Bill & Beth in Boston

A sauna and an igloo

2007-08-08T20:26:00.000-04:00

So everyone KNOWS that the South is hot. But let me tell you, it’s HOT here. Apparently we were lucky enough to move here right when the heat hit its peak. According to the locals, July was “comfortable.” I’m pretty sure what I am feeling right now goes beyond “uncomfortable.” I feel like I am in a sauna and the thought of even opening my eyes to say to the person next to me, “It’s hot” seems like too much effort. Maybe I could get used to it if I didn’t have the luxury of air conditioning at school all day. It seems that Southerners love to take advantage of their luxuries; every building in this city feels to be at a very chilly 50 degrees. I can’t handle these extremes – sauna at night (no air conditioning in the sublet), igloo during the day (constant sweater weather). How about a happy medium?

The number you are trying to reach...

2007-08-01T21:04:00.000-04:00

For the millions of you who have called me and have not received any reply, there is a reasonable explanation. My phone of a week and a half has broken. What, you ask, how could I be so irresponsible? Well, little did I know that if you charged this phone all of the buttons would stop working. Great. New city, no phone. But don't feel too bad for me. I am writing this entry on my new computer. The perks of being a teacher.

Georgia on my mind...

2007-07-30T14:44:00.000-04:00

Bill, Lola, the car, and I all made it to Athens in relative peace. We left Saturday night after a good-bye game of 90s Trivial Pursuit with the great friends we made in Boston. My team lost miserably as usually is the case for the unfortunate team I am placed upon. Trivia is not one of my strong-suits. Though I did actually come through this game with an unexpected Phil Collins answer; I’m not completely unreliable.

The drive went very well. The car and Lola were both on their best behavior. The newest Harry Potter book helped the time pass. I’m not very far though because I had to read it aloud to Bill so we could be at “the exact same place”. (What we’re going to do now that his eyes are not on the road, I have no idea.) We pulled up to the sublet at 2:00 Sunday afternoon, unpacked the car, and fell asleep for 3 hours.

At 7:00, we decided it was necessary to celebrate our 2-year anniversary which we did with a dinner out and a $30 bottle of wine. While walking downtown, we have our first real glimpse of Athens in the summer and there’s only one word to describe it: empty. Calling this a college-town is no understatement. It appears that the college makes the town or at least the downtown section as least.

The irony of the trip: after all of our (understandable) worry about the car making it to Georgia safely, the only problem we encountered wasn’t during the trip at all. We woke up to find the driver-side mirror demolished. At least this fix won’t involve any buses to White Plains.

La de da da Life Goes On

2007-07-23T10:57:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it seems that life is trying WAY too hard to teach a lesson. I’m fairly certain that was the case as I dealt with the car for the past month. After three trips to White Plains, NY and three unique ways of breaking down, I’m still unsure what the lesson I’m supposed to learn is. That I am very fortunate to have a car at all? That I am lucky to have loving family that will take me in and risk their life in a car with a weak track record? Maybe I can just sum it up as… I’m lucky. I have so many blessings in my life and having a car out of commission is a relatively small problem when compared with what I do have. As we move through another transition that will put us in Georgia for at least two years, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We’ll update you with our new information as soon as possible.

CAR-ella DEVIL

2007-07-11T16:43:00.000-04:00

I will no longer accept any reference to the Saturn that I used to affectionately call “Buddy” except “The Devil.” The Devil is trying to ruin my summer and all the carefree feelings that accompanies it.

The plan was easy enough. After returning the rental car we would pick up The Devil and return to Boston. Bill called last week to make sure this plan was sound only to learn that the mechanics father had died and The Devil would not be ready until Tuesday. All right, a complication… we have gotten good at these. New plan: return the rental, take a 6-hour Greyhound bus trip back to Boston, and on Tuesday Beth will take ANOTHER 6-hour Greyhound bus trip back to White Plains and return with The Devil.

I went to pick The Devil up yesterday from good old White Plains, New York. Things did not go smoothly. The bus trip was fine; the walk to the auto shop was fine; picking up The Devil was fine; driving The Devil away from the auto shop was fine; 5 miles later, things were not fine. The Devil overheated and I was once again stuck in White Plains, NY with a broken-down Devil.

Apparently, The Devil has fallen in love with White Plains and refuses to leave, while I now detest White Plains. The Devil left me high and dry waiting for my third Greyhound bus trip in 4 days. And while I do recommend that everyone take the Greyhound at least once, (I saw a lady take two huge gulps of olive juice before popping an olive in her mouth) I do not suggest making a habit of it.

Car Troubles

2007-07-09T18:59:00.000-04:00

Twice a year Bill and I can no longer fight the urge to see our families so we hop into the Saturn for the 18-hour 1,200-mile ride to Appleton. We have made the trip quite a few times now and have become confident with our abilities. We stop for gas and switch drivers every 4 hours. We know the CDs that will help pass the time and both have our energy drinks of choice. We know bringing the cat is not a good idea and have resigned ourselves to the fact that we will get lost trying to get onto the Chicago toll road no matter how many times we look at the directions.

So imagine our surprise when 4 hours into our most recent trip home, things started to go awry. The temperature gauge made a beeline to the scary red part and everything started to go downhill. Bill suggested we pull-off and check out the engine. After popping open the hood, he made the following conclusion: there was a suspicious creamy foam coming out of the car and the car was still running even after it was turned off. What did this mean, “I have not idea, but I know it’s not good.” We waited for the engine to stop running and then drove the car to the nearest gas station. And then the next gas station because the first was not helpful. A friendly tow-truck driver at the second gas station told us we probably needed the radiator flushed which, of course, we couldn’t do until morning so just keep driving and add the proper liquids as needed until tomorrow morning. Bill and I began discussing the implications of this plan, when gas station owner, Tony, came over.
Bill: There’s something wrong with our radiator.
Tony: Yeah? Where are you going?
Bill: Wisconsin.
Tony looks at the engine: Not in that car you aren’t. I’ve got a friend. Let me give him a call.

An hour and a half later, Tony’s friend, Louie, pulls up to check out our car.
Louie: Oh. This doesn’t look good. I’m sorry; I can’t fix this.
Bill: We’ve got to get to Wisconsin.
Louie: Well, I feel real bad for you. I’ve got this friend…

An hour later we paid $80 in cash to stay overnight in a sleazy hotel, our car is parked in a parking garage with Louie’s friend watching it, and we are no closer to getting to Wisconsin.

The next morning, Bill and I come up with a plan: we’ll take a cab to the county airport, rent a car, get the Saturn towed, and be on our way.

The cab ride goes smoothly. Renting a car does not. I am 4 months shy of the 25-year-old age restriction and the computer has caught my lie.
Rental Guy: Are you aware that there is a $50 per day “Young Drivers” fee?
Beth, with a big sigh: Yes.
Rental Guy: That will be $1250.
Beth: No. We can’t do that.

30 minutes and a minor crying jag later…
Rental Guy comes our from behind the counter: Hey, for like $100 cash I could wave the “Young Drivers” fee.
Beth and Bill: YES!

Rental Guy comes out to “help us with our luggage,” Bill shakes his hand while slipping him the money, and we’ve got ourselves a car large enough to fit a family of 8.

Our only other snag was that a tow truck wouldn’t fit in the parking garage so Bill and I had to push it out while waiting for the driver, who of course was a friend of the mechanic, who was a friend of Louie.

15 hours later we were in Wisconsin ready to laugh about our run-in with the White Plains mob.

Ha

2007-07-09T18:58:00.000-04:00

You can wipe that look off your face now. I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying, “Why am I even looking at this? She hasn’t written since her “Technological” Thanksgiving. There’s no way there will be anything new.” Well I got you didn’t I? And I’ll tell you why you came to this page. 1) Because you finished looking at all the other websites you check every few hours like your e-mail and maybe Facebook or TravelZoo and you are not quite ready to return to what you are supposed to be doing so this is your last-ditch effort to procrastinate a little more. 2) I live a fabulous life and you want to hear my insightful comments on everything that happens to me. Well, lucky you, it’s summer vacation and I am already bored. So visit, and visit often. I’ll be waiting for you.

Technological Thanksgiving

2006-11-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

I did this amazing lesson with my students today, or so I thought. We discussed global poverty through an activity produced by the United Nations. Each student read a biography of a teenager from different areas of the world that included information about their lifestyle. Many of the students were surprised by how little these kids had. Then we talked about how much we take for granted and how grateful we should be for these things we sometimes think we are entitled to. The lesson ended with each student making a list of things they were grateful for. It took me until this point to realize the kids had no idea what I was trying to get at. On every single list at least ¼ of the things they were thankful for were some form of technology. But don’t worry, I learned from my mistake. I know now that the kids in my class would rather have their cell phones than three meals a day. Good to know.

Title: New Hampshire; Artist: BGH; Cost: $250

2006-11-12T13:55:00.000-05:00

VAY-CAY!

2006-11-12T13:37:00.000-05:00

Bill’s mom, Lynn, came to visit us this weekend. Being from the Bay State, which by the way, makes no sense to me whatsoever as Massachusetts isn’t even a state, it’s a Commonwealth – wouldn’t that make us Bay Commonwealthers?, we have every available holiday off, so we celebrated Veteran’s Day by going to Martha’s Vineyard and followed up that adventure with a trip to New Hampshire to see “New England’s Most 100 Scenic Miles.” Bill and I were a tad suspicious about that claim for two reasons: 1) What is the criteria for “Most Scenic” (Bill) and 2) Does that mean there are 87 miles somewhere else that are even more scenic? (Beth). The weekend was lovely and became 100 times more enjoyable when we discovered Wisconsin had a surprise blizzard while we relished the 65-degree weather.

While viewing the history of the Vineyard and experiencing the reasons New Hampshire is called “The Land of Many Uses” (which to me sounds like an invitation to come exploit the land for personal gain), I came to a very startling realization. There exists in this world distinctly different vacationing styles. I should have realized that not all families included a trip to the library as an important preparatory step for vacations. The Guilbeaults’ tendency (or most Guilbeaults I should say) is to use vacation as an excuse to read in a place other than Appleton. Not that that is the only thing we do – we focus a lot of energy on meals and drink our way through a few bottles of wine. But I realized this weekend that some families actually do a whirlwind of activities while on vacation. It must be those vacationers that say, “I need a vacation after my vacation!” I am sure there are vacation styles other than the reader and the whirlwind – say the shopper and the sightseer, but I have not experienced those. In fact, I bet there is some sort of continuum that makes some people better compatible as vacation partners. My parents seem to have the same idea of what vacation means, while I would venture a guess that Brian and Cassie are more diverse on the spectrum. Maybe it has something to do with the frequency of vacationing with that vacation partner. Mom and Dad seem to have their styles together worked out, but they shift subtly when the vacationing group changes. But whatever the style, it is nice to know that one thing seems to remain consistent – magnets are definitely a mainstay for all vacationing crowds.

Where the deer and the antelope play...

