Feliz Navidad

Hola Amigos y Amigas,
Ayer Daniel y Yo compramos telefonos con muchas characteristicas. Ellos estan muy divertido. Gracias Paul y Margaret para los regalos. Yo tengo el Samsung Flipshot en rojo y Daniel tiene el Samsung schi760.

Since I write at about a 3rd grade level in Spanish this may not be necessary but here is a translation as requested by Daniel.

Hello Friends,
Yesterday Daniel and I bought phones with a lot of features. They are a lot of fun. Thank you Paul and Marg for the gifts. I have a Samnsung Flipshot in red and Daniel has a Samsung Schi760.

Dove - Artificial Beauty Time Lapse

This is pretty neat.

Silly tourists are always trying to pet the lions

Welcome to Mozambique!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/navek_3/Lions.jpg

Talk to the animals....

I just watched a documentary on animal planet about a retired South African Park ranger, Tonie, who rescued a baby hippo and raised it on his farm. He was trying to mate it with a wild hippo who was eventually shot by neighboring farmers. When this happened, Tonie said "This is why I prefer animals to humans. God made a mistake when he created man." I don't know if God makes such big mistakes, but I often feel the same way. Animals are generally better. What can I say? I'm South African.

I would like a hippo, but I don't think he'd like the snow.

Watch this brief snippet of a wild hippo who opens the door to Tonie's house and eats at the kitchen table! Tonie's wife talks to the hippo and she actually obeys like a house pet! Incredible.

Jessica the Hippo (Video)

Hippo Story

democra-SEE democra-DO

Colbert Video

This is hilarious...

Why are Christians portrayed as idiots? Because so many of them are idiots. Case in point, Sherry Sheppard on the view today refused to believe that there were in fact ancient Greeks who were around before Christ (BC). She hadn't quite heard of the whole BC, AD thing.

This isn't to say that there aren't numerous deep and intelligent Christians around. I know many. But this religion, like all religions, attracts some serious morons.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/04/sherri-shepherd-doesnt-g_n_75292.html

The new addition

On Saturday night we got to go see our new little niece, Madeline Ann Glenn. Congratulations Andrew and Naomi!

Here are some pictures ....

http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i290/KatKatch82/Madeline%20Ann%20Glenn/

Peliculas

Hello again!

I was just browsing moviefone.com and came across a few movies I thought I'd share. I used to love going to the movies, but have stopped going as much since sitting has become more of an issue. I like period pieces, foreign language films, biopics and indie/artsie sort of movies. Unfortunately, these sorts of films don't get a lot of circulation. Tomorrow Daniel and I might go see Love in the Time of Cholera.

Three others that look interesting are

I'm not there---Chronicles the life of Bob Dylan through his various stages (Cate Blanchet is a badass)

The Savages-- Looks good and has good actors--Phillips Seymor Hoffman and laura Linney, but could be a bit depressing.

& The Darjeeling Limited--Wes Anderson directing, with Jason Schwartzman & Adrian Brody. Should be funny

Oh, and I still have to see the new Elizabeth. I heard it was more of a costume show than a good historical piece, but it'll be worth a watch.

Babies!

Hello Everyone,

Daniel and I have been sick for about a week now. He got a nasty cold over Thanksgiving and then passed it on to me. Jo (Mike's wife) and Marg(my mother in law) have also had colds. Our state of lethargy was interrupted this morning, however, by a call from Daniel's parents anouncing the exciting news that Naomi's water had broken. A minute before I jokingly remarked that he better check his voicemail in case Naomi had gone into labor. I have a sixth sense I tell you.

This is the second time I will be an auntie this year and it's all very nerve racking. I don't think I'm ready for the responsibility of children yet. Today and during Beatrice's birth I jumped up and down, paced around and proceeded to worry about the whole process. The pain, the hospital, the giant life popping out of a tiny space. There are so many things that could go wrong....but usually don't.

This leads me something else I've been thinking about recently: I worry a lot. I know we're supposed to have this quiet faith that God will work everything out. And, from my recent experiences with surgery and finding a career, I've come to realize that He usually does. My motto tends to be, I know He'll work everything out BUT I better worry about it in the mean time.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. We just got an update that Naomi has had her epidural, her parents have arrived, and she's going to take a nap. I can put my mind at ease now. Not that MY worrying is of any importance at all.

