I just stumbled across JPG Magazine. Nice eye candy and before each issue, they allow people to submit photos on several themes and then choose those that get the most votes.
Those chosen receive $100 and sometimes an extra gift.
Sadly, photos must be at least 2200 pixels tall or wide and my camera won't take pictures that big! *sigh* Another reason to get a new camera when I go back to the US.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
More photos
I just got back from a fun couple of days in Cairo. No new pics from that, but I did finally get around to uploading some old pics.
They're in my Picasa albums. Unfortunately, they load a bit slowly so be patient!
They're in my Picasa albums. Unfortunately, they load a bit slowly so be patient!
Squirrels!
Did you know that squirrels are omnivores?
I learned that little tidbit this morning while reading Margaret Visser's The Way We Are. Great book! It basically gives the background for everday things like objects, foods, and customs.
I learned that little tidbit this morning while reading Margaret Visser's The Way We Are. Great book! It basically gives the background for everday things like objects, foods, and customs.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Before the weekend
Time to get a bit of sleep before an early bus to Cairo. Once there, I'll go to church, on a walking tour through the old Coptic part of town, then a sailboat ride on the Nile.
And that's all before it gets dark!! I still have to figure out plans for the evening and Saturday morning!
And that's all before it gets dark!! I still have to figure out plans for the evening and Saturday morning!
Guilty Pleasures...
Okay, I admit it! I just watched the movie Ali G Indahouse on TV and really laughed at parts of it! *laugh*
Yeah, I guess advertising and news about the Borat movie suckered me in!
Yeah, I guess advertising and news about the Borat movie suckered me in!
Sahlab Recipe
Under the heading of "good timing", David asked for a recipe for Sahlab. Well, that's funny because the past 2 days in one of my classes, we have been talking about food, cooking, ingredients, and recipes. I love it when things go together like that! *grin*
I found a good Sahlab recipe online, but I'll just say that I strongly recommend adding in maybe 10-20 raisins per glass (depending on how big they are and how much you like raisins) and that chunks of peanuts can be used instead of pistachios. Also, note the last comment about sprikling a bit of coconut on top.
I found a good Sahlab recipe online, but I'll just say that I strongly recommend adding in maybe 10-20 raisins per glass (depending on how big they are and how much you like raisins) and that chunks of peanuts can be used instead of pistachios. Also, note the last comment about sprikling a bit of coconut on top.
Quiz Time!
No, not for you -- for my students!!!
I'm off to give my first quiz for the current term. Wish them luck!
I'm off to give my first quiz for the current term. Wish them luck!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Last night's sound and light show
"It was a dark and stormy night."
*snicker*
This brought back memories of a book/contest my friend David once talked about...
Ah, I love random neurons firing in the brain!
*snicker*
This brought back memories of a book/contest my friend David once talked about...
Ah, I love random neurons firing in the brain!
News from Tanta
I got word this week that the married couple who were scheduled to come here and teach after I leave will _not_ be coming. Too bad...that'll make it tough for the students, my director and the other teachers here.
Please pray for this situation.
Also, pray for this married couple as they look into what they will do next...
Please pray for this situation.
Also, pray for this married couple as they look into what they will do next...
A new spin...
Tonight, I had discovered a new spin on an old favorite.
The weather is starting to turn chilly at night, so that means coffee places are shifting over to their winter drinks. One of my favorites (aside from hot chocolate) is something called Sahlib. It's a thick, slightly sweet milk drink with raisins and sometimes peanuts.
Well, today they added cinammon! Yum! I'm sold!
The weather is starting to turn chilly at night, so that means coffee places are shifting over to their winter drinks. One of my favorites (aside from hot chocolate) is something called Sahlib. It's a thick, slightly sweet milk drink with raisins and sometimes peanuts.
Well, today they added cinammon! Yum! I'm sold!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
New Pictures!
Yes, a long-awaited pictures update! It was the last day of the month and I still had quota left for uploading on Flickr, so I put up a bunch. Still waiting for pics from last week's trip...so you'll have to make due with pictures from September and early October. Check out the first page and then the first few on page 2.
Thunder!
No...I'm not having an AC/DC moment. *grin*
We just had a short rain shower, complete with some rumbling thunder and I believe one flash of lightning! A great belated Halloween present from the Guy upstairs! *smile*
(and very funny, considering I talked about thunder and lightening today in class, but said that it doesn't happen very often in Egypt!)
While typing this, it's turned into a full-on downpour...complete with 8 more pops of lightning (and counting) in about 5 minutes. Dogs are barking and people are waking up to pull their laundry in. I've just gone to battery power, on the off chance that there's a power surge.
I am officially one happy camper! I'm tempted to go out and play in the rain, but a) the streets are dirty and gross and b) with the pollution, the rain gets dirty as it falls *eww*
We just had a short rain shower, complete with some rumbling thunder and I believe one flash of lightning! A great belated Halloween present from the Guy upstairs! *smile*
(and very funny, considering I talked about thunder and lightening today in class, but said that it doesn't happen very often in Egypt!)
