Here I go again

Hey I thought teachers got the summer off! I'm back at school on Monday and I get students in two weeks. Over my so-called break, I attended an Institute where I learned to prepare my students for college reading, and I was in the Bay area for four days at yearbook camp. So I am prepared to jump right in with a new curriculum, which by the way I will somehow have to fit in with the set curriculum, but I have been assured it will be allright. I am going into this with the sense that my students will hate me, the faculty will pity me, and administration will think I have completely lost my mind this time. I have been assured however that, while initially this may be true, eventually everyone will see my excellent wisdom and will love me, and the new things (work) I have given them to make them stronger and more capable members of society. So, OK, let's do this thing.
I had Zoe and Cloie for three weeks. We did the Zoo, Disneyland (park-hopper), the movies, swam in between these things, and of course the inevitable shopping. Then my son and I drove them home from San Diego to Oregon and back in 2 days.
The hubby and I both have iPods now, and I have learned how to download music from iTunes. I have downloaded some old Canned Heat (cool blues), some old James Gang, and Men at Work. But I find it very cool that I can just find single songs, like "In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry. It may be one of the best one-hit wonders of all time, and the best summer anthem ever. I got a tune from Joan Armatrading, the Flaming Lips, Hothouse Flowers, and I think that's it. I also learned to burn CDs, so I am less technologically challenged. I guess with music I am willing to learn anything to attain it. Music is a huge part of my life, if you hadn't guessed that by now.
I have recently watched Apocalypto, The Last King of Scotland, and the Path Finder, all very frightening films. I need some relief. I did take the girls to see Ratatouille, a very wonderful little film.
I have read absolutely nothing all summer, except assigned portions of Reading Rhetorically. I have caught the Sudoku bug so I play at that. I need to read Lolita for reference to a future assignment as I plan to use Reading Lolita in Tehran as a theme for one of the units I am going to teach that will lead up to the students reading The Great Gatsby. I want my students to see how Gatsby relates to democracy and capitalism. I may even bounce the idea of democracy into several articles about how women in the US feel about wearing the Hajib (veil) while being a patriotic citizen of the US. Very cool stuff.
Well if anyone still reads this thing, hello to you. I'm off again to try to make this place a little bit better, and that takes a little bit of meanness to accomplish. Take care out there.