Still got it

I just got back from a week of intensive classes at TCU, and I am STOKED to get started planning AP English for you guys. It's going to be different than your usual English class experience, but you trust me, right?

Anyway, I thought you might find it amusing that yesterday morning, I found myself a bit bored in a class (I was expecting to learn something new about how to implement Independent Reading, but no). And so I began listing all 89 of you from memory on a scratch piece of paper.

I got to 88 while sitting in class. Impressive, yes?

And then, about an hour into my drive back to Houston, it occurred to me whom I'd left out. (And no, I won't say whom, but it was someone in Beller's class this year, so that made things a little harder. It is no measure of how much I like this person.) I screamed the name at the top of my lungs, so glad to have gotten everyone.

I'm about to go up to school in a little bit to make some copies and stuff, and I'll take the camera so I can document the garden's growth. It's gonna shock you!

I'm outta here

Well, kids, I'm off to Fort Worth for the week -- I'll be at a training at TCU, learning how to torture you guys more effectively. Hope you're all doing well.

Lots of luv,
LAR

P.S. Happy early birthday to Priscila Canales and Patrick Sanchez (26th and 27th, respectively).

Some things never change

I'm taking a writing class each Wednesday evening, and we are usually assigned two essays to read each week by published authors, as well as two manuscripts written by students of the class. It's a lot of reading on top of what I'm already trying to do, but I'm honestly not complaining.

Last night, the teacher passed out the reading for this week, and it was a fairly sizeable packet. She said, "Please read this piece by Joan Didion for next week," and I thought, "SCORE! I've already read every piece in Slouching Towards Bethlehem, so I'm golden." Except it's a huge essay that's not included in there. Bummer.

That said, if you need a copy of the summer reading, you'll find it right here!

Oops

I missed saying Happy Birthday to Yessenia Coto on Tuesday, but I am thinking that she is off in some exotic country right now, so let's just chalk it up to the time difference. The only picture I have of Yessenia that's really good is her standing on the beach in seventh grade, and she would probably shoot me for putting it up here. I'll save it for the slideshow next spring...

Birthdays

Happy birthday today to Eric Deleon and Laura Zamarripa!



Or as I like to call them, Happy and Lali.

Be good to your dads today.

Leslie

Happy birthday today to Leslie Salazar! For some reason, I have no photos featuring her.

Why do you run from me, Leslie?!

I will find you....

The sweet taste of success

Guess what I ate today.

Two cherry tomatoes.

THAT WE GREW!

Yep, two of them were ready to come off the vine today, and they were tasty. I don't think I've ever eaten anything I've grown before (other than herbs), so I am impressed with our efforts.

The cilantro is looking pretty sad, but the beans, squash, and okra are going crazy. The last two are over a foot tall already.

I'll be sure to take some pictures next time I'm up there to water.