January 31, 2012

Another good school day - we read Act III - got through the balcony scene; they'll have to read the rest of the act on their own.

One of my former students asked me if I had been at Washington House recently. When I said I had, he told me his parents owned the place!

Faculty meeting after school - then I have a meeting at the ESC for our curriculum review.

Frank came for dinner; I spent most of the time getting ready for the Cassandra, my cleaning person.

Breakfast/lunch: 11 pt.
Dinner: 8 pt.
Snack: pretzel, candy: 4 pt.
Beverage: latte - 2 pt., Wine - 2

So, more Inspector Lynley tonight!

January 30, 2012

Another Monday - up at 2:39am and stayed awake...I read first thing this morning that Milt Williams, husband of a colleague and father of Sam's first girlfriend, passed away. He was 62. So sad.

Today we talked about Act II of Cyrano - we'll read some of Act III tomorrow.
Had a great massage this afternoon; watched the next episode of Downton Abbey!

Breakfast/lunch - 11 pt.
Dinner - 7 pt
Snack - 6 pt
Beverages - 6 pt

More Inspector Lynley tonight!

January 29, 2012

Great night's sleep with lots of weird dreams. When I checked Jess's blog, I found that they were able to take Lucas home! Then, when I looked at Chrissy's blog, she posted a picture of herself with Bea and Jeremy -- and so I cried twice...

The crossword puzzle was relatively easy, and the sun was shining again - yay! I finished a photo book of the aunts and nieces and ordered it.  Then I showered  and got ready to go to Dad's. I showed him pictures from Facebook; he seemed to enjoy that.  Afterwards, I used a birthday coupon at Talbot's to buy a really nice sweater and pair of pants.  Then I stopped at Plymouth Meeting and used two more coupons, one at Macy's and one at Chico's. I also got some stuff at Whole Foods. Got back home at 5:30.

Breakfast: mini scones  3 pt.
Dinner: pulled pork sandwich 6 pt. and kale 2 pts.
Beverages: coffee and milke 2 pt., Coconut water 2 pt. and wine 2 pt.
Snack: candy 1 pt.


Still reading Inspector Lynley book.

January 28,2012

I woke up before 6am this morning - damn!! I laid in bed for a while - and what was I thinking about, you ask?  I was trying to figure out the best way to change my fifth period's seats for the new marking period.  How sad is that??  Finally, I got up a little before 7.  After turning on the heater in the side porch, I made coffee and sat down to read the paper.  The sun was quite bright for a change!

After reading the paper and doing the crossword puzzle, I did some laundry and hung out a few things.  I also went to Kohl's and got a new shower liner, this time a cloth one. We'll see how well it works.

And -- I actually used the Wii to exercise!! It's only been 75 days - grrr.  I really hate when it talks to me.  There are a few yoga programs on Netflix as well that are actually doable for us senior citizens.

I watched some Miss Marple and then some Inspector Lewis, BBC whore that I am.

Breakfast: mini-scones
Lunch: other half of last night's cheesesteak
Dinner: goat cheese and crackers
Snack: pretzel roll
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, red wine

Back to Inspector Lynley in Believing the Lie.

January 27, 2012

Friday, friday -- another week passes by in a fine fashion...
Today was vocab. quiz day; we also reviewed the next unit's words.  I graded all the quizzes before leaving school.

I had dinner at the bar at Joseph Ambler with Nancy - the food was quite good, and there were happy hour prices for drinks and some of the bar food.  A cheap meal and a good time!  We spoke with one of the staff (not the bartender - I'm guessing the banquet manager since there was an event happening as we were leaving) about Charles Dickens' grandson and Dickens' novels.  Dickens' grandson stayed at  the Joseph Ambler when he was touring with his one man show.  The manager actually liked some of Dickens' works, like A Tale of Two Cities -- Bleak House, not so much.  We were telling him about the mini-series of Bleak House and how good it was.  As we left, he said, "See "youse" real soon!"   Too funny!

Breakfast and lunch:  same stuff
Dinner: cheesesteak and fries
Snack: cookie and bread
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, red wine

Reading the new Elizabeth George novel - can't remember the title, but there's always tomorrow...

January 26, 2012

Today was vocab. review unit #8 - 20 words that will probably appear in the SATs (Jerome Shostak vocab. book, which has been in use since way back when - at least 1965!!).  The journal writing for the day was the following:  Because you have done something famous (or INFAMOUS!), your name in some form (Dickensian, Kafkaesque, Spoonerism, etc.) will become an entry in the dictionary.  Create your word, define it, and explain your fame!

We also continued reading Act II of Cyrano de Bergerac, which the kids really enjoy.

I am TOTALLY caught up on grading -- all compositions and midterm essays graded -- yay!!  The marking period ends tomorrow.

