Awesome Austin Action

My bestie from high school lives far, far away in snowy New England. When she visits NTX, she has to split her time between family, work, and friendship obligations. So, she bought a plane ticket to ATX and invited her girlfriends for a labor day vacation.

Despite my Sooner-sized reservations about Austin in general, I accepted her invitation because I love to spend time with her. Her tour of Austin definitely changed my opinion of the city. I had an amazing time, and I plan to take my husband back next spring when we have some time.

Would you like to visit Austin? I recommend the following hotels / restaurants / activities:

Hotel
-Radisson Hotel and Suites-Austin Town Lake: Newly remodeled, the Radisson has the best view of the Congress Street Bats from their "Batio." The room rates are reasonable if negotiated online ($250 for a double occupancy for three nights over Labor Day weekend). Parking costs $15 a day, but if you have multiple cars you can use your room key over and over if you pay through the front desk (shh... don't tell!).

Friday Night
-McCormick and Schmick's: After getting in late because you worked a full-day, I suggest dinner at McCormick and Schmick's. If you sit at the bar, you can partake in their unique "Happy Hour." Instead of drink discounts, you can buy $1.95 bar food with the purchase of a cocktail. I recommend the fish tacos for quantity of food for the price. Really, at under two dollars an entree, you can't get too wound up with the taste!

Saturday
-Breakfast at Kerby Lane: This famous Austin eatery has many locations. I suggest one further away from UT in order to avoid waiting in a line. Their breakfast foods are fantastic! If you can stomach the thought of queso in the morning, then get the Cowboy queso. It is white queso with black beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Yum!

-Picnic lunch from Whole Foods at Barton Springs: Walk off your massive breakfast by shopping for your picnic lunch! Be sure to bring your reusable grocery sack because you will probably end up with a feast of foods from their salad bar and prepared lunch area. I personally enjoyed mixed veggies dipped in tzatziki sauce, a feta and olive blend, spinach salad, tuna salad, and strawberries. I found the picnic potato salad to be uninspiring. Be sure to avoid stubbing your toe as you leave the Whole Foods parking garage because I can tell you from personal experience that it will put a damper on potential swimming plans.

If you are lacking in reading material for lying in the sun, I highly suggest a quick stop-off at Half-Price Books to pick up something to read. The water at Barton Springs is quite chilly, so you'll want something to entertain yourself as you sit in the sun to get nice and toasty. You'll have to pay cash for parking ($3) and for entry to the pool ($2?). It is a natural spring fed pool that will provide you with plenty of excitement paddling in the cold water and people watching.

-Afternoon Snack: You'll want to cool off with a tasty treat as you head out of Barton Springs. Luckily, there is a good pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt place just down the road.

-Late Afternoon Kayaking: By this time, you're well rested, so it is time to get back out on the town! Head to the Texas Rowing Center to rent a kayak or two. I personally suggest kayaking for $10/single kayak for an hour. Kayaking is fun, but you don't want to over-do it on your vacation! It is neat to be kayaking in the middle of the city with the Austin skyline in full view.

-Dinner at Manuels: You've gone back to your hotel and gotten gussied up. You're ready for a night on the town, and I suggest starting with some Mexican food. This trendy restaurant is an easy walk from the Radisson. Their Mexican martinis and enchiladas verdes were worth every penny. Our concierge also gave us a coupon for free nachos (thanks dude!), which were basically the solid version of Kerby Lane's cowboy queso. Muy delicioso!

-Drinks at Cuba Libre: If you're not the 6th Street type, then you might feel like your after dinner options are limited in Austin. Never fear! I suggest stopping at this Cuban club for an authentic mojito or two. You can finish off your evening wandering around the vibrant city center.

-Watching the bats: If you're in Austin in the late summer or fall, you might take a break from taking in the city life to watch the Congress Street bats. It is a pretty crazy ecological wonder.

Sunday
-Breakfast at Juan in a Million: This eatery of Man Versus Food fame serves up the most amazing breakfast tacos at astonishingly low prices. It is about a five minute drive east on Cesar Chavez from the hotel. I recommend the Don Juan breakfast taco with extra tortillas. With a >20% tip, I still only spent $8.

-Take a morning stroll: Your hotel is along a lovely trail. Take some time to talk to your traveling buddy (whether platonic or romantic) while enjoying a stroll along Town Lake.

