Avast me hearties! The day ye've all been waiting fer is upon us! It's time to pull out yer eye patch and parrot and get yer pirate on! Arrrrrgg!
Here be a few helpful bits of booty to aid ye on yer way to a successful holiday.
-The Original Talk Like A Pirate Day Site-Has all manner of helpful swag it does.
-Glossary of Pirate terms -To help you beef up yer repertoire!
-Pirate Speak Translator-Have something you're itching to say but don't know quite how to say it? Let 'em give you a hand.
-The Cardiff Rose: A wee bit of pirate poetry
And last but not least some sea chanteys to sail by!
If this playlist doesn't work, try this link:
Grooveshark Widgets - Music Playlists for Your MySpace & Blog
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
The wall
Here is my current project. In a nut shell, Michael's classroom had a giant white wall that needed "something." We brainstormed and decided on making three arched windows that looked out onto scenes of (insert something inspiring here). We don't have an artist to paint said scenes yet, but we had to start somewhere so I took on the project of "THE WALL." Since I'm not feeling particularly chatty tonight (this may change by the end of our time together), I'm just going to explain each phase in brief.
PHASE ONE: Taping
In my great wisdom I thought that it would be a great idea to tape all of the mortar rather than having to paint new mortar in. I can't say exactly which one would have been faster now that I've done it, but it took A LONG TIME to finish this phase alone.
PHASE ONE POINT FIVE: Forming arches
I enlisted the captain to draw the bottom of the arc, and then I went about taping it up and drawing in the new bricks, both behind and within the arch. This is what the wall looked like when all the taping was complete.
PHASE TWO: Painting
As you can see, this wall is quite large(roughly 32' x 11.5'), and boy does it suck paint! This was what I accomplished before school started.
PHASE THREE: Painting (2nd installment)
On Sunday, I finished up the side segments and then started painting the arches with a medium/large artist's brush. I got tuckered out standing on the ladder and twisting to reach the wall so they didn't get completely finished but I will complete them this Sunday. Here's what did make the cut.
So, there it is. On Sunday I will finish up the arch and a half and maybe, just maybe, I will start pulling of the tape. I had thought to texture all the bricks but now that I look at it, I don't know if I need to. We'll see.
PHASE ONE: Taping
In my great wisdom I thought that it would be a great idea to tape all of the mortar rather than having to paint new mortar in. I can't say exactly which one would have been faster now that I've done it, but it took A LONG TIME to finish this phase alone.
PHASE ONE POINT FIVE: Forming arches
I enlisted the captain to draw the bottom of the arc, and then I went about taping it up and drawing in the new bricks, both behind and within the arch. This is what the wall looked like when all the taping was complete.
PHASE TWO: Painting
As you can see, this wall is quite large(roughly 32' x 11.5'), and boy does it suck paint! This was what I accomplished before school started.
PHASE THREE: Painting (2nd installment)
On Sunday, I finished up the side segments and then started painting the arches with a medium/large artist's brush. I got tuckered out standing on the ladder and twisting to reach the wall so they didn't get completely finished but I will complete them this Sunday. Here's what did make the cut.
So, there it is. On Sunday I will finish up the arch and a half and maybe, just maybe, I will start pulling of the tape. I had thought to texture all the bricks but now that I look at it, I don't know if I need to. We'll see.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
We easily have the best friends in the world. You require proof? Alright. For one, our friends helped us move. Three times. In one year. (It's really amazing that they are still our friends at all.) But it's great! We seem to have it down to a science. The movees pack everything up, the boys do the heavy lifting and the girls unpack. It's a sharp system and with 8 people working we can move entire houses in a few short hours.
As much fun as it is hanging out during the moving process, it's quite tedious work and 3 moves in a year is enough to tax even the most loyal comrade. So, as a parting gift to our group of friends as we made our most recent move to Hawaii, we hired movers. Well, actually they were included in the new job contract, (Score!) but that's hardly the point.
