Wish List!

Danielle posted her wish list last week mostly using pictures, which I thought was pretty neat, so I decided to post one, too! All of my lovely wishes can be purchased on my favoritest website of the moment, Etsy.

I love how delicate and romantic this necklace is. :)


 
I fell in love with this dress when I saw it on Etsy because it reminded me of the dresses Zooey Deschanel wore in "500 Days of Summer." I would love to wear it on a date with le boyf (as soon as this cold weather goes bye-bye, of course).


Such a cute purse! I love how vintage it looks. The price is pretty reasonable, so I might snatch it up next paycheck. (:

This shirt is too cute. I've been on such a Star Wars high lately, plus I like the Mexican Dia de los Muertos style imagery they're going for here, so this shirt is right up my alley at the moment.



This bag is by the same person who designed the Star Wars shirt above, in case you couldn't tell. Like much of their products, it's quirky and cute all in one. I'd probably use this bag to lug my papers to and from work.


Got a wish list you'd like to share with me? Post it on your blog and leave me the link in the comments! :)

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, dear bloggy friends! As I wrote in my Facebook status a few minutes ago, I have absolutely nothing planned for this weekend and I'm absolutely okay with that. I just want to SLEEP.

I know that I've neglected this here blog all this week. Want to know why? Here, I'll show you:


Yep, the Olympics has been pretty much sucking up all of my time these past two weeks. I'll watch anything -- skiing, hockey, speed skating, heck I'll even watch curling. But my absolute favorite Winter Olympic sport is figure skating.

Last night was the ladies' final figure skating program, and the girl I was rooting for, Kim Yu-na of Korea, won! So happy for her. I just think she was the best skater out of the bunch, and she combines grace with skill in a way that is truly gold medal worthy.


I think the girls who earned 2nd and 3rd place deserved their medals, too, especially Joannie Rochette of Canada, who got the bronze. If you didn't know, her mother passed away last weekend, and she had to make the heartbreaking decision over whether or not to compete in the Olympics. She decided to compete in the end, and I admire her so much for it. You could see the emotion welling up in her last night, both when she completed her program and when she received her bronze medal. I felt my eyes welling up in sympathy, watching her. If there's such a thing as heaven (and I hope there is), I'm sure her mother was smiling down at her last night.


As fun as the Winter Olympics have been, I'll be relieved to resume a more normal sleeping pattern next week! Going to sleep past midnight almost every night has been killer.

When I wasn't watching the Olympics this past week, I was reading The Hunger Games, The Swan Thieves, and Eat, Love, Pray. (All three are great -- click on the individual titles to learn more.) And when I wasn't reading, I was grading my students' work. I've been very industrious this past month as far as my work goes. Earlier this school year, I was having issues grading and planning for the three preps I teach: English III (for FCAT retakers), AP English Language, and SAT/ACT Verbal. And the more stressed I got, the more I just let the work pile up in frustration, which of course would only stress me out more. It was a vicious cycle! But I finally found a way to break free, and I'm so much happier for it. What's my secret? It's so simple, it's almost silly -- just divvy the work up and do it in stages. One day I'll grade just English III work, the next day I'll just grade AP English Language, and I'll save SAT/ACT Verbal for the third day. It's been working fabulously for me thus far.

Well, before I close, I'll leave you with my answers for this week's Fill in the Blank series. If you want to play along, just make sure you link back to Lauren's post!

1.  When I'm nervous I bite or tear at my nails. Not good for my manicure!

2.  My favorite item in my closet is  my purple flats. They are super comfy and super cute, so it's a win-win. (Go here to see them.)

3.  Listening to music is my favorite thing to do when I need to relax.

4.  My favorite childhood memory is  spending the summer at the beach with my family and cousins -- we used to spend two weeks staying at a hotel in Miami Beach, just soaking up the sun and relaxing. I miss that!

