Designated Doodler

(Photo: Michael Schennum, The Arizona Republic) I was hot stuff in high school. I had a raspberry red RAZR flip phone that I could use to call my mom if I needed to. Did I know what texting was? Of course not, and neither did my classmates. We were in ninth grade, and back then, if you got caught with your cell phone, it got taken up. One day my mom was trying to call me while I was at lunch, but she miscalculated my schedule and called me during the last three minutes of English. My horrendously evil English teacher proceeded to take my phone and give it to the front office. It was a Friday, right before spring break, and to get it back, my mom would have to come down to the school and pay $15. Luckily I have the best mom ever, and I wouldn't have to go through spring break without my phone. These days, I actually work at the school I went to 9th grade at, and things have changed drastically - not just at that school, but throughout the district. Now, 6th grade and up...

The other day I was talking with my students and asking them what book they are currently reading in English. After a heavy sigh and a groan one student said, "The Scarlet Letter." To which I replied…"hey, that's a great book. I read it for fun a few summers back." You should have seen the look on their faces, hahaha. "Why on earth would you do that?!" one girl asked in disbelief.  "Well, because it's a classic and I never read it in high school - it wasn't in our curriculum. So I wanted to read it!" Two girls exchanged a shocked look and they turned their attention back to the worksheet in their laps.  "Is it so crazy that I like to read for fun?" I asked. "YES!" was the resounding answer. One girl went on to tell me that her mother used reading as a PUNISHMENT for when she was bad as a child. Another student told me that they couldn't even make it through the first Harry Potter book because ...

The waves of the sea crest in your eyes It's sea foam white Changes in the light From azure topaz in the day To royal navy in the night How many have fallen in And remain adrift In the current that circles The black hole? I wonder as I float, If I'll ever know My mind is a beacon That beckons rescue Only to have my heart Flip the switch off And at this rate, I will be forever lost In the tepid tide that rolls with the moon In the vast expanse Of the tiny ocean Rushing in your eyes Pulling me to you

Brace yourselves, it's time for the obligatory year-end blog post. But why should I bore you with tales of my life? Because it's fun for me, that's why! I learned a lot in 2014, and some of those lessons learned were tough. As if I didn't trust people enough to begin with, my coworker at my last job snooped around my desk, read documents on my desk and told me we were never friends. Despite having invited her over to my house, bringing her cupcakes and asking her if she wanted to take breaks with us. I'm such a monster right? But you know what? It's all good, I wish only good things for all of my former coworkers. Anyway, I left that job and advertising all together. I'm not sure if I'll return to advertising or not, but I have discovered a deep seeded love for teaching. I busted my hump over the summer - going to eight hour alternative teaching classes and passing four teaching tests. Two of them were only a week apart. I have a good job, and I...

I know that a lot of people are getting wrist tattoos featuring a single word that describes something they love. I've considered this trend…however, I think people might judge me if I get "donuts" tattooed on my wrist. Which is why my backup word is "Netflix."

Okay, so I learned a lot during the RAWK Holiday Show (Houston) , which is why I don't consider it a total loss, but it was kind of a disaster, haha. Here's why the holiday show wasn't my speed. 1. The location - the location was a little bit sketch. And when I say a little bit, I mean a lot. Granted, I'm one of those snooty museum types, but there are so many venues in Houston! I would have preferred to be a bit closer to the galleria, and a bit farther from…the hood? I even had a friend who wouldn't come because of the location. Oh well, I survived. 2. The selling of art - I sold so few pieces that it was borderline embarrassing. But the fact of the matter is - people weren't there to buy art! They came to look at the pretty things and leave. I had hoards of people oohing and awing at my table, just to talk to me for ten minutes and then walk away. I sold some stuff, but not enough to justify the amount of time and effort I put into the show. 3. The time...

What a day, what a day, what a day! Yesterday was nuts.  Friday night I (was so tired that I) went to bed at 7pm and woke up at 7am to make baked goods to take to the old folks home. Disaster #1: While the cupcakes I made were perfect, the brownies were way undercooked and inedible. Disaster #2: The venue for my b-day party called THE DAY OF THE PARTY and wanted to move my party up a half hour. So I had to call everyone and tell them about the time change. It kept a few people from coming. Bingo with the elderly went well, and afterward, I went to Starbucks. Disaster #3: I told the barista at Starbucks that it was my birthday and she looked at me like I was nuts. I felt really stupid. Like…she gawked at me for a solid 3 minutes, thinking that my name was "birthday." Weirdness #1: Ran into one of my students at Starbucks for the second day in a row. Weirdness #2: That student and I both left Starbucks at the same time and both showed up at the ca...