Adteacher

There is still plenty of snow on the ground, but I have heard the subtle dripping sounds of the melting snow all afternoon outside my window. I have been so mesmerized with the beauty of this winter blessing. I know that I would doubtless get tired of snow if we had it all the time like they do in the north, but I have really enjoyed our snowfalls this year. The one that came on Christmas eve that was mostly gone by Christmas night was really magical in terms of the timing of it. I remember driving down the street just watching the gorgeous snowflakes coming down right as night fell. I got a very warm and wonderful feeling this year on Christmas eve, and I feel the same way about this snowfall. It was the most snow in one winter event that this area has seen in the history of records of that sort being kept. We received over 8". For those who are used to getting 15" at a time that may not seem like much. For Texas, that is really just unheard of! So weather records were...

It's delightful to get an unexpected wondrous day of snow. It will probably turn out to be a five day break from the routine. Things are not supposed to get better with the snow tomorrow (if the weather forecasters are dependable) so there will be two days of school cancellation likely. Then comes the weekend, and guess what? Monday was a regularly scheduled school holiday for Presidents' Day. Bingo, suddenly it is a five day gap in school. The plus side is that we will all get a chance to recharge, and in the depth of winter, that is a good thing. The slight downside of all this? That probably won't occur to us until June when we are making up snow days. In the slightly oppressive 100 degree weather of mid June. All things considered, I feel that our district was wise in calling school off early. I have already heard that some schools are going to be sending their students home in the middle of the day, some as early as 10:30. That is very difficult on parents who ha...

There is a guy that I have gotten to know better since last school year when he first took my class in the fall semester, and his name is Hunter. (He is trying hard to rock the glasses, but you should know... there is no glass in those frames. I told him not everyone can pull off the lensed look, but I don't blame him for trying. As we all know, glasses are extremely cool.) I asked senior Hunter today to tell me his plans for next year, and I got the answer I expected to get, as I know that he is looking to head a different direction than that of a graphic designer. "As of right now, my future isn’t entirely clear to me. Next year I will be attending Texas Tech University and I am planning on an Advertising major. That could change though. I would like to pursue a career in either Advertising or music." Hunter represents a large section of students who come in to take the class as an elective and wind up choosing a field that is related, but not necessarily graphic des...

It was interesting getting through today to say the least. Usually I'm not much of a complainer. I figure that many people in the world are much worse off than I am in so many ways, it just doesn't make much sense to whine. I have to tell you, it was challenging getting through this day. I've done something to my back, and it hurts like crazy. It almost hurts too badly to be a muscle sprain, it almost feels like a nerve problem. Whatever it is, I have a feeling I will end up in the doctor's office about it. I was on my feet all morning doing presentations at Creek Valley Middle School for their career day, and by the time I left it was pretty bad. I did enjoy being at CVMS though, and I have been asked to come back at another time and speak to the Leap classes about the new Career Center. The Leap teacher was very certain that some of those classes would be a good match for some of her students. It's so much fun for me to get out into the district and meet new peopl...

I don't know why I always get wistful when I see it raining all day. Maybe it's just that old song from the 70s by The Carpenters that seems to play in my head on cold and rainy Mondays. In case you have never heard the beautiful voice of the late Karen Carpenter, you really should. Press play on the video above, and enjoy. Yep, I'm old, but I refuse to apologize for the music that is ingrained in my soul, and this one is. I always think it's kind of a sad song, but it isn't entirely hopeless. It means that Tuesday isn't far away. On to Tuesday! Even if today is kind of dreary and drippy, there is one wonderful thing to celebrate. My daughter turned 19 today, and my son turned 22 last Friday. I am very happy to wish them each a happy birthday, and I am very lucky that they are all so near that I get to see them often. No reason to be sad at all! Turn loose those animated butterflies now!

I am sitting here wondering if I really want to watch the Super Bowl. I have no real interest in the game, but it is a spectacle and I usually watch it no matter what just to see if there is any groundbreaking advertising that will make its debut on the worldwide stage. With less big corporate dollars going to Super Bowl ads and being funneled other directions, my hopes for the standard of the commercials is somewhat lowered. But I always have hope. Speaking of having hope... I am really looking forward to this week. My weekend was kinda lackluster, and I am anxious to get back in the swing of things. I am excited to see how many of the projects get finished tomorrow afternoon, and anxious to get back on track with the school week. So all of you out there who are students, watch out! There is an enthused design teacher on the loose - watching for you to do something great!