May 29, 2008

1. I’ve been looking at cars, because the old Saturn seems to be struggling.  Boy are they expensive.  And I have to agree with one blogger I read, who wondered, why if 20 years ago they were making cars with high MPG, they haven’t continued and improved on that line.  The Prius shouldn’t be the only thing getting high mileage at this point!
2. World Geo Test this morning.  No class for me to teach until 2.  Am I using this time well?  Of course not.
3. A crisis at school yesterday made me completely lunch on the fact that it was Michael’s BD yesterday.  Duh.  I should have paid extra for the Amazon shipping so the present arrived yesterday instead of today.

May 27, 2008

1. SOL Testing this week.  Horrible.  Crazy schedule.  Everyone acts like there is not going to be any more teaching after this.  I’ve got news for you.  If I have to come to school?  We are going to do something.
2. Getting warmer outside.  Woke up in the middle of the night because it was hot upstairs.  Trying to hold off on the air conditioning as long as possible.
3. The Prom is this Friday.  I am going with some other teachers.  My fist prom since I was a freshman in high school!
4. I have a snappy red and white dress to wear.
5. An outstanding entry from the always great Cute Overload:  The Ennui of Henri.

May 26, 2008

1. The question at a party last night was, “If you could take time to learn anything, what would you do?   My choices, Embroidery and change ringing.  Best answers were from AC – Opera singing, Steeplechase riding and Downhill Skier!  But this got me to thinking, since one of the keys in the question was, “if time was not an issue,”  and for me, in the summer, time is not an issue.  People have been asking me what I am going to do this summer, and that got me thinking…
2. So I signed up for an abstract painting class. (Painting was also on my short list, though I didn’t say it out loud.)
3. I’ve been seeing things in an odd way lately, so I think abstract would be good.  Maybe I am evolving.  I felt very strongly about the life force in a little batch of trees I passed last night.  These little patches of land are jammed in among all the buildings and roads, but they are alive, even though we ignore them like end tables.  (See, I think the abstract is needed here.)
4. I’m also taking sociology from NOVA.  Online course.
5. Saturday – a baby shower, surprise dinner invitation from Paul’s professor friends, a walk in Adams Morgan.  Also bought my stitch and pitch tickets.
6. Fruit is good.

May 23, 2008

1. Ali’s BD was yesterday and there was a small gathering at Los Tios.  Very fun.
2. Asgier looked the best in the Birthday Sombrero Hat.
3. I am completely exhausted and cannot imagine how I am going to teach 3 more classes this afternoon.
4. I’ve got about 10 minutes to figure it out.
5. 20 more days of school.

May 21, 2008

1. It was really fun seeing Chris “do his thing” at Ft. Benning.  He gave a speech to the parents of the graduating soldiers that was really well done.  He talked about history, about the training and really made the people there feel good about what their soldiers were doing.  We also saw him in the “Turning Blue” ceremony, the Graduation and a Change of Command for one of his company commanders.  I was really proud of him and happy see him doing what he is good at. 
2. Though it was all full of good Army tradition and pride, it is sobering to think that that some of these boys (and most of them are just boys) are going to be in harms way soon. 
3. I love a parade, an army parade, because it has been being done the same way for 200 years, longer in some cases.   They troop the line to observe the troops loyalty, as did Charles II, back in Ye olden tymes, and I remember Daddy saying “Pass in review” just like Chris did.
4. At the graduation they had two squads come on to the field, with smoke grenades and a M1 Abrams tank and a Bradley Fighting vehicle, they showed all the weaponry and there was much applause but the best part was at the end when they fell back to the vehicles and piled in like some crazy clown car.
5. Chris showed us this recruiting video, which Melissa described as “Band of Brothers meets Dances with Wolves.”  Army Strong
6. Then Melissa showed us this one, which in no small way represents Chris most of the time he is not at work: Army Sleepy
7. And both of those videos are why I love the Army.
8. I’m back on the crafting train, and have, on my own, come up with this Recycled Sweater Shopping bag, though of course, if you go looking, a billion people already figured that one out!  That’s OK!  I had a creative moment, AND I look like a freaky weirdo when I carry it, so it is all good.

May 18, 2008

1. Had a good visit to Ft. Benning.  Great to see Chris do his thing.  More on that later.
2. I feel tired and blue.
3. Today was a weird day.  Waves of stuff I felt I knew nothing about coming at me as I drove in the car.  I felt very emotional, and thought I knew the reasons.  I’ve felt quite  odd all day long.  My head is all muzzy like when I have a cold.
4. One more day off tomorrow for the Barker funeral.  Being away for this long makes school feel so distant.
5. High point of the day was a visit to some elderly parishioners.  I felt like I accomplished something in visiting them.