5.  Something you may not know about me is that I don't drive -- in fact, I hate driving and can't wait to move somewhere with decent public transportation .

6.  A true friend  will share both tears and laughs with you .

7.  Something I hope people think of when they think of me is that I am kind. This is a trait I value highly in others and try to emulate in my own life .
 
 Have an awesome weekend! :-)

Tune in Tuesday! {Neko Case}


I first heard of Neko Case thanks to my boyfriend. Every new band I know and love is thanks in large part to my boyfriend, who not only has great musical taste but also happens to have the best luck when it comes to finding great new artists.

So he mentions this awesome new band one day, and they have a really funny name -- they're called The New Pornographers. I am of course dubious as hell. I mean, that is one funny band name, right? But then he plays them for me, and oh my God, I lurve them and need them in my iPod now.

But this week's Tune in Tuesday is not about The New Pornographers. It's about one of the singers in the band, Neko Case. The band is composed of many different singers who have their own projects but come together every so often to play under that ridunkulous moniker, but the one whose voice always stays with me is Neko Case. Her voice is somewhere between the throaty warble of a country singer and the sweetness of a bluebird. She can hit notes that I had no idea existed, and her lyrics will break your heart.

Her song below, "This Tornado Loves You," is probably my all-time favorite song of hers. I hope you enjoy it! Please don't forget to tell me what you are listening to in the comments. :) Oh, and if you want to learn more about Neko Case, visit her official site.



P.S.) It's been a blast coming up with new tunes to share with you every week, but I'm going to put this feature to rest, at least momentarily, because things are getting scary-busy at work. Who knows? This feature just might be revived in a future post, so stay tuned. :)

Lolcat of the Week

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

A cat after my English teacher's heart... I speak to my cats in complete sentences, and sometimes, I could almost swear they understand what I'm telling them. (It's a good thing cats can't talk back, though! Hehe.) 

Have a great week!

Share/Bookmark

Happy Friday! That must mean it's fill-in-the-blank time. =)



Friday has never been more appreciated than today. SERIOUSLY. It's just been a crappy week, despite the fact that I had Monday off. I had an eye twitch that annoyed me and a migraine that haunted me like a pesky ghost. I had a student yell at me, which almost never happens. (I think she was just having a bad day.)

Despite the general crappiness of this week, some good things happened, too:

-> I learned who my new pen pal was (see Nicole's post on that to learn more), and it turns out she's a very cool girl by the name of Tam*Jam. You can check her out her most excellent blog here.

-> I read an awesome new book, The Hunger Games. I'm hooked and can't wait to buy the second part PLUS I just found out there's a third book coming out in August. If you haven't read it, do so!

-> I hung out with my boyf last night, and we ate pizza and and drank red wine (just a glass), and just relaxed. It was good. I needed that.

In fact, I think it was the hanging out with Ricky last night that finally got me to relax, that cured me of my eye twitch and my migraine. Last night I slept well -- about 8 hours worth, which is unheard of in my work week. I missed seeing the men's figure skating finals, which irks me because the one I was rooting for, Evan Lysacek, won. I wished I could've seen that! But oh well, at least I am well rested now and can properly enjoy my Friday night (and not fall asleep on my poor boyfriend -- do any of you do that, too, or am I turning into a granny before my time?!).

Before I close, here are my responses to Lauren's fill-in-the-blanks for this week. If you want to post your own, don't forget to link back to her!

1.  If I could medal in an Olympic event it would be  figure skating -- if only I were that graceful .

2.  If I was stranded on a deserted island I'd take  Ricky,  my journal, and my cat Tigger.

3.   Spiders  are my most irrational fear. (And the worst part is that they seem to follow me EVERYWHERE.)

4.  I'd rather clean everyday,  than   cook   everyday. Do you hear that, future husband? ;)

5.  I am  stoked that it's Friday -- looking forward to watching movies with le boyf and just relaxing.

6.  I should really be working on my master's thesis, but I can't seem to find the inspiration at the moment .

7.  One of my favorite things in all the world is   going on a road trip -- there's just something about the open road ahead of you and the feeling of disconnecting yourself from Real Life that is so intensely satisfying for me.

