100%!!!

As of yesterday, 

100% of the 
YES Prep North Central Seniors 
have been admitted 
to at least one 
4 year college or university.

These were the kids that I taught as 9th graders when we opened a new high school in 2006, and are the first class to graduate from North Central. 

Its amazing.  The real deal.  The goal that so many of my colleagues set all those years ago, and have poured endless amount of energy, sweat, and lots and lots of tears to realize.... is met.

Congrats my little Trailblazers.

So, so proud.

www.yesprep.org

A Sign of Spring

 

Even though it is snowing outside as I type, I saw these little guys poking through yesterday.

 And that surely must be a sign that Spring is around the corner!

Good Book.

The Weight of a Mustard Seed: 

The Intimate Story of an Iraqi General and His Family During Thirty Years of Tyranny

by Wendell Steavenson

Its a true story about an Iraqi general and his family.
He worked for Sadaam Hussein.
He was a good man.. but he sat by while bad things happened.
It makes you think about why we do what we do.. or don't do.
And if it is who we are or what we do that makes us good or bad people.
It is so eye opening.
I like that it is a story of an Iraqi family, because it shows the situation through their eyes, rather than through the eyes of an outsider.

NY Times Book review of Weight of a Mustard Seed

Online excerpts from Harpers Collins

PS - I got the hardcover on Half.com for $3 plus shipping.  That deserves a shout out.

Da's hands

I had a Georgetown Cupcake.

I have been hearing about these fancy cupcake places for a while.

I half thought it is was a ridiculously pretentious little fad, and half thought that it sounded pretttty delicious.

So Victor promised to take me for a fancy cupcake while I was in DC (it seemed like a fancy date for a fancy big city.. you know.. something fancy city people do)

The night before Valentines Day, he took me to Georgetown Cupcakes, and I ordered the Red Velvet cupcake because the menu said they are KNOWN for their Red Velvet cupcakes.  Plus the frosting looked preeeettttty delicious, especially since I got to stare at racks and racks of the little beauties as we stood in line for 45 minutes.

Yes, I said 45 minutes.  The line was SOOO long.  I thought it was just because everyone and their mom were probably getting cupcakes for Valentines day, but when I asked the cashier/cupcake maker, she said it was like that EVERY NIGHT!  WHAT?!?!

It all started to make sense when I learned that apparently, they are about to make a reality show about Georgetown Cupcakes (why is this not even surprising anymore?!)  So you can watch the cupcake drama unfold yourself on TLC.

Anyway, needless to say, the cupcake was indeed as delicious as they say.  I would go as far as to say it was THE BEST Red Velvet cupcake I have ever had.  Granted, I've never had Red Velvet anything before, so... I don't have a lot to compare it to.

Thanks V!!

Mouse in the house.

I tell you no lies, I saw a mouse squeeze through a hole that was smaller than a dime.

It took him a while... he got a little stuck..

 

But about an hour later, he made it through.

Gross?  Uh.. yeah.  Fascinating?  Definitely.

I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

Makes me think a little differently about how to keep mice out of the house.

!!!!!!