-Lunch at County Line: Before you head out of town, you need to take some time to eat some Texas BBQ! Head out to County Line and order your favorite BBQ treat. I honored my husband by ordering his fav--a pulled pork sandwich--and I was not disappointed. We also enjoyed a half-loaf of their homemade bread. The bonus of the meal is that it is located along a river and has a lovely view.

I am a lover and a fighter.

I am a lover and a fighter.
I wonder how anyone can feel that ignorance is bliss.
I hear children’s brains growing when they read a good book.
I see a future of peace in the faces of my students.
I want more time in each day for doing God’s good work.
I am a lover and a fighter.

I pretend to be serious in front of my students (unsuccessfully).
I feel enthusiastic about the future.
I touch the hearts of my students (hopefully).
I worry that they’ll take their lives for granted.
I cry because my brother never made it past seventh grade.
I am a lover and a fighter.

I understand that I can’t save them all.
I say that I am thick skinned.
I dream that I’ll be there for them when they need it the most.
I try to make a difference in the world one student at a time.
I hope to leave my mark on the hearts of my students.
I am a lover and a fighter.

Something I'd try to make if I had the time...

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/crochet/american-flag.shtml

This I Believe

If you don't know me personally, you might not understand why I might disappear here for a week or two. You see, I'm a teacher, and it is the first week back to school. On top of that, I'm taking a graduate class every Tuesday.

The point being, I might not be able to offer anything too scintillating for the next little while as I get into the groove of things. In the meantime, please enjoy this short little introduction essay that I wrote tonight for class. It is a direct nod to the NPR series, This I Believe, of which I am a major fan.

This I Believe

This I believe: Gifted people exist. Many teachers that I meet are dismissive of the concept of gifted and talented programs. They assume that these students just work really hard, or that they are going to succeed anyway. These teachers ask, “why bother to give gifted students special treatment?” I respond with “why wouldn’t you want to provide every student the educational experiences that they need?”

The challenge in combating these notions about giftedness lies in defining giftedness. The most accepted definitions of giftedness are generally difficult to measure in a quantitative manner. Furthermore, the Federal Government allows each state to adopt their programs for gifted students, and the State of Texas allows each school district to decide ultimately how to identify and serve their students. Depending on where a student lives, he or she may or may not be considered gifted by the school system.

I do believe that, with careful consideration, we can identify gifted individuals for service. I believe that a combination of objective and subjective measures ought to be employed. Although tests like the CogAT and ITBS can be used to measure cognitive abilities and academic achievement, these tests do not tell the whole story for students who have different cultural backgrounds, first languages other than English, or learning challenges. By utilizing work samples, teacher and parent inventories, and observation, a gifted and talented screening committee can begin to piece together a whole picture of a child’s cognitive life.

In order to make decisions about service, I believe that educators of the gifted need to closely examine each student’s strengths. If a gifted student exhibits strengths in non-verbal reasoning, then he or she ought to be provided an opportunity to build on that strength through curriculum enrichment. If a gifted student exhibits strengths in quantitative reasoning, then a curriculum that enriches verbal skills may not best serve his or her academic best interest.

Finally, I believe that educators of the gifted should reevaluate their students’ placement and service plan on a regular basis. Like in special education, if a student no longer requires special educational and social interventions, then he or she should be placed back into the least restrictive environment possible. There is not point in isolating a student when he or she does not need special intervention, so it is essential to consider the use of reevaluations throughout the course of a student’s school career.

All students have a right to an academic environment that best meets their learning needs, even gifted students. This I believe.

Deep-dish Mexican Meatloaf Pie

Every once in a while, my husband will read one of my many home and garden magazines (sent to me in a conspiracy hatched by my mom and mother-in-law to make me settle down). Usually, this results in a clipped recipe stuck to the vent hood with a magnet. It's a habit that just started, and I generally enjoy the challenges left by my honey.

Deep-dish Mexican Meatloaf Pie found its way onto my vent hood a few weeks ago. I bought all of the ingredients for it the next week, but I realized that we didn't get ground beef! Why? We had recently bought 6 pounds of beef from Costco, and I figured we were golden. The problem? We had browned all 6 pounds of beef because it freezes better cooked. In the wise words of my sister, "that would make one DRY pie!" My husband finally broke down and acquired raw beef a few days ago.

Tonight, a weird thing happened. I had a late meeting at school, and called home to check on things. I suggested that my dearest start putting together the ingredients for the pie. When I got home, I expected a work in progress. Instead, I found him sitting at the kitchen table working while the pie cooked in the oven.

