Tales from the Junior High Lunchroom, Take Two

I have nothing super fun to report today. There were no almost-fights, no throwing up in the hall, no nerds getting kicked off of their table, complete with irate Kerri getting in the bullies' faces. Pretty much a quiet day...

But observing junior high schoolers is never boring. It's a little microcosm of society...the loners, the goths, the sports kids, the troublemakers, the emo kids, the popular girls. Wow. I just dug it.

Apparently, this look is hot (although it shouldn't be):


And some girls love long nails (although they shouldn't):


And boys have long crazy hair (and I have no problem with that):


Also, some kids look ten, and others, no lie, look 18.

Oh, and boys with black nail polish? Never a good look.

Orchestra Feeding America National Food Drive

David asked me to pass this on. If any of you are interested in participating, you can drop food off at our house before March 27, and David will take it to Abravanel Hall. And if you don't live near us, you can contact an orchestra in your neck of the woods.

1 in 8? Is that for real? How terrible are those numbers?

This American Life...Ruining It for the Rest of Us

I'm secretly addicted to This American Life. (Why is it a secret? I guess it's not. I'm not ashamed. It's not like the secret that I really wish I...oh wait, I can't share that. That's a real secret.)

I think Ira Glass is funny. I love all the quirky personalities, the comedy, the serious segments. Sometimes there's a dud or two, but most of the time it's excellent company while I run.

So I was listening to an episode last week. This is the episode in question. The prologue was fascinating. Basically, a researcher wanted to see what happened when a bad apple joined a small group...how would the group respond? He hired an actor to act one of three personality types: a jerk, a lazy guy, or someone who was depressed. This actor would join a group of three other students who were asked to do a task of some sort together. The results were amazing. The guy took down every group he was in except for one. The productivity dropped. The group dynamic suffered.

But in one group, there was a student who took charge. The researcher says that he was just a natural leader who wouldn't let the mood in the group be dictated by negativity. He kept the spirits up, he asked questions of the other students to redirect them from the actor's snide comments. Their group actually performed better than the control groups, despite the actor's efforts.

It may be the optimist in me, but I'm glad there was a positive spin on the research after all. Someone around us might be a jerk, might be dragging down the group, but it is possible to change that. Hooray for optimism.

Oh, and you have to listen to Act Two. Hilarious.

And since I'm on the This American Life bandwagon, here's another of my favorites: Music Lessons. Oh my goodness. David Sedaris is always funny, and his story is great. Sarah Vowell is also super funny. And then Anne Lamott's segment made me cry. In the middle of my run. I love Anne Lamott.

25 Random Things

You know that 25 Random Things about Me list that's going around Facebook? Yeah, I did it, and I sounded really boring. So I started thinking about the 25 Random Things about Me that I wouldn't want anyone to know. That made me laugh. But I'm sorry, I can't list any of them, because I don't want anyone to know them.

Here's another 25 Random Things about Me list, though. This one lacks secrets, but maybe there's something on it you didn't know.

1. As a child, I was sure I'd be a veterinarian. I think it was all those James Herriot "All Creatures Great and Small" books I devoured.

2. When I got to high school and realized I didn't appear to have a science brain, I decided I'd go into international business, law, or be a French teacher. Music was not on the list until the summer before I started college, when I realized I didn't want to do anything else.

3. I tried out for high school drill team. And cheerleading. I didn't make either. (This verges on the secret list, but it's not quite embarrassing enough. I mean, it's embarrassing, don't get me wrong. But it's not humiliatingly so.)

4. My first kiss was terrible. A terrible memory. (Another one that could be on the secret list, but I'll leave it at that.)

5. I loved French in high school (see #2) and took 2 years of French in college. I've helped translate for French refugees and taught Sunday School in French. This makes me sound like I can actually communicate in another language. I promise you that is not the case. I have helped translate only when no one else is available, and the translations involve a lot of laughter, blushing in embarrassment, and "Je ne sais pas!" And let's not talk about the Sunday School class...

6. When I was a freshman in high school, I was sure I'd have no kids, one kid, or POSSIBLY two kids. It was a little stressful to be the oldest of seven (then eight, then nine.) Now I love my huge family. (But four kids are plenty for us.)

7. I threw toast at my mom in high school. On more than one occasion.

8. I daydream a lot. About all kinds of crazy things.

9. I have nightmares about being in the audience at the symphony when I realize I'm the concerto soloist for a concerto I've never practiced. I rush backstage, trying desperately to learn the concerto in the 30 minutes I have before I'm supposed to be onstage. I hate this dream.

