worst book I've read in as long as I remember.

I finished reading Evermore today, and I'm not really sure why I did. I should have put it down a lot sooner. It was pretty terrible. The writing was atrocious.

Now I'm about to start reading The Time Travelers Wife.

I went to a CE training for all high school teachers at Putnam Career and Tech. Center today. It was pretty dang boring. They had one lady talk to us for the whole freakin' day about assessments. A few things she said resonated with me...but most was just AWFUL. I think I'm going to try to bring something to work on for Monday. I don't know if I can take that again. A lot of people were being very rude and talking while she was trying to teach.

I just got on Marshalls online website about my grad classes. I was upset to find out that I need 2 books that are going to cost a collective 180 bucks. Blah.

stinky bleach hands

I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned today. I started in the kitchen and I pretty much cleaned everything in the house. I cleaned the stove top thingies. I completely cleaned out the fridge....

I cleaned under the microwave. I even cleaned out my lazy susan. The only thing that I didn't get to was running the vacuum cleaner.... I guess I'll do that later.


I did make time to read a little bit. So far I'm not that impressed with Evermore. Its a little teenie-bopperish. But.... I'm still kinda into the story even if the writing isn't that good.

I ran for about 15 minutes and then did one of my old Jillian Michaels DVDs. For dinner I made my homemade whole grain veggie pizza. I've got it down to a science now and its actually one of the easiest dinners that I make regularly.


Tomorrow I have a lot of stuff that I want to get done. ITS MY LAST DAY OF SUMMERTIME FREEDOM!! AHHHH! I can't believe it! The summer is over. On Thursday I have to go to a special CE for Art teachers. It lasts all day and they are buying us lunch from Heavenly Ham. :) I'm getting a zesty roast beef sandwich. I'm lookin' forward to that! YUM!

out of books!!

Today has been a good day. I think I'll make it my typical Saturday ruitine! Except when school starts I may have to start doing a little housework on Saturdays, bleh!

Today I made myself a pancake...then I read a bit while drinking coffee. Kitsy came and stretched out on my lap...and it was very cozy. :)

Then I worked out. Today I did one of my old old videos (self;sculpt sexy legs fast) Then I changed into my swimsuit and layed on the back deck for over 2 hours. It was HOT and I was sweaty, but I love it. I LOVE the sun.

While I was out there I finished reading The Lucky One. It was pretty good. I think it will be a movie eventually. It would make a great movie actually. Now I don't have any more books to read!!!! I think the delivery guy at the library has been on vacation or soemthing because none of my new books on hold have arrived at the Putnam Library for a LOOOONG time. Then, all the sudden a few days ago three arrived on the same day.

I kinda don't know what to do without a book to read. I feel lost. I can't get to the library until monday. I think I'll go early!

I cooked dinner (taco salad) and then Jesse and I went for one of our long walks. All in all a great day!


Tomorrow, I'm going to church, of course...but after that I have to go to an Open House at WHS. I'm kinda nervous about starting teaching!! AHHH!! I'm excited, but nervous too! The other day my dad helped me carry in my mini fridge and my microwave to my classroom...and while we were there he saw one of the vice principals and she told him that he has a CLASSROOM this year! YAY!!! He has been traveling from classroom to classroom for the past 2 years. This will be SO much better for him. I'm so happy that he finally got a room!

I'll write about the Open House tomorrow!

Jesse's last weekend of unemployment (at least for awhile...hopefully!)

Poor Jesse. His last weekend of unemployment and he spends all Friday and most of Saturday feeling like poo. I don't know what was wrong with him, but he threw up on Friday at least 4 or 5 times (One was a "good one," he said! hahaha) He slept a lot.