2006-10-04T19:16:00.000-04:00

It seems that I live in some sort of enchanted forest here in Boston. In the past week I have seen not one, but TWO woodland animals. Well, one I didn’t really see, but I did hear the neighbors yelling, “Get in the house!” to all area children. A deer was on the run and these city-folk were not okay with it. Back where I’m from, most people say, “Look… a deer!” instead of “I’m not kidding! It might go on a rampage! Should we call the police?” The neighborhood kids aren’t going to get any sleep tonight. And I feel bad for the ones that are going to report this in school tomorrow only to have their teachers say, “What an imagination! We don’t have deer here in Boston.” Although I have to applaud the guy that responded to the frantic questioning of how it got there with a reassuring, “On the train obviously.”
The other animal I ran into, actually walked into and then briskly walked across the street to avoid, was a skunk. Skunks do not visit Chelmsford Street. I’m halfway convinced that it was some sort of robot (because yes, it was moving and on close inspection, definitely not a cat) controlled by a child in a window somewhere performing a psychological experiment on city-dwellers dealing with woodland creatures. Not a bad scenario now that I think about it. Maybe that explains away the deer too. I definitely got a kick out of it. But that’s just little old Wisconsin me laughing at the big city Boston folks (pronounced fo-ah-ks, of course).

The Squeakyness of the Lord

2006-09-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

I am three weeks into school and am finally starting to feel like I am not drowning in all of the planning, prepping, and praying that old teachers forget to tell you about. I am obviously in control as I have now limited myself to one nap a week after school instead of the three necessary to survive the first week. I’ve had some successful lessons and I’ve had some flops. Apparently school uniforms are not as controversial as I thought and eighth graders are not yet ready to admit that Disney made some mistakes in their version of the Pocahontas story. Live and learn. Screeching chalk on the chalkboard is a guaranteed chatter-stopper and no matter how old kids are, they still think that a teacher can’t tell they haven’t read the assigned reading if they give convincing answers like, “Well, I think it’s a great book.” When asked what part was good, “Oh, that part right at the end.” Sneaky. But the most important lesson I’ve learned so far: under NO circumstance should I stay after school on Wednesdays. Wednesdays are choir and theater practice which are conveniently held two doors down from my room. Choir was bearable for the first few weeks. It gave me a chance to catch up on the poppy “Gather” book church songs (you know what I’m talking about… We are Marching, Taste and See, all the good classics) after a few year hiatus. But then the unthinkable happened, the choir teacher added recorders to every song. Recorders! No one can tolerate the sound of recorders. They are squeaky and shrill and generally unpleasant. “Taste and seeeeee…. SQUEAK… the goodness of the Lord (piercing whistle) the goooooood (SQUEEEEEAK) ness of the Lord.” I can’t say that helps me pray. Except maybe for it to stop. Theater class isn’t much better. I am not joking when I say in two weeks they have yet to make it through one song. Apparently it is some complex choreography they are working on (all I hear is stomping) because they are going to now that dance backwards and forwards. Maybe I’ll be able to jump up on stage and perform with them… with a recorder.

Have a nice trip... see you next fall

2006-09-23T19:23:00.000-04:00

Fall is in the air. I’ve always liked fall. In school when we had to say our favorite season, I always said summer because that’s what everyone else said; only the teacher would talk about fall as a great chance for new beginnings and the inevitable school metaphor of the “clean slate.” Maybe it’s because I am the teacher now, or just not as influenced by peer pressure, but fall really is my favorite season. For some reason it is a season of nostalgia for me. I can’t help but think of the high school Homecoming dance (over-hyped at the time), decking out in blue and orange (though the football team never came through) and cross country races (absolute hell). Why these things seem so great now I’m not sure, but it’s a feeling I can’t help. I get excited for Halloween and harvest-type decorations though I really never liked Halloween due to an unfortunate My Little Pony costume malfunction and refuse to put scarecrows anywhere near my living space. I know I can’t back it up and I know it’s based on feelings that have no real foundation— but I like fall and I nominate it as the best, and most undervalued, season.

An Un-recommendation

2006-09-09T16:08:00.000-04:00

I have a problem of getting too involved with books. As an English major, I have high expectations for the story and the storyteller to be insightful, didactic, and at the very least, grammatically correct. I also have the problem of needing to finish every book I start, no matter how terrible, to be sure I understand its exact level of horror. As a teacher and an English major, I have even higher expectations that books about or for teachers are honest and helpful. I’ve come to realize that these two may be a lethal combination. There are not many teacher books that are well-written, worth-reading, and honest representations of the school institution. I will note a few exceptions just to show how well-versed I am in education literacy – Lisa Delpit, Herb Kohl, and Jonathan Kozol have all been instrumental in my teaching beliefs and even if I don’t believe everything they say, I can recognize them to be important members participating in the arena of education literacy. I cannot say the same for Rafe Esquith’s 2003 book There Are No Shortcuts. This book was recommended to me by a friend saying that though Rafe (as his students call him) has some extreme practices she wouldn’t encourage me to take up, she thought it would be inspiring for me as I entered the classroom. Let me tell you, the only other situation in which I yell in frustration at the media is when John Stossel reports on education issues, well and the whole No Child Left Behind fiasco, but to some extent I just tune that nonsense right out. This man is not only insane, (as in admitting to going $30,000 in debt for classroom supplies and sleeping only 4 hours a night) he also proves himself highly vindictive and hypocritical within his own writing. He creates pseudonyms for co-workers that are childish and insulting: Miss Busy-as-a-Bee, Miss Plug, and Mr. Helpless. He becomes so distraught by a former student talking negatively about him with her middle school peers that he refuses to write her a recommendation saying, “I told her my arm and shoulder were too sore to write a letter for her – they were strained from the knives I had been trying to pull out of my back.” Yet after reporting stories like these he claims Atticus Finch to be his hero for his integrity and morality. I’m fairly certain, fictional though he was, Atticus would never have titled someone “Mr. Helpless.”

But the thing that bothers me most about this book is that very few people agree with my analysis of it. My search on Google for more ammunition against Rafe was futile. My only solace is the few reviews on online bookstores hiding between high praise and lists of friends and family for whom the book should be a gift. So I came to you my blog-reading friends to make my case. You don’t have to agree, but at least I got it out. Just like Atticus.

Apple Welcome Back Apple

2006-09-06T19:58:00.000-04:00

It’s that time of year again… back to school time and I definitely have the jitters that come along with this very emotional time of year. I really feel exactly like a kid with tomorrow being the big day. I have my backpack bursting with new school supplies, though this time it is clipboards and a desk organizer instead of nine different colored folders, I have my lunch packed (left-overs in pretty Tupperware), and I even picked out my special back to school outfit (not too grown-up, it was purchased by my mom). Does this feeling ever leave? Do people in a non-school setting feel the desire to get all new office supplies when September approaches? I would take a survey on that, but now that I think about it, I don’t know very many people outside of the institution of school. Interesting… there must be some study about that… teachers breed teachers? Teachers befriend only teachers? Teachers are taking over every other possible job path? I’m sure there’s some reason. Anyway, there is something exciting about the beginning of the year. The mundane tasks haven’t set in yet. The students are still unknown and endearing. And most importantly, I have four bright, shiny clipboards. Obviously school success is weighed in clipboards and I’m all set.

A Public School Girl in a Catholic School World

2006-08-29T11:33:00.000-04:00

I’m preparing to teach in a Catholic school, and boy, I don’t think I’m ready for all that a Catholic school entails. For example, I still can’t see look at our religion books without that superior puffing of the chest feeling – “What is THAT doing here? THAT can’t be here! Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?!” – and then I realize in this new world, state is nothing and church is everything. It’s not that I don’t like Catholicism, granted I have my issues with it, but I think every person that grew up forced to go to church every Sunday share my issues. I even went to a Jesuit college where I roomed with my favorite Catholic school graduate. Let me tell you, Catholic school graduates like Kim where in high demand when theology homework came around. I like the idea of leading a moral life and all of that Sunday School be nice to your friends and visit the elderly neighbor talk, what I don’t like are sentences like this one found in my new teacher packet, “May Jesus, Mary, and Joseph our ‘model teachers,’ bless you and your work in the vineyard of the Archdiocese of Boston.” Number one, they missed a comma after Joseph and I’m not okay with that especially since later in the packet they stress the importance of all speech and writing being grammatically correct. But even more disturbing: who compares a school system to a vineyard? Can you imagine if the Milwaukee new teacher packet used this same format, “May George Bush and his cronies our ‘model teachers,’ bless you and your work in the brewing company of Milwaukee Public Schools.”? Come on, only a Catholic school can get away with that. Even Boston Public Schools would sue the District, saying that quote led to increased wine consumption among first grade students. I’m in a whole new world, and this one definitely doesn’t involve flying carpets and genies.

The Hannas

2006-08-26T16:07:00.000-04:00

What I did on my summer vacation... By, Beth Hanna

2006-08-26T15:58:00.000-04:00

Alright, alright. I know I am at fault here. This was an unacceptable amount of time to be without updates about our fun, exciting lives. Just think of it as our blog’s summer vacation. We all need a little time away, okay?

Speaking of time off – Bill and I just finished a marathon-style vacation. Two and a half weeks and seven cities – Appleton, Breed, Gurnee, Eau Claire, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, and Madison – and those are just the cities where we got out of the car, we went through 2,400 miles of cities in transport to and from Wisconsin. I almost feel like I went on one of those European tours: “Over here you’ll see a scenic overlook of the Fox River.” I really don’t advocate for things to be labeled “scenic overlooks.” It sets the bar pretty high and isn’t every overlook scenic? Unless is has some large obstruction, but I guess that’s scenery too. I think overlook is sufficient.

And now back on track, our vacation was amazingly fun. I think we had a true Wisconsin experience with a trip Up North, Packer discussions, and plenty of cheese. I guess it’s the little things you miss when you move away because that was some of the best string cheese I’ve ever had. Highlights of the trip were Great America and our nephew Will. We couldn’t stop raving about both of them. We also became a little board game crazy. We had to get our fill before going back to two person games. Parcheesi with two people just isn’t fun – well, it’s usually not fun in general with certain strategies, but that’s not my point.

Bill’s brother, Matt, added to our vacation by coming back to Boston with us. I discovered that it really is possible to have a vacation in your own city. We skipped the Freedom Trail, but walked the Emerald Necklace: a group of “green space” as Matt kept calling it, sat on the beach, and revisited the infamous mountain we hiked earlier this year.

I hope reading this gave you a little vacation from whatever you’re supposed to be doing. Back to work now.

Upgrade Button

2006-07-10T15:54:00.000-04:00

Apparently Bill and I pressed some secret upgrade button because things are looking really nice for us right now – the most important being that we’ve left Braintree in our dust. Our new apartment could not be more of an upgrade from our one. We went from a stifling attic to a breezy first floor, four rooms to six, and best of all: one dingy sink to a separate bathroom sink and kitchen sink. See? Major upgrades. Let me once again remind you that this move takes away any reasons for not visiting us. We are a mere 30 minutes from downtown, but walking through our amazing Victorian neighborhoods to the T makes the trip feel like only seconds. The have a fantastic extra bedroom that will soon be free of exercise equipment and extraneous clothing. And don’t forget – we have TWO sinks now. Definitely high-class.

When you do visit us, here’s where you’ll be staying:

The Hannas
62 Chelmsford St.
Dorchester, MA 02122

Bill wanted me to put our new phone number, but yesterday I saw a show about stalkers that brought horrific dreams of phone calls of the Scream variety. If you call our old number within the next few weeks, an automated voice will tell you the new number. Otherwise, all non-stalkers can feel free to e-mail me.

The Green Shirts are Coming!

2006-07-10T15:39:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago I took my second trip into New Hampshire and was once again surprised by its uncanny resemblance to “Up North” Wisconsin. Both are ridiculously close to Canada. Both have greasy restaurants wary of minorities and slow with food service. Replace “Moose” with “Deer” in a Deer X-ing sign, add antlers to deer paraphernalia, and you are definitely in New Hampshire. But don’t forget to exchange Wisconsin’s hunters and fishers with legitimate hikers and backpackers. They do have an extreme level of fitness and Volkswagen-like vitality to them that would not mesh well with the “sports” of Up North.

The most important parallel between the two, at least for that weekend, was family. Bartlett, New Hampshire hosted the Smith Family Reunion and a plethora of blue and green shirts dotted with a few red shirts took over the mountain. Bill, Dan, and I were the hit of the green shirts – so urban, young, and absolutely child-free – we brought Family Feud to a new level, consumed our share of wine, and mingled with all shirt colors late into the night. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for making it all possible, and for not leaving us to fend for ourselves with the relatives we hadn’t seen in a decade.

While New Hampshire was a great opportunity to catch up with relatives in a woodsy setting, it was certainly not a true Up North experience. The lack of Bill’s cottage has exemplified the feeling of these months not being a true summer. Of course, absence of Park and Rec plays a huge part in that; Bill and I are having strange withdrawal symptoms. But not escaping to the boonies (and Boonie’s with a capital B) makes summer a little less summery. Bill and Katie’s stupid Deep Game, million of attempts to ski with only one ski, and fighting for a bed at night is definitely what summer is about. Well, and hours of Elimination, the Wacky Olympics, and brightly-colored Appleton shirts. What’s summer without a t-shirt screaming, “Have Fun Dude”?

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2006-06-15T17:04:00.000-04:00

I know two weeks was a little on the lazy side to go without a Blog and I apologize. But for the first time I can use the “I’m really busy” excuse with a clean conscience. June is definitely a period of transition and Bill and I are right in the middle of it. Here’s a list of changes not in any particular order.

1. We lost our last high school family member. Katie graduated from the best high school in the state June 8th and of course we are very proud. I have to admit seeing her in the midst of her transition made me a little nostalgic for something I couldn’t quite pinpoint. I don’t necessarily miss high school, though it was a completely unique situation from all that I’ve experienced beyond it. I think it boils down to, for the first time, I felt old and I was definitely not a fan of that.

2. On the same trip home Bill and I got to meet our nephew and hence Uncle Bill and Auntie (of course pronounced “onty”) Beth were born. He is absolutely gorgeous, though it is a little strange that Brian and Cassie are parents now. Bill kept saying, “It’s so weird. There’s always going to be this little person around at family dinners now.” And when you think about it, it really is crazy how much changes with a new life.

3. We have had to come to terms with the fact that we no longer work for APRD. A “quick” visit back to the pool for Bill and a recap of orientation from Mary brought the point home. Don’t cry for us Appleton. We might be back someday. Though I would probably have to drag Bill from pool managing if we did return. Maybe we’ll stay here a while…

4. My lead teacher seems to have taken on a softer side beginning yesterday. She gave me the second compliment of the year by saying that I was indispensable to the classroom and even showed her she had some things to learn. Wow.

5. We are moving out of Braintree at the end of this month. So all of you that were avoiding visiting us because we live in a place associated with a cognitive plant can now rest assured that you will actually be seeing Boston. The new apartment has all wood floors and two bedrooms, and therefore is of course more than we can afford.

6. Bill and I finished up our regular programs and are transitioning into summer school. We are looking forward to a shorter workweek and more free time. If it continues to rain all the time we are going to be some very unhappy campers. Literally.

A church-free confessional

2006-06-15T16:34:00.000-04:00

I have a confession: I am a volunteer junkie. It started out innocently enough as a way to get all of the necessary hours for Americorp – 1700 hours is a lot of hours when your program ends at 2:00. This year, 40 hours a week is a blessing; one less thing to worry about in this whole Americorp experience (the other worries begin mainly money and sanity related). Volunteering was also a way to fill up the extra hours Bill was away. But now my hours are on track and Bill is finished with night classes and I still can’t stop. Of course there is a natural high associated with volunteering – the whole do something for yourself while helping others. But that’s not really an adequate explanation seeing my life as I know it right now is devoted to Julie’s Family Learning Program. I feel I’ve basically sold my soul to its success. Tax breaks are another logical reason to be a philanthropist, but I don’t think I even need to touch on how ridiculous that would be for a cause. I think I just have something inside of me that says, “You can always do more.” This sounds like a good thing, but really it’s just an invitation for over-extension in the volunteer arena. Read textbooks for blind and dyslexic people? Absolutely. Pick out books for prisoners? Sounds interesting, I’ll do it. Make meals, serve meals, clean up after meals? I’d LOVE to. You know what though, if I have to be addicted to something, I’ll take volunteering. After all, the Americorp motto is “We get things done.” I guess I just interrupt it a little differently, “ I get everything done – all in one day.”

Tooth and Nail

2006-06-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

My students’ teeth are beginning to fall out. Not in the scary dream way where they shoot out of mouths at high speed or drop out one by one until there are no teeth left, because that would be horrifying. Just in the normal I’m getting teeth that fit my mouth way. It is sort of creepy to think that each one of those kids have two sets of teeth – one showing and one waiting just beneath the gums for their chance at freedom. Gross. I was never a big fan of even my own teeth falling out. The blood taste and the leftover hole were a little too gruesome. But there is something endearing about a little boy trying to talk about and wiggle his tooth at the same. As long as I’m not ever the one that has to pull it out. Pulling teeth will definitely be a Bill job. That and teaching them to drive, but that’s a different story. The part that I love best is when a kid walks in with a big gaping space and yells, “Look!” and hearing their rendition about the Tooth Fairy situation. We have a major argument going on in my classroom about the size of this mysterious tooth-taker. Some kids think she is a normal-size person that puts the teeth in a bag and leaves anywhere from 50 cents to 5 dollars (another interesting debate; parents should really come to some consensus on the price of teeth) while other children believe she is really small and has to use magic to make the teeth disappear. I guess it is logical that kids view the Tooth Fairy differently. She is definitely not as much as a celebrity as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. You can’t pay too much money to sit on the Tooth Fairy’s lap. Maybe that’s what makes her so cool. Every kid has a different image of her and perhaps it causes arguments, but what really matters is that she came, no matter what she looked like, and left a tangible reminder that they are growing up.

Life in Eastern Standard Time

2006-05-24T16:02:00.000-04:00

Moving to Boston took a lot of getting used to: the accent, the weather, and especially Eastern Standard Time. Let me tell you, a change in time zone makes a lot of difference in daily life. Everything seems to happen later here. People work until 7 because they didn’t go into the office until 9 or 10. The sunlight is different as we’re about the same latitude, but an hour ahead. But the biggest impact is definitely in watching television. People in Central Standard Time have it made. Normal shows start at 7 and the later shows end at the reasonable hour of 10:00. That gives you plenty of time to eat dinner, sit around, and still be to bed at a normal time. EST is not so luxurious. Normal shows here don’t start until 8:00, yet at 7:00 my mind yells to me, “Sit down! Stop thinking! Entertain me with mindless images!” What is a person to do in this situation? Obviously, I must suffer through until Jeopardy comes on at 7:30 to remind me that my brain does still function. What show is on at 7:00 before Jeopardy? Wheel of Fortune. Wheel undoubtedly has some perks. It does involve some thinking; some of the puzzles are tricky to downright impossible (Hazy Skies as a bonus puzzle?) and there seems to be a rash of Wisconsin contestants lately, a plus in most situations. Additionally, it’s a good warm up to the linguistic questions of Jeopardy. But here are a few of my questions/concerns – why does Vanna always wear an evening dress and why do they even bother to call her a hostess of the show? It’s obvious she’s pretty and ages absurdly well, but wouldn’t she look just as attractive in something less promlike? Also, touching a board may require forethought and some walking, but it is definitely not on par with Pat Sajak’s part of the show. Vanna, I’m a big fan, but let’s be realistic, you are much more of an accessory than a necessity.
Next, why do the contestants only talk about themselves in regards to marriage and children. Both of those things are good, but why can’t they have funny anecdotal stories like on Jeopardy. Fine that you love your two beautiful children and wonderful husband, but I would much rather hear about the time you almost met an almost famous actor.
Lastly, why does there always need to be a theme? Sweethearts Week – okay, Walt Disney World Week – getting weaker, NFL Players Week and Soap Stars Week – oh boy, now we’re in trouble. If I don’t want to see these “celebrities” during the day, I doubly don’t want to see them at night after a long day of work. And by the way Wheel, I’m on to you about these little on location weeks, it’s clear that they are just ploys to go on vacation every few weeks. College Week? More like go to Denver on Wheel for three weeks.

Happy Thoughts

2006-05-16T19:44:00.000-04:00

Apparently these posts have been a little negative lately, so here’s a little something to make you say, “Awwww.”

Top Ten Happy Things

1. Not being flooded out like the suckers in Peabody
2. People that sing and dance on the train and don’t care what other people think
3. My kids that think I commute from France every morning via the T
4. Waking up to Lola sleeping on my back
5. My new ability to make fairly decent pad thai
6. Newly-washed jeans that actually fit right
7. Peanut butter
8. Finding an old CD that I thought my sister swiped
9. Knowing the word of the day on Google
10. My family, friends, and awesome husband. Awwww.

MY job

2006-05-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

I think our faithful readers may be getting a little spoiled by Bill's recommitment (or initial commitment if he never was before) to the Blog. I want you to remember these fruitful days if we again enter a barren Blog state. It's only fair that we AVERAGE out to one post a week. We can only do so much people. We are young and working; read -- very busy with our jobs and highly concentrated social calendar. Since Bill gave such a detailed description about his job, you may be wondering what I do... or maybe you're not, but I'm going to tell you anyway. And because I am a very competitive person, I am going to make it even more detailed.

8:00-8:15 This is the time where according to my timesheets I am at work, but actually I am en route from the T.
8:15-8:45 You would now find me in one of the building's three kitchens preparing a tasty, yet healthy snack for the kids.
8:45-9:00 Wandering around the building trying to find the best juice selection for my own benefit.
9:00 Kids arrive.
9:00-10:15 Moving around the room with two goals: 1. avoid the lead teacher 2. look busy
10:15-10:45 During this time I work my teaching magic to help the 4 year olds get ready to read. Our favorite activity is my pig puppet Piggy Wiggy that likes to rhyme (he can rhyme most anytime!).
10:45-11:30 Again moving around the room watching the kids do their work. In all actuality, I am probably talking to one of them about superheros or animals or anything else that will get them far off-task.
11:30-12:00 Return to teaching magic -- this time the subject is French. The kids are highly receptive and love talking about their feelings and favorite colors, in French of course.
12:00-1:00 Running around the micoscopic playground in our front yard. Most likely I am yelling or roaring. I am a scary monster you know.
1:00-1:15 Eating lunch
1:15-2:00 Cleaning up after the kid's messy lunches. Amazing the places where you can find crumbs in a classroom.
2:00-3:00 I say I am supervising, but really I am playing, dress-up, legos, or blocks.
3:00-4:00 Hiding in the staff lounge doing "important" things on the computer.

