Professor Aaron McKindy
May 17, 2010 4:12 PM
In the Kitchen [Lesson I, Years 1&2] by Professor Aaron McKindy
It was almost Midterm, and there was something of a festive mood in the air. Aaron could feel it, but despite the general air of frivolity and excitement, he felt unnerved as he stepped into his classroom to prepare for his first years. He Banished the desks to a wizard-space closet in the wall, unCollapsed the black laboratory tables that doubled as bookshelves, and magically distributed ingredients to each station. It was done with a few muttered words, a few wandflicks, and it was done quickly and absent-mindedly. Aaron’s mind was preoccupied with other things.The last day of the full moon had been two days prior, and this was the first Beginner Charms class since then. Running his hand through his black hair, Aaron felt the pressing urge to hit his head against his desk. Repeatedly. Garen was the one who took in strays and was good at being a parent—Merlin, he even had a pair of kids who weren’t his living at their apartment, in addition to the pair of kids that they were taking care of, and one of Aaron’s two biological daughters. Aaron, on the other hand, was the one not good with kids, or people, as could be evidenced by the awkward attempt several days earlier to ‘connect’ with Cooper, as Mariabianca had suggested.
First and second years started walking in, and Aaron smiled at them, motioned them over to the laboratory tables, spoke with a few of them. When Cooper walked in, almost late, the pair awkwardly avoided eye contact as Aaron groaned internally. The Aladren would probably hit it off better with Garen, or so Aaron hoped. But for now--
“Good afternoon, guys,” Aaron said loudly to get the attention of the students, although he didn’t bother going to his oaken desk on the raised dais at the front of the classroom. It was a ‘lab day’ today, a sort of fun project before Midterm. The Italian knew that kids were less than interested in doing work at the moment; fortunately, he was also skilled at incorporating learning and review into what he hoped would be a fun activity. In Aaron’s own personal experience, note-taking and lectures made reading the book redundant. Perhaps it was his nature as a kinetic learner, but he believed that class time should be spent doing rather than theorising.
“I know that the last thing you want to do right now is learn, so I’m not going to bother with that,” Aaron grinned as the students quietly (and not so quietly) celebrated his announcement. “I would like a paper summarizing what you learned this half of term the first day we get back from Midterm though, so you can start now if you like. At least one page, please.” The students weren’t quite so excited about that, but Aaron didn’t feel too badly for them. It was an easy grade. “Today, we will be baking holiday cookies; I expect you to use the Charms you’ve learned in your time with me to bake, decorate, and, if you wish, Charm your confections. Recipes should be taped to the lab table. Feel free to use more spells that are in your Beginner book or ask me for help if there’s something else you want to do. Until Midterm we’re just going to work on this review project, and then afterwards we’re going to start new stuff. Sound good? Go on then!” And with that, the students turned to each other and started working out the specifics of their project.
Hopefully, he would be able to sort things out with Cooper over the break. Merlin....
|OOC| Okay guys, minimum 10 sentences please! If you’re having trouble with that, try and describe what’s going on, what your character is thinking, feeling, wearing, looking forward to, fearing, etc. Tag me if you need anything and have fun! If you want to do the homework (for extra House Points) just turn it in to the Homework Bin. ;)
Subthreads: Yumm, Christmas Cookies by Jude Normandy [Pecari] with Sophia Randolph [Pecari], Jude
Awkward much? by Cooper Abramson (Aladren) with Jessica Zeworth (Pecari), Cooper
Awesome!! by Starbuck Gregory with Tristan Volkmann, Pecari, Starbuck
Not up for this by Neal Padrig, Pecari with Caleb Nichols, Aladren, Neal
Never baked before. by Alessa Hinckley with Delilah Kerrigan
Mostly enthusiastic as usual. by Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw with Theo Manzana
Who doesn't love cookies? by Ellie McGill with Tobar Brishen, Ellie
SUPER-cookies! by Brad Hayman (Aladren) with Marian Parker, Aladren, Samantha Hamilton (Aladren)
So much choices, so little time by Brian Moore, Teppenpaw with Nadi Roth, (Crotauls) , Brian
Cookie, cookie, who's got the cookie? by Leonardo Michaels with Nicodemus Sawyer, Leo
Needing a partner by Autumn Collins (Crotalus)
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Professor Aaron McKindy
In the Kitchen [Lesson I, Years 1&2]
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Professor Aaron McKindy
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Ellie McGill
May 20, 2010 5:55 PM
Who doesn't love cookies? by Ellie McGill
As Ellie listened to Professor McKindy speak, she tried in vain to hide her ever-growing grin. Holiday cookies? No. Way. This had been her favorite tradition growing up ever since she could reach the kitchen countertop. Her mother would begin by getting all the ingredients for the old family recipe out of the cupboards and the refrigerator, while Ellie and her sister would sit on the wooden chairs and sing along to their mother's off-key caroling. Meanwhile, their father would be magically decorating the house with holly, tinsel, and the occasional sprig of mistletoe. And the best part, of course, was decorating them with the store-bought and brightly colored frosting that spread so smoothly onto the sugar cookies. Then a confetti of sprinkles came next, and finally, as Ellie and Cameron, her sister, were beginning to feel tired and sung-out, they got to eat a few and save the rest for Christmas Eve.Ellie began to quietly hum "Joy to the World" in her seat. She had the feeling that this was going to be a very fun Charms class, even if they did have to write an essay for homework. It was worth it if they actually got to eat the cookies, too. Ellie grinned broadly, and hoped that she could save a few and send them home to her family so they could see all her hard work. Maybe the cookies would even get home by the time she got there, too. There was no question that she was staying at school for Midterms; she missed her family too much.