On Friday morning, I stayed in bed and read ALL day. From the time I woke up until 1 pm I only left the bed to pee. Then I got up, made me a protein shake, and got back into bed...and read until 4:30!! Can you believe that? It was awesome. hahaha..... My book was really good and I just couldn't stop until I was done! I was reading Paper Towns by John Green. Which in typical John Green fashion..was hilarious! I laughed until I had tears flowing down at one point...Jesse asked me what happened that was so funny and when I told him..he even laughed a little. There was a lot of suspense in this book and thats why I spent all day reading it!! I couldn't stop.

Friday night, we were supposed to go over to Brian & Jessica's house for pizza and a movie...but, of course, that would have been awkward what with Jesse sleeping and running to their bathroom every couple hours. haha. So, we stayed home.

I was really bored while Jesse was snoozing so..I went to Kroger. They had chicken breasts on sale for $1.79 a pound. So I bought about 6 packages. I also had to go to the post office. That was the extent of my Friday evening.

On Saturday morning we went to April Dawn Park in Milton for Amiya's 5th birthday party. Normally I'd have pictures to post, but when I got there I realized that the memory card was still at home. booooooo! This pic is a random shot of the park that I found on the internet.

The kids (not the ones in the photo, but my nephews and neices) had a lot of fun. They have water fountains there that come up from the concrete. Mary brought water balloons too...and Braylan tossed one at some other child standing behind me. Of course, she missed....and who do you think she hit? Why ME, of course! haha. It wasn't bad, I just got drenched on one side of my tank top and shorts. The sun was so hot that it dried really quick. Braylan walked over to me (after Jesse said something to her) with a towel for me to dry off with. :) She looked really sorry.

After that Jesse and I went to Sheetz in Milton. His sister, Sarah, gave us some coupons for free stuff! So I got me a free coffee drink! It was tasty, too. It was supposed to be almost 5 bucks, but....no, mine was free! I got soymilk this time and you can't tell the difference. Later, at home, I looked up Sheetz' nutrition info. online and found out that its aLoT less calories if you get the soymilk because they don't put in this stuff called CREAM BASE in the drinks made with soy. The skim, 2%, and whole milk drinks have CREAM BASE added...which adds 180 calories!! YIKES! Here's a link to their nutrition stats. http://www.sheetz.com/main/food/nutrition.cfm

When I got home I layed out on my back deck and read my newest book, Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. Its really really good so far. I find it incredibly interesting.

Heres a little review I found at a website called TheBookBind...

Cal works for the Night Watch. They track down modern vampires...but they call them..."...parasite positive (hence, peeps). They have a disease – so they are not magical, they don’t fly, they don’t become bats, and are not dark, brooding, and romantic. They are, however, hungry all the time, and can become crazed zombies, dangerous to all around them. And Westerfeld even gives us reasons why these vampires shy away from a cross or hide from the light making it all seem so verybelievable. And then there is Cal, a carrier (so he doesn’t have many symptoms),who has the unfortunate task of tracking his ex-girlfriends, who he turned into peeps, for the Night Watch.

Every other chapter is about parasites — tapeworms, guinea worms, mealworms, parasitic wasps, wolbachia — and you leave the book knowing far more than you ever wanted to know about them. And why you shouldn’t ever pee in tropical rivers — ever. Haunting.

This totally disturbing book should not be missed as Cal tracks down his ex-girlfriends, finds out about the unusual cats in the area, meets a girl called Lace, and realizes how much he has been kept in the dark about the changes to himself."

Sounds good, right? :) I'll write more when I finish it.

After reading I did a Jillian Michaels DVD and then got ready for my cousin Danielle's wedding. It was at 8 pm in her parents back yard. It was really pretty!! They had bright pink lanterns hanging from the trees and their backyard was full of flowers and all decorated so nicely. The food was good and the cake was beautiful and tasty too (mine was cinnamon toast cake! YUM!) We didn't really talk to many people..just my mom and dad mostly. I'm sure a lot of people stayed and partied all night, but we left around 10.

More about Jesse's new job...tomorrow! :)

i got no 'cuse!!

