Ok, so the old ugly orange template is out after 2 years, 178 days, 10 hours and about 15 minutes. We'll try this one for awhile. Major pro: the lighthouse in the upper left (I was thinkin' of you, Lib!).
Also, we're now using Blogger comments with word verification. I'm pretty surprised I never had comment spam with Haloscan, but I'm thankful none-the-less. Perhaps my blog is just way below radar.
I've cleaned up and fixed some of the links in the side bar, I think none of them are dead or stupid now. Let me know if you find one.
Also, if you have a general impression (is this an improvement, or is it not, complaints, suggestions, etc) please share it. I'll listen and do what I can to make this a more pleasant viewing experience.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
Back to the Santa Rosa Plateau
On Saturday, Libby and I made our way back to one of our favorite places: the Santa Rosa Plateau. Situated on the Eastern part of the Santa Ana Mountains, the plateau is a unique preservation of grassland prairie and oak land. Libby and I love the beautiful rolling green hills, and so made a point to return there this Spring after the recent March rains.
We took our binoculars (of course), and saw a lot of birds, but nothing new or out of the ordinary. There were a lot of raptors: we saw kestrels, Red tailed hawks, vultures and white tailed kites in abundance. We also saw a robin, spotted and California towhees, juncos, house and lesser gold finches, a house wren, lots of yellow rumped warblers, lots and lots of western meadowlarks (this is the best place in So Cal that we know of to see meadowlarks), and some savannah sparrows. I was a little surprised at the paucity of sparrows, but what's there is there. And of course, we can't see everything there is to see.
In some of the oaks that you can see in this picture was a group of three deer. Binoculars came in handy for seeing mammals, too. We saw three deer, some rabits and ground squirrels and eight (8) coyotes. I've never seen so many coyotes in one day before. We saw five of them together near the end of the day, hiding in grass near the plateau's famous vernal pools.
The grass wasn't as long as it was last year: last year you couldn't really see the remains of last year's grass like you could this spring. I missed the waves of grass blowing in the wind, but it was still refreshingly beautiful and lonely out on the trails.
This was a strange old bus stop that we found in the middle of the preserve. Maybe it isn't a bus stop, but Libby gave waiting for the bus a go.
This looks like a skink. We found two of these lizards on the trail, and I can't find a picture of them anywhere else on the internet. If anybody knows what it is, let me know. We also saw several other species of lizards (including Southern Sagebrush Lizards, a big black beaut on a fence post, Coastal Western Whiptale, and one Coast Patchnose Snake). I found these species listed at http://ecoregion.ucr.edu/full.asp?sp_num=22. To see them, you can do a Google Image Search.
In all, we had a great day!
On Saturday, Libby and I made our way back to one of our favorite places: the Santa Rosa Plateau. Situated on the Eastern part of the Santa Ana Mountains, the plateau is a unique preservation of grassland prairie and oak land. Libby and I love the beautiful rolling green hills, and so made a point to return there this Spring after the recent March rains.
We took our binoculars (of course), and saw a lot of birds, but nothing new or out of the ordinary. There were a lot of raptors: we saw kestrels, Red tailed hawks, vultures and white tailed kites in abundance. We also saw a robin, spotted and California towhees, juncos, house and lesser gold finches, a house wren, lots of yellow rumped warblers, lots and lots of western meadowlarks (this is the best place in So Cal that we know of to see meadowlarks), and some savannah sparrows. I was a little surprised at the paucity of sparrows, but what's there is there. And of course, we can't see everything there is to see.
In some of the oaks that you can see in this picture was a group of three deer. Binoculars came in handy for seeing mammals, too. We saw three deer, some rabits and ground squirrels and eight (8) coyotes. I've never seen so many coyotes in one day before. We saw five of them together near the end of the day, hiding in grass near the plateau's famous vernal pools.
