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November Mash Up of Awesomeness

Wanna see something awesome? Okay, so see this picture below? This is a picture of this thing that is in my classroom this year. It is a representation of this way cool gizmo that I have that integrates a camera, an overhead projection system, a computer with Internet access, a DVD player, or any other auxiliary source I might want to plug into — like an iPod or a laptop or…  an 8-track cassette. (Ha ha, that’s funny. But seriously. If I wanted to. I could do it.)

This is in my classroom!

Wanna know what else is cool? The bloggers listed below in my November Mash-Up. They are new. They are now. They are what’s goin’ on. 

From the English Department

TheGoodGreatsby is hilarious with his Take a Sip Punctuation. Because we really do need something to indicate a written paraprosdokian. Duh.

Kristen Lamb tells us how to plant the right seed and keep ourselves focused by writing a great logline.

KLamb also reminds newbie writers that a plot doesn’t have to be complicated to be good in Getting Primal and Staying Simple.

From the Sign Language Department

When TamaraOutLoud lost her voice, her family turned her silence into a game in Don’t Say Anything If...

From the Meth Department

Psyche. I said “meth” not math. EllieAnn Soderstrom delivers an awesome satire on Why Meth Dealers are the Best Boyfriends. Hilarious. And no math involved.

From the Home Economics Department

Julie C. Gardner gives validation to all writers in her piece Today Call me Half-Assed. Clearly, Julie understands that when folks are focusing on their craft, something has got to give. And sometimes that something is the house.

Kelly K from Dances with Chaos is in the kitchen And she has a Top 10 List of Things a Newbie Cook Should Know.

Galit Breen from These Little Waves has a lovely piece that rolled in about the same time as soup weather. Her post, My Kids Hate Matzo Ball Soup, comes complete with a fabulous recipe.

From the History Department

Gene Lempp weighs in with his Zoo Arcane –  Evil Little People where he explores malicious dwarves from Africa and Southeast Asia. Creepy and brilliant all rolled into one.

Piper Bayard tells us everything we never knew about Josephine Baker in She Wasn’t Really Naked: Dancer, Singer, Spy

Jami Gold explores the ongoing controversy about whether folks should consider e-publishers vs. agents

From the Physical Education Department

Annie from Six Ring Circus shows us her Slam Dunk. Thus proving, once again, mommy’s got game.

From the Art Department

Mary Mollica can turn chicken shit into chicken cordon bleu. She’s magic, I’m telling you. Check out what she does with an old table she found at the curb in How About a Game of Checkers?

Mark Kaplowitz wrote My First Grade Teacher Must Have Had Stock In Crayola — so, it is a post on unintentional art.

From the Music Department

Steve from Brown Road Chronicles wrote a romantic song for his wife to celebrate their anniversary. I want As Long As You’re With Me on my iPod. You know, so I can cry in my car.

From the Awesome Department

Do I have the best neighbor or what?

My neighbor Teri bought me this shirt. Don’t you all wish you had neighbors who did stuff like that?

Also, I was Freshly Pressed this week! Whoo Hoo! If you missed how my 12-year old son no longer wants to be called a certain name on zee bloggie, check out Monkey Has Left the Building.

Being Freshly Pressed is always a wonderful surprise, and it brings such tremendous gratitude. I would like to welcome my many new subscribers. *waves hi*  I hope you like what you see here and that you will participate in the conversation. I do my best to visit people who comment. And I always comment back.

Finally, I should also mention that it is Veterans Day today — at least in the United States of America. We, in our higher institutions of learning, do not have the day off from school — but my son does. So on behalf of all the awesome Veterans who have selflessly (and repeatedly) served our country, please know our flag is flying in your honor. I know it is difficult to come back home after being away, so I am wishing awesome things for each and every one of you.

What awesome stuff has happened to you recently?

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36 thoughts on “November Mash Up of Awesomeness

  1. Okay, I want an Extron for my house. Just imagining starting a fresh cup of coffee from my desk while listening to Abba on the eight-track 🙂

    Awesome list, Renee. Thanks for the linkage!

    1. I want one, too. That Extron is a great way to start the day. I’d probably be listening to David Cassidy because I loaned you my Abba and you haven’t gotten around to giving it back to me yet. *smiles*

      Your piece was great.

      As are you. 😉

  2. Thanks so much for the mention! And congrats on being freshly pressed. Woo Hoo!

    Love the shirt. Your neighbor is super cool. 🙂

    My most awesome thing lately has been vacation, which is why my blog has been quiet. It was nice to get away with the family.

  3. Ooh this post is just bursting with goodies! I LOVE that shirt, and congrats again on being Freshly Pressed! The most awesome thing that’s happened to me lately is getting our power back, LOL I seriously stayed up late all week just to enjoy lights, running water and the TV!

    1. Hi Jules!

      Are you one of those people who lost their power? Oooh! That sucks! I’ll bet that first hot shower felt really good.

      I’m sorry, I’ve been a lame visitor lately! It’s that time of the semester! I’m almost over the hump, if you know what I mean. (#IYKWIM).

  4. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! The shirt is adorable! I’ve been out of the loop this very rough week, but the most recent good thing that happend to me is that my husband is feeling well after yesterday’s surgery!

    1. Sprinkles: No worries! I haven’t been able to read blogs either. I feel like it is THAT time of the year or something. Everyone is really harried. I am so glad to hear that your husband is okay.