My job

2006-05-03T19:33:00.000-04:00

After talking with friends in the last month or so they've all asked me similar questions, "What exactly do you do?". Well my friends I'll share with you. I teach ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) notice the "O" this is the new politically correct term. The old term was ESL (English as a Second Language), but I was quickly brought to my attention that for many students English may not be their second language, it may be their third or fourth. I work at the Notre Dame Education Center (NDEC). It is in an old all girls Catholic high school. I work with about 30 - 40 nuns, Sisters of Notre Dame de Nemur. I teach ESOL 3 every morning Monday - Thursday from 8:30 - 10:30. My students are intermediates, meaning they can all speak the language well enough that they function quite easily. The goal in ESOL 3 is to improve their writing. My have 12 students currently and they come from all over the world: Thailand (2), China (3), Vietnam, Albania, Haiti (2), Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Ethiopia. Not only do the students come from many different countries they come with varying levels of education. Some students finished college and held financial jobs in their own country, while others were farmers and had little or no education. In addition to my ESOL 3 class I teach 3 other ESOL Computer classes. Two at night ESOL 2 and ESOL 3 and one on Thursday morning, ESOL 2. I actually enjoy this part of my job even though it can be quite challenging. In fact, I enjoy so much that I'm returning to the NDEC next year to be the technology coordinator and only teach computer classes among other various duties that go along with the job. I hope this gives a little insight into what I do. Hopefully now, after the Disclaimer I'll share more of the daily struggles and triumphs of teaching adult ESOL.

Disclaimer

2006-05-03T19:02:00.000-04:00

I know I don't write enough on the blog, or ever for that matter, and I hear it all the time. It's come time for you to understand why I don't write much. It's not because I don't have anything to say, those of you reading this, and especially those who knew me as a young child, know that I usually don't stay quite long. However, this is exactly my problem - I prefer to talk, and I don't really like to write. Throughout my formal education - I say formal education because I'm still being educated everyday by my students in my ESOL classes - I got comments on my English papers "Great Ideas, but hard to follow", or "needs more clarity." This however, doesn't mean that I don't know how to write or that my expensive Lawrence education wasn't worth anything, it just means that following the rules of academic writing is more difficult for me than for other people. Those other people being the main two people's writings I read regularly, Beth and Dan, both English majors. Compared to them I look like a 3rd grader, but quite francily I don't care. So you see there were many times where I would start a blog and simply not finish because it required too much effort to proofread and think about the exact words to make my sentence say exactly what I mean. Not any more. From now on there will be commas when, my fingers stop, because I'm thinking, besides isn't that what a comma mean - pause - and isn't that what I'm doing, pausing in my brain, therefore you should too. What I'm saying is that my writing will be much more stream of consciousness. This mean I may repeat myself and take two or three times longer to say something Dan or Beth would say, but so be it. This is who I am. Feel free to skim my blogs once you think you have the gist of what I'm saying. This is my disclaimer. Look forward to more blogs.

Train Etiquette Round Two

2006-05-02T16:09:00.000-04:00

Two hours a day, five days a week gives me a very intimate relationship with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. The T and I are on very close terms and it is for that reason that I feel necessary to add to Bill’s previous list of Train Etiquette expectations. At least that way I will have an impact on any visitors that may come this way. Your good modeling could influence a lot of people. So when riding the T, please keep these thoughts in mind.

1. Everyone loves a good cell phone conversation – the people directly involved and everyone within listening area. When a person chooses to talk in a confined area like the T, he must understand eavesdropping to be a natural tendency. Please don’t get all angry when people look up after you say something shocking. You must have known we were all listening to your play-by-play anyway.

2. The train gets very busy during peak hours. Many people do not fit in the 12 seats provided in each car. Unfortunately, some people have to stand. For the people that stand in front of the door: you must realize the benefits and consequences of this small space. The downside of having a door to lean against is the fact that the door opens and people want to get out. I understand it may not be your stop, but you must leave the train for others behind you to get out. Don’t worry, people will let you back in. Sorry friend, it’s a part of the territory.

3. And most importantly, love always seems to be in the air on the T. I am not one to criticize affection—if you are comfortable making out on a germ-infested train where you may as well be licking the floor or the metal bar that touches hundreds of hands each day—fine with me. However, I do have a few stipulations. If you and your lover choose to stand up for the duration of your trip, it would be great if BOTH of you would hold on to something other than each other. One person holding the bar is not adequate. The momentum of the train pushes that person forward, and then you, my freestanding friend, fly forward. This would not be a problem if your lover were balanced, but he is not. The result is not one, but two train surfers crashing into everyone around them. This is not welcomed. On the other hand, if you and your friend decide to sit, thus alleviating the pinball effect, you need to sit in your own chair. This means do not sit in your chair sideways so that you are looking your special someone in the eye. When you do this, the pair of you take up three spots. You might try turning your head instead of your whole body. Some people have found this highly effective.

Thank you and please take all belongings with you when you reach your stop. Thank you for riding the T.

Important (and not so important) Updates

2006-04-26T16:23:00.000-04:00

1. We just returned from a wonderful 10 day Appleton stay. Sometimes I think that place really is heaven. Then I remember that Appletonians generally fall into one of the following categories: 0-21 or 30-really old. There is leeway in the middle for young parents, but anyone 22 through 29 with no children are guaranteed to be at a loss for exciting opportunities. Thankfully, visiting is still okay as the new abundance of “hip” restaurants and bars downtown fill up 10 days nicely. We reacquainted ourselves with our old favorites while spending time with people we love. Awww.

2. I have decided to become a vegetarian. I know it is shocking seeing as a hold a membership card to Chicken Eaters Anonymous, but it was a necessary step for me at this point. Especially after I found out about vegetarian hot dogs and chicken patties. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later; like Brian said, “There’s something about Americorp…” For the record, Bill is supporting me in this decision, but not making the same change. He says he’ll eat the vegetarian meals I cook, but assured me he would get meat when he needed it. We’ll see about that.

3. Even though she has a hard time showing it, our cat, Lola, apparently really does love us. After 10 days without us she seemed to realize that we are actually amazing owners and thought that sleeping on my head would be a great way to show her affection. This showing of love was followed by multiple bites for Bill. I guess she’s picked up on gender stereotypes.

4. My work had to evacuate the building by orders of the bomb squad today. A suspicious suitcase was found right in front of our building. It was definitely one of the generic suitcases that you realize everyone in the world has (big and black) when you are standing at the baggage claim, so its owner remains at large. It was free of a Marquette ribbon though, so you can cross the Guilbeaults off the list.

5. Bill and I will be Uncle Bill and Aunt (not Ant) Beth in 0-17 days. In fact, we may have such titles now but I won’t know until I check the answering machine. Reason number 12,967 to own a cell phone.

6. Most importantly, we are officially staying in Boston for at least another year. Bill is staying on at his job though his exact position is unknown. I am getting far away from my program and the people within it by moving to a K-8 school. I’m sure the importance of this situation is clear – this cutesy Blog title will remain correct.

New Hampshire Adventure

2006-04-12T23:20:00.000-04:00

You would be surprised with the number of opportunities that come to me and Bill as Americorp volunteers. I think something about having so low an income that it needs to be called a “stipend” instead of a salary makes people feel bad for us. I would say it is just because Bill and I are amazing people, but when Dan was in JVC he got to do cooler things than he was able to do for quite a while afterwards, so I am back to the theory that we evoke pity and people try to remedy this feeling by giving us free stuff. Such was the case last weekend when we wound up in a mountain-top condo in New Hampshire. One of the teachers at Julie’s owns a “second home” in New Hampshire and her present to the Americorp workers was a free stay. Five of us enjoyed luxuries as one would a five star resort – heat all night long, a dishwasher, and a guaranteed parking spot. The fireplace and air hockey table were the icing on the cake. It really was high class. So high class that I got almost a little too used to having different floors. Upon arriving home, I remembered how small an attic apartment really is. There is nothing like realizing someone’s “second home” is three times larger than your not-even-owned first home. But that’s beside the point. The highlight of the trip went a little something like this…

After relaxing the day away on Saturday at the Rec Center pool and Jacuzzi, we decided to be highly active on Sunday. Someone found a hiking path flyer on the refrigerator that we thought we would give a try. That was our first mistake. Backpacks and water were deemed unnecessary. That was our second mistake. We drove to the beginning of the trail. Alas, the biggest mistake. After hiking for about a half hour, we realized the hikers coming from the other directions were grossly over-equipped. They looked a little foolish with their hiking packs, boots, and sticks. A half hour later we made it to the top. We took in the view and snapped a bunch of pictures. We were ready to head back down. But then something funny happened— the trail kept going up and not at a gradual incline. It felt like we were walking up a vertical plane. We were slipping and sliding down a wet rock face. Suddenly our fellow hikers with their fancy boots and sticks did not look so foolish. In fact, we were embarrassed that, once again, people were pitying us. But this time it was just like the time that Bill and I biked to High Cliff with the wind and “rode” AKA pushed our bikes against the wind on the way home. A man, of course better equipped than us, stopped his bike, pulled a cell phone out of his fanny pack, and asked us if there was anyone we could call to pick us up. Highly embarrassing. Back to the mountain… we stopped a couple and asked them if we were close to the top. They consoled us in saying that we had already done the hardest part and it was just “a bit longer to the top. Then another little hike to the second peak.” The second peak! They were also lying in that we had completed the hardest part. We got through the two peaks alright, but here’s a tip: if you plan on climbing a mountain in early spring when the snow is just melting without nice equipment, change your plans immediately. We had multiple falls on the way down with sore muscles and large bruises to prove it. We basically spent the rest of hike in fear of catastrophe. The thought of carrying someone down the hill with multiple people offering help, cell phones, and first aid kits was just too awful. I was secretly threatening the rest of the hiking group in my head. Safely back at our resort, we discussed our ordeal. Bill said he was also worried about someone breaking something, but he stayed calming knowing he could “make a splint out of branches and twigs.” Right. Then the real shock came to light. While revisiting the flyer for the mountain we noticed right on it the elevation and level of intensity. When we asked the “someone” who found the flyer about it she replied, “Oh I read it. I just thought they were lying.” Interesting.

The Greatest Show on Earth

2006-04-05T16:45:00.000-04:00

Today at 23 I had a major milestone – my first circus. I must say going at such a mature age without the burden of my own children was close to an ideal situation. The scariness of clown antics had worn off and the wound-up kids got sent on their way. The only problem with my experience was my utter distraction due to the following obsessive thoughts.

1. Clowns are creepy. I’ve been wary of clowns and mimes for quite some time. I appreciate the benefit of clowns at such events as birthday parties and hospitals where they have an understood goal – make balloon animals and heal sick kids. But in a circus, the clowns just waste time doing stupid routines before and after the real acts. First there is a superb juggling act. Then a death-defying trapeze act. Sadly, the transition time is filled with a clown dressed in oversized denim overalls shoving whipped cream in another clown’s face. I know some kids think this is funny. They are the same children that LOVE Sponge Bob Squarepants and Captain Underpants. However, it is my theory that the majority of children are only laughing because this select toilet-humor group is laughing. It is no wonder that kids grow up to celebrate MTV’s ridiculous shows. So basically I’ve just made the conclusion that clowns bring teenagers to do stupid stunts witnessed on MTV. I’ll go with it.

2. Who actually joins the circus? I’ve always heard about people running away to join the circus, usually on tv, but still I heard about it. For some reason I thought this was more of an expression than an actual occurrence. But today I realized that obviously people join the circus or circuses wouldn’t exist. Who though? Are circus workers their own little community that populates and controls itself like the Amish? Possibly. Do people grow up knowing that it is their destiny to join? This I could see if all the acts were glamorous like the trapeze and the strong people that can hold someone up while balancing on one figure. But there are definitely unattractive acts in the circus that I can see very few people dreaming about as children. I guess some people might see it as a free pass to travel around and meet new people, but seriously, is the sting of working for the circus worth a little sightseeing?

3. As a continuation of number two, which would be worse – to be a clown in the circus or a carnie? I spent an extended period of time weighing the pros and cons of both and in the end I cannot decide. Being a clown would be pretty horrible for the obvious reason that it involves clownness, but a carnie? Strange things happen at carnivals. At least circuses are meant for children and kids genuinely enjoy most of the things that happen there. A bad carnival experience could scar someone for life – a loss of lifesavings on a fixed ring toss or two hours lost in a “Fun” house. But then again, one bad clown experience could scar both a child and the clown involved. See? It really is a difficult choice. Please offer any insights you have to this very important question.

