dancing just isn't enough

old & out of order, originally uploaded by cassie fry.

Ever get the overwhelming urge to just read or work while out dancing? It was weird, especially since it was a fairly good night of dancing. Either way, I danced some, avoided the book, and made it home early enough for a shower. Success.

five cheese ravioli w/ vodka sauce

Vodka Sauce Sausage Ravioli, originally uploaded by mooshee85.

David and I decided on a dinner a bit different than expected due to the lack of butternut squash ravioli, which was a bummer. However I still managed to make us five cheese ravioli in a vodka sauce with spinach and parmesan. It was quite delicious and it took little to no effort at all since everything was practically pre-made. Oh well... I will get to practice my cooking skills again in two weeks. Maybe I'll be inspired to branch out from the ravioli pasta next time!

food postponed until tomorrow

coats, originally uploaded by Krisztina Tordai.

So I was supposed to cook for David Friday, but then an event came up. I was going to cook for him tonight instead, but it is postponed again, until tomorrow. Therefore that post will come then.

Tonight's dancing was incredible! The Rent Party was phenomenal and I know that it had a lot to do with the SLO dancers coming up, but it still inspired me. For what? Well to go out dancing on Saturdays more often. It's a great venue that allows for lindy and blues, which is helpful on those slower nights. I need to be more intentional with my dancing. Maybe this will help.

Also... coat racks. I realized tonight that they are completely foreign to me. You don't need them in San Diego, so I always end up wadding my jacket and purse together under a chair as I go out to dance. Then at the end of the night, David cruises over to the coat rack to retrieve his nicely hung coat as I shake mine out and pull it on. It's a bit silly, but I need to learn how to be a San Franciscan!

music: jack johnson's to the sea

Jack Johnson | To The Sea, originally uploaded by Molly ✿.

I've been listening to this album all week. It's relaxing but pleasantly upbeat, which is nice since the Sunrise album from last week was a bit too relaxing for safety reasons.

I went to the Rocketship appreciation event this evening and had a blast. I truly love being surrounded by Rocketship people, who are all fighting for the same things and doing so with a passion and focus unlike most other places. **swoon**

i'm a very lucky girl

Nothing can turn into something, originally uploaded by Chantel Baggley.

I've had a string of pretty bad days and I am so lucky that I get to come home to a really great boyfriend. When I get home from school, he stops as soon as he can and comforts me, cheers me up, and inspires me to keep plugging away. I'd like to say that I'm strong on my own, but I think it's okay that I have a support team with David leading.

Thanks, babe.

news day: the "red scare hysteria"

Teaching and Learning at YK Pao School 2, originally uploaded by YK Pao School.

I'm going to take a break from blogging about my life. Today was far too difficult to describe. I'm exhausted. Here's the news:

Former Hacienda La Puente Unified Schools superintendent John Kramer said his Southern California district turned down being a part of the Confucius Classroom network. "The objection was not to the teaching of a foreign language," says Kramer. "The problem here was the culture portion and the involvement with the Chinese government."

Kramer says concerned community members worried about "communist propaganda" being taught in schools. Gahanna-Jefferson mom Mandy Aldis doesn't understand the communism fears. Aldis moved within the Gahanna-Jefferson school boundaries specifically for the district's Chinese language program. "We feel very lucky that we have this. I say it's just like math, English, art—it's as important as anything else," she says.

Her son, Andrew Aldis, says that taking Chinese expands his cultural understanding of the most populous nation on the planet, and it's expanding his career opportunities. "I'd have potential to get a job doing translating or interpreting, maybe work for the State Department," he says.

[via GOOD]

photography pick-me-up

Tulips - Kinky, originally uploaded by That Guy Who's Going Places.

Some days that's al you need.
It was a rough day at school.
I'm burnt out and need to sleep this off.

Here's to tomorrow.

dancing feet: they don't do it enough

BluesShout-0296, originally uploaded by stevelosh.

I had some really great dances tonight, but I was being hella selective, sitting down between dances even! I need more practice. I need to get out more. I really need to get to bed!

this was one kind of perfect day

307.365, originally uploaded by rebeca :).

Dave and I had a great time with Ruth and her friends today!
We ate meats and cheeses and truffle oil.
We talked geek and played board games and played Rock Band.
The most exciting event of the night was the dance off...
We played Dance Central and I'm a bit jealous we don't have one ourselves.

I can't wait for the next get-together!

comida: just a little pizza lovin'

Stuffed pizzas, originally uploaded by L. Marie.

Dave and I ventured out for some pizza again.
The chicken tikka masala pizza to be exact.
We can't get enough of it apparently.
They put a bit too much cheese this time.
But it was still good and we will certainly get it again.

Here are a few pizza recipes to try:
Pizza Poppers
Thin Crust Pizza
French Pizza
Breakfast Pizza

And Pizza Tips to remember as you cook!

music: spektor's begin to hope

Mermaid, originally uploaded by bikeracer.

With songs like "On the Radio," "Samson," and "Better," how could you possibly keep yourself from falling in love with Regina's melodic voice. It's an instant feel-good track and a must-have for my long morning drives to work.

Today was a fabulously relaxing day.
Spent most of it in bed.
Mmm....

rocketship: interview day

I love no other way, originally uploaded by Luminous Lu.

So today was absolutely draining...

The long morning interview process, in my opinion, went extremely well. After these interviews and a lunch with the staff, I got back to work for the rest of the day. I spent time with some children in the RtI program after school and was almost late for the interviews with the parents at RMS.

Luckily that was not the case. I spent an hour and a half chatting it up and trying my best to make a good impression and communicate my views coherently. I don't really know how it went, but I feel pretty good about it... I think.

