I don't live here any more

Just in case you come here, you shouldn't.
You should, instead, go to my livejournal: www.alisa-beth.livejournal.com

Thoughts between classes

Right before 7th period began today, I ran to the bathroom. Well, I didn't really run...walked briskly. As I was walking down the hallway, I actually thought to myself, "It would be really cool if we'd get rid of all money and trade in gummy worms." I really, truly thought it in all seriousness. Then, the realization of my thought made me chuckle. By this time, I had made it to the bathroom door. As I was unlocking the door, I began humming. Walking to the stall, I realized what I was humming, "Glory, glory, hallelujah, his truth is marching on," from the Battle Hymn of the Republic. I chuckled, again, to myself as I locked my stall door. It's the little things in life that make me laugh.

Beautiful Sweeties. 

Meet the Macaron

The main reason that I'm returning to Paris for Christmas (which will mark my third trip to the city) is because of the macaron. Not to be confused with the American coconut cookie, the macaroon. Allow me to introduce the magical and marvelous macaron:

On our last Parisian Christmas trip, my mom and I frequented the famous tea rooms, Lauduree. My mom was the one to discover the amazing tea rooms because they were promiently featured in her favorite magazine, Victoria. I dare say that during the 8 days that we were in Paris, we sampled every flavor. They are:
Chocolate - Bitter chocolate - Vanilla - Coffee - Hazelnut praline - Rose petal - Pistachio - Raspberry - Lemon - Blackcurrant violet - Salted butter Caramel - Morello cherry Amaretto - Coconut - Blackcurrant violet - Lime Basil - Icy mint - Chestnut - Orange - Almond - Liquorice - Gingerbread - Violet
My friend it loaning me his digital camera, so hopefully it will be easy to share pictures upon my return. I will be sure to document each macaron eating experience :).
Meet the Macaron

Paris...

In one week, I'll be roaming the streets of Paris. I'm hoping for some chilly weather. Of course, snow would be ideal, but it hasn't snowed in Paris at Christmas time for quite a while now (I've been routinely checking weather.com). Honestly, I'm still flying high from my magical snowy miracle in Wilmore back in March. So, if there's not any snow this Christmas in the City of Lights, I'll be ok.

Things on my end have been extremely busy (so as to preclude me maintaining my blog). But, to anyone who is still checking my blog, I have some hopeful news: I might be up and running at home soon thanks to an aunt and uncle.

I saw Narnia on opening day with the silliest 9 year old ever (and ran into a lot of students and parents in the process...seriously, I can't escape them). After wards, it was dinner at Frankie's, which was fun and spiceless (since I didn't order wings). Saturday, I spent some more time with the silliest 9 year old ever and her little brother. We watched Napoleon Dynamite and made the coolest diarama in the whole wide world. It was based on chapter 2 of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Lucy goes to Mr. Tumnus's hovel and has tea. Seriously, the diarama should be immortalized in a museum some where.

And, the Tallons have returned to the 321, so all is well in the world.

On the last day of November...

Pride and Prejudice = good movie. Not as magical as I had hoped, but then again, my expectations for pure magic pretty much make most things impossible to live up to. Hopefully, I will see it again soon.

It's the last day of November and I find that hard to believe. I found the most amazing shoes. Click here if you'd like to see them.

Matthew came home for Thanksgiving break and I had the pleasure of hanging out with him twice! He charmed his way into getting us a table at Thai Thai II on a very crowded and chilly night! He pretty much is my hero for that. We think it was his emo-y sweater that did the trick. We ended up playing a million video games like Mario Smash, 007, Shrek 2, Dead or Alive, and my personal favorite, Tetris. I was fortunate enough to be included in the big family left over turkey soup and turkey pot pie dinner. His family is one of the most fun families I've ever been around! And, to make it even better, they all like each other and get along!

The day after Thanksgiving, I watched A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi. Seriously, I am in love with Star Wars. I've yet to watch the newer episodes, but I've borrowed them all from Matt's dad, so in due time I will complete my task. I'm also proud to report that I've gotten quite good at Star Wars Battlefront II. My high score of people killed is 56! Now, usually I'm in the solid twenties, but once I got up to 44 and then as a fluke, I hit 56 last weekend. And, I'm pretty proud of this: I am consistently awarded Dead Eye (the most head shots).

PBHS lost our football game last Friday, so I won't be joining the Law Academy on their Washinginton, D.C. trip. Oh well, I've got Paris to look forward to.

Back in the day...

When I attended Palm Bay High, I don't remember kids hackey sacking during lunch. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a Yugioh Club (I'm fairly certain that Yugioh didn't exist). One of my teachers loved OJ Simpson and believed with all her heart in his innocence. She had an autographed picture of Johnny Cochran framed and proudly displayed on her desk. She went to the beauty shop every Tuesday evening because it was her "fill" day (she had acryllic nails). She wore slip on flats every day of the week and had them in every color to match her jersey material pants and matching shirts. She loved Ben-Hur and Hamlet. I actually never had her as a teacher, she was the student council sponsor who I talked into creating "Independent Gifted Studies" for me to take during my senior year (which basically meant a phase 5 study hall).

Of the three years I was in high school, I never ate lunch in the cafeteria once and only lunched in the commons area a handfull of times (one of which happened to be the time when a big black guy from Cocoa High came on campus and shot a gun right in front of us...it was crazy). Sophomore year, Dana and I spent many days eating lunch in the orchestra/band room since 5th period was orchestra and lunch period. Junior year, I lunched with the AP Biology kids in Mrs. Howell's room (she's the smartest woman in the world and actually writes the FCAT...I don't lie). Senior year I lunched with Mrs. Cochran and Matthew (Clark Kent). Those were some good times. I pretty much owned Mrs. Cochran's computer that year and she introduced me to the world wide web.