      My father-in-law just had surgery (partly why I haven’t been reading blogs), and he was a hoot while medicated. I’m hoping he’ll let me use some of the footage I took.

  5. I’m so sad that I missed it when you were FP! Congrats, my sweet friend!

    I’m glad you got a kick out of my family’s sadism.

    And now I’m off to visit The Good Greatsby because you know how I love me some punctuation. IYKWIM

    1. Tamara:

      I didn’t even know I had been FP’d until Deb Bryan told me. They picked a blog from 11/3. I don’t know how they handle things over there… but I am not complaining. I have so many new subscribers! Yay!

      You will LOVE that post. I’m guessing you with actually, truly LOL.

      Let me know. 😉

  6. Okay so being in your mash up is something wonderful that happened to me recently. (Like just now. So awesome. And thanks!)

    This means that now, while the skies are overcast and my family is still sleeping (we do have the day off), I’ll settle in to read all these great posts I missed this month.

    Which deserves another Thank You.

    To one of my favorite bloggers. (You know everyone’s talking about your blog, right?)

    XO

    p.s. Also lovely of you to recognize the veterans. I hope many people do today. That is all.

    1. I think it is weird that I had to work at my college — where there actually are a significant number of student veterans in the population — but kids K-12 had the day off. Whaaaat? It doesn’t make sense.

      Are we honoring Veterans or not?

      Got my hackles up.

      And by the way, that piece was so much fun. I’ve had it on hold for a while.

      Just by the by, the post you did for Katie Sluiter was amazing! I’ll be at her place at the end of February. Can you say Leap Year Day? That’s right. February 29. Look for me. So excited!

  7. Thanks for the link! And congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. (I’m on wordpress.org, so someday you’ll have to explain to me what it all means. 🙂 )

    And that is a very cool toy. I think I need one for my house. 🙂

    1. Don’t you wish you could just control your dishwasher, your washing machine and dryer, your oven and toaster oven, your hot pot and microwave oven — just all household appliances — with one of those?

      Somebody should totally invent that.

      Maybe I’ll put Tech Support on it.

      Although, I believe he is working on his social studies homework at the moment. 😉

  8. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed! I’m sorry I missed that.

    Thanks for the shout out. Great mashup. And I love your shirt.

    Awesome stuff? A normal day with my family. 🙂

  9. Looks like a cool gizmo to have…. on Wednesday the computers at school were inoperable and no better than doorstops! Or gravity experiments (dropped out the window)… I was glad we had pen and paper!

    My school is out for Veterans Day, but my kid’s schools are in session. At my son’s middle school they had assembly to celebrate what the day means. At my daughter’s elementary school they had veterans at the morning flag ceremony and invited relatives of the student body who had served to be honored. There were a dozen or more – fathers, uncles, and grandparents there to be thanked for their service to our country. It was moving and helped me remember what the day is about….

    1. Hi Clay!

      See, that makes sense! Seems like that’s what we SHOULD be doing! My kid sat at home and probably played on the computer all day.

      Who makes these decisions?

      State level?

      County?

      The ceremony to honor the veterans sounds fantastic. I wish I could have been there, but I had to teach “How to Write a Fantabulous Literary Essay” to my college students.

    1. Don’t jinx me, man. So far, so good. And if I get in trouble, there are some outstanding Tech dudes just downstairs.

      “I just call out their names, and I know wherever I am, they’ll come running…”

      Actually, I use the phone, but you get the point. 😉

  10. Congrats Freshly Pressed. It really is an accomplishment. I’d tried to bribe them into freshly pressing me but they told me to get lost and doubted I could even get my shirt pressed. The only technology I had in my classroom was the blackboard and the clock.

    1. Carl, you are disgustingly cute.

      It is disturbing that you have never been squished flat.

      I think it has to do with how much you interact with new people and if you tweet.

      Also I think you have to eat avocados and floss three times daily. 😉

  11. Ok, I didn’t have the day off, either. Maybe public school 8thand grade wasn’t the best choice.

    I also want the gadget pictured above in MY classroom. I can’t even get an Elmo.

    Love your blog.

  12. That Extron is so cool! Even if I don’t know exactly what an 8-track cassette is… haha. I can’t wait to start teaching. What level do you teach?

    One awesome thing that happened to me this week is that I learned that I for sure want to go teach English overseas once I graduate! 🙂 I am so excited! Even though it’s still two and a half years away 🙂

    Caroline

    1. Hi Caroline! Nice to meet you.

      These days I teach at our local community college, but I taught 9-12 for most of my career. Teaching is one of those careers that people either really love or they from away from quickly. I hope you love it.

      Teaching overseas is a great way to have two amazing, overwhelming experiences at once. Find a fabulous mentor and hold on. 😉

      1. Thanks, Renee! I’m studying for secondary education too. I’ve heard so many horror stories, but someone has to do it and high school is such a pivotal time in life. I really hope I love it too.

        Caroline

    2. I was with you until nmbuer five. I’m a Mommy Blog…sort of. But my blog is about how they drive me insane, and I them…maybe that’s why I haven’t been Freshly Pressed. As a matter of fact, if anyone wants one of the crumb snatchers, I’ll make you an awesome deal and then I’ll have more time to create great top ten lists! Love the post!

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