Breakfast and lunch: you know what they are...
Dinner: turkey burger
Snacks: chocolate and blue chips with mexican cheese
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, and red wine

I finished Pride and Prejudice last night!!

January 25, 2012

Midterm day - All English students took midterms, so I got 4 more compositions graded (only 2 more to go) along with two class sets of midterm essays.  I also talked to Burt about a student who wants to study on his own and take the health final exam so that he has more time in his schedule for high level courses.
Got a haircut after school, came home, ate dinner, and I'm now almost ready to hit the sack...

Breakfast and lunch: school day specials
Dinner: turkey burger
Snack: chocolate and cheese n crackers
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, and red wine

Proud to say I'm still working on Pride and Prejudice.

January 24, 2012

Today was a pull-out for English curriculum review - my kids watched Roxanne while I was at our administrative offices deciding on books for a new summer reading list. It was a productive session!

Frank came for dinner and is now vocalizing - he'll leave for choir practice in about 15 minutes.  We had our usual Tuesday evening dinner together.

Breakfast: yogurt and blueberries
Lunch and Dinner: Italian sandwich from Panera's
Snack: blue chips
Beverages: coffee, coconut water

I'm through 66% of Pride and Prejudice.

January 23, 2012

Another Monday - this year is going by so quickly!
Today I went over parallel structure using the grammar website chompchomp.com - what a helpful site for all kinds of grammar review!  We also started reading Act II of Cyrano de Bergerac, which was designed to make one quite hungry -- loads of French food referenced in the act.  After school I picked up some groceries at the Hatfield Giant. 

I folded laundry and then watched the next episode of Downton Abbey - I'm such a BBC whore.  I also watched a sweet little set of vignettes called New York I Love You.

Breakfast and lunch: schooltime - yogurt, blueberries, salad
Dinner: chicken potpie
Snack: cheese and crackers, chocolate
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, red wine

Back to Pride and Prejudice.

January 22, 2012

After a so-so night's sleep, I was out of bed by 7:30.  I read the papers and worked on Merl Reagle's crossword puzzle.  I decided to see Dad in the morning rather than the afternoon. Judy also came to Maris Grove at the same time, so we had lunch together after we saw Dad.

I stopped at Fresh Market and Henning's on the way home and then spent the afternoon watching The Way We Live, yet another BBC period piece mini-series.  Maybe Axel and Steffy would like a live-in American nanny who loves all things British...

Breakfast: toast with ginger marmalade
Lunch: pulled pork sandwich
Dinner: left-over stromboli
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, red wine

Engrossed in Pride and Prejudice!! (53% read)

January 21, 2012

We had a snowstorm last night, and today was a lazy kind of day. Bob left at around 5AM for New Jersey and then North Carolina. The paper actually made it here (yay!) so I spent some quality time catching up and doing two crossword puzzles -- gotta stave off the Alzheimer's....

I also graded some compositions, folded laundry, and had some great left-overs!  I tried to watch Sofia Coppola's Somewhere but just couldn't get into it -- I didn't finish it.  I did watch Downton Abbey and Merlin's latest episodes, however.

Breakfast: mini scones
Lunch: Half a Cuban sandwich
Dinner: Stromboli
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, and red wine

Time to read some more Pride and Prejudice - even though I've never read the book, I feel like I have because I've seen so many different movie/mini-series versions of the story!!

January 20, 2012

Today was vocabulary day - a quiz followed by a review of the words for the next quiz.  It's also Bob's last day home until February 18...:(   I helped Karen edit a brochure that will be given to the students thinking about doing the gifted mentorship.

Breakfast and lunch: school day meals
Dinner: really good appetizers at Cantina Feliz
Snacks: chocolate and whole grain tortilla chips
Beverages: coffee and - of course - margaritas!

Still reading Pride and Prejudice - only finished 10% so far.

January 18, 2012

Today the kids took a practice AP test which I used as a diagnostic for next year's recommendations, so it was a pretty relaxed day.  Bob and I went to the Pizza Pub for dinner and then watched some MI-5.

Breakfast and lunch: same stuff
Dinner: cheese steak stromboli
Beverages: coffee, beer
Snack: chocolate, goat cheese and bread

I'm reading Pride and Prejudice!!

January 17, 2012

Today I had an in-service - not too painful except for the doom and gloom faculty meeting about all the proposed cuts in order to meet the budget.  We'll see how this all plays out - I choose to live one day at a time and not worry about the future.

I also judged a student Shakespeare competition - that was pretty cool.  I really enjoyed seeing what these kids can do and listening to the comments from the other judges. 

Breakfast: yogurt and blueberries
Lunch: tuna salad sandwich
Dinner: pizza
Beverages: coffee and coconut water

Finished The Confession!!

January 16,2012

I didn't get out of bed until after 8am - read the paper and graded a few comps.  we decided to see Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - when we arrived at the theater, the line was really long, but we got in before the movie started.