So that was my circus experience. I can’t say I’ll be back, in the audience or on the staff, anytime soon.

Analysis of Experiment “Force Bill to Blog”

2006-04-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

Problem: How can I strongly encourage Bill to blog?

Hypothesis: I believe that if Beth does not blog for a long period of time, loyal readers will become upset which in turn will motivate Bill to blog.

Experimentation:
Independent variable – Beth’s lack of blogging
Dependent variable – Bill’s consequent blogging
Controlled variables – loyal readers, internet access, interesting thoughts/observations to provoke blogging

Results: Beth’s last blog was February 26, 2006. Between that time and the publishing of this article (April 3, 2006) Bill blogged exactly once.

Conclusion: My experimentation shows that Beth’s hiatus from blogging had no effect on the frequency of Bill’s blogging. It is possible that Bill was incredibly busy between the 26th of February and the 3rd of April. To improve my experiment next time, I might let Bill know about my scientific study to provoke the competitive edge that is so inherent in our marriage. Until then loyal readers, you will have to put up with my one-sided, biased account of our life here in Boston.

Presidents' Day... two months late

2006-04-03T16:02:00.000-04:00

Just a warning, it’s been quite a while since I have employed my researching and reporting techniques, so you will have to forgive me if I am a little rusty. If in fact you do see some shortcomings, just let me know and I will send you a collegiate literary analysis. I have some stellar selections from which to choose. (Oooo… could have ended that in a preposition. I’m amazing).

So it turns out no one knows anything about Millard Fillmore because his presidency was a little on the boring side. He may have been a very interesting person in life, but he didn’t have a whole lot of political support, therefore making him a poor choice for a presidential report. But alas –
Millard Fillmore was born in the Finger Lakes county of New York. He lived a frontier life and had little formal schooling. Yet, he somehow became a lawyer and later gained a state office. Fillmore was a member of the House of Representatives for eight years before becoming the Comptroller of New York. It was at that time he was elected Vice President to Taylor. When President Taylor died of complications to indigestion, Fillmore gained presidency. Unfortunately, his Whig party was upset over his signing of the Fugitive Slave Act, and refused to reelect him.

To make things a little more interesting, I attempted to find some trivia on Fillmore. Sadly, even the trivia is a little on the dry side.
1. M.F. was one of two presidents to have double letters in his first and last names
2. M.F. did not make an Inaugural Address
3. It is said that M.F. installed the first running water bathtub in the White House. This is actually a lie started by journalist H. L. Mencken to “have some fun during war days.” Wow, worst hoax ever.

Now that I am warmed up, on to Jimmy Carter...
Jimmy Carter, a Georgia native, began dappling in politics on the state level in 1962. This led him to a successful gubernatorial race eight years later. Carter rose in influence by emphasizing such issues as ecology, efficiency in government, and the break down of racial barriers. As president, Carter brought these issues to a national level through a number of achievements in domestic affairs: establishing a national energy policy, expanding the national park system, the creation of the Department of Education, and record appointments of women, African Americans, and Hispanics. Unfortunately, these successes were overshadowed by an increase in inflation and Iran holding fifty-two Americans captive along.

Perhaps Carter’s greatest gift to his country was his work in foreign affairs. He pursued amity between Egypt and Israel, gained diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and completed negotiations of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. Carter’s passion for peaceful negotiation continued after his presidency with the creation of the Carter Center. This Center aims to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease. Such commitment enabled Carter to be the third president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The former president was honored in 2002 for “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” As if that wasn’t enough, Carter currently volunteers one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, teaches Sunday school, and is a deacon.

If you aren’t feeling inadequate yet, here are some fun facts I learned in my research that definitely put me over the edge.
1. Carter is a speed reader able to read 2000 words per minute.
2. Carter studied nuclear physics at Annapolis
3. Carter has three sons, one daughter, eight grandsons, and three granddaughters.
4. Carter seems to have an issue with given names. He was the first president to be sworn in using his nickname – Jimmy— and his sons John William, James Earl III, and Donnel Jeffrey go by Jack, Chip, and Jeff.
Okay, the last one does not encourage inadequacy, but it is interesting nonetheless. That along with the fact that Carter’s favorite foods are mixed nuts and peaches; can you get any more wholesome?

Non-Appletonian, Non-Lawrentian, LU sports update! Yes, they do have sports there

2006-03-15T19:37:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since we've posted, and an even longer time since I've (Bill) posted. I apologize to all our loyal readers. I am going to try and make a commitment to post at least every other week. I'd say every week, but honestly I don't think I'd happen. It's not that I don't have things to say, I do. In fact I have ideas that pop into my head all the time. I say to myself, I need to blog about that, but this usually happens while I'm at work on a Tuesday or Wednesday and after a 12 hour day I just get too lazy and by the next day it too late. The other time I get ideas it's the weekend and I like to keep my weekends as unproductive as possible. Actually that's not true at all, just ask Beth what time I get up and what I do all morning. Anyways enough of my rambling, what's with this March Craziness.

Those of you who are in Appleton know how well Lawrence did this year. For those of you who have moved away from Appleton, but will come back soon, you know you will, Lawrence was the only undefeated men's basketball team in all of the NCAA in any division. Unfortunately they lost last weekend to Illinois Wesleyan the pre-season #1 ranked team. Lawrence made it to the Sweet 16, and it was there third straight appearance in the tournament after, about 100 of not being in the tournament. I'm a little disappointed that didn't make it to the final four, which is always held in Salem VA, because if they did I'd be on my way there tomorrow night. Nevertheless I'm proud of the team, just wish I could have seen one game.

10 days of FUN!

2006-02-26T12:45:00.000-05:00

I appreciate the large amount of comments on the last post. How fulfilling to know that there are people reading these comments/observations/rants. Yet, at the same time, how incredibly scary to be reminded that there are people analyzing the innerworkings of these writings. I will try not to dwell on this too much; I fear for the quality of the blog.

Anyway, after careful planning, I have decided to do a dual report on Millard Fillmore for the obvious reason that he is incredibly obscure and Jimmy Carter because my dad had the funniest story for nominating him. You can look forward to this educational piece shortly. But before I get to that task, I must tell about our ten day February vacation (not to be confused with Spring Break which is in April. It's not our fault we have two breaks. Move to Massachusetts.) Here's a recap of our time in Washington DC.

The first few days were spent with members from our program of Americorp, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers, serving all over the country. It was highly valuable and full of helpful tips. It was also full of hours of Catch Phrase. For real, hours. Bill and I once again won the award for preparedness (boy scout meets organization queen) for filling the odd times before planned activities. Who would know that such an innocent game could become so addictive? Now we know. The second portion of our trip was spent with Dan. Dan's life is officially as glamorous as it sounds -- glamorous studio in a glamorous neighborhood, glamorous friends, and a pretty glamorous job. We all know he talks fast, but Dan does everything fast -- walks, works, and escapes from squirrels. He was a wonderful host and we are very appreciative for him filling up precious space in his studio with two ugly suitcases and one partially deflated air mattress. By the way, if you are headed to DC anytime soon, check out the Postal Museum. It is definitely my new favorite Smithsonian and I'm not kidding. Any place that gives you your own "Identification Card" is okay in my book.

In honor of President's Day...

2006-02-08T15:51:00.000-05:00

After the horrible discovery of the Groundhog's Day hoax, my dear friend Kim and I started thinking about the other February holidays. We all have our opinions about Valentine's Day -- whether we think it is romantic or a commercial trick to prove affection -- that's not even an interesting debate anymore. But, what does go undiscussed is President's Day. This day to celebrate all Presidents falls conveniently near the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Kim and I wondered -- as wonderful as these men were, what about presidents number two through fifteen? They must have done some honorable things. Speaking of which, what about all of those guys in the middle that no one can even name? Each of them must have done at least one exciting thing, even if it is getting stuck in the bathtub (rough claim to fame if you ask me). So, to be an equal-opportunity lender to all of the presidents, I have decided to go along with Kim's half-joking suggestion to do research on one of the lesser-known presidents. Now, I am not talking about an intense, thesis-driven essay here, but I will cover the topic. You will come away knowing at least one interesting thing about a little-known president. So who will it be? Chester A. Arthur? William H. Harrison? Someone whose middle initial is not the same as their last initial? Just let me know.

Groundhogs Day = Complete Sham!

2006-02-02T15:46:00.000-05:00

I know a few of you have already had the opportunity to hear this rant, but I think it's important that everyone knows the truth about Groundhogs Day. I hold anyone who was previously privy to this information personally responsible for keeping me ignorant until an embarrassing 23 years of age.

There is no such thing as a groundhog. "Groundhog" is actually another name for a woodchuck! That's right, we celebrate a woodchuck popping out of its hole. Equally disturbing is that the famous "groundhog" we trust to predict the coming of spring, Punxsutawney Phil, actually lives in the Punxsutawney library. There, he eats ice cream and dog food until February 2nd when he is relocated to a heated burrow under a simulated tree stump. How an animal that lives in a controlled environment could continue to predict the coming of spring is awfully confusing. Perhaps that is why his accuracy rating is only 39% Some research revealed to me that Phil has met with many celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Ronald Reagan. Now that's just ridiculous. It's a woodchuck. However, a funny sidenote, Canada has their own albino groundhog named Wiarton Willie. Those crazy Canadians always know how to one-up us.

Perks of Poverty

2006-02-01T18:33:00.000-05:00

As much as I complain about my newly chosen state of poverty, there are definitely perks. Nuns, for some reason, are a popular recipient of free tickets. Tonight we will attend our second Celtics game -- free of charge. Granted, we are at the top of the balcony and I am now hip to the apparently common knowledge that the Garden is rat infested (Thanks Dad). I'm not sure why donors would think, "Hmm... I have these free basketball tickets. Who do I know that would be interested? Of course! The seventy-year old nuns at NDEC!" I am definitely not complaining though. If these tickets find their way to me, I will gladly take them off the hands of those not interested.

Along with professional basketball, I also get to attend benefit dinners. Well less dinners than "Hors D'oeuvres and Drinks" read: chips and salsa and wine, but once again, I am not complaining. One of the major sacrifices Bill and I have had to make is wine. Not only can we not afford it, we don't even have access to my parent's supply! It's tough. I'm pretty sure the Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot mix that I took advantage of last week would not have been in Mom and Dad's wine rack, but it was free.

So as you read about my difficult job and my huge sacrifices, don't feel too bad for me. I'm a wine-guzzling, basketball-watching volunteer.

Elephant Syndrome

2006-01-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

Of all the situations that annoy and aggravate me, I think the one thing that tops the list is forgetfulness. I HATE forgetting things. I'm fairly certain this is closely related to the permanent row of ducks that follow me everywhere I go. My ducks are the most disciplined ducks ever to exist. Flexibility is not one of my strong points and my ducks are well-aware of that. This level of intensity makes forgetting things highly inconvenient and very frustrating -- one of my ducks is wandering around aimlessly and is throwing off the balance of the entire row! I mention this aggravation because last night in bed I composed the perfect blog. Seriously, perfect: you would have laughed, you would have cried, you would have closed this blog thinking, "They might not write often, but when they do -- Wow." Or anyway, I'm pretty sure it would have been all of these things if I hadn't FORGOTTEN it. There's a chance that the haze of oncoming sleep made a mediocre blog draft seem stellar, but to punish my wandering duck, I refuse to admit that. I have spent precious minutes today trying to piece together this amazing blog. So far this is all I can remember.
I've decided recently that __________, two of which ______________.
That's it! Prefect blog, lost by the overwhelming need for sleep.

