Friday, September 10, 2010

Friday Fragments, Episode #111



Welcome to Friday Fragments, the place to unload the bits and pieces of your week
that were too small to be stand-alone posts, but too good to toss.

My Friday Fragments this week are "chunky" in style, so I only have five of them. Here goes!

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Some day, when I have the time, I'm going to read/view the BlogHer 2010 Keynote speeches, because when I went in 2009, the Keynotes were my favorite part of the conference. You can find them here. I've saved mine to my Delicious account.

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I've been back at school for almost two weeks now, and I have to honestly say that I absolutely love my job. What a treat it is to work with sixth graders; such open attitudes, eager faces, enthusiasm. Even considering the things I can't talk about on this blog, I really couldn't have a better job.

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My school is having a contest to earn technology for the school and for a teacher whose homeroom collects the most of these by the end of the school year:
The school earns money to purchase technology, and the teacher of the winning homeroom wins an IPad to use in her classroom. So...if you happen to have a bunch of soup labels or Box Tops for Education "stamps" and no one to give them to, I would love to take them off your hands. Just sayin'.  (I don't expect anyone to pay the shipping for the other stuff, but I figure the cost of mailing the paper stuff would be cheap! I figure it can't hurt to ask.)  Also, all schools in the U.S. (at least) have access to the same funds, so if you prefer, look into helping your neighboring school; I know they'll appreciate it!

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Do you like the name you chose for your blog?  I love Half-Past Kissin' Time and have never regretted choosing it. On that note, in case you've avoided buying your own domain name because you think it's probably too expensive, you should know that it costs me less than $10 a year to own mine. You could even change your blog's name by routing it through a new name like this:  www.newnameofyourblog.com   I used Go-Daddy and found the process to be fairly easy. When I hit a snag, their round-the-clock, live customer service responded quickly and efficiently (in clear English!)  I highly recommend Go-Daddy.  [BTW, I gain nothing if you purchase your domain from this recommendation. I'm just doing it to be nice.]

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I was very, very moved by this brief podcast of a grandfather and his wife reflecting on his Alzheimers.  In fact, I bawled my eyes out, not because I know anyone with the disease (I don't) but because the thought of my grandchildren growing up without Mr.4444 for a grandpa made me lose it. (Let's just say he has some vices.) Please don't comment on the vices thing; that's not my point. My point is that this podcast is beautiful. And just when I'd finished wiping my tears from that video, I had to go and watch Danny and Annie, which also inspired "The Ugly Cry," as my sister, Michelle, puts it. Keep the tissue handy.

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Here's your chance to link up your own Friday Fragments (chunky, diced, pureed, your choice!) ALL OTHER LINKS WILL BE DELETED--To learn the rules of Friday Fragments, please click here.

34 comments:

  1. My sixth grade teacher was my favorite teacher of all! I purchased through godaddy too. The only thing I wish is that I could renew it when I want to renew it. I don't like having to wait until it gets close.

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  2. I was collecting the boxtops for Keetha, but since she's not teaching anymore I was wondering who I'd send them to --- you literally answered my question a few hours after I asked it. I love how the universe works.

    I'll check out the podcast (I've seen Danny and Annie - it's very good, too) and I'll prepare to cry. I cry thinking about the possibility of crying!

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  3. Uhhh... SWEET!!! How did they come up with the money to buy and I-pad??? I'd probably get a ton of Box Tops if I had enough money to buy one of those to give away!!! SWEET DEAL!!!

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  4. I'm so glad that you love your job so much! How fortunate! :D

    By the way, I have a new respect for teachers who manage to stick to a schedule and actually impart knowledge to a whole roomful of children now that I'm homeschooling my three. Oy vey!

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  5. It is so very important to love your job - spending a lot of time doing something you don't love it an awful waste of life. My husband bought my domain name for me - as yet I have not branched out and used it but it's nice to know it is there for me one day.

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  6. It's great for your students that you love your job. I think it makes a big difference.

    Is Blogher and SITS related?

    I picked up the URL lisleman.com the other day from Go Daddy but I don't want to lose readers by switching my blog address.

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  7. I love that you love your job. I really think people that love their jobs have the happiest lives. It makes all the difference.

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  8. You don't have to lose any readers by changing your domain name. You can set it up so that when people type in the old one, it quickly redirects to the new one. It's really simple. I can't even remember what my old address was, but it's still in here somewhere!

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  9. I applied at Go Daddy today. WHo knows if that will elead to something.

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  10. It's great to love your job! I so admire good teachers.
    I love my blog name. I always had that name, but used a different url when I started it because I had no idea what I was doing. When I bought my own domain name, I changed it to the actual blog name. It fits us so well! I bought my domain through blogger and it's $10 per year.
    Have a great weekend!

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  11. I absolutely love my job too, we should start a club!