In the weeks leading up to the move, the captain and I worked diligently to box up everything we owned, but when the big day finally dawned we still had quite a few things that needed to be stowed away before it was hauled off to the island. We had been told that the packers would be in contact with us the day before the move to set up a time when they would arrive to package up all of our breakables. This sounded great, but when 11:30pm rolled around Monday night and we had not heard from "Ye old moving company" we were somewhat concerned. When were they coming? We had no idea. Figuring that they would probably arrive around noon, we decided to call it a night and finish up in the morning.
Knowing that there was much to do, we got up before 8 the next morning and began our day. I was glad that we had decided to get the early start when, a few minutes after 8, we saw a giant moving van pull up to the curb completely unannounced, a discretion that can be excused between friends, but perhaps not between strangers. (Thankfully the captain and I had showered and were appropriately attired upon their arrival.)
As you can imagine, I was a bit flustered. Suddenly I had to load everything up and I simply wasn't ready! I was relieved to discover this was just the packing crew. The shipping container wouldn't arrive until 1pm. Whew.
With that we set about the task of boxing up "everything else." The captain and I thought we had things pretty well in hand but it was amazing how much they found to put in boxes. The overseer in me had a great time. They would ask, "Hey do you want this boxed up too?" and I would respond, "Yes!" And away it would go. Neat and tidy.
You've got to love that.
Before long our house was a mass of brown boxes and packing paper that spewed out onto the lawn. Quite the sight.
When the shipping container arrived, we just sat back and let the men do what they do. I tried to help, but quickly found that I was more of a nuisance than a help. So I sat down on the stairs and played with my ipod touch. It was the easiest move we'd ever had.
That is until we arrived in Hawaii. Suddenly we realized just how long it took to unpack an apartment. A job that normally took 3 hours suddenly ate up an entire week, and let me tell you, it kinda sucked. A lot. As I opened up box after box of kitchen items I couldn't help but remember our last move where, when we had finished unpacking we all sat down on the kitchen floor and read children's books.
Alas friends, you are missed. -sigh- Here are a few snatches from move number four.
As much fun as it is hanging out during the moving process, it's quite tedious work and 3 moves in a year is enough to tax even the most loyal comrade. So, as a parting gift to our group of friends as we made our most recent move to Hawaii, we hired movers. Well, actually they were included in the new job contract, (Score!) but that's hardly the point.
In the weeks leading up to the move, the captain and I worked diligently to box up everything we owned, but when the big day finally dawned we still had quite a few things that needed to be stowed away before it was hauled off to the island. We had been told that the packers would be in contact with us the day before the move to set up a time when they would arrive to package up all of our breakables. This sounded great, but when 11:30pm rolled around Monday night and we had not heard from "Ye old moving company" we were somewhat concerned. When were they coming? We had no idea. Figuring that they would probably arrive around noon, we decided to call it a night and finish up in the morning.
Knowing that there was much to do, we got up before 8 the next morning and began our day. I was glad that we had decided to get the early start when, a few minutes after 8, we saw a giant moving van pull up to the curb completely unannounced, a discretion that can be excused between friends, but perhaps not between strangers. (Thankfully the captain and I had showered and were appropriately attired upon their arrival.)
As you can imagine, I was a bit flustered. Suddenly I had to load everything up and I simply wasn't ready! I was relieved to discover this was just the packing crew. The shipping container wouldn't arrive until 1pm. Whew.
With that we set about the task of boxing up "everything else." The captain and I thought we had things pretty well in hand but it was amazing how much they found to put in boxes. The overseer in me had a great time. They would ask, "Hey do you want this boxed up too?" and I would respond, "Yes!" And away it would go. Neat and tidy.
You've got to love that.
Before long our house was a mass of brown boxes and packing paper that spewed out onto the lawn. Quite the sight.
When the shipping container arrived, we just sat back and let the men do what they do. I tried to help, but quickly found that I was more of a nuisance than a help. So I sat down on the stairs and played with my ipod touch. It was the easiest move we'd ever had.
That is until we arrived in Hawaii. Suddenly we realized just how long it took to unpack an apartment. A job that normally took 3 hours suddenly ate up an entire week, and let me tell you, it kinda sucked. A lot. As I opened up box after box of kitchen items I couldn't help but remember our last move where, when we had finished unpacking we all sat down on the kitchen floor and read children's books.
