Monday, February 25, 2008

I'd like you to meet...

Bella


Bella is the newest addition to our happy family. She was adopted on Saturday from Friends of Orange County Homeless Animals and is just the sweetest thing EVER!


She is believed to be some sort of Pit Bull mix. We think she actually looks a bit more like a boxer mix, but what do we know. We are enjoying all the fun stuff and can't wait until she sleeps through the night. Her screaming just makes me so sad.

At about 6 weeks old we have a lot to look forward to and many years of being a happy family.


She is doing great and is actually already learning that we want her potty outside and that if she runs to the back door we will let her out (and that's after only 2 days).



Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Pitty Party...

Yep, that's what I'm having, a pitty party. I sat today and watch the 50 or more kids who take choir perform for our cultural arts week - choir day (my kids get Friday) and I wondered why my program is floundering. Do I expect too much of them? Do I drive them away? What is going on?

I struggle to get kids into my classes, I struggle to get kids to audition for shows, I struggle to get kids to work on tech crews. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

The kids seem to like me, but they just won't commit. It's killing me. I feel my spirit and my passion fading. I am tired of hearing the kids get excited about the things I propose and then completely blow it off when the time for action comes.

They wanted a play trip, I have done most of the leg work, everything except order the tickets. I told them I needed the money this week. No money has come in so far and I will not order tickets without money in hand. They want to go to a competition, I have gotten the request approved and even got the principal to pay for my busses, not a single kid has paid their fee or told me what material they want to perform.

Maybe I'm getting jaded. Maybe I'm just tired. But as of right now I am considering other career options. I want to be excited to come to work, I want to be excited about the next project, I don't want to worry about where I'm going to find the kids to be in the next show.

Monday, February 18, 2008

goodbye old friend...


Friday night at about 8:00pm Michael and I arrived home from dinner and grocery shopping and had the make the very difficult decision that it was Stoli's time. We rushed him to the emergency vet clinic where we said our final good-byes.
Stoli was the coolest dog ever. He loved to play "chase-me-around-the-yard", loved to go on long walks and was great with everyone he met.
I am so sad that I had to let him go, but he was ready and I am glad that it was a short time since we found out we would be losing him. I don't know what I would have done if it had taken months.
Stoli got to spend his last month going on lots of extra walks (even in the freezing cold rain), and spending time in the house (he had been previously banished because of a cat issue). And his last week he got to go for tons of car rides, just because I wanted to take him with me, he spent time at the school where he got to go after the bunnies (no harm came to any bunnies, he just wanted to check them out) and play with my drama kids. This was one loved doggie.
Final good-byes are always hard...but we all know that Stoli is in a better place. And he knows that he was well loved and will always be missed.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Stoli-Dog update...

Today Stoli went in for his 3 week checkup and another urinalisis. Unfortunately things did not go well. In the past 4-5 day Stoli has completely stopped eating (with the exception of the few things I gave him that I wasn't supposed to). Also, his eye, the one with the scratch, has turned blood red.

The vet said there is something "metabolical" going on there. He recommended that Stoli see an opthamologist. That's not all, then we moved on to the not eating and the 5lb weight loss in the last 3 weeks. The vet said it felt like there is fluid in Stoli's abdomin.

Stoli is staying at the vet tonight in order to have x-rays and such tomorrow morning. It is looking more and more like he does actually have some type of cancer. The vet even went as far as to say that if it has sread past the spleen he wouldn't recommend surgery.

I about lost it on my way home. I feel terrible because I didn't love on Stoli enough before I left the vet. He was antsy and as soon as the tech took him he was off and running, ready to explore the rest of the building.
I feel like there is something more I could have done to take better care of him.

So, needless to say I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow waiting for the vet to call me and let me know what is going on. I know he's only a dog, but keep him in your thoughts. He's my buddy and I really want him to be okay.

Update: I got the call from the vet this afternoon...it looks like he has a tumor on his spleen that has metastasized to his heart. I am getting ready to go bring him home. I will get more information then. But it's not looking good for my sweet boy. Now comes one of the hardest decisions ever, how far do we go.

