Sorry, Kermie...

but it's SO easy being green.

This weekend, we took some baby steps toward actually helping Mother Earth. (Of course, it would take about ninety bazillion baby steps to make up for the legions of folks who still believe humans don't impact the environment.)

Yesterday, I planted an oak tree in our front yard. We'll help filter CO2 and release a little O2 into the air. Thanks, by the way, to my good friend Stacey for picking up the tree at the Arbor Day giveaway downtown.

Yesterday, we (yes, WE, Adam actually went this time!!) took our recyclables to Pro-KS. Gotta tell you, I can't even believe how much emptier our trash cart is every week thanks to Pro-KS. We went super-early, so there were no lines, no waiting.

Today, we shopped at Wal-Mart. I know, I know, there's a lot of people out there who will say that we can't be "green" if we support the evil empire. But, damn, fam's on a budget, you know?

We did, however, take our own bags with us so that we wouldn't to use the plastic bags. And, I didn't even have to go on Oprah to get a free canvas bag. We already had them around la casa. The checker at Wally's looked at us like we were raving freaks when I told her I would bag my own goods.

By the way, does ANYONE know when the Old Town Farmer's Market returns? We're ready for the locally grown produce!

The blog name I wish I had

okay, I know the Chittum Files is fine, but I gotta tell ya - I wish I would have thought of this:

Stitchy McYarnpants.

Pretty sure that's the best knitting-related name ever. However, I am still quite partial to Knitfaced. Maybe I should trademark that or something...

Please, please, send me good karma. I'm taking my PLT - principals of learning and teaching test tomorrow - think of it as an SAT for new teachers.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Pat a teenager on the back

I'll be the first one to tell you, teaching high school in 2007 is by no means paradise. There are hard days, when the kids have bad attitudes, or they're tired, and there are days when I have a bad attitude.

But, on balance, the students I see every day are incredible. Not only are they dealing with seven different teachers who all think their class and their homework is the most important item on students' agendas, they're dealing with helicopter parents, some are dealing with parents who are almost completely oblivious to their children's needs. Some are seeing violence and drugs every day as if it's a part of "normal" life. Some are dealing with abuse, mental illness, a schedule packed more tightly than a can of sardines.

It's only been 10 years since I was in high school. So much has changed. Not once in my time at good ol' Shawnee Mission North, did we have to talk about lockdown drills and school shooters.

We will have a drill this week. School, for some students and teachers, is a battleground.

Even in the midst of all this, my yearbook and newspaper students continue to amaze me. They will go out and do work for no pay (and even less glamour and fame), and they'll stick around at all hours to accomplish it if they have to. While I don't like to be on super-tight deadlines and I wish that they would work a little faster the entire month, I have to say that I am constantly impressed by the teamwork they exhibit when it is crunch time.

Tonight, my yearbook staff was cranking out pages to beat a 176-page deadline that is next Monday. The students who came in to work really knocked one out of the park.

I'm so proud of them, and I can't wait to see their faces when they crack the spines on the books on July 28.

Speaking of another teenager I am immensely proud of - please, send good thoughts to my former student Steven Sewell. He is serving with the Marines in Iraq. He's been there a week, and I received an email tonight from him.

It's been one week

since I posted. A lot of stuff has happened in that one week.

32 people killed in Blacksburg, Va.

My beautiful students inducted into Quill and Scroll

Adam's mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer

The wind has been blowing about 50 miles an hour for two days

We completed 10 yearbook pages

We paid more than $1300 in taxes (thanks Uncle Sam)

I planted four new flowerbeds (small ones)

One of my former students left for Iraq

I attended a "sleepover"

I have officially finished the last class I have to take to become a "real" teacher

Newspaper staff completed their paper on deadline (with no major stress-outs for Bon, and no all-nighters for Bon)

4Q progress reports went out - that means there's only 20ish days of school left...

I guess after all of that, today was a nice day - I worked in and around the house, and I wasn't even grumpy while doing so. I even washed dishes (well, some of the dishes). Mindless chores helps process all of the flotsam in my brain at times like this.

I'd like to go start a new knitting project - so I will close for tonight. We talked about doing yard work tomorrow after school, so maybe I'll let you know how that goes.

I saw in the Target ad that they have an $88 Polaroid digital camera on sale. That might be just what the doctor ordered to make this here blog a tiny bit more visually interesting...

What did people do before cell phones?

Maybe I've spoken of this before. I have been in an airport at least two other times since starting this blog.

On my travels to Denver (which, surprisingly, I was able to do direct from ICT - no connectors) I noticed yet again how people are perpetually chatting, talking, marketing, scheduling, arguing, conferencing, you name it, on cell phones.

I know, I know, you're saying "So? What's new about this?"

Well, yes, you see folks in malls, in cars, at movie theatres (ughhh) on phones, or texting.

But at an airport gate, it is almost total saturation of cacophonous voices. Sure, there is a higher percentage of business travelers in airports, so they might need the constant connection a little more than others, but still. There had to have been a time where you just sucked it up and said, "I'm traveling all day tomorrow, but I'll call and check in as soon as I return/arrive." Your business or conversation just had to wait.

