The Scholastic Scribe

Morning Has Broken

2010-01-01T00:05:00.004-05:00

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day.

~A Children's Hymn by British poet Eleanor Farjeon (1931)~

Sleeping Beauty

2009-12-31T00:05:00.005-05:00

Hi, my name is Pepper. I am Ella Numera Una's cat, and I've been featured a couple times on my Human's blog. Today, I'm "guest posting," whatever that means, at the behest of Mama Kat. Well, when I heard that a fellow kitty cat needed me, I got up from my nap to tippy-tap. This is Prompt #1, I'm supposed to tell y'all, for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

I'm an inside kitty, who works real hard at my job, which basically consists of eating. Oh, and sleeping a lot, too. I eat my breakfast kibbles each morning, then spend the rest of the day figuring out how to steal my stepsister's food. That's why I pretty much look like I've swallowed a bowling ball.

Speaking of which, my stepsister, Patch, and I have a rocky relationship. You see, she's twice as old as I am, and kind of gets her fur all up in a wad when I'm around. I try to stay out of her way, but I have to admit, I'm a tad jealous. Patch is an outside kitty, so she gets to come and go as she pleases. Occasionally, though, I do escape, which doesn't please my Humans all that much. In fact, it pretty much pisses them off. Hey, am I allowed to say that?

Since I'm forced to make do with what I can find within the confines of my home, I've been known to come up with creative ways to entertain myself. I collect Christmas bows, and have a stash of them hidden hither and yon. I also help my mommy Human, Melissa B., with her blogging. Well, at least she thinks I'm trying to help. I actually just like to nest on the laptop because it keeps my butt warm, in all kinds of weather!

A note about my name. My Humans picked me up at the local shelter when I was 7 months old. Apparently, I'd been given up by my original family~something to do with allergies, I think. So I already had a moniker when La Familia Scribe adopted me. The lady at the shelter told Ella Numera Una that my name was "Pee Pee," so my Humans tried calling me that for a while. The shelter chick, obviously, couldn't read my adoption card. I think I acquired the name Pepper because I'm a white kitty cat with black spots. But when Melissa B. took me in for my first check-up, the vet said we must be mistaken about the name. I obviously, he said, should have been named MOO, because of my bovine tendencies.

Since today is New Year's Eve Day, I really can't say goodbye to 2009 without giving a plug for abandoned kitties like moi. Melissa B. has blogged about United Animal Nations before. They really do a great job helping animals who were in my situation. So, if you're making your New Year's resolutions, you might want to consider adding this great animal rescue group to your list.

Enjoy tonite's festivities. I won't be going out; I'll probably be all tangled up. Cheers!

Camouflage Christmas

2009-12-30T00:05:00.000-05:00

I'll Take These Outtakes!

2009-12-29T00:05:00.002-05:00

This week, the folks at I *Heart Faces* are hosting a contest, of sorts, which features "Hilarious Outtakes" that are the result of our photo journeys over the years. Ella Numera Dos & I rummaged thru a basement shoebox or 2 to come up with our entries.

I'm quite pleased with the outcome of our search. Please click on over to MOO to see what Ella Dos is featuring today. I can't help but think: "What were we thinking?"

A preschool performance. You can pick your friends & you can pick your nose, but...

You know those elementary school science fairs?

Sometimes my chicas would get a tad anal about their entries...

Those shore are big shoes to fill, pardner!

And where did your folks get their decorating sensibilities?

Sometimes these middle-school sleepovers make me hungry for more...

AC/DC?

2009-12-28T00:05:00.000-05:00

My best specimens from last week's visit to The OBX. Both are whelks, also known as the Atlantic Conch. The petrified shell above, I guess, is an apt metaphor for the burned-out turistas who seek the solace of The OBX to unwind.

Forgive this summer-esque post. I've got 1 more week before returning to the salt mines & prefer to focus on pursuits of pleasure...

Holiday Haziness

2009-12-27T00:05:00.000-05:00

With the onslaught of Christmas, followed so closely by the commemoration of the New Year, some of us tend to become forgetful~even elementary-schoolers. Matty, over at Matty Thoughts, snapped this earlier this week at a local school. The hallway display featured lyrics to holiday tuneage scribbled by students. This kid, apparently, gave up on the Christmas spirit before he (or she, as the case may be) really had a chance to revel in it.