Update 2: It's confirmed. The radiologist gave the same prognosis. We are going to lose our sweet thing. I have him at school with me right now and he is loving all the attention. Tomorrow he will probably stay home because I don't want to burden the Ag teacher, who was so kind as to let me bring him in for half a day today. I will probably bring him in on Tuesday since it will be a super late day. And we will go from there.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

a call for help...

Each year the high school participates in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's annual penny drive (in fact we have been the top money raising school for something like 8 of the past 10 years). This year I want my theatre department to play a larger part in the fund raising efforts. To do this we are putting together what I am calling the Cancer Project.

The Cancer Project will be a performance piece that includes poetry, scenes and monologues dealing with cancer. All of the performances will be bookended with stats and information regarding cancer that might take people by surprise.

What I am asking for is submissions. I would like for anyone who has been effected by cancer, cancer of any kind, We are choosing not to just focus on Lymphoma or Leukemia, to submit your story or your writings.

We will also be putting up pictures of survivors and those who fought the battle but did not survive in the lobby as a tribute to why we are doing the project. If you would like to submit a photo with their information (i.e. name, type of cancer, year diagnosed, years surviving or (sadly) the year they passed) let me know. I would love to share our tribute with your loved one.

By the way, all the profit from the production will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We are hoping to raise $2000 on this project.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

poetry and such

Tonight I sit in my classroom while TMR is in it's final performance of Bye Bye Birdie. I will be glad when this is over, I just want to go home at a reasonable hour. I would much rather get nothing done at home than nothing done at school.

I sit in my room looking at my English text books knowing I should be picking out some poetry for Monday. I look at the scale drawing my tech class did and know they need to be graded for Monday. I look at the presentation board I wanted to get done 2 nights ago and still haven't started (I'm having a bit of a creativity-jam and can't come up with anything to do on it).

You would think with spending 5 nights here until 10:00 pm I would be so caught up. But no...here I sit thinking "I have to figure out what I'm doing on Monday".

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Trust me I do this all the time...

I have spent the past week at school late every night and not because I'm in a production, but because the dread VD organized a local group called the Music Room into renting my theatre. I call it mine because I use it the most and really care about the space. My kids are running the lights and sound because it is my new equipment in there and I really don't anybody to screw it up.

I don't mind doing these things. What I do mind is when the director of said production group talks down to me or talks down to my kids. I also mind when the VD lets these people do whatever they want in my space with my stuff. At this time both of spot lights are down because they weren't bright enough, some strange man has patched into the back of my sound board so he can illegally videotape the show, they are using all kinds of my stuff without asking (including the blocking of some girl into standing on my sofa, now I don't come to their facility and stand on their furniture). It's just nutty!

The one advantage to all this chaos is that my kids are getting to see how another director works. They say they like be better. It was nice. It is also giving me some time to try and catch up (you can see I'm doing a good job at that one). So, in an effort to be the productive teacher/director I am here is a list of what I will get done tonight...

1. grade papers from today
2. make fliers for our first ever Thespian Inductions
3. prep for tomorrow's lesson on Dadaism (makes for a really fun poetry project)
4. update the list of students who owe me money
5. figure out what the heck I'm going to do with my tech kids tomorrow
6. design my display board for the upcoming ROP Career Fair

That should take me right up to about 10:00pm when all should be done. Then it's home to get some sleep and do it all again tomorrow night.

I know that I don't know my new equipment as well as I should but I do happen to teach 4 different preps, direct shows, run the staff club, participate on the school site council, am a union rep and cook for my husband. I'm sorry if I can't spent hours on end in the theatre just learning the equipment. And even if I don't know it as well as I should, I know a hell of a lot.

Friday, February 01, 2008

tag, you're it...

I've been tagged with a book meme so here we go...

First the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book of at least 123 pages.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.


The nearest book is The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

"No witnesses. The victim found in West Virginia remained unidendtified. West Virginia."

Not very interesting or thought provoking, but it was the nearest book.

Now for five people...Sophia, Chatty, Lou, Carrie and Dinkin Mess.

Have fun!