Basking in the the little things

I am sitting here, gazing at the floor, enjoying the clean while it lasts. Before the day is over, it will be marked with footprints or shoe marks. The kitchen will get food or water spots. But, for the time being, the tile floor is clean. Clean with swirl marks but still clean. Cleaning the floors, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, is not my favorite chore. At all. Today, however, I did not go into my classroom, and so decided to clean as well as bake.

Tomorrow evening is the inaugural meeting of a small book club. It was born out of a discussion of The Great Gatsby. None of us can understand why it's considered the great American novel. So we decided to start a book club, and the roommie chose The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. Basically, don't read it. I mean, it had some interesting parts, but was just nothing like I expected, and the end was disappointing.

For the meeting, we decided to be wedding-themed. Food is something each member had or wants at her wedding. Being the baker I am, I chose to bring dessert. One thing I want is good cake. Let's be honest - most wedding cakes are not that great. I had a few ideas and recipes in mind, but ended up making a caramel banana cake. I discovered that making caramel is not as scary as I'd imagined. I made a bundt instead of a layer cake, and will pour the extra caramel sauce over it before serving. We may wear wedding attire - gowns, bridesmaid dresses, or a nice dress as if you were attending a wedding. The roommie might be wearing one of my old bridesmaid dresses, and I have another I may wear. I'm just worried it's going to be hot and uncomfortable.

Tomorrow, I ought to head back to school to try and work on lesson plans. My teacher guides are there, which I've not even cracked open yet. I have the calendars for each subject, but I still don't know what will be book work, what will be worksheets, etc.

Can't join the gym yet as it's almost $170 up front. I went a little crazy the past 2 weeks since I actually had money to spend. Debating whether I will actually leave the house today and head to Walmart. I don't want to go to Walmart, but they have cheap baking supplies. I don't really need to restock right now though. Maybe I'll just go in the pool instead.

msantimacassar I am ~240 pages (of 700) into Daniel Deronda, and I am only up to Grandcourt's second proposal, which happened at the end of ep. 1 of the miniseries. However, Daniel's history and his meeting Mirah were also in those pages. Oy, Gwendolyn is a spoiled brat! Still enjoying the story though. Can't wait to find out what scarred you for life.

meme from msantimacassar

Comment on this post and I will choose six interests from your profile. You will then explain what they mean/why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so that others can play along.



Arizona
Hmm, trying to remember if there was more reason to listing this than the fact that I live here. No, I think the fact that I moved here is why I added it to my interests way back when. I lived in California all my life before coming here 8 years ago for a job. A friend I'd known since 8th grade was already a teacher here, and helped me get a job at her school. Just checked my archive, and yesterday marked 8 years since I arrived.

Jane Austen
Jane, oh Jane. How do I love thee, Ms. Austen? Let me count the ways: Pride and Prejudice, Darcy, all your books, your leading men, your scoundrels, your smart female characters, the way you parts of Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park make me wish I could reach into the pages and shake Fanny Dashwood, Mrs. Ferrars, and Aunt Norris...that's just a start to the list. Watching P&P (2005) at holbytla's insistence was my gateway into period literature and movies.

Lord of the Rings
This is another fandom I was quite late in entering. Somehow I made it until 2003 before discovering the books existed. ROTK was in theaters when one of my coworkers and my friend ewanspotter said I needed to watch the movies. I had no idea what they were talking about. Later on, I vaguely remembered seeing a poster for TTT. Coworker loaned me FOTR, extended edition I think; I watched it and wondered what the heck I had just seen. A day or 2 later I found myself at Blockbuster (and I rarely rent movies) getting TTT. I watched that on a dark and dreary day, and got more into it. By the end of the same week, I was at the theater immediately after work to see ROTK. By then, I was hooked. I saw ROTK 4 times total in theaters and read the books in 6 weeks. My coworker friend was more than happy to feed my addiction, watching the movies over and over, sharing her books and introducing me to the wonderful world of dvd bonus features. Haunting ewanspotter on here led me me to start my own LJ so I could fangirl to my heart's desire.

Phantom of the Opera
In 8th grade, we sang a medley of Phantom songs for chorus. I loved them. My chorus teacher read us what I think was an abridged version of Leroux's story. We also watched a made for TV miniseries that I would love to find again. I think it's this one. A year or so later, I got to see the show on stage in San Francisco. Our seats were terrible but I didn't care. What I remember most about that show was how sad the Phantom sounded, and how you could hear his wail travel around the theater as he mourned for Christine. I read the book that year as well, and loved the descriptions of the opera house and the world below it that the Phantom had build for himself. I didn't have much more to do with Phantom until the 2004 movie came out, which I saw twice. I'm not a huge theater-goer, and so for me to see a movie twice (and in 3 days even) at the theater is a big deal.

The movie soundtrack used to live in my car, and is quite good for singing along to, loudly. :D

Road Trips
I've never minded car rides. Well, unless I'm stuck in the backseat and get carsick. Even then, I love going places. Before I could drive, I liked going on random rides with my dad, taking back roads and seeing the sights. I love driving. I love going places, new or old. I love truck stops and convenience stores. I'll drive alone or with someone. Each December, I make the ~13-hour drive to my hometown for Christmas. In 2001, I did an epic, cross-country trip with my dad. Every once in a while, I get an itch and just have to go somewhere for the day. My camera is usually close by so I can document the journey.

Teaching
I am a teacher, so I probably should be interested in teaching. :) You get used to/better at it, but really, no 2 days are alike. Each day is a challenge. Classes can eat you alive, and that's happened to me. I start again in a few weeks, EEK. I could write a novel on this topic, but will spare y'all.