[New Favorite Things Friday] Precision

This week I noticed myself drawn to things that helped me be precise. If you know me, you may know that I vacillate between precision and a chaotic sort of gut-feel driven decision-making.  This was a week of precision.

What The Font?

I discovered What The Font? a little less than half an hour ago (said in Inigo Montoya voice--holla if you follow*).  Honestly, I can't believe I didn't go looking for it before. When I am working with any sort of technology, I often think it should be doing more for me than it does. Typically, I Google the thing I want it to do and find that either yes, it can be done or I am a wee bit lofty in my expectations. In the case of What The Font? I was trying to identify a font as I do on a daily basis. I was mirroring a graphic from a website (not copying, honest) and wanted the exact font. I held a brief conversation with myself:

Me: Self, shouldn't the internets be able to figure this out?

Self: You are being too lofty again, dear. There is no way the internet can recognize random fonts.

Me: But don't you think it should?

Self: Well of course dear, check if you must*

I typed "font reader” in the search bar and viola!--the first hit was from a site called ilovetpyography.com.  It was post from 2007! I was not being lofty!  What The Font? can identify fonts for you!  Huzzah! 

ColorZilla

Just after my font success I wanted to know an exact color from the same website (still not copying, honest). I searched "color picker", found a Google Chrome Extension, started to download it, and had another conversation with myself:

Me: I am absolutely sure I would have done this before now

Self: Yes dear, considering your strong feelings about color.

Me: I wonder why I didn't?

Self: Perhaps you did do, dear. Go ahead and check.

And there it was in my Chrome Extensions bar... ColorZilla. It does everything you might hope for and more. I was immediately gifted with the RGB numbers and full code for the color I wanted.

Washi Tape Planning Boards

When the to-do lists get long, I need to manage them in some way. This week a shiny new magnetic white board was installed on my office wall. Granted, I had planned a lovely book shelf quilt wall-hanging for that wall, but considering the size of the to do list, that has fallen to the wayside. I tried listing the to-dos by color, but was not feeling the result. I used washi tape to divide up the board and categorize the to-dos. I also made some quick color-coded magnets by using pre-stickified magnets and pre-colorfied flat-bottom marbles. Could I have marked something off the to-do list in the time it took me to do that? Most certainly. Would it have felt nearly as good?  Not even a little bit.

 

Thread-Wrapping

 I like to wear my wrist-band fit tracker, but it looks and feels clunky after a few days of constant wear. I've seen a lot of thread-wrapped bangles around and about lately, and thought I might be able to fancy it up a bit. I wanted it to stay smooth and unobtrusive, so I had to wrap it very carefully to keep it lined up. I wonder how long it will last and not become pill-y?

Verilux

I read a blog post about Verilux light bulbs and think I might need to try one. Imagine the precision color-picking to be found with light bulbs like this! 

*In case you wondered

**My self is kind of like Mrs. Doubtfire in these situations.

[New Favorite Things Friday] Coffee, Poetry and Turtlenecks--a BeatnikFavorites List

Okay, I was wrong (one for the list!!!). My understanding of what Beatnik meant was not quite right. Chocolate, coffee and poetry does not a Beatnik make (click here for a definition).

So call it what you will, my favorite things this week are reminiscent of coffee shops, black-turtle-neck-beret-wearing artists, and cryptic poetry readings.

1. Black-out Poetry and Doodling

I've always liked black out poetry as a teaching tool and had fun trying it out with my students, but lately I've some amazing black-out poetry that has me trying it out. I can't show you mine yet (since many of them go into my #365mistakes4growth list), but these are the pages that inspired me (links provided for credit):

2. The Best Cup of Coffee Ever

It was a shot of espresso, a scoop of Nutella, and a bit of cream--a candy bar in a cup. It was perfect and came with the swirled heart on the top. Decadent, yes. But perfect.

3. Not Wearing Turtlenecks

I am not a fan of the turtleneck. I am fairly certain they were meant only for turtles. I mean really... consider the name. My new favorte thing this week is living somewhere that doesn't require them. Beautiful weather, sun, open skies, and the beach. Life is good.

Do you have any new favorites this week?

[New Favorite Things Friday] Caped Time Outs

Last week I left work on time one day and went to spend an hour getting my tootsies painted. The favorite thing is not painted tootsies, it's taking the hour out of my day to sit and enjoy the time. I was able to let my thoughts wander or not wander. I stared out the window at the sunny sky, I chatted some with the tootsie specialists, and I enjoyed the hour. I felt refreshed and energized afterwards. Of course I also felt fancy since I had painted tootsies.