I hope you guys have an awesome weekend! Don't forget to say hello in the comments. :)

{photo cred: Casey}

Twitch.

So I've had this eye twitch since Monday, a little pulse under my right eye. Sometimes it comes and goes, other times it's consistent. Sometimes it comes with a headache, sometimes not. I've never had an eye twitch like this -- normally I have the jumpy kind of spasm that I can actually feel and that is more sporadic (and annoying) in nature. I can't feel this one, so it really wigs me out to look in the mirror and see it there. You can only see it if you're close to it, but still. DO NOT WANT. It makes me nervous every time I see it, like I'm developing a chronic neurological issue or something (hypochondria much?).

When I came home from work today and I still had the darn eye twitch, I decided to google the bad boy to see what might be to blame. And this is what I found:

Causes for eye twitches may include:

  • stress
  • lack of sleep
  • caffeine
  • eye strained induced by such activities as computer use

Um, ding times four?! I am four for four on this, people. Proof: 1.) I was stressed out yesterday when I had a minor altercation with a student, which of course messed up my whole day, even after the matter was resolved; 2.) I have not been sleeping that well this week (curse you, Winter Olympics! *shakes angry fist*); 3.) I have been abusing Starbucks; 4.) I have had contact lens issues, and as a result, have been forgoing use of them and squinting instead (because I hate wearing my glasses).

So clearly I know what I need to do -- give up caffeine, sleep more (aka watch less late night Olympics), wear my glasses, and oh yeah, don't freak out if my students misbehave (I'm sure the kids will looooove that last one.).

Speaking of the Winter Olympics, did you guys see the male skaters last night? I may or may not have a crush on the following American skater:


His name is Evan Lysacek and it's a platonic crush, so don't go rushing off to alert the boyf. I was just captivated with his skating last night. He showed so much passion -- you could really tell he was doing this for love of the sport, not for anything else. I hope he wins. Who are you rooting for and what are your favorite sports to watch in the Winter Olympics? I also love snow boarding and speed skating.

Okay, well I'm off to make some chamomile tea and take a nap. Hopefully that will cure my eye twitch. I notice I've gained some new followers -- please don't be shy! Come out and say hello. =)

Tune in Tuesday! {Camera Obscura}

 

I first heard about the band Camera Obscura from a fellow blogger, Lauren (the same Lauren from fill-in-the-blank Fridays). She raved about them on her blog and something about their album cover art just drew me in... so I decided to give them a listen, and to my very great surprise, I wound up loving them, as Lauren writes, "at first sound."

You know I'm a sucker for lyrics, being an English teacher/writer and all, and their lyrics are at once quirky and universal. Here is sample from the song "French Navy" :

You with your dietary restrictions
Said you loved me with a lot of conviction
I was waiting to be struck by lightning
Waiting for somebody exciting
Like you

They're a very new love for me, so I don't know that much about them other than they are from Scotland and have the most curious accents. I own their most recent album, My Maudlin Career, which I cannot stop listening to. It's one of those rare albums where every song is magical. They harmonize beautifully and remind me a bit of She&Him.

Here is the song that first turned me on to this band, "French Navy." Tell me what you think and let me know what you're listening to in the comments! :)


Don't forget to give me your recommendations for yesterday's blog post, What's in your makeup kit?

{Talk Back!} What's in your makeup kit?

 picture found here

I was recently cleaning out my makeup kit, throwing away old mascaras and blushes and stuff, and I started thinking about what new products I'd like to try.

