Absent

I wish I could say it was because of school that I have been absent on my blog for a while. Truth be known, I have not been busy with school at all really. School is really nothing more than the occasional reading assignment, observation, or reflection on my practice and pedagogy. However, there is a reason for why I haven't been doing anything worth blogging about. Lately, I've been swamped with trying to find a new place to live and a job that will allow me to stay in jolly ol' England for a few more years. It shouldn't be as hard as it is, but the new Visa laws make it very very difficult for a wonderful US Citizen such as myself to continue to support the British economy.

I have recently joined a teaching agency in hopes of being better equipped to find a job that suits me. The meeting with the agency advisors last week was incredibly stressful, and I will not relive it by recounting it here. However, I do feel as though there is greater hope for me finding a job since that interview. I am still scanning the web for openings and trying to find ways to beef up my CV. In the middle of all of this, I am also trying to begin my research for my dissertation and stay ahead of the game in this semester's classes.

It sounds like a lot, but, to be completely transparent, it isn't. I feel like more often than not I stress myself out with thoughts about the uncertain future and then become overwhelmed with the desire to crawl into bed and pull the covers up over my head forever. Lucky for me, I've got an amazing support system here in London and back home in the States all cheering me on.

I am sincerely hoping that this will all be sorted out soon so I can stop thinking about it. The thought of my own very first classroom is as exciting as it is nauseating. And yet I know I have to face it sometime. I'd just like to know when and where so I can start preparing myself, that's all. And yes, I know, I'm an insane control freak who is completely incapable of just "letting it be."

On the brighter side, Mom is coming to visit in just 13 days and I couldn't be more excited about it. April will be a whole month of not thinking about school, or the future. I promise to dedicate the entire month of April to happiness found in family, friends, travel, adventure, and relaxation (and, of course, procrastination of the real world).

Lion King!

On Friday I took Patrick for his birthday surprise: a trip to the Lyceum Theatre to see The Lion King! We had dinner in Covent Garden at the White Lion first. Delicious fish and chips for Patrick and amazing lamb shank pie for me. We had ice-cream at "The Icecreamists" in covent garden (a very interesting place) and then went to the theatre to collect the tickets and find our seats.

We sat on the ground floor called the "stalls" near an isle. The show was absolutely amazing. The costumes and stage were what made the show. During "The Circle of Life" song, animals came down the isles toward the stage. It was simply incredible. The stage itself had lots of trap doors and moving parts which made it possible for Pride Rock to literally rise out of the stage floor. Incredible. I have to say, though, that I found it strange to hear little Simba and little Nala talk in a British accents. (Really, the only ones I was okay with having a british accent were Uncle Scar and Zazu, but that's probably because they have accents in the Disney film.) Adult Simba's voice was a bit high pitched and feminine, which made it hard for me to really get into the fighting Uncle Scar scene. Nonetheless, it was amazing. The woman who played Rafiki was definitely my favourite! I swear she was up there speaking real Swahili, and like a good Rafiki should, she provided all of the comical relief.

We had lots of fun and I think Patrick liked his early birthday present. I know I did. 

Equality

With Maryland becoming the most recent state to legalise gay marriage in the US at the beginning of this month, it's got me thinking a lot about the issue. Equality is something that I think many people take for granted, or assume exists completely. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of forms of discrimination alive and well in the good ol' USofA. I saw one of these videos on a friend's Facebook page and decided that it was too important not to share. They bring up a lot of incredible points, and, as they say, knowledge is power. 

Check out this website if you'd like to know more about the documentary that's being made, or if you'd like to donate funds for the cause. The issue is too important, the inequality is too great for it to continue any longer. Knowledge is power, so wise-up y'all and help create change!

My Life's Calling

I'll make this post short and sweet. For the longest time I've felt sure that my life's calling was to be an awesome teacher. You know, inspire little hearts to dream, shape and mold the future, save the world one finger painting at a time, that kind of stuff. But, now I'm being pulled in a new direction. As you know, lately I've been spending approximately 80% of my existence in the kitchen cooking delicious things of all shapes and sorts. It is this new hobby of filling the mouths friends and loved ones with delicious smackerels of yum that has led me to thinking my life would be more fulfilled as a wonderful, loving, apron-wearing, spatula-weilding housewife. Don't get me wrong, I'd still love to win some bread and bring home some bacon (are these food-references too much?)... but what I really think I'd love is to take a few years off and spoil the hell out of my family with some amazing food and a dazzlingly clean house. Is that too 1950s? Do I make all of the hard-working feminists that have come before me roll in their graves? I don't actually care.

The point is, I love cooking. Here's a sample of more mischief I've been cooking up lately.