It reminded me of the times in my classroom when I remembered to take a break like this. I scrolled through my blog and found so many little tidbits about times that this break made the learning actually go faster. To be clear, these breaks were often only a minute or two long, There is much to be taught to our most inspiring cape-wearing students and hour-long breaks are much less common.

I scrolled through some blog posts and found some of my favorite short breaks. There are quite a few here, so I will just encourage you to pick one or two that strike your fancy and take a mini-break as you read some bits about my "lovies" from back in my teaching time. I enjoyed the stroll and boy do I love teaching!


Going Invisible (time--under a minute; school skills used--writing craft and vocabulary)

Pickle Skins  (time--about a minute)

European Studies (time--30 minutes; school skills used--technology integration)

Bait and Switch (time--2+ hours); school skills used--reading, writing, presentation)

A Vignette (time--2 minutes)

A Collection of Blue Things (time--immeasurable)

A Cup of Tea (time--3 minutes of me, zero minutes for student)

Campfire (an all-time favorite moment in my teaching career)

Each of these vignettes shows a small (or longer) time out that had a positive impact on at least me. Can you think of a time out that was effective for you? If not, I encourage you to take one.

[New Favorite Things Friday] Bright Spots

This week I am loving things that are bright, shiny, or spots of happy in a day.

Crafty things and the time to play with them. 

Last weekend I spent some time playing with fabric. Fabric makes me happy. It's bright, soft, and it makes things! I make things because I love the chance to sit down with a goal and achieve that goal. It's true, I don't always finish the crafty things I start, but that's part of the fun!  A chance to NOT finish something is just as rejuvenating.

Mending a favorite gifted pillow:

New Learning!

Teachers crowded around their computers, learning new technology, excited about what they can do with it, and eager to share with their classrooms. This is one of the reasons I love my work. I miss daily interaction with kids, most certainly, but when I get to work with teachers like this, I can see the trade off!

Surprise compliments--giving and receiving. 

I typically adhere to the rule that if I think a compliment, I should say it. I often take people off guard with
this--I even get wary looks. But hey! We need more warm fuzzies in this world! This week I had the chance to give a few, but I also received a couple I wasn't expecting. They were compliments about my work and my teaching. I hadn't realized that I was wanting to hear that! It reminded me why I like to give them out so much!

A coffee shop that knows me. 

I often work in a coffee shop on my days off (shush. I like my work). There are a couple of folks at my local coffee shop that remember me (my bag actually--they like it). I like that. I used to make it a point to remember customers at my pop's grocery store, now I know why they liked it so much! We can be anonymous all day, but being remembered and welcomed is nice too.


What are your favorite things this week? Old things that are new again? New things that are... new? At work? At home?

[New Favorite Things Friday #6] Geek Love

Today's New Favorite Things Friday is dedicated to the geeky things I am loving.

1. Logitech's Unifying Receiver

I like external mice. I have plenty of them. I used to have to carry all of the little receivers around with me and all of my USB slots were filled with receivers. Now I have one that works with all of my mice and my solar-powered keyboard (yep). I actively like it every day. I am not advertising for Logitech, but I haven't found any other unifying receiver peripherals (yes, I said peripherals). They may be there, but I'm happy with what I have, so I haven't looked very hard. 

2. DIY Discbound Notebooks

I like office supplies as a rule. I am currently into these discbound notebooks because... I don't really know why. I am also into making my own planner pages because I know what I want in a planner and I can't find it. I even bought the special hole-puncher so I can make my own stuff. I hope this crush lasts because $40 for a hole punch is just plain silly.

3. Pop-up Pencils

This my favorite kind of pencil. I like my pencils sharp all the time, and I can't carry enough pencils around to satisfy my preference for sharpness. And no, I don't want to carry a sharpener because I like my pencils pencil-pencil length and don't want to deal with pencil shavings. As a grown person, that is a decision I get to make. The only issue I have is that theses pencils typically come in designs like the One Direction design, the dinosaur design, the Hello Kitty design... you get the picture. I did find some nice plain ones recently, and am quite happy with them.

4. Pocket

I constantly find things I want to remember online. I have the Pocket app installed on all of my devices, and can just "Pocket" whatever I want to remember. I love it. It works for me. 

I love to learn about new geeky things to love. What things do you have a crush on that might be considered geeky?

[R@ndom] New Favorite Things Friday #5

For my new favorite things this week I have focused on things that are orange. There is no reason for this other than the things I thought of first were orange and themes are always fun.