Y'all know what to do, correctamundo? Take a gander at this Superior Snap. Then, scribble a caption for said snap in the comments section of this post. And that's all there is to it. You'll win nothing tangible for your efforts~just the knowledge that you gave a whole herd of us a good giggle. And what could be better than that?

Awkward Family Photos Can Be Fun

2009-12-26T00:05:00.007-05:00

As my youngest commented a couple of days ago, sometimes fairly odd family photos are part of La Familia Scribe's holiday traditions. The shot above was supposed to be for my SIL's Christmas card a few years back. Ella Numera Dos snapped several, but this was the best of the lot. Needless to say, my SIL sent out different cards that year.

Awkward Family Photos will love this!

We discoverd this incredibly mischievous site a couple of days ago. As the kid reasoned, "there should be a home for holiday photos like this one." Thanks to Cate at Show My Face & her 6-Word Saturday for letting us air our dirty holiday laundry. Hope everyone had a fabulous Festivus!

Don't Stop Believing...

2009-12-25T00:05:00.000-05:00

"The true harvest of my life is intangible~

a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched."

~Henry David Thoreau~

From La Famila Scribe, here's wishing you the Merriest of Christmases!

The True Reason for the Season

2009-12-24T00:05:00.002-05:00

As December melts into Christmas & the holiday rush transitions to the new year, I wanted to spend some time today reflecting on the true reason for the season.

The snap above showcases La Familia Scribe's Christmas tree. You can see, right off the bat, that this sure isn't a Fraser Fir from the downtown Rotary lot. No, we abandoned the typical for a new famly tradition 4 Christmases ago.

Because of allergies, hassles & fear of fire~I know not one, but 2 families whose houses burned to the ground during the 3rd week in December during my childhood~we opted for an artificial tree in Christmas 2005. But we didn't go for the plastic greenery that so many of our friends had favored over the years. We went aluminum.

This retro tree design, first manufactured in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1958, is the ultimate in chic '50s decor. When they first came out, aluminum trees were viewed as icons of the future. But sadly, they eventually came to represent the over-commercialization of Christ's birthday. Most of you probably remember how the glittery aluminum tree was so disparaged in that TV classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

My family prefers to characterize our embracing of Christmas kitsch as a novel way to save the environment. We wanted to go green in a funky way & think our 4-foot tree~which stands on the living room coffee table & is illuminated by a revolving color wheel, not lights~is a statement. We're not commercializing Christmas, but stepping back to a simpler time, when folks thought a little touch of the Jetsons meant they were hip to all the possibilities life has to offer.

I have to say, as well, that the shiny yet understated aluminum showcases our ornaments~family heirlooms & kiddy art alike~in the best possible light. My grandmother's German swan, making its delicate presence known in the snap above, is a case in point. When I was a kid, we had at least a Baker's Dozen of MawMaw's ornaments from the old country. My childhood home also had a cathedral ceiling & it was par for the course for Daddy & the kids to go Christmas tree shopping & come back with a 2-story beauty.

We lost all of MawMaw's ornaments but the swan in a catastrophic accident the Christmas I was 10. My kitty had a hissy fit & decided to run up that too-tall tree. He became entangled in the lights, and, well, you can guess the rest. The tree went topsy-turvy, in a spectacular cacophany of limbs & living room furniture. And no, my grandmother's ornaments did not survive the tumble. Except for the swan, which is well over 100 years old now, the rest were smashed to smithereens.

Every year I wait for both My Peeps to be home before we decorate our little tree. That tradition unfolded last night, as we hauled out boxes & unwrapped Christmas treasure. Of course, the swan has a place of honor, ensconced front & center within the faux silvery branches.

MawMaw's swan means Christmas to me.

Everyone crowded around the dining room table is another tangible tradition. But we don't rush & force everyone to gather on the 25th. We won't have all our family & friends with us this year until the weekend, so Sunday it is. We'll spend tomorrow reflecting & then probably eat Chinese food & take in a flick. Then Sunday will feature our feast to end all feasts. After all, it's not the date that's important this time of year, it's the company one keeps.

Another Scribe tradition is remembering the departed and commemorating the service of others. Today is the one-year anniversary of our friend Yoshio's senseless murder in DC. We plan to contribute our time & some of our limited financial resources to helping Miriam's Kitchen, the DC facility that helped Yoshio & his friends sort out the meaning of their lives.

There's one more thing I'm going to be thinking real hard on. A friend of Ella Numera Una's is serving in Northern Iraq. He won't be home for almost a year. I can't dig deep enough for the words to express what Mike's family feels right now. Pride & fear are a powerful combination.

