before...
after...
I meant to post this weeks ago, it's from last quarter. Sixth graders made Mexican style Alebrijes. This particular student chose to do a snake, and also chose brown as his base color. I couldn't resist snapping this first picture. Maybe I have the mind of a adolescent boy, but doesn't it look a lot like...you know? Poo. He had no idea. So I couldn't redirect his art, he wanted a brown snake.
So Gabe and I have been walking places lately. We've realized that despite our regular grumbling about our neighborhood's...downfalls, we are probably more conveniently located then we will ever be again. So in efforts to get exercise, spend quality time together, do our part for the environment, and save money, we walk. Within easily one square mile of our home, you'll find: Target, 3 different grocery stores, our bank, a great sushi place, a great Thai place, Chipotle, Lowe's, RedBox (McDonald's), the reservoir, and a few other less notable places. A few evenings ago we walked to a couple of those places and on our walk had a few funny things happen. They are probably the type of things that really won't seem very funny because you weren't there, so you'll have to just trust. Trust me, we laughed a lot on this particular walk.
At one point we saw a parked car with the license plate BRWNSGR. Without a second thought I commented on how strange it was for someone to put "braunschwager" on a license plate. Braunschwager, for those who aren't familiar (as Gabe was not) is made from pork liver and pork heart and can be fashioned into a dip. I ate this growing up and liked it. I also did not know it was made of livers and hearts. Pretty sure that would have squelched my appetite for braunschwager. We kept walking and I kept talking about possible reasons for putting braunschwager on a license plate out of all the foods and all the words in the world. Gabe, in a very Gabe way, says, "I think it's supposed to be
brown sugar."
Which seems like the most obvious answer. So why did my mind immediately go to braunschwager? Weird.
One of our stops was to the grocery store. For those of you who don't shop in Colorado grocery stores, let me explain that there are no front doors. There is a front entrance/doorWAY, but no opening-closing doors. I thought this was really strange when I first moved here. Anyhoo, because of this there are large fans blowing on you as you pass in and out in order to keep the outside temperature out, and the inside temperature in. It's kind of loud. On the sidewalk just outside the doorway was some guy asking for signatures for some something or other. He asked if we were Colorado residents. I heard him, but Gabe could not. I was also trying to say something to Gabe, so it was kind of like when you're on the phone and someone is trying to talk to you that is in the same room while the person you're on the phone with is talking to you, too. His attention was divided and kind of mumbled a "huh?" to the guy while kind of looking at me with the same question. The guy repeated, "Are you a Colorado resident?" to which Gabe hurriedly replied, "No, not today." Thinking he asked a question that would warrant that answer. The guy kind of looked at him like, thanks, jerk. I laughed at him and explained what the guy really asked. By then we were too far away to give an appropriate response. Good times.
I talk to myself quite a lot. Gabe has made me aware of this (and did on our walk when I "thoulked" something), as have a number of my students. If you hear me mumbling, don't bother asking me what I said. Chances are it wasn't meant for you to hear. If I'm not looking at you, and you can't hear me, it's me thinking out loud. To myself. F your I. Thank you, and I'm sorry in advance.
We stopped at RedBox (vending machine that lets you rent movies for $1!) and rented 'Amazing Grace.' It was good, we both liked it a lot. It's worth a watch. Since then, I also talked Gabe into renting 'P.S. I Love You' and p.s. I loved it. It's hard to not get a little morbid and worry about your own spouse passing away at a young age, but if you can get past that, it is a good flick. Woo, I cried, don't get me wrong, but sometimes that's what makes a good movie.
Tadaaaa!!! Last week I realized I had a gazillion boxes in my classroom storage closet. Things tend to accumulate in my Art room (and I imagine in most art rooms), with the unsure intention of using them at some later date for some, yet unknown purpose. So with the gazillion boxes, I decided to have all of my kids create 1 or more pieces however they wanted. The cutting, tearing, drawing and painting began, and by the end of the week the gazillion boxes had been transformed into a bazillion individual pieces of painted cardboard. I glued them all onto about 14 or 15 large mat boards, hung them above the lockers in the (sterile, boring, cold) hallway outside my room, and...voila! Large, collaborative wall hanging to brighten things up. We're going to keep it up semi-permanently (maybe do a new one at the end of the year next year). Some of the teachers in our hall have requested that the entire length of the hall be covered with these wall hangings. 
