Recent Randoms

recent randoms from the past 2 weeks.

 heat wave...sidewalk cleaner...watermelon

Amtrak...bug pops?...turtle shorts

waterlily...somewhere in CT...wicked reflection

polkadot glasses...far from home...sweet treat

fire pokers...Zakin bridge...salad

Sox pride...acela express...lion statue

orb...Costco run...flaxmeal pizza
Hebrew tutoring...farm fresh...phlebotomist visit
farmer's market...Hebrew on the ipad...sunny T-stop

It's electric!

Sunday, Emily and I headed down to the Museum of Science for some fun. We eventually wandered into the Hall of Electricity in the midst of a live show, and boy was it amazing!

 I had never seen such an intense show, it was loud and quite impressive!

 The scientist was creating some insane electrical storms and I was having a ball snapping pics of it!

 Love how this one is super blurred, but you can still see the electricity!

 Looks like something out of a mad scientists lab, right?

Pretty fitting to have seen all this too. Because Monday night some intense storms rolled through Brookline. The sky on both sides of my apartment was turning so purple and the storm was so on top of me the thunder and lightning was happening at the same time!

 Lightning doesn't frighten me in the least, but I am much happier to take pictures of electricity in a safe enclosed and controlled environment!

This is an amazing picture that the @redsox tweeted out last night. The game was delayed for close to 2 hours as the storm passed through! I live about 15 minutes from there, so now I know was going on outside my windows!

Start of summer

One week into summer vacation and what a summer it's been. Literally. 

 We went from a super chilly June to a super sweltering June. Wednesday am the heat moved in and stayed through Friday evening. Needless to say, with no a/c (at all) in my apartment, I was hot. I spent much of the week finding ways to stay cool. One of which was a zen approach: don't think/complain about the heat therefore I would stay cool (kinda worked) the other sleep with a fan and 3 ice packs (worked).

Thursday afternoon I holed up at the local movie theater for 2.5 hours. 7 dollars for a movie and a/c. I saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel it was so good! I love all those British actors and it was so well done and the images of India were stunning. 

 The local farmer's market opened last week and despite the heat I went over.  The poor farmers and veggies were wilting. I picked up some veggies and made a lovely cold dinner of zucchini pasta with fresh tomatoes. I also picked up a watermelon in an attempt to have a cool treat without the calories of ice cream.

 Thursday night in another attempt to find a place with a/c (a theme has emerged) and have some fun I went and did (for my first time) karaoke with friends from work. It was an evening of teachers gone wild, if only the kids could have seen us! Needless to say, it was a blast and I may or may not have caught the karaoke bug...

Friday was another scorcher, but a bit better. By mid-afternoon the clouds and breeze were building and by 5:30 we had thunder and rain! Quickly the temps in my apartment went from over 90 to 76/77! This week is forecast to be back in the typical low 70s, woohoo!

25th week around the sun

First week of summer vacation down! I cannot believe it has been a week since school let out for summer, time flies when it's 99º I guess! The first week of vacation was pretty good, hot (okay brutally hot) but good. I enjoyed some lazy mornings, quiet afternoons, and karaoke with some friends from work. I also am officially (well, grades pending) DONE with graduate school! Kind of crazy as that sinks in, but now I am looking forward to what lies ahead. First up, the rest of summer!

Favorite from June:

Scav Hunt Sunday: Shoes and Spoons

Warped:

 An old iphone picture from Thanksgiving when this spoon and the garbage disposal had a nasty fight. Disposal 1. Sink 0.

Concentric Circles:

 Love these bowls I have. So bright and they all have lids!

Glazed:

 Avi made this amazing vase in high school. I love the zipper effect it has.

Marbles:

 Someone was giving away a mancala board in the teacher's room and I snatched it up!

Gear:

My gym gear, 'nuff said.

Monet's Garden

The New York Botanical Gardens has an amazing exhibit right now all based around the gardens Monet had in France and how they inspired his pictures. Mom and I popped over this weekend and it was a lovely late afternoon at the garden. The weather was perfect too, usually we go when it's freezing or hot as hades, so it was just perfect! 

Alium, my most favorite flower. 

 We had never seen this one before - it's called the firepoker, fitting eh?

Stunning combination of purple and green. 

 Once inside the conservatory was just filled with flowers. We had never seen it so lush and it is exactly how I love gardens. I felt like I was in Monets pictures.

 I had never seen this plant before. It was fuzzy and long!

 A recreation of his home and garden fence - so beautiful!

Right out of a painting!

 I always love the water lily ponds, so peaceful.

I'm going to miss this...

Alternatively titeled: schools out for summer!! 

We made it. I cannot believe it. 

180 days...9.5 months...19 kids...2 teachers

We all survived! We all learned! We did it! In all honestly though, I'm going to miss this. 

 the messes...

 the fun and games...

 the friendships...

the learning...

the coping mechanisms...

I go back and forth between being ecstatic that it's summer vacation and sadness. This was my first class. They made me a teacher. They pushed me to the brink some days, but others the sweetness and laughs and eureka moments reminded me why I am doing this.

I think the hardest part of saying good-bye was that it was good-bye. Heaven help me, I will have a job at another school next year. I won't see these amazing 19 kids as big second graders. I feel like a mama bird who just watched her bird babies fly out of the nest. I know I did my best and that they will do so well next year.

I also know they taught me so much and I cannot wait to get to do it all again come September. But for now, there is one thing I will not miss...

my early morning alarm(s)...

Happy summer vacation!