And a happy V-day to me!

So I was going to post yesterday and somehow it became 11:30pm and I had to fall into bed. Somehow the time passes so quickly when you are a) watching 3 episodes of Lost to get caught up with the rest of America and b) chatting online with friends from Michigan, setting up your MySpace account, and just playing online. So we'll just pretend it's yesterday and I'll report on Valentine's Day in the southwest.
So my biggest treat/surprise was when I got home and there was a brand-new dishwasher installed! I am so excited. We've been fighting with ours for several months and finally the maintenance guy gave in and just ordered us a new one but that was over a week ago and I was getting antsy. So I was delighted yesterday to find the plastic wrap on the puppy when we got home. I was so excited I put the detergent right in and Ang was like, Sarah - we don't even have dirty dishes in it yet. But I didn't care. I was "pickled to death"!
Also, I got gifts at school. A bowl of candy and a big container of chocolate covered pretzels, a You're So Raven card, and various others. The pretzels never made it home:-) Okay, okay, neither did the candy.
And I was so excited this year - I got tons of cards and gifts in the mail from family and friends, I feel so blessed really, so loved. So THANK YOU! All of you!
Alrighty, I've had my five minute break and I need to finish grading papers. I am giving two tests today and a lesson on descriptive writing. It's also "Friday" - a nonstudent day tomorrow and no school Monday so I know things will be a bit frenzied (that's one of our vocab words this week!). I am also being observed fifth hour which should be interesting. Frankly, I just want it to be done, it was rescheduled once and I know I shouldn't be but I am a bit anxious. But I suppose that keeps me on my toes!

The count

I walked 10,248 steps today (and that was just until 6pm when I took the thing off)! That's 3.72 miles just at work, whew! No wonder I get tired, and today wasn't even a very busy day walking wise. Today I inputed grades and we listened to a 22 minute story on CD that allowed me to sit and work and listen for most of it. So I think I did pretty good. How'd you do???

Pickled to death

-We are learning about descriptive writing in class this week. Last week we had a lesson on synonyms and using better words to describe things. For our Do Now! work one morning (which is on the board every day, something they have to do to get started immediately without my prompting them) I had them find synonyms for good, bad, happy and sad. One of my students put down the phrase "pickled to death" as a synonym for happy. I couldn't help but smile. I asked him quietly if he meant "tickled to death" and he got this embarrassed smile on his face and said he thought the thesaurus said pickled to death. I thought it was great and laughed about it to myself all day. Priceless.
-Some of you will be happy to know (or at least you'll pretend to be) that I wrote today! Yep, I worked on the novel, on Molly and Crystal's stories. They intertwine somewhat which makes my life oh so confusing. And I have added some side characters from Patricia's story in which makes it just a bit more convuluted. But all in all it went well and I feel rather accomplished. It's not done or anything but I feel like I'm moving forward! And I gotta say, that's better than the alternatives...
-I saw this very white crane today in the front yard of the apartment complex. I tried describing him to my dad who I was on the phone with at the time but I've yet to find out what his name is although I've done some checking. (Not name as in Fred or Louise but type - there, clarification). I actually went out with the digital camera to take a snap of him but as I approached him he flew away. Hmmm, I need to hone my stalking skills. But the kinda creepy guy who smokes outside his corner apartment all the time startled me so maybe that was my problem. I put my camera away and walked swiftly home. I'll keep you updated. On the crane that is, not the creepy guy.
-So most of my kids are failing my class. Literally getting an F. This hurts me. And I know it's not me, it's them not doing their homework, them not taking their time on essays and tests but they'll get the wrath anyway tomorrow when I print out grade sheets and make all the Ds and Fs get them signed and stay after school for the next few weeks. I will not let them fail gosh darnit! I will not!
-I went to the doctor today and got a pretty clean bill of health although I need to have some standard blood tests done tomorrow. So I am fasting for that right now. I was encouraged to take calcium supplements, 1000-1500mgs a day. So I went right to Walgreens and got me a big bottle of 400 pills, 600mgs each and I promptly took 2 so I think I'm good. That means I am now taking a multi-vitamin, vitamin D, vitamin E and calcium supplements. Ang thinks I am crazy but I told her the nurse practitioner told me I could even take Flinstones as long as I took something. She thought that sounded terrif so she got some Flinstones on her way home and guess what, she hates the taste! Hehe. A well spent 5 bucks:-)
-I got a new pedometer this weekend, the 6 dollar one lasted 3 days and then quit counting steps so I got a 20 dollar one I am hoping lasts much longer. I am shooting for 10,000 steps a day and I'll report back so someone challenge me!
-We had a Netflix discussion tonight. We're winding down our time in Stars Hollow with the Gilmore Girls (and there was much sadness!) so we have to beef up our cue. Ang is not terribly impressed with my movie selections (i.e., Say Anything and Drumline and some independents (Half Nelson) which I have never seen but would like to) so we added some new TV: the last of The Sopranos and House. We'll see how those go. Suggestions are widely encouraged:-)
-Another thing I learned at the doctor today: underwire bras are bad for you. I never knew this! All my life I've been thinking I had to wear them and turns out nope, they are not good and should only be worn for a night out on the town. I was instructed to spend some money on some good sports bras instead. Hmmm. I liked that thought:-)
-Alrighty, I am signing off for the night. I have to be at the lab at 7:30 to give blood and then it's a 9 and a 1/2 hour day at school (afterschool program's running twice this week for me!). Whew...'Night all!

One of the good days

Today was a day I needed. A good day. A day when everything went well in class and the kids seemed to get it and I was enjoying it.
I was supposed to be evaluated today by my boss, the vice principal. But he had a death in the family and had to reschedule for next week. Even though we're not supposed to put on a "dog and pony show" when the administration comes into our rooms, we all do and I am no exception. We've had a lot of profession development classes lately on how to be better teachers: writing and sharing our objectives with the kids, key vocabulary, instructional design, etc. And while it sometimes seems like a waste of time, today it all came together. I had planned a very formal lesson, scripted from a workbook on the 6 traits of writing, for my eval. And I decided to continue on with it despite the fact that no one but the kids would be watching. And I'm glad it did. Today was descriptive writing, learning to use the thesaurus and synonyms. And it went so well. It took almost our whole 2 hour block but I had the kids discussing, writing notes, using their books, talking about words, finding new words to use when insulting each other, it was GREAT. Today is what I believe teaching is all about.
And then afterschool I had tutoring. I ended up with one of my kids and 2 of Angela's and it went so so well. I was almost giddy afterwards. I got to talk through a tough story with one of my girls and help her raise her test score from a D to an A+. I got to walk one of Ang's boys through a test on cacao beans and forest fires and have fun in the process. I got to help another of Ang's boys write a creation myth that he seemed excited to write (well he always seems excited, he is ADD but anyway, he was at least writing!). And I had a girl in detention for gum chewing who told me, unprompted, that she had learned her lesson. So I let her skip the punishment section after a few minutes and make up a test she'd missed.
So yeah, all in all, a good day.
And on a side note (or a birdwalk as they call it here, we call them tangents where I come from) - I was thinking today as I watched my kids work and talked with them all day about words, what will these kids be like when they are grown ups. Won't they be something. To think, I only get to know them for a little while. They're still kids. They've only just begun. They are just starting. But in a few years, it would be interesting to find out who they become. Because they're going to be some pretty cool adults. But it's just crazy that I only get to see them for this moment. For now. So I am appreciating that today. I am enjoying being with each of them. With the girl who writes "Miss Knapp is the best" on her white erase board. With the boy who waves at me every single time he sees me. With the boy who was so angry when I gave him 2 detentions but found Angela every day I was out sick to tell her he'd been behaving for the subs. With the girl who reminded me today that her mom and I were both born in 1977. With the girl who, every time we hear a song by 'The Fray' (on announcements and Channel One usually), yells, "Miss Knapp, it's your favorite band" (say something one time and they never forget it. With the boy who's decided Angela is now Mrs. Brown (Mr. Brown is the math teacher down the hall Ang has a very contemptuous relationship with) and they honeymooned over Christmas break. With the girl who asks my permission to wear her new shirt with writing on it to school the next day.
This is all just from today. I am truly amazed at all the happens in my world on an hourly basis. How many thoughts and individuals I come into contact with. And how each of them affects me. And how I affect them. How they seem to crave my attention and at the same time defy me regularly. Even the good ones. It's astonishing. I am so grateful for this experience. So grateful.

Just because

I really don't have much to blog about today. Nothing exciting has happened, not much new to report here though it is sunny and 80 degrees. But I kinda miss the snow and cold of the north. I know, I know, if I was there I surely would be singing a different tune. But I'm not there and part of me misses my fleece bathrobe and my turtleneck sweater and my wool socks. Here I sit in my summer pjs with the window open because it's 65 at 10pm. Don't hate me because I live in the southwest!
I am feeling moderately better though everytime I blow my nose my kids cringe and I woke up this morning with a sore throat, a new symptom this time 'round. I came home tonight, made a stir-fry and collapsed on the couch with some Gilmore Girls. (We taped Lost and will try to avoid all spoilers until we watch it, probably on Friday.)
Well this was a boring blog but it's all I've got. I'm a little off my game because of this whole plague part 3 thing going on. I'll work out some better stuff for tomorrow. Until then, sleep tight!

Back to the grind

I made it back to work today and it felt as if I'd been gone four weeks instead of four days. But it was nice to hear over and over from the kids that they missed me. And they had a lot to tell me:-) Good and bad. How the pencil sharpener's just quit working, how the wooden snowman got broke, how the sub said I had a lot of eighties music in my CD collection, how they got a detention in math and they don't know why. So much to hear from my 59 little ones.
Work was fine, we read a story and I got some organization and grading done and tried not to exert too much energy. Doing that brings on coughing fits and that seems to freak the kids out.
But I did manage to put 10,006 steps on the pedometer today. That's twice out of three days wearing it I've hit the 10,000 mark so yay! How many steps did you take today???

