Thursday, August 31, 2006

I survived!

I survived the first day of school...YAY ME!

It wasn't easy at some points. I have 45 kids in each of my English 10 classes. That's a lot.

The period 4, lunch, mixed class thing was a colossal mess! Administration made an announcement that the 9th graders were to go to lunch and the uppers to go to period 4. My 9th grade period 4 students were never told to come to class. They came in after the 9th grade lunch and then got a second lunch at the end of that period because I wasn't about to give up my lunch.

It was a mess, but it should be better tomorrow. I hope!

The Advanced Drama kids were funny. And already out of control. Doing Oedipus is really going to be a shocker for them. I hope they like it.

It's going to be a great year!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

let the chaos begin

Tomorrow morning bright and early I will begin to prepare for the rush of students who will come into my room seaking their class locator cards. Lucky for me I have the letter "D" (the "G", "L", "M", and "N" people have it rough).

I am SO not ready for school to start. But, is going to start ready or not.

The school isn't even really ready.

This year we have jumped on the Freshman Year restructuring band wagon. It is all good in theory to put 9th graders in houses. I even agree with a lot of the data, but man has our school really created a FUBAR situation.

For example, the freshman have a separate lunch(with a different bell schedule), part of which is designed to enable them to attend mandatory tutoring if they have a "D" or and "F". They will not eat with the upper classes. Now, here is the rub, I teach beginning drama period 4, I have freshmen in period 4, freshmen lunch is during period 4, my drama students need to be outside to rehearse during period 4. Do you see the problems yet? think...

If you guessed, freshmen can't go to lunch during their class, that the class can't rehearse outside because it campus is full of freshmen you have guessed correct.

I sought adminstrative guidance on how to deal with these problems. Here are the answers...

1. These freshmen will eat with the upper classes.
2. My drama class will rehearse in the theatre and the grassy area in front of the school.

I'm fine with this. But doesn't the freshmen eating lunch with the upperclassmen defeat the purpose of separating them from the upperclassmen in the first place?

I'm so confused.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

one sleepy girl...

After the incident on Sunday, and drinking way too much wine and staying up way too late I had to report to work on Monday morning.

If we taught our classes the way they ran our first staff meeting we would all be fired. It was awful. One data rich/information poor powerpoint after another. Much of it stuff that we have been told before. It really was painful.

Then I had to drag my sorry ass to the Dave Matthews Band concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I didn't even know if I liked DMB, but I apprently do. I had a great time, although I was very, very, very tired. He puts on one hell of a good show.

Now, I am up and running, ready for the next set of meetings and some classroom prep time. I can't beleive I will have students on Thursday!

YIKES!

I have a lot to do.

Where did the summer go?

Sunday, August 27, 2006

ARGH!!!

Ok, I know I have named several posts the same thing, but damn, I'm angry.

M and I got into an argument tonight.

I don't feel like I have done anything wrong.

I don't feel like he has done anything wrong.

We just don't see eye to eye.

He is complaining that I dont' want him to hang with my friends.

He is complaining about friends who I don't see very often.

Is it wrong of me to want to spend a little bit of time with them before I bring him into to the mix. Just to get the connection flowing again?

For example, I have a friend, a friend who has gone through a MAJOR life change (long story, really not my place to tell). and I have seen her 4 times in the past 2 - 3 years. He is upset because I haven't made a point of setting up a time for them to meet. Keep in mind that while we love each other, we don't make a huge effort to see each other.

My feeling is, we don't spend that much time together to begin with, if you get to meet her great. If not, she must not be that important. (d0n't get me wrong, I love this girl, but we aren't that close).

Am I making sense or has the wine taken over (the wine that I will regret tomorrow morning has I have to get up and start work after 2 months off).

It's not that I don't want him to meet her, it's that she and I don't spend that much time together to begin with. Why get upset about it?

Am I being stupid or his he being a nutty boy?

There's a second story, I'll make it short. I have a friend. A really good friend. We had a falling out and have recently gotten reconnected. I wanted the first few times (exact number - 3), we got together to be about she and I restarting our friendship. He is upset that he hasn't been invited out on these outtings. Mind out one of them was a bachelortte party for a friend of my friends, who I met once, and he was working.

The more I think about it, the more I think he just doesn't trust me when I am out with my friends, Maybe he needs a good ass kicking. Maybe I'm just crazy....

I hate feeling like this. It make me drink a lot of wine, and I mean A LOT of wine. and then I feel crapy the next day as well.

What are your humble opinions? I promis not to get mad. (at least not too mad).

Am I crazy, or is he just being very posessive.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Mother of the Year


Mother of the Year

In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set oftriplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in thepregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size,they died shortly after birth.The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly startedto decline in health, although physically she was fine. Theveterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into adepression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogateanother mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve.After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce tothe mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something tha thad never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of onespecies will take on the care of a different species. The only orphans"that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zookeepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed thebabies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs or pork chops??Take a look........ you won't believe your eyes!!