The other irritation concerned with forgetfulness is when other people said they had something to tell you, but they forgot. Really, what good does that statement do me? It is not my fault that one of your ducks left your row. But then I name arbitrary categories that might stir a trigger memory. So not only are your ducks out of the row, now it's my problem that you forgot. And then, of course, the importance of the forgotten idea is completely exaggerated so that something that would have been funny or interesting without the work of two people remembering it, is now anticlimactic. So really, everyone would be better off if you kept it to yourself that you had something to tell, but you forgot. But then in saying this, I am outlawing the first section in this blog. I guess what it comes down to is that it's okay for me to forget, but not anyone else. Seems fair enough.

Dependencies

2006-01-11T15:23:00.000-05:00

Ironically, now that I am legally independent of my parents, I find myself to be more dependent than ever. This predicament is especially irritating as I struggle to transition between college-life and the "real world." Working 40 hours a week sure makes me miss the flexibility of a college schedule. But then, who wants to relive the hundreds of papers and frequent tests. A "real" job would actually give me some say in my day to day activities that doesn't include vast amounts with dinosaurs. But being overqualified makes for no work at home; not a bad deal. So, even though I am currently independent of both college and the future, I am strangely dependent on the idea of both of them to get through the present. What a quandary. Here are some other dependencies I've developed this year.

1.) Books -- Spending time with the kids that cannot even read leaves me craving for intellectual conversation. Because I am home with only a cat for a companion, my books become essential in making me feel like an educated person.

2.) Denise Austin's encouragement -- There are two adult-sized chairs in my classroom, both of which I am not allowed to sit in. That leaves 36 chairs that dig into the middle of my back and the tile floor. Pilates is the only reason I can physically get up in the morning.

3.) Bill -- He has always helped me with problems, but he is answering questions and making complaint telephone calls like a fiend this year. Who knew insurance, the internet, and even the bathtub could be so complicated?

I guess the lesson is that no matter how independent the law, or you, think you are, independence really leads to more dependencies.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

Again, sorry about the delay. That one phrase seems to be repeated fairly regularly in these posts; I guess I am not as efficient as I was as a crazed college student. Now I am just laid-back Beth. "What? You want me to spend two hours cutting out paper snowflakes? Sure, no problem." Laid-back Beth. I think there is only room for one efficient AKA crazy person around here, and that role has been filled. See? This is clearly not my fault.

Bill and I made it to and from Wisconsin safely with about 100 tons of luggage, a work friend from Milwaukee, and a cat in tow. Lola was surprisingly good. The real drama began when she met Bill's dog, Grace, but we don't need to relive that day. The break was filled with family and time in the car shuttling back and forth between our two houses. It is obvious that another system is needed for the next visit. Despite the intensity of the visit, I would do it again in a second. I missed Wisconsin and all of it's wonder as soon as we left. And it is for that reason only that I am including this next section, that yes, is a cheesy forwarded e-mail, but it's Wisconsin and I love it!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE WISCONSINITE WHEN:
1. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the Highway.
2. "Vacation" means going up north past Hwy 8 for the weekend.
3. You measure distance in hours.
4. You know several people who have hit deer more than once.
5. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
6. Your whole family wears Packer Green to church on Sunday.
7. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
8. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings and funerals ).
9. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
10. You think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison.
11. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife or girlfriend knows how to use them.
12. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time.
13. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
15. You refer to the Packers as "we."
16. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
17. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.
18. You have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
19. You consider Minneapolis exotic.
20. You know how to polka.
21. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
22. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
23. Down South to you means Illinois.
24. A brat is something you eat.
25. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
26. You go out to fish fry every Friday
27. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
28. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
29. You find minus twenty degrees "a little chilly."

We hope you had a safe and happy holiday. We love you all!

Holiday Season

2005-12-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again... when everything except going home and partaking in the traditions of Christmas seems too difficult. I know I'm lucky without the stress and pressure of finals, but I'm going to complain anyway. Here's a reveiw of my Boston holiday festivities so far.

My kids performed a nativity play. Preschoolers pretending to be religious models is bound to be hilarious, and these kids were no exception. One of the wise men was confused about his role and kept calling himself and the other two boys "wise guys." This is the same child that threw his present at Baby Jesus' face yelling, "Here's your present Jesus! It's gold or something" instead of reverently kneeling and putting the present on the X as one teacher set up for them. This teacher also got frantic during the singing of "This little light of mine" when the children made their candles go around in a circle more than once per refrain.

The volunteers that we work with had a Christmas party with a gift exchange. Bill and I had the best presents in circulation. I, for once, got lucky and received a trivia book which I now reference whenever possible. Bill ended up with a Notre Dame headband appropriate for 75% of the volunteers. Bill was in the 25% who would not be happy to receive it.

Yesterday we had a baking day with some friends. Bill decided to be nice and teach some of them a treasured Huth recipe. We showed up on time with all of the ingredients. Our crowd of learners consisted of one person. At least we got to take them all home.

I'm expecting a major upswing in the excitement of Christmas. The promise of Appleton in the very near future is making these days drag. Good thing I'll be back before I know it.

New E-mail

2005-12-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

I've decided to grow up and leave my Marquette association behind me. Well, the technological aspect of it at least. My new e-mail address is much more representative of who I am now -- an adult who uses their initials and last name.

Therefore, you can now reach me at bghanna@gmail.com

Hurray for me.

Preschoolers are Funny 2005

2005-12-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

As frustrating as work can sometimes get, my students are hilarious. Here are the highlights.

Beth: "Do you have your crabby pants on today?"
Student: "No."
Beth: "Your silly pants?"
Student: "No! Beth, I'm wearing tights!"

Student pretending to be Batman.
Beth: "Did Batman drive to school in his Batmobile today?"
Student: "That car never works. He had to take the bus."

Car coming down the street.
Beth: "On the sidewalk please."
Student: "I'm too young to die! But, I've had a good life."

My birthday.
Another teacher: "Let the birthday girl help you."
Student: "She's not the birthday girl. She's the birthday grown-up."

Student: "I'm driving the car."
Beth: "Oh, how old do you need to be to drive a car."
Student: "Like you."
Beth: "Like me. So how old?"
Student: "Seven."

Reading the Story of Christmas.
Student: "That angel is wrong."
Beth: "What's wrong with her?"
Student: "Her feet are empty. She needs sneakers."

Snow Day Fake-out

2005-12-07T18:03:00.000-05:00

Get ready folks... it's going to be a double post night. But because you will be reading this second, I suppose you already know. Well now you've been doubly informed. By the way, it is so cold in this apartment that some of the keys are boycotting. I am hereby released from any missing letter typos found in this post.

On to the real news. I suppose it was bound to happen, it being winter and everything. Though I hear it is far more wintery in Wisconsin with your -13 degrees windshield, so maybe you will have little sympathy for me. Bill and I had our first snow day fake-out of the season. The forecast predicted 4 to 8 inches of snow. We talked about closing procedures at work. I woke up without the sound of snow plows. Perhaps they could not make it out in time? No, of course not. The predicted 4 to 8 inches of snow came in at a whopping 0 inches. Not even a snowflake. At least in Wisconsin, people drive to work and school cursing at the efficiency of the city snow plows. Massachusettes had to just laugh in our hopeful faces. But I did discover that the Cape is the Algoma and Waukeegan of Massachusetts. They get all of the crazy weather and never have school. I guess every area has to have one section like that.

Since I am talking about snow and ice, I would like to get a little nostolgic about Milwaukee. Milwaukee winters are definitely cold and windy. But one thing they are not, is icy. Brew City might be better known as Salt City. That city uses enough salt to clear every road in Wisconsin. I've decided I would willingly trade in shuffling a mile and a half to work paying attention to danger areas for permanent salt rings on my pants and the pile of salt in the doorway. Who knew? So be thankful for what you've got. Unless you're living in Appleton, where it currently feels like 8 degrees. I'll just sit back in my balmy 25 degrees and laugh.

Christmas Julie's Style

2005-12-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

I had to take a little break from writing due to the embarassing typo so graciously pointed out by my father. I've finally gained the confidence to write again after a few visits to an English major support group.

Christmas has come to my program, and it's come with a vengenace. Now I'm a huge fan of the Christmas season, in fact, it's my favorite holiday. However, I have never seen Christmas done like it's being done at Julie's. The major problem is a huge excess of deocrations. The sheer volume of fake greenery is nauseating. It wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't have to be the one putting it up. I spent the entire day before Thanksgiving fighting with garland. That did not make me thankful for the program and that was just round one of decorating. What makes it even more ridiculous is the population it's trying to impress. The women of the program would not even have presents for their kids if it weren't for donors. I'm pretty sure they would rather have the program's money spent on necessities instead of life-size carolers. Speaking of decorations, you would think the program would be full of kids making projects for their moms. You would be wrong, because that job was given to us Americorp workers. Can't have the kids messing up the construction paper ornaments. I've decided that simple is definitely better when it comes to celebrating this holiday. Maybe my mom really is on to something with her wabisabi theory. But I would never tell her that to her face.

The First Thanksgiving

2005-11-30T18:03:00.000-05:00

We all know about the first Thanksgiving, the whole Indians and pilgrims thing. We all made those funny belt buckle hats in grade school. But I'm not here to talk about that, I'm here to talk about a more important first Thanksgiving: The B&B Hanna Thanksgiving.

The first B&B Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. In fact you probably wouldn't be able to tell it was the first one it was so good. We, my mom and I (mostly my mom) made a nice 13lbs turkey that Beth so graciously carried all the way down West Broadway. I also made a pumpkin pie, which I am now famous for at Notre Dame (my work). Beth made an unusual fruit salad. You can look forward to the new secret surprise recipe at the future family functions. My grandmother made her famous mashed potatoes and my mother made green bean casserole. My sister made three acorn squashes. I thought this was very excessive considering my grandma and I don't eat it, and Beth doesn't love it, but never fear my sister finished all three by the end of her trip.

The china wasn't fine and there wasn't enough silverware to serve everyone, but the food was good, and the company was even better. I had such a wonderful time with my family I'm so happy they could come, and now I can't wait to go home for Christmas.

Change of Plans

2005-11-20T19:22:00.000-05:00

I am going to put the information for the wedding pictures on here. As Bill so astutely noticed, there really is no reason not to: "What's the problem? They might buy pictures?" So here goes:

Go to the website http://www.collages.net
User name: Hanna-Guilbeault
Password: 5487

If you see any of these pictures circling the internet... blame Bill.

Birthday Notes

2005-11-20T19:02:00.000-05:00

My birthday/weekend/week continues with a very fun weekend. Friday night we regressed back to a college-style party on my orders. All of my new Boston friends were there and it is obvious they know the real me as my presents included a M&Ms, Miller Light, and a cheese platter. I wore one of my graduation presents -- a shirt that says "Wholeseome Midwestern Girl" -- so it was almost like being in Wisconsin. Nice.

Saturday was a small Green Shirt reunion. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Vinnie invited Bill and I to their place for a very nice family dinner. We were even lucky enough to see their kids and their kids' kids. Because I hadn't seen them all in a decade, I had a lot of catching up to do. They definitely aren't driving ice cream trucks anymore. Of course they wanted to know what we thought of Boston and we told them our observations: too much money, too much traffic, and too many Dunkin' Donuts. When I told them I missed cheese they thought I was trying to be funny, but the joke was on them because they have never heard of cheese curds. Poor New Englanders.

