Single-Sex Public Education

I haven't had the chance to read this entire article yet, but it discusses the trend in public education to switch to single-sex classrooms. This is something that I am very in favor of, as I definitely saw the difficulties that coed classes could encourage, especially in high school, during my own education. The article discusses the different learning styles that males and females thrive with, and how single-sex education can nurture that. Check it out.

Friday Finally

I'm having an "I hate NY" morning, for various reasons that I will not detail here. But I will say, as much I dislike so much of what NY is about, I am extremely lucky to work where I do, with a group of people who are really down to earth, friendly and very cool.

That being said, I am dedicating the video below to my friend who put it in my head (he knows who he is). Pulling it up on YouTube, I was struck by the description - "its by michael jackson and a couple of people. and its super touching :]" I have a feeling that whoever wrote that did NOT grow up in the 80's. Anyway, enjoy! It's one of the most awesome videos ever:

LOTD

Ok, I admit that I have fallen into teeny bopper land with today's LOTD, but I heard this song too many times during my trip and it's now stuck in my head (and I kinda like it).


Taylor Swift
Teardops on My Guitar


Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see
That I want and I'm needing everything that we should be
I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about
And she's got everything that I have to live without

Drew talks to me, I laugh cause it's so damn funny
That I can't even see anyone when he's with me
He says he's so in love, he's finally got it right,
I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night

[Chorus:]

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star
He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do

Drew walks by me, can he tell that I can't breathe?
And there he goes, so perfectly,
The kind of flawless I wish I could be
She'd better hold him tight, give him all her love
Look in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky cause

[Repeat Chorus]

So I drive home alone, as I turn out the light
I'll put his picture down and maybe
Get some sleep tonight

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only one who's got enough of me to break my heart
He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do
He's the time taken up, but there's never enough
And he's all that I need to fall into..

Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see.

Morning

I'll start with the bad - I had a yucky nightmare last night. The kind that made me force myself to wake up so it would stop. I didn't want to go back to sleep afterwards. I think I need to stop reading horror novels.

Next the funny - In my email this morning was an off to join "Black Voices." I just find it amusing considering the number of people in life who have told me that my name belongs to a black woman.

Globbing

Once in a while, Princess D actually comes up with a pretty good idea. She will be donating a dollar (that is $1) to the Ahavas Israel Charity Fund in Baltimore (a very worthy cause if I do say so) for each blogger who decides to glob. Very few rules to the game, just do a post about globbing and send it to Diana and she will donate a dollar. Deadline is Purim.

Because I thought it was such a good idea, I decided to match whatever she raises. And I think you should too. Let Diana know if you're in.

Back in NJ

I'm back in New Jersey, as of late last night. My return trip was much less eventful than my trip to Alabama. My flight even got in half an hour early! Who would have ever imagined it was possible?

It was a really nice visit, a nice break from the cold weather, an opportunity to see and spend lots of time with family and meet some new people as well. I gladly missed the snow and was quite happy to see that most of it was gone by the time I returned. (Though I did manage to slip on ice and land on my butt on the way to claiming my car.)

I'm tired, but glad to have had a nice visit - now it's back to the grind :)

Blogging from Bama

I managed to get myself to Alabama for a weekend visit very late last night. I have decided that I HATE traveling. I don't know if it is flying out of New York airports that is the problem, or if it is everywhere, but between the airlines and whoever makes all the rules for them, it's not so much fun. Some of the highlights of my trip so far:

Being extremely proud of myself for packing so light that I only needed a carry-on suitcase and not even my backpack. Then being told when trying to board the plane that it was full and I had to check my suitcase anyway.

Getting boarded and ready to go for my flight on time. Then being told that air traffic control has decided that we can't take off for another hour and 15 minutes. But another plane wants to use our gate, so we pushed off, were no longer allowed to use any electronic devices and had to sit. And sit. And sit.

Having a very bumpy flight.

Having my cell phone slide out of my purse and almost to the rear of the plane without my knowledge, causing a huge panic when we land and I can't find my phone.

Good things that happened:

The very, very nice man sitting next to me getting down on the floor to search for my phone and offering to let me use his phone.

Another passenger who actually found my phone, and a third passenger who played matchmaker between the guy who found it and me, finally reuniting me with my phone. Phew.

My brand new GPS has now been named "Lance." He has a sexy British voice and tells me in no uncertain terms what he wants to do to me when we reach our destination. It's hilarious.

I missed the snow! I've been informed that there is white stuff all over in New York. Nope, not sad I'm missing it at all. It's in the 60's here and the break I needed from winter.

Sweet Home Alabama!

Random Wondering

I've completely enamored with Gila and her blog (hint, hint, go read it) due to her fine writing and wry sense of humor. But in reading this post, I can't help but wonder - are female suicide bombers promised 72 virgins also? Or is that strictly reserved for the male suicide bombers? And if it's reserved for the men, why on earth would a woman choose to commit such an act?

Just wondering.

Settling

This article offers a bleak view of dating for single women. I agree with some of what she says, but I don't know that I am yet where she is (and honestly, I hope never to be). Long, but worth the read, even to just make you think about expectations in dating.