The grass wasn't as long as it was last year: last year you couldn't really see the remains of last year's grass like you could this spring. I missed the waves of grass blowing in the wind, but it was still refreshingly beautiful and lonely out on the trails.
This was a strange old bus stop that we found in the middle of the preserve. Maybe it isn't a bus stop, but Libby gave waiting for the bus a go.
This looks like a skink. We found two of these lizards on the trail, and I can't find a picture of them anywhere else on the internet. If anybody knows what it is, let me know. We also saw several other species of lizards (including Southern Sagebrush Lizards, a big black beaut on a fence post, Coastal Western Whiptale, and one Coast Patchnose Snake). I found these species listed at http://ecoregion.ucr.edu/full.asp?sp_num=22. To see them, you can do a Google Image Search.
In all, we had a great day!
Friday, March 24, 2006
Well, I had my last day with the 1st graders today. All day long, when I would walk around the room, kids would quickly hide little notes or pictures when I came near. By the end of the day, I had tons of "good-bye" letters. All of them very sweet. Some of the highlights were phrases like:
"I wish yow will stay forevr untill I go to secengrad." (Aww, he tried to make it a compound word.)
and
"Thank you for teaching me how to cownt coins." (Wow, so close. Good guess!)
and
"I will never ferget you." (How cute is that?)
and
"You are my friend. But do yo have to leave? yes or no" (This one makes me laugh; she's like, "please circle one")
Sigh.
Yep, so I'm off to Whittier Christian on Monday. And my grade level got switched to 4th for that one, instead of 6th. I'm looking forward to it, but it's hard to leave these guys.
"I wish yow will stay forevr untill I go to secengrad." (Aww, he tried to make it a compound word.)
and
"Thank you for teaching me how to cownt coins." (Wow, so close. Good guess!)
and
"I will never ferget you." (How cute is that?)
and
"You are my friend. But do yo have to leave? yes or no" (This one makes me laugh; she's like, "please circle one")
Sigh.
Yep, so I'm off to Whittier Christian on Monday. And my grade level got switched to 4th for that one, instead of 6th. I'm looking forward to it, but it's hard to leave these guys.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
All I Really Need to Know I Learned From Ovid
Inspired by a revisitation of Midsummer's Night Dream, I am now revisiting Ovid's Metamorphoses. Ovid's a grand old chap, his poems are bawdy yet bright, and he has little to no faith in anything substantial. Instead he has faith in the transitory nature of reality. Pretty quick fellow, really.
Nonetheless, I have (despite his concerted efforts) learned something about this world's substance in my re-reading of the classic.
1) Everything used to be white. It has sinced changed color either because, a) the gods' whims (Raven and Crow) or b) blood (Mulberry Tree berries).
2) Is it confusing or enigmatic? Enter the polytheistic Freudian school of metaphysical critical studies, it is the way it is because the divine lusts carnally after mortals. Don't question it, it's not a good idea.
3) Run out of humans? No problem! Humans grow easily from a mixture of fire, water and earth. They can be seeded in a number of different ways, but bones is a pretty good one. Oh, and when you form them all fully armed, disarm them immediately.
4) Beautiful young blond boys are not fair game to steal. Especially if the boy happens to be a young god; and especially if that young god is Bacchus.
5) Bacchus is like Elvis or the Beatles, but don't make fun of him, assault him, dishonor him or even be near him when he's with his groupies. His female cohorts will tear you limb from limb.
6) You have a right to really miss those happy golden years.
Any other Ovidian basics for life?
Inspired by a revisitation of Midsummer's Night Dream, I am now revisiting Ovid's Metamorphoses. Ovid's a grand old chap, his poems are bawdy yet bright, and he has little to no faith in anything substantial. Instead he has faith in the transitory nature of reality. Pretty quick fellow, really.
Nonetheless, I have (despite his concerted efforts) learned something about this world's substance in my re-reading of the classic.
1) Everything used to be white. It has sinced changed color either because, a) the gods' whims (Raven and Crow) or b) blood (Mulberry Tree berries).