Besides learning that our cat Lola is terrified of the vacuum cleaner, which is surprisingly entertaining, the rest of the weekend was uneventful. I got lost trying to find a Target. But that was probably a good thing because we are poor. By the way, I don't recommend having a birthday on a Monday. It's a little anti-climactic. At least I have Thanksgiving to pretend is a continuation of the party. So Monday birthday = bad, but November birthday = good.

Good News!

2005-11-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my dad and his wonderful HR skills, Bill and I finally received notice that our wedding pictures are on-line. If you would like to look at them (and they are definitely worth looking at if not ordering), please e-mail me. I will send you the special information you need to sign in: elizabeth.guilbeault@mu.edu Seriously, they are beautiful.

Even better news is that my birthday is quickly approaching. Bill and I went to pick out my present early. We are now proud owners of Lola the cat. I know you're laughing and saying, "What?! They have a cat?" but we love her. She is 4 years old and very sweet. I guess even hard-core dog people can learn to appreciate a cat when they live in an attic and are gone about 10 hours a day. We're still getting used to cat behavior though. She definitely does not come when we call her and she jumps like no other. It seems a little unnatural to me that an animal is able to jump 4 feet off of the ground. Maybe that becomes less shocking with time. Either way, she was a wonderful birthday present.

P.S. Don't forget about the pictures. Looking at them is like going to the wedding twice!

IKEA

2005-11-14T19:14:00.000-05:00

I told you I wasn't kidding about writing more frequently. I should write in and tell high-speed internet how it's bringing us all closer together. That sounds commercial-worthy. Next thing you know, you might be seeing me on tv!

So my real purpose in writing is a phenomenon Bill and I experienced called opening weekend of an IKEA store. One opened a few miles from us and it was advertised so well that we were practically brainwashed into going. Actually, the whole East Coast seemed to be brainwashed into going because we met up with them all on the highway. Once we realized that the line on the highway was all traveling to the same place we were, we had a decision to make: be a lemming and follow the crowd or turn ourselves away. Of course, I decided that the line made me want to go in even more (a good marketing strategy if I've ever seen one)and since I was driving and Bill had a map to keep him busy, we stayed in line. The store was huge of course, but being on the budget we are, the hardest part was trying to convince Bill that we need tupperware and other cool-looking storage units. Thankfully, he stayed strong and we only ended up spending $4 for a completely unnecessary bill holder. I can't say that other people we so lucky by the amount of U-Hauls we saw leaving. I kid you not. In summary, if you are volunteering and making only enough to have shelter and food, IKEA is not the store for you. Don't be a lemming.

"Up North" East Coast style

2005-11-13T19:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the Murphy grandparents, Bill and I were able to visit Jamestown, Rhode Island this weekend. It was a little blast from the past for me without the million Smith descendents that Jamestown used to entail. We drove around the whole island and began to notice that even with a few minor differences, Jamestown is quite similar to Up North Wisconsin. Case in point, during the drive we spotted both cows AND a deer. The East Coast influence traded Up North trucks for BMWs and Mercedes, but our Saturn is used to feeling out of place, so that was no big deal. The biggest difference was the size of the homes. No trailers in Jamestown; only million dollar homes. And a shore house. The best shore house on the coast. It has undergone some changes from the time when the Murphy clan overran it, but it still is recognizable. Hopefully, we'll figure out how to put picture on here so you can see the changes yourself. There's a huge dock and the inside is full of fancy furniture. I still love it though. We are very grateful to Grandma and Grandpa for sponsoring the outing.

More good news is that we finally have high-speed internet so posts are going to become much more frequent. I'm serious this time.

Attempt Number 2

2005-11-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

I swear this was a really funny post when I wrote it last week. Obviously I haven't checked back here in the recent past. So now I'll rewrite it so everyone knows what I'm talking about.

My program is very good about letting the teachers take their kids to work. I'm sure this would be very convenient if I was a teacher and my kids had a day off. But because I am a childless teacher, I just spend my time chasing extra kids around. Usually the kids are older and don't know the rules, so they create choas. This wouldn't be so bad if I could just say stop, but because the moms are also teachers, they are always perching there letting the kids do whatever they want. This is not helpful.

The second perchers that I deal with are the moms themselves. Many of them have school in the same building their kids are in so they are always around. This is less of a problem on the average day because they are all terrified of the lead teacher Kathy (just like everyone else in the building), but on field trips the moms let lose. Not only do they perch and allow thier kids to break the rules, they encourage rule-breaking by teaching the kids to not listen. This is also incredibly not helpful for me.

The moral of this post: Give your kids' teachers a break and DON'T PERCH. Also, if you could spread this message around so it has the potential of reaching South Boston I would appreciate it greatly.

The importance of separation between PERCHing and STATE-funded programs

2005-11-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

Weekend with parents = fabulous. Halloween in Braintree = LAME!

2005-10-31T18:57:00.000-05:00

I gave you a quick little preview of our last few days. We were lucky enough to have my parents come and visit us in Beantown and were spoiled rotten. After living in Boston for two months, I had my first (and second) tastes of clam chowdah that did not come out of a can. I could have been living in the ocean with all of the seafood I ate this weekend. You would think this is a common occurrence as we live by the water, but though it is more plentiful, the seafood is definitely not cheap. Seafood was eaten and wine was drunken so basically it was a regular Guilbeault family dinner transported to the East Coast. Wonderful. The only unfortunate part was the weather. Our Saturday trip to Gloucester was interrupted by fulfledged snow. There was at least an inch of snow which was previously predicted to be "a few flurries what would most definitely not stick." It sure stuck alright-- all over the highways we were traversing. Even more annoying is that this 34 degree day was followed by a 67 degree day. Of course, by that time my parents were back on the plane to Appleton. However, a few snowflakes is nothing to complain about after a great weekend.

Something I can complain about though is Halloween Braintree style. Apparently it doesn't exist. No dressing up, no trick or treating, no waiting at the stairs to see which Disney movie is most represented this year. Highly disappointing. Driving through Braintree, Bill and I saw three witches. Bill tried to cheer me by attempting to convince me that a guy in a football jersey was dressed up as a football player and a clearly very old man was just dressed up as an old man. What a good husband. My real fear is that we live in the neighborhood that parents tell their kids they are not allowed to go in even for free candy like the apartments near Bill's Appleton house. For once I was the one saying something would never be like this in Appleton and I'm sticking by it. No trick or treating is like no Santa Clause. They probably don't believe in him here either. Come on Braintree -- have a little holiday spirit.

Adventures in B-Tree

2005-10-18T19:40:00.000-04:00

Bill clearly outdid himself in the last post. Hilarious. I did in fact sit in "no man's land" on the way home today, which inevitably breaks many of Bill's rules. I was in my train neighbor's space and my arms were actually in the air so I could read my book. I decided on my walk home that had that train experienced some emergency that required extended periods of time with those people, I would have had more than one enemy. Good thing I will likely never see them again. Speaking of an emergency, Bill and I saw Braintree deal with one this weekend. While we were doing the laundry at a local laundromat, a tree fell down bringing all sorts of power lines with it. The news had warned of this due to the 8 straight days of rain and high winds. Being the nosy people that we are, Bill and I investigated the scene. Bill was not impressed with the lack of organization and assured me repeatedly that, "this would never happen in Appleton." It took a good 15 minutes for anyone important (electricians, firefighters, police officers) to get to the tree, so there were a lot of confused drivers making the scene even more ridiculous. Once they arrived, the important people stood around and watched one guy (with no protective equipment) pull huge wires from under the tree by hand. Some smart police officer put cones on a street where the cars were supposed to turn to avoid the drama. Apparently though, the residents did not think the cones applied to them and drove right around them, one even being bold enough to move a cone to fit more easily through the space. No news came to cover the emergency because the real reporters are in Boston and could care less what happens in Braintree. However, we did see about 1/3 of the population of the city standing on the corner with us. Interesting folks we live near. Fortunately, half of the city regained electricity so Bill and I were able to finish washing the clothes. The moral of the story: Appleton is better.

Train Etiquette

2005-10-15T14:13:00.000-04:00

Since you all are planning to come visit us sometime, you will most likely have to ride the T. Let me give you a few rules about proper train etiquette.

1. Try to keep all body parts on your seat. This means when you read don't stick you elbows into the person next to you. This also means don't rest one leg on your knee. This causes the bottom of your dirty shoe to be in an inconvenient place for your train neighbor.

2. Along the same lines as rule number 1 try to control as best you can involuntary body movements. This means that when the train comes to a screeching halt, try not let your entire body weight slam into the person next to you.

3. This leads to rule number 3. If you cannot find a seat, you will obviously have to stand. But please don't be that guy who tries to ride the train without holding on to anything. This "train surfer" as they are called have a tendency to end up walking all around the train, usually slamming into or stepping on people's feet. This guy also takes up way more room than most people, and no one wants to stand next to him causing more congestion in other parts of the train.

4. Speaking of seats let's us a little courtesy people. If you have just gotten on the train, and there were already people standing on the train before you got on, they should probably get a seat first. What makes you so important that you need a seat? Don't you think that the person who has already been riding 10 mins longer than you had a hard day and would like to get off their feet as well.

5. It's common courtesy to let people off the train before you get on. It is also common courtesy, although I don't think people know it, to let the people who waited to get on the train because they were letting people off, to get on first. This is my biggest pet peeve. When you are waiting next to the door in line while people file off the train and some asshole walks right between the two lines and gets a seat. DON'T BE THAT GUY.

6. The last no so much a rule, but an observation. Beth is one of the few people who can squeeze in between to people who take up more than their fair share of a seat, if you know what I mean. I am however, not sure why she takes those seats, but Beth nonetheless is a rare exception of people who fit in the no man's land seats.

We can't wait for you to come to Boston, and now you won't be "that guy" on the train.

Another List

2005-10-12T18:25:00.000-04:00

Here are some funny things I learned/realized today. Apparently, it was a very enlightening day.

1. My left-hand ring finger has seen its glory days-- it's all downhill from here.
2. It is NOT a good thing when you are excited to go to work because your boss will be gone all day at a funeral. Good people would be sympathetic.
3. For a person with my beliefs about dinosaurs, I spend much too much time playing with dinosaur figures and completing dinosaur puzzles.
4. Nor'Easters (East Coast storms) can be rain or snow. Now I get to curse them all year round instead of only in winter as I previously thought.
5. Continuing on the weather thought, Bostonians are ridiculous about cold weather. All day I heard people whining about the cold. I walked outside and it was 60 degrees. Put away your winter coats people. This is nothing.
6. I am no longer a Red Sox fans. Dad, Brian, and Kim you can sleep soundly now.

That's all I've got. Hope everyone is doing well.

Weekend on the Cape

2005-10-11T18:41:00.000-04:00

Bill and I had a classy weekend on the Cape. I know you are all impressed with our hoity-toity East Coast living, so I'll bring a little Wisconsin back and have you know that we were camping in a torrential downpour. For those of you who are not aware, the Guilbeaults don't have the best track record for camping. Wet weather, tornadoes, and general unpleasantness seems to accompany most camping trips with or without the neighborhood Scamper. I thought I would leave this legacy behind with the new married name, but the rain does not discriminate. To be fair, it only really rained the last morning we were there and despite the uncooperative weather, we had a grand old time. Bill and I, along with 4 other people volunteering with us this year went to Nickerson State Park. We went hiking and visited the Bay. It was all very pleasant. Bill is definitely a better camper, but only because he's got a few years on me. I didn't make any horrible camping faux pas, although I'm sure Bill would be the only one who would notice if I did. I even proved useful in the cooking arena and overall entertainment -- complaining about and mimicking my boss guarantees laughter. Because Massachusetts is strange, we had yesterday off. It proved a nice day of recovery from our adventures in camping. Even better than all of the above is that a plumber came and fixed our bathtub. Now you can shower while you visit without a foot of water swirling around your feet. If that doesn't sell some of you, I don't know what will.

