Day Two:

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Hello! I know I skipped a day…

Day two’s challenge is going to be a bit more complicated I feel.

Or perhaps it will not?

Where do I start? What’s in a name? A name is but a name…a rose is but a rose…if by any other name…is that how it goes?

This is a time when I feel like going to make a new cup of coffee. And that leads me to my blog name. “Someone Left the Coffee Pot On”.

I guess back when I started this blog I was kind of a caffeine fiend and that was mostly due to the fact that I was in the last year of grad school and the last part of grad school involved a lot of research and writing and presentations. So, I suppose my constant companion, Coffee, became like a close friend, and in light of that I named my blog after her. (She seems like a her, maybe because she makes me want to talk a lot, especially gossipy talk).

I wasn’t really sure where I wanted this blog to go, and to be perfectly honest, I’ m still not sure where this blog is headed. The only thing driving its direction right now is the need to keep up with this 30 day challenge. If there is one thing I’m good at accepting it is challenges. And flatulence. I have to accept that because I live with a man.

Now that I’ve got you here, intrigued by my talk of caffeine and flatulence, I want to speak for a moment on coffee. I feel a tiny discourse about the nectar of the gods is relevant due to its presence in the name of my blog. I’ll make it short though because I am, in fact, overdue for my second cup and one thing you must know about writing and coffee is that the two go hand-in-hand. Literally. I have one hand holding on to my coffee mug for dear life as I speedily type these words with the other one.

Coffee:

I’ve read somewhere that some of the oldest people in the world have drank a cup of coffee, or two, for all their lives. I like this idea, I think they are on to something. I know there is a whole faction of people out there who claim that caffeine wreaks havoc on your system, and that being dependent on a substance every morning is clinical addiction. But…there are some people who claim they can’t get through a day without starting it off with a smile and whistling a tune and no one ever bothers to call them out. And as far as actual harm to your body, there is no hardcore evidence to support that. I’m not saying it’s prolonging your life either. I’m just defending my friend, Coffee, for being exactly what it is. A friend. Someone who is there, with warmth and comfort and offering you a bit of pep in your step.

Thus concludes Day Two: Someone Left the Coffee Pot On. Answers to your deepest questions…why? Why?

Day One:

Day 1: Introduction, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Hello there! My name is Andrea. Here is a recent photo of yours truly: 

This photo was taken in Costa Rica, at the Pacuare River Lodge. If you like adventure and nature and good friendly people, I highly recommend this place. It’s one of the most remote places I have been to. No roads lead to the lodge, it is only accessible via the river, and much of it is white water rafting. But anyway, I digress. This isn’t about Pacuare River Lodge now is it?

I am 30 years old and will turn the big 3-1 on December 6 of this year. Hey that’s in a few days! Yikes! 31 feels different. Last year I made a huge deal about what I was going to do on my 30th birthday and how it was going to be different from any other year and you know what? It was not any different. In fact it was a little uneventful. I went to work, a place where I had just started, and no one knew it was my birthday. And I brought donuts to share in the office but no one was there when I left them so no one really knew who had brought them in or why. And then I just felt weird going around telling everyone it was my birthday. Like, “Good morning! It’s my birthday by the way. Today. My birthday. And I’m the big 3-0. So… yeah. Just go ahead and be extra nice to me today, all day. Mmmkay?”

Oh geez I digress again!

Talking about oneself is never easy…

Maybe it will be easier just to list facts. Here are 15 of them. I feel like this is a magazine post. I feel famous. I’m excited.

1. I am a Sagittarius. That makes me a fire sign. This is a brief snippet about the Sag. I think it rings true somewhat:

“The Sag's philosophical, broad-minded approach to life motivates them to wander far and wide in the search for the meaning of life. Extroverted, optimistic, and enthusiastic, it can be almost impossible to keep the Sagittarian down. They love change. In fact, change is essential for this sign to feel their best.”

2. I just got married this past summer to a lovely man named Chris. That makes me feel a little grown up, and I still haven’t gotten used to that idea.

3. I was a competitive gymnast until age 14. I dropped out because of the intense training and also because I didn’t think I was progressing fast enough to make it to the Olympics. Sadly, in gymnastics, 14 is seen as pretty close to over-the-hill status.

