What Else Could Go Wrong?

  I went out with a friend last night for dinner and to do some writing afterwards. I was exhausted from the past few weeks and also because I had been up since about 4:30 in the morning. I was telling her about everything that had happened over the past few weeks, and I joked and said this should be my next blog post.

  It all started in early June. One morning I noticed it was starting to get hot in the house. I went to the central AC thermometer and it said it was 81 degrees. Another hour later it was 82 degrees, even though I had the central AC running all day. That is when I knew the air conditioning wasn't working.


  A couple of weeks later our toilet in our master bedroom started acting up after we would flush it. It would run continually, unless we stopped it. One morning we woke up to our bathroom floor flooded with toilet water. The water had even gotten into our bedroom. This meant it was time to call the plumber. I am happy to report the toilet now runs like new.

  About five weeks ago or so, we started to have an ant problem at our house. They were these tiny black ants that could have gotten in from anywhere. They were in the entrance hallway to our townhouse and in our kitchen. I could tell they were looking for food, since they loved to get into our cats’ food dish. They stopped for about a week, but then they came back. I dropped Joe off at work earlier this week and came home to the trash can in the kitchen covered in ants. I freaked out. We ended up having our house treated for ants. I think they are officially gone now.

  This past week both of our cars were in the garage. A few weeks ago we took our Mustang in, because one of the tires was low on air and the garage informed us that the tire could not be fixed, and we would have to replace the tire. I didn't want to replace the tire, and they didn't have our tire in stock. We put it off for a few weeks and tried using "fix a flat." Well, when we were checking the air pressure in our tire, we noticed that the tire was starting to split and would need to be replaced. We ended up putting on a new set of tires on Thursday.

  Our other car has been having some brake problems. The brakes were noisy and it was taking a little bit for the car to stop after pressing on the brakes. I was annoyed when I first noticed it, since the brakes were replaced less than two years ago. I took the car back to the garage that we replaced the brakes at. The brakes didn't need to be replaced, but the pads were loose. The brakes work much better now.

  Then late Friday afternoon—after we had picked up the car from the garage—I got an email from our bank saying there had be suspicious activity on my bank card. I called and had the card blocked. It was the end to a long and stressful week. I hate to think what else could go wrong.


  I have also been extremely busy with field experience, graduate school, and taking the Praxis II teaching exams last Saturday. By the time I went to bed last night, I was so tired I could barely move. I slept about nine hours last night. Let's hope it is all uphill from here.

What I Love About Writing

    For years, writing has been an outlet for me—a way to express myself when others weren't around. I grew found of it from very young. Writing was my favorite part of elementary school. I looked forward to writing more than anything else (other than maybe art class). In third grade, I wrote a 36 page long story about the adventures of a cat. I already loved cats by that age as well, but I didn't have any cats until I was moved out of my parents’ house. In fourth grade, I decided I would start to write a book, and I would take paper out to the playground and write instead of hanging out with the kids on the playground. I had a friend who would hang out and talk to me while I wrote. It was the best way to spend recess in my mind. I wasn't very social when I was a child. Something I will get more into in my book. When I got a little older, writing was a way for me to shine when I was struggling in other subjects due to my reading disability.

    Today writing is still an outlet. I can make the rules when I write. I can write about what I want and when I want to write about it. I can write about stuff I would never tell anyone, and stuff I want the world to know about. It is a way for me to be creative and to shed light on important issues, such as the book I am working on about dyslexia and my experiences growing up with a reading disability. Far more people can be reached through writing than through just telling a story or account verbally.

    I hope to find more time to write once my degree is done. For now, it is a few blog posts, a couple of poems here and there, and the little time I have to work on the first draft of my book.

Top 5 Things I Learned From Being a Grad Student

5. You can never buy too much printer ink.


4. Other social outings and events always happen at the same time as you have to be in class.

3. Sleep is optional.

2. Never put off for tomorrow what could be done now.

1. No matter how much time you spend on research, reading, writing, or homework, there is always another assignment to complete.

Daily Lit

I found a new website called Daily Lit.  The website allows users to sign up to receive small sections of a book to their e-mail account.  The book sections take about five minutes to read.  There are tons of classics on the website, so if there is a book you always wanted to read, but haven't, this is a great place to read it.  I am currently reading The House of Seven Gables.  I have been meaning to read that book for a while, especially since I visited Salem, Massachusetts a few years ago for Halloween (There were people there from all over the country and other countries as well for the Halloween celebration in Salem).  I was just thinking how great this website could be for a high school English teacher.  A teacher could always print out the e-mail and hand out copies to his or her students.  Check out the website http://dailylit.com/

This Saturday I am taking the Praxis teaching exams.  I am busy this week trying to prepare. 

Everything Paris

    Those who know me well know that I have been dreaming of visiting Paris for many years, but for one reason or another it has not happened. I have wanted to go since I was a little kid. As a child, I would have rather gone to Paris than to Disney World, but that of course did not happen. Since I have been an adult, I have considered going a few times, but something has always gotten in the way. I considered going there for our honeymoon, but it was just too expensive at the time and Joe and I were in our early 20's. I was going to go a couple years ago, but we decided to move to North Carolina instead. Last year I decided to go to graduate school, so it put Paris off yet again for a couple of years.

    I like to think that Joe and I are working our way up to Paris. We have visited other French related things. We went to Quebec City and Montreal together. We visited Paris Las Vegas when we were on our honeymoon, and have many found memories of the hotel including a strawberry daiquiri that was served in a plastic Eiffel Tower bottle. I still have the bottle to this day. When we were in Disney World a few months ago, we visited France at the Epcot World Showcase (above). I was very impressed that I didn't buy a ton of Eiffel Tower and French souvenirs, since I love souvenirs and Paris stuff. Now, I think all that is left is for us to actually visit Paris.

    I have a small collection of Paris stuff around my house. I look for stuff here and there that would be a nice addition to my collection. There are a few stores that tend to carry Paris themed items including Target, Kirkland, and Home Goods. I have bought a few things online as well. People also get me Paris related gifts. One Christmas I got Eiffel Tower salt and pepper shakers. What a great gift. I actually just picked up a new Eiffel Tower item. It is a statue of an Eiffel Tower that lights up. Barnes and Noble also has a selection of Paris stuff right now. I got some Paris bookmarks there a couple of weeks ago.

    This past month National Geographic Traveler magazine had an edition with some information about Paris. It caught my eye because the front of the magazine has a picture of the Eiffel Tower. Inside there were a couple of hotels that the magazine considered to be a good budget hotel. One of the hotels was The Five Hotel. I think this is the place I want to stay with Joe. They have rooms starting at 89 Euros a night and each room comes with rose petals sprinkled on your bed. It sounds so nice.

    So what do I want to visit the most when I am in Paris? It is hard to say. I am obviously going to go up the Eiffel Tower and eat at one if not both of the restaurants up there (Attitude 95 is on the first landing and Jules Verne Restaurant, one of Paris’ finest restaurants, is on the second landing). I think equally nice would be to pack a picnic lunch and eat in the park called Chap-de-Mars at the base of the Eiffel Tower. I want to get lots of picks of Joe and I in front of the Eiffel Tower. Pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower are a must while you are in Paris.

    Montmartre District (also known as the artist district) is a must to see while in Paris as well. There are artists’ influences new and old here, museums, shopping, wineries, and many restaurants. Sacre-Coeur, one of Paris' popular landmarks, is also in this area.

    The Louvre will also be on my list of places to see and Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris), among many other places some well known and some that are lessen known great finds. Sometimes it is those places you were not expecting that end up being spectacular. The list of places could go on and on. I might make another post eventually when I have a defined list of places I want to see. These are just a few highlights.

    For now I am left shopping and dreaming about Paris and adding to my collection of Paris items. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Joe and I travel there very soon.