Desperate Housewife

2005-10-04T19:32:00.000-04:00

Bill teaches a night class twice a week, so on those days I find myself at home... alone. It's a little depressing. I try to fill my time with educational pursuits such as reading and Dr. Phil, but I often end up doing housework. Speaking of housework, there is a strange smell coming from our bathroom/kitchen sink (as they are one in the same), and if anyone could offer me some advice I'd be grateful. But back to my housewife-ism. Dishes and the works wouldn't be so awful if I didn't do it all day long at work. Bill mentioned early that I work for a bit of a control freak. I spend my time preempting her complaints about dirtiness so I won't hear her say, "Now Beth, what I like to do is..." and then explain how to wash a tray. For 13 preschoolers, our classroom is spotless. One of the other teachers is very scared of this lady's cleanliness and thrives on making things perfect for her. Oh, the dynamics of nursery school. At least I have school to entertain me during the day while Bill is at school. I wonder how real housewives survive before children come along. I mean, Dr. Phil is good for an hour, and you could throw in Oprah for an hour too, but after a while you can only handle so much advice. Maybe I'm just a social person and need others to entertain me more than I'd like to admit. Or maybe we just need a dog. I'm going to vote for the dog.

Take me out to the ball game

2005-10-03T16:15:00.000-04:00

Sorry once again about the delay. Bill and I are having major issues with our internet supplier; basically, they are not supplying. Bill is being a very proactive husband and has taken on customer service in the form of mean e-mails and nasty phone calls. Obviously, I am very proud of him. Now on to business. Except for Marquette basketball, and maybe Appleton West sports, I wouldn't say I am a huge sports fan. I attribute this lack to my childhood. It's tough trying to be a Bears fan in fanatical "Packer Country." Cheering on teams thus far has been either cheering with the person I am watching with or cheering against the person I am watching with just to spite them. However, my sports worldview is starting to change. My life has been simplified leaving the Packers back in Wisconsin. I am guaranteed time with Bill on Sunday that does not include conversations with the televised Brett Favre. The news has also been free of all Packer references. Being purged of the my childhood influences and the Packers has given me time to appreciate the better things in life... the Red Sox. I will freely admit that I only like them because they are good and I also admit that Boston is beyond fanatical about their team. But something about them being in the classy East makes their pride endearing rather than obnoxious. Also, Johnny Damon is quite good looking, which doesn't hurt anything. I am such a fan, I almost bought a $5 Red Sox shirts yesterday. If that doesn't prove my loyalty, I don't know what does. I even visited the Boston Red Sox webpage, but I haven't decided yet if that was genuine research, or research with the goal of impressing Bill with my random Red Sox knowledge. For some reason, Bill never finds that game as much fun as I do. So anyway, I consider myself a legitimate fan now and therefore have the right to say: GO RED SOX!

Boy Have We Got a Deal For You

2005-09-25T17:58:00.000-04:00

Come one, come all. Hurry, hurry, hurry. Now that Beth and I are all settled in we are accepting reservations. You get a spectacular futon to sleep on in our tiny living room, and maybe a little food to eat. You can enjoy a wonderful 10 min walk to the T stop each morning starting at 7 am. After which you will enjoy a 30-50 min action packed train ride. Following the train ride you have the option of taking the Beth or Bill route. If you choose the Beth route you get an action packed day with thirteen 3-5 year olds and one control freak. If you choose the Bill route you can meet people from all over the world and have a delightfully boring conversation with the boss. If your lucky and you come on a Tuesday or Wednesday and you take the Bill route can spend an entire 12 hours there. In the evening you will again have an action packed train ride and picturesque walk home. You get all this for only 2 or 3 good bottles of wine. This is an amazing deal and won't last long. Dates are filling up fast. So call today 781-848-2836 to book this amazing deal.

Marriage

2005-09-21T18:30:00.000-04:00

My life changed very dramatically about 2 minutes ago. I answered the phone because Bill is teaching a night class and experienced my first telemarketer call as a wife. This was strange on many levels. First, the caller did not immediately become apparent as a solicitor without the "Is Mr. or Mrs. Guil..." followed by a long pause that I am used to. Second, once determining it to be a telemarketer, I used to have the power to decide if I should actually pass the phone to one of my parents, or pretend they were not home. In this instance I was immediately angry that I now have a easily pronoucable name that does not filter real calls and in such a state, I got caught in a trap of not wanting to interrupt the nice man. While he did his thing, I contemplated how I am a Mrs. now. No more pawning off solicitors to my mom and making her deal with them. It's funny what makes marriage seem real. You may think that standing in front of a huge church with a big white dress would do it, but no, telemarketers help me to feel married. Who knew they could be so helpful.

SO sorry!

2005-09-20T18:30:00.000-04:00

I apologize whole-heartedly that some of you seem to need this Blog so desperately, that you do not understand the hours of contemplation that goes into each and every post. Actually, the real issue is that Bill is lacking in this posting while I am trying to deal with the reality that I am losing intellectual prowess daily. I fear someday in the near future, nursery school-isms will begin to enter into my everyday speech. Believe me this is not a good thing. Having a mother that slips into elementary language because of years on the job is understandable. A 22 year-old repeating the phrases "OOO... I'm sorry it's my turn now" and "Quiet hand please" is far less acceptable. However, I must be doing well in the classroom, because I am gaining responsibilities left and right. Now in addition to preparing snacks and placing resting mats, I am allowed to lysol the tables and use the computer. I still haven't earned phone privileges, but all in good time. Because it appears I was reprimanded by my own blood (whose last initial mysteriously changed), I am now going to attempt to write less, but more frequently. Now if I could only get that husband of mine to write...

Back again

2005-09-12T16:37:00.000-04:00

Bill and I are now contributing members of society. We started orientation for work last week and had our first official day today.

Here's a short recap of orientation.
I met more Sisters (in the nun sense) than I ever have in my life. They are, for the most part, liberal activist Sisters, but Sisters none-the-less. All of them are very Boston with an undeniable South Boston twist. Bill is now Bill Hanna-r at work. The funniest part is that all of the Sisters have ridiculously Irish names as South Boston is HUGELY Irish. Bill works for Sr. Maureen O'Brien (one of three Maureens in the building) and I work for Sr. Jean Sullivan. It's great; I feel like a student in a Catholic boarding school circa 1940.

My first day was uneventful. I am working at a learning center where mothers can get their GEDs, and then find resources to go on to further schooling or get a job. The mothers receive free child care, which is were I come in. The center offers an infant room, toddler room, and a Montesorri Nursery School. I'm in the preschool with 13 3-6 years olds and 3 other teachers. It gets a little chaotic, but it's fun. The kids like to copy the teachers, so today everyone called everyone "Honey." Four year olds calling 50 year old ladies "Honey" is quite entertaining. I have some very important duties such as preparing the snack and getting the resting mats ready, so obviously I am extremely valuable to the classroom.

Because this post was a little too reporter-like for my taste, I've decided to include a list of Boston words and phrases that I hate.

1. Carriage for shopping cart. It is not pulled by horses.
2. Pocketbook for purse. Just an unappealing word all together.
3. Evactuation Day for St. Patrick's Day. The evacuation of the British from
Boston is much less remarkable than a holiday supporting leprechaun.
4. Wicked for every adjective ever.
5. Breakdown lane for the shoulder of a highway. This is a huge trick because
during rush-hour people can actually drive in the breakdown lane.
6. Pissah for bathroom. Gross.
7. Rubbish for garbage. Where are we? England?
8. Rotary for traffic roundabouts. AKA death traps because the yields are
apparently optional.

I'm sure this list will continue to grow. I'll keep you posted.

What you REALLY want to know...

2005-09-06T17:12:00.000-04:00

Bill is so business when writing his posts. My goal is to give you the information that is perhaps less important in our daily lives, yet far more important in the scheme of things. With that understood, I've put together for your enjoyment, a list of 3 of the funniest things I've discovered about the Braintree/Boston area. Here goes...

1. The very first two things Bill and I did when getting to Braintree were register to vote and get library cards (figures, government major meets english major). While Bill was asking government-related questions, I found a local magazine type thing. Flipping through, I notice that in the for sale category, no joke, were goats. Yes, Bill and I have access to goats. So in case any of you are interested, just let us know.

2. The cottage game that Bill and I joked about selling (swing golf I think it's called) has made an appearance in Braintree. To impress our neighbors and to show them that fun doesn't always have to cost money, Bill and I created our own lawn game that is now dubbed, "The Wisconsin Secret".

3. I am quite confident in saying that while standing on any corner in the greater Boston area, you will be standing within a one block distance of a Dunkin Donuts. I have never seen a city consume so many doughnuts and coffee drinks. Unbelievable.

That's all I've got for now. We miss you all. Think about coming to visit... we've got goats AND Dunkin Donuts!

Quick update

2005-09-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

We moved most of our stuff in yesterday. The couch, entertainment center, and box spring didn't fit however. Luckily the was an entertainment center left up there. We may try one more time to get the couch up, otherwise we will try and sell it and buy a smaller one. We are hoping we can store the box spring at Beth's Great Aunt Nancy's house. Our new address is 81 Hancock St. Apt. #3 (in the attic) Braintree, MA 02184. We are in the process of getting phone and internet to our apartment we'll let you know when we do.
~Bill

IN BOSTON

2005-08-30T19:23:00.000-04:00

We made it, we're in Boston. Well, not exactly we are really in Wakefield, which is about 16 miles North of Boston, at the Best Western until we can get into our apartment. Our apartment is the other good news; we got one. We left Appleton on Sunday, August 28th at 6:00pm not knowing where we were going. We drove straight through execpt for a one hour nap near Rochester, NY. As we entered MA, we got a call from the realtor, the same realtor who called Saturday afternoon to say the landlord of our Quincy apartment passed on us because we didn't make enough money, but we were all set for our apartment in Braintree, MA. Tomorrow we will sign the lease and should be moved in by Thursday.

Anybody out there?

2005-08-25T21:04:00.000-04:00

We are more than a little disappointed in the lack of communication from "out there." To remedy this situation, we decided to create a non-generic post that may get the ball rolling. Here's a little glimpse into our married life so far...
Bill and Beth -- Married Couple
Lately, Bill's life has consisted mostly of shuttling himself back and forth from his two pools on his moped. Being the good wife that I am, I bring him lunch and visit him once in a while. When not following Bill to the pools, I can be found cleaning, cooking, and packing. In other words, I am a domestic goddess. However, I have not taken to this role well and spend more time complaining about my current lot that acting upon it. My mom says it's my "transitional period," so I think I pretty much have free reign resisting action. By the way, we still have no home in Boston, but we'll let you know as soon as we do. Remember, we're in a "transitional period."

You found us!

2005-08-16T02:50:00.000-04:00

Bill and I are officially married. Officially married without an official address or an official phone number. That's why we created this blog. We want all of you to know what's going on with the newest Hanna family. We are also going to attempt to woo you all to Boston to visit us. We hope this makes you feel closer to us and us closer to you. Make sure to keep checking back... fanatically.