2) Is it confusing or enigmatic? Enter the polytheistic Freudian school of metaphysical critical studies, it is the way it is because the divine lusts carnally after mortals. Don't question it, it's not a good idea.
3) Run out of humans? No problem! Humans grow easily from a mixture of fire, water and earth. They can be seeded in a number of different ways, but bones is a pretty good one. Oh, and when you form them all fully armed, disarm them immediately.
4) Beautiful young blond boys are not fair game to steal. Especially if the boy happens to be a young god; and especially if that young god is Bacchus.
5) Bacchus is like Elvis or the Beatles, but don't make fun of him, assault him, dishonor him or even be near him when he's with his groupies. His female cohorts will tear you limb from limb.
6) You have a right to really miss those happy golden years.
Any other Ovidian basics for life?
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Meet Symbols they of Innocence and Love
On Thursday night Libby and I watched The Fox and the Hound, the classic Disney film. I hadn't seen it in years and years, so i was interested to see how it would go. I didn't remember the end, really, either. Which reminds me that I am going to be spoiling said end by the end of this post, so if you haven't seen the movie and think that you'd like it better with a surprise ending, it might be a good idea to stop reading at this point. However, if there's a statute of limitations on spoilers for movies, this one certainly should be past it
The basic plot is of course that there is an orphaned fox living with an elderly woman in the country and he meets the neighbor's young hound dog: forming a friendship that both animals claim will last forever. Everyone in the audience, however, knows that this can't work: the animals are natural enemies and so I had a sad inner ache for most of the happy parts. To combat this natural sadness, the writers through in a pair of clowns in the form of a red-headed woodpecker and a house wren that are always goofing off and messing up. They are somewhat annoying
The great part of the movie is the end: where the hound is redeemed by the love of a friend who is willing to die for his friend even though his friend wishes to kill him. I thought as a movie about friendship, the ending hit the nail right on the head: "greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friend." Thus the movie is intrinsically and powerfully a Gospel story, about loving your enemies, loving your friends, and sacrificing yourself for someone who is unworthy.
On Thursday night Libby and I watched The Fox and the Hound, the classic Disney film. I hadn't seen it in years and years, so i was interested to see how it would go. I didn't remember the end, really, either. Which reminds me that I am going to be spoiling said end by the end of this post, so if you haven't seen the movie and think that you'd like it better with a surprise ending, it might be a good idea to stop reading at this point. However, if there's a statute of limitations on spoilers for movies, this one certainly should be past it
The basic plot is of course that there is an orphaned fox living with an elderly woman in the country and he meets the neighbor's young hound dog: forming a friendship that both animals claim will last forever. Everyone in the audience, however, knows that this can't work: the animals are natural enemies and so I had a sad inner ache for most of the happy parts. To combat this natural sadness, the writers through in a pair of clowns in the form of a red-headed woodpecker and a house wren that are always goofing off and messing up. They are somewhat annoying
The great part of the movie is the end: where the hound is redeemed by the love of a friend who is willing to die for his friend even though his friend wishes to kill him. I thought as a movie about friendship, the ending hit the nail right on the head: "greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friend." Thus the movie is intrinsically and powerfully a Gospel story, about loving your enemies, loving your friends, and sacrificing yourself for someone who is unworthy.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
SPIES!
It's 2:00 in the morning, and my tired eyes ease me achingly back into inappropriate conciousness. Thud... thud... thud... The darkness fills with the workings of our wall clock, and I shift onto my back in pursuit of nocturnal comfort and a quick return to Neverland. That's when I hear the voices. Through the wall above my head emerges the distinct chattering of another human being. But this is no typical American voice, such as one would expect to hear in the United States of America. No, this voice's undulating currents lacked completely the harmonious rhythm of Spanish. This voice was from ASIA!