I had the most fun in my English classes all through high school. I had the same teacher for 10th and 12th grades, Miss Huba. I remember my mom and I went to parent conference night and met with the killer chemistry teacher who pretty much crushed and ruined me. I was in tears and we went to Miss Huba's room because my mom wanted to meet her. I told her why I was crying and she was reminded of when she was in college at UF. Apparently she was failing some class and called her mom and informed her that she was quitting, would be coming home, and asked her to call the manager at Wendy's to see if she could get her job back. It's amazing to me how serious and life-altering something can be...and how trivial it becomes in time.

I think once 25 hits, time moves more quickly.

Paris in 32 days.

An email so great, I'm sharing with the masses

ABM
I remember with great feeling the John Bethea years in your life, the sadness and the promise, and above all the hilarity surrounding the non-aesthetic temperament as he struggled to make himself something he could not possibily be. And your perceptions on the events and character. The world is a sadder place that this magnificent moment never found an audience or the spirit that motivated you never served as a channel to bring us more of the same sensibility as she grew and listened to the music in herself. I truly hope this is the something good you need today: You are not where you are going and it is not on a road you may even know exists. Am I ever wrong?
L

The above is an email I received today that has served to lift my spirits and has brought strong feelings of nostalgia. The L is my favorite professor from UM who offered me a full ride during my senior year to stay on as a Hurricane to get my MFA. The John Bethea is a crazy man who had tricked himself into thinking that he was writing the next Great American Novel. He couldn't type, so a friend recommended me to be his typist. I lasted as long as I could...not too long, but long enough to have turned my experience into a story that gained me acceptance into the MFA program at UM.

Why didn't I take the full ride?
I would be writing something great right now...
I would be someone different...
I would be some place different...

It smelled like rain today...

It's the holiday season and while it's not as chilly as I would like it to be, I'm still thrilled. I listen to Christmas music year round, but the fact that it's officially the time for seasonal tunes makes it seem like I'm not breaking some unwritten law. In a post or two ago I mentioned how I don't understand people who don't love music in general. I'd like to qualify that: I really don't understand people who don't love Christmas music. I finally took Copeland out of my cd player and put in some old school Michael W. Smith (his first Christmas album). Christmas music is simply...magical.

Guess what, everyone? Had he lived, ODB (you know, from the Wu Tang Clan) would have been 37 today. Also, twenty years ago today the 200th episode of Dallas aired. Dallas reminds me of a student I had last year. Let's call her Lauren (because that seems to be such a common name! I have 3 in one class this year alonw). Lauren was in my first period class and enjoyed wearing pink shirts with her leather mini-skirt. She sat in the front row and wrote with a pen that had a big pink puff ball on the top of it (that's the best way I can think of to describe it). She had An American Girls journal that she wrote in incessantly and she really loved Passions, Days of Our Lives, and Dallas. I haven't met many 15 year olds who love Dallas, let alone know what Dallas is. Anyway, Lauren was very quiet and reserved, but she would literally light up if I brought up Dallas (not that I would bring it up naturally in conversation, but once I learned of her love for the crazy show, I'd do my best to bring it up every now and then). She would come to life when talking about J.R. and Bobby. I enjoyed chatting with her during homeroom occassionally because she'd fill me in on the goings-on in the soap world (I used to regularly watch Days of Our Lives and Passions). Anyway, Lauren's moved on...I'm sure she's still watching Dallas on Soap Net every afternoon and I'm sure she's still donning the hot pink shirt and leather mini-skirt. I realize that this story isn't the best...and now it's over.

In cool Copeland news, yesterday the split EP arrived (the one from a few posts back where I was complaining that they estimated that it'd be 3 weeks before I'd have it in my cd player). "May I Have This Dance" is beautiful and sweet and "Second Star to the Right, Go Until Dawn" of course is a favorite since it alludes to the best story ever, Peter Pan. Just moments ago I happed, by pure luck, upon MP3s of Aaron's first band, Ev Angel. Their stuff is a little punky, but it's ok...a fan doesn't discriminate and wants all material available.

magical post 200

Things I am loving right now:

• my new Relient K cd
• my new Copeland shirt (though it is a bit too snug for my liking)
• the Cinderella poster I scored from a disgarded Barnes and Noble display
• Powerade
• roast beef
• the bright blue sky (usually, I love grey and dreary ones)
• listening to Christmas music and thinking about how my Parisian trip is one month away
• a cleaned out interior of my car (I even Clorox wiped the inside with lavender scented wipes!)

Guys, please cross your fingers that our football team goes to state. We're currently in the play-offs. We won our first game this past Friday. This Friday, we travel to Jacksonville. If we win, the following week we'll play in Niceville. And, if we win that game...then I'm on my way to Washington, DC (to chaperone a trip that another teacher was going on...but if our football team goes to state, said teacher who doubles as a football coach will have to accompany the team!). I am really excited at the prospect of a Washington trip...not to mention in the cold! Yay for turtlenecks and sweaters and gloves. But, it's not a done deal, so I can't get my hopes up too high.

The tire is fixed. A girl was my mechanic. My mind is still spinning.

In less than two months, I have been stopped by the police three times. The last two times have happened within a week of each other. It's all because of a faulty tail light. I actually need to replace the entire light socket thing...which isn't going to be fun (well, not like I'm going to do it on my own). Last night, I was stopped. Last night, as I got in my car to go to the grocery store, I had a flat tire. Thank goodness for my insurance's road side assistance program because I do not know how to change a tire and even if I did, I'm fairly certain I would prefer having someone else do it for me. So, while I waited for Pop-A-Lock to come to my rescue, I watched two episdoes of dvr'd The OC. During my planning period today, I am going to BJ's (which is where I purchased my tires 40,000 miles and 4 years ago) and hopefully, the flat tire just needs a plug...otherwise, I'm looking at spending some unexpected money on tires, which doesn't come at a good time considering Paris is a month away. I just hope I'm back in time for 5th period.

