Thank you, Wesley Clark!

Might as well face it...
Robert Palmer's passing hit me hard. I am, and will always be, a fan of the man and his music. I saw him in concert twice at venues that were comical in their sharp contrast with the slick British rocker - one, a mosquito-infested Oklahoma amphitheater, the other a dust-filled rodeo arena in rural Arkansas. At both, he gave his all. With his chic suits, clever lyrics and cat-eyed video vixens, Palmer epitomized the '80s like no one else.

No pill's gonna cure my ill...

He will be missed.

...and a big Happy Birthday to my friend Mary!
September 24, 2003...a day that will live...well, hopefully, not in infamy. September 24th was my first time teaching real students, eighth graders no less! They were wonderful, although, I have a suspicion that they may have been threatened the day before by my mentor teacher. What a guy! I taught an introductory lesson about descriptive writing, AND, to my surprise, I did not make a complete idiot of myself! I was able to speak coherently and rationally, and I didn't trip over anything. Okay, I did trip over a chair, but it was just a little trip. No one snickered or anything.

I just finished grading the papers from my descriptive writing homework assignment. The papers were real eye-openers. I guess I had forgotten how poorly 14-year-old kids write. Not that I ever wrote like that (that was a joke). I taught both first and second periods, so I was exposed to about 45 kids, and all I can say is, so far, so good!

This job is not for the faint of heart.
When I dropped off Tony at preschool he cried. I know this is not unusual, but it is for MY child who is SO independent, and has never cried before when I would leave him with someone. It broke my heart. It wasn't so much his crying that did it, as it was his clinging onto my leg...the clinging on that took place just before the crying started...the clinging hands that I had to pry off my person as I turned to walk away - that is what broke my heart.

Today was my first day in my mentor teacher's classroom. I got to pick up papers, and grade quizes, and the teacher set the date for my first lesson, Sept. 22...YIKES! I'm in his class for first and second period. First period starts with a Channel 1 news broadcast, a kids news program broadcasted by satellite throughout the school. When the school subscribes to Channel 1 TV for a set number of years, they receive free TVs for every room. Pretty cool, except that companies can advertise on the program, so it's used as a marketing tool for candy, movies, etc. Today's episode had Haley Joel Osment as guest co-host and they covered Pres. Bush's speech last night. The kids in the class were not very interested in that particular topic, as one can imagine.

Both classes are 8th grade English and both are reading The Outsiders, so add that to my list of things to read (sigh).

And I thought riding the Branson Ducks was cool...
This is the most amazing thing to me. If I had an extra $250,000 laying around I just might get one, although, my husband driving this is a frightening thought!!! Check out the Aquada!

Happy Birthday to Me!
My birthday was the 28th. I spent it wiping the noses of my three sick babies. Enough said.

I think I'm turning Japanese, oh yes I'm turning Japanese, I really think so...
I'm so envious of my friend, Carlene, who recently took a teaching job in Japan. Not that I want to go to Japan, but it is a very cool opportunity for her and her husband who got to tag along. Last I heard, they had visited a MEGA 8-STORY ELECTRONICS STORE (or something like that). Way to take in the culture, guys! If you would like to follow their adventures...uh...or MISadventures, check out Steven and Carlene.

hmm...

Just wanted to share a few things I found interesting in the last few weeks. First, I'm still shocked and amazed that Steve Burns, former host of Blues Clues, has released an album (note, I called it an album...really showing my age here)of grown-up music. His album is entitled, Songs for Dust Mites, and for anyone interested, it can be heard at his website, Steve's Webpage . Steve describes his music as "sweet sounding songs about science and love." I can't quite decide if I like them or not.

Second, I just finished reading The Great Puke Off by Pat Pollari, psydonym for reclusive writer Katherine Applegate. Interesting that this grossest-of-the-gross book was written by a woman because it really speaks the language of 11-year-old boys. Apparently I do too because I found the book very entertaining. Yes, it is not very academic, but if it gets a reluctant reader to read it can't be all bad.

Lastly, I recently read an article about people who are obsessed with the music played on The Weather Channel. The music guy for the network said he gets email and phone calls daily from fans who request music and/or compile lists of all songs played while the local weather is being shown. And you thought I had too much time on my hands. Here's a good example of what I am talking about Matt's Guide to the Weather Channel.

Lea Ann
That's my name, just in case you need to know.