May 14, 2008

1. T-10 minutes to leave for the airport.
2. Report of the scary workout challenge:  12 weeks ago it took me 43 minutes and 56 seconds to complete 400 jump ropes, 100 each sit-ups, push-ups, seated rows, and squats.  This time…34:29!  Woo!  (I must sayu though, that there is a blurry part in the middle, where I am questioning my jump rope count, but my improvement is comparable to the rest of the group and they did everything, so woo!
3. So busy yesterday, I had to go in this AM and do my sub plans.  I’m crazed.  So instead of leaving for the airport on Ali time (2 hours ahead) I am moving towards AB time (1 hour ahead.) 
4. Stuck in the packing.  Do I skip my fancy face creams (not in 3 oz containers) and carry on, or pack them and check.
5. Also, what if they don’t let me take my knitting needles.  They do have a clay dog on the end, and therefore, look threatening.  I guess I should be prepared to cast off my scarf onto a string real quick and hand the needles to a kiosk clerk and tell her I’ll be back for them Saturday. 
6. T-3!  Oops.
7. Hooray I am on vacation!

May 12, 2008

1. So I knit hats all the time and I am not sure what the whole blocking process is about.  It is supposed to be magical, making your knitted item glow or something, making all the stitches uniform or some such things, but I seem to achieve a much larger wet hat.  Maybe I am not patient enough and fiddle with it too much, so I am determined to leave the hats I have made wrapped snug in a towel for a while.  Violet is helping by sitting on the towel.  Maybe I ought to go read more about the whole process.
2. Leaving Wednesday for Ft. Benning.  It will be fun to see Chris do his thing with the troops.
3. Of course have too much to do before I go.  Sub plans, clean my desk, laundry, and of course the Scary Workout Challenge, followed by the Scary Vestry Challenge, i.e. a meeting.
4. By request, here is what will happen at 4:00pm tomorrow.  400 jump ropes, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and 60 rows.  Scary, no?  It took me about 43 minutes last time.  I am hoping to trim 5 to 10 minutes off that.
5. This weather is bringing me down!

May 11, 2008

1. It has been raining like crazy all evening. Since the afternoon I guess.  I got caught in it walking from the coffee shop to the movie theater, then home.
2. I saw Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.  I liked it.  Simple and slap-sticky, but also poignant.
3. I also saw Mona Lisa Smile on TV and three episodes of Battlestar Galactica on the computer. 
4. Also knitted two hats.
5. It was a fairly restful weekend. I’m resting up for the scary workout challenge and my trip to Ft. Benning.  Also, I was just tired.

May 7, 2008

1. Well, I finished the lesson, which is great, but the Internet was off all day at school, so I couldn’t download the form into which I need to type everything.  I felt fairly lame letting the department supervisor know that the dog ate my homework.
2. Went by my old school to see the student celebration night, where all the programs do their dog and pony show (literally in the case of the animal science class). Pluses were the kids doing there things including the son of a friend who was there and greeted me with enthusiasm and showed me his work.  Negatives were not all programs being there, (that was always a problem, people don’t like that extra night) and knowing that the powers that be just aren’t being respectful of the work these teachers and students do, and just bulling through with new ideas for the place not getting the buy in and considerable talent and energy that the staff can bring when they feel invested.  Which they used too.  In the old days.  Makes me sad and mad to see good people feel disrespected and unhappy.
3. Very amusing to talk about religion yesterday and have the kids look up quickly when I said, “Religions have lots of sects”  which they heard as “sex.”  One class really got the giggles and I played along like I didn’t know what they were laughing at and then like I figured it out and I would tell them they were filthy and should get their minds out of the gutter.  Then I would purposely say something like “even the Pope worries about sects” and they would get started all over again.
4. Doing the cabaret this past weekend really reminded me that it is good to be silly and make dumb jokes, so I have been trying to loosen up some.  When the parents would say, “oh you are so funny, I wish I had had you in school” I realized that I have become far too serious and grumpy, and that the kids don’t get much of the fun side of me at all, so I’d like to be more like the entertaining (but of course fact based) person than the dour grumpy person.  Of course, I still dish out the pain when they do dumb stuff, but I am trying to have more fun in the rest of the time.
5. Six short days until the scary workout challenge.  I don’t know that we will beat the other schools, but I think we will all improve.  A group of us has been doing push-ups and sit-ups 3 or 4 times a week in the morning.  It is pretty funny.  We meet in my classroom, and after we are done sometimes we lie there on our mats chit chatting.  If a kid walked in they would think we were crazy.