While typing this, it's turned into a full-on downpour...complete with 8 more pops of lightning (and counting) in about 5 minutes. Dogs are barking and people are waking up to pull their laundry in. I've just gone to battery power, on the off chance that there's a power surge.
I am officially one happy camper! I'm tempted to go out and play in the rain, but a) the streets are dirty and gross and b) with the pollution, the rain gets dirty as it falls *eww*
Now That's Scary!!!
Today, someone in Egypt visited my Blog and spent 1 hour and 50 minutes reading through 57 different pages. What the heck? Even my Mom doesn't spend that much time reading my Blog!!! *grin*
From the stats, it also appears that the same person (?) also visited yesterday and poked around for nearly an hour.
Um...maybe I should be careful with what I write here b/c I think I'm being watched by "the man". *laugh*
Or if you were this mysterious visitor, please leave a comment! At the very least, I presume you weren't bored with what you read!
From the stats, it also appears that the same person (?) also visited yesterday and poked around for nearly an hour.
Um...maybe I should be careful with what I write here b/c I think I'm being watched by "the man". *laugh*
Or if you were this mysterious visitor, please leave a comment! At the very least, I presume you weren't bored with what you read!
Climate Change from an Economist's point-of-view
Today, from the BBC:
"A report by economist Sir Nicholas Stern suggests that global warming could shrink the global economy by 20%. But taking action now would cost just 1% global gross domestic product."
-- I guess the "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" idea is still true.
Read the full article: Climate change fight 'can't wait'
"A report by economist Sir Nicholas Stern suggests that global warming could shrink the global economy by 20%. But taking action now would cost just 1% global gross domestic product."
-- I guess the "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" idea is still true.
Read the full article: Climate change fight 'can't wait'
Best Halloween Card...ever!
I just got this link from a student. Usually, they send junk but this one is really a treasure!
Make your own Jack-o'-Lantern!
(and yes, that's spelled correctly! Much to my surprise, you have an apostrophe and a hyphen there)
While searching for the correct spelling, I also checked Wikipedia to see if there was information about the source of the name. Of course, there's an explanation, even if it is without references.
Make your own Jack-o'-Lantern!
(and yes, that's spelled correctly! Much to my surprise, you have an apostrophe and a hyphen there)
While searching for the correct spelling, I also checked Wikipedia to see if there was information about the source of the name. Of course, there's an explanation, even if it is without references.
A Halloween Card for you...
Great holiday! I love it!
Yesterday, I talked with 1 of my groups about Halloween and showed them some spooky things I have. Today, I'll share things (including pictures of my nieces in costumes) with another group! On Wednesday, I'll pass my goodies on to one of the other teachers b/c she asked if she could use them to talk about Halloween! *grin*
There's a lesson in one of our books that talks about celebrations/holidays and the example in the conversation is Halloween! What fun!
Now...for your viewing pleasure, a Halloween Card! Enjoy!
Yesterday, I talked with 1 of my groups about Halloween and showed them some spooky things I have. Today, I'll share things (including pictures of my nieces in costumes) with another group! On Wednesday, I'll pass my goodies on to one of the other teachers b/c she asked if she could use them to talk about Halloween! *grin*
There's a lesson in one of our books that talks about celebrations/holidays and the example in the conversation is Halloween! What fun!
Now...for your viewing pleasure, a Halloween Card! Enjoy!
Happy Halloween (part 1)
It's now Halloween!!! This is one of my favorite holidays, so I'll be posting lots of stuff today.
For starters, you can watch a great video of someone telling the story of The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service. Have you ever heard of it? I was introduced to this tale at our recent MCC fall retreat and it's a good one!
It's interesting that the tone of this tale can be changed drastically from one teller to the next. When I heard it the first time, it was done in a sort of silly, goofy way. But with this guy's voice and sound effects, it's a bit spooky!
For starters, you can watch a great video of someone telling the story of The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service. Have you ever heard of it? I was introduced to this tale at our recent MCC fall retreat and it's a good one!
It's interesting that the tone of this tale can be changed drastically from one teller to the next. When I heard it the first time, it was done in a sort of silly, goofy way. But with this guy's voice and sound effects, it's a bit spooky!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Find me on Technorati
I was looking through the statistics for this Blog today and noticed some odd new locations for visitors -- Israel and "unknown country". So, I guessed that some website was linking to me.
Well, it seems that right now if you search on Technorati.com for "Ban the bulb" and "FotoTagger", you find a link to some of my Blog entries. That's how these new people were finding me! Funny! I hope they liked what they saw!
Well, it seems that right now if you search on Technorati.com for "Ban the bulb" and "FotoTagger", you find a link to some of my Blog entries. That's how these new people were finding me! Funny! I hope they liked what they saw!
Teach for America!
I just found an interesting program that I think I'll apply for. It's called Teach for America and essentially, they find qualified college grads to teach in rural or urban settings where it's difficult to find teachers.