The three day weekend was good. I got to sleep in on Friday and eat lots of pizza. Then, I got out the ol' Taylor and played until my fingers hurt! I figured out Copeland's "Pin Your Wings" and feel pretty good about it. I mean, it's not perfect, but it's something. I played through every Derek and Sandra song I knew, too. Saturday I went to Coaster's with Dayne and had the biggest roast beef sandwich in the world. Seriously. Yesterday was the big Barnes and Noble holiday meeting from 6.30 to 9 am! They fed us a grand breakfast and I got a free cd (music inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia).

My kids are nearly finished with their quiz, so I better end this post.

Oh yeah, I got my hair cut! It's about 6 inches shorter. Kristin says it makes me look older.

In case you're wondering, Copeland is awesome.

I don't understand people who don't love music. I can't live without it. It is the backdrop against which I fall asleep, wake up, and is always on in my mind. My Quest classes are in the midst of Song-Lyrics-As-Poetry presentations and today was kind of fun because the first batch of presenters went which included two Relient K songs, a Switchfoot song, and 2 Death Cab songs. I have had Copeland songs, non-stop, playing in my mind. As I read O. Henry's "The Last Leaf" and Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" to my ninth graders, I was singing "Pin Your Wings" and "Don't Slow Down" in my mind. I find myself wishing that my name is Amanda...but, it's ok because my first name is three syllables, so instead of singing, "Hey, Amand, where'd you find these crazy boys this time? They say you're pretty, but you don't think they're right...," I just like to sing, "Hey, Alisa...." (although, I'm not in the habit of going out and finding crazy boys, nor do crazy boys tell me that I'm pretty, it's still fun to sing my name in the song) .

Relient K's newest cd, Apathetic EP, dropped on Tuesday and of course I picked it up on its release. There are only 7 songs on the disk, 3 of which are on other recordings, but it's awesome. The three repeat songs are acoustic songs with heavy keys...and that makes me happy. Matt T's vocals sound awesome. As I write this post, I'm listening to the acoustic version to "Over Thinking", which just so happens to be one of my all time favorite Relient K songs. They have a song on the new disk called "In Like a Lion (Always Winter)" which is based on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It's pretty amazing.

I witnessed something really cute after school today: Kristin and Briana got really excited and showed great enthusiasm about the upcoming release of the fourth Harry Potter movie. They were so much fun to watch. The world needs a bit more enthusiasm and so many people just don't have any. I wish everyone could be overly enthusiastic about one thing (and it would be awesome if people would be so about more than one thing)...I'm talking about the kind of enthusiasm where you think you're going to burst...the kind that makes you smile when you think about whatever it is that you're enthusiastic about and you don't even know that you're smiling...the kind that makes your stomach do flips and makes you think that nothing could be better. I just wish that more people had great enthusiasm. The world would be so much more fun that way.

I'm so happy that tomorrow is a holiday! I will be sleeping in and not doing much of anything else. Sushi looks like a big possibility this weekend. I can't wait until Pride and Prejudice opens. I'm a little disappointed with the fact that Keira Knightley is Lizzie Bennett, my beloved heroine, but I'm trying to just go with the flow. Maybe she'll pleasantly surprise me.

Last night, I had a major accomplishment: I killed 25 men in one game of Star Wars: Battlefront 2. I saw Chicken Little and liked it better than Wallace and Grommit. We saw it in 3-D and it didn't give me a head ache (when I saw Spy Kids: 3D, I got a terrible head ache).

OH GUESS WHAT?! I have to leave school quickly because I get to go pick up my new glasses. Now, I can't quite recall what they look like because I don't have a clear picture of them since I selected them whilst my eyes were dilated. But, the gayish man who works at my doctor's office assured me that his tastes were impeccable and he helped me select my new frames. I'm not a good candidate for contacts because I have great anxiety when it comes to touching my eye and using eye drops, so for now, I'm sticking with the 4-eye kind of glasses.

WHY DOES COPELAND HAVE TO SOUND SO GOOD? (I'm listening now to the acoustic version of "Take Care").

WHOA WHOA WHOA! I just got an email that popped up that said my order from zambooie has just been shipped. This morning I ordered a split EP of Copeland and Pacifico (3 songs each) and I have never even heard of the three songs that Copeland has on there (guys, you know how much I love Peter Pan, right? Well, one of the songs is entitled "Second Star to the Right, Straight on till Morning") and the receipt said that estimated shipping time would be 2 weeks...BUT I guess I won't be waiting two weeks afterall! Seriously.I.Can't.Wait.Till.It.Arrives.

All right, I'm off to get my glasses.

Copeland

The long anticipated Copeland show was this past Sunday at The Social in Orlando. There really aren't words to express how amazing it was. Here's the report...

Sadly, Sean had to be present at the Puerto Rican Pride Parade for band, so we couldn't get as early of a start as I would have liked...which meant we were quite uncertain as to whether or not we'd have time to dine at P.F. Changs (and quite honestly, I'd be anticipating a P.F. Changs dinner almost as much as I had been anticipating this concert). Driving down (or up, rather) 95, Sean decided that he'd go straight to the source to find out what time the show was actually starting (our tickets stipulated that the doors opened at 6). So, I was just chilling out in the passenger seat as he called Aaron (for those of you who don't know, Aaron and Sean are cousins and it so happens that Aaron is the front man for Copeland). And, I'm just kidding...I was NOT just chilling in the passenger seat...more like mildly hyperventilating whilst Sean was on the phone. The report from Aaron was that Copeland was going to hit the stage somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 to 8.30...so we decided that we'd just skip P. F. Changs. Instead, we dined at some Chinese buffet that was no where near as awesome as Changs.

We got to The Social in time, we thought, to catch Daphne Loves Derby, the band that was to immediately precede Copeland (there were three opening acts). HOWEVER, we walked in during the middle of the first band's set. Both Sean and I were irritated with the late-running schedule because it meant that we didn't have to skip out on Changs. Oh well. Melee wasn't anything to write home about. The Spill Canvas, boys from South Dakota, were all right and it was cool to hear the crowd scream/sing their lyrics along with them. Finally, Daphne Loves Derby took the stage and they were not as great as I thought they were going to be (I kind of got familiar with them through www.purevolume.com because I knew they were the main openers for Copeland). In the middle of D.L.D's set, Sean leans over and very calmly says, "Hey, there's Aaron." I looked toward the door and SURE ENOUGH, Aaron casually walked in the door with a Starbucks cup in hand. No one even noticed, it seemed, until Sean went up to greet him. I thought that was pretty cool!