4. I was Lieutenant of our Dance/Drill Team, the Lake Travis Cavalettes for my Junior and Senior year. I thought about trying out for Captain but didn’t because one of my best friends, Laura, whom I had shared this entire dance team experience with, had wanted that position so badly and it would’ve meant running against her. I wasn’t necessarily afraid of defeat, but I didn’t want the competition between us. It would’ve been cool to be co-captains but that wasn’t an option.

5. I hate people’s obsession with cell phones. I hate that people expect you to be reachable at all times and that we are ok with that. I hate that now cell phones have so much on them to entertain us that it totally disengages us from life. I think it might be one of the worst things to happen to mankind. Yes, I feel that strongly about it.

6. I studied abroad 3 separate times in college. Twice to Italy and once to London. Then I went back and traveled around Europe solo, spending much of that time working and living in Italia. I’m kind of obsessed with that place. I think their view of life is very refreshing. I wish I could’ve been born there.

7. I speak Italian. Parlo Italiano abbastanza bene. Pero, quando sono stata in Italia, molti anni fa, parlavo meglio di adesso. Adesso non parlo bene solo perche non ci sono molti italiani in Pittsburgh. Peccato. Ma, communque... Boh.

8. I’m also pretty good at picking up most other languages. Some may call me a linguaphile. I’m pretty sure I’ve been called that. I’m almost 95% sure that is an actual word.

9. I love animals. I have worked for animals shelters and also volunteered at the Humane Society. I am constantly conflicted, however, because I tried to be a vegetarian and I became anemic. So I continue to feel shameful whilst continuing to eat meat. It’s a vicious cycle and one that I really want to break.

10. I was a Kindergarten teacher. I actually have taught several other grades (mostly primary, preschool aged) but Kindergarten was my absolute favorite. I would still be a teacher now if it were not for the fact that Pittsburgh schools don’t hire new, non-union teachers. Or that’s my explanation to why I haven’t gotten a job in 2 years being here. Can’t wait to return to Texas or any other state that I will be able to work in. I miss it SOOOOO much!

11. I’m from Austin, Texas born and raised. How many people in Austin are actually natives? Not too many. I’ve seen it go through a lot of changes, that city, and I can’t say I’m digging the new Austin, but that’s what any old native would complain about.

12. I learned to sail when I was 11 years old. I sailed my first regatta when I was 12. I never won any because my boat would always flip over, being that I only weighed 80 pounds. The closest I got to winning was on a day that the wind was completely dead.

13. I love surprises and love being surprised. My dad spoiled me with surprises growing up. But that’s why he’s the best! My husband laments that the bar has been set way too high for him. He just has to learn how to jump higher. He was a high jumper in high school, after all.

14. I love physical activity…running, Crossfit, yoga, dance, biking, hiking…these are a few of my favorite things.

15. I can pretty much recite the entire move, Dumb and Dumber.



Ta da! Done with Day One! I’m on a roll!!!


Stay tuned for Day Two…hopefully I can crank it out. It might be hard these next few days what with meetings at work (my usual blogging location) or birthdays (two days…) but I’ll try my best!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Ladies and Gentleman…


I promised two posts earlier that I would challenge myself to my very own Thirty Day Blog Challenge…what better way to kick start the practice of just getting there and writing a post. So, as promised, and only slightly delayed, here begins my 30 Day Blog Challenge! This is going to be fun! Before I begin, here is the challenge in all its glory.

Day 0: The 30 Day Challenge Explanation and Description

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3: Your first love

Day 4: Your parents

Day 5: A song to match your mood

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7: 5 Favorite movies

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend

Day 10: Something you're afraid of

Day 11: Favorite TV shows

Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without

Day 13: Goals

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Day 15: Favorite quote

Day 16: Dream house

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat

Day 19: Something you miss

Day 20: Nicknames

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?

Day 22: What's in your purse?

