Like a fine wine

So, yesterday was my first day at Milwaukie H.S.

Wow, is it trippy to be back in high school!

And hilarious!

I was mistaken for a student three times, once before school even started. Suh-weet! I'm 25 but still can be mistaken for a 16 yr old? I'm down with that. Not that I want to look like a teeny-bopper, but hey, if I can be mistaken for a 26 yr old when I'm 35, I'll be thankful.

One strange phenomenon got me laughing. When I was in high school, I mostly hung out with the not-so-popular crowd. That's not to say I was an uber-dork, but the Drama Club isn't that high up on the social ladder at most high schools. But I was happy where I was and had great friends.
So yesterday, right before third period, I went down to talk to another teacher that I now will be working with. He teaches 10th grade Biology. We chatted for a few minutes while students filed in, and I asked him where I could sit. "Anywhere you can find a seat!" he said... and immediately a sharply-dressed young Sophomore exclaimed "You can sit by me!" I introduced myself and thanked her for the seat, to which she replied, "Are you a sophomore?"

Now, I realize that it's sad for me to be happy that I would now fit in with the "cool" crowd in high school. Really, it's pathetic. But that's not really what tickles me. What I'm really pleased about is that my kick-assedness has been steadily growing in the seven years I've been out of school. And now it's finally being recognized! I don't dress like a soon-to-be science/math teacher, only slightly less nerdy in appearance than the elementary school librarian. Thank goodness.












In related news, I'm pretty much freaked out about the next three months. The teachers I managed to sign on with are superb, friendly, and helpful, and the classes couldn't be better. Really, this is an ideal situation that both myself and my supervisor are very pleased about.
...but the fact that I don't have a Biology degree will really hit me hard. I'll be teaching Biology 1, and technically, I'll be teaching charter school kids. They don't have a book, and the teacher makes up the class as he goes. This means I'll have to draw straight from my knowledge, with almost nothing as a guide. Also, the other class I'll be teaching is a Biology Tech class, Bio 2. Those kids probably know more Biology than I do. I haven't taken any class beyond Bio 1. Now, I chose to take on that class, but I am feeling overwhelmed. Oh, and I'll be doing an Algebra lesson here or there as well... which I can handle, but that leaves me with pretty much no prep period. *sigh* Bring it on, I guess.

Am I going to drown?

Old school

Newness

New place...




























New hair...



















New specs...

















...and new placement: Milwaukie High School, Biology 2.
PS: I told James to "think fondly of me" while posing for the camera.

Astonishing!

I was completely flabbergasted to discover last night that not only is a Platypus a freak of nature because it's a mammal that has a bill, lays eggs, and has funny flipper feet, but also for a plethora of other freakish reasons. Listen up:

It is one of the few venemous mammals; the male Platypus has a spur on the hind foot which delivers a poison capable of causing severe pain to humans.

Unlike a bird's beak (in which both the upper and lower parts of the beak separate to reveal its mouth), the snout of the Platypus is a sensory organ with the mouth on the underside. The nostrils are located on the dorsal surface of the snout while the eyes and ears are located in a groove set just back from it; this groove is closed when swimming.

Modern Platypus young have three-cusped molars which they lose before or just after leaving the breeding burrow; adults have heavily keratinised pads in their place.

Monotremes are the only mammals known to have a sense of electroreception: they locate their prey in part by detecting electric fields generated by muscular contractions. The Platypus' electroreception is the most sensitive of any monotreme.

The female Platypus has a pair of ovaries but only the left one is functional.
Although possessing mammary glands, the Platypus lacks teats. Instead, milk is released through pores in the skin. There are grooves on her abdomen that form pools of milk, allowing the young to lap it up.

In 2004, researchers at the Australian National University discovered the Platypus has ten sex chromosomes, compared to two (XY) found in most other mammals (for instance, a male Platypus is always XYXYXYXYXY). Furthermore, one of the Platypus' Y chromosomes shares genes with the ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes found in birds. It lacks the mammalian sex-determining gene SRY, meaning that the process of sex determination in the Platypus remains unknown.

Click to read the article at Wikipedia.

Eat it!

Pineapple shortly marinated in vanilla rum, sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar, and grilled to perfection. Served over pound cake and topped with whipped cream. Oh my!















Thank you hubby!