The Five Hotel
Paris Las Vegas
The Louvre

How Everything Works Together

    I have been studying off and on for the Praxis teaching exams for the past couple of weeks. Tonight I was looking over some practice science questions, when one of the questions really spoke to me. It was one of those questions that are easy to get wrong if you answer it too quickly, and I actually did get it wrong for basically that reason. I was looking for a more obvious answer. The questions were multiple choice, and this question was related to ecosystems. The question wanted to know in order for an ecosystem to remain in balance what would be the most important factor. The possible answers included food, consistent weather, reproduction, and interaction of species.


    My eyes went to the most obvious answer. The answer had to be food. Every living thing needs some form of food to survive, so that had to be the answer. Of course consistent weather and reproduction are also very important. The funny thing is, the correct answer, was actually the answer I thought was least important. The answer was interaction of species. At first I was surprised, but then I started to think why I would be surprised. I think the reason I thought this was the least likely answer is partially because it is something that occurs so frequently that we take it for granted and don’t even think about it.

    When I started to think more about the answer, I realized this was so much more than just a science question while studying for the Praxis exam. This goes down to the heart of human existence and the existence of the universe. Not only do we need to interact within our own species and with other species, but this is vital to our existence. It is easy to think that food or even water (though that was not a possible answer) is vital to our existence, which of course it is necessary, but think of all that needs to be present in order for us to even get food or water. If every species on this plant never interacted in some way with each other, the life cycle could not exist. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Walt Whitman, "All that a person does or thinks is of consequence." Essentially, every interaction is of consequence. Even the smallest interactions among species are of consequence and are needed.

    I think as modern life gets more and more away from its simpler roots, people think less and less about nature and the environment around them, and spend more and more time on the computer, it is easy to lose track of the beauty of the world, the intricate design of the universe, and how all these small pieces come together to make everything continue. It really is an amazing occurrence to just be alive. Many things had to happen in just a certain way for life to exist, and they did. This is something that I think I should take more time to appreciate. To appreciate just the little things, which make such a huge impact.

Updated Book Outline

Below is a more detailed and updated outline of my book.  I had more time to work on it and think about it this week.  I added a few new chapters.  I also added terms to know at the end.  Summer help for your child is a section I am considering adding.  I am not sure yet. 

Struggling with Words:  A Personal Account of Growing Up with Dyslexia and How You Can Help Your Child or Student with Dyslexia Become a Successful Reader

Introduction:  Why am I Writing this Book?

Part I: What is Dyslexia

-What is Dyslexia? 

-Myths about Dyslexia

-Research into Dyslexia and the Brain

Part II: My Story

-Elementary School

-Oral Reading (reading aloud)

-Struggling with Spelling

-Other Struggles and Stressors

-Junior High School (Middle School)

-Transitioning to High School

-Social Skills

-Algebra

-Document Processing Class

-Depression

-A Pop Spelling Test

-Life after High School

Part III: Strategies for Helping Students with Dyslexia (and other struggling readers)

-Early Signs of Dyslexia

-Oral Reading and Fluency Strategies

-Problems with Reversals

-Help with Spelling

-Information about Special Education

-Summer Help for Your Child (?)

Part IV: Additional Resources
 
Epilogue:  10 Years after High School
 
Terms to Know

Some of my Favorite Quotes (just for fun)

Those who know we best know that I love quotes almost as much as I love to travel and write.  I added a couple of quotes to my page, but I figured I would make a post of some of my favorite quotes. 

-"The world is a book and those who do not travel see only one page."

St. Augustine
 
-"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
-“Since you have to do the things you have to do, be wise enough to do some of the things you want to do.”

Malcolm Forbes

-"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

Albert Einstein

-"All that a person does or thinks is of consequence."

Walt Whitman

-"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Martin Luther King Jr.

-"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing."

Edmund Burke

-"The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people half way."

Henry Bole

-"Real knowledge, like everything else of highest value, is not to be easily obtained."

Thomas Arnold

-“Even if you're on the right track you'll get run over if you just sit there.”

Will Rogers

-"It is not the years in your life that count, it is the life in your years."

Abraham Lincoln


-"It is never too late to be what you might have been." 

George Eliot

-"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

-"An Investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."

Benjamin Franklin