I read a post yesterday at a blog called blackberries to apples. This young Alabamian has been in New York City for a year. She wrote about returning home to Birmingham & the unexpected feelings she had after witnessing the most poignant of events~the return of a fallen soldier from the battlefield to his family.

Christmas means so many things. I'd hate to spoil the holiday with a cliché. But I like to look beyond the obvious, especially this time of year. Have a Happy, y'all.

Seagull Sunrise

2009-12-23T00:05:00.000-05:00

Attention, Kmart Shoppers!

2009-12-22T00:05:00.002-05:00

Stopped by the local beach Kmart to pick up a container to store some of my flotsam & jetsam from this week's sandy excursions. When what to my wondering eyes should appear but a man named EZ, playing funky Christmas Carols out front, picking up a little spare change in between sets & occasionally harmonizing with the Kmart Shopping Cart Dude. Here they're jammin' on "Silent Night." Duuuuuuuuuuuude...they were good!

EZ put me in mind of the real reason for the season~'tis better to give than to receive. I've started collecting some Christmas Bling early & wanted to give the proper kudos, plus pass the love along before I get on the road again toward snowy DC.

First off, thanks mucho to Betty at Cut and Dry. She is cool & classy & a Superior Scribbler, to boot. I'd like to pass this refreshing bling along to 2 sweet & sassy gals:

Tammy, at Keep in Touch with Mommakin

Mama-Face, at Blog Ignoramus

Next, my new friend, Quasi, at Quasi Serendipita, is a busy doctor who works in central London. But she still has time to stop & smell the roses, not to mention fling some bling my way. Thanks to a gal whose recipes & photos perpetually leave me in utter awe. So, I am, in turn, blinging these 5 bloggers, who always brighten my day:

Quilly, at Quintessentially Quilly

Shradda, at The Self Love Project

Kys, At Stir-Fry Awesomeness

Steph, at Steph in the City

Noelle, at Elastic Waistbands and Comfortable Shoes

And finally, Carma, at Carma Sez challenged her regular readers to list 10 Things That Make Them Happy. I'd like to pass this bling along to one of my favorite bloggers, with the challenge to do the same:

Tara R., at If Mom Says OK

Hope y'all enjoy your pre-Christmas blinging. And, please, enjoy my Top 10, too, ya hear?

10 Things That Make Mrs. Scribe Happy

10. Having 2 full weeks off for Winter Break.

9. Realizing that I'm almost out from under all those student papers.

8. Wrapping up Christmas shopping early this year.

7. Knowing that I'm making a difference.

6. Finding time to pop on down to the OBX for a little Winter fling.

5. Finally figuring out that Twitter can be my friend.

4. Hanging out online with my beautiful bloggy friends.

3. Anticipating the tingle I'll feel when all My Peeps are under one roof.

2. Missing the biggest DC snowstorm in years.

1. Traveling home today to play in said snow.

That's a Wrap!

2009-12-21T00:05:00.003-05:00

Much like the flotsam & jetsam I find when I visit the OBX, today's post is a collection of odds & ends. Or, as I prefer to categorize it, a nod to the extraneous in all of our lives.

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Found this seasonal ornamentation yesterday, tossed up on the shore with the seaweed, broken glass & gobs of plastic that pollutes our part of the world. I'm only one person, but I try to do my part by tidying up my local sandy environs. So, while I did pick up the styrofoam, Gatorade bottles of all permutations & what seemed like hundreds of plastic bottlecaps, I let this festive bow remain. Was that wrong of me?

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I've spent the last couple of days baking. And baking. And baking some more. At last count, 130 sandbakkels (Norwegian sugar cookies) & 85 sugar cookies of the more conventional variety. And, no, I didn't snack on said Christmas goodies. Saving those yummies for My Peeps, who should all be gathered under one roof by Wednesday. I've been dipping into my stash of Ben & Jerry's, instead.

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Looks like I've successfully avoided that nasty "Christmas Shoes" seasonal tuneage this year. Although I have to say that I've heard more than my share of Madonna attempting to sing "Santa Baby." Ugghhhhh....

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Learned late Sunday that Superintendent Man closed the schools in our district this week (the Monday thru Wednesday we were supposed to attend before break) because of snow. The good news about that, then, is that I don't have to take these 3 days as leave. The bad news, of course, is that if we get any more snow, we'll be going to school through next August...my district's penchant for making up snow days can be so annoying!