To make matters worse, I left the meeting and drove to a gas station nearby, since I was at empty, only to find that my debit card was missing. MISSING! I searched frantically, called David, cried a little bit, made other phone calls, until finally a man asked me if he could help. He gave me a $20 bill and I wrote him a check. I filled my tank and got back on the road. It took much longer than I had expected and drained me of whatever bit of energy I still had, but I arrived home safely to a warm hug, steak, and an IPA.

Why the picture you ask?
Well, the worst part of the interview process was my choice to wear stockings, rather than black leggings. Mer. They kept falling down and completely distracted me from what I was there to do. Never again. Not unless I get a garter belt and test it out prior. Double mer.

news day: good acts in the midst of crisis

Global Crisis, originally uploaded by Ben Heine.

There is something magical about receiving help from a stranger, when the magic of two souls come together and time stands still. In those moments, one feels an uncommon sense of connection. People only truly prosper by coming together, and it is in this process that the invisible bonds that keep us tethered to each other blossom. The sweetness of these moments is what really fuels us.
[via GOOD]

I love hearing about the good that people are doing in the world, so here are a couple of articles that I find noteworthy:

Logothetis brought his own RAK social experiment across the pond and took to the streets of downtown L.A., armed with five random acts of kindness in red envelopes and in search of five strangers.
[read about it HERE]

As well as:

With a new service called SwipeGood, however, the average Joe can help change the world each and every day, and with all the effort it takes to buy a cup of coffee.
[read about it HERE]

p.s. The observation went well today. Not at all the way I expected things to go, but it all worked out in the end!

the day after tax day

359/365 focus rings, originally uploaded by lydiafairy.

So my new plan is to buy a camera once I know how much I owe to taxes. I don't want to spend the money and then end up regretting it. I can hardly wait to start snapping photos again.

On another note, I finished lesson planning and I will be teaching tomorrow morning. Kevin knows that I'll be teaching his class tomorrow and I must admit that I'm a bit curious to find out how it goes.

I hope all goes well with the Cardinals, especially the observation portion of the lesson!!

my head is flooding with ideas

scan0001, originally uploaded by natalie ϟ.

Tonight's dancing was surprisingly good, especially when you consider the fact that I was in a lesson planning haze. I talked to everyone about it and couldn't possibly focus on anything else. I'm glad the day is upon us... this Wednesday.

On another note, there was a pretty rockin' band playing right around the corner last night. David and I stole a few dances while we stood outside listening. :)

i need limits & i need walls

No limits, no walls, originally uploaded by Chantel Baggley.

It's hard to get things done when you have every opportunity to play. I think I'm at a point where all I'm doing is building a net for all the things that could possibly go wrong with the observation on Wednesday, rather than actually planning the lesson to be taught.

So now, it's time to buckle down and hash something/anything out and allow it to be developed as I freak out more in the days to come! Ha.

ravioli w/ fresh tomato & artichoke sauce

ravioli with red pepper sauce macro, originally uploaded by minimallyinvasivenj.

Last night, I made dinner for David and myself. I still have random juices and oils splattered across my keyboard. I should really do something about that! Ha.

Anyway it was delicious. The recipe served six, so I altered it in order to accomodate us a bit better. Here is the final recipe that I used:

Ingredients I used:
_{1 (10 ounce) package fresh wild mushroom ravioli
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb roma tomatoes - seeded and chopped
1 (6.5 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
self-regulated amount of grated Parmesan cheese}


The recipe's directions for said ingredients:
<sub>Cook ravioli according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over a medium high heat. Add tomatoes, artichokes, scallions, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are warmed through. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta well. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Add half of the sauce to the ravioli; toss gently, but thoroughly to mix. Transfer ravioli to a large serving platter. Pour remaining vegetable sauce over ravioli. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.</sub>


How did I cook this dish? It was more like this:
<sub>Chop the tomatoes and the green onions (while pouting because David yelled at you, with GOOD reason) and then pass off the chore to him, as I now attempt to gather the rest of the necessary ingredients for the sauce.

Begin cooking the sauce (before even opening the ravioli package) and frantically add all of the necessary ingredients. Remove the sauce, which reduced much quicker than I had planned, and begin scrambling to find a pot to boil the ravioli in.

After finally getting the noodles cooked, reheat the sauce and toss the ravioli with the oil and eventually, everything else. Allow David to serve the plates and grate the cheese, since I am already far too frantic to be able to.</sub>


We drank champagne, ate our pasta, with the deliciously tangy sauce, and followed it up with a creme brule dessert. It was quite good, if I do say so myself!! :D

Similar recipes to try:
Short Rib Ragu (beautiful photos!!)
Shrimp Risotto

music: the starbucks' sunrise

Puddle Jumper, originally uploaded by Boy_Wonder.

This is one of the newest additions to my music collection. It is best early in the morning on my drive to work. It's so soothing and uplifting. Try to snag one from Starbucks and check it out. Mmm....

Also I'm cooking dinner for David tonight.
I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

the rocketship is taking off

147/365 Year Two, originally uploaded by coreena.

So it's a bit more finalized now...
I am teaching and getting observed next Wednesday.
It will be in the morning in a second grade math class.
The day after will be the day of interviews, so yay...
Next week is going to be a doozy...
Especially considering that I'll get paid for two days of work next week. *le sigh*

news day: the achievement gap

Fraternidad_Cuba 292, originally uploaded by hoyasmeg.

It's no surprise to me that this study found that there is a correlation between money and mental abilities. I see it everyday. That's why Rocketship works so hard to provide the materials that they would otherwise be without. To support them in the ways that they need in order to get to and graduate from college! I'm proud to work at Rocketship each and every day I can!