Senorita W: Reflections and Adventures

We got Maui'd

2010-10-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

This summer 30 of our friends flew out to Maui to see us get married and have a great vacation.

You Could Be Happy

2009-03-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

My friends made a short film called "You Could Be Happy." They asked me to be the hand model for the poster. So, that's my hand!

Sex and the City Tour of New York City

2009-01-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

When I arrived in NYC on Christmas Eve at 6am, I had to entertain myself while my friend finished up at the office for the day. I knew that it was going to be cold and rainy before I got there so I booked the Sex and the City Bus Tour. I thought it would be about 20 people in a smallish bus. No, there were two full-sized tour buses--each bus with it's own guide and about 50 people per bus. In the bus, there are small t.v.s where they show clips from episodes before or after they explained what you were looking at. One of the main reasons that I took the tour, other than being a fan, was because I knew that it would take me out of Midtown into the Meat Packing District (MePa supposedly it is called now) and into the Village--two areas with which I was not familiar.

You get off the bus three times. The first time was at a sex shop, a little uncomfortable for me watching middle aged women by the now infamous vibrator "the rabbit."

Second you get to walk around a little bit on Bleecker St. around 11th. They point out Magnolia Bakery--where the ladies would get scrumptious cupcakes. You get a free cup cake included in the price of the tour.

Outside of the bakery

Some of there delicious cup cakes

Finally, you get off at Aidan and Steve's bar. You can buy a cosmopolitan for $8--supposedly discounted.

Here I am having a cosmo with two Irish ladies that befriended me since I was alone on the tour.

Walking Food and Culture Tour of Greenwich Village

2009-01-02T08:50:00.001-08:00

When I was in NYC last week, I went on a food and culture walking tour of the West Village. We walked around Bleecker Street and our guide also took us into the historic district of Greenwich Village. Above is a picture of the friendly and fun guide, Marie and me.

We made several stops, but I am just going to talk about a few. One of the stops was Faicco's Italian Deli.

We were a group of 16--the max size for the tour. The guide would talk about the place and then run in and get samples. We usually ate them on the street because the places were too small to accommodate us.

This is the best arancini I have ever had. Don't ask for arancini at the deli though--ask for "rice bawls."

We stopped at a contemporary Italian restaurant also.

Amaranth prepared as a risotto.

Our final stop was an Italian pastry shop. We got to try freshly prepared cannoli that were still crispy.

On the tour, our guide also showed us some historic sites. I just took a picture a building very important to pop culture --NBC used this building as the site for Friends. It was really filmed in Los Angeles, but they used this building's exterior.

This was a great tour. I would even recommend it to New Yorkers who are looking for a fun way to find new places to go out to eat or learn about the history of the area.

New York City at Christmas

2009-01-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

I went to New York City for Christmas this year. These are the pictures from when I went to the top of the Empire State Building.

NYC skyline

It was really cold. Here I am freezing! It was worth it though. It was a great view of the city.

In the very back you can see the Statue of Liberty. It was not the clearest day.

Dia de los Muertos

2008-11-05T20:23:00.001-08:00

My Spanish 4 class decorated sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos. They turned out really cute and the students really liked doing the activity. I got the activity packet from Teacher Discovery.

Teachers Most Addicted to Coffee

2008-10-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my fellow teachers nominated me for the yearbook as "Teacher Most Addicted to Coffee." What they didn't realize is that the coffee mug I bring most days is full of green tea and not coffee. I'm not saying I don't drink coffee-I do about 3-4 times a week, but I can live without it. So, here I am with the male teacher nominated for the same "award." They are cute pictures so I thought I would post them.

Disneyland at Halloween

2008-10-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Bree and I went to Disneyland last weekend to check out the Halloween decorations. They did not disappoint.

The Haunted Mansion is all decked out in The Nightmare Before Christmas theme. The entire mansion is redecorated.

Fun goblin popcorn maker

Dia de los Muertos display. They had several alters also that were really nice.

