What I did on my Christmas Vacation by Helen

Not much.

Usually that is A- okay with me, but I kind of have a laundry list of things to accomplish.

To Do List:

1. Wash Winter Jacket- When you're wearing it every day, you don't realize how gross it is getting. Why do the cuffs get so dirty? We've had a couple warm days, so now's the time to do it. Well, it will be clean just in time for the next round of storms.


2. Write thank-you notes to students. I try to always write personal notes, I think it's important and it's how Big Helen raised me.

3. Get rid of clothes I don't need anymore or that don't fit (about half my closet)

4. Clean my "basement". I don't have a basement, but a huge utility closet which used to be very organized, but has been looking rough and I want to be able to walk in there and find things if necessary.

5. Refinance Mortgage- personal goal is to reduce my mortgage by at least the amount that my condo fee is. It's a weird number that I've become fixated on. Freeing up that money would allow me to save, or have it on hand for a car payment.



6. Make Eye Doctor's Appointment- I'm having to pull too much printed material towards me to read it. Not good.


7. Read for required book club and read for fun. I need to read Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War for my TAH (Teachingn American History) Grant Book Club. (Did you know that I have a professional blog as well, Encounters and Exchanges in US History) (I don't need to have it read till January 26th, but I was really, really trying to be proactive.) For fun I started reading Twilight. It's definitely good, and I can see what the tweens and middle-aged moms are swooning about, but I haven't been completely sucked in, yet.

And I'm sure there's more that I've forgotten...

How much of this have I accomplished, you ask? Well, the first one and bits and pieces of the others, and that's it.

Notice take down Christmas decorations isn't even on this list.....nor is watching Alias Seasons 2 and 3 on DVD....hmmmmmm.........

Since this blog is supposedly about tv.....

From my good friend Kristin Dos Santos (formerly Kristin Vietch, formerly Watch with Wanda) at eonline.com


WINTER PREMIERES
* Denotes series returning from a winter break, rather than season or series premiere.
Monday, Dec. 29
The City (MTV)

Sunday, Jan. 4
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)*Desperate Housewives (ABC)*

Monday, Jan. 5
The Bachelor (ABC)Gossip Girl (CW)*One Tree Hill (CW)*Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family)True Beauty (ABC)

Tuesday, Jan. 6
90210 (CW)*According to Jim (ABC)*The Biggest Loser: Couples (NBC)Law & Order: SVU (NBC)*NCIS (CBS)*Nip/Tuck (FX)Privileged (CW)*Scrubs (ABC)

Wednesday, Jan. 7
13: The Fear Is Real (CW)Damages (FX)Knight Rider (NBC)*Law & Order (NBC)*

Thursday, Jan. 8
30 Rock (NBC)*ER (NBC)*Grey's Anatomy (ABC)*Kath & Kim (NBC)*My Name Is Earl (NBC)*The Office (NBC)*Private Practice (ABC)*Ugly Betty (ABC)*

Friday, Jan. 9
Flashpoint (CBS)Monk (USA)*Psych (USA)*

Sunday, Jan. 11
24 (Fox)

Monday, Jan. 12
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)*How I Met Your Mother (CBS)*Kyle XY (ABC Family)Samantha Who? (ABC)*Worst Week (CBS)*

Tuesday, Jan. 13
American Idol (Fox)

Wednesday, Jan. 14
Wonderland (DTV 101)

Thursday, Jan. 15
Bones (Fox)*CSI (CBS)*Smallville (CW)*Supernatural (CW)*

Friday, Jan. 16
Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi)Friday Night Lights (NBC)

Sunday, Jan. 18
American Dad (Fox)*Big Love (HBO)Family Guy (Fox)*Flight of the Conchords (HBO)King of the Hill (Fox)*The L Word (Showtime)Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Showtime)The Simpsons (Fox)*United States of Tara (Showtime)

Monday, Jan. 19
House (Fox)*

Tuesday, Jan. 20
Fringe (Fox)*

Wednesday, Jan. 21
Lie to Me (Fox)Lost (ABC), two-hour premiere

Thursday, Jan. 22
Burn Notice (USA)*

Monday, Jan. 26
The Closer (TNT)*Trust Me (TNT)

Wednesday, Jan. 28
Life on Mars (ABC)*

Thursday, Jan. 29
Hell's Kitchen (Fox)

Monday, Feb. 2
Chuck (NBC),* 3-D episodeHeroes, Vol. IV: Fugitives (NBC)*Medium (NBC)

Thursday, Feb. 12
Survivor (CBS)

Friday, Feb. 13
Dollhouse (Fox)Terminator (Fox)*

Sunday, Feb. 15
The Amazing Race (CBS)

Sunday, March 1
Celebrity Apprentice (NBC)

Sunday, March 8
Breaking Bad (AMC)

Monday, March 9
Castle (ABC)

Tuesday, March 17
Reaper (CW)

Thursday, March 19
Kings (NBC)

Tuesday, March 24
Cupid (ABC)

Wednesday, April 8
The Unusuals (ABC)

Thursday, April 9
Harper's Island (CBS)


What am I most excited about?

