Follow Feet

We all know the power of Pine-sol. It's wonderful, strong, and theoretically made of pine. Pine? Yes. Pine. As in trees. This is what I think when people say "pine."  ... That said, stated, and viewed, when I saw a donut with mysterious "cream cheese & pine" filling, I became intensely curious.  Anyone else?  I knew I had to try one.  Just once. I mean, it's a cream cheese and pine donut! Who doesn't want one of these? ... Needless to say, I ordered a donut. Admittedly, I was nervous. It could be awful or fantastic, and honestly, I was afraid it would be the former. I carefully unwrapped the donut from its protective sheet of paper. It fit nicely in my hand. I stared it down like a misbehaving student you don't know if you want to laugh at or break the book upon. It seemed harmless enough. In the seconds it took for my hand to bring the donut to my face, I had not second thoughts but seventeenth thoughts bickering...

The weekend before last, the roommates and I went ziplining through the forest with wonderful ocean views. At some points, we felt like small and fragile imitations of spiderman. The "Tarzan Swing" was the best part! You hook yourself on a line and jump from a platform into air. No safety tug of the harness on your legs. No reasurance of the people in front of you makes it feel safe. For a split second before the rope catches your weight, you fly.   Last weekend, I finally felt completely at my ease in Japan. I ran 12 miles to finish at a coffee shop where I successfully ordered coffee politely in Japanese. They even filled up my running water bottle so I would have water on the way home. SOOOO NICE! Anyway, on the run, a Japanese grandma laughed at my red face, patted the bench beside her and told me to sit beside her. I could only smile back and shake my head for the negative. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. This weekend, I was lazy. A phrase has been churni...

You have a pattern; you may not know it, but you do. When a friend or family member takes a trip or moves overseas, they infallibly get the food question. What food question? I'm glad you asked. Have you eaten anything weird? Hmm. Complicated question... The answer is both yes and no. Most of the foods I find in Okinawa are extremely similar to foods in the US. To be frank, I was a little disappointed at how similar the foods were. For example, Okinawa boasts a Starbucks, KFC, A&W, Subway, and Pizza Hut among many other American options. There are some AWESOME foods that are either Japanese or Okinawan in origin. Here are the highlights so far; pardon the pictures since they taste OH SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEY LOOK.  These little puppies are called "dango." They are mushed and squashed balls of rice with a sweet sauce on top. We only get dango about once a month, but when we do, they are gone within the hour. They look nasty while being truly addicti...

 Tea on the roof sounds great! It was, in fact, brilliant. Some friends and I decided to celebrate the approaching typhoon buy a tea party on the roof of our apartment building, but we didn't have any tea. It sounds like a problem, but it was easily solved. All we had to do was borrow a guitar. One of the teachers conveniently left his guitar at school on Friday, and knowing he would miss it by Typhoon Monday, we decided to give it back to him... for tea. Kidnapping a guitar is not as easy as it sounds. Problem 1: They do not photograph well. With three hooded hooligans and dark lighting, it is difficult to see the outline of a guitar. Problem 2: Ransom notes start to sound a bit cheesy. "If you ever want to hear from it again, bring tea to the roof no later than midnight tonight!" Problem 3: Guitars are bulky and not easily carried to the roof of apartment buildings. Long story short, we watched the typhoon clouds roll in while sipping tea with a ransomed guita...

This week was teacher training and orientation which is a fanciful melody of meetings and preparing classrooms. For those of you who do not teach, preparing classrooms turns into trash piles taller than you, desks in 500 arrangements before you find the one you like, making posters, organizing bookshelves, rethinking everything you ever thought or did with teaching your class last year, and otherwise preparing for battle by building your defenses. Without fail, there is a crud-ton of junk leftover from years past that you consider paying people to get rid of. The massive piles of free unwantables began their growth outside the doors of classrooms Monday morning. If you wanted books, shelves, baskets, dominoes, shells, or a trashcan sporting Felix the Cat on the front, all you needed to do was put your name on it. By Tuesday, everything had a tag that read "Dozo." As I walked by everyday this week, I racked my brain to figure out who Dozo was and why they wanted piles cons...

My expectations of living on Okinawa have been shattered. Here I was thinking that living here would be difficult; not the case! Don't get me wrong, it has its challenges; however, I can only think of how incredibly blessed I am in my environment. Housing: I am on campus at OCSI (my new school) and have to walk less than 100 meters to my classroom. Laziness is knocking at my door, screaming that the alarm clock can be ignored, and wrapping the sheets more tightly around my legs, but I can't listen because I have to run. There is a .5 mile track just across the soccer field from my front door. It is GORGEOUS! Due to the .1 mile downhill and .4 mile uphill, my long runs are becoming easier and easier. Speaking of long runs, I can run to the beach in five different directions with five different mileage options ranging from 2 to 13 mile round-trips. Roommates: I have two wonderful ladies sharing the apartment. One is a built-in translator and the other is a laid-ba...