As I am writing, Daniel is methodically tidying the apartment. I love watching as he calmly folds blankets and painstakingly purges his video game collection of games he has undoubtedly had for too long. Although his systematic nature used to irritate me, I find a lot of comfort in it now. Daniel is unfailingly placid and steadfast. That is why I married him.

I watch trash

I just finished watching the "Real housewives of Orange County." Daniel humorously stated that it's kind of like porn. For about an hour we watched a bunch of over indulged middle aged women act like teenagers, getting drunk and throwing their artificial body parts around. People in LA refuse to grow up.

After watching one of them get botox injections, I decided to look up something I had heard a long time ago--that it's some kind of virus. Well, not exactly, but here's what I found.

You can read the clip below from howstuffworks.com. I'm definitely not a science person so bear with me. From what I can tell it's a neurotoxin. In other words, it's a substance that blocks the neurotransmitters that tell you muscles to move. That's why it only works on wrinkles caused by muscle movements--brow lines and smile lines, not on wrinkles caused by aging. It's basically a poison that causes the muscles in your face to freeze. It seems a little primitive to me--like drinking snake venom or something.


What is Botox?Botox® is a trade name for botulinum toxin A. In this way, Botox® is related to botulism. Botulism is a form of food poisoning that occurs when someone eats something containing a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin A is one of the neurotoxins produced by Clostridium botulinum.
The most serious symptom of botulism is paralysis, which in some cases has proven to be fatal. The botulinum toxins (there are seven -- types are A through G) attach themselves to nerve endings. Once this happens, acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter responsible for triggering muscle contractions, cannot be released. A series of proteins, VAMP, syntaxin and SNAP-25, are essential for the release of acetylcholine. Certain botulinum toxins attack these proteins. Botulinum toxin A (Botox) affects the SNAP-25.
Basically, the botulinum toxins block the signals that would normally tell your muscles to contract. Say, for example, it attacks the muscles in your chest -- this could have a profound impact on your breathing. When people die from botulism, this is often the cause -- the respiratory muscles are paralyzed so it’s impossible to breathe

Environment slide show

Environment Slideshow

Barbarism

Japanese fleet plans to Kill 50 humpback whales, 935 minke whales and up to 50 fin whales.

From the article...

"Alleged cover for commercial whaling
While scientific whale hunts are allowed by the International Whaling Commission, or IWC, critics say Japan is simply using science as a cover for commercial whaling.

Ken Findlay, a whale biologist at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, said the humpback population was recovering but said he was worried Japan would kill whales from vulnerable breeding grounds like those off New Zealand.

He also said Japan’s hunting methods were unnecessarily cruel. Japanese whalers sometimes chase wounded animals for hours, he said.

“I don’t think firing a harpoon at a whale and then dragging it next to the ship is ethical,” Findlay said. “You question the necessity of that. It’s not research.”

Japanese fleet heads off to hunt for humpbacks

CSS: CANSEI DE SER SEXY

Cansei de Ser Sexy - Off the Hook

Sorry...boring blog

I am going down to Virginia tonight and staying for two nights. I have to go to Fairfax high tomorrow for some more classroom observation hours. On Wednesday I have to give a presentation on classroom teaching methods. After that, I have 3 big projects to get done in the next 3 weeks. I hope I live to see the end of the month.

On a more interesting note, last night I was reading a blog that my old friend Viranda started to accompany a monthly music mix he releases with some friends (Foundtrack). He wrote about the latest ipod commercial that features music by this cool Brazilian band called Cansei de Ser Sexy (I think it's funny that they named their band after something Beyonce apparently said--I'm tired of being sexy. Who could get tired of that, right?)

Anyway, I decided to steal the idea from his blog and follow up by posting some of their music videos. Check them out....they are super cute:) They sing in English with the occasional rant in Portuguese.

Ugh...

I feel gross.

My mom has recently been trying to get me to eat more balanced meals. About 2 weeks ago I ate only granola bars for over a week. I wasn't trying to lose weight, I was just lazy.