Ellie's humming got louder and louder, until she was semi-worried people would hear her "Jingle Bells" tune. She didn't mind too much, though. The only thing she was worried about was if she was going to be able to use her charms well enough to make cookies that actually were cookie-like. She turned to the person sharing her double desk.
"So, where should we start?"
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Ellie McGill
Who doesn't love cookies?
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Ellie McGill
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Tobar Brishen
May 20, 2010 11:52 PM
Trolls....trust me. by Tobar Brishen
Tobar sat with his head on his desk, he missed the caravan so much right not and couldn’t wait to get home. He new papa and mama would be upset that he hadn’t spoken to Nadi since they arrived here at Sonora. But he couldn’t help that he wasn’t ready to be someone’s boyfriend, let alone Nadi’s fiancé. He sighed as the Professor began to talk about making cookies. He didn’t want to make cookies, he wanted to be home, he really didn’t have any friends here who understood him. He loved the outdoors, he loved to sing and dance and the boys here simply did not do those things.The gypsy began to perk up a bit when he heard the person next to him humming. It wasn’t a song he knew but it was music! He watched the girl enthralled with her for a moment. She moved onto a new tune he recognized from when they were performing in the town square of some muggle place. He watched her for a few moments until she stopped. "So, where should we start?" She asked him.
Tobar looked at her with wide eyes. Stammering he began. “I…i….i...” He paused and shook his head. “I don’t know but do you like to sing? Your humming was very pretty.” He said a bit bashfully. He was never bashful so he didn’t understand why he was now.
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Tobar Brishen
Trolls....trust me.
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Tobar Brishen
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Ellie
May 22, 2010 9:34 AM
Then they don't know what they're missing! by Ellie
As Ellie flicked her eyes to the student to whom she had just asked her question, she immediately noticed he was staring at her. Her cheeks tinted a faint pink, and her smile became a bit more modest, before her eyes looked away. The boy had long-ish black hair and attentive eyes that she was sure she could still feel watching her. While she didn't generally mind attention, she had never really liked to be watched carefully. That's why she didn't really like going to the dentist or the doctor, where their eyes were always watching her. But she looked back at him a moment later, for she wasn't one to cower from her fears. Well,except flying; she would prefer not to do that.
The boy stuttered at first. Perhaps he was just as embarrassed to be caught staring as she was being stared at. He shook his head a little as he said, “I don’t know but do you like to sing? Your humming was very pretty.” Ellie was caught a bit off guard. Beaming, she replied.
"Thanks! And yeah, I really like to sing. How about you?" Back to being her usually bubbly and not-demure self, her eyes caught the boy's eyes. "Oh," she added as an afterthought. "And I'm Ellie, first year Teppenpaw."
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Ellie
Then they don't know what they're missing!
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Ellie
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Tobar
May 23, 2010 9:57 PM
I agree! by Tobar
"Thanks! And yeah, I really like to sing. How about you?" the girl Ellie said. Tobar smiled and shook his head. “I’m not a singer but I play guitar, and I love to dance.” He said with a smile. He didn’t mention that he was a gypsy and music was what they considered the most important thing. There was one thing people didn’t take too kindly to was the gypsy witches and wizards. They were a minority and no matter if they were pureblood or not highs society did not like them at all. “I’m Tobar Brishen, a second year Teppenpaw.”He licked his lips and smiled. “I knew you looked familiar we’ve been in the same common room.” He grinned as he swept his hand through his hair. His long beloved black hair was his favorite thing he ‘owned’ beside the golden hoop he wore at all times in his ear.
