Welcome to my Livejournal!

A random assortment of things about me, with absolutely no coherence or deep and abiding significance. Also, there are eleven of them, because all amplifiers should go to eleven.

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.:. I'm going to post-date this so it stays at the top of my journal as a sort of welcome & guestbook rolled into one. Feel free to drop a comment or a hello. I always like meeting new people, and while I don't 'friend' back automatically (I feel more comfortable getting to know someone a little bit first), I love the chance to meet and connect with new people and I do add new journals regularly. ♥

omg, you all are so funny! When I asked what I should do this morning, people were totally divided about whether I should sleep or catch up on Torchwood. ♥ I tried to do a little of both. I started ep. 4 but got distracted by a bunch of projects. Now I'm going to try to catch up while I clean up the kitchen and repot a couple of plants.

In other news, I'm making a playlist of upbeat 60's & 70's music to use in the classroom. The presenter of my workshop this week used some and I was reminded that the 4-6 songs I have already are just Not. Enough.

So far, I have:

Celebration - Kool & the Gang
The Last Dance - Donna Summer
September - Earth, Wind, & Fire (always a class favorite! <3)
Rock the Boat - The Hues Corporation
YMCA - The Village People
Dancing Queen - ABBA
Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
Build Me Up, Buttercup - The Foundations
Rock Around the Clock
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) - Four Tops
Twist & Shout
It's My Party - Lesley Gore
Bend Me, Shape Me - American Breed
Runaway - Del Shannon

So, what 60's & 70's upbeat songs would you recommend for me to share with my students this year? (also, random icon is random. I just haven't gazed at Sean Patrick Flanery recently and thought I should remedy that situation.)

*yawn*

I just got back from driving copilot to the airport for his boy's walkabout/camping trip with his brothers. It's not even 6am and I've already been up for over two hours.

I'm so awake.

The question is... do I make coffee and catch up on Torchwood? Or go to bed and try to force myself to sleep (with bribes of lovely dreams about Seamus and Dean)?

Hmmmm... apparently it's not possible to be in two places at once.




Was everyone else aware of this?

*waves frantically*

Those going to Azkatraz that might be interested in a (most likely very small) Seamus/Dean get together, please go here and offer your thoughts in comment or poll form. ♥

[hint: I'm leaving on Monday, so don't vote for Monday night!!!]

*gazes longingly at icon* Seamus & Dean. I do love them so. ♥


In other news, there is so much I'm neglecting to tell you all! My tomatoes are growing! So are the herbs! The schoolyear is over (*sob*) and my classroom is (finally) packed up! copilot and I just spent four days with his family and we had a lovely time. My brother is engaged! I've done FAR too much laundry! I'm at a workshop all week so I can't play online during the day. :( But the night?? Just watch out!

And now I must shower. ♥ *loves you all*

*squiiiishes you all*

Happy Birthday to me! Of course, a day late, but I'm starting to believe that's just par for the course for me. :) I've been in Boston (several former students graduating from 8th grade) and while I've been able to spend time with two of my very closest friends, I haven't yet been able to play with copilot or with any of you, so I've decided to extend my birthday for days and days. I can do that, right?

Thank you for all the birthday wishes and emails and texts! ♥ I'll try to check in and answer everything tonight or tomorrow.

For now, I have to run and shower and pack and haul my ass to the airport in an hour or so.

*much love*

I miss you guys. *sigh*




Only a few more days and then I can play. ♥

Hooray!!

So, summer plans have worked out in such a way that I'm going to be able to go to Azkatraz!! I've booked a flight and everything! I know a bunch of you will be there, so that will make it even better! Now I must ask... which of you are going??

So, now I wonder: should I just book myself a room and figure out roomies later or is there someone that has an extra space in their room and wouldn't mind a babbling Seamus and/or Dean fan taking up space?