Alas friends, you are missed. -sigh- Here are a few snatches from move number four.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Our new home
The Kitchen:
For any of you who have ever been into one of my kitchens, you know that I require counter space. It's not that I'm a counter hog or snob, I just need space. I believe that all kitchen types need space. It's very hard to create beautiful and tasty things when you have a 6x12" section of "counter top" to work on. Having said this, you can imagine my sight horror when, an hour after our arrival, our new friends Kate and Fred motioned to the dorm kitchen and casually said, "Yeah, your kitchen is about this size."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the closet of a kitchen. "Ah! Really?!" I said, before I could stop myself. "Yeah, I mean, it's about this size..." said Kate. I shot a look to Michael that said something to the effect of, "You wouldn't make me cook in a kitchen like that, would you?" or "If it's like this, we're moving." He smiled encouragingly as if to say, "It's okay honey, you can make it work." Yes, perhaps if I took a sledge hammer to that wall there...
Much to my delight, our kitchen was nothing like the closet. Here are some pictures of our apartment before we moved in.
Our door. Just in case you come looking for us.
The Kitchen. Look at all my counter space! It wraps all the way around! That being the case, we are going to get a few bar stools and not bother with getting a table.
Living room. You should see our view off the back balcony. It's lovely. We have these giant mango trees that block out the buildings we are surrounded by and makes it feel as if we are living in the wild jungle rather than the urban jungle.
Master bedroom. This doesn't show our closet on the right wall. It's nice and big, though it always amazes me how much clothing we own.
Spare oom. This also has a closet behind the door.
The bathroom. This bathroom doesn't make a lot of sense. The door frame is 25 inches wide and it doesn't have any plug-ins for a hairdryer, straightener, nightlight, whatever. I mention the door frame because this is also the room we have to fit our washer and dryer into, and if you know anything about washers and dryers 25 inches is not a standard size. The Captain and I went to Sears the other day to see what we could find and the load capacities on machines that fit through a 25 inch door space were laughable. Maybe I should just buy a washboard and do the laundry by hand...
Anyway, that is our new home! Other than the laundry room issue, and the fact that everything is eggshell white it's a great space. I am currently taking color suggestions for our walls so feel free to fire away! Aloha and Mahalo.
For any of you who have ever been into one of my kitchens, you know that I require counter space. It's not that I'm a counter hog or snob, I just need space. I believe that all kitchen types need space. It's very hard to create beautiful and tasty things when you have a 6x12" section of "counter top" to work on. Having said this, you can imagine my sight horror when, an hour after our arrival, our new friends Kate and Fred motioned to the dorm kitchen and casually said, "Yeah, your kitchen is about this size."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the closet of a kitchen. "Ah! Really?!" I said, before I could stop myself. "Yeah, I mean, it's about this size..." said Kate. I shot a look to Michael that said something to the effect of, "You wouldn't make me cook in a kitchen like that, would you?" or "If it's like this, we're moving." He smiled encouragingly as if to say, "It's okay honey, you can make it work." Yes, perhaps if I took a sledge hammer to that wall there...
Much to my delight, our kitchen was nothing like the closet. Here are some pictures of our apartment before we moved in.
Our door. Just in case you come looking for us.
The Kitchen. Look at all my counter space! It wraps all the way around! That being the case, we are going to get a few bar stools and not bother with getting a table.
Living room. You should see our view off the back balcony. It's lovely. We have these giant mango trees that block out the buildings we are surrounded by and makes it feel as if we are living in the wild jungle rather than the urban jungle.
Master bedroom. This doesn't show our closet on the right wall. It's nice and big, though it always amazes me how much clothing we own.
Spare oom. This also has a closet behind the door.
The bathroom. This bathroom doesn't make a lot of sense. The door frame is 25 inches wide and it doesn't have any plug-ins for a hairdryer, straightener, nightlight, whatever. I mention the door frame because this is also the room we have to fit our washer and dryer into, and if you know anything about washers and dryers 25 inches is not a standard size. The Captain and I went to Sears the other day to see what we could find and the load capacities on machines that fit through a 25 inch door space were laughable. Maybe I should just buy a washboard and do the laundry by hand...
Anyway, that is our new home! Other than the laundry room issue, and the fact that everything is eggshell white it's a great space. I am currently taking color suggestions for our walls so feel free to fire away! Aloha and Mahalo.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
While I was out...
So, it happened again. I forgot to sign out of my gmail account whilst Kevin and Mindy were in the room. I really must learn that this is akin to asking the wolf in to dinner. They seem to have taken up the reins since Debora Faye left to China, but they did her proud this afternoon. Methinks that Kevin is mainly to blame but nevertheless, they are married so therefore Mindy is guilty by association. Anyway, without further ado, I present for your consideration a conversation Kevin and "I" had this afternoon via e-mail.
Summer
Kevin, I like your muscles.
Muscle-y.
Kevin
Why, thank you Summer! I've been working out.
Summer
I thought you might've been. It's no small wonder, the way you're so driven, disciplined, level-headed and forward-thinking.
I wish I were like you sometimes.
Kevin
Well, you know. I try.
Some have picked on me for my keen insights into the world of self discipline.
Well observed, grasshoppah.
Summer
Of course, you must try—although it seldom appears difficult for you.
I have been working on observing the great and talented people I look up to the most. I appreciate that you will take me on as a mentor.
Kevin
Ah, um, I think there's been a slight misunderstanding. While I support your growth, I find it rather belittling that you'd assume I have the time for a mentorship program. What, with all the several thousand children I've saved by donating chest hair to be mailed to Africa, I sometimes don't have time for my other teaching endeavors here locally. The shaving process is intense and time-consuming.
Summer
Ah. My mistake. I retract my statement and hope sincerely that you won't take any disrespect to my oblivious approach to the matter. As for the chest hair, I am proud of you for making these donations. What a selfless and wonderful way to support the penal colonies with protein deficiencies. Plus, I'll bet with strong hair such as yours must be they can do many things, much like Native Americans did by using every part of the Buffalo (not to imply you have buffalo-like qualities, except that you burst forth with productive by-products).
Have you ever considered marketing your usefulness to a larger crowd? Many people would probably die at the chance to meet someone so selfless and kind. Perhaps we could make an appeal to the other nations of the world to put you on a tour track for the benefit of mankind. That seems plausible.
Kevin
Why, I'm honored! I must say, though, that my motivation comes from pure selfless motive. To tour the planet would be to take on celebrity status. While that might be necessary from some perspectives, I'd rather not take this human-kind sponsorship to that level.
Again, I appreciate your kind words. I wish you luck in your ongoing quest to become more like me.
Summer
Thank you, Kevin. Your inspiring nature has touched me today, and I shall not soon forget it.
Kevin
Certainly. Have a great day.
- - -
Correct me if I'm wrong but I was waxing fairly Wes Anderson there for a minute there wasn't I? I'm a genius. I shall submit this script posthaste and await my million. What a productive afternoon.
Summer
Kevin, I like your muscles.
Muscle-y.
Kevin
Why, thank you Summer! I've been working out.
Summer
I thought you might've been. It's no small wonder, the way you're so driven, disciplined, level-headed and forward-thinking.
I wish I were like you sometimes.
Kevin
Well, you know. I try.
Some have picked on me for my keen insights into the world of self discipline.
Well observed, grasshoppah.
Summer
Of course, you must try—although it seldom appears difficult for you.
I have been working on observing the great and talented people I look up to the most. I appreciate that you will take me on as a mentor.
Kevin
Ah, um, I think there's been a slight misunderstanding. While I support your growth, I find it rather belittling that you'd assume I have the time for a mentorship program. What, with all the several thousand children I've saved by donating chest hair to be mailed to Africa, I sometimes don't have time for my other teaching endeavors here locally. The shaving process is intense and time-consuming.
Summer
Ah. My mistake. I retract my statement and hope sincerely that you won't take any disrespect to my oblivious approach to the matter. As for the chest hair, I am proud of you for making these donations. What a selfless and wonderful way to support the penal colonies with protein deficiencies. Plus, I'll bet with strong hair such as yours must be they can do many things, much like Native Americans did by using every part of the Buffalo (not to imply you have buffalo-like qualities, except that you burst forth with productive by-products).
Have you ever considered marketing your usefulness to a larger crowd? Many people would probably die at the chance to meet someone so selfless and kind. Perhaps we could make an appeal to the other nations of the world to put you on a tour track for the benefit of mankind. That seems plausible.
Kevin
Why, I'm honored! I must say, though, that my motivation comes from pure selfless motive. To tour the planet would be to take on celebrity status. While that might be necessary from some perspectives, I'd rather not take this human-kind sponsorship to that level.
Again, I appreciate your kind words. I wish you luck in your ongoing quest to become more like me.
Summer
Thank you, Kevin. Your inspiring nature has touched me today, and I shall not soon forget it.
Kevin
Certainly. Have a great day.
- - -
Correct me if I'm wrong but I was waxing fairly Wes Anderson there for a minute there wasn't I? I'm a genius. I shall submit this script posthaste and await my million. What a productive afternoon.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Talk-to-me tactic #1- Everyday Holidays
I realize I have gone a bit out of order in revealing my talk-to-me tactics that I told you about earlier this month. Since the captain is out of town this weekend I have a little bit of extra time on my hands and so I am using it to bring everyone up to speed.
My first talk-to-me tactic came to me in a f
it of inspiration one day as I was making the daily schedules for my department. When I was an RA I used to put random daily holidays on the message board on my door for the girls on my hall to see and giggle about. They ranged from actual holidays such as St. Patrick's day to We love broccoli day, which is coming up tomorrow actually (March 22).
As I sat working on my schedules thinking about how much I would love to talk to somebody it struck. "I could put random holidays on the daily schedules!" Yes. That could definitely work.
And guess what? It did! The very first day the scheduling guru chatted me up quite properly. A little more belated was my tea buddy. He has started commenting on the holidays nearly every day! Woot Woot! Speak to me!
In signing off, just to spread the joy, here are this weeks holidays:
Monday, March 22
International Goof-Off Day
Tuesday, March 23
National Chip and Dip day
Wednesday, March 24
National Chocolate Covered Raisins day
Thursday, March 25
National Waffle Day
Friday, March 26
No homework day-Annually the last Friday in March
(On this day teachers are not supposed to assign homework. Most students don't really think about this however because they are usually on spring break. It seems to me that they could have placed this holiday at a time when it would be more appreciated...)
Saturday, March 27
Photography day!
My first talk-to-me tactic came to me in a f
it of inspiration one day as I was making the daily schedules for my department. When I was an RA I used to put random daily holidays on the message board on my door for the girls on my hall to see and giggle about. They ranged from actual holidays such as St. Patrick's day to We love broccoli day, which is coming up tomorrow actually (March 22).As I sat working on my schedules thinking about how much I would love to talk to somebody it struck. "I could put random holidays on the daily schedules!" Yes. That could definitely work.
And guess what? It did! The very first day the scheduling guru chatted me up quite properly. A little more belated was my tea buddy. He has started commenting on the holidays nearly every day! Woot Woot! Speak to me!
In signing off, just to spread the joy, here are this weeks holidays:
Monday, March 22
International Goof-Off Day
Tuesday, March 23
National Chip and Dip day
Wednesday, March 24
National Chocolate Covered Raisins day
Thursday, March 25
Friday, March 26
No homework day-Annually the last Friday in March
(On this day teachers are not supposed to assign homework. Most students don't really think about this however because they are usually on spring break. It seems to me that they could have placed this holiday at a time when it would be more appreciated...)
Saturday, March 27
Photography day!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Things that rhyme with Farkle...
...Sparkle!
I am so excited! My friend gave me a gift tonight. A sparkly gift. One that I have been keeping my eye on and intending to buy from her shop on Etsy for the past few months. Galaxy earrings! I am thrilled. I have a sneaky feeling that they could be talk-to-me tactic #4. Thanks friend!
I am so excited! My friend gave me a gift tonight. A sparkly gift. One that I have been keeping my eye on and intending to buy from her shop on Etsy for the past few months. Galaxy earrings! I am thrilled. I have a sneaky feeling that they could be talk-to-me tactic #4. Thanks friend!
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