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The Green Bay Packers lost to the Steelers yesterday by one friggin' point. I don't want to discuss it.

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Speaking of winning & losing, I've decided I don't have the mettle to compete. For the second year in a row, I captured second place in the Edublog Awards. Ah, well. I'm getting better, though~last year, I lost by 9 votes. This year, I settled for 2nd due to an 8-vote deficit. What was it that George Jefferson used to say? I'm movin' on up...

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And, no, I'm not a sore loser. Please drop by Two Writing Teachers to congratulate them. Cool Cat Teacher, too. She came in close on my heels. And thanks to all of y'all who cared enought to click for me. In fact, you have one more chance. Mrs. Scribe is nominated this year in the 2009 Blogger's Choice Awards....

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One more thing. Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" totally RAWKS. Reject all imitations. And, yes, Lady GaGa has a Christmas anthem, too. Sorry if I offend, but this is too much to pass up...

Killer Christmas Turkey

2009-12-20T00:05:00.001-05:00

OK, I'm a liar. Mrs. 4444 posted this as part of her Thanksgiving Celebrations. This bird was shot (stabbed?) on Turkey Day, circa 1971. But because many of us will do the Turkey Trot again in 5 days, thought this might be Silly Sunday Sweepstakes-worthy, oui?

You know the drill, correctamundo? Take a gander at this Superior Snap. Then, conjur a caption & post said caption in the comments section of this post. And that's all there is to it, Scribe fans!

You'll win nothing substantial for all your efforts. Just the knowledge that you've given all of us a good giggle on this Sunday before Christmas. And what could be better than that?

On the Road to the OBX

2009-12-19T00:05:00.000-05:00

Rather Have a Rainy Road Trip!

The alternative was a snowy one. My homies back in DC will be suffering under up to a foot of snow or more by the end of the day. I'm taking a few days off down at North Carolina's OBX, where it's raining, but supposed to be clear up by afternoon. I did bring some papers to grade, but I'll think I'll put that off for awhile. The view~which is brought to you today by Cate's 6-Word Saturday~is lovely, rain or shine...

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

2009-12-17T20:57:00.004-05:00

Well, Steven Spielberg I'm not, but I captured this hole in the sky the other morning after I'd arrived at work. Looks a tad like the spaceship in Close Encounters, doesn't it?

I've been scarce around these here parts, but plan to start visiting y'all again this afternoon. I'm finally done for the year~2009, that is. I took the last 4 days before break off, to spend some time baking cookies, visiting the beach, reading a good book. All those things I don't have time for when I'm grading, grading, grading, which is what I've been doing this week.

Who knows? Maybe I'll find an awesome shell when a N'oreaster blows in?

Happy SkyWatch Friday...

Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye...

2009-12-16T00:05:00.003-05:00

PS: It's not too late to vote for Scholastic Scribe & MOO in the Edublog Award Competiton!

Thanks for your support...

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Cat

2009-12-15T00:05:00.001-05:00

First off, I'd like to remind y'all to vote for Ella Numera Dos & Moi in the Edublog Award Competition. Polls close tonite at midnite; please vote in all three categories: Best Individual Blog, Best Student Blog & Best Teacher Blog. Thanks for your support!

So, I guess y'all are wondering about this Superior Snap. Like most proud parents, we have Kid Art of various eras & incarnations displayed around Casita Scribe. Why, after all, buy the expensive stuff when you can hang certifiable originals on the walls?

The portrait above was sketched by Ella Numera Dos when she was 9-ish. The Fat Cat taking in the Cray-Pas rendering is the subject of said artwork~Patch the Cat, perching on my newly upholstered chair the other day.

I only had one chance to snag this capture. Once the Canon clicked, the kitty was outta there. I've never seen her admire her likeness before, even though it's been hanging in that self-same spot for almost 10 years. But I'm sure that if she had opposable thumbs, she'd be raising both in the air...

I Heart Faces is featuring Pets this week. Does it count if we can't see the critter's face?

Warm Up With Some Christmas Cheer!

2009-12-14T00:05:00.003-05:00

Before we get down to brass tacks today, please don't forget to vote for Mrs. Scribe & MOO in the 2009 Edublog competition!

This Superior Snap is nothing short of ancient, and I've used it in this space before. But still, this capture of Ella Numera Una & her BFF, Megan, represents, to moi, at least, the epitome of Christmas. It's a Polaroid "ornament" that has hung on La Familia Scribe's tree for about 17 years or so. Snapped at Eastern Market in DC. Look at the pure joy on those cherubs' faces!

