It is a powerful notion

Every once in awhile my husband gets a GEM of an email that I can't resist sharing.

Undergrads. So naive. So clueless.

Here's the email:

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I received a non-pass. I feel as if it was because I was unable to properly express my thoughts into words for the essay on God. It's very difficult to do so in such a short period of time (people have been unable to prove Anselm for centuries, let alone a month), and I feel as if I could prove my belief that Anselm's Ontological Argument is, in fact, correct to you... if you would be willing to consider taking time out of your schedule to lend me your ears and eyes, and, if I did convince you, be willing to look into the situation of my grade.

After all, you are a philosophy teacher who is interested in the betterment of the soul by attaining knowledge. Does this not sound like an enticing philosophical offer?

Let me know when and if you're ready to believe in God.

It is a powerful notion.

Thank you for your time,
(Name has been removed to protect the ridiculous)
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Justin's response:

Dear _______,

It's almost September. As a philosopher, I would love to hear your take on Anselm's argument. Having a discussion about the existence of God would surely contribute to the betterment of both of our souls. However, as a professor, it's part of my job to make sure students learn how the real world works. You can't do an assignment three and a half months later and expect your grade to change. So, although it does sound like an enticing philosophical offer, it is not an administrative option. Nice try. (P.S. I've believed in God ever since the day I wrote a paper on Anselm in my first intro class. You're right- It IS a powerful notion.)

Sincerely,

Justin Clark
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Priceless.

Quotes of the week

I love teaching. As much as this year has been clouded so far by the politics, and feeling invisible, it is an indisputable fact that I love to teach. I'm trying to get back to, get focused on, get entrenched in that love and passion as much as possible, and block out the B.S. that threatens to demoralize me. A couple of gems popped out this week (with only two days of instruction!) that I have to share.

The first one needs a little background- I recently had the opportunity to see a SMART Board-- one of the teachers at my school uses one. It's an interactive whiteboard. I won't bore you with details, but it would be an AMAZING tool to have when teaching music notation. So my colleagues suggested that I ask for one. I asked and the answer was no- they can't justify the expense for a part-time teacher.

I'm not here to rant about that response-- the response it is what it is. Here's the funny part:

I did a lesson on notation this week with a projector (something like an overhead projector, except it projects whatever is on my computer screen). The lesson went really well. But at the end of the lesson a 3rd grade student, who is new to our district, says to me, "You know, you REALLY need a SMART Board."

Ha! Priceless. From the mouths of babes.

The second gem came from a kindergarten student: At the end of class, I was walking them to recess when one of them says to me "Did you know that I'm rich?"

Me: "No! I didn't know!"

Kid: "I'm really rich. I promise."

Me: "Cool!"

I mean, what else do you say??!

I love teaching- kids rock.

Red Rock with the Demmins!

Last Saturday we went into the back country to visit Red Rock with the Demmins! Red Rock is this awesome swimming hole that you hike to with huge boulders that you can climb and then jump off of into the water! I didn't take my camera with me but on the way out Jane fell asleep in her backpack as David was carrying her back so I had to snap a picture with my cell phone- it was too cute!

She didn't even wake up when David took the pack off! Soo worn out!

Goofball!

I had the pleasure of watching Jane Ella Demmin last Friday while her mom and dad had to attend a funeral. She is getting so big and smart and SO funny! As I was getting ready to leave she slipped on her dad's shoes- always a goofball! I have a feeling she's going to be blessing people with laughter for a long long time!

Maybe Clumsy IS the Word?!

As you can see by my picture, I'm a big fan of the SUPER Big Gulp. I'm a fan of drinking SUPER Big Gulps filled with Diet Cherry Coke. What I'm not a fan of is sitting in a puddle of enough Diet Cherry Coke to fill a SUPER Big Gulp. That's what happened yesterday when I was trying to get into the car with my oversized beverage. Maybe clumsy IS the word for me?! I literally had to swim out of my car- I had Diet Cherry Coke-soaked undies. Diet Cherry Coke was running down my bare legs (I was wearing shorts). It wasn't pretty. But surprisingly I found it to be pretty funny, especially since it happened in front of two UCSB Housing Maintenance Workers. Hi there fellas! Nothing to see here! Just 79 cents down the drain. Or, down my pants and soaked into my car seat that is.

