Captain Black Spot and his wench aka mom and dad

wench and pirate
Originally uploaded by mayshelley.

Most children in college go home a few times a year and sit around their parent's house for a pretty uneventful weekend. My family is far from typical. As one can tell by this picture, going home for me is always an action-filled exciting weekend. This weekend marks the Second Annual Shelley Family Pirate Party. If you like what you see...stay tuned for more pirate pictures from monday's beach party!

Say Goodbye to Wednesday Night's Guilty Pleasure

For the past four summers, I have been working at an alternative education school. Most of the students are great kids who have fallen behind in credits, but we are also a probation school, so we get some “bad kids.” This summer it was the Shelley family Wednesday night activity to sit down and watch “Brat Camp” and discuss amongst the ladies of the Shelley family the various disciplining methods of these troubled kids. Since I’ve left my lovely home in Orange County and returned to academia in Davis, I did not get to finish watching the rest of the “Brat Camp” series. I stumbled across this very entertaining article from Slate magazine about the writer’s obsession with Brat Camp. If you have some time to kill, I suggest reading it. Feel free to post what your favorite line is in the comment section.

Written While Listening to “Farmer Chords” by Benjamin Gibbard

Only in Davis

farmers market
Originally uploaded by mayshelley.

$6.50 Caesar Salad
$1.50 Large Lemonade
$0.75 Parking Meter

Watching a Kid "discover" the Fountain at Farmer's Market....Priceless

I Rock Peas On My Head

For those of you Who Didn’t Believe Me, Here's a link to an article proving that Andy Milonakis is not thirteen years old.

Written While Listening to "My Radio" by Stars

Almost more Stressful than Finals Week....Almost

I’ve returned to the fourth happiest place on Earth….Davis, California. I am currently taking my first class as a graduate student. EDU 120: Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education…it’s pretty much as boring as the title sounds. A milestone of my new academic career was my first official test as a graduate student. The test wasn’t for EDU 120. It was a pre-requisite test that I must pass before beginning my student teaching in three weeks. It’s a very critical test because the State of California has very high standards and if you do not pass this test you are not permitted to be in the classroom. With my teaching credential and Masters riding on this single test, one can imagine my anxiety. I don’t get the results until I return back to the Health center on Wednesday, but I’m feeling pretty darn confident that I don’t have tuberculosis and therefore, passed my TB test. But, I can’t get too confident….it is a test.

Written While Listening to “Let’s be Still” by Yo La Tengo