No certificiation required! You take courses and tests while teaching to earn your certification. The program is for 2 years, during which time you get your regular salary from the school, plus possibly additional funding through Teach for America that goes toward future Graduate School costs.
From the timelines I see, it looks like I want to submit my application on November 6th. So...between now and then, I need to contact people who will be references and also people who will write letters of recommendation.
Fun, fun, fun!!!
No certificiation required! You take courses and tests while teaching to earn your certification. The program is for 2 years, during which time you get your regular salary from the school, plus possibly additional funding through Teach for America that goes toward future Graduate School costs.
From the timelines I see, it looks like I want to submit my application on November 6th. So...between now and then, I need to contact people who will be references and also people who will write letters of recommendation.
Fun, fun, fun!!!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Free-diving?
Something new to me in Dahab this trip was seeing people practicing their free-diving. Wacky stuff! They caught my attention b/c one day when we were out snorkeling, I saw people wearing a mermaid-type tail, instead of normal flippers. Apparently, that's part of their gear!
As it turns out, there's a professional free-diver named Lotta Ericson who lives in Dahab, runs a few businesses and practices when she can.
Dang! This is one of the most amazing things I've ever encountered. The amount of time these people can hold their breath and how far down they can go is astonishing!!!!
As it turns out, there's a professional free-diver named Lotta Ericson who lives in Dahab, runs a few businesses and practices when she can.
Dang! This is one of the most amazing things I've ever encountered. The amount of time these people can hold their breath and how far down they can go is astonishing!!!!
Interesting people!
I still don't have pictures, but I'm finally getting around to writing a bit more about things last week.
Of course, I did fun stuff...but as usual, my trip came down to people. And I met some great ones!
I went with 2 Mennonite friends from Canada who are living in Egypt and I met them there. It was really fun to have people to travel with. Our plan was to have a double for my friend Ryan and I, then a single for April. However, when we got off the bus, we met a young woman who was staying at our hotel (Penguin Hotel and Dive Center), so she and April ended up sharing the room.
Christine was great fun! She hung out with us quite a bit and quite often became the center of attention at the Penguin restaurant in the evenings. Why? Well...she is a belly-dancer! *laugh* After studying for awhile in Canada, she decided that the next step was to check things out in Turkey and Egypt. This is the end of her time, so she wanted to hit the beach! Lucky us!
On top of that, we also met some teachers from 2 different international schools in Cairo. Fun folks! We were thrown together in a micro-bus to go on a big hiking trip and they definitely kept us laughing! *grin*
Now here's where it gets weird! 2 of them teach at the American International School in Cairo, the same place my bosses' older daughter goes! On top of that, 1 of the guys was from Charlotte, Michigan!
Of course, I did fun stuff...but as usual, my trip came down to people. And I met some great ones!
I went with 2 Mennonite friends from Canada who are living in Egypt and I met them there. It was really fun to have people to travel with. Our plan was to have a double for my friend Ryan and I, then a single for April. However, when we got off the bus, we met a young woman who was staying at our hotel (Penguin Hotel and Dive Center), so she and April ended up sharing the room.
Christine was great fun! She hung out with us quite a bit and quite often became the center of attention at the Penguin restaurant in the evenings. Why? Well...she is a belly-dancer! *laugh* After studying for awhile in Canada, she decided that the next step was to check things out in Turkey and Egypt. This is the end of her time, so she wanted to hit the beach! Lucky us!
On top of that, we also met some teachers from 2 different international schools in Cairo. Fun folks! We were thrown together in a micro-bus to go on a big hiking trip and they definitely kept us laughing! *grin*
Now here's where it gets weird! 2 of them teach at the American International School in Cairo, the same place my bosses' older daughter goes! On top of that, 1 of the guys was from Charlotte, Michigan!
Strange Daze!
I feel like I've been in a daze, ever since getting back from my trip. My sleeping schedule is all messed up -- even worse than it was before I left! *sigh* Hopefully this week, I can get it back to some degree of normalcy again!
Classes are going well. I might try to have an extra class with some of my groups on Thursday, to make up for the classes we missed last week.
Today, I had a day of prayer and fasting. A friend in Cairo suggested it last night and it seemed like a good idea, given all that I've been thinking of lately. I can't say that I got an "answer", but I got . . . something today. I'm just not sure yet what it was. Time will tell.
Still hoping to write out some stories from last week, but I don't have any pictures yet to go with them...
Classes are going well. I might try to have an extra class with some of my groups on Thursday, to make up for the classes we missed last week.
Today, I had a day of prayer and fasting. A friend in Cairo suggested it last night and it seemed like a good idea, given all that I've been thinking of lately. I can't say that I got an "answer", but I got . . . something today. I'm just not sure yet what it was. Time will tell.
Still hoping to write out some stories from last week, but I don't have any pictures yet to go with them...
Just trying to get caught up
Looking at homework today from my students and trying to get ready to teach tonight. Hopefully, I'll be able to get there early to put up some Halloween decorations!! *grin*
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