2009 in Review

Books Read:
Dystopian Literature Kick
We- Zamyatin
1984- George Orwell
Handmaids Tale- Margaret Atwood
Mild Embarrassment
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- JK Rowling
Incredible Embarrassment
Twlight- Stephenie Meyer
New Moon- Stephenie Meyer
Other Books Read
Diary of a Young Girl -Anne Frank
Number the Stars- Lois Lowry

Concerts Attended:
Blondie
Beach Boys
Frankie Valli
JoDee Messina
Barenaked Ladies
Girl in a Coma (twice!)
Joan Jett
Better Than Ezra
The Dollyrots
Wilco

Places Visited:
Salt Lake City/Ogden/Davis County, Utah (visits with Steve and Sundance Film Festival)
Austin, Texas (Girls Rock Camp Alliance)
Grand Canyon! (with Nevada Social Studies Teachers)
Chicago, IL (with Steve and the Archer fam)
Washington DC (Girls Rock DC and visiting Natalie!)

Austin, TX

March 2009- Girls Rock Camp Alliance Conference

Grand Canyon- June 2009

Salt Lake City, UT

July 2009- me and Steve with the band, Girl in a Coma

Salt Lake City, UT

July 2009- Tracy Aviary with Briana and Steve

 Chicago, IL- July 2009

Washington D.C.- August 2009

Smithsonian Museum of Art with Natalie

Washington D.C.- August 2009

Girls Rock D.C. Party with Natalie and Emily

Girls Rock D.C. Counselor Band

August 2009

Dollyrot Love

Dear Dollyrots,

Thank you for autographing this guitar for Girls Rock Vegas. You guys played an awesome show and were super fun to hang out with afterward. Steve and I had a great time at your show and we are totally going to DVR your January 15th appearance on The Price is Right! Kelly Ogden, you are a great role model for young women.

Love, HeatherBay

Letter to a Pervert

Dear Pervert,
Could you please not post gross comments on my blog? Yah, thanks.
Love, H

Holiday Shopping

I have a surprisingly small number of people to shop for this season. There's my mom, of course, and Steve. That's pretty much it. My mom and I are going in together on some kind of gift for my grandparents. And sure, I've got some random friends and coworkers to shop for, but that's pretty much it. Making a conscious effort to no longer communicate with selfish, hurtful relatives has not only been good for my self-esteem, but has also been friendly to my checking account. Since I won't be spending insanse amounts of money on people who love to chip away at my self-worth, what should I spend the extra money on?
A.) cruise or other such vacation
B.) downpayment on house
C.) credit cards and student loan reduction

Salt Flats and Joan Jett

Last month, Steve and I had an awesome mini vacation to Wendover. What? Wendover? Yes, that's what I said. We went to see Joan Jett, which was totally awesome. It was a small venue, less than a thousand people. She sang all of her old classics, sprinkled with a few of her new songs, which were, of course, fabulous.

We also checked out other landmarks, including the Bonneville Salt Flats and "The Tree." We took plenty of Flat Stanley photos for one of my students, and Steve broke off a huge chunk of salt that I could take back for my fifth graders.

Usually when I think of Wendover, I think of sleazy and/or hypocritical Utahns going there to raise heck. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Letter of Gratitude

Dear Ms. A*****,

Thank you for not killing my grandparents while you were driving recklessly on the freeway today. My family spent all of Thanksgiving at the hospital while my grandparents endured round after round of tests, which were quite unpleasant, especially ...since my grandmother just had a round of chemo YESTERDAY.

We got home from the hospital around 8pm, where everyone was too shook up to eat. So thank you for saving us from ingesting unnecessary calories.

Also, thank you for providing us with such a craptastic holiday that every Thanksgiving in the future will be fantastic by comparison.

But mostly, I'm just grateful that you did not kill my grandparents today while you chose to drive drunk.

I hope you had a great holiday, which I'm assuming you did, since you were laughing hysterically on your cellphone while my Grandpa was filling out the police report this afternoon at the accident scene. While you laughed and carried on with your giddy cell phone conversation, my Grandma was doubled over in the fetal position in pain because the right side of her face slammed against the inside of the car when you hit them. In case you didn't know, she had major reconstructive surgery on the right side of her face because a specialist at UCLA had to remove cancer from her sinus cavity.

But again, thank you for not killing my grandparents. Also, thank you for having car insurance.

Gratefully Yours,
HeatherBay

PS: I hope you continue to provide such a wonderful example to your students, seeing as how you teach high school social studies and many of your students probably look up to you as a role model.

PPS: I usually don't take cheap shots, but I think it was very sad that your car was completely decked out in Disney decals and other such Disney paraphernalia, especially since you were drunk driving. You are a 40 year old woman and your car looks like a 5th grade girl's notebook.

Foolish?

Was I foolish to think that I could spend 7+ hours each day in a cinderblock cell with 30 germ infested children and emerge victorious (ie: illness free)? Probably. However, I managed to survive the first TWELVE weeks of school without getting sick. That's one-third of the school year, folks.

Unfortunately, I have succumbed to illness. Steve thinks it might be strep throat.

Oh well. It was good while it lasted! Congrats to me and my immune system!
(...and booooo to whichever of my students is spreading death germs in my classroom.)