In honor of the season & all, plus to remember all I'm thankful for, I'd like to share a family holiday recipe, brought to you by my fabulous SIL. Hope this helps keep you warm over the holidays, and brings some good, old fashioned Christmas cheer.

Aunt Julie's Hot Cocoa

8-quart box Carnation dry milk (use Carnation; the generic brands aren't quite fine enough)
1 pound powdered sugar
1 pound Nesquik
8 oz. coffee creamer (any brand will do, but make sure it's "plain")

Mix ingedients together. Boil water.

Put about 1/3 cup of the Hot Cocoa Mix in a mug, pour the hot water into the mug, and stir.

Add tiny marshmallows, and enjoy!

Where's Clark Griswold When You Need Him?

2009-12-13T00:05:00.001-05:00

Hey there, Scribe Fans! Before we launch into our Sunday silliness, just thought I'd offer a friendly reminder~a nudge, as it were~to vote for Mrs. Scribe & MOO in the 2009 Edublog Awards. And, of course, thank you for your support!

Now, down to brass tacks. Or Christmas lights. Whatever. Today, I'd like to offer you "Christmas Ditto." If you Google "Christmas Ditto," you'll find literally dozens of sources on the World Wide Web. I have no idea the origin, but I'm going with this silly shot anyway, in honor of the season & all...

You know what to do, correctamundo? Take a gander at this Superior Snap. Then, conjure a caption for said snap & tippy-type it, real quick-like, in the comments section of this post. And that's all there is to it. You won't win anything tangible for your efforts, except for the knowledge that you gave all of us a good giggle this holiday season. And what could be better than that?

Editor's Note: Tomorrow, Mrs. Scribe hosts a Christmas Contest, of sorts. If she can get Mr. Linky to work, that is...

Vote for Pedro? No, for Us!

2009-12-12T00:05:00.002-05:00

Look at these faces. How could you not adore their profesora, Señora Scribe? Cate's 6-Word Saturday brings you Mrs. Scribe's seniors~they've got their game faces on, because they know how serious the stakes are this time.

Last year, Mrs. Scribe won a nomination in the prestigious Edublog competition. She carried her just & righteous cause to the finish line, but lost in a heartbreaker~by 9 votes.

Well, she's back & she's in fighting shape this time~plus, she's nominated in two categories for the 2009 Eddies. And not only that, but Ella Numera Dos~she of MOO fame~is nominated in the new Best Student Blog slot.

So, here we go. No speeches, no platforms, no pushing of agendas. Just a simple plea:

Vote for Mrs. Scribe~and MOO!

Pretty please? We promise to represent you~the Little People of the Blogosphere~as ambassadors of goodwill & great times. And you can make all this possible~with a couple of clicks of your computer mouse!

So, start clicking! Navigate the three links below, and you've got it covered. You don't have to register, you don't have to apply, you don't have to stand on your head or do a Stupid Human Trick; just click & your cyber-obligation will be fulfilled. Remember~the kids in the Superior Snap above are counting on you.

Best Individual Blog: Scholastic Scribe

Best Student Blog: MOO

Best Teacher Blog: Scholastic Scribe

Editor's Note: In addition to our weekly Silly Sunday Sweepstakes, tomorrow's post will bring a little Christmas cheer your way. So, stay tuned. And thank you for your support!

The Sun Also Rises

2009-12-11T08:30:00.004-05:00

Greetings & Salutations, y'all! Sorry I'm tardy posting this a.m., but we had a late nite yesterday. Ella Numera Dos, she of MOO fame, had shoulder surgery. The gal, an accomplished backstroker, just stroked one too many, the doc says.

After 9 hours at the hospital, the chica is resting comfortably at home. That's what Percocet can do for a gal in pain, I reckon.

My SkyWatch Friday contribution this morning comes from Room 215 at Our Humble High School. We're known, hereabouts, for our spectacular sunrises. And, as you know, Room 215 is also home to a spectacular Happy Meal collection.

If you have a chance, please visit my chica over at her place & wish her a speedy recovery. As always, thank you for your support!

SNL has Tiger by the Tale...

2009-12-10T00:05:00.000-05:00

"The job of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted & afflict the comfortable."

I learned this when I was a 14-year-old Scribe, on the staff of my high school newspaper in Dallas, Tejas. I'm teaching that lesson today to my own journalistas at Our Humble High School in the DC 'Burbs.

