Nobody Said It Was Easy...

Confession

I am not fanatical or anything, but generally I try to be good to our environment. I bring my own bags to the grocery store, I recycle, I drive a small car, and I try to limit my water use. However, I am totally hooked on disposable cleaning wipes. I've tried to give up this habit many times by switching to a spray-and-cloth method of cleaning, but I always end up going back to those huge tubs of disinfecting cloths from Costco. I am weak, I can't help it!!

Another Set of Questions

These surveys are flying around Facebook all of a sudden. This one was handed off to me by Natalie. Again, I am eliminating some of the questions to pare it down a little:

Do you like blue cheese?
Ick!

Have you ever smoked?
Not tobacco...

Do you own a gun?
Haha, would you believe me if I said yes? Didn't think so.

Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Only if I know I'll be giving blood.

What do you think of hot dogs?
I like veggie dogs!

Favorite Christmas movie?
It's a Wonderful Life

What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Venti soy green tea latte

Can you do push-ups?
Maybe 2 or 3!

Middle name?
Anne

Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
The aforementioned green tea latte
Water
Sam Adams

Current worry?
Whether my hip will get better so I can start running again.

Favorite place to be?
Cuddled up in bed with a loved one. I think this is my dog's favorite place to be too, as she's my current cuddle partner!

How did you bring in the new year?
With grapes, a broom, luggage and coins at Todd and Karla's New Year party.

Where would you like to go?
Australia is at the top of my list.

Do you own slippers?
I got some for Christmas and gave them to Meg. I can't stand wearing slippers or socks for very long.

Can you whistle?
Yes, but not in the loud, cool way.

Would you be a pirate?
If Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom were on the ship, sure!

Favorite Girl's Name?
Brighid

Favorite boy's name?
Joseph

Last thing that made you laugh?
The "Motivational Posters" email Ashli sent me.

What vehicle do you drive?
Audi A3

Worst pain you've ever had?
A couple of years ago I had a very painful hysterosalpingogram. I think I got a little taste of what labor will feel like...

Do you love where you live?
I don't love the city, but I do love my peeps. I'd like to try living somewhere else but can't imagine leaving my friends or job.

How many TVs do you have in your house?
Just the one, which is rarely on.

Do you collect anything?
My Winnie the Pooh collection stays in my classroom. At home - shoes?

Favorite Sports Team?
The Oakland Athletics

Arrested Development

Finally, here's a show I cannot jinx! Arrested Development aired on Fox for three seasons, and was cancelled in 2006. Because it received rave reviews, I had tried watching it a couple of times during its original run, but it's the type of show that's really hard to pick up if you haven't watched it from the beginning.
Thanks to the magic of Hulu.com, I have been able to do just that - watch Arrested Development beginning with the pilot. I've only watched two episodes so far, but this is one of the funniest, best written things I've ever seen. Everything about Arrested Development is awesome. Watch it!

Centering...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely reliable about one thing: I look for the positive in every situation. I started writing in this blog regularly last summer (if you're reading this on Facebook, it's much prettier at http://sdjennyhow.blogspot.com/) as a way to keep seeing the silver lining - a sort of gratitude journal, if you will.

Here are some of the things that I am grateful for...

• My dog, Brandy
• Cosmopolitan magazine
• Nachos
• When my students say "thank you" as I'm passing out tests
• Coming home to my own place
• Immersing myself in a film at the theater for a couple of hours
• Toddlers who grin at me
• The baristas at Starbucks who start my drink as soon as I walk in the door
• This American Life podcasts
• Madonna
  
• A good glass of wine ... a good beer ... a good gin and tonic ...
  
• That the teacher next door to me always patiently listens to my sob stories, even if the bell is going to ring in 1 minute
• Hot tubs
• The internet
• Coupons
  
• Not having a single regret when it comes to love
  

Summer Vacation

It's February... the groundhog has predicted six more weeks of winter, spring training is right around the corner, and I can officially start thinking about summer!

My grad school application is in, and if I am accepted and can somehow scrape together the financing, I will be in school this July. And assuming I completely lose my mind and decide to teach at Young Writer's Camp again this summer, that would probably take care of the first two weeks of August.

But I'd really love to do a little traveling this summer, and it looks like the last two weeks of June or the last two weeks of August are what I will have available. So I have been using my Southwest credit card for everything, from groceries to utilities, trying to earn myself a free plane ticket before it's too late.

Two years ago I was able to take myself on a vacation to Maui using free Southwest tickets, but since this is no longer an option, I'm considering the following...

• Visiting Meggie in Kansas - a little taste of the Midwest might be good for me.
• A trip to a totally random place where I've never been - Chicago, maybe, or San Antonio.
• If the plane tickets don't work out, I could throw Brandy in the car and take a road trip up to Oregon and Washington - I love the pacific northwest, could hit the Ashland Shakespeare festival, and have several old friends I could visit along the way.

So many choices!

Octuplets mom gets TV, book offers

Huh, perhaps I should go the invitro route, too. Maybe I can become rich and famous that way!

Octuplets mom gets TV, book offers