Antibiotics and Kleenex

Yep, that's right, I'm sick again. Fever, chills, aches, runny nose, sore throat, lovely productive cough. I've got it all. And since I had already missed 2 days of work this week for this lovely sickness, I finally went to UrgentCare last night. The doctor there was great, I've always had good luck there and at $50 for the visit, it's really not bad in my opinion. He told me I have an upper respiratory thing and sinusitis or something like that. He drew little pictures of my sinuses on the table paper and talked about dissecting cadavers and I tried very hard to listen. My ears peaked when he mentioned a possible CAT scan if the 14 days of antibiotics don't clear this up.
Ang went with me and I was very glad for that. I think that you should always go to to doctor with someone when you are sick. It's too hard to hear all they have to say when you're not feeling well. She asked some great questions for me and I am so thankful to have the support as I was sitting there just trying to keep from coughing.
The doctor wrote me a note for missing school, and gave me cough syrup with codene and antibiotics. I guess I took the cough syrup to early last night though because around 3:30 I woke up and proceeded to lay in bed coughing for the next hour. Then I got up and decided to do something else, thus why I am online at 4:45am.
The good news is that I have sick days, so I am thankful for that, and that my kids have gotten good sub reports these past 2 days. I can't ask for more really. At $99 for 2 types of drugs I really don't know what people without health care do, so I am very thankful for that as well.
Guess I'll head back to bed. You know, in theory it's great. Three days in bed doing nothing but flipping channels, napping, and reading a little bit. But in reality, it stinks. Go figure!

We finally did it!

We made it to the gym yesterday, finally! We went in the morning and while we were a bit nervous, we jumped right in. I did the bike and the elliptical machince (it looks fun but kicked my butt) and then we found that they have a women's only weight room that rocked! So needless to say, my arms are quite sore today.
Also, I bought a pedometer yesterday. I got a cheapie for $6 at Target and have been challenged to keep track of my steps every day by my friend Angel. So here I go! Today I walked just over 5000 steps. My goal is 10,000 every day but today I had to sit in a class all day so I didn't get to move much however tomorrow I plan to move, move, move. We did take a walk tonight though and I walked to the mailbox twice just to get more steps in.
On another note, I am sick again. A lovely cough that is full of crap. I am so not impressed. And I don't know if it warrants a doctor's visit or not. I guess I'll wait a few days and see. I am taking Mucinex so hopefully that will help.
Oh yes, one more thing:
Chandra Wilson won a SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) award last night for best female actor in a dramatic series and I am so excited. As Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy, she is just amazing to watch. But it was her acceptance speech that made my night. (And no, it wasn't just that she referred to Isaiah Washington as "that other one in rehab"!) I was flipping channels and came upon it unexpectedly. But in her speech she said she was glad that Hollywood has taken her as she is including her skin, her nose, and her arms, at which point she pointed out her jiggly underarms. It was great! It made me smile to think that someone in Hollywood, someone who is on screen doing great work, has jiggly underarms. Because I do too:-)

We are the champions (of the hallway)!

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! My kids, the North American superstars, won the Spell Off! banner back from Europe today. However, I must say that Angela's kids proved to be formidable opponents. They stuck it out 'till the bitter end spelling words like pnemonia and duffel bag (the tricky space) and boycott (the double consonant) and gnarly and reign and rein and so many others. So congrats to all our spellers who worked hard memorizing the 126 words we had this quarter.
So today started the new quarter - our third, boy time flies. I got 4 new kids spread out in 2 classes and I got to start the day with a rather unpleasant HR meeting where I was repeatedly addressed with the phrase, "So you've done nothing" in reference to the professional development and college classes I'm supposed to be taking. See Ang almost died in September and as such, they dropped mefrom my class because the first day of 12 was that day and I was (understandably, I thought) at the hospital waiting for her to go into surgery. And then for my second chance at some credits I was sick in bed hoping to die from my throat's firey pain. So yeah. I got chewed out essentially and was informed when the state comes to audit us (because we're on an improvement plan because we are a "failing" school - I'm sure this is also because I've done nothing) they'll have to be told and I quote "You've done nothing." What a great start to a Monday.
So yeah, at least the day got better. And I ended it with a rockin' peppercorn pork lion I made and hand writing letters. I love that. Oh yeah, and some Gilmore Girls. I love them too:-)
Oh, and a little P.S. - I've been nominated for New Teacher of the Year. The ballots are collected tomorrow. I don't really expect to win but I figure more than one person must have voted for me if I at least got nominated:-)

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

My dad turned sixty on Wednesday, January 17th. I wasn't there to celebrate with him, but I am so grateful he has a wonderful church family who threw him a party to celebrate. My grandparents were able to be there too and while I really wish I could have hugged and kissed him on Wednesday I know that he knows I love him.
So here's to you Dad - may we have many, many more birthdays to celebrate whether we're together or apart.
I love you Dad.

From the artic

So I know you east-coasters are belly-aching about your ice and snow and sub-zero temps but here in Arizona it gets chilly too. And 59 in my classroom this morning was downright frigid. It led me to find Angela's hooded sweater which I promptly put on and then I covered it with my jean jacket and all I day I got comments from Angela about my new undercover gig as a narc. She said I looked like one of those cops on TV who tries to look like they're homeless or from the streets. I told her if I had some gloves with the fingers missing I'd wear them too.
Other than the temps it was a pretty good day. My checkbook balanced. I finally have a good tidy sum (well in my world) in my savings account. I made cookies for the less than half of my students who managed to turn in homework four days last week (the criteria for said homemade chocolate chip cookies). We watched an episode of that interesting in a sorta train-wreck, can't look away way, new show Dirt with Courtney Cox. I think we'll stick with it a few more eps. Oh yeah - and a kid I have who I thought had learning disabilities was actually just lazy. Go figure!
Also - yesterday I saw the movie The Good Shepherd with Matt Damon. It was a great film. As I told my kids today in my review for them, it's a grown-up movie with lots and lots of talking. They did not seem impressed and only wanted to talk about Stomp the Yard and Freedom Writers. Oh well. But really, TGS was well done. I thought Matt Damon was great, though I always think that. I thought the writing was really good (Eric Roth - scribe of Forrest Gump among other things) and I thought Alec Baldwin aged well in the movie (much to Ang's dismay, she hates the guy). I am intrigued by all things CIA and D.C. so it was a perfect movie for me and it made me want to come home and read some more history books, especially about what happened after the second World War, where all my history classes left all. ALL OF THEM. No joke. I never learned about Vietnam in a class, or anything else for that matter. And this movie focused heavily on the Bay of Pigs. Good thing I had a social studies history sitting next to me, thank you Ms. Hall!
Let's see what else you should know - oh yeah, Friday we went out with friends to this fancy Japanese restuarant and I tried sushi for the first time. Mine was eel and it wasn't bad. I declared that if I was hungry and there was nothing else I could probably eat some more. Thank goodness I had chicken stir-fry cooked right in front of me to look forward to. Though I did enjoy the enamame (soybeans in the pod) that were our appitizers. Very good!
On another note, my iPod has a new skin, it's hot pink, an iSkin and so far we are very happy with it. I ordered it though apple and it has a belt clip and I think the person who's used it the most so far is Ang;-) Although I have been jammin' to a little of JT's Sexyback on it. Rock on friends!
P.S. - I know some have inquired and sadly, no, I did not make my first spin class Sunday. Instead I got to walk around Walmart and run into too many co-workers. Long story short, Ang found out she has to have a released signed because of her appendix before she can work out. So we left the gym. The sad part is we've belonged for several weeks now and still haven't seen a workout room or a piece of equipment. Best five bucks I ever spent. But hey, I made lowfat brownies tonight:-)

Baby, it's cold outside!

Yes, I know, back in July we would have killed for this weather down here in Yuma, AZ but not today. The low last night was 26 degrees. This may not seem to bad, even to me, a native Michigander who's endured her share of frozen toes and lake effect snows but down here, it's a bit ridiculous. I don't have a winter jacket or mittens or even a good, heavy sweater. I left them all up north when I was promised warm weather and bright skies 364 days a year. So last night when we went grocery shopping (which we now have to do at the off-off-peak hours on Saturday night because of the snowbirds descent on us) I was cold. Luckily I have a few sweatshirts and some heavy socks but still. Paging global warming!
It's 43 right now at 12:30 pm and there's a promise of 10 more degrees but I wouldn't bet on it. I guess this is the price we pay for a balmy 80 degree Thanksgiving. Lovely.
On another note, I am going to my first spinning class today. I am excited. We joined the gym and haven't made it this week (I barely was able to nourish myself before falling asleep - it's like the first week of school all over again). But I am ready now. And we have tomorrow off so if I can't move after, it'll be okay.
It was a good week back at school. We had fun in my class. Including Friday when I gave the spelling test to my 6th hour and couldn't figure out why they would not stop giggling and outright laughing. Then 8 words in (there are 18 total) I realized I hadn't pulled the screen down so the words were still on the board. That's one for the books, according to Ang who couldn't stop laughing when I told her about it. I laughed too but made them throw that test away and we did it again later in the day.
We've also started a foreign exchange student program at school. This week there have been many Europeans (Ang's kids) who get to come visit me in North America and vice versa. Oddly enough, when thrown into a new climate these children are usually hard-working angels. I wonder what would happen if we sent them down the canal to Africa (8th grade)!
And one last funny anecdote - I have 1st hour prep which means I don't see kids in class until 2nd hour. And I often pop into Ang's room during 1st hour to deliver copies, ask questions, chat or help out some of her kids. And when I walked into the room one morning this week, one of her kids said quietly (but not quietly enough), "Uh-oh, here comes trouble." I thought this was hilarious. I told him we could go in the hall and discuss some real trouble and then I smiled. Out of the mouth of babes...