This got my wheels turning! I thought to myself: wouldn't it be a great idea to turn the question around on YOU, my bloggy readers? I want to know what your favorites are in the following categories:

foundation
concealer
powder
eyeshadow
mascara
eyeliner
lipstick
lip gloss
nail polish

Surely you have some tried and true makeup favorites you'd like to share with me...  I want to know both name brands and shades, if you please! If there is any makeup product you love which you don't see listed above, tell me. :)

Lolcat of the Week

funny pictures of cats with captions

This week's Lolcat is in honor of all my bloggy friends who recently suffered a "snowpocalypse." Hope you were at least able to enjoy some playtime! (:

Share/Bookmark

Buckle Up.

Sometimes pictures really are worth a thousand words...

Some fill-in-the-blank fun.

Here's some fill-in-the-blank fun for you, courtesy of the lovely  Lauren from the little things we do Be sure to post your own answers and then link back to her blog!

1. I am hoping my Valentine's day this year includes something handwritten and maybe some pretty flowers.

2. My biggest guilty pleasure is  Starbucks.

3. I am most proud of  my students -- I love watching them grow and learn.

4. If I could choose one outfit to live in it would be my dark wash jeans and my kitten heels -- they're so comfortable without sacrificing style.

5. People are sometimes surprising, but always interesting.

6. I would rather  make the best of a situation than suffer for no reason.

7. I love my  boyfriend more than  sleep, chocolate, or books (which is saying A LOT if you know my love of sleep, chocolate, and books(!!!).

 picture found here

Happy Friday!


picture found here, "poladroidized" here


It's Friday, it's Friday! *throws confetti*

This week kind of dragged a bit for me, so pardon my exuberance! I'm just that excited that it's Friday. As if it couldn't get any better, it's a long weekend, too. *throws more confetti*

What are your plans for this long weekend, bloggy friends? Le boyf and I haven't finalized anything. We thought of maybe going to Disney World, but next week might be better because BLONDIE is going to be performing in Orlando then. So we're not sure...

Whatever we do, I will be happy no matter what. Because at least I get to spend time with my love. And honestly, that's all I need to be happy. =)

(Yeah, I know I'm a sap.)

Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!

I am a holiday junkie.

I have a confession to make: I am holiday junkie. It doesn't matter the holiday --Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo -- I celebrate 'em all.

I recognize that all of these holidays are overly hyped so that businesses like card companies and department stores and restaurants can reap in the profits, but I don't care. I'm a holiday junkie and I'm happy to be one.

Is Valentine's Day about the romantic gifts and/or romantic dinner? Nooo... of course not. But that doesn't mean it's not fun to plot what to get my boyfriend or where we should eat on Valentine's Day.


In fact, I've been thinking we might go to this restaurant. It's a cute little French brasserie and we haven't been in a while. Their steak au poivre is to die for, as is their creme brulee. If you are fortunate enough to have one of these restaurants in your area, RUN don't walk ... seriously. The prices are decent, too.


As for Ricky's gifts, I would tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. And we can't have that, so I will give you a clue instead: both of them are books he can read, but only one was mass produced. That's all I have so far, and I might get more gifts for him and I might not. I'm not sure. But if all he gets are the two books, that's fine, too.


I wonder what he's getting me?! Ah, well, I guess I'll have to wait and see...

photo creds:
cookies found here/ heart-shaped rock found here/ swans of cuteness found here

Tune in Tuesday! {PJ Harvey}


I don't remember when I first heard of the British chanteuse PJ Harvey. (I think it was sometime in grade school, I don't know.) But I do know this -- it was a life-altering moment. I felt as though PJ Harvey were singing directly to me, as though her voice was a conduit straight into my soul.

She has been compared to Bjork and Patti Smith. But honestly? I think her voice is singularly hers. She often sounds as though she is on the verge of tears when she's singing, the tremors shaking across the lyrics. Her lyrics themselves are profound, heavy with meaning. I tend to like artists who not only write their own music, but who write interesting music, lyrically and sonically speaking. PJ Harvey always writes interesting music -- I own all of her albums and love them all.