No excuse, that is, for not blogging! AHHH! I don't know whats wrong with me lately, but blogging has NOT been a priority in my life. I haven't blogged since we were in Massanutten. I know you all are severely depressed without being able to read my rantings...so I'm gonna try to do better over the next few weeks.

I've got all the time in the world and I can't seem to find the time to write a little blog. I have been reading a lot still (more to come on that topic later)

I'm not sure what will happen with the blog when school starts. It may be that I'll be able to keep it up better because I'll be in a classroom with a computer during the day...or, I may be really really busy and not be able to find the time to devote to typing a few paragraphs a day.

In August I'll be starting work as an Art teacher at Winfield High School! I'm so excited to have this job! I love my summer, but I'm actually looking forward to it! :) I'm blessed. In August I am also going to start taking graduate classes at Marshall. ick. I'm NOT looking forward to that. But.... its being paid for by a scholarship so I can't really complain. :) again...blessed.

So, the blog may be taking a hiatus during the time that I'm in school, I'm not sure. We'll just have to wait and see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lately I've been working on getting some school stuff ready. I'd like to have a lot of stuff ready so I'm not as busy during the school year. I've been making some Power Point Presentations lately and working on my rules, procedures, etc.

I've also spent some time reading (of course). While at Massanutten I finished The Shack by William Paul Young. It was for sure interesting. It will make you think differently about God. I wouldn't recommend anyone to read it that wasn't secure in their beliefs about a Christian God. It could cause someone who doesn't know a lot about theology to be a little confused...but if you are a strong Christian, I recommend you read it....and don't stop reading when it gets a little weird (and trust me, it does). I loved it personally. It makes a lot of sense and it helped me understand the idea of "the trinity" better. Also, it makes you realize how amazing and wonderful God really is. It also emphasizes having a real relationship with God.

After The Shack I read the third book of the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. Its called Specials and was very good, but that comes as no shock after reading and loving the first 2, right?! After this book there is another related book called Extras. I'm sure I'll be reading that one soon! I just checked out another of his book from the library (this one, not in the Uglies trilogy) Its called Peeps. It'll probably be my next book...maybe. I have a few good ones lined up!

Right now I'm reading another John Green novel (actually, its his first novel) called Looking for Alaska. I am really liking it right now because its funny and interesting....

Here is some info. about the book that I stole from the author's website, http://www.sparksflyup.com/ (which I <3,>

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words--and tired of his safe life at
home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois
Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek,
including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will
pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.
Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact
one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as
an important new voice in contemporary fiction.

reading again......

I'm quoting this info. on Little Brother from a blog called gratuitoussocks.wordpress.com. You can read the original post at http://gratuitoussocks.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/little-brother/

Little Brother

At the Springsteen concert a couple of weeks ago Bruce said and I paraphrase, “Recently in the US we have had, illegal wiretapping, the tearing up of the Geneva Convention, prisoners with no habeas corpus and prisoners of war tortured. When we were growing up, this is the kind of stuff that they told us only happened in other countries.”
It should have been something easy to dismiss. Just a rant from a liberal rock star
but the idea has stuck with me. And now I have just finished a book that
although it is aimed at young adults – it has sent a shiver down this old fart’s
spine.

Cory Doctorow’s latest novel Little Brother is the story of a techno-savvy 17 year old who is arrested – no not arrested – taken, by Homeland Security without any kind of due process. When he finally gets out he fights back. It’s a cracking book for young adults that includes sex, underage drinking, and serious civil disobedience and I recommend every kid to read it. The cool and scary thing about the book is that it is all based on real stuff. The surveillance, the computer hacking and the powers
granted to homeland security are all based on fact. I think it should be read by
everyone. You can download it for free online. (I read it on my mobile phone.) If after you read it for free, you have a hankering, like I did, to give Cory something for his
work then you can go to his website and get details of how to donate a copy
of the book to a library. I sent one to a library in my old neighborhood. I can
only hope some kid reads it and grows up to be a little less compliant than my
generation has been.