Misc. news (if you can call it that)

I am back in Arizona. Yep - back to the sun (and wind!) and 65 degree temps. We arrived Friday after 2 long plane rides. Apparently Ohio State is in a bowl game here in our sunny state and every obnoxious fan over the age of 40 was on our flight. Including the 4 very loud, semi-drunk men in the seats in front of us. So all in all, a bad buckeye experience.
But alas, we made it home. And it's good to be back into a semi-normal routine. I have joined a gym (on a trial basis, for 5 bucks) and bought tons of healthy food to keep cooking and being healthy healthy.
In fact, last night at Walmart I decided to try to be more natural and bought some organic food and a lot of fresh food. It was really funny - I was deciding between the organic milks and I was explaining to Angela that they don't feed the cows antibiotics so it's better for us. And she got very concerned looking and said, "Well what if they get sick?" It was funny.
So yeah, that's the news here from the western front. Not much else is happening. I need to go do laundry and finish unpacking and be productive. Hope you have a wonderful week everyone!

Heading back to the sun

Tomorrow we will fly back to Arizona, Angela and I. It has been a busy week - we were in Chicago yesterday and today. Angela got bad again and spent yesterday hooked up to IVs at the Diamond Headache Clinic. Today she learned how to give herself shots if needed and I got to watch in case I have to jump in. Medical school here I come:-)
So yes, vacation is almost over. I am ready to be home, to get back in a routine, to write, to go back to the kids at school (did I say that?!?!?!), to see the sun for more than 3 hours at a stretch.
I will answer emails and calls this weekend. I promise. Life will resume normalcy. But I will miss home. I will miss my parents, Brownie, my grandparents, friends here, a familiar town, traditions, puzzles, etc. Mostly I will miss just being here, the community of here.
More after the jet ride:-)

A new year!

I have been a bad blogger this month. Well, the past 3 weeks while I've been on vacation at least. I am still at my parents' - I am here until Friday when I fly back to my sunny home in Arizona. I have had a great time here and a lovely holiday - 3 Christmases, a very quiet New Years, and some restful days which were important as the plague resurfaced and I am just now feeling better. Good thing - the Kleenex my mom bought at Costco is almost gone!
Angela is not feeling better. This is a cause of much frustration and disappointment and anger and sadness. But we are confident this week something will happen. She's going to be in consultation with her doctors and see what the next course of action is.
I have been reading - I finished Julia Child's My Life in France which was very good! I highly recommend it. She was an amazing, funny, smart woman who didn't learn to cook until her 40s and look where it took her! A great, and quick, read.
I am now reading Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran which is about the US in Iraq in the last few years. It's both interesting and horrifying (especially if you think Bush stinks like me).
We have been doing tons of jigsaw puzzles and I have been playing with my newest toy - an iPod. I love it:-)
So yeah, that's what's going on right now. Tomorrow I will go to Grandma Mac's and help her with a project for the little schoolhouse - the one room schoolhouse she's been helping to restore and advertise for a few years now. We're making databases and thank you notes I think:-) Gotta love Grandma projects!
So I am going to enjoy my last quiet days of vacation and pretend that I don't have to walk back into a room of 7th graders next Monday!

It's back!

Yes, yes, it's true. The plague has followed me to Michigan. I woke up yesterday with the sore throat again. The congestion never left me, it's been a month now. And it's back in full force again. So I am going to try resting and Comtrex and hot tea (echenacia from my aunt and uncle) and drink juice and eat good food and not stress because apparently it's a virus and my mom says virus just go away when they're ready. Lovely.
I hope everyone's excited getting ready for Christmas. I know I am. I've wrapped the presents, the trees are up, we're going to make cookies today, well I'll eat them at least:-)
I'm just glad to be home and on vacation and although there's no snow (in fact it was 50 degrees yesterday) it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Reporting from Michigan....

I am back in the mitten state! My travels went as planned Saturday and after a day in the air I made it home. The flight was fine although I learned I cannot use my laptop in the air because my arms are apparently too long and the little table is too close to me. It was impossible to type. So I read. And read. And read. And ate my pb&j sandwich which luckily I had packed because we were offered no snacks on our flight and they ran out of the crappy food you can buy for fifty bucks (okay, not that much but still...).
Yesterday I visited the grandparents, went to the Christmas cantata at church and then went caroling to the shut-ins, it was just like the old days. Except it was warm! Crazy!! I wore gloves but it was still relatively warm for MI.
Today we're still in our pjs waiting for a call from Chicago to see if Ang is headed back to the hospital. She rebounded Thursday and has been getting progressively worse all weekend. So I may be visiting the windy city this week!

Leavin' on a jet plane...tomorrow

It's done! We survived this crazy pre-three-week-vacation week at school and it was pretty smooth. Today was the holiday assembly and we sang, we slimed a teacher (not me thank goodness), wrapped teachers in paper, heard the band, and sat through a lot of screaming. But the kids seemed to really enjoy it and there were no big to-dos!
I came home after and crashed, slept a while and now am getting ready for my flight tomorrow! Off to good old Michigan - woohoo!
Okay, I need to get some traveling rest, goodnight all!
TGIF!

Snowflake Bentley

Today I read a story to my kids, the book Snowflake Bentley about this guy who first photographed snowflakes. They were really into it which was pretty cool. Over half of them have never seen real snow. They couldn't believe snowflakes were a.)so small and b.)actually shaped like they are and c.)no two are exactly the same.
After we read it we began coloring this intricate snowflakes I copied from a book and they were really getting into it. I put on Christmas music and we were all in good moods. We're also decorating our classroom door for the door-decorating contest and I think we have an awesome theme (though the kids are a bit skeptical). I have them put blue paper on the back and then I printed out a sign that reads "Each of us in this room is unique, just like every snowflake." Then we're going to put our snowflakes up on it. I am not sure we'll win, there are some teachers with lights and wrapping paper and crazy chains of red and green but I love our door so far and it can stay up well into January!
So yeah, we aren't doing much in class these next two days which rocks. We'll finish our snowflakes (and our origin myths for those slower students), read a bit more, and listen to more Christmas music. They really like the James Tayor Jingle Bells I got free off of itunes last week! There was even some spontaneous dancing! And in seventh hour we played the song five times.
So yeah, today was a good day! We had a fun (gasp!) staff meeting during which we played a white elephant game (I got a cool wooden snowman) and then I had my monthly new teachers' meeting which even though I usually dread the extra time after work, was good today. Basically we just talked about what's working and what's not in our classrooms and that was pretty cool. Plus it's nice to catch up with the people I went through induction with and don't always see on a regular basis as they aren't in my hallway, on my team, or in my department.
So tomorrow it's bus duty, more snowflakes, maybe we'll read Stranger in the Woods, and then more packing because I head to Michigan in 57 hours! Woohoo! Oh, and Ang is home in Howell, released from the hospital. Today rocks!

Three days

It's getting to me and the kids - Christmasitis. I'm playing Christmas music at school and spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out how to fold paper to make snowflakes. Tomorrow I will give up and just have us color some. We are all counting down the days until vacation. Me in my head, them on their papers and in their handbooks in big colored letters. And they have this weird obsession with wearing gloves all the time. Those silly little 99 cent gloves that really protect your hands against nothing (well in Michigan at least, here there's nothing to protect against really). I threw a pair in the trash today that I found lying in my room. When the owner came looking for them I denied knowing anything and did not feel bad about it.
Today I had my kids journal about what they'd like for Christmas that couldn't be bought with money. Some had a difficult time. Others surprised me with their thoughts. One girl wants a job for her grandpa because he's angry he can't find one. Another wants time with an uncle who died a few years back. Others want world peace and Osama bin Laden captured. Some want no one to be hungry on Christmas day others want boy/girlfriends and people who've moved away to come back. One wants to fly into outer space (I didn't have the heart to tell him you can now buy that). Another wants her mom and dad back together for good. One wants a mom off drugs. One wanted the mall. These are my kids and I love them. Even when they won't stop talking.
Sometimes they show such maturity. Today I explained that a classmate has pnemonia and a collapsed lung and will be hospitalized all week and that her dad would love a few visitors for her. Some kids were joking about it but a few others shushed them and reminded them this was serious. And that pnemonia was a spelling work last week. That's making learning relevant in my book!
And to top off this crazy Christmas week (the Christmas music still drifts through the halls) we are having a slime-the-teacher assembly on Friday yet I doubt my kids will shell out the money to move me to the top of the list (thank goodness) and we're supposed to decorate our doors for a contest and bring in canned goods and change for the veterans. And tomorrow is the staff potluck and white elephant exchange. Oh yeah, and we're supposed to be teaching them something this week.
Three days, I only need to make it three more days!

Random ramblings

-Today was one of those days where I got a lot accomplished and it feels good. I got the house cleaned, the beds changed, laundry done, candy made for the Christmas potluck Wednesday, calls accepted and made, trash taken out, a movie watched (Nine Lives which was very good if you like independents (i.e., not Angela) - it was like looking in the window at a moment in a person's life, well nine persons to be exact), some cross-stitch done (though doubtfully finished by Christmas like I had hoped when I started it less than a month ago), and even a little writing mixed it.
-Angela is still in the hospital. She was threatening to escape tomorrow, to give up but I think I persuaded her to stick it out with a stuffed pig named Beans delivered to her room tied to a balloon.
-For a while this afternoon I thought we were being attacked. Huge helios were flying overhead but then I remembered that this is the week of Desert Talon, the huge training drill here when soliders from all over the country come to train in preparation for deployment. According to the news tonight they come here because our climate is very much like that of Iraq's. Good to know.
-This is the last week of school before our three-week Christmas vacation. I am very excited. We're going to read Snowflake Bentley and cut out snowflakes to hang all over the room. We're also going to take a big unit test and finish writing our origin myths (inspiration=the Greek myth Echo and Narcissus).
-I got my hair cut yesterday and the stylist went a bit crazy. Well insane really. I wanted a few inches off and my hair is now just below my ears. I am still in shock. Tomorrow I'll wash it and see how it curls up (she straightened it yesterday) and see what the damage is. Figures, just as we go into a big family photo-op time.
-Christmas is 2 weeks away! I can't wait. I get like a little kid this time of year. Today I was talking to my dad on the phone about our annual Christmas shopping outing to buy mom's gifts and I got really excited. I watched Rudolph Friday night, and have been downloading new Christmas itunes. (By the way It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Sixpence None the Richer rocks. And it doesn't hurt it was featured in last year's Christmas episode of Grey's Anatomy.) The fact that it was 70 degrees here today was a bit weird as I am having a hard time remembering it's December but I lit candles anyway!

