A Big Difference

When I arrived at school yesterday morning at 7:00, it was 58 degrees.  When I left school at 4:00, it was 107.  Almost a 50 degree difference in temperature.  When the hot weather comes, we are not usually so cool in the mornings.  Must mean fall is here!

A School Chuckle

Spending most of my life at school with little kids means I experience chuckles, giggles, eye rolls, and belly laughs on quite a regular basis.  Some are funny enough to share...

Last year, the state of California passed a new Ed Code law that went into effect this school year requiring Title I (low income) public schools to provide feminine hygiene products in at least 50% of the restrooms on campus.  Research has shown that girls who come from low-income homes are likely to miss school several days each month due to their family's inability to afford these products.  The state will reimburse schools for these products.  While this is not something I have experience with since I teach the little kids, I have several colleagues in the upper grades who purchase these products, along with other hygiene products like deodorant to help out their students who need them.  So while this requirement may seem trivial, there certainly is a need for it, hoping to keep kids in school.

As with most things in public education, passing the law seems like the easy part.  Actually implementing the plan isn't always easy.  Our facilities department was tasked with putting the storage containers with the product into the restrooms.  Facilities is known for showing up to work on a project and leaving before anyone ever sees them, but the project isn't always executed correctly.  We have three multi-stall girls' restrooms on campus.  There is one in the main building, one in the breezeway between the main building and the playground, and one in the new building.  Facilities put those containers in the main building and the breezeway restrooms.  The only problem is the upper grade students don't use the restroom in the main building.  The main building houses kindergarten and first grade classes only, and therefore the restroom in there is for those kids.  The new building houses all the 3rd-6th grade classes, and that building's restroom didn't get any containers.  And since the teachers are always the last to know about anything, the only reason we were aware of the new products was because the first graders found them.  Upon the daily cleaning by the custodian, it would seem the little girls thought of them as good wall decor items as he found them stuck all over the walls.  A work colleague of mine recounted when a couple of his first grade girls came back from a restroom trip with them stuck to their hands and clothes, proudly announcing to the class that there were "stickers in there!".  Their innocence is so cute!  Imagine going through your life thinking they are stickers and then finding out what they are really for.

Anyhow, since then, the product has been removed from the main building's restroom and put into the new building and a quick information meeting between the district nurse and the upper grade girls has been scheduled.  Both good plans, but thankfully they were put in the wrong place to start or we never would have been able to laugh about the 'stickers".  

No Way!

Yesterday, the results of the 2018 Harris Poll were released.  The Harris Poll is a national poll that identifies the brands which consumers most identify with and consider the "best".  Because it is a national poll, regional or local brands aren't really included.  Some might question the "best" label on these brands when there might be local or regional brands that are better.  But it would make sense that the ones most commercial and most widely known would be chosen.  It would make sense except for one category...BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT.

I would have to STRONGLY disagree with that claim, as would our local TV station.  Having lived my life in Southern California, my experience with Mexican food is based on really good, homemade, authentic (minus the lengua or tripas) Mexican food.  In my travels across country, the norm is that the further away I get from home, the less authentic and the more "Taco Bell" the Mexican food becomes.  In fact, when I lived in New England, Taco Bell WAS where most people got their Mexican food.
While this is not a knock on anyone who likes Taco Bell.  Fast food is fast, convenient, and has its place.  But to claim it's the best Mexican food is insane.  It is barely Mexican food at all, let alone the best.

The Coast, Part 2

After leaving Astoria, we spent the next couple of days in Seaside and Cannon Beach.  This was by far my favorite area visited on the trip.
Seaside is a fun boardwalk town known for its sunsets.  We were in between Seaside and Cannon Beach and mostly Seaside in the evening so I have only a couple of pictures from there.  We had one of the best meals at an Italian restaurant in Seaside, but sadly (or not) no pictures.  Sunset was beautiful, even with the clouds that rolled in.

Along the boardwalk, these street lights have sea life decor like this starfish.  They are so pretty.

While Seaside is a lot of fun, Cannon Beach was the town I enjoyed the most.  It is so quaint and pretty and quite different than the other beach towns in Oregon. 

Cannon Beach's beach is well known due to its Haystack rock.  

 The beach is just beautiful!

 One thing I loved about the Oregon Coast was that you'd be in the forest surrounded by trees, and just on the other side the cliffs drop to the ocean.  It is much different than the Southern California Coast which is mostly flat with very few trees.

Cannon Beach was the only town in which I could see myself living.  Who knows, maybe some day.