The movie was really good - we both enjoyed it. We went to dinner at the Iron Abbey in Horsham - great choices.

Came home and watched some MI-5.

Breakfast: scone
Dinner: crabcake sandwich and fries; grilled octopus
Beverages: coffee, beer, fake Bailey's

Still reading The Confession.

January 15,2012

This morning was low key - Bob finished putting together a cabinet, and I cleaned out the old cabinet. We met up with Frank and visited Dad; Judy and Wayne were there, too.  Afterwards, we had a late lunch at Iron Hill in Media. We watched Red, which Bob really liked.

I'm watching the Golden Globes right now.  Bob's already asleep...

Breakfast: scone
Lunch: calamari, pizza
Snacks: cheese, chips
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, beer

January 14, 2012

I woke up before 6AM but still managed to slide into my Saturday.  I got my computer, fixed my bed into a chaise lounge, and booked the tickets for our trip to LA through Capital One.  I also downloaded two CDs onto my computer and then my ipod -- so technologically astute am I!

Bob arrived home after 2PM, and after unloading stuff from his truck, I gave him his first chore: putting together a free-standing cabinet for the kitchen.  He worked on that, and then we both got ready for our dinner at the Washington House - worth 1000 points on Open Table!

We had a delicious meal even though there was a really LOUD table right next to use (10 people going to a Billy Joel kind of performance at the Sellersville Theater).  There were actually 3 tables going to the performance, but the table right next to us was by far the loudest.  It seems that they didn't want to pay the extra money to all be in one room, so they decided to shout their way through dinner and spoil others' meals (we came in at 5:15 for an early dinner).   It wasn't THAT bad, but we really ended up shouting our way through dinner too....

Back home, Bob caught up with the NCIS episodes he hadn't seen since the last time he'd been home.

Breakfast: mini-scones
Dinner: spaetzle, figs, and bleu cheese appetizer -- so good!
Entree: shrimp and bay scallops risotto -- also delicious

Dessert: Linzer torte with cinnamon ice cream -- three for three!
Beverages: coffee, sparkling wine, chardonnay, and pinot noir 

I confess I'm still reading The Confession.

January 13, 2012 FRIDAY

No weird things happened even though it was Friday the 13th!  We went over unit 7 vocabulary and read some more of Act I of Cyrano.  I changed my calendar yet again because of the upcoming student scheduling workshop.   Below is the link to my school wikispace - quite proud of it, actually!
mrscasselwiki.wikispaces.com

I went to dinner with Nancy B at Cantina Feliz, a Mexican restaurant in Fort Washington.  The food was really good. I had shrimp ceviche and queso fundido, and she had tortilla soup and pork tacos. 

Breakfast and lunch:  check all weekday entries - it's the same!!
Dinner: see above + 2 margaritas
Snack: chocolate and bread (sounds like a movie title...)

Still reading The Confession.  I confess that I'm lucky to have a 3-day weekend and that Bob is coming home today.

January 12, 2012

Cyrano all day - read Act I and had fun!

Breakfast and lunch: The same...
Dinner: tuna salad sandwich and cheese and crackers
Snack: chocolate

Reading The Confession - 57% through

January 11, 2012

Today was the PSAT explanation day, so all of my students were in a computer lab logging on and creating college board accounts.  I got some compositions graded, so it was all good.

Found out today that a former friend had totally lied about something (using my name) to a colleague last spring...that's why she's a former friend.

Breakfast and lunch: guess!!
Dinner: tuna salad sandwich, blue chips
Snack: cheese
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, pinot noir

Still reading The Confession by Charles Todd

January 10, 2012 - MY BIRTHDAY.

My first period brought homemade goodies in as a surprise for my birthday; my third period all wished me a happy birthday; my fourth period hid in the corner of the room when I left for a minute and then all sang happy birthday -- I love my job!!  The student who shares my birthday in fifth period gave me a big hug when I came into the room...

Breakfast and lunch: same old same old
Too many sweets and snacks during the day -- birthday food!!
Dinner at Bubbaland - big old burger and beer....

Still reading The Confession.  I confess that I ate too many goodies today.

January 9, 2012

Monday, Monday, so good to me...
Today I introduced Cyrano to my classes - love that play!!  The lesson plan is just that - I have lots of material on the form of the play as well as the real people who are characters.


Breakfast: guess what....back to yogurt and blueberries
Lunch: greens, egg, cheese
Snack: chocolate
Dinner: tuna salad sandwich, blue chips
Beverages: coffee, coconut water

I'm now reading The Confession by Charles Todd

January 8, 2012

I woke up at 7AM - had a little awake time at 3AM but went back to sleep...

After reading the paper, I graded a few papers and then got ready to go to Delaware County to visit Dad.  He was talking a lot, but I could hardly hear him, and most of what he said didn't make any sense.  Oh, well.