So Interesting

I have a co-worker who is from Jamaica, who is a Rastafarian. But he knows a ton of stuff about different religions. And he really likes the desserts I make, so I bring them in to share with him. This morning, two interesting things occurred in relation to him. The first was that he brought me Yogi tea with echinacea because I was telling him the other day that I keep getting sick and need something to boost my immune system. The other really interesting thing is that he and his wife had a baby girl this weekend. And they chose to name her Binah, which is Hebrew for "understanding." Which, when I told him, he already knew and that was why he chose that name. He then explained to me the idea of chochmah and binah and said he's always wanted to name his daughter that.

From PostSecret

Anyone want to translate this for me?

VOTD

Today's video is one of my old favorites, from the Nixons, Sister:

Here I am again,
Overwhelming feelings
A thousand miles away
From your ocean home
Part of me is near

Thoughts of what we were invade
The miles that stand between
We can't separate
Your all I hoped you'd become

Sister I see you
Dancing on the stage
Of memory
Sister I miss you

Fleeting visits pass
Still they satisfy
Reminders of the next
Overshadow goodbye
Our flames burn as one

Sister I see you
Dancing on the stage
Of memory
Sister I miss you

All I am begins with you
Thoughts of hope understood
Half of me breathes in you
Thoughts of love remain true

Here we are again saying goodbye
Still we fall asleep underneath the same sky
You're all I knew you'd become

Sister I see you
Dancing on the stage
Of memory
Sister I miss you

Entwined, you and I
Our souls speak from across the miles
Intertwined, you and I
Our blood flows from the same inside
Half of me, breathes in you
Thoughts of love remain true

I see you, I feel you
When I close my eyes
I see walking there...
I see you dancing in my mind



In other news, I am apparently allergic to pine nuts. I had a delicious dinner of pasta covered in pesto sauce the other night and woke up the next morning with a hideously swollen lip. And nothing I have taken seems to help. So, just call me Angelina Jolie or whatever actress has those huge swollen lips.

I'm heading to Alabama for a break from the cold for a few days. Should be nice to see the family and get away from this crazy city. I'll try to bring back some warm weather with me.

And a bonus video. I was totally not a fan of this song when I first heard it, but it's has grown on me. This is Ingrid Michaelson with The Way I Am:

Worth It

I had a really good day at my internship yesterday. I had a session with one of the students that I have been working with regularly. For one of the first times, we really discussed who she is and how she really feels about things, rather than just the events that occurred during the past week. The things we discussed weren't incredibly easy for her to share, but I think she was glad that she did. It made me feel good that we have developed a relationship where I have earned her trust enough for her to let me really see who she is behind the facade she shows everyone else. Another student told me how much she enjoys coming because it's the only place she can really talk about things - her friends don't care or listen to her without judgment and she has a really tough time at home.

I've found myself discussing my internship with people and feeling a real passion for what I am doing now. I don't know if I have ever felt the same way - like I am doing something that is truly worthwhile, even if just in a small way. And that I am doing a good job at it.

It is honestly a huge relief. After so many years of learning theory and hoping that I really did choose the right path for myself, it is incredible to feel the sense of fulfillment that I do when talking to students. All the crazy long days and working so hard are worth it.

So Weird

As most people who read this probably know, I haven't been feeling very well the last week. So I decided to take the weekend easy, stay in, and rest up so that this upcoming week would hopefully be manageable. So, I ended up falling asleep for a nap a couple hours ago. I forced myself out of it, knowing that I am going to have trouble sleeping tonight, and because it's after 4 PM and I realized I haven't really eaten all day. So I went into the kitchen to make myself something to eat and I noticed it was getting really dark while I was doing so. A minute later, I look out and there's a blizzard going on! Crazy! Of course now, about 20 minutes later, it seems to be almost over. I feel like I'm in Detroit or something.

My Dream

I'm just now making it through some really old emails and I came across this one, courtesy of my RCF, about new tourist space flights. Way cool - as soon as I win the lottery - I'm in!

I'm Still Alive

I've been MIA in blogging lately. I don't know if it's that I just don't have anything to share, or that I just am not in the mood to do so these days.

I took my huge exam last Friday. It was as I expected - extremely intense, I regurgitated a LOT of information (16 pages worth in 3-1/2 hours!) - but I'm pretty sure I managed to pass. From here on out, I have a couple projects to do, but it's just about smooth sailing towards graduation. Now I just have to find a job for next year.

I was extremely inspired by five of my friends who recently ran the Marathon/Half-Marathon in Miami in support of Chai Lifeline which does amazing work for children with cancer and other terminal illnesses. I have decided that I want to run the half-marathon next year, so I will start training when I graduate - anyone wanna join me?

I continue to be completely obsessed with The Wire, and bought myself Season 3 on DVD as a reward for completing my big exam. Check it out if you get the chance, it really is excellent. Oh, and word from SaraK, who is the authority on this stuff, is that Grey's Anatomy will be showing new episodes soon, for those of us still in withdrawal.

Not too much else going on. Work has been busy. I've been sick a couple times in the last few weeks, I think my body is tired of winter and the city and just begging for a break. The good news is that I have a trip scheduled to Alabama soon - hopefully it will be the reprieve I need.

That's all I got. Happy Wednesday to everyone!