"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way,
You command the attention of the world"

Training

So, I have the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer coming up in 3 weeks. I was very excited about the training when it all started, but then I had the unfortunate incident with the ladder and had to stop walking. That is where my motivation train was derailed.

I haven't really trained all summer! Don't ask what I did all summer, although I know I was busy with travel and family issues, I really don't know where the summer went.

Realizing that the walk is 3 weeks away I have started training. Small for now, 2-3 miles a day. That is until today...I got less than a half mile away from the house and my ankle was screaming with pain. Not the usual shin pain that I just work through, this was my ankle and I have no wordly idea why. I turned around and figured if it still hurt really bad when I hit my street I would just go home, but hopefully it would stop and I could continue my walk in the other direction. I was hard pressed to make it to my house.

The pain is starting to ease. But I'm concerned...how the hell am I going to be able to walk 40 miles in two days with three weeks of training? Am I being delusional? Do you think it's possible that I will be able to get enough training in to make it? I think I have between 8 and 10 hours to finish the first day (26 miles), maybe longer. Or did the lack of motivation after I was released to walk again doom my efforts?

I figure I will try to walk again later today when it starts to cool down and see how the ankle feels. I was really looking forward to the 3 miles today (kind of scarey, huh?)

Hey, if you want to donate to my walk fund log on to www.avonwalk.org and look up participant number 661411. You donation would do so much to help those suffering with Breast Cancer as well as help to find a cure.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

interesting stuff

Found this through Chatty's blog and found it just too interesting not to post here.

I'd just link to the article, except I don't know how, but here is the website http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/


BELOIT COLLEGE'S MINDSET LIST® FOR THE CLASS OF 2010

Members of the class of 2010, entering college this fall, were mostly born in 1988. For them: Billy Carter, Lucille Ball, Gilda Radner, Billy Martin, Andy Gibb, and Secretariat have always been dead.

1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.

2. They have known only two presidents.

3. For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.

4. Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.

5. They have grown up getting lost in "big boxes."

6. There has always been only one Germany.

7. They have never heard anyone actually "ring it up" on a cash register.

8. They are wireless, yet always connected.

9. A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate burglary was to their
parents'.

10. Thanks to pervasive headphones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.

11. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.

12. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.

13. Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.

14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.

15. They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football
teams.

16. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.

17. They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.

18. They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.

19. "Google" has always been a verb.

20. Text messaging is their email.

21. Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.

22. Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.

23. Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.

24. Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.

25. Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.

26. "Boogers" candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.

27. There has never been a "skyhook" in the NBA.

28. Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents' attics.

29. Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.

30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious
organizations in the U.S.

31. They grew up in mini-vans.

32. Reality shows have always been on television.

33. They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can we all get along?"

34. They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been
represented by two separate yet equally important groups."

35. Young women's fashions have never been concerned with where the waist is.

36. They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.

37. Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.

38. Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.

39. "So" as in "Sooooo New York," has always been a drawn-out adjective modifying a proper
noun, which in turn modifies something else

40. Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television
series.

41. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.

42. Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.

43. They are not aware that "flock of seagulls hair" has nothing to do with birds flying into it.

44. Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled.

45. Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.

46. Public school officials have always had the right to censor school newspapers.

47. Small white holiday lights have always been in style.

48. Most of them never had the chance to eat bad airline food.

49. They have always been searching for "Waldo."

50. The really rich have regularly expressed exuberance with outlandish birthday parties.

51. Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.

52. They never played the game of state license plates in the car.

53. They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.

54. There have always been live organ donors.

55. They have always had access to their own credit cards.

56. They have never put their money in a "Savings & Loan."

57. Sara Lee has always made underwear.

58. Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.

59. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.

60. They never saw Bernard Shaw on CNN.

61. Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.

62. Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti have always been luxury cars of choice.

63. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.

64. LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.

65. Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.

66. Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.

67. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.

68. "Outing" has always been a threat.

69. Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect graduation gift.

70. They have always "dissed" what they don't like.

71. The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its existence.

72. Richard M. Daley has always been the Mayor of Chicago.

73. They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest they die.

74. Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.

75. Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.

Cheers!



Kyle I hope you had a very happy birthday...Here's to many, many more!

Now, I'm off to have a glass of wine in your honor!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

have you met...


Have you met Miss Abby Cadabby?


After something like 30 years Sesame Street has created a new character. She is a preschooler named Abby Cadabby, she is the daughter of a fairy godmother and is a fairy in training. She moves on to the "Street" and is filled with wonder at her new world.

I am so excited, I can't wait to catch an episode of Sesame Street and hopefully get to see her. This is so big NPR interviewed her! Now that's big!

wine


This is an area in my living room. This does not include the box in the hall closet or the wine in the two different wine racks.


Yes, I like my wine.

Friday, August 18, 2006

MEN!