.

ok..this is Erin again. I have really enjoyed this book. Its not as good as some of the others I've read lately, but its VERY enlightening. Its highly educational. I love the fact that the main character, Marcus, is VERY smart, VERY into his social studies class, but....still seems VERY cool in a geeky kind of way. Marcus skips class....dates girls....drinks beer....so its not all ooey gooey and sweet, but it seems very REAL...and the stuff that happens to Marcus seems SO REAL ITS SCARy!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Brother_(Cory_Doctorow_novel) You can read more info about the book by clicking this link to go to its Wikipedia page.

Thirteen Reasons Why.... CHECK

Yesterday Jesse and I went back to Mom and Dad's again. On the way there, around 12:30, we stopped at the library and picked up a new book, Thirteen Reasons Why.

It. Was. So. Good.



I say WAS because, yes....I already finished it! I finished it around 1 am last night. It took me less than 12 hours to read 288 pages. I didn't read for 12 hours straight, of course....because I still worked out, cooked dinner, and watched 2 hours of So You Think You Can Dance.

The link above will take you to the website if you want to learn more about it. Here is a synopsis....

"Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author
Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers."

neglected...

This blog is neglected!

I have had lots of time off,....but still my blog remains untouched! What can I say, when its beautiful outside I don't feel like getting on the computer.

I've had a really good week! Because of the West test I only worked 2 days last week. It was SOOO pretty outside so I spent a lot of time laying in the sunshine. I also finished the last of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. I don't know whether to be happy about that or sad.

Yesterday we had a get together with Jesse's family at Alyson's dad's house. We swam with all the kids and then we cooked out and had some brats and pasta salad. :)

Today Jesse and I slept in..late. I kept waking up and going back to sleep until 10:45 this morning.!! Then I ate breakfast....and Jesse and I went for a jog. Then I came back and did my Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones DVD. Now I gotta go get ready to go over to the Valley park to celebrate Jesse's dad's birthday. Its also our anniversary! I got married 7 years ago today! :)

I've turned into a reading machine!!

ok... Monday I was at Winfield Middle. On Monday afternoon, on my way home from school, I stopped at the library and picked up New Moon. I still managed to workout and even cook....but after that, I read...a lot.

I didn't get a single phone call for a sub job on Monday night. I was floored! I guess because of Spring Break not as many teachers are taking time off. So, I went to bed...after I managed to find a place to stop reading.

Tuesday morning I got ONE phone call. It was at 5:30 in the morning, and typically that would be just the first of many...and I could choose. The first (and only) one I got on Tuesday was for BD at Winfield Middle School. Well, that was an obvious NO! I've seen the BD classrooms there before. UH-UH! Not me.

So, after that... my phone never rang. So, I enjoyed a day off! I seriously laid in bed with Jesse until 11:30. You can guess what I was doing. :) Reading New Moon, of course.

Jesse had a job interview yesterday in Charleston. I went with him there...and then we walked around the Town Center for a little bit. After that we came home, I read some more, ran with Jesse, worked out, cooked dinner, ate, showered...and spent the rest of the evening watching American Idol (and reading during commercials!) or just reading. By the time I got to bed last night I had already read about 500 pages.

Luckily I got a phone call last night. I'm at Poca High School today and I like it here :) I subbed this morning for a Geometry teacher and this afternoon I have a Special Ed. Language class.

Needless to say, I have finished New Moon. Now I'm anxiously checking the library's website to see when Eclipse will be available for me to pick up. Right now it says I'm number 1 on the list! :) I'm guessing I'll get it by the end of the week, if not earlier. The weather is supposed to be wonderful this weekend, so I'm thinking.... book sun book sun book sun.........and I'm getting very excited!

While I'm talking about the sun, I have a confession to make. I frequently type in jesseanderin.blogspot.com, stare at the photos I posted of the Myrtle Beach Hilton, and pretend I'm already there! I love when I have something wonderful to look forward to. Right now, life is really good because I have SO much to look forward to. 1. the weekend, 2. Eclipse, ha! 3. nice weather 4. the beach, 5. never subbing again, 6. my job next year!!

