can you say procrastination...

I sure can. I should be grading papers right now. Grades are due Wednesday and I still have about 25 essays to grade. I guess if they were actually good it wouldn't be so bad...but as the essays are written by 10th graders, they stink.

Instead of grading I cooked dinner, cooked dinner for tomorrow, made lunch for tomorrow, talked to the dog (who is doing better) and looked for a good recipe for potato soup (which I didn't find).

I won't be staying up late to grade, I would like to get up early and get in work out and if I stay up past 10pm there is no way I'm getting up at 4am.

Things are really starting to ramp up again around here. I mean they were slow for a whole 4 days (which is why I couldn't grade papers, I was enjoying the not having to be at a rehearsal).

5 Upcoming events:
1. Student directed one-acts
2. Cancer project
3. Thespian Inductions
4. Massive testing
5. Auditions for the show I'm interested in doing

5 Things I have to do Tuesday
1. finish grades
2. scrub kitchen counters
3. laundry
4. start taxes
5. clean craft room


5 People I need to call or email on Tuesday
1. Grandma G
2. Mom
3. my sister K
4. my sister S
5. C

5 places I need to go
1. Target
2. Trader Joe's
3. Michael's
4.

Okay, I guess I only have 3 places to go tomorrow. And with that I'm off to grade a few papers before I head to bed.

a bit of a whine...

Why is it okay for M and B to walk in the house and immediately turn off the very fun cooking show I was listening to while balancing the checkbook (which is a whole other reason to whine) and begin to play annoying games? Why? Why is that okay!!!!! It wouldn't be okay for me to do it. And can I just say that Wii billards has the most annoying music of all, it's the same little tune, over and over and over and over...you get the picture.

Okay, enough whining, on to better things.

I am trying a new recipe, posole. M likes it, I'm a bit scared of it. To me it resembles something I have seen the cat leave on the floor. I'm not even sure if I will taste it. I'll let you know later. I might be eating PB&J.

And now for something completely positive. My dear bloggy friend Sophia put forth a challenge to list 10 things positive about myself. This will be a hard today, since most days I feel like I suck, so here we go...

1. I am a good and loyal friend.
2. I am a pretty good cook
3. I am a good director of plays
4. I have a fabulous raport with my students
5. I am responsible
6. I am creative
7. I am a wonderful Aunt
8. I am the hostest with the mostest
9. I can make pretty stained/leaded glass stuff
10. I am a strong reader (now I'm stretching)


Man that was hard! Now you do it!

On a mission to save second base...

As several of you know three years ago my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then I spend each year training and fundraising for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Nothing has changed this year except for my walker number. I plan on raising $3000 this year. I know that sounds like a lot, but the funds go for such a worthy cause. Did you know that every three minutes another man or woman is diagnosed with breast cancer (yes, men can get it too). That is just astonishing to me.

When my mom was diagnosed I made the commitment to not sit back and just watch this disease destroy so many vibrant people. I made the commitment to get involved in any way I can.

So, here is my shameless plea for support... My walker number is 871001, please go to www.avonfoundation.org and check out my walker page (which is still under construction). Follow my progress and please by all means make a donation.

Things a getting better....

I just talked to Stoli's vet-tech (not the actual vet) and the blood tests are finally back and they are normal. So that is a good thing, it means most likely no tumor and since the didn't tell me he needed x-rays that tells me they think it's something else.

Today I will pick up a slew of other pills to feed him and some perscripttion dog food. Hopefully this will fix everything. The Vet told the tech that Stoli is losing protein through his kidney, this has happened to Stoli before and is apparently something Huskeys are prone to. I know it is pretty much my fault, I spoiled him over the holidays and fed him way too many table scraps and let the house guests get away with doing it as well. Normally I'm pretty good with treating table scraps and bones like special treats for him, during Christmas and New Year's I let fly and he got everything. I guess the vet bill is part of my punishment (the other part is all the worry for poor Stoli-dog).

I can say his energy is getting a bit better. He still wants to just lie down and sleep, but when he's up he enjoys his walks and today wanted to play the "chase-me-around-the-yard" game (me chase him, not the other way around). He hasn't done that in a few days. So, for that I say YIPPY!!!!!

Another thing that is getting better...the stack of papers on my desk is shrinking. With the semester coming to an end that is a very, very good thing. Now, I must get back to my grading and being productive.

Have you ever...

tried to get a "free catch" urine sample from a dog? Let me tell you it is not an easy task. In fact I was a little mortified as I walked through the park with the dog and a cup. I was pretty sure people thought I was nuts. Now that I think about it, what in the world are people, other than dog walkers, doing in the park at 7:15am. So, there I am, dog on lease, cup in hand, every time he started to lift his leg, I dove in for the catch, he would jump back and look at me like I had lost my mind. It was pretty funny to see would be my guess. It was like some sort of nutty tug-o-war.