*love*

Oh. My. God!!!!

wolfietala went to Collectormania (I mentioned it here) and look what she did!!! ♥





I laughed aloud in absolute glee and giggled in this delighted, surprised sort of amazement for long enough that copilot finally called down to ask me what in the world I was doing?? I showed him, and to his credit, he didn't roll his eyes or anything. He just said, "Cool."

Yes. Alfie wrote HI KAALEE and grinned at the camera. I think my day is made.

wolfietala, please, please let me write a drabble for you! Prompt me (and give me a few weeks because I'm SLOW) and I will write for you with absolute pleasure. ♥

This week has been a bit insane with all of the craziness as the end of the school year winds down. Report cards, reflection, sorting, assessment, planning (and not only for school but for our dance club and the upcoming talent show), meetings and plans for next year, and etc...

Oddly enough, I still woke up this morning refreshed and with a good bit of energy, so I decided to bake banana bread to go along with the bagels we always buy for breakfast with my brother.

This was a brand new recipe for me, but by one of my culinary gods (Mollie Katzen), so when I thought, gosh, that seems like far too much batter to go in one loaf pan, I ignored my instincts and did what the recipe said.

Um. Ooops?

The banana bread smelled damn good, but still wasn't cooked all the way through even after an extra 15 minutes. I've sliced it and plan to toast it before eating, but I thought maybe I'd ask you all if you have any other suggestions.

So I'll try this recipe again, but next time listen to my instincts. Or at the very least, use a far bigger loaf pan.

A bit of a look at Remus Lupin, though Sirius Black's eyes.  This is a little collaboration between kath_ballantyne & kaalee and dedicated to the glorious magicofisis. (Really, it was Em's gorgeous art that drove the entire thing.)

art & ficlet under the cut... 
 
( his smile - remus/sirius - pg13 )

Yep.

That was me just now. Checking out your ass.



Don't tell anyone, okay? ♥

I'd like to buy an external hard drive this week and I'd love recommendations from those of you that already have them. I have a MacBook, if that makes a difference.

So... hit me with your best shot recs.

So, Alfie's going to be at Collectormania 15 in early June. Alas that I am not a wizard and cannot get my Apparition license. Anyone headed up to Milton Keynes, England for Collectormania? Give Alfie my best. He's lovely, that one.

Go Maine!!! ♥


*hugs my former state*

Hey. ♥

I haven't really been online since possibly some time last week. Things for two of my students really blew up this week, so I've been spending a lot of my time and energy working on supporting them. During non-work time, I've been trying to read, and focus on small, simple things like plants and tea and reading.

It's entirely possible that I will all but disappear during the month of May (and early June). It's an insane several weeks as a teacher, with far too many useless assessments and have to's and do now's. But, I don't want to lose touch, so please feel free to email [kaaleeATlivejournal] or drop a comment here and there with important things.

I'll try to pop on and share silly things, and keep up with you all as much as possible.

Also, because I don't say it enough, I love you all more than I can say. This has been a very, very difficult year for me as a teacher, and for those of you that were with me back in September [here and here] and to those of you who stop in with little bits of advice and insight at times, and to those of you that may lurk but still are a part of this whole lj-experience... I just want to say thank you. You're all an amazing group of people and I'm honored to know you. ♥

So, it's Sunday night and I'm not quite ready to go back to work tomorrow. I'd like another day in my weekend, kthx. I'm even totally cool with continuing to have five day work weeks, just so long as we can also have three day weekends. So, eight day weeks, then. Can someone get on that, please? Maybe I should call President Obama. Maybe that would solve the economic crisis. People aren't getting enough weekend, so they're clearly not having enough sex, and definitely not enough orgasms, ergo... bad economy.

Oooh, I think I might be onto something. Instead of the stimulus package, we need the stimulating package! More sex, better economy. "Hey honey, you wanna little somethin' somethin?" "But it's late... we've got work in the morning..." "But we're doing it for our country! It'll fix the economy!" "Well then, if that's the case..."


Okay, whoa, that went totally off topic. Wonder where my brain went there... :P I'm doing fine... how about you all?

