K Westling

A little fun

2010-07-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I move from Visalia. Don't think I told anyone that. No job, no apartment, no home. But here is a little fun just for the hell of it.

Kiki and Coco in Paris

2010-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this? From the amazing photography of Stephanie Rausser.

penguins

2010-07-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

A totally clever ad campaign by the Boston-based Mullen agency for the New England Aquarium.

So cool

2010-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love time lapse

My favorite song

2010-07-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

I think my favorite song of all time is Peter Gabriel's Book Of Love. Every time I hear it I cry. Every time. I first heard it when Chung wanted to use it in our film project at Fuller. I remember he gave me a CD with all these songs that he thought would be good. When I heard it for the first time I sobbed. Then every time we worked on the film and I heard it I would have to hide my silly tears from my big manly partners. They both probably hated having picked me!

My favorite necklace

2010-07-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that I have a favorite necklace? It's made out of pine nuts and it is beautiful. I know, you're saying "eeewww, doesn't it smell?" and the answer is no it doesn't. All the nutty part has been cleared out of it. So it's really just a pine nut shell necklace. It also has deer bone on it. Does that gross you out? I have worn it every day this summer. I did ware it to school a bunch last year too, but forgot to put jewelry on most days. When I put it on I think it gives me super powers. It's my secret weapon.

If it were the perfect day

2010-07-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

If things were happy and I was not walking through the valley of the shadow right now, it would be a bohemian day. When I say that I am feeling bohemian people look at me funny. Bohemianism (yes, it is a word!!!) is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits, with few permanent ties. Bohemians can be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.
Well, crap, that last part is kind of difficult to feel comfortable with right now. The term bohemian, of French origin, was first used in the English language in the nineteenth century[1] to describe the non-traditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, journalists, musicians, and actors in major cities. What the what!?! Marginalized and impoverished. Well that sucks.

A new day

2010-07-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today I have no plans except to sing at church tonight. I am looking forward to a long nap and watching silly movies all day. Yep, that's right, I'm gonna do nothing. Maybe pack a little....maybe. It's cool enough to open the windows this morning. My computer says the high for today is 96* so I should be able to go without air conditioning for the day. I got my last electric bill and it was $56 which is almost triple what it usually is! But it's so hot here in Visalia. I want that job in Pacifica so bad I can taste it. Why would god open up a position like that? I know I probably won't get it but I want it more than anything. It will ruin all other jobs for me. I will be sitting somewhere in a silly valley town wishing that I had that job. In a district that values the arts, that has a motto that seems to care about the children in the community (not just how the students are achieving). They are a district of choice where they nurture the mind! What am I going to do if I don't get it?

Just aweful

2010-02-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

I really am the worst at blogging. Let's see, what has been going on?

JOB:

I really like my job. The kids are great and I like all the schools, I go to five. My coworkers are fun too. Some of us went to happy hour this Friday. That was fun. The more I get to know all of them the more I really think they are such wonderful and unique people. Music teachers are fun. I wish we could go to a conference or something together. Our Superintendent just resined, so everything is really up in the air for next year. I have no idea

if I will have a job again next year. I really want to have a career, not just a job. Changes seem to follow me.

FAMILY:

Mom and Kacy came down for Valentines day. We went out to eat and played tennis. We got frisbees for frisbee golf, but didn't end up playing. I decorated my apartment with Alice in wonderland stuff. It was cute, but I forgot to take pictures.

PERSONAL:

Hmmm. Nothing happening here.

SLEEP:

I do this a lot. I did join the gym and it has been helping with my sleep. I play to go everyday this week. I had a cold last week so I didn't end up going Thursday or Friday. This week, as I said before, every day!

SCOOTER:

My cat Scooter also sleeps a lot. More than me. She needs a bath at the moment because I took her outside several times this weekend and she likes to rub and roll on the grass and the porch.

DINNER:

Because that is an important subject. Tonight I had a hot pocket and some orange juice. Oh and a piece of chocolate that my dad gave me for Valentines Day.

GOALS:

I'm thinking about looking into an art class. I miss school and doing something creative. I have so much to do though that I think at this point I would just end up resenting the time it takes away from all my work.