“So what kind of cookies would you like to bake?” He asked as he looked down at the recipes. None really caught his fancy his step-mother Jessenia made the best cookies but there wasn’t a recipe for those ones here. He looked up at the girl and smiled happily awaiting a reply.
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Tobar
I agree!
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Tobar
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Ellie
May 25, 2010 12:21 PM
Favorite cookie? Mine's chocolate chip. by Ellie
“I’m not a singer but I play guitar, and I love to dance.” Ellie grinned some more. A boy who liked to dance? Back at home, all the boys used to tease the girls about dancing when they were little, and now, they were too embarrassed to even try. Ellie certainly didn't dance very often; she could never learn the steps as easily as her sister, who was actually quite passionate about the sport. But still, the boy- Tobar, she had learned- didn't seem like he was being sarcastic, and Ellie admired that he didn't fit the stereotype. It was quite refreshing. Then again, everything about this school was refreshing. The classes were so different and every time she saw magic performed, it still brought a small gasp to her lips, even after seeing her dad perform simple household spells back home.So now, she knew Tobar was in her house, and she did remember seeing him a couple of times in passing. But as he combed his fingers through his hair, she couldn't help feeling like she was missing some information. She pushed the thought aside and pondered upon cookie choice.
"Let's make gingerbread, if that's okay with you. I don't really like eating them, but I love the smell." Perhaps that was a bit weird, but Ellie announced it unashamedly, her quiet laughter making her vibrant orange hair shake.
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Ellie
Favorite cookie? Mine's chocolate chip.
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Ellie
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Tobar
May 25, 2010 11:29 PM
I love snickerdoodles! by Tobar
"Let's make gingerbread, if that's okay with you. I don't really like eating them, but I love the smell." Her statement made Tobar laugh. “Well smell is a good enough reason to make something!” he cried. “I myself love gingerbread cookies. So I concur with you, we shall make gingerbread mi lady!” Sure he knew he was being dramatic but it was all in good fun. He could almost hear the caravan’s music, it only happened when he was happy. He closed his eyes for a moment and swayed to the wild gypsy music before he was back in the classroom making cookies with Ellie.He decided to return to the music conversation and he smiled. “So what’s your favorite music?” He asked with smile. “Mine is just home grown music.” He knew many people didn’t understand it but then again most people didn’t grow up in a caravan where entertainment was a dance most nights. He remembered his childhood, falling asleep to the music of his people. “Ya know self taught musicians, they have the most hard.” He said it with a nod hoping Ellie would understand him, though he was sure she would be utterly confused by the idea.
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Tobar
I love snickerdoodles!
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Tobar
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Ellie
May 26, 2010 7:33 PM
They ARE quite delicious. :D by Ellie
“Well smell is a good enough reason to make something! I myself love gingerbread cookies. So I concur with you, we shall make gingerbread mi lady!” Tobar finished and Ellie couldn't help giggling loudly, not that she would help her giggling, even if she could. The "mi lady" was what really tickled her. It reminded her of when she was little and would play Princesses with her sister, Cameron. Though, of course, it also had to do with the silly dignified way that Tobar had declared he loved gingerbread, and perhaps that he had used the word "concur." In any event, Ellie was enjoying herself immensely, and was glad she had such a friendly partner.Tobar began swaying, his eyes closed, for just a couple seconds. Ellie watched curiously, wondering what he was thinking about. Perhaps he too was reliving old memories, reawakened in his mind from the thoughts of gingerbread and Princesses. Well, maybe not the Princesses part, but another sort of game he played with his siblings, if he had any, or friends.
"So what's your favorite music? Mine is just home grown music." Ellie was kind of confused by what home grown music meant, but she assumed it was something like music that came from his family traditions or something. "I don't really know; I like a lot of different kinds of music, I guess." This was true; Ellie wasn't someone who could categorize all her favorite things, for she liked way too many things to even consider choosing one.
“Ya know self taught musicians, they have the most heart." Ellie smiled at this. "I know what you mean. My mother taught herself guitar, and when she plays and sings, it's like magic." That was getting a bit poetic for Ellie's tastes, but it was what she really felt was the best way to describe it. When her mom played or sang or both, she seemed like a completely different person than the Muggle hairdresser she was.
"Well, I guess we should get bakin' now," Ellie said, grinning. "That's why I was humming Christmas carols. I used to bake cookies with my family every year at Christmastime!"
OOC: So... I didn't actually understand the "They have the most hard." So I took it to mean "most heart." Hopefully, that's what you meant! Sorry if it wasn't. :)
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Ellie
They ARE quite delicious. :D
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Ellie
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