Finally, around 9.30, Copeland began and they played one of my favorite songs first, "Pin Your Wings", and then went immediately into another one of my favorites, "She Changes Your Mind." On the car ride over to the show, I had compiled a list of 6 songs that I desperately wanted them to play and right off the bat, they knocked out two of the songs! I had been waiting SO LONG to see Copeland live and the feeling of just standing there and in the midst of the show was overwhelming! We had worked our way to a good vantage point (but really, the place is so small that it really didn't matter where we stood, it would have been a good vantage point) and I had a PERFECT view of the band. Being the piano lover that I am, I was thrilled to see the keyboard set up towards the front center of the stage and was even more thrilled when Aaron took the bench and played three songs, "Sleep", "Coffee", and "Brightest." Now, "Brightest" is one of the songs that I love most (and in fact, somewhere around the beginning of January I posted an entry on the song)...and I was thrilled to hear it. All the girls were singing loudly along with Aaron when he sang it.

Just in case someone reading actually knows the band, these are the other songs they sang:
Don't Slow Down (from my list)
Love is a Fast Song
You Have My Attention
Take Care (from my list)
California (amazing live)
Paula Sparks
Hold Nothing Back (which was amazing live)
No One Really Wins (from my list)

After the show, Sean and I waited until the crowd dispersed and then we had a chance to chat with Aaron. I was trying my best not to freak out, as I'm easily star struck. I think I did a pretty good job and quelling my enthusiasm, but I'm afraid I couldn't help it when I discovered that Aaron had gone to the Death Cab for Cutie concert!! It's neat to think of him listening to the same music as I do (but, as I pointed out to Briana, there's no way in heck that he pops in his own cds to jam to whilst driving down the interstate). I told him that I had compiled a list of 6 songs and that they sang all but one of them: "Choose the One Who Loves You More." He explained that he really likes the song and they tried to include it on this tour, but found out pretty quickly into it that it wasn't going to work out as they had planned. I didn't want to ask for an autograph, so Sean ended up asking Aaron to sign my ticket stub! We got a picture together and then we had to hit the road (as it was a school night). The following night, Monday, was to be their last show on their tour and it was at the same place, The Social. Seriously, if I didn't have to go to parent teacher conferences, I would have been back for round 2.

I feel like I'm still floating on air and I can't stop thinking about the concert or singing Copeland songs in my head!

Well, it's nearly 4.30 and I want to leave school now. I just wanted to update on Copeland! Stay tuned...

Trick or Treat...

If you read my livejournal, you probably remember me mentioning at some point how I was desperately trying to secure a date to the Death Cab for Cutie concert. I exhausted my possibilities and finally resolved to go solo...however, tickets were finally sold out by the time I was going to purchase mine (which happened to be the first week of October). For the last month, I had an ache in my heart knowing that Death Cab would be in Orlando on October 30 and that I would not be there to see/hear them. I contemplated going to Hollywood, FL for the show on Halloween, but that's roughly 2.5 hours away and the concert wouldn't start until 8...you can imagine how late I'd be returning home. So...I was just going to miss out.

UNTIL...

About 1.30 yesterday afternoon I received one of the greatest phone calls of my life. Briana called to let me know that they had an extra ticket...was I interested? YOU BET! Unfortunately, I had to cancel movie and dinner plans with a friend (which are tentatively rescheduled for this evening) in order to go...but, I was SO THERE.

I met up with Kristin and Briana & company (I won't name names because I don't think I've ever mentioned the other people before). There were 9 of us and we took up a row...yeah right they were sold out! I mean, I'm sure they did sell out (especially the balcony seats), but there were SO many empty seats up in the balcony (perhaps ticket holders decided that they would rather be down in the thick of things in the standing room only section...no thanks!). Our seats were magical: right smack dab in the center.

We arrived and were in our seats at about 8.30. The opening act, Star from Montreal, began promptly at 8.00 and finished at 8.45. They were all right, a little loud and hard to understand. Emily said, "I can't understand them at all. You know, they're from Canada." I found that amusing because you know Canadians, so hard to understand...with their difficult language and all. During the set change, I could feel the excitement building. I mean, COME ON, I WAS AT A DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE CONCERT...I felt like I had been given a second chance at life...something that was impossible happened. I was Cinderella and Briana was my fairy godmother giving me the extra ticket. Life couldn't get any better. I talked to Melissa and Kristin about what songs we all HAD to hear and what we expected them to play first.

And then it was time.

Death Cab rushed the stage and I went crazy. I couldn't sit stilll; I was so excited. It is always a neat feeling when you experience a dream come true and you're aware of it. That's how last night was...complete and utter pure magic. The first note of the organ and I knew: Marching Bands of Manhattan, the opening track to their newest album, Plans. Ben Gibbard, the lead singer, sounded so calm and smooth, just like he does on their recordings. The song was awesome. My heart is fluttering just thinking about it. It is the very song that I anticipated them playing first (probably because it's the first track on Plans). Then, they went into to "New Year", one of my all time favorite songs. It was awesome. A couple songs into the set, the guitar began the driving notes that are the back bone for "Title and Registration", along with Ben keeping a steady beat on a drum thing (I thought it was a snare drum when I saw a video of the performance from Paste Magazine, but in concert I could tell it wasn't a snare drum...I don't know what it was exactly). AMAZING. The band has definitely control over many instruments. Ben often would throw his guitar to a tech guy standing by on stage and walk over to the piano. The other guitarist took over for the bass player on one song so that he could play on the keys. And then, during "We Looked Like Giants", the sound guys brought another set of drums on to the stage and Ben sat down to "break it down" at the extra set. It was pretty dang cool. He played the acoustic for one song only, "Soul Meets Body" (and believe you me, I went crazy when the baa-baas came on). They did so many other songs that were absolutely awesome:

Sound of Settling
Expo '86
Summer Skin
Different Names for the Same Thing
What Sarah Said (beautiful)
I Will Follow You Into the Dark (Ben came back on stage for the encore by himself and played this one)

They played some songs from their older albums (that I don't know). And then, they left the stage. But, I knew it wasn't over. I knew an encore would follow and I believed in my heart of hearts that they'd end with "Transatlanticism." I think I willed Ben to sing it. I was sending him messages telepathically all during the show... And wouldn't you know, after he played two songs on the guitar, he threw it to someone on stand by and took his seat at the piano. That first chord was almost too much for me to take. My heart ached (in a good way) so much that I seriously didn't know if I was going to be able to handle hearing the song. I handled it. It was amazing.