Flying by yourself to a foreign country that you have never visited before could seem rather daunting. I was expecting to fulfill the cliches of 'shaking in my boots', 'so nervous I could puke', or 'butterflies in my stomach' and many others; however, I survived with flying colors and even had the gumption of giving directions to other Americans who were lost and apparently couldn't read English (or were just too nervous to look at the signs). Today, I felt rather empowered. Yes. I can go though foreign airports without getting lost! Airports are the BEST places to sit down with your favorite cup of joe, prop your feet up on your suitcase, and watch the people go by. It is practically the olympics of people-watching. So without further ado, I present... THE PEOPLE-WATCHING OLYMPIC EVENTS! This year's events are as follows: the Impressive, the Wierd, the Gross, and the OMG. To save time on this broadcast, I will only be covering the gold medal winn...

Note: The Following is a Slight Exaggeration Me: YAY! I'm leaving the USA! Going on adventures! *High-pitched, embarrassing squeal of excitement* Government: NO! Not until you pass all my tests! Muahahaha! *evil laugh* You must have numerous tests to see if you be human. We withhold the right to tell you no even if all tests be 'normal'; we know not this 'normal' you speak of. You must also sell us your right to time, peace of mind, and ability to function for the next two months while we discuss your virtues. So DANCE PUPPET! DANCE! Me: Crudmonkeys! Darn you government. Note: The Following is NOT an Exaggeration This crudmonkery made me get a physical, blood test, urine test, TB test and paperwork galore. Ah the glories of target practice in a cup and needles stuck in my arm with the resulting bruise; give me paperwork any day! The trouble came with TB test check day. As you might know, a TB test is punched under your skin like a tiny blister fille...

Since I last had time to breathe, much has happened of which you probably need to be aware. Happenings That Have Happened, and In Their Happening, Made Less to Happen: School ended! This would normally be the end of work, but NO. I had a student to tutor in Geometry, a graduation to organize, teaching materials to organize for those to follow, and packing and cleaning for a move. One week later... I moved to Georgia! To await the coming of flights, I moved back in with the parental units. They are dismayed, but I get free housing... Hi Mom! One day later... I visited the grand state of North Carolina for a measly 8.5 hours for a brain appointment and a hair appointment.  Brain appointment: I am justified in stating that I am partly crazy. I have Irlen Syndrome. Yes, it is a real thing. It simply means that my brain cannot handle all of the information my eyes send to it. The results are psychedelic: I see moving bubbles, rainbows, streams, halos, heatwaves, and jumping fle...

I have been LAZY. The following post has almost rotten in my draft folder. Well, better late than never. "Yesterday was Memorial Day. Usually set aside for the adventures of pools, camping, barbeques, and hiking, I was determined to follow tradition. Kristen, Hank and I settled on the adventure of hiking the Grand Canyon South Rim to the Colorado River and back in one day. Sunday's research section warned us repeatedly "DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HIKE RIM TO RIVER AND BACK IN ONE DAY." Katelin: "That was written for people who are out of shape. We run half-marathons!" Hank: "I should inform my family that I could be dead tomorrow." Kristen: "I am officially nervous about this, guys." Katelin: "It will be fine. I did it last year and I was horribly out of shape." Hank: "Alright, as long as it is not raining." AND IT WAS. We arrived at the Grand Canyon at 7:30 to bipolar rain. One minute it would pour torrents from th...

Apparently I look like a fish gasping for water when I run.  Pictures from the Grand Canyon Half Marathon were published today on Lucid Images. These horrifying embarrassments are available for a price. Scanning through the images of "OK" signs, frowns, "Rock On" hand signals, and "I think I am dying right here and right now" faces, I saw my own face. First thoughts? THAT IS SOME SERIOUS FISH FACE.  OK so it's not that bad, but everybody is pretty skeptical when it comes to pictures of themselves. I would post the pics for your inspection, but I'm cheap and refuse to pay $20 for duckface. You will have to be satisfied with the after-image.  Quick story about this pic... 2 minutes before this was taken, I had the pleasure to be reintroduced to chocolate milk after a race. Note to self: Chocolate milk after running is bad for Katelin. I do not care what the commercials say; Chocolate milk makes my stomach go through acrobatic maneuvers...

For a definition of the "butt-crack of dawn," you should only be awake before 4 am; therefore, by definition, we were awake and driving at the butt-crack of dawn. 2:45 am and driving. No coffee. Lethal combos. Hank and I were obliged to leave for the Grand Canyon Half Marathon early enough to sign in before 6 am three hours away. The only reason I was not trying to hide Hank's body by the time we reached our destination was the timely interferance of Claire de Lune. Note on classical music and my non-coffee moods: I am a monster without coffee. Think Frankenstein's bride plus Hannibal Lector with a dash of Regina George and you will get the picture. That said, classical music cages the monster with melodies of heartbreak. It washes over my irritated soul to find the human under the fur. Back to the story: We arrived at the Grand Canyon at the hour of 5:00 and were  among the first runners to sit in semi-frozen cars awaiting the starting gun at 7:00 am. YES. Planni...

