hypotrichosis

This is the lamest, most pathetic first world "problem" out there.

LATISSE^® solution is a prescription treatment for hypotrichosis used to grow eyelashes, making them longer, thicker and darker. Eyelash hypotrichosis is another name for having inadequate or not enough eyelashes.

Watch the video here! Then be embarrassed that they've made a treatment for this!

things I wished when I was in middle school

1. That my best friend Elisheva would move back from Cleveland, Ohio, and be my best friend again. Oh yes I wore my BeFri necklace those years.
2. That my roughly same-aged neighbor across the street would fall in love with me and come over and hang out, even though I not once introduced myself or made conversation. I imagined it would happen a'la the teenage protagonists in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids wherein one neighbor spies the other doing something cute (dancing with a broom) and then the next thing you know, they are kissing under a giant blade of grass.
3. That a tube of deodorant would appear in my bathroom without my having to ask mom about it.
4. That my parents would just freakin' buy a bar of chocolate for us, seriously, just once. Oranges are not dessert.
   
5. That one of my brothers would be a sister.
   

*Inspired by Coates.

why kay

On this Holiest of Holies, the rabbi asked us to introduce ourselves to a stranger and share a moment when we felt closest to the Jewish community, and I turned to the lady next to me and started describing the Shabbat club I formed with my friends several years ago, and how sad I was that it fell apart because everyone graduated and moved out of LA, and the lady asks me how old I am, and I answer twenty seven, and she asks if I have a boyfriend, and I say no, and then she urges me to sign up for Jdate and meet a man because I am getting old and running out of time.

That's when I pretended to be really interested in the al cheyts.

this is how I feel right now

I MAY have just watched all of Michael Jackson's interviews with Oprah, circa 1993.

a snake will always be a snake

Yesterday us Founding Teachers had a bitch session with our director. The shit has hit the fan at our school, and he basically told us that we need to get off our high horses and start being proactive. I totally agreed with him (silently) because compared to some of our big issues, like the fact that our personal relationships with students are deteriorating, some of my colleagues' complaints were downright petty. ("Why do we have to do icebreakers?") He said we had to speak up or shut up, basically. Together, we came up with solutions to our two biggest concerns.

This morning, I walked into a room in which the other three were discussing the meeting, and a certain bitchy someone asked me how I thought it went. "I thought it went well," I said, "We got to complain and then we worked out two huge issues." My satisfaction was not what she was hoping for. She started whining about a number of issues that were bothering her, all of which were apparently the fault of our new principal. I stayed silent, hoping that someone would change the topic. These very same issues were aired at our meeting YESTERDAY. This girl loves to complain, and she is a Repeater. I can't stand it.

Then one of them asked us if we were going to talk to the principal about "it." I didn't say anything, and then the question was directed at me. I said that I was going to talk to her about MY issues, and that YOU can talk about YOUR issues. This did not go over well.

Bitchy looked at me funny and in an accusing tone reported that she HAD tried to talk to the principal, but blah blah blah laundry list of complaints. Whine, whine, whine. I told her that I didn't like it when we all got together and ragged on the principal, that it made me feel uncomfortable when people are talked about behind their back. Coworker GOT MAD AT ME.

At first she was completely defensive, like of COURSE she has a right to vent to her coworkers, to which I replied that it really made me uncomfortable to talk about people who aren't present. Then, she tried to explain to me why it was OK for her to complain about the principal (who was not there) on behalf of other teachers, to which I replied that it really made me uncomfortable to talk about people who aren't present. I left the room. A few minutes later, she came over and made her case again, like why can't I just let her complain in peace? She has a right to vent, don't I know that? What am I doing, telling her how I feel!?!?!? She doesn't agree!!! She was so mad at me, she had the same tone as last year when she scolded me for "not being flexible" (doing what she wanted). I replied that it really made me uncomfortable to talk about people who aren't present.

She stared at me for a few seconds, and I stared back with my, "Yes?" face, and then she left the room.

goals

I am having some difficulty with my co-teacher this year. She is fresh out of Teach for America, an organization I have several issues with. Girlfriend has a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, but again, has only taught "the TFA way." We are having some trouble collaborating and I thought I'd think out loud here. These are my non-negotiables.

Student skills:

• Complete a list of assignments on their own. (Managing their time.) (Hence the WTS)
• Talk thoughtfully about books they are reading. (Lit circles)
  
• Enjoy reading.
  
• Work in a group to produce a physical product.
• Work in partners or in a group to get work accomplished. (Know who to ask for help and who to avoid.)
  
• Be part of a discussion about events in literature or history. Be critical. Defend arguments.
• Be familiar with History Alive! curriculum, including previews, note taking, and processing exercises. (Use in 7th, 8th grade)
  

Teacher wants:

• Minimal and shared xeroxing (I xerox for you, you xerox for me, we both try to save paper.)
• Minimal and shared grading (I grade for you, you grade for me, we throw stuff away when it doesn't inform our teaching.)
  
• Use teacher materials whenever applicable (It is not always worth it to create a prettier/organized/comprehensive worksheet. Are students getting the practice they need?)
• Neither of us stressing out about workload.
• Our classes are run similarly enough that one teacher could sub in for the other without having the period wasted.

I can give up:

• I don't care what is on the WTS as long as it addresses the topics we decided for ltp and as long as I don't have to make worksheets.
• End of chapter history tests. (I still want to give some sort of quiz.)
• I don't care what their Lit circle projects are, as long as they address the skills above.
• Cumulative tasks for each history unit. Open to new ideas here. We just can't do them all, though. Must also consider if they are necessary. (Already listed in ltp.)