Sorry, it isn't 9-0.

Sunday, January 18th- I get "Big Love" which I've described my love for in a previous post. This show hasn't been new since 2007 (damn, the writer's strike) so I'm really excited, and I actually currently have HBO

Same week, Wednesday, January 21st- LOST- sigh- I want to be better about posting thoughts, ideas, and easter eggs for people- but do I keep the separate blog- 4 8 15 16 23 42

A new Amazing Race in February! Yay! Josie and I will try out eventually. Her son will be so proud.

I'm sure Natalie and Stacey have marked their calendars for AI, what about you?

Coming soon to a theater near you....

Hollywood often looks to the world of literature for inspiration for film. How often are we disappointed by the movies that they create?

When the first Harry Potter movie was set to come out in 2001, I decided I would hold a voluntary book club for the kids to inspire them to read it before they saw the movie. I had a small crew for that first club, basically all the girls in my homeroom, so about 10 of them. We had lunch together one day a week and discussed a chunk of the book. (You're probably wondering why kids would do this book club even if it wasn't required. What you need to understand the "thrill" that is eating in the classroom with the teacher. To quote Ron Burgundy, "I'm kind of a big deal.") I continued these clubs for a couple years, sticking mostly with Harry Potter. In 2004, while reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban with my fourth graders, I thought, "why can't we go to the movie too." Since then, after we have our book club I put out an invitation to families to meet at the movie and view it together. Over the years, I have conned my fellow teammates into also doing these clubs, and then we fill up the movie theater. ( I was so excited one time when I heard the theater employees remarking that the movie was sold out because there was "some Reading (the town where I teach) book club here".)

The latest book club centered around "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo. I'm sure many of you aren't familiar with the wonderful world of children's literature, but Kate DiCamillo is an AMAZING author. Despereaux actually won the highest award in Children's Lit, the Newberry Award and DiCamillo was a previous honoree for another awesome book you may have heard of called "Because of Winn Dixie". As I tell the kids, what makes DiCamillo such a gifted author is her ability to write very, VERY deep books, with meaningful themes, for kids that aren't necessarily difficult for kids to read.

Today my fifth grade teammates and myself, and about 25 fifth graders and their parents attended the movie. When the lights came up this afternoon, I turned to my students and said, "well, that wasn't the book that we read." It's really disappointing to see such an amazing book as this one, turned in to a pretty lame story. The movie was completely different. The character names, and the setting remained the same, but so much was different. I couldn't help but wonder what an author feels when they see their blood, sweat, and tears hit the big screen, totally different than what they slaved over?

I've been pretty satisfied with the Harry Potter movies, the Chronicles of Narnia movies, Jurassic Park (which scares the beejezus out of me every time I watch it), the new Charlotte's Web, and others. Then there are those of which I love both the book and the screen adaptations, for different reasons. (like Gone With the Wind) I was personally happy with the Tim Burton "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", as opposed to the 70's musical "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".

I am currently riding the tween wave and reading "Twilight" and I've heard mixed things about this movie adaptation. Any favorite books, made into terrible movies, or great ones?

Crocker, Betty Crocker.

A cook, I am not. I wish I enjoyed cooking, I really do. I'm just not an experimenter when it comes to dishes, and I'm sure my indifference towards cooking stems from my ADD when working in the kitchen and my loathing for cleaning up.

I was inspired by Theresa over at Boston Dish with a holiday recipe that she posted. She described a Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle. Now I LOVE trifle and I LOVE all things pumpkin, so this got me interested. I e-mailed the recipe to Big Helen, and she was intrigued as well. Big Helen collected the ingredients (being a good mom, she had most of them on hand including the Trader Joe's Gingerbread Mix) and a la Rachel Ray, I went to work making the trifle. (I used to like to watch Rachel Ray on 30 Minute Meals, and I was always annoyed when she would open the cabinet and everything she needed was right there in the front of the cabinet.)

It was pretty easy, I haven't made pudding since I was a kid (since they invented Instant Pudding and pre-made Pudding cups) and it got a little globby. I think I may have used every spoon in my kitchen but overall, I'm proud of what I was actually able to do.

Please cross your fingers that it tastes good, and I don't somehow kill my family!

