Saturday, June 30, 2007

Ripley Swims! (sort of)

After growing up with Labs, it's been a big blow to now own a dog that really just hates the water. It's been a long process, but with help from her BFF Tia, who seemingly was born in the water, she's finally started swimming. If you can call it that. Really what Ripley's doing is trying to touch the bottom with her back legs while thrashing wildly with her front paws to keep from drowning. While our friend's dog, Tia, is very quiet when she swims, you can hear Rip from a mile away. At least she's learning and doesn't need her water wings anymore.

Summertime, and the living is easy...

....and we're back! It's been so long since I've posted to this blog that I thought I'd lost it. They've upgraded through Google and I didn't have access for a few minutes there. Crisis averted though. Get ready to be updated - if anyone even remembers that this blog exists that is...

So let me tell you, I love being a teacher. This summers off deal is the best. I work as much or as little as I want, and still get to read books, go to concerts, and play video games on our new Wiiiiiiiiiii! Kerriann and I saw the True Colors concert last night at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. It was awesome, headlined by Cyndi Lauper, with proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign. Go see it when it comes to your town.

Since we're on the topic of summer vacation, everyone needs to see pictures of my last day of school. Our student government brought in big jumpy rooms of various types for entertainment during the barbeque lunch and yearbook signing. Students (and faculty) got into the bungee cord race, where you strap on a vest with a cord attached to your back and race down a track trying to get farther than your opponent. Helmets were included, but they had no protective effects. When you can't move forward anymore the cord whips you back to the start, you fall on your head, and get rather hurt as your brain rattles around in your skull from the impact. My department chair challenged me to a race. He won, but he's crazy, so I don't mind.




Then there was the boxing ring.



In the Blue Corner, weighing 150 lbs. without her glasses - Blind, Bethany Blackwell!!!!




And her opponent - in the Red Corner, the Fabulously Fit Francophile!!!!!


The gloves were so heavy that we got tired from holding them up, not from getting hit by each other. I'd asked a student to watch my camera for me, and she was savvy enough to actually take some pictures of us.



We called it a draw.