Musings on Procrastination

Most of you who know me know that I'm a do-er, an accomplisher, a 'work before you play' kind of gal. It's not always true, although I would have you think otherwise. 

Private Procrastinator: (n.) one who favors unproductive pursuits in place of  necessary tasks until the last possible minute; done when not in the public eye

Case and point - The time is now 12:04 pm. Five minutes ago, I recieved a call from Val saying that she'll be off work at 2:00. Since I will be picking her up, I'll need to schedule in enough time to get there, and since it's snowing, a little more than usual. 

That gives me 1.5 hours (or less) to accomplish the following tasks:

1. Shower

2. Finish packing

3. Feed the cats

4. Take out the garbage

5. Run the dishwasher (nevermind, already did that)

6. Pack the car

7. Leave

Instead of doing these important, necessary things, with only 1.5 hours remaining, I am:

1. Pressing refresh on several websites to see if anything has changed.

2. Blogging about something that has no relevance to anyone but myself

3. Running the dryer to de-wrinkle clothes

4. Making a deal with myself that when the dryer buzzes, I will become productive

Here is how this will go down.

12:15 - Publish blog posting of no relevance. Shut down computer, but not before checking at least one more site. What a dork.

12:20 - Jump in the shower. Try to beat the dryer buzzer.

12:40 - Run around in a towel with wet hair folding laundry, packing a bag, marking things off my list. At least I have a list. See, I'm an organized at least.

1:00 - Kick into high gear and continue bustling about, but at twice the speed.

1:25  - Load the car, take out the garbage, remember last minute details, warm up the car

1:30 - Be on the way, right on time.

To wrap things up (and on schedule, I might note), you may think that I am a responsible person who takes care of things in a way you wish you did, but really, I'm just as much of a mess as anyone else. It's just an organized mess.

When Frosty Gets Caught

Rinsing or Wetting?

I have had a LOT of time to think, being cooped up in the snowy weather. HOWEVER, I have used it productively in many ways, such as cleaning the house, scooping the litter box, preparing dinner, and also, solving a puzzling mystery.

And the mystery is - My friend Rachel once met the person she believes to be the only other individual in the world who wets his toothbrush after putting on the toothpaste, like she does. And really, it's true - Who does that? Most people rinse off their brushes first, and then squirt on the paste. But the question, before I solved this great mystery that has long perplexed mankind, is...Why? Why before and not after?

The solution - The answer lies in the question:

"Why does everyone else wet their toothbrush first?"

Key word: Wet. 

If you think of putting water on your toothbrush as wetting it, I suppose it doesn't matter the order in which you do it. However, I believe that most of us do not think of it as merely wetting the toothbrush. I submit that the rest of us think of it as rinsing the toothbrush. Eliminating what unknown funk has settled upon the bristles since it was last used. And, whether it makes a difference to the germs or not, we still think if it as rinsing, and not wetting, which logically explains why we put water on the brush before toothpaste.

There you have it. Mystery solved. I also think that Myth-Busters tackle this one in a future episode. There have been others about toothbrushes, but I don't think there is one about the futility/necessity of rinsing a toothbrush prior to use.

Look who got out of bed...

...four hours later!

Went on a walk with Christie and Corey...slip-sliding around Springfield. Got coffee. Chatted. Slip-slid back. Had good times in the snow. Fin.

Snowing and Other Thoughts

 I can't remember the last time it snowed all over the state before Christmas! I want to say it was February before it snowed here last year.

I'm off of school today, and actually suffering from a huge case of cabin fever. Val came home after trying for an hour to get to work, thankfully safe. With no damage to my car.

We discussed what to do with the day, and I rattled off a laundry list of fun things to do when it snows. We left it undecided, with Val not feeling too excited about any of the options, and I ran outside to take this picture. When I came back in, she had gone back to bed. Great.

Now I'm sitting here over frequenting websites for any little change. Thought about calling folks, but Christie is nestling with a movie at home and everyone else is far away, so I'm not sure what to do with myself. The only option, really, besides vegging out (which I did yesterday) is to work on school stuff. On a snow day. It's not that I don't know how to relax, it's that I have been relaxing all weekend and I can't do it anymore. 

This is why I wouldn't survive where there's actual, persistent snow.

Elfy

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Letter to Register Guard

Dear Register-Guard,

I'm writing on behalf of myself and my partner, a long term same-sex couple looking forward to marriage and children and all the frills and follies of a committed partnership. I was thrilled to learn that your publication has chosen to announce the births of children to same-sex couples in our area. Thank your for taking this important step of recognizing our civil rights. I look forward to announcing the birth of my future children in the Register-Guard, as well as the domestic partnership my partner and I will obtain beforehand.

Sincerely,

Sara Hoskinson

Springfield, Oregon

NO on 58, 60, and 64

Hello Friends,
There are several measures on the Oregon ballot that will put the Oregon school system and its students in jeopardy, and as a teacher, I am very concerned.