Yes. There was a snake, and it was in the door. I walked to school today, as I do every day, to get books for class planning. There ends the normal day. I noticed that the back door for the school was slightly ajar. I opened the door to go through. I looked down, something moved. Moving critters are not strangers to the area, and mostly consist of Jerusalem crickets, stinkbugs the size of your thumb, scorpions, or lizards. A moving strand of scales and danger about 3 feet long writhed between the door and the door frame just below the hinge. After a millisecond of casual visual investigation, the neurotransmitters of my brain sent two impulses through my body in rapid succession. First Impulse: Scream like you are a small rodent on fire for a duration of two seconds before realizing what you just accomplished. Second Impulse: Shut door like the door is the only thing separating you from a horde of zombie superheroes. Effectively trapping the bull snake half in and half out ...

With Saturday's half-marathon completed in Katelin's record time of 2 hours and 45 minutes, Sunday sprang optimistically to the window in the form of gray clouds and slight sunshine. My eyes eeked open to the mental collapse of "WHY?!?!" screeching from my sleep addled brain. Blame fell menacinglly to the cause of my disquiet: the alarm clock.* Sweet revenge played itself in my mind as a Brain Stinking Ninja appeared suggesting a projectile clock through a closed window. I restrained myself to smashing it with the most lethal pillow I could find at such short notice until the time registered to meaning. I had a to-do-list twice as large as any usual Sunday. Twice a month, I bring goodies for people to eat. Sunday's menu? Shortbread cookies. I LOVE these little pieces of heaven, so the promise of fresh baked delights extricated me from the shelter of sheets and launched me into the kitchen. - . - . Baking Cookies, Getting Ready, Leaving for Church, and other Bo...

Today, all I find myself contemplating beneath the healthy glow of florescent lights are the Brain Stinking Ninjas. Background: Brain Stinking Ninjas are thoughts of the most awkward, immature, and embarrassing actions I could take at any given moment. These thoughts usually occur when I am nervous, bored, excited, or breathing. Just a few of the Brain Stinking Ninjas I did NOT act on: 7:30 am- I REALIZE I WON'T TEACH HISTORY FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS: Get the urge to run screaming "The British are Coming!" up and down the school hallway. 7:45 am- HUNGER GAMES SOUNDTRACK COMES UP ON ITUNES: Social Experiment: Begin "Hunger Games" of throwing pies in my classes. Pie in face = "dead". Survivor wins an A. 8:00 am- STUDENTS ARRIVE: Pat each student on the head repeating "Aw, sweet heart, you can't help it." 8:30 am- LEARNING ABOUT CARBON FOOTPRINTS: Begin game of tag with socks representing carbon footprints. Tags must be in the face to...

How I Came To Fall in Full View of Everyone I Know at a Race Yesterday Once upon a time, there was a girl filled with a beautiful flight of thought. She ran a race with time. Absorbed as she was in thoughts of frogs battling salamanders, she forgot to lift her feet. Suddenly, the ground shifted, the Earth quaked, and sand swirled around her in an epic fury of wind and exfoliation. An invisible power locked his gritty grip on the foot that had disrupted his sleep. She moved too fast for a sure handle, but he caught the toe of her shoe. The results were catastrophic. Down. Down. Down in a blaze of swirling furry went our heroine's face to the ground. He thoughts ceased to dwell on the coming battle of amphibian domain. The only link to fantasy was shattered in a moment leaving nothing but a cry from the depths of her brain. "That ground is getting close. Shut your eyes, idiot!" She hit the ground with a thud and a cloud of dust. Looking back, she thought she could se...

You are loud. You are obnoxious. You are head-strong. You are prone to mistakes. You make gargantuan messes. You never bring a pencil or a pen. You get more distracted than any... Squirrel! You make teaching difficult with rudeness and disrespect. You make me contemplate a very personal game of whack-a-child. You make me contemplate a very useful round of self-evaluation. You make teaching brilliant with curiosity and  excitement. You get more joy out of life than any otter! You never forget to live your own life. You make me laugh so hard I cry. You are filled with possibility. You are free-spirited. You are talented. You are you. When I talk, I talk about you. When I work, I work for you. When I cry, I cry for you. When I hope, I hope for you. Somehow, you have taken over my life. It was a hostile takeover, but one that I will never regret because it allowed me to see beyond myself. I love each and every one of you.

Romance began quickly with the deafening silence of the Hopi reservation. It rings in your ears as you slowly realize the reason your mind is frantically searching for something, searching for sound. For a southern girl used to the chaos of cicadas, crickets, buzzing fireflies, the wind ticking the leaves providing a rustling laughter, and creaking rocking chairs, the desert waits for me to make the noise. It allows me freedom. I allows me to make a difference, even one so small as noise. Romance ended quickly as well. Shower uno's soft water, hours of trying to get less slimy, and lessons about hot water amounts will haunt my nightmares for years. Week one's dust storm taught me that the headscarf is a must.  Week two's meetings with students taught me to hope. They live everyday as though it is their last. In some ways, I LOVE that part of them that allows them to reject the norm, pave their own paths, and excert creativity over anything they touch. I also HATE it. I ...