In answer to a 5th grade student's ACTUAL QUESTION today

"No, the settlers in the Plymouth Colony didn't have internet access."

Alvin and the Chipmunks

I just saw a preview for an Alvin and the Chimpmunks movie (real, not amimated. Jason Lee plays the guy--what was his name? Their "owner" or whataever?). I actually laughed at a couple parts, including when owner-guy was trying to put the moves on his girl and they cut to Alvin kind of swiveling his hips and singing "Bow-chica-bow-wow."

My question IS, do kids these days even KNOW who Alvin and the Chimpmunks are/were? Will any kids want to GO to this movie? Or will the theaters be filled with a bunch of 30 year olds?

Alvin! Simon! The-0-dore! DO DO do-do-do-do!

Mineral Makeup

Have any of you tried mineral makeup before? I first heard of it about a month ago when I saw a display of a particular brand at CVS. I started doing some research online and there are a TON of companies out there--from the brand name, uber-expensive ones with all the infomercials to lesser-known, lower-priced alternatives.

As many of you know, I've struggled with bad skin all my life (and will probably always continue to do so). The heavy, cakey foundation (all different brands) I've used over the years probably haven't helped. Even the foundations I've used in the last year or two, the ones with some type of acne-medication in it, haven't really helped. Let's face it--that stuff just gets in your pores and cloggs them all up.

So I decided to give mineral makeup a try. I started with Sheer Cover--a pricier brand, but they have a great deal on their starter kit. However, I (of course) started breaking out within days of using it. After more research, I found out that it was likely due to an ingredient called bismuth oxychloride, a cheaper "filler" known to cause itchiness and breakouts in certain skin types. So I looked around and found a company called Southern Magnolia Minerals--MUCH lower priced and they don't have that particular ingredient. Plus, they have AMAZING reviews from their customers and great customer service. And so far, so good (as far as breakouts go).

But more importantly, I LOVE how it looks on my skin!!! There's no line to blend in, no "mask", no heavy feeling. You dust it on with a brush and it goes on very seamlessly and almost disappears--yet it still covers, if that makes sense. And it feels so light that right now, I don't feel like I have makeup on. I also don't have to worry about it streaking!

Anyway, just wondered if any of you have tried this type of makeup and your experiences with it. (FYI: I highly suggest Southen Magnolia. Check them out online. You can also find them on eBay--they have an eBay store with great details.)

A harsh reality

On this Thanksgiving, please say a prayer for my friend Kenny. Kenny is someone I haven't talked to/heard from in a few months--and while I definitely thought it was weird that he hadn't responded to emails, Myspace messages, etc, I didn't REALLY think that much about it. He's busy, I figured. Well, last night, I finally got a message on Myspace--from his mom, wondering if *I* had heard from him. Apparently, he went on a trip to Alaska this summer--and then he disappeared, literally. In fact, he hasn't been heard from since August.

He was supposed to be back here in town sometime in late September--but neither she nor any of his siblings have been able to find him. His cell is now disconnected, too. She tried calling his work but she doesn't think she's calling the right place (she knew he worked for some type of water plant). As far as she can tell, he never came back. She's getting ready to file a missing person's report. She's been ready to do it for a month now, but she's been holding back...probably because to actually do so is to face a pretty harsh reality.

I told her that I could drive by his house, talk to a couple neighbors, see if anyone's seen him, etc (and she said she'd be very grateful, since she's up in MD), but frankly, I have kind of a bad feeling. He was always close to his family and the fact that even his sisters haven't heard from him is a definite warning sign--especially for so long. Even if he decided to stay up there, come on--he'd tell SOMEBODY by now. But even more so--he has a daughter. She's the light of his life. And his ex hasn't heard from him, either.

There is NOTHING that would keep him from his daughter for this long.

So please pray for the best-- that Kenny is okay. However, please also pray that his family, at the very least, finds some definite answers...and some peace.

I've died and gone to hell

Brad and I are compatible in many different ways.

We are not, however, a match when it comes to body temperature.

To wit: now that it's gotten "cold" here in Florida, Brad has jacked up the heat. (Mind you, it's 80 during the day and 60 at night--on the REALLY cold days, it's 70/50.) So I'll sit here, getting an early preview of menopause, as the sweat pours down my face...

