Blog Entries from teacherayala

  1. The racist, sexist, crazy world of Cyberspace

    Every morning I read Yahoo news, and occasionally I scan through the comments. Sometimes I'm too lazy to sign in and respond, but sometimes I see something that I just can't ignore. Reading Yahoo comments is a very disturbing activity to begin with. When I read what people have to say, I'm shocked at the state of humanity and of many Americans in particular, and I begin to worry what my beloved country will look like in 10 years. I also examine myself. Where will I be in 10 years? Will I...
  2. The racist, sexist, crazy world of Cyberspace

    Every morning I read Yahoo news, and occasionally I scan through the comments. Sometimes I'm too lazy to sign in and respond, but sometimes I see something that I just can't ignore. Reading Yahoo comments is a very disturbing activity to begin with. When I read what people have to say, I'm shocked at the state of humanity and of many Americans in particular, and I begin to worry what my beloved country will look like in 10 years. I also examine myself. Where will I be in 10 years? Will I...
  3. Dealing with Grief

    It feels as though I've been hammered this year with reminders of the fragility of life and the reality of death. I know I'm not the only one who experiences a year of such reminders. You get to a certain age, and it just becomes a series lives cut off for one reason or another like wheat in a field mown over by fate. My father is now officially a cancer survivor, having undergone an operation on his prostate. Dreams, sudden misreadings of text, facebook status reports are the only...
  4. mommyhood and sick kids

    If I ever thought that writing was hard, I most likely would be able to get through the disappointment and the frustration simply by reflecting on how I've managed to do one of the hardest things in the universe (in my opinion). I'm a mommy. Yeah, I know. On the surface it doesn't seem like much. When people think about the hardship of mommyhood, they simply consider the pain involved in the birthing process. What they fail to recognize is that the birthing process isn't nearly as...
  5. Best 1st chapter I've ever read!

    In my house, I have books overflowing onto various desks, cubbies, drawers, bookshelves and closets. I just ran across one that I didn't recognize. I must have bought it in a patio sale here in Panama from a family moving away. It's entitled The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and I have no real idea how it will turn out or what the novel is really all about. However, it has the best 1st chapter I've ever read. If I had been an editor, I would have published this book hands-down....
  6. Poetry and Sex

    So any guesses how some of my 10th graders reacted to the definition of poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" as given in the movie Dead Poet's Society? Guess I should have seen that one coming. It's so hard to talk about what poetry means to people when I know that some members of my audience have their minds completely blocked off. I try to use Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry" as a starting point. I have them act out the imagery in the poem and then after...
  7. Dragon Tattoo

    Yes, I realize that it has been a while since I've posted something on this forum. Life has been extremely busy since school started. This upcoming week we have to send out our first progress reports, so I'm sure I'll be hunkered over my computer at school trying to make the annoying grading software work correctly. A student of mine loaned me the book Girl with a Dragon Tattoo a few weeks ago, and I have been squeezing in chapters between activities this weekend, driving my husband...
  8. Things are looking up!

    When I got to work this morning, I was determined to finally figure out how to convert my video file and post it onto Youtube. Never having done something like this before, it had taken me an hour or so of experimentation. Finally, I figured it out! Success! Now my students can watch a review video of me teaching the lesson when they want to go back over the topic! I'm thinking of posting these little "lesson minis" regularly during the year now that my school budget allowed me to purchase...
  9. Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes

    Now that I have you all craving Blueberry Muffin Pudding and all kinds of other treats, I have to share something that is bound to kill the hunger pangs quickly for a very small amount of money. It's my "last resort" food when there's nothing in the cupboard and I'm starving. It also has a little bit of sweet and salty combined so that it satisfies most food cravings. Again, though, can't say it's very healthy, although there are some modifications you can make. I start out with Aunt...
  10. Just have to say...

    I have discovered some AMAZING snacks over the past few years--snacks that can drive the mean reds into oblivion. (Warning label: the following snacks should not be attempted for those with food addictions or frequent mood snacking.) 1. Hunt's Blueberry Muffin Pudding. Have you ever licked blueberry muffin batter and enjoyed it perhaps more than the actual baked muffin? This snack is pretty much like taking a big ole' spoon of it. 2. Oreo Cakesters. This snack is what would...
  11. The "Mean Reds."

    Just for once, I don't feel like reading about dragons and princesses, romance and fantasy. I'm in a kind of dark mood today--what Holly would call the "Mean Reds." The kind of mood that dwells on empty cupboards, dirty floors, and trash not taken out of the kitchen. The kind of mood that reads about protests in Madrid and wishes to be there, raging against the system with all the rest. I know I shouldn't think about unemployment, dysfunctional families and what it's like to die. I know...
  12. End of Summer

    I can't believe that it's over already! I had plans to write a short story or two, and try to get some quiet time to write! I maybe got a few days in here or there, but not enough to get some writing brainstormed, planned, and started. I keep musing over my deficiencies and then when I have a great idea, I find myself thinking to myself: "I couldn't possibly write about THAT. I don't know anything about XYZ, and how would I remotely research it?" Then along came my professional...
  13. Short Story Contests and Waiting

    I entered two different short stories into contests around March, and I won't find out until October or November. Not that I'm expecting to win, but I would like to see if I earned at least some kind of honorable mention or placing, and it's killing me to wait this long! I really wish that I could focus on my short story writing and I'm considering taking a course through CrossBridge, which will most likely be cheaper than going through a more traditional route. I just need a jumpstart...
  14. 1st person narrators--love 'em!

    First person narration tends to get a bad rap among writing circles, as the current trend is to use 3rd person. Although I agree that it's a bit tricky to use 1st person point of view, it occasionally creates some incredible voice in a piece of literature. I'm a huge fan. I've been reading a few books that especially strike me as bold and different simply because of that choice in 1st person narration. I find the following books well-crafted and riveting, and for those who love reading 1st...
  15. Historical Settings

    I just finished (most) of a series by Lindsay Davis that is set in Ancient Rome. They're mostly murder mysteries, which is quite interesting, but they include so many details of Ancient Rome as the protagonist travels to Britain, Corduba, etc. Now I'm moving on to Elizabeth Eyre's series set in the Italian Renaissance, which I'm not nearly enjoying so much as Lindsay Davis' series, but after enjoying around 10 books or so of historical crime fiction, I'm genuinely envious of their...
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