Very Poor Post

Anybody out there? I would totally understand if you had given up on us ever posting again. It is a bad time for extracurricular writing in this household. Work Samples, Teaching Plans, Final Papers, and Finals abound. I am also working in a high school that is quite far away until Christmas break, and I have to work contract hours, so I keep falling asleep on the couch at 8:30. I wish I were joking. I haven't really taught yet, though I was in charge today. It was enough time to figure out that the dream teaching job definitely involves seniors. They are over the angst and they get jokes. It was fun going over the Pope Urban II speech with them today, and letting the conversation turn to the poor speaking skills of our current president. In reality, my time at the high school will be with freshmen, but now I know where I will be aiming eventually.
On to other news...we have tickets to come home for Christmas. So super excited. However, we paid to bring the dog on the plane as a carry-on. If the airline determines he is too big, we have no backup plan. We need all of your positive thoughts that Eliot will make it on the plane. Visualize, people! It also wouldn't hurt to visualize nice weather with no out of the ordinary ice anywhere. Thanks for your help.
We took Sergio parents to eat Pho over the holiday. They asked to go back two days later. Told you it was good.
Anyone else watching Campaign 2008 on CSPAN2? All the democrats are stating their cases with no interruptions. So much better than debates.

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll!

Our meal turned out really good this year, so here are our bragging pictures.

Our Day in Court

Yesterday I was a witness in a court case. Then later I was a juror in a different one. It was a long day. Confused? Ok, so they were mock trials for one of Sergio's classes. There were actually three altogether, one on Friday night and two on Saturday. I was tired, but Sergio was really exhausted, having done all three and switching between plaintiff and defense each time. And I have to say, the defense had an almost impossible case. Not only that, but after each "trial" two to three judges (real local judges and lawyers) would tell each team of lawyers exactly what they did wrong, and then allow the jury (a bunch of people who knew next to nothing about the law) to do the same. Brutal.

I was the witness the defense was trying to pin the crime on, rather than their client. I was the person to actually run over and kill the 12 year old child. Cheerful, huh? It turns out I was also a convicted felon and had two DUI's. I was given a deposition and no other information. This means that when I took the stand I didn't even know what kind of car I had been driving. If the deposition didn't say it, then I didn't know. We were also told that we could make small things up to fill in gaps, but we couldn't just pull stuff out of our butts, as it were, if it could affect the case. I did really well, I think, right up until the defense lawyers got...creative. Here is an actual exchange that took place.
Lawyer: "Ms. Dalton, your cell phone bill proves you were on your cell phone at the time of the accident. Is that right?"
Me: "It would appear so."
Lawyer: Ms. Dalton, do you have a hands-free phone set?
Prosecutors furiously nodding heads in the background, defense team shaking heads ominously.
Me: "Um...well...I don't really know about that."
Laywer: "Is that a yes Ms. Dalton."
Me: "No"
Lawyer: "Ms. Dalton, were you driving a manual or an automatic the day of the accident?"
Me: "Um, I really don't know that."
Lawyer, leaning in and whispering: "Just make something up."
Entire courtroom bursts into laughter.
Prosecutor: "Objecti..."
Judge: "Sustained!"

It was kind of fun to really see the process, and play around in the city courthouse. I think Sergio is really happy that it is all over. Not just the trials, but that whole class and his B paper, which is required for graduation. Beteen this and the FST's at the police department, law school has been a learning experience for us both on so many levels.

By the way, this is our 200th post.

Perseverance = Pointy Hat

I have been pretending to knit for about three years now. Until today I had made about seven mediocre scarves and three failed hats. The first one I decreased wrong, the second inverted on my round needles, and the third I gave up on thinking I had done something wrong. I hadn't. Anyway, I finally powered through and came up with the hat you see below. I call it Sergio's Big Bird Hat. It is pointy, sloppy, too small AND too big, and will probably fall apart in just a few days. But, darn it, it's a hat and you can't take that away from me.

Non Sequitur

What I wrote today in class instead of an answer to the teacher's question: I really like this pen. books books books. Dawn Nichole Dawn Nichole. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

We might be going to a Very Stinky Cheese Party on Saturday. It is what it sounds like.

Sergio would like SOMEONE to make him tea.

Widdershins means counterclockwise.

Sergio thinks bacon wrapped pork chops cooked in bacon fat sounds good. This is not kosher.

Most of my 7th grade boys can and will sing every word to a Hannah Montana song.

People arrested for DUI's always say they only had two drinks.

When we feed Eliot jalapenos he sounds like he has asthma.

The tv show Pushing Daisies makes me happy.

It costs $1.25 to wash clothes and $1.00 to dry them, totally screwing up a $10 roll of quarters.

Sergio just licked me in the face and now we have to divorce.

I'm Like an Onion, Donkey, I Have Layers

The ads are gone for now. We have to completely figure out that feature before we put it up here. We'll let you know if we ever get it going correctly.

In the meantime...here are a few pictures of the beginning of a great (and cheap) meal.







Yes, that is a stick of melted butter. All really great things begin that way.


















If you want to make this, then follow this link (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_36151,00.html) and make this recipe. Except omit the wine and replace it with a Guinness. We also let it cook for hours, and use white cheddar for the cheese. Good stuff.

An Important Public Service Announcement

You guys should be seeing an advertisement to the right of the page now. We put this on the blog to see if we could make a tiny amount of extra cash. In order to do that, people have to click on it. However, we do not know what the ads will be and we do not personally endorse these products or services in any way.

Gold Stars for Me

Further evidence that I inadvertently began Kindergarten instead of a grad program.

Today I played with glitter, glue, beads, sugar skeleton heads, and brightly colored frosting all in the name of literacy. We were celebrating The Day of the Dead and it was a lot of fun, but still.

Last week we were asked to creatively present our day shadowing a 7th grader. Some people danced, some did powerpoint, and others made shadow boxes. I resorted to the tried and true haiku on construction paper. Wanna see?

7th Grade in Haiku

Her Homeroom is math.
Failure, Agony – not hers.
Absolute Values!

Social Studies, Yay!
Abraham’s polygamy,
Foundation for faiths.

Young girl, Alto, sings
“Joshua, Oh Joshua”
Soloist off-key.

Enseñame, Dawn
Donde es el Ciudad
De Ensenada?

How long is this day?
Where is their nap? Where is mine?
Where is the bathroom?

What system is that?
It’s cardiovascular.
Science is Power!

Writing about games
They used to play, and still do.
One Page, single-spaced.

Graduate school is
Easier than middle school.
I have time for naps.

Go Cougars!

Make fun, but this is A-worthy work. You wish your school was like this, admit it.