1A Math Day

Is there a better way to celebrate the science of mathematics than by wearing shapes, patterns, numbers, and identical outfits while eating lots of chocolate? Surely not.

"Miiiiiiiss, you knoooooow, my motheeeeeeeeeeeer, she is buying for us aaaaaaaaaaall the same."

Coincidence? I think not.

The Steelers are on the path to a 7th Superbowl title by winning the AFC championship game last night. This morning, the Elementary principal brought in Krispy Kreme doughnuts for all of the teachers in our department. Coincidence? Maybe. You be the judge.

I saw this list somewhere, and I thought I would take a moment to honor all those who have lost the Superbowls over the years. Nobody remembers them...except for the ones that the Steelers crushed, including the Green Bay Packers in Superbowl XLV! Steeler wins are highlighted.

• I (1967)- Kansas City Chiefs
• II (1968)- Oakland Raiders
• III (1969)- Baltimore Colts
• IV (1970)- Minnesota Vikings
• V (1971)- Dallas Cowboys
• VI (1972)- Miami Dolphins
• VII (1973)- Washington Redskins
• VIII (1974)- Minnesota Vikings
• IX (1975)- Minnesota Vikings
• X (1976)- Dallas Cowboys
• XI (1977)- Minnesota Vikings
• XII (1978)- Denver Broncos
• XIII (1979)- Dallas Cowboys
• XIV (1980)- Los Angeles Rams
• XV (1981)- Philadelphia Eagles
• XVI (1982)- Cincinnati Bengals
• XVII (1983)- Miami Dolphins
• XVIII (1984)- Washington Redskins
• XIX (1985)- Miami Dolphins
• XX (1986)- New England Patriots
• XXI (1987)- Denver Broncos
• XXII (1988)- Denver Broncos
• XXIII (1989)- Cincinnati Bengals
• XXIV (1990)- Denver Broncos
• XXV (1991)- Buffalo Bills
• XXVI (1992)- Buffalo Bills
• XXVII (1993)- Buffalo Bills
• XXVIII (1994)- Buffalo Bills
• XXIX (1995)- San Diego Chargers
• XXX (1996)- Pittsburgh Steelers
• XXXI (1997)- New England Patriots
• XXXII (1998)- Green Bay Packers
• XXXIII (1999)- Atlanta Falcons
• XXXIV (2000)- Tennessee Titans
• XXXV (2001)- New York Giants
• XXXVI (2002)- St. Louis Rams
• XXXVII (2003)- Oakland Raiders
• XXXVIII (2004)- Carolina Panthers
• XXXIX (2005)- Philadelphia Eagles
• XL (2006)- Seattle Seahawks
• XLI (2007)- Chicago Bears
• XLII (2008)- New England Patriots
• XLIII (2009)- Arizona Cardinals
• XLIV (2010)- Indianapolis Colts
• XLV (2011)- Green Bay Packers

 Thoughts:
1. How could the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills lose so many times in a row?
2. I think my love for the Steelers reaches back to my 4th grade math teacher, Ms. DeGaetano, and her love for Rod Woodson.
3. As of 2008, the Steelers had sold out every home game since 1972. I think that's still true with 317 games. Can someone check me on that?

O, Fortuna!

This week, Chris is playing in Carmina Burana, put on by The Ahmadi Singers. This group has done a great job of bringing music and theater to Kuwait, considering that this part of the world has not traditionally embraced the fine arts as an acceptable form of entertainment.

Last night, I went to see Chris and our friends, Darlene and Milda, participate in the gala performance of Carmina Burana. It was actually quite amazing! Given the busyness of many of the expats in Kuwait and scarcity of time that there was to practice as a complete ensemble, I was really thrilled with the end results. Our friends Rasha, Dana, Dina, and John met me at the theater to enjoy the entertainment and help cheer on Chris; a second flute probably never had such a big fan club. (Side note: The chairs here are largely based on seniority, or I'm sure Chris would have played the first part. This was his first show playing with the Ahmadi Singers' accompanying orchestra. And, I'm probably biased.)

In case you aren't a "music" person and have no idea what I'm talking about, the first (and last) movement of Orff's cantata is hugely known. Here's a sample of "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi," with someone's Spanish subtitles...even though it's Latin.

A Day at the Zoo

Not bad for being taken by a 6 yr. old

Class 1A

Yesterday, we finally had our 1st grade field trip to the zoo. We had had previously canceled it on the day I left for the States because of inclement weather (i.e. a major dust storm).While not the most spectacular display of animals in origin-simulated habitats, I thought the zoo wasn't too bad for being in Kuwait. They have animals like porcupines, foxes, rabbits, and raccoons on top of your ordinary lions, giraffes, and elephants. They also have some kinds of wolves and bears, things that I would see in my backyard, but they have never seen before!

They day went pretty smoothly, except for the instance that I almost took out some Kuwaiti high school boys for talking to us...that would not have gone over well. At the end of the day, we bought all the girls ice cream and headed back to the school. Thankfully, they had P.E. for the last period of the day, so I didn't have to rein in all the hyperactivity.

Can the Steelers go for #7?

I was just sitting here thinking that by the time the Steelers vs. Ravens game comes on, it will be 12:30a.m. I'm not really interested in staying up until then, seeing as tomorrow is a school day, so I have to go to bed in anticipation of the results. Hopefully, I will start off my week with the good news of a victory!

While thinking about this, I was doing some Steelers' trivia research and found this really cool picture on Photobucket.com. Click here if you can't see the whole picture.

Here are their first six Superbowl wins: 

http://news.steelers.com/tradition/superbowl/

Go STEELERS!

Current Reading

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family
thanks, ehw!

You know that song, "I'll be home for Christmas?"

So, I was in the USA with my family for Christmas, froze my butt off, watched my brother graduate from IUP, and spent time with lots of dear people. Even though I was there in what seemed like sub-arctic temperatures, I didn't take any pictures of the snow for my students! I did get some really cute pictures of my nephew and niece (3 and 1, respectively), but that's about all I took pictures of. I kept forgetting my camera when I wasn't at the house, so I guess that means I was too busy having fun!