30 Rock Clip

A Job

I was officially hired by a school district yesterday.

I'll be teaching special education in the Alum Rock Union School District in San Jose. Not a single kid in any of the pictures from the school is white. I guess I'll get used to being the minority and might even have the opportunity to practice my Spanish skills.

More surprising, though, is the dress code "strictly enforced" by the schools. Of course, I can understand the basic dress code of appropriate skirt length and minimal cleavage (even though i broke both rules often in high school). But in my new school district, students and teachers alike are not allowed to wear baggy or ill-fitting clothes; no shades of blue or red are allowed; belt buckles must be plain with no letters or numbers; students can't even wear the logo of their favorite sports team. Oh, did I mention this school district only includes elementary and middle schools? So, using my reasoning skills which often come in too handy, i can only assume that these regulations are meant to discourage gang-related behavior...in children?

Man, this job might be tougher than I had ever imagined.

My Favorite Things...

When I'm feeling stressed, I often look at pictures from home to remind me of the things that are really important. This is one of my favorites from a mother/daughter horseback ride to Bonnie Lakes in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. My horse Hunter looks less than enthused.

Ghana

The obroni makes a few friends:
Ghanaian kids:
A few obronis splashing around in Wli Waterfall on the border of Togo:
Ghana kids at a poor school in Nima:

30 Rock Podcast

The podcast of my essay about my new-found piece of art (and obsession), 30 Rock

30 Rock

I am addicted to 30 Rock. This is not the new street name of an illicit drug, nor is it something you can find in your grandmother’s medicine cabinet. You won’t have to send me to rehab for my addiction, but you might have to peel me away from my indented spot on the couch in front of the TV in my beige-colored living room. I discovered this addiction last week white flipping through the channels on a Thursday night. After learning that my guilty pleasure, “Grey’s Anatomy” wouldn’t be aired, I had to find something to watch during my designated no-studying time. Hmm, 30 Rock—the guide said it was four-stars. That should be worthy of at least a moment of my time. In that moment, I was hooked. Tracy Jordan’s hilarious behavior made me laugh out loud, and Tina Fey’s antics had me crying and holding my gut. The premise of the show is this: Tina Fey (Liz Lemon) is a writer for a variety show that strongly resembles Saturday Night Live. She’s more than a writer though—she also has to deal with the politics of the network (NBC) and the diva-like behavior of the show’s stars. 30 Rock does an especially phenomenal job of bringing social issues into the light with a comedic overtone. For example, in the episode I watched on Thursday, the Asian market crashed, sending network executives into a fury of number crunching and sheer panic. Tracy Jordan, the star of Lemon’s variety show, went on Larry King Live to promote the show. Instead, he sent the entire city into a greater state of panic by predicting the upheaval of society as we know it, encouraging residents to flee the city at their earliest convenience. Because of the sheer power of the media and celebrities especially, the city fell into a state of chaos, only to be resumed the next day when people realized that the world was not going to end. The chain of events set off by Jordan’s discussion with King were hilarious and such a true reflection on society’s tendency to believe what they see on TV. After such a great comedic break from my otherwise academic life, I can guarantee that I will be tuning in to NBC again this Thursday.

Image: www.nbc.com

Elephants Galore!

Elephants have always been my favorite animal. Perhaps it stems from my love of Africa, which is something I've never been able to explain. I started collecting elephant figurines in all forms when I was three. I have an extensive collection at home, but here are a few shots of the ones who made the trek to Eugene with me.

A trio of elephant's from the collection of my Aunt Kathy, who passed away before I was born. They were given to me at my high school graduation by my Aunt Peggy, who told me the three figurines reminded her of myself, my sister and my cousin since we've always been extremely close and looked out for one another.
A fun push pin elephant, given to me by a family friend after her trip to India.
A beautiful hand-carved elephant from Africa.
A beautiful iron elephant given to me by my family doctor.
And the elephant that started it all--Elli. My dad gave me this elephant before my sister was born so I would have something to distract me from the new baby, and what do you know? I still sleep with it at night!
Finally, I got to see a real elephant in the wild last summer in Ghana: