On Friday afternoon we braved the crazy LA traffic and drove from Santa Barbara to San Diego. We stayed at a hip hotel in the Gaslamp district. I loved the heated pool and sunlight. They also had free coffee in the lobby and a complimentary wine hour. Woohoo.
Andrew was at a science conference (still is) so I had time to chill. I work with people in kind of an intense way, if you count 28 five-and six-year-olds consuming and excessive company. I really do appreciate moments solitude. Am I an introvert? Or, am I an overspent extravert? Not sure.
Meerkats remind me a lot of chihuahuas. Oh, and I went on the skyfari pod thing across the park even though I was a big baby about it being scary (it wasn't so bad).
We also braved the San Diego zoo. I am not a zoo person, really. I like animals as individuals or from afar in nature or as a pretty detail in the landscape. Think: smiley little chihuahuas, whale watching, sad-faced cows in golden pasture lands. This sound like an unfriendly statement but I am more of a plant person than an animal person; with the exception of people, most of the time.
This zoo had beautiful landscaping and was cool and lush with bountiful shade. I didn't feel overly-sorry for trapped-looking animals: it felt like their space, we were the ones crowded into the corridor. There were a lot of strollers to dodge. I forgot my memory card so all the pictures are courtesy of my iPhone 4 and the PicFrames app.
Mama panda bear eating bamboo and Papa panda bear passed out. There was a separate line to view these Chinese citizens. They were under high security with their own narrator. . I felt like Papa Bear's body language was a bit uninviting.
I wish I knew what these creatures were. It was better than the ballet! First rate performers. I wasn't sure if it was sibling rivalry or a romantic encounter.
The fashion inspiration of many fancy ladies...giraffes and zebras. And, meerkats piled like puppies in the sunshine.
I drove back solo which made me feel like an empowered independent woman. It was four hours and through crazy LA during the Oscars. And, I grew up on an island that only takes a couple hours to drive around (at 30 mph). But I did it just fine. I love the bluetooth radio--I chatted with family members and listened to my fairytale (A Game of Thrones, Book 2). This is the first audiobook, well second, I've ever listened too. I read the book version in bed before I sleep.
Oh, and I took a couple of pee-breaks and back-hurting-prevention breaks. One break was at a dusty gas station and the other was in Calabasas. Which is really quite pretty and swanky... On google maps, I saw the Kardashian store DASH was a block away from the Barnes and Noble I peed at. Their show is on Netflix so I am finally hip to who they are.
In honor of Presidents' Day and my love of teaching US history to kinders.
Happy Chinese New Year. Happy 100th Day of School. Happy Groundhog day. Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Birthday Old Abe Lincoln. Happy Birthday G.Washington P.S. I like your hair!
LOTS of celebrating this month. I probably missed something. Oh wait, today was Susan B. Anthony's birthday so I got on my soapbox about women not being able to vote less than 100 years ago. Then I cast a vote in my class over something--of course many 5-year-olds vote twice no matter what you do--and announced the girls votes don't count. I showed them a cartoon biographical video clip about Susan B. Anthony. They were mesmerized. Issues of segregation (MLK), slavery (Lincoln), assassination (both) come up with these topics. I just sadly shrug and say, "It was a very dark time in America" or "Remembering their lives is more important than their death." The first thing they will want to know about George Washington is "Who killed him?" "Well, actually, it was a throat infection." "Yeah, but who killed him?"
I am weirdly patriotic and love history. I wavered between a history and English major in college; English won but they overlap a lot.
We celebrate everything in kindergarten. I mean, we celebrate the alphabet. I have been an unabashed (though sadly ungifted) singer my whole life. I always thought singing really well would be a great super power--then you could listen to great music whenever you wanted.
Still, I remember feeling a little uneasy about leading students in singing when I was a student teacher. Now I have NO SHAME. I use and abuse music in my classroom each day. Name a topic, I might have a song for it. My life is becoming a musical.
If you ever glance at your clock from 8:00a.m. to 8:03, West Coast time, know that I am dancing and singing. My students stand in a circle as they trickle in the room after the last bell....and sing Good morning, Gooood morning to you! (as they wave to one another). Our daaaaaaaay is beginning, there's so much to do... Then the student rotate to the center of the carpet with a dance move. Everyone else imitates their move.
By 8:03 we have said the Pledge of Allegiance and are on to attendance.
Note: we have a few dance rules: Nothing on the floor. No rolling. You have to stay in a two foot square space as you do your move, no run dancing. The scissors and jumping jacks are popular moves.
When the kids are exhausted and unfocused and really difficult to the get the attention of (perhaps the entire day after Valentine's day) that's when you start whisper singing "America the Beautiful." When children are singing they usually aren't teasing or hitting or telling or crying or yelling. Usually aren't. , I do have to demonstrate the difference between YELLING THE WORDS FROM A SONG and singing in a loud, clear voice.