♥

These were both written for the glorious magicofisis. ♥ Many of you get a kick out of limericks, so I'm pointing them out here. Both are Harry/Ron, and probably a pg13 rating. *love*

One Night Outside the Pub
5 limericks, ~175 words

The True Story of How Harry and Ron Got Together
9 limericks, ~310 words

I call today a do over.



It's times like these that I think there should be dial-a-massage or dial-a-mojito or maybe dial-a-sexy-man-in-a-kilt. You know. Something useful like that...

So.

Amazon has stopped including gay and lesbian books on some searches and best seller lists, as well as removing their sales ranking. They consider it "adult" material.

More information from Mark Probst here. In addition, C. Smith writes a little more about it here and there are some sample letters to Amazon.com here and here.

Literature can play such a vital role in people's lives: it educates, it informs, it questions, it corroborates, it spurs ideas, it validates, it promotes creativity and imagination. How wonderful to stifle that. *seethes*

I have a hard time not seeing this as a blatant slap in the face.

So, I'm going to take my future spending elsewhere. I found a few resources that may be of use for book-shopping in the future, and I thought I'd share them here:

Powell's Books ~ one of the largest independent bookstores (of new and used books) in the United States.

Independent Bookstores Guide ~ on the right there is a clickable listing by US State, as well as a link for Canada.

For the UK, The Guardian has a reference page for Independent Bookshops organized by area.

celestialsoda also pointed out a link that lists companies that have contributed to the disenfranchisement of equal rights here.

My brother usually comes over for breakfast on Saturday mornings (otherwise we see each other very infrequently). It's been a few weeks since I've seen him, and because tomorrow is Easter (though I don't celebrate), I decided to do more than just bagels and coffee. I made a fruit salad, bought bagels, and bought some cinnamon rolls. His girlfriend usually comes, too, so I have a good amount of food.

He just called.

They were already running late, so he was stressed about that, but then when they got into the car, his gearstick wouldn't move out of third gear. So, he's in the repair shop. And they probably won't make it, because they have other commitments later on today.

Poor guy.

Um... but now I have all this food that I can't possibly eat by myself. Anyone care to come over for breakfast? I have a full pot of coffee made. I can make you eggs, too, if you'd like.

( photographic temptation here... )

A little under a year ago I finished painting/redecorating the bathroom on the main floor of our house. June or July, I believe [link here for reference]. So, we've been living with the bathroom this way for a while now.

Well, copilot and I were in World Market recently, browsing and looking at various things there that make my heart go all pitter patter. At one point, we were in the paintings/artwork/wall decorations area and happened upon some wood carvings.

copilot paused and looked at me. "We know someone who has these, right?"

I must have looked at him blankly because in my head I was thinking: okay. He's joking. It's some weird bizarro Socratic thing that he's going to lead me through which will just end up with me making fun of myself without him saying a word... think, kaalee, think... what joke might come out of this... and so on.

Then I realized he was absolutely serious.

"Yes," said I. "Yes, we do know someone that has those."

He looked at me expectantly, so I put on my very best Ross voice and said, "You just take your time."

After longer than I might have expected, the light dawned and he said, "Oh... oh, it's us, isn't it?"

...

Yes. Yes, it is indeed us.

These wood carvings right here ( on the back wall of our bathroom... )

Guess it's not always me that doesn't notice things, now is it? ♥

It's good to be tipsy on a thrusday night, don'cha think?

*loves*

So... how are you?

So, I've been in a happy outdoorsy place recently.

( babbling about CSA and yardwork and bad pictures with bad lighting... )

A couple of things before I run out for tea with a friend...

darthfox made a point here about language surrounding same sex marriage. She explains (in far more eloquent terms than what I'm using here) that it's about equal rights, about denying the rights of marriage to others, and using the term gay marriage makes it easier for others to distinguish it as something different than real marriage. So, I'm going to endeavor to change my own language. It is such a powerful thing. (language, that is. Not me. :P)

kerryblaze linked to a page where people can donate to the campaign to repeal prop 8 here.

*loves my brilliant flist*