10. In high school, I layered open button-down shirts over t-shirts that were sometimes pilfered from my dad's drawer (ahh, the 80's.) Once I came home from school, sat down to have my afternoon snack, and my mom said, horrified, "Where did you get that shirt?" I looked down and realized it was one of my dad's garment shirts. I had grabbed a shirt from the wrong drawer...

OK, 25 things aren't happening. Ten are enough. I'm boring myself.

I Heart The Office

The Christmas Office episode was wrong (and hysterical) on so many levels (Meredith's intervention...Phyllis ratting out Dwight and Angela after thoroughly enjoying her party-planning blackmail. Sweet.), but I seriously loved Princess Unicorn.

Enjoy.

(Oh my goodness, did I seriously just post about a TV show?)

(Yup. I did.)

Taggarific

Malisa tagged me...

5 Shows I Love to Watch:

1. The Office
2. Project Runway
3. Top Chef
4. So You Think You Can Dance
5. hmmmm...that's about it. I like Arrested Development on DVD, too.

5 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Thai Siam
2. Log Haven
3. Cafe Rio
4. Citris Grill
5. really, anything I don't have to cook that is not McD's...

5 Things That Happened Yesterday:

1. Went to dinner with David. We got to have a date! Yippee!
2. Read a book
3. Paid bills
4. Had a headache
5. Did lots and lots of laundry

5 Things I Look Forward To: (ok, 7)

1. The kids in bed
2. Running when it's not 35 degrees
3. Reading
4. Dates with David
5. Happy family time
6. Good, thoughtful conversations
7. Feeling the Spirit

5 Things I Love About Fall:

1. Running through crunchy leaves
2. The colors
3. Wearing sweaters
4. My birthday
5. Wassail

5 Things on My Wish List

1. Steinway
2. Everyone in my life to be happy
3. For the political process to be simpler and more positive (is that like asking for world peace?)
4. World peace
5. The habit of going to sleep earlier

5 People I Tag

1. Christina
2. Liz
3. Jessie
4. Karissa
5. Janae
5a. Seriously, I tag you all. If you want to do it, go for it. If you don't, don't. I'm easy like that.

I Love Some Things

I try very hard to control my tendency towards materialism, but I must admit that there are some things that I LOVE. These are Things-with-a-capital-T because I really really like them. I don't really want to live without them. Is that so wrong?

So here are my top five Things:

1. My Bob Duallie Ironman Stroller.

Yes, it's true. My number one Thing is a STROLLER. How can it be? Well, if I didn't have this three-wheeled wonder, my bottom would be parked at home instead of running four mornings a week. And therefore, said bottom would be larger than it currently is. Ben loves to run. I love to run. The Ironman makes us both happy. This morning at 6:30, we spent four miles greeting the dawn. It was perfect. Thank you, Bob.
2. My Garmin Forerunner 305.

(This pic is actually the 205, but they look nearly the same.) Why do I love this watchy Thing? Well, before I owned it, I spent a lot of time driving over courses, trying to determine a new 3 mile route, or a six mile route or whatever. It took time. It took gas. My kids thought I was weird, driving up and down street after street. But now I have my little GPS unit telling me how far I've gone, how slow I'm going, and how way-too-fast my heart rate is. I love this watch. It is my friend.
3. My camera.

I just love my camera. I love it. I love its lenses, too, but I didn't list them today. It feels so good to hold you, camera dear. Thanks for all the fun.
4. My iMac.

I've converted wholeheartedly. iLife Suite, I love you, too. Sorry, brothers. I know you love your PCs, but Mac and I will live happily ever after.
5. My Yamaha U1.

I shouldn't be rude about this. It's ungrateful. I have a love/hate relationship with my Yamaha U1. I love him because he's a reliable, dutiful friend. He mostly stays in tune. His touch is not too hard, not too soft. We have had a lot of great times over the years, and he's made me lots of money. BUT...
He's not a Steinway. Or even a C3. So, I love him, but I'll dump him as soon as I can get my hands on something better. Sorry, U1. You deserve someone who'll love you for who you are. Maybe one day, but until then, I'll treat you mostly right (tunings twice a year, polishing when I get around to it. You know the drill.)

So these are my Favorite Things. Maybe if I'm sincerely grateful for them, I won't fall into the materialism trap? I can hope, anyway.