For those of you who know me personally, you probably know that this is epic! It isn't because my husband doesn't love me, or that he won't cook. Really, he'd be happy to help out all of the time. No, the problem is that he can take hours to cook a fairly simple recipe because he's such a stickler for detail.

The final verdict? This is an easy recipe that tastes fantastic, if you like spicy, beefy goodness.

Ingredients
1 1/4 lb. raw ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
1 envelope onion soup mix (1/2 2-oz. pkg.)
3/4 bottled taco sauce
2 eggs lightly beaten and divided
1 8.8-oz. pouch cooked Spanish-style rice (Uncle Ben's Ready Rice)
1 15.5-oz. can golden hominy, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese (4 oz)
1/2+ cup chopped jalapeno
1/4 fresh cilantro
black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine beef, chips, soup mix, 1/2 cup of taco sauce, 1 beaten egg, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.
3. Press meat concoction into the bottom and sides of a 10 inch pie plate or comparably-sized casserole dish.
4. Heat rice according to package directions.
5. Combine rice, hominy, tomatoes, cheese, jalapeno, cilantro, 1/4 cup taco sauce, and 1 egg.
6. Spoon rice concoction into the "meat shell."
7. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.
8. Uncover, and bake 20 minutes.
9. Let cool.
10. Serve topped with chips and jalapenos.
11. Eat and enjoy!
    

Netflix Review: A State of Mind

I've recently become addicted to Netflix. I am very partial to the streaming feature. I find that the lack of commitment required when streaming a movie makes me a lot more adventurous than I would be if I were renting or getting a DVD shipped to me. In fact, we've turned off quite a few movies including Revolution OS and Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts.

One movie that Jeff and I would not turn off was A State of Mind. It is a documentary filmed in isolated North Korea. It was one of the only Western film crews to be allowed access north of the 39th parallel since the end of the Korean War.

The movie follows two middle school aged gymnasts preparing for the astonishingly lavish Mass Games, the communist party's celebration of the collective self. Following the girls through their astonishing daily lives would have been entertaining enough. However, the film crew happened to have access to the girls and their families during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. So, they unexpectedly caught some very candid reactions of the North Koreans to the aggressive acts of the United States.

The video quality is poor, probably because of the access to technology that the film makers had and the effects of streaming the converted movie. The film does have some stunning visual moments where the tragic reality of everyday life for the North Koreans is juxtaposed with the audio overlay of someone lauding their way of life. These girls really believe that they live in the best place on earth.

One interesting element of the movie is that one can assume the North Korean government made sure to select two girls who came from families and backgrounds that they wanted to show off in the West. They even went so far as to send the girls on a special "field trip" pilgrimage to a site that is practically holy in North Korea. I assume school girls do not ordinarily get free train trips for their educations. It was very telling.

Ultimately, this documentary exposes just a little bit about a country that George W. Bush feared enough to label as a part of the Axis of Evil. You can see that the people there are human and fragile, just like us. Most of all, their lives have been molded by the information they have been fed through their educations. You cannot blame them for hating the West, when our government has done enough wrong for their revolutionary history classes to paint the US as their axis of evil. I felt a sense of pity that they are not allowed to learn all sides of a story the way we may in the US.

I encourage you to watch A State of Mind in order to help open yours further to the realities of the world in which we live.

Sophia Kinsella: REMIX!

I totally forgot to include my most recent read by Sophia Kinsella in my guide to her chick lit. Eep! I'm letting you all down. Without further ado, here's a review:

Twenties Girl

Basic premise: Lara Lington has always lived in the shadow of her wildly successful uncle--think a British version of Starbucks. Now, she is being shadowed by the very bossy ghost of her great aunt, Sadie. Lara is forced to search for Sadie's favorite necklace, and in the process she learns a lot about love, life, and lies.

Unique plot element: An irritating ghost

Read it if: You generally like Sophia Kinsella, or you like the 20's.

Don’t read it if: You find the notion of being haunted by a ghost too absurd.

What I think: Twenties Girl could have been much shorter. If it had been, then maybe Lara and Sadie wouldn't have been so grating of a duo. They are both awfully self-absorbed and nonsensical. However, once the book nears the climax, you are taken on a wild ride of discoveries about Sadie's past. I rather enjoyed the last 100 pages.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 shopping bags