It's a bit of a paradox, but I avoid carbs in the form of pasta, sodas, bread etc. but I absolutely love sweets. I feel I shouldn't waste the calories on things that aren't really worth it. Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: 2 mini reese's peanut butter cups & 1 mini dove dark chocolate
Lunch: 3 mini reese's peanut butter cups and 1 1/2 blueberry scones
Dinner: 1/2 chipotle burrito and 1 weight watchers ice cream.

Anyway, a few months back my in-laws were generous enough to buy us a zero gravity chair. We had been looking for a chair and couldn't find anything that worked for me. I usually had to lie on the day bed on the other side of the room while D & I watched TV. Now that we have this chair, which becomes completely horizontal when reclined, I can actually see the TV. Here are some pics.

Now, if only I could take it to class with me, I'd be in a lot less pain after 3 hours of lectures.

South Africa in Rugby World Cup final

I apologize if this offends anyone, but I thought it was just too funny not to post.
Vry Staat!!

iphone

Beautiful Beatrice bellows out the Beatitudes

Now that mom has erected a shrine to Beatrice in the kitchen and dad has approximately 500 pictures on his hard drive, I thought I'd officially join the "I'm completely obsessed with Beatrice" fan club. (Although Daniel will tell you that I have been a member for a long time.)

On Friday mom returned from Italy. So, on Saturday we all gathered to eat paella and drink Porto Portuguese style. We chatted about mom's trip and looked over various goodies she brought back. Mom had visited Dante's house and brought back a print of Dante and Beatrice for Mike. (It is pasted below)

Now, for any classics neophytes who may be reading, it was Dante's love for Beatrice that inspired many of his works, including the Divine Comedy. Dante saw Beatrice when he was eights years old and instantly fell in love. He often followed her but only spoke to her many years later. In his trilogy Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise, Virgil guides Dante through the three realms but it is ultimately Beatrice who leads Dante to Paradise. As her name implies, it is because of her beatific love, that Beatrice can lead Dante to heaven.

Being a Dante dilettantie myself, I wouldn't rely too heavily on my account if I were you. For a full account of Dante's works go to this site:
http://users.erols.com/antos/dante/

Also from wikipedia, here is where the word beatific comes from. Really beautiful if you ask me!!

In Roman Catholic theology, the beatific vision is the eternal, direct perception of God enjoyed by those who are in Heaven, imparting supreme happiness or blessedness. While humans' understanding of God while alive is indirect (mediated), the beatific vision is direct (immediate). Thomas Aquinas defined the beatific vision as the ultimate end of human existence after physical death. Aquinas's formulation of beholding God in Heaven parallels Plato's description of one beholding the Good in the world of knowledge

Dante and Beatrice


PS-Sorry about the title. I couldn't resist.

Current reads

Every night before I get into bed, I go through a stack of books hoping to find something that will entice my imagination for 40 minutes before I go to sleep. I recently picked up a book Megan recommended a while back . It's a book of short stories called The love of a good woman by Alice Munro. Cortez Island is really good.

Last week when I went down to VA I perused the shelves in the basement and dad's office hoping to come back with some more pre-bedtime entertainment. Below you will find a list of books in the STACK.

Recently purchased:
The amazing adventures of cavalier and clay by Michael Chabon---have read about 100 pages but am finding it a little dense. Otherwise, a great recommendation from Megan

July's People by Nadine Gordimer--Not yet read

You can't get lost in Capetown by Zoe Witcomb-- Finished --good feminist read about colored girl in SA

Retrieved from Dad's office:
Shaka Zulu--Read about half before my surgery

South Africa, A Modern History by T.R.H Davenport--Not exactly a riveting bed time read, but good to have and read from time to time to increase one's historical knowledge.

Retrieved from basement:
MiddleSex --Bought and started to read a couple of years ago but finding it a bit strange, I gave up. The appearance of Jeffrey Euginides on a recent Oprah show inspired me to try again. He seemed so clever and likable and talked about all the research he put into writing the book. It took him 9 years!

Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar--bought a few years ago but never started for some reason.

Ahh vanity....

Hi Everyone,

Thought I'd write and give you an update.