I  went to Chico's and didn't buy anything; then I got some stuff at Fresh Market and went home.

I made eggs for my salad and had dinner while watching the movie Red.  I talked to Bob a little bit; he's in Quebec right now.

I'm getting ready for bed right after this entry.

Breakfast: mini-scones
Lunch: Chicken leg
Dinner: tuna salad sandwich and blue chips
Snack: white chocolate macadamia nut cookie (damn you, Fresh Market!)
Beverages: Coffee, coconut water (I'm running out!!!)

Why am I not tired right now ???  Not a good omen for tonight!

January 7, 2012

Today I went to NYC with Frank and Chris to see the opera Hansel and Gretel.  The day was gorgeous - 15 degrees above the normal temperature for this time of year.  We walked up 8th Avenue from 42nd Street after parking in the Port Authority lot -- for someone who considers herself New York savvy, I can't believe I've never parked here!  Anyway, we took a quick tour of Hugo Boss on our way up to Rosa Mexicano for our usual delicious meal - no guacamole this time, though!

Although the music in the opera was beautiful, the sets were a disappointment to me - so gray and utilitarian.  You would think the set designer would make use of the entire stage, but no!  Frank said it was supposed to look like the page of a book, but I don't buy it, especially when the audience was full of kids probably seeing their first production at the Met.

We had to hurry back after the opera because Frank and Chris were going to a party in Rehoboth Beach, DE, this evening.  I stopped at Jamie Hollander on the way home to get a sandwich for dinner.

Breakfast: two mini-scones
Lunch: queso fundido
Dinner: Italian meats on a panini roll
Beverages: coffee, coconut water, pinot noir, pomegranate margarita!!

I finished The Paris Wife!  Well done; it gave me a new interest in Hemingway, especially if I end up teaching American Lit in 2012-13.  I actually read a sample of A Moveable Feast by Hemingway after I finished the novel because it dealt with the same time period as The Paris Wife.

January 6, 2012

This week went by so quickly - how great is that!  
It's almost a full moon tonight -- the month went by so rapidly.   I think of Sammy every time the moon is bright in the sky...
I had dinner with Nancy, Beth, and Kathy S. - Beth and Nancy gave me birthday presents!

LESSON  PLANS: Vocab. quiz #6; Discuss laws, written and unwritten, in the play.

Breakfast: same old, same old
Lunch: ditto...
Dinner: bread, salad, and lobster ravioli in vodka sauce at Bensi's - it was DELICIOUS!
Beverages: coffee, pinot noir

Reading the same book as yesterday...

January 5, 2012

LESSON PLANS: Review voc. ex. #6 and discuss symbols (dance, macaroons, calling cards, costume) in the play

Breakfast: lowfat yogurt and blueberries
Lunch: greens, cheese, egg
Snacks: chocolate, cheese and sweet pita
Dinner: turkey burgers
Beverages: coffee, coconut water

Still reading The Paris Wife

January 4, 2012

LESSON PLANS: Quiz on Acts 2 and 3 of A Doll's House.  Then I showed them a website that showed the alternative ending that Ibsen wrote after all the controversy.  It was changed back about 12 years later.

Breakfast: lowfat yogurt and blueberries
Lunch: greens, cheese, egg
Dinner: half a cheese steak
Snacks: chocolate, cheese, and sweet pita
Beverages: coffee and vita coco water

Still reading The Paris Wife

January 3, 2012

LESSON PLANS:
Today we watched Act III of A Doll's House, which took all period.

Breakfast: lowfat yogurt and blueberries
Lunch: greens, egg, and cheese
Dinner: blue corn chips, 1/2 cheese steak sandwich, chips
Snack: chocolate
Beverages: coffee, vita coco, and beer

Still reading The Paris Wife

January 2, 2012

Driving to school today was a breeze because EVERYONE ELSE HAS OFF!!!


LESSON PLAN
Go over vocab. #6 words
Have the students get into groups and come up with four "kid" rules and four "society" rules of behavior: later classes, just kid rules

Breakfast: plain lowfat yogurt and blueberries
Lunch: greens, egg, shredded cheese
Dinner: sausage and pepper sandwich, chips and guacamole, cheese and pepperoni, cookie
Beverages: coffee, margaritas
Snack: chocolate, sweet pita

Still reading The Paris Wife

January 1, 2012

Today I said good by to Bob for two weeks - I did wash, read the paper, and watched a movie.  I'm trying to blog every day with my food for the day and my lesson plan during the week.  We'll see.

Breakfast: scone
Lunch: sausage sandwich
Dinner: sausage sandwich (different roll)
Snacks: cheese and crackers
Beverages: coffee, 4 oz. of beer, 1 container of coconut water

I'm reading The Paris Wife by Paula McClain, a fictionalized biography of Hadley Richardson.