Anyway, I am moving on from Heart Day and have been teaching about Lincoln this week. Old Abe Lincoln he came out of the wilderness, out of the wilderness, down in Illinois. Next week will be Washington and "I cannot tell a lie." Again, I teach these topics with songs. And books. And coins. Coins are very high interest... did you know you can actually see Lincoln on the back of a penny, in his monument? We have been examining them with a magnifying glass. Also, we make penny necklaces with yarn and construction paper (bling).
A pal of mine just posted a link to this video called Death to Penny:
I am still a sentimental sap who wants pennies to stick around. And yes, I'm the lady counting out 3 random pennies to hand over with my cash, just to ensure I don't get any back. Sorry, guys.
Below, random DC pictures from last December. My dad grew up in Bethesda and I've made many a trip back there. I do love that pretty city.
Winterscape.
The bottom.
The top.
It cracked during a recent earthquake so you weren't able to go up. I still have never been to the top. And don't really want to go to the top. Glad I didn't need an excuse.
This was my Aunt and Uncles' last evening living on the West Coast. They moved to Hawaii the next day.
I have a weird thing for Baltimore... see a post from last summer I almost forgot about. My dad grew up in DC so I'm much more familiar with that pretty, polished city. I have a younger cousins who live in Baltimore and relished the chance to visit them in their stomping ground.
Courtney, in her townhouse. It is soooo cute. (And so is she). And she has a porch roof!
They had a "Hon" themed Christmas tree.
Well, Courtney, actually lives in a charming regentrified (safe-ish?) part of Baltimore called Canton:
Where they also believe in buying local. My cousins (twins) take a water taxi across the harbor to work. Isn't that awesome?
I love old buildings. We don't have many in Hawaii (or California, really). And I know these are babies compared to the oldies of Europe. But it still charms me.
The nitty-gritty Baltimore Rat....
And my cheerful Aunt posing as Charlie B.
We got really into The Wire...watching all five seasons over the last few years. What an excellent TV show....ahhh, I miss it. It was set among the crime and corrupt politicians of Baltimore (which you read in the graffiti in one scene in the opening as Bodymore, Murderland).
I have provided you the opening scene and trailer of Season 1, Episode 1 so you can say you've started watching the series. It has amazing diaologue, actors, and provides a lot of social commentary. It is a teensy bit hard to follow at first (it requires your attention) but is so worth watching. Omar Little is my favorite criminal/character...apparently he is Obama's favorite too. Here he is on my pinterest board-- Great Characters.
We got tickets home to Maui last December at the last minute. They had been incredibly expensive for a month so I was waiting for prices to drop. They didn't. At the last minute we found a ticket out of Santa Barbara (way more convenient than LAX) and while it was expensive, it was cheaper than any flight out of CA...we considered all major airports.
After we purchased the tickets, we realized they were first class. What a fun surprise. Andrew and I counted our tickets as our holiday gift to each other. We were giddy kiddies.
Another perk: You can check luggage for free--we brought one full of gifts for my family.
Riding an airport shuttle. Feeling happy!
I promised to give the first class scoop. We were greeted with Mai Tais, you are given hot towels to clean up with, you get two windows, not one. Real plates and a place mat. We newbies were ignorant about how to get the table out.
It was indeed a lot more comfortable. I didn't feel like drinking alchahol since it is already so dry in the plane. But I had my share of mini-water bottles. They really like to check in on you and offer things. The people across from us were drinking White Russians and other fancy drinks every five minutes.
Overall, the best part of it was just having more breathing space. It was way less crowded...with less personalities stuffed into one tiny room. I don't think it is worth the extra money (I love deals) but it was a great thing to experience. It was a lot like a flight that is really uncrowded with lots of extra seats everywhere, and just that overall calmer feelings.
Welcome to the island of Maui....Hooray!
My dad was waiting on the other side of the gate.
So glad we went.
Under Armour.... hip and young and happy. Like my cousins who work there. My new favorite show these days happens to be "Friday Night Lights." (And I don't like football). It's full of product plugs for Under Armour.
I am in the great state of Maryland, just outside of DC. I am enjoying the balmy Spring/Summer weather and the company of my family. We had a delightful hike along the Potomac yesterday.
I love the green, lushness of summer. Very different than dry California.
In this way, the East Coast reminds me more Hawaii.
My dad, the arborist and climber.... playing in his parent's backyard while I serve as ground crew.
I am learning a few new trees to ID...
crepe myrtle,
dogwood,
pin oak,
and weeping cherry.
I really like plants.
With the current storm outside these pictures seem a wee bit irrelevant . But after several cold cozy holiday weeks in Maryland/DC it was nice to come home to t-shirt weather in January. Above we have a view of the harbor, downtown and the foothills behind.
Zoom into downtown: red tiles roofs galore. I both work and live under one.
This is Hope Ranch, a very posh neighborhood. When I went sailing we went right along the coast line and got our rutter tangled in a kelp bed. Someone told me the Hope comes from Bob Hope. While mapping out my new town, I had suspected that it might be hideous (or at least hope-less) since place names often mislead. I was wrong.
Clearly, I prefer the window seat. If this blog is any indication inflight snap-happiness has become quite a habit.