Day 23: Favorite Book

Day 24: Something you've learned

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26: Your Dream Wedding

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

Playing It Safe

Playing it Safe

“I believe that those boys who take part in rough, hard play outside of school will not find any need for horse-play in school.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

 American president

 1858–1919

I saw a recent report in the Wall Street Journal which found that the ever growing concern over the safety of children’s playgrounds has caused them to become dumbed down, boring, and lacking a sense of challenge or adventure. As a side effect, kids have become less interested in playing outside. I just want to rant on this topic for a second because it is something very near and dear to my heart.

In graduate school, whilst pursuing my Masters in Education, I focused a lot on the benefit of play in education, especially during early childhood. I wrote several research papers on the topic, and read from many authors, a number of them notable child psychologists or pioneers in child development. The topic fascinated me for a couple of reasons: 1) my own love of play as a child was thoroughly nurtured. Because of this, it has given me extraordinary gifts as far as my own sense of creativity, my comfort level in trying any physical activity, new or practiced, and my acute sense of self and healthy level of confidence. 2) having now worked in the field of education and child care, I have seen first-hand the effects of the “dumbing down” of activities and recreation spaces available to our kids. These effects are not pretty.

Here is something to consider: I child at age 3, when falling, will usually have pain associated with the fall, not to mention the usually scream/cry fit. But because of his size and the development of his bones at the time, which are more flexible and less likely to break, the damage to his body will be minor, and the benefit will have been a re-wiring of the brain that begins to train the body to improve coordination. The brain will make a mental note somewhat like this: Fall = pain = try to avoid pain = attempt to move body more carefully so as not to fall and experience pain. This is how we all learn things as we develop. Trial and error. Practice makes perfect.

Now, I’m not advocating letting kids run around in totally unsafe environments and see who comes out alive, i.e. survival of the fittest. What I am in favor of is doing things the way we’ve raised our kids in the past. Introducing them to the world with enough instruction and supervision so as to not put them in harm’s way, but also giving them the freedom to discover, explore, attempt, fail, try again, lose, win, succeed, feel pain, and feel joy. We are present to be a safety net if something does happen, but we also can’t hold their hands and carry them through life protecting them from any slip or stumble that may occur. I believe the term is “Helicopter Parenting”… constantly buzzing about, hovering over their children to provide protection and supervision at all times.

So, what happens then, if you constantly shield these little ones from ever having the experience of falling or hurting themselves? When they are older and have never trained their bodies to be more coordinated? I’d assume the amount of pain they are going to feel as an older child falling and getting hurt is going to be much more than as a toddler. How are their leg muscles to develop without ever having to try and jump up to reach that bar? How are their arms going to get stronger if they don’t have to try and hang onto that ring up high? How are they going to become faster if they aren’t allowed to run freely? How are they to become more coordinated if every time they fall they bounce off some rubber safety net?

Is recess going to be something to look forward to if every time they try to let loose and play a teacher or monitor blows a whistle? The only way to have fun is to conform to the list of 20 rules you must obey for fear of you or someone else’s parents suing the school because their child broke his arm. Is that something they are going to look forward to?

I saw this happen at the last school at which I worked. I was a Kindergarten teacher and typically 5 year olds LOVE recess. In fact they LIVE FOR recess. Well, turns out after so many times having to sit out because they were running across the bridge, or going up the slide, or going down the slide too fast, or running on the sidewalk or swinging too high, they ended up not looking forward to recess. Many of them (not all) even looked forward to rainy day recess when we would be stuck inside watching a movie or playing board games at tables. That’s just nuts! I remember growing up thinking that rainy day recess was practically the worst thing that could happen to my day. And I don’t think I was alone. The excitement we would experience when we were told we weren’t going to have to stay inside was palpable.

I was already disappointed at the lack of playground equipment available to these kids when half-way through the year we went outside only to find that the “big kid play scape” (the one we got to go to for special occasion recess) was torn down due to equipment deemed “unsafe”. Apparently they were going to rebuild and the model would have no fireman’s pole, no large slide, no high bars, padded surface underneath, etc. etc. Basically, the most boring play scape you could imagine as a child. No wonder they want to stay inside.

Today’s children not only don’t want to go outside, they want to sit. And watch a movie. Or play a video game.

And we wonder why we are having an obesity epidemic??

Then there is the psychological bit that bothers me. The constant worry adults present before our children.

