My Patience Tested

Nothing of interest at school today. It was a typical day. I stayed for about an hour after school. I then headed home and had a quick bite. I left for the game in Amarillo around 6:45 and go there right when it started at 7:30. I enjoyed watching Josh as drum major. I did not, however, enjoy the kids running up and down the stands and being obnoxious. I guess I'm not very patient. It drove me crazy. I counted 14 in my immediate area. Some were sliding up and down the railings. Others were playing with cards and the bulk of them were running all around screaming and playing keep away with a shirt of some sort. I was wondering where their parents were. I would have been mortified if Josh had acted in such a way when he was about 8 or 9. Perhaps I've just blocked out that age, but I'd like to think I was never that bad. I don't think Josh was either. I know football games aren't that exciting for kids. Heck, I don't go for the game, myself. I'm there for the band. I know it's about being social, but how can parents just let their kids run wild? I didn't get much out of the show tonight since I watched from the back. I thought they did pretty well for what I could hear and see. I left shortly after halftime was over. I had enough of the kids and I didn't want to deal with traffic later.

I'm still trying to figure out the band website thing and I'm very frustrated by it. I'm too tired to think about it any more. I'm going to head to bed and enjoy sleeping past 7:00 tomorrow.

Managing better

Today I was tired when I left school, but I'm managing better at home than I did earlier in the week. I was starving when I got home, but waited to cook dinner. Josh hadn't arrived by 6:00 and I couldn't hold out any longer. I made a steak and some pasta. I finally remembered that he had auditions for the musical tonight. I called his phone and told him to call me when he was coming home so I could put his steak on.

I brought work home, but it's not crucial so I think I'm going to hold off on doing it tonight. I'm going to try to work on the band website. I tried using the hosting site software and it is not user friendly at all. I'll probably just do it all in front page.

I was actually somewhat productive tonight. I started a load of laundry. I'll start the dishwasher before I go to bed. I did get a compliment of sorts today. My principal saw me in the hall and he said that someone had told him that I looked nice today. I did dress up so that's nice to hear.

I don't have any more to share. My classes haven't been a problem. The student I was worried about coming back to class landed back in ISS so I don't have to worry about him for another week.

Another day's work

Just another day. I had my interp and debate classes research information on the three major speech organizations that they should be aware of. They'll present the information they find to the rest of the class tomorrow. In speech, the students presented personal shields that they created in class. I went over my choice lesson with them. I'm not sure how well it went over, but one student did seem to enjoy it. So I guess if I've at least reached that one, then I can call it successful. I still don't have enough time to get everything done. I need to have more things prepared in advance, but I just can't seem to get caught up. I am making progress, it is just slow going.

Josh made the youth symphony. He is the second clarinet. (Of two) I think it will be a good experience for him. I played in it my senior year and really enjoyed it. I'll have to pay a fee of $150 eventually for him to participate, but I think it's worth it. I told him that I'd pay it if he'd pay for his online class books. It's a good thing he's making money now. I need to sit down tonight and see how much money I have.

I really need to get started on the band website. I just haven't had the time or the energy. Last night after supper, I spent the time working on my lesson for today and then I was in bed by 9:30. I brought work home tonight as well, but I'm not sure if I'll get to it. Josh wanted enchiladas tonight so I spent the last hour making them. I'm trying a new recipe for spanish rice. I hope it turns out well.

Dinner is about ready so I'm going to get a bite to eat.

Work Makes Me Tired

I know that's a kind of "duh" statement, but I'm just not used to working full days yet. I hit the snooze on my alarm twice this morning. I still got up fairly early and got to school about 40 minutes before the first bell. I'm very frustrated by not being able to print anything. Anything I need to print must be saved in a file type that can be opened on another computer. Then I need to go to another room with a printer in order to print. It's a royal pain. My classes have been good so far. I'm worried about a student that I'll be having in class on Thursday. Right now he's in In-School-Suspension. I sent an assignment to him and he put some really bad things on it. He got in trouble for it and the principal had to come see me about it. They said they are making him re-do the assignment.

There's still not enough hours during the day to get everything done. I'm still having a hard time being productive during my conference periods, but I did get more done today than I did yesterday. I stayed after school and worked until a little after 5:00. At that point I was too tired to concentrate so I came home. I need to do a little more work this evening, but I'm sure I'll be calling it an early night. I think I'll try to take my shower tonight so I don't have to get up as early in the morning.