This certainly isn't the first time that I've heard an Asian voice above my head in the dark, and for months the inevitable questions had run their courses. Why are Asian persons living next door to me? How long have they been having late night conversations above my head? How can you live next to two people and never meet them? How can you never see them? How come I never even hear their front door open and close next door? How do they eat? Do they not sleep?
Our other neighbor is much more understandable. He listens to loud music very late at night, and his friends speak English and Spanish. I can understand some of the words that come through the wall, though that's generally unfortunate. His door opens and closes. Sometimes I hear clattering in his kitchen. And I even have reason to believe that he sleeps! This is normal human activity in La Habra.
But, no longer do these thoughts, this inexplicable anomaly of urban life, disturb, worry or agrivate me with their unapproachable enigmas. Yesterday Libby and I came to a shocking yet inescapable conclusion. Our next door neighbors are spies! It makes sense! Spies can come and go without making sound! Spies don't need to eat or sleep! Spies are just the kind of person to have their light on when you come home from work! Spies are just the kind of person to be speaking unintelligibly during the late hours of the night!
Now that Libby and I have exposed their clandestine dealings to the CIA, we expect our sleep to be much more restful... at least when our normal neighbor turns off his stupid subwoofer.
It's 2:00 in the morning, and my tired eyes ease me achingly back into inappropriate conciousness. Thud... thud... thud... The darkness fills with the workings of our wall clock, and I shift onto my back in pursuit of nocturnal comfort and a quick return to Neverland. That's when I hear the voices. Through the wall above my head emerges the distinct chattering of another human being. But this is no typical American voice, such as one would expect to hear in the United States of America. No, this voice's undulating currents lacked completely the harmonious rhythm of Spanish. This voice was from ASIA!
This certainly isn't the first time that I've heard an Asian voice above my head in the dark, and for months the inevitable questions had run their courses. Why are Asian persons living next door to me? How long have they been having late night conversations above my head? How can you live next to two people and never meet them? How can you never see them? How come I never even hear their front door open and close next door? How do they eat? Do they not sleep?
Our other neighbor is much more understandable. He listens to loud music very late at night, and his friends speak English and Spanish. I can understand some of the words that come through the wall, though that's generally unfortunate. His door opens and closes. Sometimes I hear clattering in his kitchen. And I even have reason to believe that he sleeps! This is normal human activity in La Habra.
But, no longer do these thoughts, this inexplicable anomaly of urban life, disturb, worry or agrivate me with their unapproachable enigmas. Yesterday Libby and I came to a shocking yet inescapable conclusion. Our next door neighbors are spies! It makes sense! Spies can come and go without making sound! Spies don't need to eat or sleep! Spies are just the kind of person to have their light on when you come home from work! Spies are just the kind of person to be speaking unintelligibly during the late hours of the night!
Now that Libby and I have exposed their clandestine dealings to the CIA, we expect our sleep to be much more restful... at least when our normal neighbor turns off his stupid subwoofer.
Friday, March 10, 2006
I want to share a conversation that I had with one of my first graders yesterday in class. First, some background:
I was about to give the "Coins" test, after teaching this whole unit. I was actually pretty excited to see how they would do; I've put a lot of work into my lessons and trying to reach them all at their different levels. We were sitting at the carpet and I asked if there were any last minute questions before taking the test. They did have lots of questions: none of them had to do with what the test was going to be on. So, I was about to send them back to their desks to get started when I heard:
Matt: I have a compliment!
Me: Oh? About me? ("Finally!" I thought. "I'm about to get some appreciation for all the hard work I do!")
Matt: No! About me!
Me: (dejected) Oh. Ok. (at this point, my master teacher leaves the room to have a good laugh)
Matt: Do you know why I'm so good at math? Cause it's in my name: Matth-ew!!!
Me: Ok. Well, let's take our test now.
And right after that:
Megan: (quietly) I have a compliment about you, Mrs. Rowley.
Me: Oh, really?! (I thought we could wait on the test to hear one more student comment, right?)