The biggest concern I have is that we are training our future generations to be held back by fear. We are developing a nation of people living in fear. Our entire society is experiencing that right now. We are bombarded by news of this and that which poses a potential threat to us and our way of life. Every day there is a new fear. A new terror. Children can’t even play on a playground in schools without being instilled with the fear of something happening to them. You might fall! You might get put in time out for running too fast! You might scrape your knee!

Play is important to kids. It’s not just an escape from learning. It’s actually where real learning takes place. Kittens learn to do adult cat things by playing. They learn to stalk and pounce from their time spent pretending to stalk and pounce. Every animal on the planet learns this way, and humans are no different. Play is meant as dress rehearsal for life. We want our kids to grow up to be strong, smart, caring and healthy individuals. But we scare them into being lethargic, overweight, sickly, and bored. What does this say about our future?

The article I brought up makes me fired up. And it gives me hope. It talks about new innovations being created for playground equipment that can meet safety standards and also provide the type of risk-taking atmosphere needed to make a playground fun, and in my mind, effective. Play, again, is learning and how better to learn to take risks than in a supervised situation such as a playground.

So, what are your own thoughts? Are you currently aware of the changes made to playgrounds in recent years and if so, what do you think? Should we move to be more creative with our playgrounds? Is it important that we nurture the sense of adventure and risk-taking in children during their formative years? How do we get this band wagon rolling?

:-)

Here is some other reading on this topic:

The Telegraph
The Strong
Playground Design

Challenge

Hi.


Hello there world.

All of you 10 people who have viewed my blog in the past 3 years. :-)



So, I’m going to give this one last shot. To kick start the process I’m enlisting the assistance of a “Blog Challenge.” It sounds desperate of me, but according to sources it’s the best way to be totally unoriginal and still have enough posts to make your blog seem worthy of reading every day. I acquired this blog challenge from another blogger who spoke of it being “less cheesy than most”…apparently there are cheesier blog challenges out there? Years ago this would have worried me, but today I’m never surprised or too taken aback.

Before I begin, though, I want to provide an update:

• I am still living in Pittsburgh, PA and am liking it much more.

• I still have not found a teaching job, but in the meantime I have become a Senior Office Manager for an energy company. Nothin too fancy, and definitely not my passion, but no shame in having a senior level management position.

• Pittsburgh drivers are still, really, the worst.

• Pittsburgh sports fans are the best fans in the world. They also kind of scare me, perhaps in a good way. Their fandom impresses me every day.

• I do other activities with my free time now, which include:

o Reading good books and reviewing them with friends

o Working out at Crossfit and becoming super strong and fit

o Eating a Paleo diet (most of the time)

o Art and Creative Impressions (more of that to come)

o Taking care of our new cat, “Jazz”

• Still attempting to create a weblog…blog…that is interesting enough to at least get me to come back semi-regularly to write in and proofread. Some of this other crap on my blog is a total waste of internet space. If I succeed in filling up this blog once and for all I might go on a big deleting mission to erase the fact that I had 2 posts in 2 years and they were so boring. Ugh I hate being bored and also being boring!

So now that it’s all caught up, get ready for the 30 day blog challenge extravaganza! Let the games begin!

The Pitts

Here is a life update for all who care. I had lived in Houston for two years (having moved there from Austin for a teaching job). I worked at a school teaching Kindergarten (LOVED IT!) shared an apartment with my roommate, who was also a teacher, in an up and coming neighborhood of central Houston (i.e. once dangerously "urban" now being infiltrated with coffee shops and hipsters...fine enough for the young professional crowd) and was down the street from my boyfriend and several of our good friends. Well just as life would have it, boyfriend got a job offer that required relocation, boyfriend wanted me with him there so I became fiancee, quit job, left family and friends and comfort of Texas and headed Northeast to Pittsburgh, PA. Now, 3 months later...Thoughts about my recent move to Pittsburgh:

1. Having a job es no bueno.
Yep. I might have fantasized years ago about what all I would do if I were given a year off from work. Well folks, it is one things to fantasize about something and quite another to realize this so-called fantasy (and not by choice, I might add). For one, I think that in my fantasy year-off-of-work I also had a disposable income to do with what I wanted. That made for a great year full of classes, gym memberships, shopping, arts and crafts, home projects, books, movies and traveling, etc. Now that my joblessness is a reality, I've been rudely awaken to the fact that without a job that brings in money (again, not by choice!) none of these fun things is possible. So that leaves me with doing things like:

1. Creating a blog.
2. Cleaning the house
3. Walking around the neighborhood
4. Coming up with another idea for a blog
5. Surfing the web for things to write about in a blog
6. Surfing the web for benefits of having a blog
7. Blogging about surfing the web to find benefits of a blog
8. Surfing the web for signs of web addiction
9. Walking around the neighborhood (counter clockwise this time)
10. Baking
11. Realizing that I am not a good baker
12. Breathing
13. Yoga (self led)
14. Imagining what I would be doing with all this time if I had money.
15. Looking for jobs.

2. People in Pittsburgh Can't Drive
Apologies for anyone from Pittsburgh who can drive. Maybe I just have yet to encounter you on the road. As for all the other drivers of Pittsburgh, I have no idea how they were taught to drive and why there are not more accidents. Pittsburgers will literally stop in the middle of a road, with only one lane in each direction, while traffic is moving at full speed, because they see someone (on the opposite side than them) trying to turn onto the road. Traffic behind said driver comes to screeching hault, with no other lanes to go around them in, and meanwhile traffic on the opposing lane continues, thus preventing the wanting-to-turn driver from being able to complete turn onto road. Traffic continues to build behind person who has chosen to come to screeching hault in the middle of a road (with no traffic light or sign present) and soon the opposite lane sees that line of traffic building and building and soon someone from their side decides it is best to come to a screeching hault as well. Of course, driver-wanting-to-turn is confused because they are supposed to just wait until cars of cleared to turn onto the road but now everyone is stopping so they cautiously (and slowly) make their way onto the road to turn. What? I couldn't believe it the first time I saw it, and now I am dumbfounded each day by it. I seriously do not understand.
I've also seen someone try to run through a yellow light, only to decide at the last minute that they should go ahead and stop. Right UNDER the light that just turned red. Yes, I mean in the middle of the intersection so no one else can move. But this driver will not move from said spot (directly under the red light) until it turns green. Naturally.

3. Snow
It gets cold here early and snows (I am told). That says it all.

4. Friends and Family are Fun
It is hard making new friends in a new city. It is even more difficult when you cannot get a job anywhere! I will rant about this forever but seriously...I have a Masters degree and plenty of experience, not only in teaching but in other careers I held prior to that degree. I am a fully capable human being and yet I've been turned down for 100s (yes...100s) of jobs I've applied to. And they range from teacher, to sales person, to coffee shop Barista. WTF.
Anyhow, a happy person does not a lonely city make. My friends and family back home talk about how much they miss us, but really, they don't know the extent of the word "miss". I truly miss companionship, camaraderie, shared interests, talking to human beings. Sure I have my fiance here but while he is at work all day I am left alone and without a purpose. (see number 1 for activities of a friendless girl).

5. Planning a Wedding from Pittsburgh...
...is not that fun. I miss out on all the good stuff like the tastings, the designs, the meeting of the actual people, etc. Since we are wedding in Texas, but living here for the time being, it makes things a little more difficult. And not as much fun.

Well now that I've left you all feeling in the greatest of spirits, here is something to cheer you (and me) up! Life is only what you make of it!

Return of the Prodigal Blogger

Hello there! It has been a while to say the least. I doubt I was missed here but I'll have all of you know that I've returned with new resolve, new ideas and more inspiration to share with the interweb world of this blog. It took me a while to find my voice once again and now that I have found it I cannot let it go unheard. There are things worth talking about - the economy, the state of our union, the state of the arts ( can't we all agree that music and movie making is having a major renaissance in the most positive of ways?), education, the environment and the secrets, ponderings, mysteries of the world. I enjoy talking, and I think I might even like writing better (my throat doesn't get dry as easily) so come on folks! Let's discuss some things and come up with some ideas and share. Isn't that the ultimate benefit of the internet? It's one of the last great things you can enjoy for FREE.