Measure 58, if passed, will limit my ability to support English language learning, which will have life-long consequences*** as a result of students slipping through the cracks. The logic of the bill is completely unsupported by research on effective language learning, and will inevitabley cause a strain on our society and economy by underpreparing kids to be productive citizens.


Measure 60, by paying teachers for students' test performance, has the potential to turn our students into test-taking machines, rather than high-level thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators that they will need to be to bring success to themselves and society.


If you support me as a teacher, and you want to make the best decisions for our kids, like we teachers do, please vote no on measures 58, 60, and any other measure promoted by Bill Sizemore, who has been a threat to Oregon schools since I was a student within in them.


Below are some resources for more information. I appreciate your taking a few minutes to think about Oregon's kids.

:-) Sara



From the Oregon Education Association
The OEA makes voter recommendations in the interest of children, and takes no other political issues into consideration. These three measures have the most negative effect on Oregon schools.


Measure 58: Sizemore's ELL Limit
Vote "NO".
Here's why: http://www. oregoned. org/site/pp. asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=4419733

Measure 60: Sizemore's De-Merit Pay
Vote "NO".
Here's why: http://www. oregoned. org/site/pp. asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=4419743

Measure 65: Top-Two Primary
Vote "NO".
Here's why: http://www. oregoned. org/atf/cf/%7B3f7af7ec-f984-4631-a411-148cd1fb8421%7D/ELECTION08%20-%20BM65%20TALKING%20POINTS. PDF

In the coming weeks, the OEA be making the case for each of the following positions on their web site:
Measure 54: Vote "YES".

Measure 55: Vote "YES".

Measure 56: Vote "YES".

Measure 57: Vote "YES".

Measure 59: Vote "NO".

Measure 61: Vote "NO".

Measure 62: Vote "NO".

Measure 63: Vote "NO".

Measure 64: Vote "NO".


State-level Candidates Recommended by the OEA:
Secretary of State - Kate Brown
Attorney General - John Kroger
State Treasurer - Ben Westlund
Bureau of Labor and Industries - Brad Avakian

See the OEA web site for more information on their recommendations.

http://www. oregoned. org/site/pp. asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=3855809


NEA Recommendation & Web Site of Barack Obama
The National Education Association, whose sole basis of recommendations is the health of our public schools, recommends Barack Obama.
I feel the need to note here that John McCain did not even bother to fill out the paperwork to seek the endorsement of the NEA, which to me, conveys disinterest in education entirely. It's one thing to bail on Letterman, but quite another not to give priority to our schools.


Obama's election website states, regarding his education policies:
"Throughout America's history, education has been the vehicle for social and economic mobility, giving hope and opportunity to millions of young people. Our schools must prepare students not only to meet the demands of the global economy, but also help students take their place as committed and engaged citizens. It must ensure that all students have a quality education regardless of race, class, or background. Barack Obama is committed to strengthening our public schools to maximize our country's greatest natural resource - the American people.
"

For more on his educational policies, go to http://www. barackobama. com/issues/education/

***An article about the consequences of dropping out of school, a likelihood for ESOL students not properly served by public schools because of measure 58: http://207. 12. 35. 10/Default. aspx?tabid=67

Number One Fan

This made me laugh. So, then, is Michael Moore is own biggest fan? Gotta love facebook.

Michael Moore became a fan of Michael Moore.

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What has he been puffin?

I challenge you to list some action verbs that best describe what is seen here: A tufted puffin at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in the bird aviary, taken during Val's and my most recent coast adventure, which was, as a side note, an amazing coast weekend for a bazillion reasons*.

Enjoy the video, and again, descriptive verbs?


*Our coast trip was awesome because
---Ocean view in our hotel room was a mile long
---Rogue brewerey: Not only did we have a tour, but the brewmaster put on tap a beer that is uberseldomly ever put on tap anywhere because it is bought out by private consumers prior to even being brewed. Yum. I also got a sweatshirt.
---Can you say, "Jacuzzi tub with an ocean veiw?" (I can.)
---Hottie girlfriend in jacuzzi tub
---Mo's. Enough said.
---King sized love nest.
---Sea otters: Quite possibly the cutest things with whiskers.
---Jelly fish: Woah man, trippy.
---Discovery of the The Wildflower Grill (This sums it up: Crabcake benedict. Seriously.)
---Two hour marathon of Women of Ninja Warrior while soaking in the jacuzzi tub.
---The Muppet Movie was our arrival night relaxation activity...also while in the jacuzzi tub.
---Heated swimming pool and hand stand competition. I won.
---Calamari and crab alfredo dinner. Val had fish tacos. Keep your comments to yourself.
---Oceanside sudoku puzzles and coffee first thing in the morning.
---Cribbage on the beach.
---Pupu platter of salmon, cheese, crackers, salami, etc.
---Mimmosas...in the jacuzzi tub.
---Did I mention it was sunny all weekend? Because it was, so ha ha ha.
---And the number one reason it was awesome: I spent it with the love of my life.