Meta-blog

I've been searching for a common theme for this blog.  You know, the theme that sort of ties the blog together.  There are travel blogs and DIY blogs and .gif blogs with hilarious images where readers are like:

Reader: "Why would I read this blog?  Oh, because I love to travel too!"

or

Reader: "I love fish tanks, I'm so glad there's a website dedicated to the tutorial of how to make interesting tanks!"

or

Reader: "This person is hilarious, I want to be her."

Instead, my blog is a mishmash of life-bits and pictures.  I keep searching for a theme.  I don't want to turn this into a wedding blog just because I spend a lot of my free time on pinterest, browsing the many details of wedding planning.  I am failing at cooking blogs because really, I'm just a recipe-following cook in the kitchen.  I failed at an exercise blog because, honestly, I don't do anything remotely interesting fitness-wise (although I did run this morning in 10 degree weather with snow on the ground).

It's also this time of year that I start to think of New Years Resolutions which always leads me to think about my hobbies.  I have a lot of hobbies.  I talked to one of the teachers I work with and I asked her if she had any hobbies and she said she didn't have time to have hobbies because being a teacher is a lot of work.  I felt bad, because I don't like giving up my hobbies.  I think my hobbies are what make me an interesting person to talk to and to spend time with.  I also always want to try out new hobbies, which leaves me with even less time.

So today, I started to crochet a shawl.

There is no point to this blog entry today, other than to blog about what I should be blogging.  This blog took an existential turn on me.

NaNoWriMo

I got to substitute in a Creative Writing class today.  I know, this is like super far from the mathematics realm, but it was kind of nice to experience because almost everything about a writing class is different from a math class.  In writing classes, there are rubrics, there is the cooperation of creative and linguistic endeavors, and students spend long classes working independently.  In math classes, there are example problems, practice, reviews, formulas, theories, application of vocabulary in a numerical context, and problem solving.

The students in this class were instructed to write a 10 minute play about anything they desired.  The only cavet?  They needed to use at least three forms of persuasion (bribery, flattery, praise, threats, blackmail, pleading/begging, positive/negative emotional appeal).  While I was walking around, convincing students to keep on task and to work on their assignment, I realized how much I really missed writing creatively.  I mean, that's what draws me to having a blog.  I started getting into the concept of having a blog when I was working on math assignments non-stop, and all I wrote about all day were proofs.  I grew tired of that very specialized form of creativity; writing proofs takes thought and cleverness, but it's reason and logic, not emotion and dramatization.  I missed it.  

Since I no longer have math assignments or teaching assignments to do, I really want to spend some time this month writing creatively.  When I was brainstorming today, I found out what NaNoWriMo is and now one of my friends' facebook statuses make a ton of sense.  NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.  I thought my friend was talking baby-talk or something crazy like that.  I really should ask more questions when I think absurd things.  Anyway, I think NaNoWriMo is in November, so I missed it this year.  But maybe I can do some work and get my future students involved in this concept in 2013, despite being a math teacher?

Engaged

I got engaged this weekend!  It's real!  It happened!  It's taking me awhile to realize that this ring I am wearing is mine and I'm going to get married to my best friend!  Whaaaaaat.

The whole proposal ordeal was beautiful and special and everything a girl asks for; Nick did a really great job :)  Nick proposed at Beaver Point (not the real name of the place... I'm not sure it has a real name) and I cried and it was the most perfect ring and everything.  Then a random jogger went by and I blurted out that I just got engaged and he said congratulations and I felt bad because I told a random stranger first instead of like, my parents or Nick's parents.  This is my life.

I also finished all my school work so I should be starting my student teaching in January!  I was so excited that I didn't have a lot to do today so I decorated my fridge to look like a snowman.  Isn't he cute?  This is what happens when I'm looking up ideas for a wedding on pinterest and then I realize "hey, I can do that unrelated project in like 10 minutes".... so I did.

I also put up strings of lights around my apartment, so it's getting really festive in here.  I'm getting a little sad because I didn't really want to travel this Christmas but I think it'll be a good idea to see both my family and Nick's family since we just got engaged.  I don't know why I feel like a homebody right now.  I have the rest of my life to sit at home and snuggle with my cat.  So maybe I am excited to go on vacation then :)  Or I'm going to try to be!