The song below is one of my all-time favorites of hers, "Send His Love To Me." The strings in it are to die for... Enjoy! And don't forget to tell me what you're listening to this week in the comments. =)


Please don't forget to vote for me! Multiple votes are accepted!

On our last night together. [poem]

The other day when I wrote my piece on bubbles, I really wanted to write it in verse format, but the inspiration wasn't there. It was apparently on its way, and it arrived today:

on our last night together
on our last night together
we went to see a movie
and visited a toy store
it was 1999
and we were on the verge
of everything
I still remember
how still that night was
the hot May air
windless
your eyes just as still
I felt a tremor
of presentiment
and laughed
to shake it off
but it clung
doglike
to my feet
at the toy store
I bought a bottle of bubbles
you smiled in response
but it failed
to reach your eyes
in the parking lot
I was pushing back
the tears
unable to escape the feeling
that the ground
was about to be ripped
from underneath my feet
I unscrewed the cap
and blew a few halfhearted bubbles
into the still night air
we watched them float
in midair
for a moment
before disappearing
into
nothingness

 
picture found here


P.S.) If you enjoyed reading this, you can read more of my writerly stuff here.

Lolcat of the Week

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Have a great week, everyone! :D

My super lazy Sunday.

So it's Super Bowl Sunday -- what are y'all doing to celebrate the big day? I don't have anything major planned. I woke up at 11:30 AM, had some hot chocolate for breakfast, prepared some lesson plans for next week, and dyed my hair. That has been the big excitement of my day so far, dyeing my hair.

You see, I normally get my hair colored at my salon, but lately I have not liked what they've been doing with the color -- first they left it too dark, and when I complained last month, they left it reddish-black on top and jet-black at the tips, which is NOT what I was going for. What I wanted was something close to my natural hair shade, which is a very dark brown, and so I decided to try my hand at dyeing my own hair, something I haven't done in years.

This was the end result (please ignore my unmade face):


This is the closest it's been to my natural hair color in months, maybe years. I can tell that it's a very close match because it perfectly matches my eyebrows. I used L'Oreal's Excellence To-Go 10 Minute Hair Color, which really did work in 10 minutes. Plus it left my hair really soft, so I think I'll be using it again in the future. At any rate, its price tag ($9.99) is a heck of a lot cheaper than going to the salon!

Now I'm waiting for my boyf to come get me so we can hang out together. He's not into football either (le gasp!), so we'll probably just relax at his place and maybe finish watching "Star Wars." We're going through the series again and we're currently halfway through "The Empire Strikes Back" (which is my favorite in the series).

Hope you have a great Sunday! Please don't forget to vote for me -- just click on the button below. If I win, I get funds to help pay for my students' books.

Bubbles.

picture found here


Bubbles didn't always make me sad. I used to love them as a little girl, how they glistened with a million different colors. I used to love trying to blow them up really big, bigger than my head. Alas, I was only able to do this on one or two occasions. But when I did make this happen, it was magical.

So what ruined the appeal of bubbles for me? What else? -- a boy.

I'll set the scene for you -- It is 1999. I am 20 years old. It's my second year of college and the responsibility of having to figure out a career (my college major was still undecided at that point), not to mention get a job, is wigging me the heck out. On top of all that, things have been stressful with my boyfriend, whom I'll call John. I keep feeling him pulling away, threatening to slip through my sticky fingers.

Cut to our last night together -- We are out together on a date. It is Saturday night and he is strangely quiet. Desperate to see him smile again, I suggest we visit a toy store. To my surprise, he says yes. At the toy store, I purchase a blue bottle of bubbles on a whim. I am finally rewarded with one of John's smiles, but it fails to reach his eyes. In the parking lot, I am pushing back the tears now, unable to escape the feeling that the ground is about to be ripped out from under my feet. I unscrew the cap of my bubble bottle and blow some halfhearted bubbles into the still night air. It is May in Miami, hot and windless. The bubbles float in midair for a moment before disappearing into nothingness. As if they never existed.