PLANS:

Let's see, tomorrow I plan to go to work. I have my evaluation review at 7:30 before school and then to teach. that means I have to be at the office by 6am so that I can get all my stuff together. Then after school I will go to the gym. After the gym Kater will be coming over to work on the video for the musical unit. I plan to make fish tacos for dinner. And then maybe if you all are lucky I will post again.....or not!

Love you all

Kim

A long time and a coma

2009-08-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, I know I made a promise, but it's just so hard. I'm gonna try again. they may be short, they may suck. But I will try again to write on a regular bases.

Today I went to church and then came home to eat a big bowel of spaghetti. I proceeded to go into a carb coma and slept for four hours! Arg, I lost most of my day off. What!!!!

Congratulations to Kacy

2009-05-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Kacy graduated last weekend! For those of you that don't know Kacy is my friend and sister. She has worked really hard for the last three years to get her degree and I am so proud of her. She stuck it out and not only got honors, but received honors with distinction! There were only seven people in the whole class that did that! Congratulations Kacy! I am so very proud of you. P.S. Your party kicked ass!

Asparagus Festival

2009-05-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my family and I went to the Asparagus Festival in Stockton CA. It was so much fun! There were craft booths and food booths and several stages. We spent the day walking around and eating yummy things. I had fruit on a stick, fried asparagus, a snow cone, and fruit in a cup. yum.

Here is a picture of my dad! The band-aid on his nose is from some skin cancer he had removed.

The end of vacation

2009-05-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month that I have been home from vacation. I planned on posting everyday, but the Internet at the house we were staying at sucked, so I didn't even open my computer all that much. Then for two weeks after we were home I didn't turn on my wireless router.

The vacation was beautiful. I had a good time. I also realized some things about my family. Isn't it just Gods way to teach you something when you are trying to relax?

Oregon was awesome, I could move there in the blink of an eye.

Really bad at this

2009-05-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

I am really bad at blogging. My mom keeps telling me I should post more often. I just am too lazy. I will try to do better mom.

Day one

2009-04-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

We left this morning on our trip to Oregon! It was a beautiful sunny day all the way up. I think I even got a little sun burned (darn Swedish skin). Kacy drove to Redding and then I drove up to Ashland where we are staying for the night. We stopped in Yreka for dinner at "Grandma's"I had a chef's salad. We arrived in Ashland where I went to my favorite bookstore in the world, Bloomsbury books (will have to check the spelling in the morning). If I could I would live in a book store. There is nothing more exciting and valuable in my life than knowledge and books give that. I love they way they smell. I love the way they look. I love the way they communicate ideas. I wonder all the time about what other people are thinking and feeling. I have an inner dialogue that is running constantly in my brain, wouldn't it be great to hear someone else's inner thoughts for just a few seconds? Books let people communicate their inner thoughts. Say, without normal judgment, things that they want to.

This was not meant to be a post about books. It's supposed to be about vacation. So far it's been fun! I had grasshopper ice cream and found an ATM card.

Love to you all

A tiny town

2009-03-12T08:21:00.001-07:00

Visit my town http://kiweville.myminicity.com/

Addition to my wish list

2009-03-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

http://dutchbikes.us/velorbis/dannebrog/index.php

It's pink...it's a slip...and it's all mine

2009-03-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

enough said

2009-03-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

I am unique-just like everyone else

2009-02-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today I taught seventh grade English. The seventh graders are so into being unique. They all want to stick out, but in the right way. They don't want to stick out too much, but they all want to be special and unique. Out on 19 students in my first class, 11 of them had on black t-shirts today. It's a good thing that we are all the same on the inside.

All she does is sleep

2009-02-25T22:43:00.000-08:00

Someday, when I grow up, I want to be a cat. All my cat does is sleep. Wouldn't it be nice to have two or three weeks just to sleep?

Black eye

2009-02-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

He will get a black eye because he hit himself in the face with the guitar he was using. I take no responsibility for the silliness of seventh graders.

The Bee-I-EE-I-EE

2009-02-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

Today my kindergartners and first graders will be learning the Bee-I-EE-I-EE song.

There was a bee-i-ee-i-ee,
Sat on a wall-i-all-i-all,
And there he sat-i-at-i-at,
And that was all-i-all-i-all.

