The Thinker, by Rodin. I mean, by me.
Wow! ElementaryHistoryTeacher has tagged me as a “Thinking Blogger.” Thank you so much; I am very flattered and humbled. I never really considered myself to be anybody who mattered all that much. That somebody thinks I do means a lot to me. Thank you, ElementaryHistoryTeacher.
And now, according to the rules, I am supposed to tag five other bloggers who make me think. This is difficult, because ALL of my blogroll makes me think, in one way or another. Therefore, I shall limit my tags to bloggers who make me think great things. No, wait, that’s most of them, too. Hmm. Okay, here are five blogs that make me analyze the human condition and strive to make it better. Plus, they update regularly and very, very often.
1. The Education Wonks. This blog always has relevant and helpful posts, and Ed himself is the instigator of the Carnival of Education, wherein he solicits posts and opinions about our kids and our schools so that we can all become enlightened about new, and old, things that make education in this country important.
2. Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred. The three good doctors are learned and snarky and kind, and whenever I read their posts, I feel smarter. They are definitely not objective, but that’s just one of many reasons why I love them.
3. NYC Educator. He teaches in New York, and I teach in Indiana, but the problems in our public schools are universal. NYC Educator is not afraid to expose them. I greatly admire his courage and dedication.
4. Siempre Fiel. This blog is a recent discovery for me, but how did I ever manage without it? I absolutely love it. Check out the “Pan’s Labyrinth” review. On this recommendation alone, I MUST SEE THIS FILM. Plus, I love how she enjoys the occasional ‘quickie’ in her classroom.
5. A Mark On My Wall. If you have not yet discovered the incredible Vicki, please click and do it before the sun goes down. Her writing is wonderful, and the pictures she posts are works of art. That Vicki even knows my name makes me feel like ‘somebody.’ I adore her.
6. House of Fame. This is number six, I know, and doesn’t really count, but how could I ever leave out this amazing blog, the likes of which none of you has ever seen before? I guess it’s the Literature geek in me, but I absolutely adore this blog.
And now, according to the rules, each of my nominated five must (only if you wish to, of course) nominate five blogs that make you think.
Please do it. You get to display this cool icon and everything.
Thank you so very much, ElementaryHistoryTeacher. You have, as Clint would say, made my day. You have made my day.
The Spices of Antiquity
Bluegrass Mama wrote about her Old Spice, but I can beat her story.
I’ve got a can of paprika that I bought in 1977. I still use it.
Care for a deviled egg?
Expired Orange Juice and Pharmacy Milk and Last Summer's Diet Cokes
If I seem a little wonky tonight, it’s because I’ve been drinking orange juice that expired on February 7. It looked fine and tasted great, honest! I mean, it’s not like I’ve been eating peanut butter.
Why would I drink expired orange juice, you might wonder. Because it’s all we had, orange-juice-wise, that’s why. Besides, it looked fine and tasted great, honest. I feel great.
It had been sitting out on the counter for a few hours, but even so.
Well, I had to put it somewhere, because I bought two gallons of milk at the pharmacy and they had to go in the refrigerator, and the tall milk section was full of bottled water and expired miniature Diet Coke bottles, so something had to give.
Why did I buy milk at the pharmacy, you might wonder. Because I had a coupon worth eight dollars that expired tonight at midnight, and I had to use it or lose it. So I used it. I also got cranberry tablets, because when you’re prone to urinary tract infections, nothing fends them off like cranberry tablets. But that’s probably way more information than you really needed.
The expired miniature Diet Coke bottles are there because last summer, the grocery store ran a special on actual Diet Coke: four twelve-packs for ten dollars, and you got a case of miniature bottles for free. I put the case of miniatures behind a big box, intending to bring them out to impress guests, but once the case was behind that big box, I couldn’t see it and I forgot about it until months later, and by then, it tasted really bad. There are still a few bottles in the ‘fridge because, well, YOU come over and throw them out, okay? Sometimes I’ll open one and mix it in with a glass of the good stuff, and pretend it tastes fine. I hate to waste anything, and I’m a great one to put generic Honey Nut Cheerios in a real Honey Nut Cheerios box, or generic crackers in a Keebler cracker box, etc. Ask Belle. Neither of my kids will touch a box of cereal in my house unless it’s still sealed. Scoffers. They’re imagining things, and besides, I don’t do it any more.
Somehow all of the above trivia made me think we needed some pecan-studded brownies, so I made some, and they’re on top of the stove as I type, cooling. Come on over.
We’ve got miniature Diet Cokes. They’re really cute and classy. I saved them for guests. Have one?
P.S. I got up early this morning because I thought I had a doctor’s appointment, but it’s next week. This mental lapse occurred BEFORE I drank the ancient orange juice, so obviously I was starting to lose it long before I poisoned my system with ancient citrus drippings.
P.P.S. After I ate all that brownie batter, I felt lots better. My glucometer says otherwise, but I just hid it behind the cranberry tablets so I wouldn’t have to look at it.