Of course, the medium & the message have evolved over the years. Americans get their "news" from so many more places these days.

Some in the blogosphere & even in the so-called "mainstream" media have taken Saturday Night Live to task for last week's Tiger Woods skit, especially since the musical guest that nite was Rihanna, herself a victim of domestic violence.

In my English classes, I'm about to embark on a unit on Mark Twain & The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain's American classic made folks uncomfortable. That's the point of satire...to upset the apple cart, to flaunt accepted conventions, to make us think.

"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."

Twain said that about his own work, Huck. I believe that satire should be taken for what it is: humor that makes one think. And last week's SNL skit clearly falls into that category. You'll have to wait a sec or 2 while the dumb ad boots up, but after that I think you'll get a good giggle. Please let me know if you don't, OK?

Kids...Please Don't Try This at Home!

2009-12-09T00:05:00.001-05:00

First DC Snow...Just in Time for SITSmas!

2009-12-08T00:05:00.002-05:00

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep.

La Famila Scribe wishes you & yours
a Very Merry SITSmas & a festive, fun holiday season!

Editor's Note: Thanks to all y'all who contributed to Mrs. Scribe's fanTAbulous SITS Featured Blogger Day. Probably gonna take me mucho tiempo to respond to your dozens~dare I say hundreds?~of comments, but respond I will. And remember: I'm still available to cater your next cyber-affair! PS: The Superior Snap above captures only the beginning of last Saturday's snow. About 6 inches accumulated in our DC 'Burb...with more forecast on the way, today!

She's Available to Cater Your Next Cyber-Affair...

2009-12-07T00:01:00.003-05:00

Dateline: Somewhere in the DC 'Burbs~Melissa B., the intrepid former newspaper reporter known in the Blogosphere as Mrs. Scribe, welcomed members of the SITS cyber-community to her blog today.

The high school English teacher, who also slaves away as a student newspaper and yearbook adviser, said she was all agog at the hubub caused by her SITS Featured Blogger Status.

"I just don't know what to say, y'all," the Native Texan gushed. "I'm not used to receiving all this adulation. You know, they don't call me The Humble Scribe for nothing."

Mrs. Scribe credited her new-found fame to Heather and Tiffany, proprietresses extraordinaire of The Secret is in the Sauce, a social-networking site dedicated to "sharing the comment love."

In fact, Mrs. Scribe said, she hoped her 24 hours in the SITS Sun would help her to "connect with new cyber-friends, and perhaps generate a little social networking of my own."

Melissa B., who has been a blogger since March 2008, rides herd over about 150 students each year at Our Humble High School in the DC 'Burbs. As part of her duties, she not only teaches the curriculum mandated by the School Board & Principal Man, but also:

Copes with crises:"Seven Years Ago Today"
Interacts with members of the school counseling staff: "Would You Like Salsa on that Transcript?"
Teaches her high school journalistas the value of self-censorship: "No Sex for Santa This Season."

Mrs. Scribe is also loving wife to Mr. Fairway & Mommy to 2 fabulous chicas: Ella Numera Una, who is in her first year of law school, & Ella Numera Dos, a college sophomore who is a blogger in her own right. In fact, you should check out Dos's photoblog, MOO.

Melissa B. tries to serve as an arbiter of good taste & pop culture in the blogosphere as well, using her daily cyber-forum to comment on everything from traffic to politics to manners. In this role, she:

Counsels readers on handling big-rig mayhem on the highways: "What's the Word Wednesday: Hyperbole"
Comments on the de riguer nature of decorating: "The Christmas Breasts"
Cracks wise on the phenomenon of drugs in professional sports: "Well, We All Can't Be Michael Phelps"

In addition, Melissa B. is the Original Superior Scribbler, with more than 1,350 of her Superior Scribbler Awards to date distributed worldwide. And she hosts her weekly Silly Sunday Sweepstakes, encouraging readers to get their goofy on with crazy photos & captions.

"I just can't say enough about what blogging has meant to me over the past 21 months," said Mrs. Scribe, who prides herself on posting daily & keeping her insights fresh & her commentary relevant.

While she says that teaching "is the best job I've ever had," Mrs. Scribe continues to look for writing opportunities in the blogosphere. And as a prolific, poignant & on-point wordsmith, she's always ready for guest posting or book, movie & product review assignments.

"I'd love to figure out a way to make this blogging janx a permanent gig," Melissa B. said. "As it stands now, though, I'm available to cater your next cyber-affair..."