The show was awesome. And, they cancelled the Hollywood show because their Hard Rock doesn't have power still thanks to Wilma. But, Death Cab WILL be playing Orlando for another night.

I got home about 12.20 and fell asleep listening to "Transatlanticism" and thinking good thoughts :).

Today, it's Halloween and I'm updating from K-207 as Cinderella. My kids are doing a Creepy Cross Word Puzzle for extra credit and I'm happy. Next Sunday will be completely awesome, too. I asked S today if he was at all excited about seeing Copeland...and he admitted that he was, a little. That's enough for me to go on! Seriously, my life can't get any better than it is at this very moment.

This evening, I'm meeting a friend for Wallace and Grommit and sushi. Life.is.good.

A-B's back, back again...

I'm definitely moving back to blogger since I do not have access to livejournal through my school computer and I don't have a working computer at home. I just wish I could get to livejournal through school...I miss visiting my friends page a million times a day.

O, delicious autumn! It's been cool here since Wilma blew through. I think that tomorrow's weather will be back to hot and horrible, but the last few days have been glorious! The heat's been on in my classroom, I've worn long sleeve shirts, and I've enjoyed warm soup (although, I'm the kind of person who enjoys soup in all seasons)!

The sad news is that I'm pretty sure I have tonsillitis. I've done some reading on the internet and my tonsils are enlarged, my throat is unusually red, there is some white goo in the back of my throat, and my ear is KILLING me (apparently, ear pain is a common side effect of tonsillitis). I called yesterday for a doctor's appointment and made one for the earliest date available: January 4th at 2.15 pm. Awesome, right? Then, I called the urgent care facility and was informed that they are booked up for 3 weeks, but I'm more than welcome to chance a walk in visit between the hours of 1 and 3. Whatever.

The excitement for Halloween and November 6th is building!!!! Halloween will be awesome because I'll be Cinderella, of course. And, how come I'm anticipating November 6 you might ask? IT'S THE COPELAND CONCERT and we're going to eat at P.F. Changs before hand! I haven't been to P.F. Changs since my last trip to California in July of '02. Dinner's going to be awesome...and how do you top an awesome dinner? WITH AN AWESOME CONCERT! Seriously, I'm so excited about this concert...it's like a dream come true (except for that they allow smoking at The Social, and I'm vehemently opposed to the stench of smoke).

Time for lunch. Peace out.

TOUCHDOWN

Hey, kids. It's a-b reporting from K-207 (my classroom) after hours. Yep, it's nearly 10.21 and I'm sitting up in my classroom waiting for the parking lot to clear out so that I can get out with ease (you see, the ROTC people made me park in the back of the school...I followed their instructions without question and now I'm blocked in because the school that played us has their buses parked in the lanes that I need to use to get out).

This game was my first complete football game. Ever. The following is a list of the games I've attended:

• part of the homecoming game my senior year of high school
• the first home game my senior year of college...it was in the middle of a Thursday afternoon in the pouring rain...we stayed until half time
• a freshman game the first year I was teaching at PBHS...and the ONLY game the freshman lost that year. They blamed me for bad luck. I only stayed until half time.
• the Kickoff Classic last year that got cancelled due to lightning
• and, tonight's game

I can't wait until two weeks when I get to come back for another evening of sweaty fun. The National Honor Society collected HUNDREDS of dollars tonight. It will be exciting to hear from Red Cross the exact total (but, one person gave us a check for $320 tonight! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!). I sat with some fun cross country girls for the first half of the game and then switched to teacher mode and sat with another teacher in the band section. Since I'm completely football illiterate, Mr. Smith had to explain every single thing that was going on. It was great sitting next to the band though...lots of energy. Plus, it was neat to see so many of my students playing their little hearts out.

I almost forgot to mention the most exciting part of the night: WE WON IN OVERTIME! The score was 26 to 20. And, I hear that the school we played tonight, Cocoa, was pretty good...so it was a worthy win. I had loads of fun...am pretty hot and sweaty now...and I think enough time has passed that would afford me an easy exit from school.

So, good night.

Back to the Blog

Since I've abandoned blogger for the likes of livejournal, I've probably lost all readership here on solaalisa. But, I'm drawn back, after months of neglect, because of blogger's simplicity...not to mention that I am able to post from school as the filter doesn't block blogger. It's strange writing something that I'm fairly sure people aren't going to read...

It's been raining for nearly 24 hours straight. I really love days like these. The grey dreary skies are so comfortable. So much more so than the terribly bright and sunny ones that Florida is too used to seeing. I'm kind of hoping for rain tomorrow, too, accompanied by lightning because then the football game will be cancelled. I'm hoping for a cancellation because quite frankly, I don't want to be stuck going (as I volunteered for the massive responsibility of heading up the Hurricane Drive).

on recent purchases....

