This weekend I read Mockingjay, the third and final book of The Hunger Games trilogy.

I read the last words. Closed the book. And as I sat there looking at the cover all I could think to say was "Wow."

I love this job.

Me: "Today we're going to look at some inventions..."

Class: "Groan"

A Student: "Awesome! Inventions are cool!"

I tell A Student: "Gold Star!"
(this means he can pick anything out of my 'Gold Star' bucket, including candy)

A Student: "REALLY?!"

Me: "Yep. You get a Gold Star for having a positive attitude!"

A Student gets a piece of candy, pops it in his mouth.

A Student says: "Mmm a Positive Attitude sure tastes good"

-------------------

Love. It.

I was using MAMP to turn my computer into a server - so I could set up the Joomla site and test it out before going live. Eventually it'll go onto the school's Mac Server OS X server.

After MUCH aggravation and several different tutorials I finally got MAMP and Joomla both up and running. Apparently all I needed to do was set up a database. Do I feel stupid? Yes.

Oh well. Live and learn.

Now I just need to figure out how to run the back-end of Joomla. There's a guy at work who says he's worked a lot with Joomla and he's offered his assistance. I'm taking it! I only have so much patience and I've got to save most of it for the kiddos.

Froyd: Thanks for the input on MySQL. I'll go a hunting :)

Foreign Languages?

Hmm....

While I was home my uber-tech-smart-web-builder Uncle gave me a crash course in database-driven websites and introduced me to SQL. This week I discovered that my District is heading towards all database-driven websites, using MySQL/Mamp/Joomla.

I'm supposed to build at least 1 from the ground up.

I spent 3 hours last night trying to figure out how to set up Mamp and Joomla to work together... not sure if I'm messing up on the Mamp end or the Joomla end....

And if you understand anything I'm talking about can you let me know??? Cuz I'm pretty sure you know a LOT more than me:( 

I also need to find a good book/source for MySQL commands...

My life definitely won't be boring this year.

First sign of fall last night:

Also, Part 1 and 2 of "Byron Phillips: Found" starring Zachary Levi. Watch and love :)

Byron Phillips: Found Part 1 w/ Zachary Levi from Joel David Moore

Byron Phillips: Found Part 2 w/ Zachary Levi from Joel David Moore

Trip Details

I'm finally getting around to posting about my trip to the fiber retreat in NM and our stay in Roswell, NM.

The fiber retreat was a TON of fun. Mom and I used to go to one or two of those a year - when I still lived in Texas. When I moved to MN it just wasn't possible (logistically or financially) for me to continue going on retreats in TX and NM. We did manage to go to one in Canada - right before I moved to CO.

Thanks to Mom's prodding, I entered some of my handspun yarn in the yarn judging contest. I chose the skein of alpaca I spun at the Alpaca Days - the one where I sat and demonstrated to the guests and the alpaca ranch GAVE me the fiber....


And the results?



Yup. That's a BLUE ribbon! Guess Mom was right.... aren't they usually?



On the way back we (Mom, Aunt M and I) stopped in Roswell, NM.





Where we stopped at the UFO Museum and Research Center.




Strange but true... twice in the night the alarm radio next to my bed woke me up with that crazy buzzy/static sound they do sometimes.... and it was off... and mom was asleep... and I'm really not making it up. Was kinda creepy and totally Roswellian.


Back home - unpacking and organizing my fiber business.


BTW: Went grocery shopping today and picked up some MASSIVE green onions - they're locally grown and their scent filled up my entire car on the short drive home.... See:

Educated!

I love my Kaylee dog. I don't think anyone who has seen the two of us together could deny that fact, but if you've met her in the flesh you know she often has an odor. I'm not saying she is the stinkiest thing on four legs, but she's probably second after skunks. Yeah, it's that bad.

In talking with a vet friend of mine this past weekend I learned several things:

1. Dogs hate human perfume/shampoo/scents - they trigger their fear instinct.

2. You shouldn't bath your dog more than about 3 times per year, no matter what shampoo you use. It dries out the dogs hair and skin, causing irritation. And you should NOT use human shampoo on a dog. (woops!)

3. Humans don't like the smells that those glands put off... well I did already know that.

4. There's a product out there for humans that is pleasing to both humans and dogs... Alpha Keri body oil. Yeah, the smell is somewhere between baby powder and "little old lady," but trust me - it's an improvement! You mix 1 part Alpha Keri with 15 parts water and rub it all over your puppy. You can do this every day if needed.

Woops! Happy Belated Anniversary 2 Aspen E!

I've been so distracted lately.... I did think about it when I was on my trip, but didn't have Internet access...

Happy 8th Anniversary to Aspen E Tall As A Tree - as of July 26th :)

Crunch time - last few days of my trip and there's a bunch of people I still need to see.... eep!

6:50 pm = 106 degrees. Did that make you cringe?

had a blast at fiber retreat. learned lots. spending 2nite in Roswell... hope we don't get abducted by aliens - eeep!