Eleven years later, I have long since been over "John," but the sight of bubbles never fails to make me sad.


Happy Friday!

 picture found here

This is my 500th post, which is insane. I began writing this blog a little over a year ago, starting out with just a handful of readers. Now I have 100+ readers, which is also insane. (And not a little intimidating, I will admit.)

Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me through all the Lolcats, the favorite lists, and all the random rants. And as for my new readers, please leave me some comments so I can get to know you, too. :D

So it's Friday! (Yay!!!!1) And it's also Super Bowl weekend (Yawn.), which apparently has all of the male contingent very, very excited. The majority of my male high school students today were practically bouncing in their seats. Honestly, I hope the Saints win just because New Orleans has had it so rough -- they deserve some happiness. But otherwise I could care less. Basketball is more my thing...

Here's a little "Fill in the Blank" fun for you before I go, inspired by Lauren from the little things we do...  Happy Friday!

1.  If I had two hours to myself today, I'd spend it curled up in bed reading .

2.  If I could travel anywhere today, I would go to Paris, France .

3.  The night I first kissed Ricky (aka the love of my life)  is my happiest memory.

4.  Sometimes you're  focused  other times you're floating.

5.  Beauty is inside the hidden moments that no one else sees but you.

6.  I would be embarrassed if anyone knew that I don't drive and that in fact I HATE driving.

7.  Love at first sight is not something I believe in -- I think love is something that grows with time.

P.S.) I'm in the running to receive an educator's grant that will help me pay for my students' books. Please vote and help me win! Thanks!

These are a few of my (current) favorite things...

Le boyf got the entire Blu-ray set of Planet Earth from his parents this past Christmas, and we've been watching a couple of episodes every week. It's an 11-part series by the Discovery Channel, and the gist of the series is that it gives the viewer an overview of the world's varied and various ecosystems. The American version is narrated by Sigourney Weaver, which I first saw a few episodes of on TV, but the version we have is the British one, which is narrated by David Attenborough. Personally, I prefer Attenborough's narration because his voice is more lively than Sigourney Weaver's. Like he gets all passionate about polar bears, which is awesome because I'm passionate about polar bears. Plus he sounds a little bit like Winnie the Pooh. Don't believe me? Here, give him a listen, but only if you promise to come back now, ya hear? ;)

...

Oh good, you came back. Some final random thoughts on Planet Earth: my boyf laughs at me because I routinely forget its name and call it something completely different, like "Planet Animal" or his personal favorite, "Animal Planet" (*facepalm*). Also if you do not like seeing animals hurting each other and generally being, well -- animals -- don't watch this show.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I wasn't always a tea drinker. This is a recently new phenomenon in my life. It all started thanks to my learning (on Twitter, of all things) about the magic of peppermint tea. How it is great for one's digestion. How it is oh so yummy.  Cut to me shopping for groceries in Publix. I'm in the tea aisle. I see a box of tea by Celestial Seasonings. It's peppermint. I deliberate for about 45 seconds and then decide, What the hell? So I buy it, I take it home, and I brew some tea. And I like it. I mean really like it.

Since then I've bought a few other flavors from Celestial Seasonings: their Sleepy Time (a chamomile mix) and a berry variety pack I've yet to try. I like how calming the act of drinking tea is. It's great right before bed, when I'm trying to unwind.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, I must be really thirsty, because this is yet another beverage I'm favoriting this month. But oh wells, I am really liking sarsaparilla right now, so what can I do? Are you wondering what in blazes sarsaparilla is? Don't worry, so was I the first time I heard about it. It sounds like a made up word, or worse -- like a disease or an exotic type of dance. But it's neither (at least not last time I checked). What it is, is a type of soft drink. It tastes a bit like root beer, only sweeter. 

My boyf promises me that cowboys used to drink it. Which makes it cooler, somehow. But honestly, I think I'd like it no matter what. Cowboys or no cowboys. 

