Necessary Chocolate

A few more nice things

To avoid SCREAMING BECAUSE IT'S SO DARN HARD TO TYPE WITH 1-1/2 HANDS AND I WANT TO DRIVE AND SEW AND DRAW, perhaps I should list a few more nice things from this week.

My friend Chrissy received her black belt in Tai Kwan Do Saturday. Ten women were there to cheer her on, and then we took her out to dinner. Good times.

I now have a Nook, and I can read and eat at the same time. I can also download almost any book I want instantaneously, and that seems awfully dangerous. Amazon's two-day shipping and my library's online request services already seemed like luxuries. So far, I've reread a lot of Louisa May Alcott: Jack and Jill, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom. Lots of stalwart, bedridden youths who learn moral courage through their travails. Part of me says, "oh, please," and part of me eats it up.

Speaking of eating, my mom and dad sent me cookies: sugar cookies filled with almond paste and marachino cherries, dipped in chocolate (mom's new recipe. Yum.

Chocolate day

All but one of the male employees of the office are out today. The lone survivor followed instructions well and brought back chocolate after lunch. We women folk may have picked up a little, too. It's a good day.

Side mercies

So, I've been worried about my class: how can I break up the seating arrangement; how can I get the students more involved; how can I build a better community feeling; how can I give them more responsibility; how can I get them to my house more often?

Breaking an arm seems to have solved a lot of those worries.

Having the students piled into my family room varies the seating arrangement daily. They have to write on the board for me. They have to pick everything up and hand everything out. They have to take attendance.

And they have to scoop the chilled cookie dough onto the cookie sheets, since my left hand can't do it on its own, We're in the midst of Isaiah Days again. Want a family atmosphere? Have cookies baking in the next room over while you teach.

How to tell a joke

Still here; slowly learning how to be left-handed. Meanwhile, some of the coolest authors out there teach you how to tell a joke: