« May 2006 | Main | July 2006 »
June 18, 2006
Room-ba Anyone?
No, not the Latin dance, but the automated vacuum! My friends just moved into their new house, and purchased this item as a way to minimize the amount of housework they would have. This little gadget is quite nifty. It cleans by itself, has studded wheels, shock absorbers, and even goes back to it base to charge automatically. I have to say I'm impressed. I anxiously watched it work and pick up everything in its path. It also has a memory that remembers the layout of the rooms, a remote control in case you spill something and need only that spot to be cleaned, and a sensor that prevents it from falling down the stairs! The price for this luxury? Roughly from $149.00-$329.00 depending on the model you choose; but after watching it work, I have to say I think it is well worth it. Imagine putting it on and coming home after work to find the house vacuumed, and the Room-ba back in its charger ready to work for you again manana! Definitely a consideration for the x-mas list.
The company responsible for this convenience is called i-Robot. Sound familiar? Well, even Will Smith couldn't convince me to pass on one of these babies. They even have one called the Scooba for mopping without you having to be there to supervise. Check out their website for all the details. You might just find a way to lighten your housework load, or a Robot that is very much to your liking.
Posted by dvaldesd at 01:53 AM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2006
And Now...The Senior Ball
The Senior Ball, which took place yesterday, was "The Big ToDo". It was the last high school dance, and the last time these kids will all be together in one room. Ariana looked like and angel, and all of us parents were swarming around like our daughters were getting married instead of going to their last high school dance. It is amazing how time flies, isn't it? I can remember leaving her in front of her pre-kindergarten classroom like it was yesterday.
Ariana and Hans...the boyfriend
This lovely redhead is Ariana's best friend, Emily
Left to Right...Emily, Ariana, Katie, and Sierra
Ariana, Hans, and Emmy
Ari "pinning" Hans
Posted by dvaldesd at 04:28 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2006
Summer Teaching?
Well, at least that's what I though I was doing. I started out with 10 students, and am now down to 8. I guess what perplexes me the most is the idea that summer sessions are less rigorous than the regular semester, when we all know that the exact opposite is true! Summer session can be muy dificil, not to mention all encompassing for those students that hate to work in the summer. I guess after all the experience I've had teaching middle and high schoolers, I shouldn't be surprised by anything, but when students don't do their work and then get an attitude because they get a (less than) mediocre grade, I have to chuckle to myself. Now, of course it would be blasphemous to say that all my students behave this way, especially when I have a few really smart cookies in the class. Now, they know how to do summer session-always on top of their game, and always ready to push back whenever I make a claim that they disagree with. These are the types of students that plain ole make me happy. The others, well the truth is that on some level I feel like I am failing them in some small way. There has to be a way to engage them (she claimed romantically!) and get them to love writing as much as the rest of us do. Even if they truly hated it, I'd be happy...at least then I'd be able to cling to the old adage of there being a thin line between love and hate. I guess I should just be happy with the fact that I don't have an entire class of disinterested prisoners, although sometimes they look at me like I am their personal warden!
And can we please get some new excuses! I'm sorry but the note from Epstein’s Mother is just soooo played out. Even dorky Mr. Kotter didn't fall for that stuff. Just once I would like to hear that they missed class because of an exotic disease, or that they have to miss class because their going to MTV's TRL to be a vee-jay and become famous. Excuses for Dummies, anyone?
Posted by dvaldesd at 06:16 PM | Comments (2)