 A good brand to try is Sioux Falls. And I'm not just saying that because it has a cowboy on its logo.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Between my boyf Ricky and me, we own quite a few gaming systems: PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, XBox, DS, DS Lite ... et cetera, ad infinitum. Lately we've been buying a lot of downloadable games for the PS3. So many of them are cheap AND good, like some of my faves, Peggle and PixelJunk Monsters. My boyf introduced me to the PS3 game Shatter last month. The game is a shooter that requires precision in timing. It can be a bit unforgiving at times, but it's utterly addicting. I especially love the soundtrack by Sidhe -- it's like this techno soundscape -- all pulse and color.  Go here to see a trailer of the game and do give it a try. If you like shooters, you won't be disappointed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cardigans are not something you can normally wear year-round in Miami, FL. Unless you are me, who thinks 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) is freezing. There's a word for me in Spanish: friolenta. There's no perfect English equivalent, but I guess you can say it means that I get cold ridiculously easy. Something that helps me counteract my friolenta-ness is a cardigan. Lately the unseasonably cold weather in FL has got me shivering. It's been particularly bipolar lately -- 50 degrees in the morning, then 80 degrees in the afternoon. Wearing layers can get bothersome, especially when it's 80 degrees and you're dying to peel off those five thousand layers you were so grateful for in the morning, when it was still 50 degrees. Which is why wearing a cardigan is such a lovely thing. It warms you up in the AM and is easy as pie to take off in the PM. I've picked up a few darling cardigans from Old Navy recently. They are not only warm but incredibly soft as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
After much hemming and hawing, I finally nabbed myself an iPhone (sorry to Asheyna and all other Apple naysayers ... the siren call was just too strong). It is seriously my new favorite toy. Seriously. At first, I was worried I would not be able to type on its touchable screen -- before this phone, I had the BlackBerry which is very text friendly. But to my utter delight, I have been able to text, touch, and otherwise use the touch feature of the iPhone with no difficulty.

What else do I love about the iPhone? The apps. (*cue heavenly choir of angels*) I have been in a feverish fit of app procuring ever since I got the phone last Friday. Some of my favorites include (click on the links to learn more):

Please do let me know of any cool apps I missed!

What are YOUR favorites this month?

Please vote for me! :-)

I love being an English teacher. I truly do. Not only do I get to talk about my favorite things all day (reading and writing), but I get paid for it. It's a win-win situation, you see.

As if it couldn't get any better, I am participating in a Microgrant program sponsored by Weekly Reader and an online community, called WeAreTeachers. The 5 recipients of this grant receive $200 to promote “literacy” in their school, as well as a Flip video camera. Recipients are selected through an online voting process. If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate you voting for my project. It would really mean a lot to me to have your vote and support!

Just go to http://www.weareteachers.com/web/literacy/mg_vote and follow the directions there. You can find me by inputting my full name, Ana Cristina Simon, in the orange search box. Thanks! :)

Tune in Tuesday! {she&him}


One of my new favorite bands is she&him. "she" is none other than the adorable Zooey Deschanel (from "500 Days of Summer") and "he" is the hitherto unknown to me Matt Ward. Their music is perfect for sunny days, when you're driving with the top down and don't mind the wind ruffling your hair. Their music will not fail to put you in a good mood, with its bouncy beats and 1950's twee sensibility. Their music is amazing.

But don't take it from me... hear their music below and visit their site.



P.S.) I had a fit of insomnia last night and so I spent it messing around with Picasa. I created a new button for my site, which you are free to grab! Just right click to save the picture below, or you can grab the code from the right sidebar. :)

I blog therefore I am

Lolcat of the Week

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Choosing my Lolcat each week is a simple process -- the one that makes me laugh the hardest is the one I select. :D (This one is clearly LOL-inducing!)


Got any good Lolcat pictures you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments!