How i spent forever traveling,pt. 3.14

Day 3 in NYC. This series is almost over. Day 3 brought the Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which is a display of some costumes and props from all 7 Harry Potter movies. Only you couldn't take pictures. But I didn't let that stop me as I snagged this blurry one of Oliver Wood's and Cedric's quidditch robes:

Gimme!!! The next day was the last day of the Book Expo and our last day in New York. We made our best effort to get over to the expo on the early side to get tickets to see Jane Lynch!! She was there promoting her book, Happy Accidents (due out sometime this year..september?). She talked a little bit about the book, read the epilogue, took questions, and then signed autographs. She was just as entertaining in real life as she is in Glee. Only not as mean. And taller maybe. And definitely more awesome.

And then we flew home. THE END. Finally.

How i spent forever traveling,pt. 3

After spending less than 24 hours in Charleston, my mom and I hopped on a plane (ugh, not flying again) at 7 am to NYC! She was attending Book Expo America so I decided to tag along. I still hate flying though. And I hate flying even more when I'm taking off from the top of a mountain.

[fog in the valleys]

We spent our first day kind of unsuccessfully shopping. It was gloomy, chilly, and occasionally rainy so not a good combination on the whole. But we finished the day with New York pizza, which is one of the most delicious things in the world.

mmm..take THAT We the Pizza, 2 Amys, and Adams Morgan Jumbo Slices! The next day we ventured over to the book expo and it was one of the most overwhelming experiences I've ever..experienced. It was up there with walking into Forever 21 for the first time. The expo was held in the impossibly huge Javits Center and there were rows and rows of vendors and displays. But that meant that there was also an abundance of free books and bags. That first day we met and had things signed by Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) and Tyra Banks. It was:

That night I also got the chance to meet up with a friend and have dinner a fondue restaurant. I had never been to a fondue restaurant. It was a weird experience. I'm not and will never be a big cheese and fruit fan. But cheese and just about everything else- delicious..

next up:

New York part dos!

exciting? if you like Harry Potter and Jane Lynch

then YES

new hobby?

i'm in the market for a new hobby...

....okay, not really.

i just want an excuse to take up crocheting.

because i need this:

i don't know if need even begins to describe my desire to have this. maybe if i started now, i could have it done by halloween. of course, the burger part would secretly be a veggie burger since i'm a vegetarian. that would also make it kosher....since that is a really important factor when considering halloween costumes...

Schools of the Future

Today I got the really really cool opportunity to sit on the jury for CEFPI's School of the Future Design Competition as part of School Building Week 2011. I, along with several other jurors in the educational/architectural/environmental realm, listened to the 6 finalists of the competition that included middle schoolers from across the country (Alaska!).

For the competition, middle schoolers had to design a school that would be high-performing, healthy, safe, sustainable, and community-engaging. The groups competed within their own schools, then at the state level, then regionally, and finally (today), nationally. And what they came up with was incredible! The ideas that these 6th, 7th, and 8th graders developed far exceeded my expectations. When I was in middle school, I was sending crickets down a T-shaped "maze" to see if they chose to go left or right at the end; not designing schools for the future that would be environmentally sustainable, allow students to thrive, and enhance community interaction. They used words in their presentations that I'm sure I had never used/heard of until late high school/college. If the future is in their hands, we're in good shape. Granted monetary value of incorporating and developing their ideas was not taken into account (as one competitor put it - they didn't want to stifle their creativity!), they assured us, and I don't doubt it, that their vertical wind mills, smart-boards, hydroponic gardens, etc, would be beneficial in the long run. Adorable.