An amendment

So maybe I don't really want to be on myspace.com after all. After researching a bit I came across the pages of some of my cousins. Cousins who are young, still in public school. And now I know a little too much about them. I wonder how much they (in the collective everyone sense) realize that this stuff is OUT THERE. For everyone to read. Including my 80 year old grandmother. And college administrators. And parents. And the cops.
Just a thought. Guess I'll stick to my blog, which I "publish" and send out there.

So I guess I'm not cool enough...

I decided tonight to sign up on myspace.com - mostly so I can peep the pages of my friends who've set their's as private and require a sign-in to view.
But no.
I am not cool enough.
That's the only thing I can figure out.
I have tried and tried to sign up for an account. It doesn't seem that difficult. Enter an email address and some basic info. Hit enter. Bam - it keeps telling me that according to the information entered I am ineligible for an account. So I change my email address to a different one, yet still mine.
Same message.
So I am going to bed. I have cleaned off my desk. I have balanced my checkbook. I have paid my bills and figured out I will be in debt until I am 145 years old. I have eaten my dinner alone while watching Rudolph. And now I am going to bed.
Yeah. So not cool:-)

Mull this over

I belong to a daily listserv (www.mikeysFunnies.com) that supplies me with laughs and "thots" every day. This was today's offering and I thought it was very cool; something to ponder as we approach this holiday season.

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS FOR ALL THE YEAR
By the Editors of McCall's magazine, December, 1959

CHRISTMAS is celebration; and celebration is instinct in the heart. With gift and feast, with scarlet ribbon and fresh green bough, with merriment and the sound of music, we commend the day--oasis in the long, long landscape of the commonplace. Through how many centuries, through how may threatening circumstances, has Christmas been celebrated, since that cry came ringing down the ages, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring yougood tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke2:10-11 KJV)

Christmas is celebration, but the traditions that cluster sweetly aroundthe day have significance only if they translate the heart's intention--the yearning of the human spirit to compass and express faith and hope and love. Without this intention, the gift is bare, and the celebration a touch of tinsel, and the time without meaning. As these attributes, exemplifying the divine spark in mankind, informed the first Christmas and have survived the onslaughts of relentless time, so do they shine untarnished in this present year of our Lord.

Faith and hope and love, which cannot be bought or sold or bartered, but only given away are the wellsprings, firm and deep of Christmas celebration. These are the gifts without price, the ornaments in capableof imitation, discovered only within oneself and therefore unique. They are not always easy to come by, but they are in unlimited supply ever inthe province of all.

THIS CHRISTMAS mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Flout envy.

Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind; be gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence.

Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Go to church. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still once again.

These are but inklings of a vast category; a mere scratching of thesurface. They are simple things; you have heard them all before; but their influence has never been measured.

Christmas is celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning—with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself toward the core of life. Then, only then, is it possible to grasp the significance of the first Christmas--to savor in the inward ear the wild, sweet music of the angel choir; to envision the star-struck sky, and glimpse, behind the eyelids the ray of light that feel athwart a darkened path and changed the world.

Weekday update

Just a little note to let all of you know the what's what and who's who!
Angela made it to Chicago safe and sound. She's staying with our cousin John who apparently has a kickin' apartment. She had an appointment at the Diamond Headache Clinic today, got a couple of shots and is awaiting admission into St. Joseph's Hospital. There's a waiting list so it will likely be tomorrow or Friday before she can get a room.
Not much else is going on. I am back at work after my 2-day hiatus for the upper respiratory infection. I am slowly mending though I still feel like I go through the days in slow-motion. And I come home and crash. Though tonight I did manage to write out all my Christmas cards. So that was an accomplishment. Though not much of one since it is now 9:30 and I am heading to bed, exhausted.
I did watch some Netflix tonight, The Aristocrats and Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic. Both were pretty funny.
Okay, off to bed. I'll try to be more entertaining tomorrow.

Solidarity, sister!

Angela is requesting I blog in support of her outrage and so I am. We just got back from the United States Post Office. Where, in big, bold, bright letters the sign proclaims you can do all your mailing 24/7. Yet, this is not true. It was 10:45pm when we got there and guess what - yep, that's right. We couldn't mail a darn thing. The computer that allows you to mail packages was down for daily maintenance. The machine that sells stamps was out of service. Now you might ask why in the world we were trying to mail things at 10:30 on a Sunday night. Well you see, we are both sick. And this weekend was trashed because of that. I have done little more than lie in bed the last 3 days and I will continue to do so tomorrow. But I did manage to get 2 Christmas packages ready to mail this weekend and they need to go out. And since the post office is only open 8am-5pm, the exact hours we work just about, we decided to go tonight. But alas, our plan was foiled.
When does life ever get easier?!?!?!
Angela fought with Sprint on the phone this morning over our wireless bill and still, nothing is fixed. They charged me 10 bucks for a roaming call from Tijanuana. Yet I have never been to Tijanuana. And that day when they said I called my parents from there I distinctly remember driving on a road here in Yuma county. Interesting! Oh yeah, and every month they forget our educator's discount and no, they certainly can't make it retroactive because then everyone could call up and claim to work for a public school. Even though they made us bring pay stubs in back in June! And then they keep tacking on this Sprint vision charge for the internet yet we emphatically said we didn't want the internet on our phones! Oy vay!!!
It's all a conspiracy to make our lives difficult.
So yeah, there you go. Those are my rants for today. I am heading to bed with my Kleenex and water bottle and homemade cough syrup. And I plan on staying there tomorrow!

The Short Short

I did it! I just entered one of Patricia's chapters into a contest. It was Writer's Digests' Short Short Story Contest (1500 words or less) and of course the deadline is Dec. 1st. And that is in 52 minutes. It's true what "they" say, if it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done.
I feel excited by this! I know it's probably not a big deal and it's $12 down the drain but still - you never know. (Well, I'll know in February).
Okay - it's off to bed. The elves were busy tonight wrapping Christmas baskets of cookies and candy for work tomorrow. Being Dec. 1st we figured we should kick the gift giving off. Plus, Ang is leaving us very soon.
In other news -
1. I am still feeling sickly. Very sickly. And my students fear one of my lungs will go careening through the air every time I attempt a cough. It was a great day!
2. I love the writing on Grey's Anatomy. Love, love, love it. Can I please, oh please, have a writing job for Christmas? Pretty please Santa?!!?!
3. It was 32 degrees this morning and silly me - without a proper winter coat. That's right. When I moved to the south side of the sun I was told not to bring anything heavier than an Old Navy sweatshirt. "It never gets cool here." Well bull! It gets downright cold. Brrrr!!! So I wore my lined suit with a long sleeved shirt underneath and my trench coat buttoned up to the top. And I was still cold!

A case of the Mondays

Yes, it's true. It was a pretty great weekend. We ate, we hung out with friends, we went shopping, we saw a movie, we brunched, we baked, we read, we played Christmas music loudly with the doors open because it's 80 degrees here.
And then Monday morning happened.
Angela woke up sick. And kept getting sicker. She's been tossing her cookies into my trash can (hers is mesh) for over 12 hours now.
And I have the plauge. The common sore throat, achy thing you catch from a building of kids and bad air circulation. Lovely.
So I'll depart after a few random thoughts:
- The movie we saw this weekend was Casino Royale, the new James Bond flick. It was good. Very good. It was my first Bond and I am sure Daniel Craig will forever be my Bond. Go see it, it's a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon.
- There's this obsession out here with riding four-wheelers or quads over the sand dunes. It seems insane but thousands do it every weekend with their RVs and their campfires. And 4 people died this weekend around Yuma in dune accidents. People are STUPID.
- We've been engaged over in Iraq longer than WWII. And now it's being deemed a civil war. Who's running this show and what's the plan? Seriously.
- My grandma turned 81 today and I am really missing home. And not just because I want someone to take care of me when I'm sick.
- I need a B-12 shot like they were handing out on Studio 60 tonight.

A day to be thankful

On Thursday Angela and I went down to the Crossroads Mission on the river. It was a hot day, in the 80s and they had this whole empty lot set up with tables and chairs, a "store" with clothes and stuffed animals and tons of people. There were so many volunteers that some even left their food and went home, promising to come back at Christmas. We're guessing that they served around 1000 people. We went through a lot of turkey, that was our station. This group that fights child abuse, the Rough Riders, cooked most of the food and were there (with their motorcycles!) to serve. It was very humbling to see so many people, so hungry, but also thankful for what they were getting. We saw a lot of kids too, which was sad. But they made us smile too. They ate their pie first, they ran around with the whipped cream and squirted it in the mouths, they were too shy to carry their own plates, they were covered in dirt and grime. There were women who looked tired and were carrying babies and bags of their belongings. There were men who looked hard, tired, old, who talked of living 2o years in the institution. Angela helped one man carry meals down to the boys on the corner who were too embarrassed to come up for food because they were drinking.
It was hot and dusty and no one seemed to notice. There was prayer and music and so much food. We gave out heaping platefuls and seconds and thirds. We encouraged people to take food to their families and to take some for later. We sent plates in to the people in the detox center next door. And there were so many volunteers. Many were "snowbirds" and it was great to see them sharing their holiday in that way. There were also members of the Marines and Navy there spending their time away from family with other people's families.
I was glad we could do this. I was glad that these people, every single one of them, got food on at least that day. A day when so many of us have too much food (including Ang and I - we still have leftovers!). It was an awesome reminder of how thankful I need to be. I have a roof over my head, I have a job that pays me, I have things, I want for very little that I actually need. I am grateful because I was on the other side of the line Thursday. I am also grateful because those people I met Thursday taught me a lot about cherishing what is most important and helping no matter what.