Mom is still away on her Italian expedition. She is currently staying in the lap of luxury--sitting in the Four Seasons in Milan in the center of the fashion district, DURING FASHION WEEK!! OMG!

On this side of the Atlantic, my orthotics arrived last week. Daniel and I went to fleet feet to get some shoes to fit them. Eduardo, our enthusiastic sales clerk rambled away in Spanglish about the importance of arch support and lectured Daniel on the detriments of flip flops. We left with a really good pair of sneakers and a pair of flip flops that mold to your feet like shoes. With my new sneakers and Daniel's flip flops we now brave one mile walks almost daily. I can actually feel the improvement in my legs' alignment. God is good.

That being said, I have had to resign myself to the fact that fashionable shoes will not be in my life for a long time. Fortunately, I have chosen to enter a career where comfort is encouraged over style (especially when it comes to shoes). Many teachers can be sighted happily plodding around in crocs, clogs, sketchers and various other fashion atrocities. While my vanity cries out against it saying, "your legs look hideous in those things," I suppress that voice and continue to walk in comfort.

I can still drool over great clothes though. So, while thinking of my mom I have looked up some of the Spring 2008 shows that were showed last week in Milan. Pictures are posted below for your visual enjoyment.

Bottega Veneta

Missoni

Marni

Reading optional...

Hi Everyone!
For our Journal entries in my human growth and development class, we have to tie our readings into personal experiences. I thought some of you might get a kick out of this one.



Babysitting my six month old niece, Beatrice, on a warm Sunday afternoon, I can’t help but notice her intently staring directly into my eyes. I begin to wonder how much of her surroundings she comprehends. At this point she is just starting to take shape as a human rather than an organism that exists solely to eat. My dad starts laughing and begins to make jokes about her rotund thighs. She lets out a deafening cry that can be heard through the thick, brick walls of my brother’s apartment. She undoubtedly detected his sarcasm. She has developed a fondness for the women in the family, a partiality that I believe is due to (and excuse the cliché) the softer nature of our sex. Beatrice is a creature completely free of guile, which is why I love her so much. She has little appreciation for cynicism and lets you know immediately if she does not like you. Unfortunately for my dad, Beatrice finds his grey beard a little too sinister. Alas, he has had to spend numerous hours at the mercy of an inconsolable, twenty pound infant who angrily rejects everyone except a handful of female relatives.
It is on this strange note that I begin to discuss the amazing phenomenon that is child development. While it is unclear how much our little Beatrice is taking in, she certainly seems aware of people discussing her and can easily detect a change in a person’s tone.
Studies offer contrasting views as to whether “infant speak” practiced by mothers can aid in language development in young children. Our chapters on development and cognition offer some interesting insights into a variety of factors that affect and aid children as they are developing, cognitively and linguistically through their teenage years.
First, Vgotsky asserted that learning and development cannot occur without social interaction. Children acquire their way of thinking and much of their knowledge from their cultural surroundings. Second, they are guided by a more knowledgeable “other,” usually a teacher, coach or parent who helps them understand concepts they would otherwise not encounter or understand. For me this view seems irrefutable. Strange as it may sound, I was always aware of the tremendous influence my parents had on my learning and development. I can remember testing out notions on my parents and developing a view of the world through trial and error. My parents were also available for suggestions on school work that was just a little too difficult.
Related to this is Vgotsky’s notion that all children have a Zone of Proximal Development. According to this theory, a child is capable of a certain range of cognitive abilities and activities that he is not yet capable of completing alone, but can complete with the aid of an adult or more skilled peer. A teacher must work within a child’s zone for the lesson to be successful.
Vgotsky’s theories can easily be applied to classroom practices. Since Vgotsky asserts that much of students’ knowledge comes from their surroundings, it is important create lessons that incorporate their daily lives. Material becomes more approachable to students if it is relevant to them.
Teaching material that is within students’ Zone may also require scaffolding. Scaffolding can mean anything that shifts some of the responsibility of an assignment away from the student. In my field, ESL instruction, this may include simplifying the language in directions, making fonts bigger, providing word banks, or putting pictures next to vocabulary words. The importance of modeling all activities you assign in the classroom cannot be stressed enough for ESL students. Giving examples of exactly what you would like your students to do, prevents re-explaining the assignment a dozen times and eliminates confusion on the part of the students.
I look forward to learning more about how young people think and develop and how I can approach them in an effective and caring manner.