The whole time I was making it too, all I could think of was "Friends". I'm sure you all remember the fabulous Thanksgiving episode where Rachel makes the "Traditional English Trifle", with her layer of lady fingers, layer of jam, more lady fingers, Beef sauteed with onions, and then bananas with whipcream on top. Funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLAD9_HxnuA

Merry Christmas Eve!!!!

The Christmas Season

As an adult, I have tried to figure out how I want to celebrate the Christmas season. I am fortunate to teach elementary school and that allows me to have a little kitchy fun with the season through the kids. I don't normally wear ridiculous sweaters, but here are my school friends posing at a gift shop in Disney World last year.



I love Christmas music; plain and simple. It must have been several years ago when I discovered the Oldies 103.3 here in Boston plays all Christmas music from Thanksgiving Day till Christmas Day. Right around Thanksgiving I always replace one of my other radio presets with Oldies and jam for the following month. I noticed around Halloween that the Paper Store had way too much Christmas stuff already crowding out the Halloween stuff. This doesn't mean I didn't stop to look, I was sucked in. It made me realize that retailers were really hoping to be saved by Christmas this year, and since Thanksgiving was going to be so late, they weren't going to waste any time. Imagine my surprise when I found out (via Facebook no less) that Oldies had started their 24 hour Christmas music on Veteran's Day. Crazy!

I love the classics from elementary school like Jingle Bell Rock and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. (Which Natalie and I, may, or may not have performed with our West Elementary Class of 1988 handmotions at a karaoke bar in Malden a couple weeks ago.) From Oldies, I have fallen in love with some fabulous classics and other obscure tunes. One is a favorite of my grandmother's- "Hawaiian Christmas song", also known as "Mele Kalikimaka". The version that I could get off Itunes is by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. (I wish blogger let you link sound files- does it?) I also have found that I love Elvis Christmas. Now of course, I love "Blue Christmas" and "Here Comes Santa Claus", but last year I discovered "Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me". Fabulous! This year I'm finding a particular enjoyment in the Beach Boys, "Little Saint Nick". It's so 60s, but so funny- Run, run, reindeer!
I guess I have about a week left to enjoy my Christmas music before it takes a sad turn, and with two oncoming snow storms, I better dig through my trunk and find my Nutcracker, Harry Connick Jr., and Josh Groban.

More decoration photos in an upcoming post!

Be my guest, be my guest....

As most of you know, New England has recently been hit with some crazy weather. Last Thursday night we were socked with a terrible ice storm. The storm focused it's agression on New Hampshire, Central Mass, and here in the Merrimack Valley. I woke up last Friday to no power. I was shocked that I still had school and was completely freaked out by getting ready for school by the light of a flashlight!

It's almost one week later and there are people still without power! (kind of makes me realize how archaic some things in our world still are) One of those without power is my friend Melissa. I took her and her brand new kitten, Dusty, in last Friday night, and they've been with me mostly ever since. Boy has this been an experience. I am a huge animal lover- I did not grow up with a cat or dog, but I love them and have been a petsitter to a ridiculous amount of animals. Living with animals is a whole other issue for me.

Now Dusty has been a pretty good guest, but he's tried to eat everything off my coffee table, knawed on the corner of my laptop, and dragged diswashing detergent out from under the sink. He's exhausting.....does anyone know if Kitty Day Care exists? Here are some shots of him and some of his antics and favorite spots to hang (including a plastic tub of crayola products that sits under my coffee table)

Snoopy Phone

This isn't TV related, but I thought some of you out there might get a kick out of my daily life. My friend Stacey recently posted over her horror of the updating of Monopoly. I commented to her that you don't realize how much kids don't know about anymore. Since I work with 10 and 11 year olds all day, I see this first hand. It it can be pretty damn funny.

I'm a pretty big Snoopy fan, and the kids love to give me Snoopy/Peanuts themed things (which helps me receive less other junk). One of my students brought in a Snoopy phone to share with me. (I wasn't totally clear whether it was visiting or a gift, but suffice to say it was a funny experience.) The phone was a rotary dial one. Every day I would find crowds of kids around it, dialing it, fascinated by it. They would ask me, "Ms. Sellers, how does this work", "how do you dial", and my personal favorite, "how would you call 911". I explained to them that we had to dial only 7 numbers back then and it was a little easier. We also didn't have 911, I think we dialed the police directly or called "0" for the operator. They were also frankly puzzled by the cord for the jack. I'm sure they never see hardwired phones of any kind. They've probably only ever seen cordless or cell phones. They wanted to know if I could plug the phone into the computer. I had to explain to them what a modem is- another thing they have no knowledge of.

The best punchline of all was when I overhead one of my students calling for pizza and saying, "yes 500 pizzas please, and charge them to Ms. Sellers". Priceless.....