First Annual Sporteve 5K Run/Walk in Downtown Culver City

2008-07-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Bree and I completed our 5th race together last Sunday June 29 in Downtown Culver City. It was a very pleasant race because it was so flat! It was just pretty hot and sunny.

Pre-race stretching

Coming in to the finish line at just 30 minutes. Why does it look like we are power walking? I promise--we were jogging.

Metro Cafe Anniversary Party

2008-06-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, the Metro Cafe closed their doors to the public in order to throw a party to thank their regular customers. There was good food, fun music from the resident DJ Ron, and lots of Serbians.

Metro Cafe
11188 Washington Place
Culver City
310-559-6821

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-06-01T13:03:00.001-07:00

Bree and me before my birthday party started.

On the menu was smoked pork tacos, rice, beans, and cupcakes for dessert.

The beautiful cupcakes that Bree made for everyone.

Mini Culver High Reunion

Dolores Hidalgo Cuna de la Independencia Nacional, Guanajuato, Mexico

2008-05-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

This small town is famous for being the birth place of the Mexican Revolution. It all started when Father Miguel Hidalgo made his famous cry for independence that is celebrated every September 16. Here is a statue of him:

The cathedral

The have such large chicharrón, or pork rind, that it was almost as tall as my friend.

They are also famous for their outrageous ice cream flavors:
shrimp, corn, avocado, and many others.

Here I am sampling one of the unique flavors. It wasn't half bad.

National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico City

2008-05-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

This summer, I also went to the National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico City. Below are some pictures of the 25 ton Aztec Calendar.

The Sun god with his tongue sticking out because he is thirsty for human blood

Man being born from the serpant

A heart depository

A stone giant

A Jaguar God

The Mother of all gods

Joshua Tree

2008-04-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

I went camping at Joshua Tree last weekend. The trees are prehistoric and the rock formations are amazing. There are tons of different hikes and lots of wildlife to check out. We even ran into one of the desert turtles that come out in the spring and summer months.

You can find all different shapes in the rock formations.
To me this one kind of looks like an asymmetrical gorilla face.

Everything was in bloom

Below is a grumpy turtle because we interrupted his sunbathing

Father's Office is open

2008-04-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Since I am posting for Bree while she is in Italy I thought that I would basically cover the same thing on my blog, but with more a personal touch. Gaston and I went tonight to check it out. It is much bigger and hipper than the first location, but the food was just was good.
3229 Helms Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310- 815-9820

Chinatown Firecracker 5k

2008-03-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Bree, Brooke and I ran in the 30th annual Chinatown 5k in Los Angeles by the Dodger Stadium to celebrate the Chinese New Year. They set off 10, 000 firecrackers before the race started to ward off evil spirits. It was a fun event except that it was a very hilly course.

New Year's Eve 2008

2008-01-01T18:22:00.001-08:00

Bree and I threw our 3rd annual New Year's Eve Party last night and it was so much fun!! Here are a few photos:

Bree and me before the party started.

Cat and Bree having fun.

Sherman, Jenn and Gaston hanging out in the kitchen.

Beth and John in a spot-light dance.

Christmas in Maui 2008

2008-01-01T17:43:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from my trip to Maui.

My high school friend, Makana, and me.

These next few photos are at the Ulupalakua Winery in Upcountry, Maui. http://www.mauiwine.com/index.html

A few cows by the winery. When they saw that we stopped to take their picture, they started running towards us. It is really funny to see cows run.

Here are a few photos of Makawao, a really cute town in Upcountry, Maui where my high school is located.

Teopoztlan, Mexico

2007-09-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Teotihuacan, Mexico

2007-09-23T20:51:00.001-07:00

The pyramids outside of Mexico City.