The entire free catch experience was brought on because the vet found blood in the urine sample taken during the exam. Now, get this, they said that it could have been because of the collection process, yet we have to pay to have the tests done again. M dropped off the sample and instead of saying something he just paid it. I don't see why if the sample was bad because of their collection process I should have to pay to have the tests run AGAIN!!! We are now into this for $300 and still don't know what is wrong with Stoli.

I can say that he appears to be feeling better. When I called on Saturday for the test results they thought it might be cysts, so possibly not a tumor. So that is good. He is on antibiotics and is eating a different diet (we aren't a canned food kind of dog family and he is loving this special treat).

So, with that said, I don't have much new information other than, he seems to be feeling better, he is enjoying sleeping in the house, although it might end soon. I have encountered what appears to be pee in my library and in the hallway - and it definitely is more pee than would come out of a cat. If Stoli would just figure out how to use the dog door everything would be fine. He seems to be scared of it, big wussy dog.

poor Stoli...

I have had to take the day off work today in order to take Stoli to the vet. His is very lethargic and one of his eyes is all milky and goopy. I am so worried about him. I suppose I could have taken him to an emergency vet, but feel more comfortable taking him to his regular doctor-buddy. Not to mention that he has a history of liver disease, the regular vet has all those records.

So, I am anxiously waiting for the time to drive to the vet. I guess the only good thing coming from it is that I'm cleaning in order to stop clock-watching.

I'll post an update as soon as I get back.


Update: Stoli has a scratch on his left eye, which explains why it is so goopy. That is easily treated with ointment. The lathargic behavior, now that is another story...The vet said his tummy is "doughy" and the other vet said the same thing. This could possibly mean some type of tumor on his spleen. I am waiting for blood work to come back. If the red blood count is low then we have to do x-rays. The vet also warned that typically these type of tumors are already malignant by the time they are discovered. That was not what I wanted to hear.

Now the hard part for M and I, we have to decide where to draw the line on how much we are willing to spend. Husky's can live 12 -14 years, Stoli is about 9. He was a pound puppy so we aren't sure exactly, the pound thought we was about 3 when I adopted him and I've had him for almost 6 years. It at this point that I tell eveyone who has a pet to buy pet insurance. I always thought it was silly, and then Stoli had illness about 2 years ago and I toyed with the idea, but never got around to it. Well, I wish someone had sent me that "to-it" because I could really use it now. So for the love of your pets, spend the $30 a month. It could save a lot in the long run.

I will keep everyone posted on Stoli (I call for blood results tomorrow).

a bit of creativity...

I have had my scrapbook mojo on for the past couple of days. I have completed 2 2-page layouts to finish Christmas 2005 (yes, I'm a bit behind) and a 1-page layout. I normally don't do 1-pagers, it messes with the continuity of my album, but I have a few other pictures suited for a 1-page so I went with it.

I am not entirely happy with the way this page turned out. The swirlies just aren't working for me. When they were just in ink they needed more, and the glitter is a bit much. I wish I could have found my gold paint pen, that would be been perfect. Oh well...it is what it is and I love the picture.

The picture is of my nephew, W, on his birthday in 2005. He had just turned 1 and was just dead tired from all the family stuff that had been going on. That was the year we brought in my sister from Colorado as a surprise for my mom.

TOYS!!!!!

This year I got a couple of way cool toys. Those who know me know I hate, hate, HATE video games. I just don't find them any fun. That is until my mom managed to buy me and each of my sisters one of these...


The Wii is the best thing EVER! I never thought I would say that about a gaming system. That fact that this doesn't have to be a sit-on-your-butt-shoot-em-up game. I love playing bowling and tennis. I can't wait for our second set of controllers to come in that way M and I can box against each other.

I am completely addicted to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game. The controllers work as your wand and you can cast spells, solve puzzles and explore Hogwarts. So much fun. My next purchase of a game will be one that my sister rented from the video store, Marble Mania. It's like that old game where you would put the marble on the box and then control it with knobs on the four sides to get the marble through the maze. In the Wii version you go through different mazes and different levels, so much fun.

If you are looking to buy a gaming system for your family I highly recommend this one. It is so much more interactive. I don't think we have laughed as hard together as we did while playing the Marble Mania game.

Then with the eminent death of my cell phone, M and I decided we would go and look at new phones even though I wasn't eligible for an upgrade until June. AT&T store was having a big sale. So, I ended up with this...



It is way more phone than I actually need, but we figure I could grow into it. I have Internet, a camera, GPS (if I want to pay a little extra), bluetooth. I have a better phone than my techno-geek husband. It's lots of fun, and I can actually make a phone call in under 5 minutes now (yes, the first few times it did take that long for me to figure it out).

Anybody else get any cool toys this year?