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  12. I have 8 cups gradually filling up with box tops and soup labels for the 8 grand kids in school. I'll have to ask about the cell phones; we usually donate those to Network of Victim Assistance.
    I cannot believe you have been in school for 2 weeks already. My little ones started today and my husband is taking 2 classes. He started Tuesday.
    Have a great weekend!

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  13. LOVE my blog name!

    Sam's school collects all of those and has earned like 35 computers and a "smart board" for wvery teacher. Hope you win!

    Have a relaxing weekend!

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  14. So basically you want me to start out my Friday with puffy eyes... :)

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  15. HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Girl - my link worked!!!!

    I gotta go get a lottery ticket... it must be my lucky day!!!!

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  16. Our church gathers such items for our public school but if we didn't baby they'd be yours!

    We are dealin' with that nasty old Alzheimers with my sweet MIL. We're in the process right not gettin' her into a memory clinic which means countless trips to the big city seventy miles away!

    God bless ya and have a great day, I'm so glad you love your job! :o)

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  17. No. I'm not going anywhere today that will intentionally make me cry.

    Yes. I hate my blog's name but can't think of anything better.

    Why? How it is possible that I've read your blog for years but wasn't following it?

    One last YESSSS! I love my job, too. Okay, maybe the essay grading is getting old, but the students? LOVE 'em :)

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  18. You sure do have a lot of bookmarks saved. Wow.

    It's a great thing to have a job you truly love. And you are obviously very good at it too. The best thing is that your students benefit from your talents and abilities. You will be a part of the memories of so many people for as long as they live. How cool is that?

    Those stories are heartwarming. One of the many things I like about your posts is that I discover new sites that I really like, that I otherwise would never have known about.

    I regret the title of my blog. I chose it knowing nothing about blogging. I have other ideas, and I am considering changing it, but everyone knows me by this. What to do, what to do.

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  19. How nice to hear you speak of your teaching job as a positive experience. Your profession has been overlooked and underpaid forever. One of the most important jobs on the planet is to give the future generations the advantage of a good education.

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  20. You sound like a wonderful teacher. I'm new to your blog and I enjoy it!

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  21. So glad you're enjoying your school year so far!

    I'm going to resist the tear jerkers for the moment! I'm not sure my heart could take it! :)

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  22. Someday I'm going to go to a BlogHer conference. Someday. Too bad I couldn't hit the Chicago one, that's at least driving distance!

    I used GoDaddy for my photo web site domain. Highly recommended here, too!

    Good luck on the box tops. What kind of printer cartridges? I think I could help you out there!!

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  23. I love my blog name more than I did before. I could not get pieces of me when I bought my domain and I also used go daddy. I also saw Danny and Annie and cried so much :(

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  24. I am so far behind...first, I love the new layout and I need to copy your new button!

    I think it is important to at least like your job if not love it! Good for you! I feel like that about babysitting, I love it!

    I will send you some soup labels. The kids I babysit eat campbells chicken soup all the time. E-mail me an address where you want them sent!

    I think it is sad to think of my grandkids not having my parents around. My dad is pretty healthy considering high blood pressure and he drinks. My mom on the other hand, well she smokes.

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  25. We drink a ton of milk here, but our school doesn't collect the caps. I'd love to know about that program. Does it have to be a certain brand? I would also gladly mail the caps to you...let me know & I'll start saving them!

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  26. I am going to go save the keynote speeches to my Delicious for later when I have more time (have I thanked you lately for introducing me to Delicious...because it is still my favorite-super-useful thing!)

    I have thought about making the switch to self-hosted wordpress, but it is kind of expensive. Never thought about just changing the domain. Interesting. I would love to do that! Do you loose followers and subscribers when you move just to another domain? I don't need that kind of stress. lol

    I have a blogging friend who is doing a walk to raise money for Alxheimers research in honor of a family member she lost. http://abbyandizzysmom.blogspot.com/2010/08/helen-jean-trillin-grandmaw.html Just thought I would put that out there!

    Happy weekend to you!

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  27. I just balled my eyes out last year at BlogHer during the keynote - sobbing and laughing... I can only imagine what it was like this year.

    And so nice to hear how much you love your job. You're an amazing teacher.

    Interesting info about blog name. Mind is way long... but it stuck... I should check out your suggestion.

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  28. It makes me so happy to know that you love your job. So many people do not and these kids are blessed to have someone that loves being there.

    I am so happy that I purchased my domain name. I would have been sad to not find it available if I waited.

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  29. I thought of you today cuz I was behind a car whose license plate was
    THE 4444

    you don't live in Illinois do you??

    I took a pic but it was too small and you can't really tell.

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  30. My husband loves his teaching job as well...and loving what you wake up to do each morning is half the battle!

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  31. Loving your job is very important. It is tough to go to work every day and do a job that you hate!

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  32. Oh, good information about owning the name of your blog and address. Interesting. I'll check into that - thanks! :)

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