We all have such short digital leashes now. Gotta have the phone and internet handy or we start experiencing the shakes and cold sweats. I should have known that technology was starting to take us over when I saw an old friend, who drove the most prehistoric Toyota truck known to man, had gotten a cell phone. This is a guy who lived in the crappiest apartments, without cable TV, or even without TV at all, for most of our college existence.

I, too, am guilty of feeling the need for connection, don't get me wrong. But how much is too much? I thought I had lost my phone for the better part of a week last week, and I didn't go into cardiac arrest without it. Those who really needed me knew where to find me, and the 11 missed calls and texts that didn't, seemed to survive until the phone was located.

Incidentally, it was under the passenger seat of my car. Adam and I discovered it as we were driving to the mall to purchase a new phone. Serendipitously, I received a phone call, it rang, and Adam tracked it down. Thankfully, the battery hadn't run dead, or else we'd have shelled out $100 for phones that aren't really needed. Sure, I like the Krazrs and Razrs and Sidekicks and mmmmm...the iPhones, but I just don't need all that crap.

No snow in Denver

but I hear it was snowing pretty hard in Wichita earlier this afternoon. We were supposed to get 8-13 inches overnight last night and there wasn't anything on the ground this morning.

We spent the day in a workshop on InDesign. Intensive, but incredibly informational.

We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner (pretty good) and as Amy and I walked back to the hotel, we passed the "Front Porch Bar." They happened to have a sign out front that said "If your name is Amy or Andrea, you drink for free tonight." Being the avid fontophile and sign reader that I am, I noticed this right away. We went in, and Amy took advantage (just for one drink), and then we came back to the hotel to get the rest of our Maestro workshop loose ends wrapped up.

By the way, we've come up with a new name for the knitting store: KnitFaced.

No snow in Denver

but I hear it was snowing pretty hard in Wichita earlier this afternoon. We were supposed to get 8-13 inches overnight last night and there wasn't anything on the ground this morning.

We spent the day in a workshop on InDesign. Intensive, but incredibly informational.

We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner (pretty good) and as Amy and I walked back to the hotel, we passed the "Front Porch Bar." They happened to have a sign out front that said "If your name is Amy or Andrea, you drink for free tonight." Being the avid fontophile and sign reader that I am, I noticed this right away. We went in, and Amy took advantage (just for one drink), and then we came back to the hotel to get the rest of our Maestro workshop loose ends wrapped up.

By the way, we've come up with a new name for the knitting store: KnitFaced.

Rocky Mountain High

Greetings from Denver.

Today I climbed to the top of the Colorado State Capitol Rotunda. 200 steps, which doesn't seem like much, but at one mile high, it was pretty taxing.

Thank god I'm a runner, or else I really would have been feeling the pain.

Today was a great day - the maestro workshop went really well, and the weather was great until about 1:30 when it started snowing. It's not snowing right now, though, so we should be okay for getting back to Wichita on Saturday night.

We ate at the Denver Chophouse and Brewery, which is right next door to Coors Field. Great beer, AWE-some food, really good service.

Where have all the yarn stores gone?

I'm in Denver - can't find a yarn store.

Have to do some online searching.

Might have converted my friend Amy to knitting.

Yeah!

The No Camera Lament

Ugh. So many things I could show you if it didn't cost me an arm and a leg to upload pics from my camera phone. I refuse to bow down to the man, on this one, so I will wait until I have a real live digital camera to upload photos.

We watched "The Ice Harvest" tonight. It's a movie that takes place in Wichita. It's all about this mob lawyer and his weirdo buddies. I'm here to tell you - not one damn scene in that movie was actually filmed in Wichita - I'm sure of it. The view of downtown "Wichita" shows two buildings of any size. I realize we're not Metropolis, but we do feature more than that. At least the scenes featuring ice-encrusted landscapes were actually plains shots. As a Kansan, there is nothing that bugs me more than a movie purported to take place in Kansas, yet there are mountains in the background of some of their shots.

Yes, we have beautiful, rolling Flint Hills, and Gyp Hills, and the high plains, but dang it, folks - there are no mountains in the Sunflower State. One other thing - Kansas does not require front license plates for non-vanity tags, and in the movie, the cars all had front plates.

But I digress. The reason I mentioned the camera thing first off is because while we were watching said movie, Adam had his feet up on the coffee table, and Gracie just plopped herself right down on his legs, curled up and went to sleep. It was the coziest Adam-Gracie moment I've ever seen. He talks a good game of stepcat-hatin', but secretly, Adam really does like Gracie...


AND, I completed my first matching hat and scarf set tonight. Photo that didn't happen No. 2.

Since I'm headed to the Rockies later this week, I thought I'd better take some sort of winter accessories. I'll be posting from the road, as long as the wireless access in our hotel is free.

42, feels like 37 (degrees, that is)

I was a lame-o yesterday, and only went to the Y to swim and sit in the hot tub. So, today, I've got to at least go for a walk (especially since we had an awesome Easter brunch at Stacey's). Trouble is, the Y is closed for Easter, and it's freakin' cold outside.

