A very short list…

Vs.

Now I am in absolute LOVE with Practical Magic (the movie), so I decided to read the book [the book is always better than the movie, right?]

Unfortunately I’ll have to add Practical Magic onto my very short list of Movies that are better than the book. [the only other movie/book on this list is Angels & Demons by Dan Brown].

So for those of you who have never seen Practical Magic, it’s filled with magic, mystery, love, loss, and laughter. I have always had a deep love of witches and all things magical. The book is filled with sex, the F-bomb, and not much magic. While it was fun to get to know the characters more, i feel like i connect with them more in the movie.

At least I still have the movie :)

the magic of music

i have two things i want to discuss first: my desire to dance, and my stirrings to strum (like those alliterations?)

My Desire to Dance

So i started zumba a little while ago—granted i haven’t gone in like a month, but i did START :) Anyway, so i started zumba and this magic began to well up inside me. i can’t explain it. i’ve never been a dancer. well that’s not entirely true. i danced ballet as a little kid and took a couple months of Irish step, but in neither case was i ever good enough to call myself a “dancer.”

Understand that for me, calling yourself something, like a runner or surfer or teacher implies that you ARE it. it is possible to run and not be a runner, to surf and not be a surfer, to teach and not be a teacher. see what i mean? so when i say i have never been a dancer, i mean i have never been a dancer.

Zumba, like Irish step dance, watered the teeny tiny seed i call dance. today, while driving home, Jake played a song. it was swing. my feet itched to tap and my hips wanted to sway (but of course swaying is hard in a car). we came home and Jake tried (for the bazillionth time, i might add) to teach me some swing steps. Now my body may have this little seed, but i think the one reason i never became a dancer was my complete lack of coordination. i’ve decided i’m going to try zumba-ing in the comfort of my own home. starting tomorrow. …well, i’ll try to start tomorrow. i’m not making any promises ;)

My Stirrings to Strum

So, as many of you know, we’ll be going to Korea to teach English for a year (or so). We’re pretty excited. one thing i’m pretty stoked about is learning to play the banjo. that’s right. i’m going to leave my guitar at Jake’s dad’s (or somewhere similar) and buy a banjo while we’re in Korea (and learn to play it). And this is going to be the first song i learn on it :)

i love this song ;)

a week :/

so seven days of pills and drops should get my ear back in working order. Here's the sitch:
my inner ear is clogged with water & bacteria (ew and OW) and my outer ear is red and swollen; so, best as i can figure anyway, i've got drops for the outer ear and antibiotics (pills) for the inner ear. Mostly, i just want my ear to stop hurting. Do you know how loud breathing is? and I can HEAR myself walk, not like my footsteps, noo, i mean like the actual impact of foot on ground. i CANNOT teach like this. i feel miserable and i can barely talk above a whisper because i can hear myself, and not only is it really annoying, but it makes it hard to think. i can't speak in my teacher-voice :(

pain, pain, go away....and don't come back...at least not as an ear infection...

misery is an earache :(

no amount of chocolate can help suppress the misery i am feeling with this darn ear. all of the sudden this morning, i felt pressure in my ear, now this wasn’t the first time i’ve felt it. the other times it went away. well, now it’s gotten worse. it hurts like a toothache. it hurts when i smile, laugh, yawn. it’s sensitive to loud sounds and movement. any ideas on what to do??

blagh.

No -Poo!

I'm officially going No-Poo (all this means is I am no longer using store-bought shampoo)

Don't worry, I won't be a stinky hippie :) I am still washing my hair, just not with chemicals anymore. Here's what I use:

1 tbsp baking soda/ 1 cup water

mix and multiply until my little bottle is filled (usually just a doubled recipe) I just brush it through my hair. I usually--didn't today cause I went to the gym and showered here at school--also do a honey rinse (1 tsp honey + 1 quart water). After my hair is washed, and I'm no longer bubbly and sudsy from soap (usually after the shower is off) and I just soak my hair in it. It's supposed to make my hair shiny and pretty :) it does--when i take the time to blow dry my hair after.

Well I'm on my second day; I've washed my hair with the baking soda mix before, but now it's ALL i'm using! wish me luck.

The urge to splurge on words

Have you ever been overcome by the powerful urge to write? and finally find the time to sit down and write only to discover you really have nothing important or profound to say?

yeah, i'm having one of those kind of days.

i guess sometimes i forget how lucky i am that i can express myself through words. there are lots of people who dislike writing (and reading for that matter). i can't imagine who i would be without writing. what would i be without words? yeah, people don't always laugh at my clever jokes (well, i think they're clever), but i still get a kick out of the enjoyment of finding words to make people laugh (every blue moon when they actually get my joke; jake says i don't let the joke marinate, but i can't wait forever)

i'm once again stuck in the rut i find myself in come October every year. the uncontrollable desire for magic in my life. (what does this have to do with writing? stick around and find out :p) i'm reading a series about a girl who's grown up in the Wicca religion and finds herself questioning whether or not it's true.

i kind of got knocked off track. my thought train wrecked and i forgot what i came here to say. the urge is still there, and well, if i get a ticket for that train again, i promise to let you know all about the journey and destination. until then, Merry Part ;)

Hello October!

i am desperate to add some fall colors to our little abode. we'll see if that actually happens. :) we can't use tapes, or stickies, or pretty much anything....so it's going to take some MAJOR creative juices to figure out how to get our tiny, little, obnoxiously-small studio (it's TINY!) all ready for the brilliance of Fall (which doesn't seem to exist in Hawaii...) that's ok.

So far school is going well. Teaching is a lot of fun, and my student seem to soak it all up. I really hope they learn to do that throughout their college experience, not just their Freshman year. One thing i really want to stress to them is to take what they learn in this class and help apply it to OTHER classes. for some reason the average student does not do this. they do not say, "OH! my last English teacher wanted a thesis statement, that must mean my English teacher NOW wants a thesis statement." You know?

I've been writing a lot :) I've started a new story. I won't tell you too much about it. There's a lot i'm still trying to figure out. if you're REALLY curious, let me know :)

i love Hawaii, it's wonderful...for summer.
But
(Warning: complaining Danica is coming out for a brief--hopefully--vent session)

i
want
fall

I want beautiful red and gold leaves. I want chilly and crispy air. i want to snuggle up in the wonderful quilt my mother-in-law made and read a good book, while everyone else runs around in the cold outside :)

ok. well. that's all for now