Megan: You're a good teacher!
Me: Aww, thanks, Megan.
I'm going to miss these kids when I go onto my next placement (which I just found out today: Whittier Christian Elementary, 6th graders).
P.S. For the most part, they did great on the coins test: 13/19 students got 90% or above!
I was about to give the "Coins" test, after teaching this whole unit. I was actually pretty excited to see how they would do; I've put a lot of work into my lessons and trying to reach them all at their different levels. We were sitting at the carpet and I asked if there were any last minute questions before taking the test. They did have lots of questions: none of them had to do with what the test was going to be on. So, I was about to send them back to their desks to get started when I heard:
Matt: I have a compliment!
Me: Oh? About me? ("Finally!" I thought. "I'm about to get some appreciation for all the hard work I do!")
Matt: No! About me!
Me: (dejected) Oh. Ok. (at this point, my master teacher leaves the room to have a good laugh)
Matt: Do you know why I'm so good at math? Cause it's in my name: Matth-ew!!!
Me: Ok. Well, let's take our test now.
And right after that:
Megan: (quietly) I have a compliment about you, Mrs. Rowley.
Me: Oh, really?! (I thought we could wait on the test to hear one more student comment, right?)
Megan: You're a good teacher!
Me: Aww, thanks, Megan.
I'm going to miss these kids when I go onto my next placement (which I just found out today: Whittier Christian Elementary, 6th graders).
P.S. For the most part, they did great on the coins test: 13/19 students got 90% or above!
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Not the Cat, but the Cat's Meow Nonetheless
Last time I talked about a restaurant on this blog, it was about the best restaurant in La Habra: The Cat & Custard Cup. But on Thursday Libby and I went to a restaurant worth mentioning in Fullerton that was not nearly so pricey.
Out of the way in the fun downtown district of Fullerton (just north of Commonwealth on Pomona) is a little restaurant/ coffee house called Rutabegorz. Originally formed as a hang out place for hippies to get together and discuss their ideas, Rutabegorz retains its casual atmosphere, but also has added delicious full meals to their menu for moderate prices. And they have not just added a few meals to their menu, but a full 21 page spread of options spanning from many varieties of coffee, smoothies, sandwiches, hot entrees, appetizers, and desserts. Our limited experience of the food was excellent: I had a tostada piled high with fresh vegetables, beans and avocado. Libby had a stuffed zucchini with cheese toast on the side. These are big dishes, so we got lunch in the bargain!
An added bonus to this little shop is that they are celebrating their 35th anniversary for the second year by offering $1.00 specials. This month's special is a feta/pepita dip with chips. The pepita part of the dip is pumpkin seeds: its a really delightful and full hearty dip, we liked it a lot.
The experience was a little off putting at first, we didn't know what to expect, and when our waiter came and leant against the wall in a tie-die shirt I didn't know that it was a waiter, at first. But he was courteous, gave good service, and good advice for choosing a meal.
Overall, I'd recommend this place if you want to go somewhere cheaper and less crowded than the Ship, but you're in the same general vicinity. But there are also locations in Tustin and in Old Town Orange for people further South in Orange County for people who aren't in the area and still want to eat good food.
Last time I talked about a restaurant on this blog, it was about the best restaurant in La Habra: The Cat & Custard Cup. But on Thursday Libby and I went to a restaurant worth mentioning in Fullerton that was not nearly so pricey.
Out of the way in the fun downtown district of Fullerton (just north of Commonwealth on Pomona) is a little restaurant/ coffee house called Rutabegorz. Originally formed as a hang out place for hippies to get together and discuss their ideas, Rutabegorz retains its casual atmosphere, but also has added delicious full meals to their menu for moderate prices. And they have not just added a few meals to their menu, but a full 21 page spread of options spanning from many varieties of coffee, smoothies, sandwiches, hot entrees, appetizers, and desserts. Our limited experience of the food was excellent: I had a tostada piled high with fresh vegetables, beans and avocado. Libby had a stuffed zucchini with cheese toast on the side. These are big dishes, so we got lunch in the bargain!