A midnight crisis

Okay, so it wasn't exactly midnight. It was 10:30 tonight, on a Sunday, when you are supposed to be getting ready for bed and for the week to come. Another busy week. This week has been hectic enough: formal observations and evaluations at work, dealing with a team member leaving, Angela's still sick and getting worse, Christmas shopping - Oy!
So we went Walmarting today and a few other stops and ever since I've had this nagging feeling. So I came up to check my checking account balance and low-and-behold I apparently had a stroke this week and didn't write down several charges from the debit card, including last week's Walmarting and Christmas shopping! All the receipts were there but I had "forgotten" to put the numbers down. Ugh. And I wonder why my stomach is hurting right now (thus the blogging and not sleeping).
So yeah - after a tense half hour I finally figured it all out and bam! I have $14.40 left until payday (thank goodness for savings accounts hooked up to transfer funds! The internet is amazing!). Sometimes life seems so easy but it never is, is it?!?!
So yeah, I have my third formal observation first thing tomorrow morning. Third in as many weeks. It's fine, I know everyone goes through it but it's a bit nerve wracking. The good news is my bosses said I did a great job during my last two and I got all the "points" possible. (If anyone knows T4S speak, I got my 5 out of 8!)
But on the upside I have stuck to my guns and have not charged Christmas gifts or any recent groceries. I almost did today but held back. And it was a lot of groceries. We are making a turkey here on Thursday for just us and we are making cookies for everyone we work with for Christmas presents so we had to stock up!
Also tonight Angela and I made a blanket! Yep - one of those no-sew fleece throws. It was fun and it only took about an hour and a half. We made it for our friend Shannon for Christmas, it's a mauvey-purple and sagey-light-green.
Also, I'm well on my way to being done with most of my Christmas shopping. A few more things to get and/or order online and voila! done before it's even December. Woohoo. We went to Mexico yesterday and picked up some awesome gifts (for some of you!!!) and got good deals. And a 12-pack of Coca Light! Which we then proceeded to drag almost an hour in line to get back into the U.S. That was fun. I even got a little sunburned, it was about 90 out and very sunny!
Okay, my stomach's settling and I am tired! Happy new week everyone!

Weekend Update

Some ramblings from my three days "off":
- I got a pedicure yesterday and the color of my toes is I'm not a dirty mistress. Once we saw it we just had to get it. You Grey's fans will know what I'm talking about;-)
- There is nothing worse than being at Walmart and having the cart with the bum steering. It felt like I was pulling a mule around the store. Ugh.
- Last night when we walked back over the border we saw the giant photos of our pres and vp. Bush looked normal (for him) but Cheney had this evil smirk. I swear! We were commenting on it in line. It was rather annoying to be forced to look at his mug while waiting.
- We got a three day weekend from school yet I have managed to put in almost over 7 hours this weekend. What a bargin!
- Friday night I was introduced to several of Yuma's finest establishments. At one there was a man and a woman in the woman's restroom, in another there was a girl who couldn't pull her pants up. Ah, big city Yuma!
- I did some Christmas shopping this weekend even though it feels far from Christmasy here. But the songs and snacks and sights in Hallmark helped:-)
- Know that a turkey breast and a turkey loaf are so not the same thing!
- Funny story: While walking back to our car last night (we parked at a Del Sol grocery store half a mile from the Mexican border) I mentioned to Ang that I wanted to get some Coca Light next week when we went to Algodones (it's Diet Coke but it's SO SO SO much better than the stuff her in the states, it's insane!). She said, "Let's go into the store and get some right now." I said, "We're not in Mexico weirdo." Yep, that's right. Even where you're in America here, it feels, looks, sounds and is very much like Mexico (we like to call it 'Wee Mexico').
- And finally, I've been minding the federal government's and all the healthcare officials warnings and have been trying to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. I've walked a total of 14 miles in 7 days, done Tae Bo and weights and right now my body feels like crap. My muscles hurt, my joints hurt, and I feel old. Great.
- All in all quite the weekend. And tomorrow it starts all over again!

Just when I thought today couldn't get any better...

OMG! (This is the standard opening line for most of my girls papers - OMG is the best in 7th grade slang)
It started off as a pretty good day (for a day that included work and 3 meetings and walking 4 miles). I woke up to the glorious news that we, the Democrats, had taken control of the House back. I was elated. Nancy Pelosi and her list of things to do in her first 100 hours. I can't wait! Christmas in November. It begins to make up for 2004. Especially if something happens to the president and vice president - hello President Pelosi!
And then I went to lunch, where we have rather spirited conversations even though we're all on the same "side". And there I learned that Rumsfeld had resigned! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
So that was great. And then when I got home we learned that the Democrats had also taken the Senate! Could I be any happier?
So I turned off the political stuff and watched this week's episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The show that is well written, well acted, funny, and interesting I'd like to reiterate. So that was a nice capstone to the evening - even though it's been rumored to be on the chopping block at NBC.
BUT WAIT -
I retire to my bedroom, click on some of my favorite blogs and newsites and low and behold, I have received yet one more gift today - on what I thought would be a random Wednesday in November.
Studio 60 has been picked up for a FULL SEASON!
Life is good. Things are returning to normal in the world. And I am happy.
So I am going to sleep:-)

Mini Moe

On Saturday I added a new member to our household - Mini Moe. Yep, I broke down and bought a television. The giant moster that was Angela's 27 inch died recently. Well it was a slow death actually. It started with the screen blanking out and then it took a while to warm up. And then it died completely. After a morning of trying to do my walking tape with no picture I gave up. We thought about moving hers downstairs but then I decided to bite the bullet. We really wanted one of those nice plasmas but alas we ended up at Walmart purchasing a nice, flat screen (not to be confused with a flat panel we quickly discovered) 20 inch. And at a mere 99 dollars it fit nicely into my budget. (Well if you call having literally $16 to my name right now fitting nicely then yes.) So there it is - my guilty pleasure, tv. My must have - Mini Moe. So named because it's half the size of Ang's Mightly Millie (okay, I just made that up but whatever - it was a freakin' huge tv, we both have hernias from putting it in the dumpster. And a mere 20 minutes later when I took more trash out it was already gone from said dumpster!).
So that was my exciting weekend. It's not nearly as big as the pretty silver tv Chris helped me pick out at Best Buy but I can carry this one and I don't need a computer science degree to hook it up. In about 40 seconds we were already watching the Food Network. With a picture this time. And I'm hoping I don't have to sell this one for gas money:-)

A very quiet night in Stars Hollow

So yeah - we scheduled our first games night for tonight and while the invitations were readily accepted on Monday, when it got to today, it was a whole different story. That's right - Angela and I spent the night alone, well not completely alone if you count the fabulous cast of Gilmore Girls. So yeah, that was disappointing. But I will survive. I've vented, I've eaten too many chocolate chip cookies and tomorrow is another day. A day full of promise, of excitement, of things not yet realized. That's what's so great about every single new day. It's NEW!
School was pretty good this week. Except there is a student I am VERY angry with. He got 3 referrals today, including being kicked out of in school suspension. So that's annoying. But I am trying to remember he's 12 and I'm not. So I've got that going for me.
But we're reading a hilarious book in class and the kids love it. So much so that I was reading to them when the final bell rang today and no one realized it was time to leave! How great is that.
Alrighty, I am off to bed. I am happy and ready to start anew. To start with exercise and writing and doing stuff and having fun regardless of how many friends come to my game night!

Halloween

Here we are in all our Halloween glory. I was the spider witch and Ang was very official in her doctor scrubs. She ran around all day announcing she was late for rounds and using her real stethescope to listen for brains in students' heads:-)
It was a good day, my kids seemed to really like the movie I showed them - 1931's Frankenstein, in black and white, which threw them a bit. Then we read a poem based on the movie and talked about how the moster was really just lonely and sad. All and all a great educational holiday!
Then we hurried home to pass out treats. We didn't think we'd have many kids as Ang had hardly any last year but we had tons. Our 30 carmel apple suckers were gone before 7 and we had to tell several kids we were out (even though we'd taken down the sign already!).
So happy halloween, hope you ate some candy for me!

Fall

Today feels like fall officially. When we left this morning it was cool. And when we got out of work tonight it was warm but that warm that is just sun and not heat. I wore a sweater to school today, thank goodness, the air conditioning made my room a freezer all day!
Tomorrow is Halloween, I can't believe October is done already. I'm showing the 1931 version of Frankenstein in class tomorrow so we'll see how that goes over. The kids will be confused when it's in black and white:-)
Also, I am back writing again. I had a bit of a slump after finishing Patricia but I'm back at it with Molly's story so don't fear. I plan to be on your local Barnes and Noble shelves in no time!
Happy Halloween everyone! Eat some treats for me:-)

My birthday!

Here's a pic of me on my 29th birthday. Note the jade necklace I am wearing, compliments of Angela. We found it in Mexico for a song!

