The finished book list!

So, i stayed up WAY late working on my book list for the $8,000 grant that the Rotary Club is working on for me. Do you have any idea how many books you can get with that much money!?! I kept adding books and totalling them up and still having thousands of dollars left, so it definitely took longer than i was planning on. I finally finished around 1 in the morning and emailed myself the final list so i could print it out at school. Then this morning i got to school and realized...i sent myself the wrong list! Luckily, my mom wasn't busy this morning so i called her and she went to my apartment and got my laptop. (I would of had her just email the list to me, but she's not quite that computer literate yet, even though she's much better than she used to be.)

I had a rough week last week, simply because i was stressed and tired most of the time, but this week is looking to be much better. I spent a bunch of time over the weekend cleaning my apartment and rearranging some of the furniture so now my apartment is (most of the way) clean and looks much more spacious. It's amazing how much room i have now that i got rid of my papasan chair that i bought from craigslist sometime last year.

Other things random things you might want to know:

• I'm in charge of the yearbook at school since no one else would do it
• I'm also in charge of student government, but i actually get a stipend for that so it should be worth it. Besides, it's sure to be interesting since i've never been involved wtih student government at all.
• I'm going to finish One Red Paperclip tonight. It's a quick read and pretty entertaining. It's cool to think that this guy went from a red paperclip to a house simply by trading things with people.
• I've been getting compliments on my teaching ability from Babby (the principal) and Debi (the social worker) which is awesome since it's not like the kids are gonna tell me that i'm doing a good job, though one of my favorites did say today that he looks forward to coming to my classes. Yay!

"The attitude we take in our approach to life literally defines our days. For even though we may go through seasons of difficulties, those with a positive attitude will always end up stronger and more resilient. Could the reason the red paperclip story has captivated so many people be that we resonate with daring greatly? We may have grown weary but we still want to live significant lives. It's here that our celebrated Western individualism has tripped us up. Thinking we have to go it alone and just be strong, we have forgotten one vital component.
MacDonald could never have got that house without people who were willing to be part of his journey and cheer him on.
Like MacDonald, each of us needs people who can be a source of strenght and encouragement. Similarly, we have the privilege of being that for others.
Life's too short to be mean-spirited. Thos who encourage others often find that they themselves are bolstered.
A few kind words or a simple act of generosity can be all someone needs to spur them onwards.
We can live passionately and greatly. We need courage to dream big, determination to stay positive and people who will encourage us.
And every so often, we just need to remember how a bloke from Canada turned a red paperclip into a house." -Ruth Limkin, Brisbane, Australia