Guanajuato, Mexico also this summer

2007-09-23T20:37:00.001-07:00

Brooke and me looking over the city

El Pipila

El callejon del beso

Most of the traffic goes through these tunnels

Enchiladas mineras

Taxco, Mexico this summer

2007-09-23T20:32:00.001-07:00

Arriving in Cuernavaca, Mexico

2007-08-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Brooke and I arrived in Cuernavaca, Mexico July 13, 2007. It is located about one hour south of Mexico City. We went to the Universidad Internacional to take language classes (http://www.spanishschool.uninter.edu.mx/index2.html ) . The program is very well organized and I highly recommend it, but Cuernavaca is not the city that I was expecting. I thought that it would be a beautiful colony city and it really wasn’t. There are nice parts, but overall I liked the other cities to the north of Mexico City that I visited more.

Here is a shot of another church in Cuernavaca.

Here is a picture of my Spanish professor, Lauro, and me on my last day of class. I really enjoyed the small class.
Brooke and I stayed with a very nice woman-MariElena aka Mama. Here are some pictures of the house where we stayed and her family.

The last three pictures are the house and our room. Here is one of our third roommate. A giant spider that was "friendly" according to our host mom. We were glad that we didn't discover it until we were about to leave. I was just afraid that it was going to try to make a run for the boarder and stow away in my suitcase!

Cuernavaca is a very hilly city. One of the most beautiful parts of the city are the gulches. Here is a shot where if you look closely you can see that when the branches are photographed they look like a woman's profile.

Coming soon...my trip to Mexico

2007-08-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Back to the Homestead

2007-07-09T19:15:00.001-07:00

My dad, brother and I went back to Minnesota to visit my 90 year old grandmother and see how the family farm was doing. Here are some of the pictures:

Bemidji is the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.

The name of this cafe sums up the disposition of the people from Northern Minnesota.

Here are three generations of Wetherns: Dad, Grandma and daughter all in front of the farm house.

A candid photo of my dad exiting the house.

The old farm house where my grandfather grew up now falling apart.

My grandfather's grave in the family cemetery. The cemetery was a bit over grown.

All of us heading up to the Mississippi Headwaters

In front of the headwaters.

A few more fotos....

2007-01-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures of my recent vacation to Maui:

A beautiful lotus flower

Another one of me waiting for the sun to set.

Yummy appetizer from the Haile Maile General Store

A mysterious, half-sunken boat in the Lahaina Harbor

The best part of teaching...(well, a big bonus)

2006-12-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

... is the time off! This winter break I went to Maui and had a wonderful time visiting with my mom and friends from high school while sampling the local cuisine and enjoying the 78 degree weather. Here are some pictures:

The sunsets in Wailea can't be beat--Maui No Ka Oi

My mom and me on Christmas day waiting for the sun to set.

Christmas buffet at the Renaissance Hotel was great!

Yummy Hawaiian sushi from Star Market. It is made of ahi tuna with avocado and cucumber.

A beautiful time right before sunset in Wailea, Maui.

My First Day Back

2006-09-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day back to school. I am so amazed at how smoothly it went—no kids with attitude and everyone seemed eager to learn. These aren’t the students that I read about in school. I thought that they all were full of apathy with borderline personalities. Could it be if you show them some compassion and respect they return the favor? Maybe it is because I have mostly freshman and they are still scared by an authority figure. Who knows?

Today I followed my guru Harry Wong’s advice about how every teacher should start the year off: I had the seating chart projected on the overhead and an assignment waiting on the desks. Everyone entered quickly and started to work right away. Then I introduced myself to everyone individually in Spanish, asked them their name, and told them it was a pleasure to meet them. It scared the first few students who didn’t understand what I was saying, but they all really seemed to appreciate being greeting individually. We went over the assignment quickly and then on to the rules.

First, I asked the students if they could imagine a basketball game or a football game without any rules and what that game would be like. They told me it wouldn’t work. So, I asked them what would a classroom be like without rules. They seemed to really get the analogy. I explained that there were consequences and rewards for following the rules and doing well just like in a game. They know the consequences, but for the rewards I explained that I couldn’t afford to give them cash, but that I would give them 25 minutes for every ten days that they were on task and didn’t break the rules. Of course, these 25 minutes would be used to play games that are relevant to Spanish, but at least they have a goal and it is a team effort. If one person messes up it hurts the whole class. I am hoping that this will take the pressure off me being the disciplinarian and making the students accept responsibility for their actions. Thanks, Harry Wong!! It really does work…at least on the first day.

