The good life

If I could be any non-human animal, I would choose to be a dog. I love that dogs are energetic, affectionate, loyal, intelligent and enthusiastic.
The characteristic that I enjoy most about dogs is that they love to play; additionally, they are ingenuous when it comes to finding toys. Jake has entertained himself quite well with the spray from a sprinkler. Blue can spend hours playing with an old shoe. They love playing tug-of-war with hoses, plastic tubing, sticks and anything else they can find. Even if they can't find a toy, they'll run in circles nipping at each other. I would love to have the freedom to play all day and the ingenuity to turn so many things into toys.

If you got to choose an animal to become, what animal would you choose? What do you appreciate most about this animal? Why would you find life enjoyable as this animal?

Perfection!

Yesterday, Dallas Braden threw a perfect game for the Oakland A's. In the photo above, Dallas and his catcher jump for joy as the final out is made. What is a perfect game? How many have been thrown in the history of Major League Baseball? How was it especially signifcant to Dallas that players wore pink necklaces to raise awareness of the fight against cancer for Mother's Day?

Make sure to answer all of the questions ("I don't know" is not an acceptable answer), and include the source of your information in your comment.

If given the gift of time . . .

If we had one more period we could add to the school day during which you could study whatever subject you wanted, what would you study?

I would love to take a gardening class in which I could learn how to grow a phenomenal flower garden that would feature the best flora upstate New York has to offer.

What did you learn?

Over break I learned how to use a posthole digger (and prybar) to dig holes in really rocky soil. I learned how to use carriage bolts to secure 2x8 boards to 4x4 posts. I also got to practice a couple of things I learned to do while completing previous projects. I practiced mixing and pouring concrete, and hammering lots of nails.

What did you learn over break?

Whew!!!

Portfolios are done!!

You did a fantastic job crafting, editing, and working to perfect the elements of your portfolio and your presentations. If you had one more day, what would you do to make your portfolio or your presentation even better? Feel free to think big on this one.

Outside activities

I hope that everybody had a chance to get out into the great weather this weekend. I love spending chunks of time playing, digging, and planting outside in comfortable weather. I've been working recently to make my yard as beautiful as possible.The dogwood tree, pictured here, are a classic image of springtime here in America (I planted one last fall). Azaleas are very common down south, and can be seen in full bloom beautifying the Masters golf tournament in Georgia. Washington DC is famous for its gorgeous cherry blossoms in the spring, and forsythia are quite common locally. If you are unsure what each looks like, head over to google images and do a little searching.

Of these four spring blooms, which is your favorite? If you could plant the ideal spring garden, which two of the above plants would you be sure to include? Which of the four is your least favorite? Why?

Which will you choose?

You have been walking in the woods for hours. You only meant to take a short walk to clear your head, since you've been really stressed out about your portfolio recently. You inadvertently lost track of where you were going, and now it seems as though you've been walking in cricles. You feel as though you've been here before; if you remember correctly, the last time you tried the left fork. You can't really remember for sure, though. Part of you thinks that maybe you went right last time, and maybe you haven't really been here before - maybe your mind is just playing tricks on you. You're ravenous, and on top of that you're so thirsty that your tongue feels like it's made of cotton and covered in sand.

You really need to make it back to your cabin soon. Not only are you hungry and thirsty, but you can see the sun beginning to descend toward the treetops. Before long it will set. The air will cool, nocturnal predators will come looking for you, and you'll have an even harder time finding your way along the path.

Which direction do you head next? Why?