...Until I can sneak out there and jack the temp down to a more reasonable temperature--say, 65. Before long, he'll come out of his room, blowing on his hands, rubbing his arms for warmth, muttering something about the "frigid temperatures."

I suspect it will be like this all winter, too, with the 2 of us sneaking around like ninjas, fighting for control of the thermastat.

Pomegranates and meteorologists

(As Chandler from Friends would say, "Could you BE any more random?" But that's what I got for ya today.)

Have you ever had a pomegranate? Frankly, I don't remember seeing them ever in my life in Michigan. Then again, they look kind of like a big red onion from the outside, so if I did see them I probably brushed right past them. Well, our grocery store here had a big display of them, so figured, what the hell.

And they are SO GOOD.

You crack them open and take out the seeds--THOSE are the part you eat, not anything else. And they're sweet and tangy. So good. So if you haven't had one, try to find one. Now. Pomegranate season only run another month or two.

Next: we just finished a unit on weather for science. I used my P.R.-knowledge and got the morning meteorologist from Fox to come in and talk to the kids yesterday. It went well, too. They behaved very well during the actual presentation. They got a little antsy during the Q and A but it DID kind of run long. SO many kids had questions, which is great, but we finally had to cut it short or we'd be there all day. It was cool, too, because I went up the office to meet him and walk him back to the cafeteria. Well, when we walked back in with him, the kids--totally spontaneously and on their own--burst into cheers and applause for him. It was actually a pretty cool moment and I know he appreciated it (albeit was a bit surprised).

So....yeah. Everything else is fine. Crazy busy this weekend with tests in every subject to grade plus standardized tests the kids had to take (we have to grade a few questions by hand). PLUS I already spent most of the afternoon working on that class I'm taking. And I'm going bowling later tonight, too, so I better quit fartin' around so I can get some grading in before I go. =-)

Mitchism

I was merely smiling at this one--till I got to the very end.

On a traffic light, green means go and yellow means yield, but on a banana it's just the opposite. Green means hold on, yellow means go ahead, and red means where the f*ck did you get that banana at?

Crazy is as crazy does

I'm already bored with the gift baskets.

I had an appointment with my Crazy Doc on Monday, and I mentioned to her that I appear to have had 2 mild "up" incidents in the last month or so. They weren't full-blown episodes by any means, but definitely some type of hypomania (talking fast, not sleeping, getting these ideas and discarding them just as quickly, etc). She asked some questions and stated that she may have to increase my dose. Again.

I made a face, since I happen to know that my current dose is already on the high side.

"Don't worry," she said, reading my mind. "Just this morning I had a patient who is 600 mg higher than you."

Now, that may sound like a lot, but each pill is 300 mg. In other words, if she ups my dose by even 300 mg, I am then only one pill away from being her craziest patient.

Something I never thought I'd say....

It's often hard to leave a relationship you've been in for a long time. Even if you do find yourself wondering, "Is there something more out there?", you often don't have the courage to find out. I mean, what you have is GOOD, right? It WORKS. It's lasted for quite a while. This is a very long-term relationship. It's safe. It's comfortable.

Imagine my inner turmoil, then, when I discovered a body wash that I liked MORE than Bath and Body Works'.

I know. For me, that amounts to blasphemy.

BBW, I still love ye. When it comes to body butters, creams, lotions and various other accessories, you're the one who has my heart. We'll still be friends. That will NEVER change. I'll still be by to see you. You've been an important part of my life for too long to break ties completely. Hey, I just discovered your overnight acne repair! I'm not going anywhere!

But I've found someone else, and I want to see where this will lead.

Olay Ribbons Body Wash, my friends. OH. MY. GOD. It really DOES make your skin smoother after just one wash. And the smell. The exquisite smell. It's luxury in a bottle, all for the cost of--well, I don't know, 'cuz I got it in my basket, but it has to be cheaper than BBW. (OK I just went online; the one I have is Olay Body Wash with Creme Ribbons, pink, for $6.99. It's a big-ass bottle though.)

They promise amazing things after five days of use. I, however, am hooked after just one.

Wish us luck and happiness together.

PS--Halloween

Since I got d*cked out of Halloween this year (no real trick-or-treaters to speak of), I want to hear about everyone else's. What did the kids dress up as ? How'd they make out? Details, please!

I have a brilliant idea!!