Speaking of things that make my life better (the Super Big Gulp, not spilling) I've had the pleasure of lovely company the last two days in a row! Yesterday I went for a walk with the Demmin girls out on the bluffs that they call "More Mesa". Lovely view as long as you don't venture onto the beach....apparently that's where the nudists hang out. Yikes. Then got to enjoy some delicious vegetarian lasagna that Stacy had made- yum! Jane is so cute with her baby dolls- she hugs them and rocks back and forth like she's rocking them and makes this cute little cooing noise like- "awww"- it's adorable!

Today I went downtown with the Folmar girls and hung out with Sydney while Marissa cleaned some things out of her classroom (she's taking a leave of absence this year to stay home with Sydney!) Then we went downtown to eat lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe- Yum- where I promptly sat down in a puddle of balsamic dressing (did I mention I'm wearing a white sundress today??) What is WITH me sitting in puddles? Luckily we had a baby with us which naturally meant we had baby wipes- this was a mess that would have had the Tide-to-go pen trembling in fear. It looked like I sat in poo. Lovely. Luckily the wipes worked like magic and I was able to finish the afternoon without further embarrassment! :)

It's great to have friends! I am thankful!

Totes?

When did the word "totally" become such a burden to utter? Has anyone else noticed this? I'm seeing more and more people (especially on facebook) using "totes" as slang for "totally". This bothers me. I can't explain why. It's not like I never abbreviate, I def do. (Justin doesn't like that one- "def"). But totes? It sounds like something someone from an 80's movie about Valley Girls would say. "Totes" is "def" my new "nails-on-the-chalkboard"....it totes makes me shudder.

In other news, I fell while out running today. Like, to the ground, like, SMACK. This is not the first, or even second time that this has happened. What IS a first is that I was running WITH JoAnn at the time (it usually happens when I'm running alone). Which made me feel slightly less pathetic, mainly because I was distracted and somewhat amused by her scream of surprise when her running partner hit the deck (so to speak). She remarked later that she was surprised at how loud it was- my body smacking into the pavement that is. I can't believe I haven't broken a wrist by now, since I almost always catch myself with my hands. Banged up my knee pretty badly but managed to (not at all gracefully) roll into the wet grass just after the initial impact. I don't know if clumsy even describes it. It's funny because we were just talking the other day about running during pregnancy (no, I am not pregnant at this time) and I was saying I would like to continue running when I get pregnant. Maybe I'll stick to the treadmill.... I haven't fallen off of one of those...yet.

Back to Blogging

I know. I didn't blog about going home. I just couldn't bring myself to do it! I'm not sure why- I posted pictures of my cutie niece and nephews on facebook. I just felt so sad about leaving Iowa that I didn't feel like re-capping the whole event on my blog- its all just too depressing. The minute I walked into our apartment it hit me like a ton of bricks- I am not going to see my family until Christmas. Ugh.

So I choose to ignore it. Instead I will blog about some very random but funny/interesting (to me) stuff. But, if it isn't clear, I had a wonderful time at home. Too wonderful. I love my family- Brummers, Clarks and Gripps alike. Miss you guys.

So on to the blogging. My birthday and anniversary were awesome. Justin got me a facial and a massage for my birthday- sooo relaxing. Then we had a party at a wine bar in Carpinteria on Saturday with a bunch of friends. Turning 30 was not half-bad!

For our anniversary we went to dinner and a movie. For our anniversary PRESENT we finally broke down and bought ourselves a flatscreen TV! When I told the guy at Best Buy that our current TV was 8 years old his response was "Well then anything would be an upgrade!" True.
Mom requested a picture:

We also got some new shelves- inspired by Aaron and Megan! Justin did the hanging/placing of the shelves. I think they look pretty good! Again, mom requested photos:



On a more random note...I saw this sign at a laundromat today and thought the unneccesary quotation marks were pretty funny:

On a completely un-related note: I want to share something that has made my life dramatically better. I stumbled across this find when I was on a side-trip down the cookie aisle, my temptation about to get the better of me. Luckily, these babies jumped out at me and life hasn't been the same (or any fatter) since:
Seriously. Do not go another day without purchasing these bad boys. You will thank me, I promise.

So, I've got some other randomness to talk about but I'm thinking I'll save it for another day. I'm hoping it won't be quite so long between posts...I'll try and do better. :)