Maybe it's because I feel like I've recently come into some extra cash that has nudged me into loosening up the ole' purse strings as of late (by coming into extra cash I'm referring to getting double paychecks because of summer school). Now, should I be stowing extra money away to maybe pay for my massive car repairs that I'm in need of? Should I buy myself the long coveted iPod? Should I completely pay off my American Express? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding YES. But, instead, I have done the following:

*purchased Clarissa Explains it All and Mary Poppins (and got Mansfield Park for free since it's still the buy 2 DVDs, get the 3rd for free deal)
*purchased for myself Garden State
*bought myself a new outfit complete with accessories (which include a cute polka dotted scarf that doubles for a belt and a pair of dangly earrings!! Before this pair, I haven't had a pair of dangly earrings since high school)
*bought myself some much needed gym clothes and now I can't wait to go to the gym (I like the effect these purchases will have on working out...I will be even more motivated than before)

But, alas, I'm pulling the strings tight again and I'm not going to buy the iPod, fix my car, or pay off my American Express. Instead, I am going to save the extra money...not for a rainy day, but for a very specific purpose that I will reveal to you all in due time :). I hope I've piqued your interest!!

Garden State --
A worth while purchase. I really adore Zach Braff, but wish he didn't feel the need to use bad language. He is, in spite of his potty mouth, a brilliant guy. I love watching movies with the commentaries to find out little known facts. I like an iside look and I liked getting it from Zach and Natalie. The making of movies is really fascinating.

Mansfield Park --
I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it. My mom, her best friend, and I drove to Orlando in search of this movie (as it didn't come to our stupid town) and finally found it at some obscure dine in theatre. I knew it was something special when I first saw it and two weeks after my first viewing, I was actually in Austen's country myself reading the very novel that the movie was based on. Well, I owned the VHS tape, but not the DVD with commentary! So, I was happy to add this one to my small (but as of late, increasing) DVD library. Listening to the commentary had the added bonus of kind of being in a class about Austen. The writer/director is very knowledgeable and it was neat to learn facts about Jane that I had never heard or read before.

HOT DIGGITY DOG

Is it a coincidence that I've been immersing myself in Andy P's music as of late? In a post from last night I mentioned him in my "10 bands right now" list. I realized after I posted that I kind of didn't explain myself too well in the parenthetical notation by Andy's name, but it was too late and I didn't want to go back and edit. What I meant is, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Andy (yes, Chris, I know he's taken...not LOVE in THAT way), but sometimes I forget I love him so much. His cds will stay tucked away in some cd case until I'll go looking specifically for one or until I'll come upon one on a search for somethng else. However, since I compiled my list of 100 great songs, I've been on an Andy kick. During the last week, I've been listening to his Christmas cd, Behold the Lamb of God, a lot! It's so good.

I used to be obsessive about checking my favorite musicians' websites. Now, though, I'll go a few months before I stumble back on their websites. I like to space my visits out because that way, when I return, I'll have a greater chance of finding something new...like I did today on Andy's site! HE HAS A NEW CD COMING OUT IN 10 WEEKS AND AND AND AND....his Christmas show is coming out on DVD. This news is MUSIC to my ears! Just thought I'd share.

the evils of pride

It was a sad thing to discover that my name had been removed from the list of links on someone else's blog (actually, more than one person has removed me). The strange thing about it is, I don't really care at all that I was removed because I don't necessarily want the person/s to continue reading my blog (as I haven't read his/hers for quite some time now), but it's the whole issue of, "Man, I can't believe that s/he decided to erase me from his/her list. Oh well..." The feeling is similar to hearing a student saying, "So and so says you're his/her least favorite teacher." (yeah, kids are brutal and they'll tell me everything) My private thoughts always are, "Man, what did I ever do to him/her? I can't believe s/he is talking badly about me." But then I always land on, "Well, whatever, s/he is pretty much on my list of Least Favorite Students, so why do I care?" It's the whole pride thing. Also, there's the issue of finding out the person you dated has begun seeing someone else. I clearly recognize that Joe was/is not "the one" (although, I'm not of the opinion that there is ONLY one person out there for me...I more subscribe to the idea that love is not a fireworks and violins feeling (although, certainly it can be), but more importantly, it's a decision...that's not to say that physical attraction doesn't play a role or that there are certain things on "a list" that should be met), it stlil pained me to find out that Joe had started "seeing" someone else. We, for the most part, have been successful in the "remaining friends" phase (that honestly, most couples who break up pretend to be, but never really master) and I can truly say that I just want good things for him...but yeah, I'd be lying if I said it makes me super happy to know that he's completely over me and dating other people. On one hand, I'm happy for him, but on the other, I feel the sting of pride! Pride is pretty up there on the list of things that I wish I never felt.

Pride
Disappointment (because there is NOTHING that you can do for the sting of disappointment)
Grief (either personal grief or the grief someone else who is so close to you feels)
When I disappoint someone else (I hate feeling like I let someone down...I can hardly stand it)

I can deal with a slew of other terrible feelings rather well...lonliness is really no problem. Sure, it stinks, but it's bearable. Rejection? I've got that one covered. Mostly, it helps me to know that even Jesus was rejected, but he eventually got what he deserved, so I really shouldn't be bothered. I've come to handle embarassment really well. With being as clumsy as I am, I've been in many embarassing situations...so, I'm a pro. Anger...I'm not that much of an angry person. I get angry sometimes, but I don't go crazy. Sure, I've written a few refferals in my day, but no where near the amount that I should have. I can usually let things roll off my back pretty easily unless I feel that I've been really wronged (or most recently, someone I love has been wronged).

Anyway, I have had my life hidden in Christ for many years...but the process of becoming Christ like is difficult. And, it's silly the things that will happen that will point out how far from being like Christ I really am. For instance, the prideful sting I felt when I noticed my name removed for someone's blog. Petty, I know. But, I'm human. And, it's a daily struggle that I fall short of time and time again. To quote Danielle (somewhat out of context), "...but I stand on grace."

I miss you, blogger.

