Best Batman Costume Ever

Source: Mason & Remy Blog, 93.7 The Bull

Peter Puck - How To Play The Game (episode 1)

Songs for Staying Inside

I made an ITunes playlist inspired by a blustery day. Some songs are pretty obvious choices while others you need to hear them to realize they are perfect for a quiet night staying in. I'm open for suggests for additions or subtractions to the list.

Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies
Long Winter - Cuff The Duke
Parasite - Nick Drake
Karma Coma - Massive Attack & Tricky
Shades Of Gray - The Monkees
Who Needs Forever (Thievery Corporation Mix)- Astrud Gilberto
Space Oddity - David Bowie
One Million Miles Away - J Ralph
Song to Sing When I'm Lonely - John Frusciante
Norwegian Wood - The Beatles
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
Starseed - Our Lady Peace
The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan
Shh - Frou Frou
In My Room - The Beach Boys
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Caide Sin Don Te Sin - Altan
Stormy Weather - Billy Holiday
Zombie - The Cranberries
Last Kiss Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
Midnight Cowboy - Henry Mancini
Ordinary World - Duran Duran
Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) - Arcade Fire
Wonderwall - Oasis
Possession - Sarah McLachlan
Two Step (acoustic) - Dave Matthews
Rocket Man - Elton John
Tell Me Something Good - Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
Agoraphobia - Incubus
Tales of Brave Ulysses - Cream
Tangerine - Led Zeppelin
At Last - Etta James
Snowsuit Sound - Sloan
Of the Girl - Pearl Jam
My Friends - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
After The Goldrush - Prelude

Photoshop skills

This evening I was looking thorough some old teaching files when I came across the first image I edited in Photoshop 6:

Edited in Photoshop Friday, December 13, 2002 2:49 PM


Original Photo

It may not look like much of a change but the edited image probably took me over 5 hours to get right. I wish I had written down the steps I used to change the look of the water because I could never replicate it again. I used at least 2 filters and 3 or 4 lighting effects in a very specific order. I was so proud because it was the first time I created something of my very own.

Wow, it has almost been 8 years since I learned how to use Photoshop 6 using a copy of Photoshop 5 Classroom in a Book . Adobe had a special promotion that fall where schools and educators could get a copy of any Adobe program for $30 US. I got copies of Photoshop, Illustrator, Page Maker, Acrobat Pro and Live Motion.

I finished learning Photoshop well enough to teach it to my grade 10, 11 and 12 technology classes in the new semester in February 2003. It might seem strange to teach all the grades the same thing but it bought me sometime while I learned Illustrator. I justified what I was doing with a plan
Grade 10 - Photoshop
Grade 11 - Pagemaker
Grade 12 - Illustrator
and I needed to phase in the learning so the classes could get "in step".

The first year teaching Photoshop was dreadful. It is a very difficult program especially when you get into color correction, removing or replacing elements and creating your own brushes. Later in the semester some of the grade 11s were asked by a recruiter from a design college what programs they knew how to use. The recruiter was impressed by what they could already do in Photoshop and finally my students understood they knew how to use an industry standard program that people pay thousands of dollars to learn. Suddenly my job became much easier.

Magnetic Grapes

This evening Dad and I troubleshot my demonstration on the repulsion of grapes when exposed to a diamagnet (magnet with a north and South pole). The instructor for my science education class has never been able to get it work before but we did :)

TBS Promo: Conan Washes His Desk!

The Zach Galifianakis Swimsuit Calendar: vanityfair.com

The Zach Galifianakis Swimsuit Calendar: vanityfair.com

Kids Re-Enact Project Runway

Someone is on Ky's mindgrapes

Photos by Ky
Awesomeness by Janny

Thank a Teacher

I've heard suspect things about the documentary Waiting for Superman but this promo makes me smile:

I think someone misses Ky

Photos by Ky
Awesomeness by Janny

Kickin' it to you, Knitwear-style.

Kickin' it to you, Knitwear-style.
Originally uploaded by Kylee-Anne

Just remembering the awesomeness of this picture. Good work Ky.

Altweibersommer (a haiku)

warming in the sun
finally wearing flip flops
making my heart glad

My cerebral cortex brings all the boys to the yard (a haiku)

attracting the wrong type
need to decrease nerd bait ways
I’m out of your league

Irritation for the Body and Mind (a Haiku)

red, slight bump appears
feeling it pulse on my chin
I’m too old for zits

Unruly Tuft of Hair (a Haiku)

cow lick in my hair
taunting me behind my back
more stubborn than I

It is pigeon poop, do not eat it.

I retweeted a clever picture



and received the following response:

I didn't I could find Jon Hamm more attractive

A Man and His RC Helicopter

Look at how cute my daddy is flying his remote control helicopter!

Six years...

Today is my sixth blogoversary. Let's review the last six years in Janny history:

September 15, 2004
RTA, Failte and I moved into a townhouse in Saskatoon. I had just left my full time teaching position up north to become a substitute teacher in Saskatoon. Would you believe that I didn't know anyone else with a blog at the time?

September 2005
I was still subbing in Saskatoon but all tutoring and working part time at a book store. When I wasn't working I mostly spent my time being a source of procrastination for others and impatiently waiting the movie Serenity. Although it was depressing not to be working as a full time teacher, I did enjoy the time I had to reflect.


September 14, 2006
Fall 2006 was an exciting time for me. Not finding much work in Saskatoon, I move to Calgary to became an admin assistant while I looked for a full time teaching position. For the first time in two years, I was back doing what I love and getting paid for it.

September 2007
The school I was teaching at in Calgary turned out to be a flaming disaster. With little regret, I decided to move from Calgary back to Regina. My dad was in ICU during the winter and spring which made my horrible job situation that much more horrible. I always want to go back to school to finish my BSc and wanted to feel more qualified to teach science classes. So in January 2008 Teacher Lady became Student Lady.

September 2008
In the summer of 2008 I worked for an applied mathematician which really made me question my future plans. I decided against an Honours degree in Math and opted instead for a double major in Math & Physics. I invested in a DVR and immersed myself in academia. Mt life became Eat, Sleep, Physics. School work became my life and left room in my mind for little else.

I also learned about Spidergoat.

September 14, 2009
Eat, Sleep, Physics became a little less lonely and a lot more difficult. I love the collaborative nature of Physics students. You spend so much time in the lab together it translates into a community where everyone helps one another outside the lab as well. Fall 2009 marked the continuation of Janny spending way too much time with boys in their early 20s.

September 14, 2010
I have two semesters left of university! In addition to a couple science classes this marks the first time in 10 years that I will be taking any education classes. I will also be working part time as a physics lab instructor (getting paid while getting experience). I've already spoken to the local school board and it seems very likely that there will be a full time physics teaching position for me next fall!

This is a very exciting time for me right now. My classes and instructors are great. I will be learning so many interesting and useful things. I certainly hope this enthusiasm for my present and future life can continue.

I admit that I timed this post to also be the 1300th. Thanks for reading and hope you stay with me.