I'm getting ready to start a new book now. Its called Jellicoe Road. Its supposed to be really good! It won some awards and stuff. I want to get it finished before Eclipse is at the library...because I know I won't be able to wait once I get it! :) Jesse keeps telling me that the reason I'm so hooked on these Twilight books is because they are demonic. I actually was slightly leerly of them before.... but if you've read any of them you know they are actually very innocent. Like a fairy tale. Actually...exactly like a fairy tale. I'd even say they are like a fairy tale version of Romeo and Juliet....especially New Moon. If you've read Twilight and weren't that impressed...you HAVE to read New Moon. Its like 10 times better. Twilight lacks something in the plot area. Its more like an exposition....you know, getting to know the setting and characters. New Moon pulls you much deeper into their lives...and has a much much more interesting conflict and thus plot.

I have to admit, sometimes I just wanna slap Bella. She can be so dense. And...what exactly is it about Bella that makes everyone so crazy about her. hahaha... I sound like I'm jealous. Its not that... I just think if Stephenie Meyer would have made Bella a little more desirable, the story could be a bit more believable. Perhaps its because we are seeing everything through Bella's eyes...and she, well, she's not the most self-confident person.

Ook ok,... enough about Twilight.

I'm going to start my new book now.

burned alive

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day!! It was 76 degrees and sunny without humidity and just perfect.

After church Jesse and I had our first taste of Backyard Burgers. Its kinda funny cause now that we are moving back we are trying to try all the stuff Winston has to offer that WV doesn't. I have to admit..Backyard Burgers was good. Expensive, but good. For our two "bundle meals" we paid over 12 dollars. I tried to get the nutritional info on their site, but it said "coming soon."

After eating lunch, I took Kitsy for a little walk. Then I decided I wanted to pull out my lawn chair and lay outside. So I did, wearing a tank top and shorts...for 2 and a half hours...while reading The Guardian.

I finally decided to come back inside.... only to realize, my skin was red and itchy. I am really sunburned, but only on the front of my arms and the front of my legs. My face didn't burn because I wear sunscreen every day, thank goodness!

It was so nice outside..I wasn't even hot or sweaty or anything. So, I didn't realize that I was getting burnt. Oops!

After this... I cleaned our master bathroom because it was getting nasty. I have never hated cleaning a bathtub more than the bathtub here!! It is all bright white tile and the grout is a great place for mold and mildew to grow. Its so disgusting and the only thing that works on it is bleach! So that took an eternity....and my hands smell like a janitor.

After my cleaning fest I got on the Substitute finder website and booked a job for tomorrow at a middle school. I'm kinda depressed about that because middle schools start at the crack of dawn. Oh well, it does mean that I'll be home earlier! I'm subbing for a 6th grade math and science teacher. I'll write about it tomorrow.

I love the smell of books...

I realized that love the smell of books today. Even the old and musty ones. Books make me happy and the smell of them brings back nice memories. Does anyone else feel that way?

I realized this a little while ago when I was laying in a warm bath reading The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. I finished The Rescue this morning. Yes, I cried a little.

Today we woke up...I made french toast...we went to Target...and the Dollar Tree. Then we went back to that garden and green house (The Reynolda House Gardens) that we went to a few months ago with my parents and Flat Stanley. Holli wanted to take pictures of flowers. It was a really nice day for it. That place was crawling with Grandma's.

When we got home Jesse and I watched a movie called The Brave One. It has Jodi Foster and Terrence Howard in it. I really like him...and I think he's attractive. It was a good movie. Neither of us had even heard of the movie before.

After that I worked out, doing weights until my legs, abs, and arms were jello. After that is when I took a bath and read that book.

It was a pretty relaxing day....I hope tomorrow is the same.