other countries. If I were in China, I would not be able to follow directions in Mandarin, and that would rule me out. [If you were in China, the directions would be given in Mandarin AND English because that's how ignorant Americans demand everything.]
Again, no offense was intended, nor have I received any feedback from anyone but you that this language was offensive. [clearly, because people with dark skin apparently can't read English]

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You know, offense that isn't intended is just as ugly and often more insidious. So basically, they don't MEAN to be ignorant, but they're going to be anyway.

If they are really having such a hard time finding "ethnic" people, perhaps they could just use Caucasian people and put them in blackface, since they already did that in "Testaments." That's right. Instead of finding an actual "ethnic" person to play the lead role, they put the lovely (and Caucasian) Joy Gardner into blackface for the role... or would the more correct term be "brownface"?

2008-09-26T22:40:00.000-07:00