Bundle up, insert ear buds into ears and put on stocking cap, and away we go. I did, however, swim 5 laps in the lap pool yesterday. Haven't done that in a long time. Swimming kicks my butt.

Here's a little nugget of info for my friend, Denise, who hates public pools.

While we were at the Y yesterday, a mom proceeded to grab her daughter, who couldn't have been more than 2 years old, stand her up on one of the platforms that juts out into the pool, and let her pee down her leg and into the drain. Swim diapers, folks. You can buy them at Wally's and Tar-geah. Sure, we think your little darlin' is cute and all, but I don't want to see that stuff.

Hopefully I'll be back on later to post some photos of Easter festivities (taken with OPCs - Other People's Cameras), if my hands don't have frostbite!

By the way, I was right about Opinion Line

Check this out:

The second entry in Saturday's OL

No little Bee is going to make us happy about road construction

Sorry, city of Wichita. I know you think that Construction Bee is cute and helpful, and makes people happy they are sitting in traffic, but that's not the case.


When people are stuck in construction traffic, staring at orange barrels (which, for us east-siders is a minute-by-minute occurrence these days), the last thing they want to see is an animated bee telling them to "Bee safe, bee courteous and support local businesses." They're already in a crappy mood because they're going to be late to their destination. You know what we think when we see those signs?

"What a freakin' waste of tax money." Maybe I'm extra sensitive to the taxpayer money issue currently since we'll be paying over a thousand bucks on April 15, instead of getting money back. I'd like to know that my money is doing something beneficial, not being made into childish signs to be put up at construction sites.

I'm sure there was a consultant involved, then we had to pay the artist, make the signs, and pay a crew to erect and remove them as the powers that be see fit.

Living, as I do, right off of Kellogg and Hillside, I have been in orange barrel hell for the last six months. Hillside has been torn up since this summer, east Kellogg is eternally under construction, and east Central has been torn up since this summer.

Yes, I'll be happy when Kellogg is freeway from one end of town to the other. Yes, I'm happy that storm water will drain properly and that there is a spanky new turn lane on Hillside. Yes, I'm ecstatic that Central is getting a turn lane, as well.

It's just that the locations of my house, and two of my best friends' houses are exactly one block (or less) off of these three roads. No cutesy Construction Bee is going to keep me from grinding my teeth and cursing road construction.

I know it's a fact of life, and yes, Kansas does have awesome roads, but don't patronize us.

Blogging is the new scrapbooking

At least for me.

Again, tonight, I find myself lamenting the fact that my digital camera is BUS-ted, and I can't post any photos of the snow in April.

I can see them now.

It's April 5 in Wichita, it was 80 degrees on Monday, and right now it is snowing like Christmas morning.

Do you know what this means?

The next three editions of the Eagle will be filled with Opinion Line calls something to the effect of:

See? All you global warming pushers? It's snowing in April. There's no such thing as global warming.

Global warming? Hah. When's the last time it snowed in April? I think there's some global cooling going on.

Yes, yes, you see. Much of the citizenry of Wichita will be happy to "debunk" the "rumor" of global warming based on one climate anomaly. Just you wait. In fact, I think I'll watch the Opinion Line the next few days, and post a few of the choice words.

Now, I better change and get to the Y before I lose my motivation. I'm up to 88.11 miles. I'm going to have to kick it in the ass if I'm going to make it to 750 by the end of the year. I guess I've figuratively run from here to Salina since Jan. 1.

Hopefully Sweaty McSweaterson won't be on the Elliptical next to me, and hopefully Creepy McMusclebound won't be trolling around the cardio area. Come on, workboots and cargo pants while you work out? Oh, yeah, that's right, you don't work out, you just sit at machines, grunt a lot, and take more "resting" walk breaks than you do reps.

Movie Madness

Here's a list someone sent me through Facebook. Yes, I took the time to go through and tally my movies. Disclaimer - I have no idea who compiled it, where it came from, etc., so I might be in violation of international copyright laws, but I can tell you that my friend, Robin, sent it to me.

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 movies on this list. Copy this list mail, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the movies you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun!

() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x)Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
()Blazing Saddles
(X)Airplane
Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
(x) Saw II
(x) White Noise
(x) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(X)50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total so far: 17

() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 19

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
() Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(x) The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 24

(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
() Robots
Total so far: 28

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
Total so far: 37

() A Cinderella Story
()The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
()Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
()Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving Christmas
() Flubber
Total so far: 39

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
(x)Chicago
(x)Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
(X) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 44

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
() Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 50

() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Seven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
(x) Lone Star
() Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 58

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
(x) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
() Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 65

() Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
() Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
() Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 73

() X-Men
() X2
() X-3
(x) Spider-Man
() Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
() Shrek 2
Total so far: 79

() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old-virgin
Total so far: 84

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
() Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 89

() Baseketball
(x) Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
(x) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
() Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 93

() The Jacket
()Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x)Monsters Inc.
(x)Titanic
()Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 97

() High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
() Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 100

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
(x) Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far:102

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
() Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 106

() The Matrix
() The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
() Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total so far: 107

Anybody make it this far down the list?