My new glasses

After several years (maybe 4 or so) I finally have vision insurance again and was able to get new glasses with my new prescription, which oddly, went down meaning my eyesight is improving with age. Interesting. So here they are - my new specs. My students told me on Friday they make me look smart. I wonder how I looked before:-)

The day of the faux pas

Thursday was quite the day in seventh grade for me. I was feeling good about things. We did spelling review, we did a unit test review, and we began the very arduous process of learning to write an outline, complete with a thesis statement. This will be a year-long process and I was happy we got several sentences nailed out. It didn't matter that they didn't start with capital letters or end with any punctuation but we did it!
But there was also tribulation in my day - surprise! shock! awe!
First off, I had a form to give back to my students. The problem was the forms only had parent names on them. So I was being a super slueth and silly me, I thought if the last name was the same, it must be that student's. Nope. I asked a girl if the form was hers, if this was her father's name and she informed me her father had passed away. And this was in the first five minutes of the school day.
I made it all the way to the end of the day without another faux pas. It was seventh hour when we all started to lose it. We were all tired, I love my seventh hour kids but I was tired of them, of it all by this point. Coming back from vacation was taking its' toll on us all. And I was trying to teach outlining to them. Nothing exciting about this. And they were giggling. Even the boys. I couldn't keep their attention to save my soul. It had been this way for a good hour. So I started our new activity when one of my favorite students yells at his best friend across the room, "Shut up Retardo!" And I lost it. Because the boys name is Ricardo and this was funny. I was up in front of the class, with their attention (supposedly) focused on me. And my face betrayed me. My muscles took over and began to form a smile much to my desire to frown. But I could NOT help it. And everyone's looking at me now, of course. And I chuckle. (Aside - I laughed so hard I cried when I told this story to Shannon and Angela after school and I am laughing again now, outloud as I write this!)
And then Ricardo looks at me and says, "You're laughing at me?" with this little smile. And I say, "No, you all just are so weird. Let's get going." But they all knew I was laughing and I knew it and let's just say, I was glad when the bell rang:-)
Now I have to be vigilant every time I see Ricardo not to call him by his unsavory, but hilarious, nickname. :-)

It's a tough job Charlie Brown

Within three weeks of the new school year we lost our first teacher. She packed up and moved back to New York City where, apparently, the pay is better even if the walls don't have paint. She was my across the hall neighbor, taught special ed, and her name is still above the door. This may be why I cannot ever remember the long term sub's name. Ever. Even though she talks to me ten times a day. I know, I am a horrible person.
Then today, one quarter and one day into the school year, we lost our second new teacher. This time an eighth grade math teacher who's been having troubles with classroom management. The interesting thing is he's resigned (so we hear) but requested to stay on as an aide in his classroom, with a permanent sub who's barely out of college. Weird. I say good for him for wanting to learn but I doubt I could do that. That takes guts. To go from being the teacher to being the aide. For the kids, and eighth graders at that, to see that. Wow. It makes sense, because they'll fulfill their contract to him but I would have probably requested a different school.
So yeah, two down. I think I'll make it but I am bound to get some static this week. That's just who I am:-) I like to ruffle the feathers a bit.
On a brighter note, we just finished watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. If you are not watching this show and you care anything about good writing and interesting, intelligent entertainment, PLEASE WATCH THIS SHOW. It's endangered but it's smart and engaging and I love it. It's so fast and you have to pay attention and you'll want to, I promise. I promise or I'll refund your money. Now that's a bargin. Also do it for me because the television drama and comedy shows as we know them are highly endangered. NBC just announced huge pay cuts all across the board and announced they'll no longer buy any new dramas or comedies for their eight o'clock hour. It's all going to be reality programming. And while I know those shows are also written, it's just not the same. And because I want to work on a really good show someday, please watch them now so I'll have the chance. Please please please.
Ok - getting off my soapbox. I'm stuffing it under my bed with the boxes of every card and letter I've ever received. I'm heading to bed. Five fifteen comes very early here in the west:-)

Issues

Apparently my blog is having issues - i.e., being invisible to all of my loyal readers (i.e., Mom!) so if you are reading this without your x-ray glasses, please let me know.
On the up side, Ang and I spent a leisurely day in the car today, driving to San Diego and back home again, picking up my car on the turn. It is all better and best of all - it was all free! All under warranty. Which seemed suspicious at first, seeing it's over 50,000 miles but I am not one to question ANYTHING free:-)
Have a super Sunday everyone. Love to all!

Another year older

Is it possible to grow older without feeling older? Because that may be what's happened this year. I certainly don't feel wiser but I suppose that's par for the course...
Nevertheless I had a wonderful birthday! I talked to my parents on and off all day:-) and I got some lovely gifts, gifts that were so thoughtful. Whoever would have thought I would be so excited to get scissors for my birthday!?!? But I was, they are beautiful, handmade sewing scissors for my cross-stitch work. And I am wearing the goregous jade necklace Angela picked up for me south of the border;-)
So another year older, another new beginning. And many wishes to come true...

The city of angels

I've officially been there. The place that is idolized in television and films, the mecca of plastic surgery and surfers, la-la land. And let me tell you. It was pretty great. It reminded me of other big cities, like Chicago, there was a lot of traffic and there were a lot of pretty people. But there seemed to be a lot of normal people and I heard tons of non-English speakers (and not much Spanish).
Friday we drove up and got there around 3. We found Santa Monica pretty quickly and our hostile was right where it was supposed to be:-) with a parking lot directly across the street. The hostel was a great experience, relatively inexpensive (we had a private room with 2 twin beds and it was $164 for 2 nights) and very clean. There was a kitchen area where we could buy breakfast ($1.75 for a bowl of cereal but hey - we figured it was the cheapest breakfast in town), a movie room, quite a few open spaces to relax in, and friendly staff (not at all hostile like the guidebook warned).
Friday night we had dinner at Buca di Beppo which was scrumcious! The best green beans and ravioli and tiramisu! Then we walked all along the 3rd Street Promenade (tons of people and great shops) and the Santa Monica mall (not too prosperous on a Friday night). We also rode the ferris wheel (even though it was cloudy) on the pier.
Saturday we took an L.A. bus tour. We left at 9:30 and got to see some stars' homes (Bill Cosby, Steven Spielberg, Drew Barrymore), and then they dropped us off at the Getty museum. The Getty was something, sprawling and beautifully designed. We saw a great photograph exhibit and some Impressionist works and the amazing garden and then laid on the grass a while, and ate what may have been the best sandwich I ever had - ham and brie.
Then the bus picked us back up and took us to Rodeo Drive where we had 40 minutes to window shop, the air even feels expensive there, and buy 3 dollar diet cokes. Then it was onto Sunset Blvd and then Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We took pictures of Big Bird's star and Penny Marshall's star and then ate gelato across the street. Then we headed up to Mullholand Drive and took photos with the famous Hollywood sign (which I didn't know used to say Hollywood Land, and was a for sale sign, and then they took the Land part off and left the rest! trivia for the day).
All in all a busy day and then we went back to the promenade and paid $10.75 for a ticket to see Man of the Year, which was pretty funny.
All in all, L.A. wasn't too expensive. We managed to eat for about $10 a meal (except for Buca) and most of the sightseeing was free (our tour was $64 and we got a $12 discount for staying at the hostile) and the best part is the ocean is free:-)
I can't wait to go back...and see where the magic happens;-)

Me and my car

And so the saga continues.... (I'll post about the L.A. trip in the next post)
This morning I ran into Angela's room victorious, and announced, "My car and I do not have Munchausen Syndrome!"
But let me back up a bit.
Sunday morning we left L.A. and were almost to San Diego when - guess what! - the service engine soon light came on, again. So I hemmed and hawed and decided not to leave my car in San Diego after leaving it last week and the Saturn guys telling me they could find nothing wrong with it.
So we kept driving. We got about 20 minutes outside of San Diego when - boom! - the cruise control goes out. So of course I am frustrated and just a little angry and we decide to turn around and leave the car in San Diego with a note that says please fix it or give me an appraisal. I won't take a broken car 3 hours home again.
Then I got a call this morning, and surprise! My car is really broken. They found some "codes" in the computer and apparently the transmission case is not working and needs to be half-replaced. Something about torque and who knows what else. The only part I concentrated on was Jesus, the service guy, telling me that the part is under warranty from Saturn. Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!
So I still have to get it this week but maybe we'll make a day of it and go to the beach again or Fashion Valley and window shop:-) I just love semi-happy endings.

Another weekend at the beach

But a different beach (okay, same water, same seaweed, but different locale). We're heading to L.A. in the morning to the international hostel in Santa Monica. Yep! Another adventure! We got a private room (shared bath) for 2 nights/2 people and it's only $64! Woohoo! And sheets are included (though Ang is worried about pillows so we'll throw ours in). It's on 2nd Ave right near the beach and the Santa Monica pier with it's solar powered ferris wheel (which Ang is also worried about as it's supposed to be cloudy this weekend).
I am excited. It's about a 4 hour drive to L.A. and Santa Monica's half an hour north. We're hoping to take a bus tour and go to the pier and walk the beach in Venice and go to the farmer's market and just have fun and relax!
I'll write if we don't stay in the sand:-)

The West Coast

We returned last night, after two days in San Diego. We had a great time and only got a little lost:-) But that's the fun of a road trip, right?!? That and the snacks you get to buy at the truck stops.
Sunday we got to town and headed straight for the beach, a different beach this time, but still the beach. We found a great little restaurant where we got to eat outside that had huge salads (this was pre-lettuce recall, oh joy), called The Green Flash. Then we walked in the ocean.
It was a little cool but not bad once you were in the water. It was sunny and the tide was out. And we found sand dollars! It was so cool. There they were, just like you see in the shops or on the necklaces. We found a ton of them. We washed them off and laid them in my sandals and carefully brought them home. Very cool. We brought cracked ones home to, to break, to find the doves, which we did. God amazes me so much. To think that he put these here just for us to find. I mean why did they wash up but not the other shells of animals? Amazing!
Then we walked around the gaslamp district which was hopping because the Padres were in town. We ate at Buca di Beppo which had the most awesome Italian food and tons of it then we ended up in this restaurant/bar called Dick's Last Resort. We had drinks and a great brownie ice cream dish and lots of laughs. The band was funny, and not bad. They all had black afro wigs on and sang a lot of 80s/90s favorites. And the waiters are all obnoxious and scream and throw napkins and wrap the children in paper table cloth paper and make them giant hats that say things like "I fart a lot" or "I pee in the bathtub". It was pretty great. Also, the party behind us was 3 women and 3 kids. And the one woman had her little boy deliver a "note" to our cute waiter with her phone number on it. Gotta love moms who use their kids to hit on the nice waitstaff.
Monday we hit the Zoo. Highlights: the baby panda sleeping in the tree, the huge brown bear taking a soak in his pond, the polar bears jumpin in for a mid-morning splash, the dancing elephant (she just stood there swaying back and forth as if she had her ipod on!), the koalas lunching on leaves, the baby meerkats playing, the lionnesses chasing after lunch (which was being thrown by a zookeeper), the baby giraffe posing for a picture. It was a great zoo day, warm but not sunny. And the animals were pretty active which rocked.
All in all, a great weekend on the coast. I can't wait to go back! (Which we have to do since we left Ang's car there at the Saturn dealership. Oh and a note for all of you following my ongoing VUE saga: after driving it 3 hours to San Diego and the techs there driving it 30 miles on Monday, they can't find anything wrong with it! So I brought it home. Lovely.)

