My Pizza Face Now Thanks You

Thank you, Spanish guitar, for being my cooking music yesterday.

You made me talk like Julia Child in Spanish with a lisp.

Thank you, fall, for being an awesome season.

You make taking pictures fun and the essence of cool.

Thank you, Attribution theory, for reminding that I must not judge and automatically assume things. We all are fallen people.

Thank you, Land of Up weather, for being indecisive these past couple of days. Although others are grumpy about the warm weather, it provides more of a window for me to gear up for the brutal winters.

Thank you, Jumping Bean, for always having yummy drip coffee right outside my office door. Sometimes when my day gets stressful, I like to sit on your couches and let the coffee aroma fill my nostrils.

Thank you, #58 sundae, for being so divine.

You provide my taste buds the beautiful combination of mint and chocolate. Also, my pizza face now thanks you for having massive amounts of chocolate.

Thank you, Sunday night volleyball, for being so intense last night.

Not only are my hamstrings rejoicing with pain right now, but my competitiveness just increased 50 notches.

Thank you, apartment mate, for getting polar pops last night.

Your little act of kindness gave my research group a bit of hope and energy to work into the wee hours of the morning.

Thank you, Thanksgiving break, for being a week long.

I’m using you as motivation to bulldoze my way through this semester. I can’t wait to stuff my face out with Mama Lima’s turkey and watch endless hours of football with the Papa Lima.

Thank you, Wavin’ Flag, for being in my head all weekend.

Not only do I think of the World Cup everytime, but I get a little teary eyed as I picture my students waving their flag with pride and dignity.

"Mystery Zone" by Spoon

Just imagine me frolicking through the fall colored leaves with this song in the background:



...and my black curly hair blowing in the wind.

On My Way On Taking Comfort In Rituals

Thank you, trees, for producing such pretty colors on your leaves.

You make me want to shimmy and shake my booty.

Thank you, savings account, for letting me get my ticket to Texas for Thanksgiving.
That week is going to be...off. the. chain. *fist pump in the air*

Thank you, cell phone, for making a freaking annoying sound in the morning to wake me up.
You make me want to throw you across the room.

Thank you, Mama Lima, for being the bomb-dot-com and loving me for who I am.
You are not afraid to be real with me. You also don't take my crap.

Thank you, cohort, for walking alongside of me during this time called grad school.
Let's rock this trash.

Thank you, BFF, for letting me text you my corny jokes late at night.
It comforts me to know someone in Texas thinks I'm crazy.

Thank you, gospel choir, for singing your heart out at chapel.

You fill my soul with joy and grant me the liberty to dance for Jesus.

Thank you, New England, for being the location of my childhood.
You shaped my worldview and my love for the Patriots.

Thank you, Starbucks, for bringing back the pumpkin spice latte.
I'm well on my way on taking comfort in rituals.

Thank you, Today's Letters, for inspiration.

Thank you, assistantship, for letting me learn how to be a professional.
It's here where my love for community service and education are combined.
*ten awesome gold stars*



What are you thankful for?

Learn: "You Gotta Have 'Ganas'"

What did I learn today?

I’ll be honest. Grad school is tough and can be a little discouraging. Sometimes it feels like our life is consumed by: projects, readings, thesis, work, cooking dinner, laundry, relationships, finances, life, and etc. Most of the days are consumed with stress. Sleep becomes a foreign concept to most of us. Some of us lose weight, because we don’t have time to eat. Some of us gain weight, because we rely on take out and frozen pizzas to keep us alive. For me, I know that I must continue to find things that continue my momentum going. Going straight from undergrad to graduate, one can feel a little burnt out.

One of my favorite movies is Stand and Deliver. Despite the 80’s style, Stand and Deliver is listed as a classic in my list. The movie is about a high school math teacher, Jamie Escalante (played by Edward James Olmos), who is passionate about teaching his students calculus. To provide a little background, the setting is in East Los Angeles. The majority of the students are Latino/a’s and come from hard backgrounds. School is the last thing in their minds. Resources for the school are not a priority as well. The best part is that throughout the movie, Mr. Escalante uses the word “ganas” when he is motivating his students to learn.

What does the word “ganas” mean? Is it Spanish?

Why, yes it is. The word “ganas” comes from the infinitive word “ganar” which means “to win”. Mr. Escalante told his students , “You have to have ‘ganas’ to learn this stuff”. In this context “ganas” means “to feel like” or “in the mood”. Mr. Escalante says it with this deep tone in his voice while holding a fist to show strength. He is challenging his students to feel it deep within themselves to learn calculus. They have to go into a deeper level and get the motivation from the inside to keep moving forward.

In this clip, the setting is a teacher meeting. They are discussing the future of the school and the lack of resources. You can clearly see what the expectations of the teachers are of their students in this short clip. You can also sense what they were feeling about the situation. The best part of the clip is Mr. Escalante’s response to the situation that is being discussed:

(Youtube offers more clips from the movie. I would encourage you to watch a couple to gain a deeper understanding of Mr. Escalante's teaching style)

I loved Stand and Deliver ever since I was a little girl. Papa Lima introduced this movie to me and has been quoting lines all my life. Throughout my undergrad, he would always tell me to have “ganas” to the times that I just wanted to quit. Now in grad school, he still repeats, “You gotta have ‘ganas’, Melissa. Just like the movie.”