The man who is doing my refinance is an idiot! Why this man thinks I will sign the title documents without knowing the following is beyond me...

1. What type of loan is it?
2. What is the interest rate?
3. What will my payment be?
4. Why the hell is it for almost twice what I owe on the house?

Now, I may be blonde, I may not understand all the finance crap, but I do know not to sign a document involving money when I don't have all the answers.

And to make it worse...this guy is a friend of mine! Some friend!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

no....I don't wanna go.....

Yikes, only one week left before I have to head back to school! Not that I don't love my job, not that I don't love my students, not that I don't love directing plays...I just don't wanna go back yet.

I feel like this summer has been a whirl-wind of a ride. Between lots of travel (not all of it fun), a death in the family, and the dentist visit from hell, it seems like I haven't done anything productive.

I still need to buy clothes to start the year, finish planning theatre for first quarter, start planning for my new 10th graders, do my background work on the two fall productions, read stuff for the musical, and my room, let's not even talk about the state of my classroom. I stuck my head in today while at a meeting...wholey cow! The custodians waxed my floor, fab! They have not put the desks/tables back down on th floor, they are still on my stage. I can't do anything! But I love my newly waxed floor!

I suppose I shouldn't be here rambling...I should be getting ready for the real estate appraiser to come on Friday. With the state my house is in, he won't get past the front door! GRRR!

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Camping


We had the opportunity to go camping this week. If you have never camped at the beach I highly recommend it. M and I took his youngest daughter, B, with us to camp with my aunt, cousin, nieces and my BIL. We had a great time.

It is a sort of family tradition to camp at Carpenteria State Beach (when we can actually get a site). The beach is nice and we can walk in to town for dinner, which is what we did all three nights. I mean why cook when you can have margaritas at Cabos and pizza at Rusty's.

The kids all got along so well. Playing in the surf and sand, doing skits and singing WAY too many camp songs. I took this as a good sign. B normally doesn't go to many of my family functions, so she really doesn't know the kids. But to watch her fit in so well with my family was really nice.

After three days in the sand and dirt we came home and I immediately started getting ready for the school year. It was nice to get in one last trip before the end of summer.

What was your last adventure?

Friday, August 04, 2006

and people ask why

I am tired of hearing people ask why we are fighting a war against terrorism. I am tired of people bashing our president. I am tired of hearing people bad mouth our military personnel.

Too often people forget that we have to fight for what we have. We can't take it for granted.

This was sent to me today as a reminder of how important it is to never forget. We are lucky to live in this country. With our freedoms, where we can make choices, where we can make a better life for ourselves.

Don't ever forget that there are those who would like to take those things away.

http://www.olivetreeviews.org/topics/movies/attack.html

Thursday, August 03, 2006

shopping success?

Well, I found some pants. I won't post a picture of them. They are pretty standard black pants.

I also found shoes that will work. They are not the absolutely fab black strapy heals I was hoping for, but there is always tomorrow. And at least I don't have the stress.

So, picture these...

With this...

With a pair of black pants.

What do you think?

blah, blah, blah

Is it wrong to not want to give my darling BF my blog? There is something that tells me to not let him read it. Keep it (relatively) private. I don't know why it's so important to him to see it. And if I show it to him, can I still rant about him when he pisses me off?

How can one person own so much crap? As I look around my house I can not believe I have so much stuff. How did I ever live with someone? I have enough stuff to fill my two bedroom house and the garage. How does that happen?

Why am I going to my 20 year reunion? I didn't like most ot the people I went to school with. They didn't seem to like me. My real friends were in other grades. And my real friends now didn't go to high school with me. I must just really be a glutton for punishment to want to go back to those times.

Why is it noon and I am still still in my bathrobe and towel when I should be dressed and out looking for the perfect pants to wear to the reunion. I found the perfect top, just need pants and maybe a splurge on some really cool strappy black heals.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

where or where has my mojo gone...

oh, where oh where could it be. I have the table set up, the tools out, pictures printed, paper selected, ebelishments available, and I can't get going. I want to get my China scrapbook done by Friday (come on, it's do-able, it will only have 300 pictures in it).

I like the way the front page turned out, but can't get it together beyond that. I started with a plan. I even went as far as punching out all the letters for the titles and running them through the sticker machine. Then I added a third color to the book, now some of the titles won't work in the color I punched. Now, I suppose I could just punch them again in the other color, but that would be wasteful. And with as much money has I have been spending I don't want to waste paper or sticker stuff. I could lay all the pages out the same, then the letters would work. But is that boring? It would make the process go by A LOT faster. But then do I look uncreative? ARGH!!!! Why do I like this hobby? It makes me crazy, it has come so far with so much "stuff" I don't feel free to create, I feel paralized by the "stuff." HELP!!!

Here is the cover page, what do you think? Excuse the quality, my scanner would work for the size, so I took a picture.