School is almost here!

2006-08-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well, the fall 2006 semester is upon us. I can’t believe that summer vacation is almost over (it went too fast!)—I actually just finished writing my course syllabi/policies. It is much different from a university syllabus where you would plan out the entire semester with all of the assignments clearly outlined in advanced. I guess we don’t want to scare high school students as much as we want to scare college students with the hope that the college students will drop the class and we won’t be stuck with too many of them. We don’t really have that option in high school. Sure, you want to scare them a little so that they will stay on task, but students don’t really have as a choice to drop the course unless it is an elective. In my case, I guess they could opt for Japanese, French or Latin if they don’t like Spanish, but of course everyone loves my Spanish class! (BTW the picture is me in Barcelona a few years ago.)

To MySpace.com or not to MySpace.com

2006-07-11T14:11:00.001-07:00

Before I started teaching I discovered MySpace through a friend that insisted that I create my own web page. I assume that most of you know what MySpace is, but just for clarity I will tell you that it is a free service that allows you to develop your own web page. The innovative part is that you can easily link to other people thus becoming their friends and you can leave comments. Wow, wave of the future, etc. When I first heard about it, before I was a teacher, I wasn’t so impressed, but after a few short months I found myself an addict. I checked it almost everyday to see if I had any new messages or friend requests.

Well, a few weeks into teaching, one of my students asked me innocently enough what my first name was. I didn’t really have a problem sharing that type of information so I told him. The next thing I knew, I have friends requests from about five of my students. They were able to find my page with my full name. AYO!! Being a young, single teacher I didn’t want to have all of these 14 year-olds listed as “my friends.” In the past, male teachers were the ones that were under higher scrutiny, but with the recent rash of femme fatale teachers I didn’t want the administration to get the wrong idea. So, I obviously told them that I couldn’t be their friends, which hurt their feelings. They were just trying to reach out and make a connection. However, I am not their friend, I am their teacher. I like to keep the distinction clear.

My next dilemma was should I cancel my MySpace page all together because of the perceived inappropriateness of a teacher having a MySpace. (I failed to mention that often MySpace is used as a vehicle to gossip about classmates or showcase very inappropriate photos. Also, there have even been numerous law suits.) I still grapple with the idea of deleting my page, but for now I decided to keep it. There are no inappropriate photos and I have reconnected with classmates that I haven’t seen in years. So, I decided not to cancel my personal page, but I have put up safe guards like no one under 18 can contact me or request me as a friend. Also, you can only find my page through my personal email, not by searching my name. For now it is working...

Spring Semester is Over!

2006-07-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I made it! I survived my first stint as a teacher. As I look back over the past four months I realize that I have really grown as a teacher and a person.

To begin, before deciding to teach high school, I taught for a few years at the college level. Not that teaching is lucrative, but working as an adjunct is especially brutal on the bank account. So, I went back to school to get a teaching credential because, while an MA is sufficient to teach at a university, an MA is not enough to teach K-12.

After taking a year’s worth of classes, a terror was instilled in me by my classmates and professors. I had never been afraid to teach, I always loved teaching, but after all of the horror stories from the classroom I must admit I was afraid that I was not cut out to be a teacher. It didn’t help that whenever I told someone that I wanted to be a teacher they told me that I was either brave or crazy. Well, I never really thought of myself as particularly brave….maybe crazy then? Who knows? I thought I would try it and if I couldn’t cut it then I would go back to college teaching or complete my PhD or something.

Well, after four months, many sleepless nights, 20 observations, and a few lunch detentions (I gave them, I didn’t receive them), I feel much better as much of my initial terror of the unknown has subsided and I was hired back for the 2006-2007 school year. That must say that I did something right, right? In the upcoming installments I plan on discussing everything from my first day to bathroom passes and myspace. Please let me know your thoughts and ideas.