On some days, I wish I never left blogger for livejournal. Sure, the friends feature is nice on livejournal, but blogger has SO many other features that are far superior to the good ol' blog. And, my school's filter "Web Sense" blocks out livejournal but not blogger, so during my breaks on summer school, I really wish that I could revisit last summer and post from school. But, I suppose it's a good thing I can't update my livejournal from school because I'm not getting paid to do so, am I? So, as much as I'd like to keep up the blog, it just isn't happening. If you've found my site, just mosey on over to my livejournal.

the gym, 24, and crack

It's official: I've strained my achilles tendon. I noticed last Thursday and Friday that it was really difficult to run because I had some pain in my right achilles tendon, so I backed off the running. After sitting the weekend out, I went back to the gym yesterday where I tried to run again. I lasted about 20 seconds before I had to jump off the treadmill due to excruciating pain. I went and talked to the trainer who said that what I was describing was definitely a strain and when dealing with achilles tendons, do not even attempt to run again until it feels 100% better. I remember back when I ran cross country, any sort of ache or pain was completely overlooked and our coach just made us run. She really wasn't a cross country coach and was instead a scary, big basketball coach. But, I pressed on through an inflamed bursa (which I'm pretty sure is the cause of my ongoing hip pain) and stress fractures in my foot. It just wasn't an option to sit out. It just amazes me how much is lost if it's not used. Years ago in my cross country prime, achilles tendon pain wouldn't keep me from running. I wouldn't have even given the repurcusions of doing so a second thought. Times have changed. Yesterday, I walked for a mile on the treadmill with a steep incline (apparently the incline is supposed to stretch out the achilles tendon) and then I did the cross trainer. I felt no pain whilst at the gym, but when my feet hit the floor this morning, I could barely walk.

Enough about my physical ailments.

24 was so good last night. The show has finally reached the point where I'm thinking, "There's no way they can resolve this issue. Jack is not invincible. All hell is going to break lose and CTU can't stop it." I think there's only 2 more episodes left (which is done in real time, so only 2 more hours), and I don't think it will be at all believable if they tie everything up. Rodrigo told me that he'll be upset if 24 goes into a fourth season. It's sad when the person who got me interested in the show has lost all faith in it.

I learned today that a crack rock is about $20 and the chemistry teacher apparently knows how to make it.

Boxes of Letters

I'm not that much of a pack rat, but I do tend to save things. At some point in my young life, I decided that I was going to try to save all the important things I got/made because I never wanted to forget anything. I have my 4th grade GSP project on Earth and Space Tomato Seeds with glowing comments. I remember taking great care to make my project the best in the class. I had a special yellow folder for it and I drew tomato plants with a package of pastels my dad had given to me. I have my journal from 6th grade that we kept in Mrs. Grant's class as a part of our handwriting grade. I also have my final exam in social studies from 6th grade. I got a 96% on that bad boy. I saved all my corsages from homecomings and proms; I have a silver unicorn with one leg missing that I got from Medieval Times when I was 6 years old; I have the appple that says To the fairest... with red and gold glitter that Ryan Burrell gave me when we studied mythology in 6th grade; I have pink tickets that I saved from 5th grade (pink tickets were worth 5 brown tickets and you could save them up and turn them in for when you forgot to do your homework...I just hoarded my tickets); I have notes my mom used to put in my lunches or leave on my pillow; I have about 100 bookmarks that I got from teachers of in Sunday School; and I have boxes of letters.

Before bed last night (which is usually when I catch up on my correspondance...such a fun phrase to use), I got down two yellow boxes filled with letters. They are very organized. The smaller of the two holds letters that are very special. The larger one holds everything else...letters, postcards, and even bits of wrapping paper from important presents. It was wonderful to thumb through the treasures in those boxes last night. Reading those special letters from friends who are now scattered all over the country (and even world, since my most faithful correspondant lives abroad) brought back a flood of precious memories. Some of the most fun to read were the cards from my college best friend and room mate, Sharon. Her letters brought me immediately back to that exciting/confusing/and disappointing time when I went out on a limb and wrote Jon the "check yes or no" letter. Sharon's notes also mentioned things like Passions and Days of our Lives (two soap operas that we actually planned our schedules around during our senior year) and renting movies in our pajamas from Hollywood Video (Tuesday night was 99 cent rentals). Also in my box of letters that I've received from special friends were rough drafts of letters that I have sent to those very friends. Those were hilarious to read. Thank goodness I drafted copies before writing the real things! About a year ago (even though it had already been 4 years since our break-up), Joe asked me what I wanted him to do with the boxes of letters and cards I had made for and written to him. He felt that he needed to get rid of them because our relationship was in fact over. I immediately asked for them back (as I seriously wrote to him every single day I was in England and would love to have those back just because they were full of my observations about the land and country I was living in). However, I still don't have them in my possession. Even though this might sound quite vain, I've often wondered about what would happen to all my letters should I ever become well known enough to warrant a compilation of my correspondance to be put out for the masses (I began to think of this whilst in England when I was writing a million and one letters and also reading a volume of Alice James' letters, sister of Henry).

There's just something about letters that I find so romantic...not in the lovey/dovey way, but in the whole "mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal". I love to read volumes of letters that well known people have either written or received.

Anyway, it was a nice evening and stroll down nostalgia lane last night as I looked through those yellow boxes. I ended the day while listening to a mixed cd that I put together with a little Relient K, Jimmy Eat World, Mae, Derek&Sandra, and Caedmon's Call and writing a letter to Clark Kent.

In case you didn't get the change of address note...

I got an email asking how come I never update my blog any longer. The thing is, guys, I've moved. So, if you're still a faithful solaalisa blog reader, please go ahead and visit me at my new location and update your links (if need be).

My new home: www.livejournal.com/users/alisa_beth

the brightest firefly

I'm falling in love with Copeland (a band). And this is part of the reason why:

And I just know that she warms my heart
And knows what all my imperfections are
And she says that I am the brightest little firefly in her jar

I pretty much love fireflies (and hate when others call them lightning bugs). Of course, a firefly is way more magical than a lightning bug. I have three memories associated with fireflies and here they are in order of most recent:

12/31/04, Kissimmee, FL - Sitting around the camp fire as Philip and Amy tried their luck at jumping over the flames, I sat silenced by the beauty of the sparks that flickered up from the fire. They looked like tiny fireflies and I sat staring at them, wishing that they were.