An added bonus to this little shop is that they are celebrating their 35th anniversary for the second year by offering $1.00 specials. This month's special is a feta/pepita dip with chips. The pepita part of the dip is pumpkin seeds: its a really delightful and full hearty dip, we liked it a lot.
The experience was a little off putting at first, we didn't know what to expect, and when our waiter came and leant against the wall in a tie-die shirt I didn't know that it was a waiter, at first. But he was courteous, gave good service, and good advice for choosing a meal.
Overall, I'd recommend this place if you want to go somewhere cheaper and less crowded than the Ship, but you're in the same general vicinity. But there are also locations in Tustin and in Old Town Orange for people further South in Orange County for people who aren't in the area and still want to eat good food.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Ash Wednesday
Just yesterday Christians all over the world celebrated the holiday of Ash Wednesday. This is a morbid holy day: we are reminded of our own mortality, and charged to live a life pleasing to God. As a symbol of this dedication, we spend the days leading up to Easter excersising unique sacrifices and take on new disciplines. As Father David pointed out in his sermon Wednesday night, the sacrifices that we are undertake are truly insignificant in the scope of the call of Christ: we are called to become righteous, and giving up meat for 40 days doesn't and can't accomplish that purpose. But it may remind us of this purpose, and reinvigorate our striving toward righteousness. Of course, we can never hope to attain perfect righteousness on our own, but perhaps there is some hope in the ministry of the Holy Spirit (certainly we are not sinful in the life to come. I think that it is the Church that calls us to this discipline is an apt reminder of our personal insufficeincy (that is that it symbolizes the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in our lives).
Here is the Prayer Book's exhortation in the Ash Wednesday service:
The whole BCP is provided by the Episcopal Church on-line: Book of Common Prayer
Lent exists because Easter exists, just as Christ died that He might be raised again. Therefore it seems proper to me that we enter into a time of penitence yearly, in rememberance of the lowering that Christ himself undertook.
I prepared for Ash Wednesday by reading T.S. Eliot's Ash Wednesday, a longish poem that draws on the same themes that this day addresses in the Church's life. I recommend it to any who is interested: Ash Wednesday
Just yesterday Christians all over the world celebrated the holiday of Ash Wednesday. This is a morbid holy day: we are reminded of our own mortality, and charged to live a life pleasing to God. As a symbol of this dedication, we spend the days leading up to Easter excersising unique sacrifices and take on new disciplines. As Father David pointed out in his sermon Wednesday night, the sacrifices that we are undertake are truly insignificant in the scope of the call of Christ: we are called to become righteous, and giving up meat for 40 days doesn't and can't accomplish that purpose. But it may remind us of this purpose, and reinvigorate our striving toward righteousness. Of course, we can never hope to attain perfect righteousness on our own, but perhaps there is some hope in the ministry of the Holy Spirit (certainly we are not sinful in the life to come. I think that it is the Church that calls us to this discipline is an apt reminder of our personal insufficeincy (that is that it symbolizes the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in our lives).
Here is the Prayer Book's exhortation in the Ash Wednesday service:
Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great
devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and
it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a
season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided
a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy
Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of
notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful
were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to
the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation
was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set
forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all
Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self denial; and by reading and
meditating on God’s holy Word.
The whole BCP is provided by the Episcopal Church on-line: Book of Common Prayer
Lent exists because Easter exists, just as Christ died that He might be raised again. Therefore it seems proper to me that we enter into a time of penitence yearly, in rememberance of the lowering that Christ himself undertook.
I prepared for Ash Wednesday by reading T.S. Eliot's Ash Wednesday, a longish poem that draws on the same themes that this day addresses in the Church's life. I recommend it to any who is interested: Ash Wednesday
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