Happier
I found this app accidentally one of the many nights this week that I couldn't sleep. It reminds you to post things you are grateful for throughout the day. It's fun and bright and rains virtual confetti on you when you remember to post something.

Orange-Carrot-Ginger Juice

This homemade juice has yet to disappoint me. I love it every single day that I manage to make it. 

Orange Tic Tacs

Not only are they orangy, they are minty, and they are low-guilt. Keeping a pack of these (or lime or strawberry) in my purse has saved me a during a couple of extra long meetings this week. Thank you fruit-flavored Tic Tacs, for you rmulti-tasking deliciousness.

Outlook

This week--during above mentioned long meetings--I had the opportunity to begin the massive task of cleaning up my Outlook Inbox. I have gone from 600 unread emails to 410, and managed to stay steady at 410 for the last few days. Now, I should assure you that NONE of those unread emails signify an un-answered question. It just means that I have to delete them, or file them, or follow up on them. The fact that I've maintained the 410 number means I've started to organize them as I receive them--something I've meant to do all along. So a shout-out to Outlook for keeping them safe for me for so long, another shout-out to Amy for not stressing too much at the number, and a shout-out to Ana for managing to get hers to zero on Friday!

Do you have any favorite thigns this week?  Orange or otherwise?

[R@ndom] New Favorite Things Friday #4

My current New Favorite Things are:

Ruffles and Crochet Creatures

They make me happy to sew. It's nice to have things to do or make that are simple and doable. It helps me spend time on things that are less simple and less doable. This blog of crochet creatures is crazy fun: Kim Lapsley Crochets. I'm also glad to share my ruffle-making trick if you have a need.

Yoga

While my body is furious at me for not taking better care of it, yoga really is like a massage for your insides and for your soul. More yoga more of the time.

JavaScript

I'm learning it and I'm liking what it helps me do. Learning is a strong word, but I now know three things and before I knew one. I don't know what this translates to, but it does mean I end a line and start a new one:

Seed Books
Dandelions Tale by Kevin Sheehan and Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman and Judy Pedersen

There's a teachable moment in here somewhere, I'm just not sure where yet. 

Planning for Next Year
It feels refreshing to look ahead in a planful way. To be a step ahead, at least for now. I highly recommend it.

What is your New Favorite Thing?

[SOLSC] New Favorite Things Friday #2

I am taking part in the Slice of Life Story Challenge with Two Writing Teachers. For this challenge I will be attempting to write a "Slice of Life" post each day in the month of March and each Tuesday after that.

It's already Friday again!

My New Favorite Things this week are:

Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book

My new terabyte-sized hard drive.

The team of testing coordinators that are working so diligently this month. I love working with dedicated professionals.




Driving the turbo marshmallow on a sunny day (even if there is traffic).

Looking toward a weekend of learning at ASCD.


Black coffee

How about you?

[SOLSC] New Favorite Things Friday

I am taking part in the Slice of Life Story Challenge with Two Writing Teachers. For this challenge I will be attempting to write a "Slice of Life" post each day in the month of March and each Tuesday after that.

With a nod to the "What I'm Loving" posts I appreciate in blogs like this and this, a reference to my My-New-Favorite-Thing posts, and an attempt to focus my SOLSC posts more on educational cape-wearing, welcome to...

My New Favorite Things Friday (Not in complete sentences, but with periods.  Just because.)


My new portable power source for all things digital--allowing me more time to look up the Common Core Standards on my phone app, respond to Smarter Balanced Testing emails, and keep track of my ever-loving calendar.

A work day having accomplished big-ticket items, remembered important emails, and laughed with co-workers.

The slightly worrisome joy I felt in creating a template full of minute details, and the even more worrisome eagerness with which I will do it again--maybe even on Saturday.

The chance to utilize a program that seems to "get" what we are doing in education and how important it is.

Leadership in my school district that not only "gets" what needs to be done, but then does it with grace, integrity, and a dose of reality.

An opportunity to expand my own learning and coaching experience working with caped teachers and technology.

The NPR segments this week on SAT Writing, The Ship in the Woods and the new Carl Sagan (more on that tomorrow).

Isabel's comment on my previous post.

The way the clouds swept up and away with sun-tinged edges on my way home.

Ruby Lavender's earnest puppy-dog face and Stella Q's lamb-like bouncing around after work.

Raindrops on roses.

That joke I just made, right up there... in that last line.

Friday evenings.

Happy Friday Y'all.  Cape on.