Summer '04, Wilmore, KY - Sitting outside with wet cats while reading hidden info on Peter Pan in Ryan's backyard, fireflies flickered on and off. I love them.

Sometime during childhood, Marietta, GA - Running around at dusk in my grandmother's backyard, I collected the magical fireflies with my mother's assistance. They reminded me of a Glow Worm (which I never had, but nearly all my friends did). I was happy that I had the real thing: a jar filled with fireflies.

So, given my attraction to the magical things, it's no wonder that I have grown particularly fond of Copeland's song "Brightest". The sweetest, most magical metaphor I've heard thus far of someone's object of affection is the brightest little firefly in [the] jar. Seriously, I love it.

me, philip, and karen jane at our napoleon dynamite party 

me, marnie jane, and amy 

my camping experience with baby marnie 

great grandparents

So, I don't know about keeping up this blog. Maybe everyone should just go to www.livejournal.com/users/alisa_beth because that would be easier for me. But, here's what I just posted over there.

Some people have the kind of grandparents who are their favorite people in the whole, wide world. You know the kind I'm talking about: the ones who would get college essays written about them (when the question is Who has been the most influential person in your life?) the ones who quietly listen and are your biggest supporters, the grandmas who bake cookies or some other special treat they know you like, the grandpas who help you with your science projects and take you somewhere special -- perhaps fishing (if you consider that special). I don't have those kind of grandparents and maybe that's why I'm kind of obsessed with grandparents and the idea of grandparents.

I only have grandmas, neither of whom are called the traditional "Grandma" (which has aggrevated me forever!). Mums, my mom's mom, was too young to be a grandma when my mom made her one (my mom was 24, my grandma was 49), so she insisted on being called Mums. Sigh. My dad's mom was already Granny by the time his children came along (Alias and I are the youngest grandchildren on the Mix side, and we're the oldest ones on the Blackwell side, which has always been kind of interesting). Sigh. So, Granny and Mums was all I had. Based on all the proof I gathered while I was a child, I have concluded that neither grandmother liked me very much. My proof is as follows: Mums always gave me a nightgown for Christmas (not fun...ever), Granny never even sent me a birthday card, Mums saved all the postcards and letters I wrote her while I was in England and gave them back to me upon my return (this might not sound strange to you, but she keeps an album of all the picutres and letters of her grandchildren on proud display for all her visitors and other family members...but mine weren't good enough for the album!!), Granny once sent back a letter I had written her when I was in elementary school because I had addressed it incorrectly (I had addressed it to Granny Mix instead of Mrs. Catherine B. Mix), Granny also never gave me a music box (a tradition she had started with all her other granddaughters) until one of my cousins basically commanded that she do so. As a kid, the fact that your grandmothers don't like you can be particularly troubling. But, I'm resilient, thank goodness, and have been able to move on with my life. I didn't really begin this post tonight to drudge up past hurt inflicted by my mean, cold hearted grandmothers, but I wanted to talk about my "grandparents" (who I've mentioned before on my blog, but I have a new audience now, and after all, it is my space on the www, so I can write about whatever I choose).

Tonight, Don called me up and asked me if I wanted to meet Ginnie and him for dinner at Applebee's. Of course I did. On my way to Applebee's I was thinking about how unbelievably blessed I have been to have Don and Ginnie as my sort-of-grandparents. They don't have any grandchildren of their own, which is a darn shame because they're the kind of people who should have twenty! Don was the subject of a major essay I wrote which won me a prize, not only do they listen to me all the time, but they've been my biggest supporters (through science fairs, orchestra concerts, college visits). Ginnie doesn't often make me cookies, but she saves the peanutbutter and cool whip containers to make me ranch flavored oyster crackers (because I love them so much). Don helped me with my 6th grade science project and took me down to the Oceanographic Harbor Institute (or something like that) one Saturday ... just him and me. They take me out for ice cream and bought me my first guitar. They're pretty much the greatest grandparents ever...but in all honesty, it doesn't completely take the sting away of being hated by my real grandmothers. Oh well.

It's 10:36. Tomorrow promises breakfast at Chick-Fil-A with the CIA, Angel Tree Shopping, FPSers uniting to solve the problem of AIDS orphans without presents for Christmas, and perhaps something fun afterwards with two of my BFFL's. I wish my cats would get along. Some days they sleep right next to each other. Most days they don't. I hate the worst nightmare last night that Chloe bit off Saffie's ear. I woke up this morning, found Saffie sleeping soundly by my side, and checked her ears to make sure they were intact.

"Jesus loved the outcasts, he loved the people the world loved to hate. As long as there's a heaven, there'll be a failure to excommunicate..."

freezing in Palm Bay

So my fingers are freezing and I'm wearing a sweatshirt. I decided to check out www.weather.com because I thought CERTAINLY we're in the 50's. Yeah right! It's 68 degrees right now.

Last night I tried to begin reading Recruited, the Alias prequel. A student of mine let me borrow it because we share a HUGE obsession with the show. And this book, much to my dismay, is a piece of crap. Here is the excerpt from page 6 that made me throw the book across the room:

"Good girl," Francie said approvingly. "Now, are you going in your hula skirt or that flowered sarong?"
"I don't know, the sarong, I guess."
"Excellent. So can I borrow your hula skirt to wear over my bikini? Please?" Francie asked, raising a hopeful eyebrow.
"Hey, I like the sound of that," Baxter observed, turning back around.
"Oh!" Francie exclaimed, pointing at Baxter. "And then we can all three wear matching leis! Won't that be cool?"

I didn't get past page 6. J.J., how come you didn't ask me to write the "original prequel novel based on the hit tv series..."? I would have done so much better.

I will leave you with a fact that might gross some of you out. I'm sorry. Chloe and Saffie have two litter boxes. One is private, with a lid. The other is just a litter pan. WELL, my little kitties are brilliant. They consistently reserve their number 2's for the covered, lidded box. Number 1's happen in the open pan. That just makes me happy and so I thought I'd share.