Vacation!!!!

It's official, we made it to intercession. What that means for us teachers is that we don't go back to school for 2 whole weeks. I am mighty excited. We started the break off right yesterday, Susie came into town from Michigan and we met Shannon and Pedro in Algodones for lunch and some shopping. It was fun to have some who speaks Spainish there to haggle for us. (But we did have to walk away a lot, Pedro is pretty particular and knows when they're robbing us blind.)
In a few minutes we are off to San Diego. Today I think we're going to be beach bums and walk along the coast and just hang. Tomorrow we'll go to the Zoo and maybe hit the outlet mall on the way back. That is if my car doesn't cost me an arm and a leg. I am going to drive it to San Diego and leave it at the Saturn dealership so say a prayer for it. I am hoping we don't have to put her down:-)
In other news - woohoo Tigers. It's been a long time coming since '84. Oh, I also survived my first parent/teacher conferences. I had less than 3o parents come and of course none of the ones I really needed to or wanted to see about behavior issues. Go figure.
Ok - we're heading to Southern California;-) Aren't you jealous. It's 80 degrees and perfect here!

Europe is champion!

That's right, this afternoon North America was relegated to second place when Angela's team Europe won two out of three spell offs to become the first ever Spell Off champion team! Congrats to all the kids. It was pretty great to watch the kids spell all day, to hear and see what they know, to watch them cheer for one another and try so hard. They had 126 spelling words this quarter and their practice paid off. It was especially impressive because Angela's kids are all in intervention classes while mine are on-level. So I am doubly proud of the Europeans today and will start making my kids work all that much harder tomorrow:-)
In other seventh grade news tomorrow I have my first parent teacher conferences, 1-6:30pm. And we have to be to school for a 7:30am meeting so tomorrow will be a very long day. But it will all pay off Friday at three when we go on vacation for SIXTEEN whole days!!! I'm just a wee bit excited. We're going to Mexico Saturday, then to San Diego when Susie visits then to L.A. I can't wait!!
Now it's off to bed early so I am bright-eyed and busy-tailed for my families tomorrow.

Patricia

I know it's morning because there's a morning dove outside my window singing. Not so much singing I guess as warbling. But it is morning nonetheless. It's Sunday morning at 12:37. And I am excited because I have just finished part one of my novel. I've finished Patricia's story. Fifty-three pages. So tomorrow it's time to move on to someone else. I'm not sure who yet, maybe David or Harold or Molly or Crystal. All their stories have begun but they have a ways to go.
I know this isn't a big deal to anyone else but it's big to me. It's been a project I have been working on for ten months. It's been a lot of late nights and sitting down to write when I'd rather have been out playing or on the couch or reading a book. But I'm excited for it. For what it might become.

Thursdays

I just love Thursdays, I always have and it's odd, I know. It's not the weekend yet but it's a day that holds so much promise. Maybe something will happen this weekend, maybe you'll have a great few days off. It's a day that gets you ready for what will come. It's a good night to watch television, to assess how the week's been, to figure out what comes next, to prepare. I can't really explain it any more than that. It's just the knowing that the week's almost complete but there's just that little bit left that can salvage it, that can make it a good week or a really good week.
I don't know what this weekend will bring. There are no plans for Friday night or Saturday (besides cleaning) or Sunday. It's all about the anticipation. I love that word.
Anticipation.

The Mad Dash

That's right, it's crunch time for us teachers here in the year-round school system. Next week report cards come out so that means this week grades are due. Possibly Wednesday though no one seems to know for sure. But anyway I graded tonight. All night. Stopping only long enough for popcorn and some popcorn TV (The New Adventures of Old Christine which is funny). And then we tried to watch Studio 60 but it wouldn't work! That's right, the NBC station seemed broken so I have to find out how to catch it on Bravo or online this week - ugh!!!
Anyway, I've been grading rough drafts of my students short stories all day and night and am overwhelmed. Ang graded 120 tests for me. I have spelling packets and homework waiting for me in the morning. And all of this paperwork is from Thurs, Fri and today. Good lord!
But my kids are cute, and some are great writers. I had one student who woke up as George Bush. One whose family sidetracked to a town called Cockaroachie;-) Another who created her very own Shrek-like story complete with every storybook character I could think of.
So now it's off to bed before I get up and do it all again in 8 hours. Oh yeah - and I'm being evaluated tomorrow which means an 8am preconference, a 2:17pm observation, and a 4pm postconference. Let the fun begin!

Inspiration

This week has been a good writing week. It has also been a good television week. I believe the two are connected. I am inspired by what I see on the small screen and what I read on writer's blogs and in my screenwriting magazines, etc. So I have been writing. Big stuff happened to Patricia (the character who's story I'm finishing up) this week and she and I are figuring out what comes next. I'll keep you posted! (No, I am not crazy but I truly believe in Virginia Woolf's quote as it pertains to writing: "Arrange whatever pieces come your way." When they come, I arrange them. And add my own twist of course.
As for TV, goodness it was a good week. A light week which is good. Here's my rundown so far:
Monday was Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip which I have already raved about here.
Tuesday was NCIS which we just finished. Donald Bellisario (of Jag fame) does such a great job mixing the military/federal agent stories with humor and personal stuff that it's just fun to watch. And who doesn't love Mark Harmon, I mean come on! Haven't seen the Unit or Smith yet but will give reviews when I do:-) I know you are all waiting with baited breath.
Then there was Thursday night. The night that has belonged to CSI for years. But now belongs to our crew at Seattle Grace. Rock on Grey's Anatomy! What an awesome, anticipated premiere. Such well developed characters, great laughs and then tears when Cristina told Burke to never die. So good. So good.
The Office was hilarious. Proof, once again, that it deserved it's Emmy win. How great was Michael and that kiss and I love how we feel for these characters, especially Jim. So so good. Haven't watched anything else yet but taped Earl and ER and CSI so we'll watch those soon. But we did peep Six Degrees after Grey's and can I just say - JJ Abrahms should get his name taken off the promos. It was no better than this summer's ill-fated Windfall which had at least an interesting lottery-winners premise. It was boring and did not keep my attention at all. Let's hope next week's Ugly Betty before Grey's can be something brighter.
Okay - enough of the fictional world. Time to meet our friend Shannon's parents and then head to my massage and run some errands. And then write some more!

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

They've done it again. Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme, writer/creator and director. Their new show, Studio 60, premiered tonight and, according to me, was an instant classic. Full of Sorkin's legendary speeches, quips, comebacks and snappy asides, not to mention Schlamme's walk and talks, and beautifully shot art, Studio 60 was true television brillance. And this coming for a writer who thinks a lot of what makes it onto the airwaves is crap. Pure, undiluted crap.
But this was good. It was pull you in, forget about everything else for 60 minutes, eyes glued, ears perked, good television.
So take my advice - check it out as it repeats this week on Bravo and then watch it. Fans of Sportsnight, The West Wing, and just plain great writing and fun filmmaking won't be sorry.

Almost a no go

I did it. I drug my butt out of bed this morning and exercised. I had plenty of excuses this morning as to why I shouldn't: I woke up at 5:25am, 5 minutes before my alarm, so I decided I deserved to sleep in. Then I thought about the nightmare I'd had and decided I deserved to stay in bed instead, then I thought about writing instead, I eventually did get up, and decided to check my email, more procrastination. Then as I walked downstairs, my knee hurt and I thought - maybe I shouldn't exercise because it might do permanent damage. But I finally ran out of excuses and walked 2 miles and did weights and did 25 crunches and a few sit-ups. And guess what?
My knee felt better, I felt better, and tonight I wasn't tired. Yeah so everything they say about exercise...
It's true.
Just do it. :-)