Bottega Veneta 2007 S/S Ready-to-wear Runway Show

Love it!

Pretty Skirts and dresses:)

A designer who came to my attention last spring is Thomas Maier for Bottega Veneta. I guess the house was previously known for upscale leather goods. They design everything from eyewear to shoes to men's and women's apparel, but I am especially partial to their dresses.
I love how the first dress is super girly but then has pockets to modernize it a bit. The blouse in the second picture is demure yet feminine thanks to details and ruching around the neck and sleeves.
Spring 2007
.

Adventures in Babysitting

Today after lunch with Daniel's parents we went down to visit Beatrice. Mom and dad were babysitting b/c Mike and Jo had a wedding to go to. Apparently little B was freaking out after they left but she calmed down when we got there. She liked me the best! Haha! D was teaching her how to make the toys squeak.

http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i290/KatKatch82/Babysitting/

Bill Maher on Mormonism and Religion in Politics

Save the bees!

Mom knew what she was doing when she gave me honey when I was sick.

To see why, read this story or watch the video to the right of it (it presents the same information.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/20/sunday/main1913900_page2.shtml

St. Michael's Trip

I have uploaded most of our pictures from our 3 day trip to St Michael's. Here is the link:

http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i290/KatKatch82/Saint%20Michaels/

One more.... (This one is pretty darrrrrn cool.)

Let's give this a try.....

Queen B!

Many of you have already met or at least seen pictures of my new niece Beatrice (Beatriz to the Portuguese family) Isabel Santa Rita. Either way, I thought I would formally introduce her to the blog before classes start and I don't have time.

She was born in March and weighed around 7 lbs. She has Mike's beautiful eyes, our Shreeve nose and Jo's fair complexion. She is just gorgeous and will undoubtedly be a genius.

I am looking forward to babysitting when she gets a bit older.

---She's bringing sexy back

So you think you can....?

Every Wednesday night me and 8 million 13-year old girls obsessively set our tivos to record So you think you can....Dance!

Cheesy montages and self-absorbed dancers aside, some of the coreography on the show is pretty cool. I was more of a traditional dancer, but dance has taken on many unique forms since I used to practice and I'd love to go back one day. Alas, at this point that does not seem possible.

Until I learn how to upload videos I will post pictures:

Homer!

Shaun and Keisha recently bought a new puppy. His name is Homer (from the author of the Odyssey) and he's a cockapoo. He's really cute and bouncy and seems quite happy in his new home. I wanted to meet him and we thought it might be fun for Sam and Frodo to meet him as well. Frodo was more interested in playing than Sam, who kept on sitting behind Daniel. I hope we didn't overwhelm Shaun by inviting ourselves and our dogs over. It was hard to get pictures because they were running around so much, but here are a few:

Domesticity

Upon my request, Daniel drove me to Bed, Bath and Beyond in the heat, during rush hour yesterday so that we could buy some new blankets for our day bed. Upon arrival, I was instantly swept up by the array of fragrant oils, candles and nifty appliances.

(By the way, I love that the staff is all from Africa and seems to be operating on "African time." It took about 30 minutes to check out. )

Anyway, after spending $20 on a "room infuser" we found the amazing device you see at the beginning of this blog. It makes individual cups of coffee using little disks, hence eliminating clean-up. No washing coffee pots or cleaning filters. I dreamt about it last night. We can make cappucinos, hot chocolates, lattes, chai tea...basically anything. After water therapy this morning I had a cappucino.

To anyone reading can you:

1) explain how to put pictures below your writing in the blog

2) recommend a good book

Daniel's mother gave us gift certificates to barnes and noble and borders, which is so awesome! However, when ever I go there I am completely overwhelmed and end up with about 10 things in my hands. Last night I resorted to re-reading the third Adrian Mole book. It is a good read to inspire blogging, although not entirely satisfying at the moment.

Welcome

We're jumping on the blog bandwagon. Welcome to our blog!