Until a boy-i-oy-i-oy,
Who had a stick-i-ick-i-ick;
He gave that bee-i-ee-i-ee
An awful lick-i-ick-i-ick.

So then that bee-i-ee-i-ee
Began to sting-i-ing-i-ing;
He stung that boy-i-oy-i-oy
Like anything-i-ing-i-ing.

And then that boy-i-oy-i-oy
Began to yell-i-ell-i-ell.
He told that bee-i-ee-i-ee
To go to...

It's not what you think!

THE WAY I SEE IT #7

2009-02-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

The way I see it on my coffee cup was a really cool saying by Yo-Yo Ma. I was so excited to share it with you all. Until.............................................

The way I see it, I should not have a tablespoon of grounds in my $3.00 coffee! And this wasn't all. Most of them I spat out in the last couple of sips, as I tried so desperately to drink the last half of my cup. Arrrrrr, our local Starbucks sucks.

Girls night

2009-02-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

Last night was a girls night at my house. We got together and watched "The Holiday," ate a million chips, and drank cool-aid and gin!

The top three things on my wish list

2009-02-20T16:15:00.001-08:00

These are the top three things that I would buy if I had a million dollars and paid off my student loans!

1. A 1964 Vespa

2. A Ms. Pacman table

3. Closet organization shelves

Math and science....what!!!!!

2009-02-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

I taught fifth grade math and science today. I know what you are all thinking..."she sucks at both those subjects, how can she teach them?" Well my friends, those are now my best subjects! so, HA HA HA to all of you that know that I was bad at math and science in high school. I have grown. Now I'm just waiting for these guys to grow.

2009-02-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, one of the blogs I read posted a recipe for hamburger pizza. So I got all the stuff I needed on the way home for school to make it (To be truthful my mom had most of the stuff already at her house, and she put the pizza dough in the bread maker at lunch time so that it would be done when I got their for dinner). So here it is, I dedicate this pizza to Beth!

One flute

2009-02-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

One lonely flute player today. I usually have a large class, but today kids were sick, had tests, and forgot instruments. So today for my final class I had one lonely flute player.

Scooter

2009-02-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

Have I introduced you to my cat Scooter?

The good and the bad

2009-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

The good news is that I got jury duty! I love jury duty! A day off to sit and read, doing your duty as a citizen, and because I live in a small town I always see friends.

The bad news. I just got a new passport to go to Mexico this

spring, but they took my old one. All my old stamps and visas are gone. It looks like I have never been anywhere in my life. So sad.

Piano lesson Tuesday!

2009-02-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

Piano lesson after school! He showed up late, but at least he is here!

The way I see it.

2009-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

The Way I see It #26 - Failure's hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever. - Po Bronson, Author of stories, screenplays and nonfiction, including What Should I Do with My Life?

The contra bassoon

2009-02-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

It is a very rainy and cold day. My third graders are watching a wonderful video called "The Orchestra." They are cracking up at the sound of the contra bassoon. With each new instrument they pretend to play along. This is the best part of my day. Growing up I never, never, wanted to be a teacher. I always thought it was a thankless job and that the kids (including myself at times) never respected the teachers the way that they should. It is still a thankless job with little respect, but I know now what made all my teachers do it. This is Jared playing the bassoon!

The First of Many

2009-02-17T11:10:00.000-08:00

I have started this blog in hopes of keeping my family and friends updated on the happenings of my life. I also want to start to remember those things that are important to me. While this may not be the most exciting blog in the expanse of cyberspace at least it is a chance to keep in contact with my loved ones.

For example, today I went to the grocery to do some shopping before school. I got some fruit. I am now at school and have had four music classes and a drum class. The 4th grade guitar players are setting up now. I better get out there to subdue the chaos.

40min. later...all done!

The rest of the day I will be teaching and then I will go home to my messy house.

Today though my real post is on my notebooks. as many of you know I am a lover of all things paper and I love notebooks. I have over 20 notebooks filled with lists, recipes, journal entries, math problems, drawings, house plans, pictures, and everything I find worthy of writing down.

I have just today started a cafe and wine review notebook.

At UOP I had a theater professor that forced us to write three pages of journal each day. I hated it! He never cared what we wrote, as long as we did it. Many times he would get pages of curse words and letters telling him how much I hated to write. If only he could see me now!