The Week in Review

It's been a busy one here at Camelot. My mom was here until yesterday which was great. She cooked and took care of Ang and hung out with me at night. It was so nice to have her here so I wasn't worried about everything myself (and coming home one night to sugar cookies, turkey crunch, and cheesey potatoes wasn't bad either!).
I also got my permanent crown and have had to retrain myself to eat on that side of my mouth which sounds ridiculous but is true. Still doesn't work all the time.
Then I had to give midterm grades and tell 3 of my students they got Fs in my class and a BUNCH more they got Ds and Cs. That was received well, let me tell you.
Then there's the saga of my VUE. My red VUE that I have loved and cared for since the first day I got it in 2002 right after graduation. The red VUE I have only 10 more payments on and then it's mine, all mine. The VUE that has had every maintenance request and every service job done that has been required, that has had it's oil changed religiously almost to the mile according to those little stickers they put up in the corner of the windshield.
When I was driving it across country this summer, the 'service engine soon' light came on in St. Louis (yes, on the first day of our multiple-week trip). Now remember, I am fanatical about my car. I had it checked out and serviced just before I left.
So the light comes on and no one will look at it. The GM dealership I find doesn't have time but tells me it's probably just the gas cap not on correctly. So I drive on. It has gas and oil and doesn't seem to be overheating, though I am by this point. It goes off eventually and we move on.
Then once I get to Arizona it starts it again so I take it to the GM dealership here in town as the closest Saturn dealer is 3 hours north (Phoneix) or 3 hours west (San Diego) of here. They say the sensor is broken and they order a new one and voila! 7 days later I get my car back and it only costs me 300 some bucks. Fine.
Then last Friday morning I pick my mom up at the airport and as I pull into the hospital, it starts to chug ("Like a Model-T," according to my mom) and the light pops back on. I am MAD.
Of course the service tech's out till Monday, blah blah so I take it back. They call me on Thursday and report that it's something to do with the transmission and they can't go any further. They don't have the code books and suggest I take it to a Saturn dealer or a transmission specialist. I ask if I can drive it the 3 hrs to a dealer and the guy says "I'd only drive it in town." Great, lovely, terrific. I call the Saturn of San Diego and they can't help me over the phone. All my codes tell them is it's something internal having to do with the transmission. Wonderful.
So here's my plan - I'm going to drive my little red VUE until it dies. I'm just going to forget about it until October when we have our break and pretend like my VUE is fine. Then in Oct we'll caravan to San Diego, Ang following me the whole way, wasting tons of gas and time, to leave it at the Saturn of El Cajon. And I may just go back for it. Or cut my losses.
All I know is the car's 4 years old and I don't think 4 year old cars should give you this kind of headache. But apparently I know nothing:-)
So then there's the saga of the dryer. Some of you already know how Ang bought a brand-new washer and dryer last year when she moved in. Well from moment one the dryer has never worked correctly. It leaves grease marks on EVERYTHING (see my new sheets, my pjs, my tank tops, my shorts, everything). So after 2 servicemen have reported there's not much they can do (oh wait - the last one, who I paid 60 bucks to this week said he could fix it for over 200 dollars, great!) Ang and my mom went and bought a new one. To be delivered yesterday between 8 and 12. So Ang stayed and waited while I took my mom to the airport. I came home and we waited. And waited. And waited.
And at 4:10 they arrived. Nice. Isn't life just peachy at times?
But the excellent news is that we washed towels and no new grease marks! WOO HOO!!!
Other excitement from the week:
Netflix reviews: We watched Akeelah and the Bee again, with my mom and it's still so good. Rent it! We also watched Friends with Money, an independent that wasn't as good as I'd heard which was disappointing with so many wonderful actresses in it. And we saw In Her Shoes which is a great sister/chick flick. I loved the old ladies, they were fabulous (esp. Shirley MacLaine and her friend). Friday we saw RV with Robin Williams which was pretty funny too. So a good movie week. Oh, and Grey's Anatomy season 2 came out which we picked up (thanks to Ang's birthday gift certificates) and are moving swiftly through. AND my mom got me a gift this week, the Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack, Vol. 2 which ROCKS! Thanks Mom.
In other news:
We played Scrabble Friday night and my mom beat both Ang and I twice! You go Mom! And we found out Ang is a rules nazi and won't let us read the dictionary during non-turns. I tried and tried and got yelled at and yelled at.
Ok, so that's the week. This week should be a little less crazy we hope. Though I do have to make chicken chili for the Crane Chili Cook-Off on Wed at school. And the new TV season kicks off this week.
More later....

The Chaos Theory

Yes, last Thursday and Friday was an experiment in the chaos theory for me and I am happy to report that I, and everyone else in my reach, survived.
I'll start from the beginning to keep everyone up on what's been happening:
It begins Wednesday night really. We had a huge rain and electrical storm about 2am. It woke us up and the power went off for a bit and I didn't realize that my alarm has no backup battery. So around 6am Ang came in my room to wake me up. She crawled into my bed, which is oh so comfortable since I have a twin bed, and tells me she is sick. Her stomach hurts and she hasn't slept since the storm. I offer to call the sub line but she says she can make it and we head to school. I know she's not well (she makes oatmeal but doesn't attempt to eat much of it and she has zero energy, less than usual in the morning) but we plug along. We hang out at school in Antartica for a while (our friend Shannon's room) discussing the movie we watched the night before and want her to watch Akeelah and the Bee (an awesome movie, rent it tonight! make your kids watch it and start drilling them with the dictionary!). We head back to our respective European and North American continents and I don't really register the fact that Ang has veered off to the nurse's office. Moments later she comes into my classroom and wants me to press down on her abdomen, hard. So she lies on the floor and I do, just a tad bit irritated that the medical professional in the building couldn't have handled this. Once I do it though, she nearly passes out from pain and can't get off the floor without help. So we decide to go to the emergency room.
All of this happens before 8:30am. And I am not ready for the school day to start yet.
So we go, I drop her off, call my mom, go back in to check on her, and before 8:55 she is taken back to an ER room. I leave her, worried but knowing I need to handle things at school for a bit.
So all day there is chaos in my brain, not necessarily in my outward appearance but in my brain nonetheless. I have my cell phone on, something I never do, and explain to the kids I'll have to take calls during their time. They seem okay and very worried about the other Miss Knapp. They behave so well - I am so proud of them. I only have to bring on kid into the hall when I am on my phone, for throwing a paper ball but I lecture him and he returns to work quietly. My kids are unusually quiet today, which is a relief. They spend the majority of the time reading with each other, cuddling the stuffed animals I have just introduced to our room. They are happy. So am I. But I am worried.
Ang calls around 11 and tells me they are doing a CAT scan and blood work. Then I don't hear from her again. I am getting calls from my parents, inquires from work and friends and I know nothing. I make it through the day and it goes well. Despite the fact 1) that we have a surprise lockdown drill and 2) the air conditioning in my room has broken. Life is insane isn't it?
At 4 o'clock I bust out of school and am to the hospital by 4:10. Ang calls as I am driving into the parking lot to tell me they are sending a surgeon in shortly. I find her and we sit in the ER room, waiting.
Then her surgeon, Dr. Fletcher who is awesome, comes in and says that her appendix is enlarged despite what the radiologist and the ER doc say and he wants to do surgery. So he says they'll send us to pre-op. I call friends and my parents and we wait some more. By this point she's in pretty heavy pain but has been on morophine most of the day (thus the no calls for 6 hrs). They also won't give her anything to drink which pisses her off. Adding insult to injury;-)
We head up to pre-op and we wait. They get her ready and we wait some more. She sleeps a lot. I read stories from my kid's textbook which I stuck in my bag to pass the time. (Can I tell you I am not a fan of dragon stories and the one we have to read next is like 10 pages long? Ugh!)
At this point I just want to say how great our new Yuma friends are. My team leader from school brings me a sandwich so I can keep my strength up and sits with me while I eat and Ang sleeps. That was so great. I hadn't even thought of food and it was already 8 o'clock.
At 10 o'clock they wheel her away and I head to the waiting room. The surgeon promises to find me in an hour or an hour and a half.
I sit. Animal Planet is blaring out of the TV I can't reach to turn off. A 7th grader from my school, from Ang's team, is there too with her family - her older sister is having the same surgery. She tells me all about her classes and asks me random questions about the word of the week. She's so cute. Nervous but obviously glad to have found someone who will pay attention to her for a little bit.
The doctor comes out in less than an hour, about 55 minutes and tells me Angela has done excellently! She did have appendicitis so it's good he went in. There is no definitive test so he wasn't 100% sure when he cut her but he says it was getting infected and needed to come out now. Whew!
Around midnight I get to go back and see her in her room. She's been put in the new part of the hospital, the cardiac unit, as surgery's full. She has her own room and it's nice. There's a chair that reclines and I am invited to spend the night.
For a while I help her get some water and she's a bit out of it. The funny thing is that they make you sign all these papers and listen to all this crap and you've just had surgery! The nurse is reviewing paperwork and then asks Ang if she has a living will. She says yes. The woman says do you have paperwork on whether you want to be revived. Ang says she has a DNR. The nurse turns and looks at me and I look and Ang and I say no.
At this point Ang gets a bit beligerent. She says she has a DNR, she doesn't want to be revived. I say, yes you do. If something happens tonight we want them to do all they can to save you. She shakes her head. I look at the nurse and say yes, save her. We decide that the DNR is only for it you are in a permanent vegetative state or 99 years old. It's not for tonight. Ang says fine and resigns herself to our decision:-) Wow. Life is never dull!
At 1:30 Ang and I are figuring out her lesson plans for Friday and discussing what I need to do to take care of her kids. Luckily I have already done mine and called for subs for us both. I've also read 3 stories and graded 60 unit tests. Guess I was a bit nervous!
I hang out until 2:30 but can't sleep and am terribly uncomfortable so I head home.
At 7am Ang calls me and tells me she's ok but in a lot of pain. Last night she thought she was ready to go home, not today.
Friday was crazy as well. I attend a staff meeting, prep both our rooms, brief the subs who will teach our kids for the day, go home get Ang clothes, head to the hospital, then pick my mom up from the airport at 12:30.
People were so great though - thank you to all of you for well wishes, prayers and your love!
Friends brought her flowers and visited her, our pastor came by the hospital and prayed with all 3 of us. The calls and emails have meant so much.
Today I had a sub too. I think we are all exhausted and there was still a bunch of little stuff to do and help Ang with. I'll head back to work tomorrow but my mom will be here all week. Thank God for moms!
So yeah - the chaos theory. Gotta love it!

A good kind of labor

I did nothing of note this weekend. I read Newsweeks and Entertainment Weeklies that had been piling up. I watched more than my fair share of 24 episodes (we have finished season 3! and it was so amazing, so terrifying!!!). I wrote quite a bit. I did laundry. I made a crustless pumpkin pie. I went grocery shopping. I hung up a copper sun Angela and I got for the front porch of our apartment. I cleaned my closet and my room. I sent some letters and made some phone calls. I balanced my checkbook (with the help of my mom! thank goodness for scanners and IM and online banking). I slept in (it's so sad that 8:30 is now sleeping in to me).
Yep, pretty much it. No ocean, no trips to exotic places or even barbeques. We had taco salad and guacamole for lunch. I'm making a tuna casserole for dinner so we can eat leftovers all week. We're back to watching season one of Grey's Anatomy (funny stuff!) as we've exhausted this week's supply of Netflix DVDs.
And I'm happy! I feel rested and relaxed and comfortable in my world again. After over 3 months of transition I feel settled. And that's all I can ask for.
P.S. - If you're one of my novel readers, I'm almost finished with Patricia's story so I'll be in contact and can send more pages soon!!!!