I'm also a Carousel!

Thanks Gail - this is very addicting!!

You Are a Carousel

You are young at heart and a truly playful person. No one would ever accuse you of taking life too seriously. You are definitely in things for the fun. You find joy easily, and you are often building up anticipation for your next adventure. In relationships, you tend to want to be babied and taken care of. And while you may be a bit high maintenance, you are incredibly loyal. Your life is simple and satisfying. Each day you treat yourself to something you enjoy. You have a lot of emotional attachments, and experiences are extra vivid to you. You tend to be nostalgic and sentimental. The past is important to you. Comfortable around all living things, you have a special connection to animals and children. At your best, you are whimsical, free spirited, and creative. Even if your schemes seem a bit strange, they usually work out wonderfully. At your worst, you are spoiled, demanding, and impossible to satisfy. You've been known to act like a brat if you aren't getting your way!

What Carnival Ride Are You?

I'm a Frappaccino

I got this quiz by following the link on Gail's blog. I am such a sucker for these kinds of things. I love quizzes, personality tests (see previous entry), and those dumb emails where you answer a bunch of questions and then forward it to all your friends. I am mildly interested in astrology too. Maybe I'm not-so-subtly trying to figure out who I am??

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Personality Test

Today I took the Facebook version of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. I took this test years ago - in my high school psychology class, I think. I've long since lost and forgotten the results, so I was curious to see what this popular personality test would reveal. I came out as an "ENFJ." Here is what that means:

E is for Extroversion. I am an extrovert which means I like to be with others and to talk things out rather than contemplate inside my own head. Sometimes I act before planning and thinking things out completely.

N is for Intuition. This means I am more interpretive about events than factual or detail oriented. Instead of systematically working through problems, I tend to brainstorm solutions (preferably in a group, of course).

F is for Feeling. This applies to how I approach decision-making situations. I am inclined to consider the feelings and points-of-view of others rather than the cold, hard facts when making decisions. I am a peace-maker and non-confrontational.

J is for Judging. This means that I approach my outer life with a sense of planning and forethought, and like to have things finished and decided. I am a checklist person and I don't procrastinate much.

Apparently ENFJs make good teachers. Hmmm.....

A Fun Visit

Ashli drove out from Phoenix for a quick visit this weekend. I always enjoy my time with her so much!! Knowing that we just had a short time together, we stayed up late talking, talking, talking both Friday and Saturday night.
On Saturday, we went to breakfast at World Famous, then spent some time shopping in Pacific Beach. We followed up with pedicures, then a wonderful dinner at Sushi on the Rock in La Jolla.

Nerd Dogs

I laughed until I cried over this one. Brandy does not know how lucky she is . . .

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Loves It!

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

September 11

Every morning, my students and I begin the day by writing in "Freewrite Notebooks." Everyone writes on a topic of choice, and students who would like to are able to share their writing aloud. This week, one of my students shared this lovely piece she had written. I don't think she would mind my passing it on. (Keep in mind that this family was living in Boston at the time - the two planes that crashed into the twin towers originated in Boston). I've corrected the spelling and left out any proper names for confidentiality:

September 11, 2001

A sad day especially for me. My uncle had his wedding September 12, 2001, so my dad was flying out on September 11, 2001. But thank goodness the flight was full. But I just think about it every day, how my dad could be gone forever and my little brother was just born. I was 2 and I think about how thankful I am and lucky I am for him to still be with me alive. And my first friend that we met at 6 months old, her dad worked at that twin tower building but amazingly took the day off. God let us both have our fathers today and I thank him so I pray happily to God every single September 11th. I will never forget that moment in my life. It's true. Ask my dad. The End

The Revenge of Pepe

My adventures with wildlife continued on Friday morning as Brandy and I went out for out 5:00 jog.
First of all, leaving my apartment complex, we saw a coyote trotting through the parking lot. It looked young, a lot like this one in the picture:It always blows me away how fearless suburban coyotes are. This one was not exception. When it saw us, it trotted a little ways away, jumped up onto the raised flowerbed, then just turned around and stared at us. Brandy did not even see it, fortunately - the last thing I wanted was her barking and lunging at a coyote! As we trotted past, coyote kept it's eyes trained on me, sizing me up without flinching or backing away at all. What a cool animal!!
So, we made it out of the parking lot and had just turned the corner on my new, improved running route when we were once again startled by a rustle from the bushes. I screamed and jumped, but it was too late...we had been sprayed. Brandy was between me and the skunk, so she caught the brunt of it, poor girl. I swore five or six times in a row, and we turned around and trotted back home.
The smell was actually not too strong, I guess because it was just a little skunk. But I had to throw away my running pants and Brandy's leash, and Brandy needed two baths, one of them with tomato juice. We are stink-free now! I dearly hope we've fulfilled our skunk quota for the month!!

Walking Into Spider Webs

I need to plan out a new jogging route. Mine is fraught with perils, and I do not mean uneven sidewalks!! Currently, part of my run is on Ted Williams Parkway, along a sidewalk with large trees growing on the street side. It seems that spiders live on these trees, and this year must have been a baby boom year for spiders! In the past, I’ve been jogging merrily along and have run into a strand or two of spiderweb. But in the past week, I have twice run into what felt like the web of Shelob! Oh, and I jog at 5 A.M., when it is still pitch dark outside. Anyway, these icky, unexpected encounters with Aragog’s fly-catching net of course necessitate my stopping, cursing loudly and then dancing and hopping around while I repeatedly brush off every inch of my body to make sure that a massive 8-legged beast is not crawling around in my hair. Brandy patiently watches, and I’m pretty sure she is laughing at me.

So, I thought, I will just run in the street - avoid the trees all together. I tried that today and it’s true, I didn’t run into any spiderwebs. But running in the bike path on Ted Williams Parkway during the wee morning hours with a dog alongside and cars whizzing by at 60+ miles per hour didn’t seem exactly...safe. In fact, I was a teensy bit terrified for my life.

Just when I though I had it made, having avoided the tarantulas and death by speeding commuters, I nearly had my arm yanked off as Brandy lunged into the bushes. She does this quite regularly on my runs if she sees a little bunny or a bird. But today, I looked to see what she was after and saw a fluffy black and white tail disappearing around the bend. Cursing again, I yanked Brandy back before she continue to pursue little Pepe. Luckily, there was no spraying and we were able to continue unscathed.

These morning jogs are meant to keep me in good health, not result in a venomous spider bite, being run over by a speeding SUV, or desecration by skunk. So, tomorrow morning before I go to work I will measure out a new 4-mile course for Friday's run - hopefully spider, traffic, and Pepe-free!!