Not only is the movie an encouragement and an advocacy for urban background students, but also for educators. Since I’m choosing higher education as a career, I strive for being an educator just like Mr. Escalante. He studied his students and saw what worked for them. He did not give up on them when they gave him attitude or trashed his house. He worked with them extra hours in the morning and after school for them to learn calculus.

“Ganas” is what I need to continue on. “Ganas” is what I need to finish what is set out before me. “Ganas” is what I need to encourage and motivate my students. “Ganas” is how I need to learn.

I can't wait for the day when I hold me fist up and tell my students, "You gotta have 'ganas'".

That’s what I learned today.

Do you have "ganas"?

Learn: 32 NFL Teams

What did I learn today?

There are exactly 32 NFL teams and I named 20 of them off the top of my head. How embarrassing. I call myself an avid NFL watcher and I only got half the teams. Papa Lima would've been dissapointed.The worst part is that some of the teams I missed are so easy. I couldn’t believe it. Oh well...

For those are you who are interested, here are the 20 I remembered (no particular order):

1) Patriots
2) Steelers
3) Bears
4) Texans
5) Cowboys
6) 49’ers
7) Ravens
8) Packers
9) Raiders
10) Dolphins
11) Bengals
12) Broncos
13) Vikings
14) Jaguars
15) Lions
16) Colts
17) Giants
18) Jets
19) Seahawks
20) Titans

Here are the ones I missed (Again, no particular order):

1) Falcons
2) Bills
3) Chiefs
4) Saints
5) Eagles
6) Rams
7) Buccaneers
8) Redskins
9) Pathers
10) Cardinals
11) Browns
12) Chargers

Bottom line: I learned that there are 32 NFL and I knew about 20 of them. Follow-up questions: How many Bible verses do I know? How many of my family member’s birthdays do I remember? How many hymns do I remember? How many answered prayers in my life do I remember?

Funny…the things we remember.

That’s what I learned today.

Which NFL teams are your favorite?

ps~*ten awesome gold stars* for NFL this Sunday for supporting Breast Cancer Awareness month (picture taken from here)

Background Music

On this crispy fall day (also while doing homework), soundtracks are my background music. I'm currently listenting to these soundtracks: Juno, Eat.Pray.Love, Vicky Christina Barcelona, and Moulin Rouge.




What are some of your favorite soundtracks?


ps-Stayed tuned for what I have learned these past couple of days...

Learn: Cornhole

What did I learn today?

I learned what the game of cornhole is and how to play it. I have never even heard of the game before. So when I was invited to a cornhole tournament at a friend’s house, you can imagine the confusion I had prior to arriving. My friends encouraged me by saying this is a cultural thing of the Midwest and that I truly will experience the Midwest through playing this game. Well, they were right. (Picture taken from here)

So for my New England/Texas/wherever-you-from friends, I have included information on what is cornhole and how to play it.

So Lima, what the heck is cornhole?

“It has been called many things, Corn Toss, Bean Bag, Bean Toss, Soft Horseshoes, Indiana Horseshoes, but to many of us born and raised in Kentucky and the southern part of Ohio, the game is passionately referred to as Cornhole.

It has been said that the game originated in Germany in the 14th century, and then was rediscovered in the hills of Kentucky over 100 years ago.

The truth is, who really knows, but the game is great fun for all ages and can be played anywhere!

Cornhole or Corn Toss is similar to horseshoes except you use wooden boxes called cornhole platforms and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point.

Scoring can be swift and the lead may change hands several times in a match before the winner is decided.

The game is generally played tournament style with an individual or team being named the champion at the end of the tournament.” (Information taken from American Cornhole Association website)

Even though it'a a popular game in Kentucky and Ohio, people in Indiana love to play this game.

So why do people play cornhole?

“The biggest reasons to play Cornhole or Corn Toss instead of horseshoes or other similar games is that Cornhole can be played anywhere and everyone can play Cornhole.

If you can aim and toss a corn bag 30 feet, you can master the game of Cornhole - It's great for family outings.

Cornhole can be played anywhere - driveways, parks, backyard, campgrounds, beaches and even in-doors.

Safe for everyone - no metal or pointed objects. Corn bags are made of extra soft 12 oz. duck canvas material and filled with pliable high quality feed corn.

No muss; no fuss. Two cornhole platforms and 8 corn bags and you’re ready to play the game.

Very portable. Can be taken anywhere. Fits in most car trunks and there are fold-down models that are even more portable.

Horseshoes require a sand pit and are hard for the kids to pitch, lawn darts require a lawn and hasn’t been seen since the 70’s, ring toss was made for children and bean bags are for wimps; Cornhole is the game for everyone!

It’s great fun for the whole family.” (Information taken from the American Cornhole Association website)

Once I finally understood the concept, I concluded that it was just like a beanbag toss that I use to play at harvest parties in New England. It did take me a little getting used to the throwing technique. Let’s just say that after a warm up, I impressed the “experts” that I improved greatly.

Watch out, world. Cornhole champ in the making, here.

That’s what I learned today.

For more information on:
How to play Cornhole, click here.
Cornhole official rules, click here.
American Cornhole Association, click here.