First: my class's basket brought in $105. It wasn't the highest earner (there was a chocolate lover's one that went for $180, I shit you not, and one for teens that had an iPod) but I think it may have been like top 5, top 10 for sure. And while my room mom did most of the work, it DID give me a great idea!!!!

I'm going to start making gift baskets as a side business!! (Starting for Christmas, dear sisters and mother. It will be a very basket-y Christmas.) You can buy the materials online for pretty cheap, and if I'm creative, I can make back twice what I put into the baskets. I was up till like 4 am reading all about it on various basket-making websites (yes, they exist). I'm frustrated because I had 2 PR parties for this month and they BOTH cancelled. So maybe THIS is a nice little money-maker! I can specialize in very personalized baskets at a variety of prices. I won't ever be rich from it, of course, but it can be fun, I bet. (So I'm using my Christmas presents as practice. And don't worry, Nik and Mis--I know you can't afford to do anything for the "big kids" this year but don't feel guilty, I promise that these will be relatively modest ones.)

Who knows, I might discover, upon making baskets for the sisters, that I suck ass at it. But maybe they'll turn out decently, too.

eBay Live....kind of

First: (somewhat) late bday, Kish!!!! I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner; I've been doing conferences the last 2 days. Hell, hardly anyone has heard from me. Welcome to my year. =-)

So if you've ever bid on eBay, you know that often, people will "babysit" their bids as the auction minutes count down, constantly refreshing their page to make sure they're still the high bidder, because other people will often swoop in at the last minute and place a higher bid--sometimes only pennies higher. Well, I got to experience that in person today.

We had Fall Festival at our school today. It was actually not too bad. I ended up running the cake walk for a big part of the night. (Insert Jen/food joke here.) However, a cool feature addition from last year was these gift baskets that were put up for silent auction. Each classroom compiled a basket with various themes (Parents' Night Out, Pamper Yourself, Art Supplies, Movie Night, Christmas Joy, etc) made up primarily of donated items to be auctioned off, the proceeds of which would go to our school.

Well, I saw one basket being put together in the breakroom last week that I immediately wanted--a candle basket. (Hell yeah!) So when I saw tonight that the starting price was only $35 and there was only one bid on it so far, I got really excited. (It wasn't a "blind" auction--the bids were right there in plain view, and if you wanted to bid, you just wrote your name and your new, higher bid on the next line.) However, I am also an eBay veteran, and I knew better than to bid at 6:30 when bidding didn't close till 9.

So I left, did my cake walk magic, and then moseyed (mosied?) back in around 8:45. To my surprise (and thrill), there was still just the one $35 bid. Sweet! So I entered my bid of $36. (Yes, I could have done $35.01 or something, but no one was being that cheap.) I then proceeded to stay there for the next 15 minutes, watching suspiciously if anyone so much as slowed down near "my" basket. My plan, of course, was to make sure no one else bid on the candle basket--and if they did, I'd wait till, oh, 8:59 to outbid THEM. (It was so bad that Mike tried to drag me out to Chilli's and I told him I'd meet them there--at 9:20 or so. "Yeah, me too," another teacher called from across the cafeteria. "But I can't leave yet. Only 7 more minutes!")

However, I noticed that there was ANOTHER basket that was pretty cool--a bath one, with bubble baths and lotions and things. It only had one bid, too, for $40. (I know that might sound like a lot but not if you saw how big it was and how much stuff was in it. Both these baskets were SUCH a steal.) So I wrote down a bid for that one, too.

Well, wouldn't ya know, I won them both. I'd feel bad about dropping the money but hey, it's a bday present to myself with some of my bday money from my parents. Plus, it's practically for charity. And for just over $70, I got a SHIT TON of stuff.

Here's the candle basket. I'm not sure that this pic does it justice, but suffice it to say that you're seeing just ONE side of the basket and it's jam packed all the way down.



And the bath one--OH. MY. GOD. I just opened it up and it's even better than I thought. It's mostly Bath and Body Works stuff!!!!! (And you all KNOW how I am.) To put it in perspective: here's what I actually paid for



And here's what I GOT

(it's sideways but I'm too lazy to fix it. Turn your head...or turn your monitor) ;)

PS--what you all are looking at there on the lower right is an adorable froggy towel, otherwise known as Blake's Christmas Present) =-)