I don't have anything newsworthy to share. My life is the same old stuff... just back to teaching now. I've got some financial things I need to work out. Being broke stinks again. Well, supper will be ready shortly. I'm going to eat, watch t.v., work on my lesson, take a shower and then head to bed before 10:00. I know that people on think that teachers have it easy with summers off... but when you put in 12+ hours a day devoted to teaching, I think it's well-deserved.

First day back to school

And I survived. I'm tired, of course. I got to school early, but not as early as I wanted. I got my bulletin board material hung up. Today's classes were o.k. My upper-level classes (oral interp and debate) are somewhat small which is o.k. One of my basic speech classes is huge (for me) with 20 students. I don't even have enough desks for them. The other speech class has 8. I really don't like sharing my room. I have a hard time concentrating and getting things done in my office. I need to get some curtains soon. I may have two teaching assistants this year. There's not enough time to get everything done. I've decided to try to not carpool this year. I need to be able to stay after school and work on lesson or with students as necessary. I hope I can afford it. I just don't like to be tied down to another person's schedule. I need to be able to get copies made, but there's not enough time it seems.
I had to leave school by 4:00 to get home in time for Josh's bed delivery, but I didn't get out until 10 after. I made it home just as they were leaving in their truck. Luckily Josh was here. I made a quick dinner a little after 5:00 and then had to take Josh to band at 6:00. I went back around 6:45 to hear them perform part of the music for this year. I didn't get home until 7:45 and then Josh and I had to move his old bed out of his room and put his new mattress in. He also informed me of even more expenses for his dual credit class. I'm going to have to spend another $200 for an online text book and two other text books. Josh may have to pay for it and I'll pay him back at some point. He's only a junior and he's getting pretty expensive.

Well, I'm heading to bed soon. I've had a full day.

A Headache

I'm not getting much done today. I have a headache that I can't seem to shake. It's not a migraine; I don't think I've ever actually had a migraine, but it's enough to just make me a bit miserable. I think it's from sleeping in my contacts last night. It's not like it's the first time I've done that, but for whatever reason, they started bothering me just before I headed to church. I had a hard time concentrating because they kept bothering me and my eyes were watering. I came home and took them out, but I'm still dealing with a headache. I took some tylenol and laid on my bed for a bit with a warm cloth over my eyes which helped a little, but I'm still not feeling very functional. I need to clean the house. I don't want to start the school year with a messy house. I don't know that I'll get to it, however. I also need to get some things done for school tomorrow but I can't concentrate very well. There is also an RCIA meeting tonight that I wanted to go to. My brother and his girlfriend may start going to the classes, but won't be able to come tonight. She has to work and Tim is taking care of their baby who has the chicken pox right now. I'm going to try to get started on some school stuff and see if I can get myself going on getting at least a few things done before tomorrow.

I'm ready for a break

I got up at 5:45 a.m. Much too early, but I didn't have a choice. I had to take a shower and be ready to go by 6:25 in order to take Josh to school. I dropped him off and then went and gassed up my car. I then headed the hour and a half to Lubbock for the West Texas Speech meeting. I stopped in Tulia (a small town about 30 miles away) and got breakfast at Sonic. At first I thought it was gone because as I drove through the town, I remembered that a tornado hit that area a year ago. Luckily they rebuilt, but in a different area further down. I got my caffeine fix to wake me up (a coke since I don't drink coffee) and then kept on going. I made it to the University right on time at 8:30. We had meetings and sessions for 3 hours, then lunch (BBQ) and a business meeting. I visited with my fellow teachers and then headed home around 2:45. As soon as I got home, I called about the cost of a mattress for Josh. We headed to Amarillo after that to see my dad who was in town and go with him in his truck in case we found something so he could deliver it for us. He told me of another place that had mattresses for good prices so we went there first. They had three choices in a full size, with the prices being $199, $249, and $349 respectively. I was figuring on maybe the middle one for Josh, but he, of course, liked the most expensive one. My dad helped me out and paid the extra amount so we got the best one. It is both the box spring and mattress so I thought it was still a good deal. And they deliver for free. It will be here Monday evening. Josh will clean his room tomorrow. They'll even take the old bed and mattresses out for us. After that, dad took us to dinner at a burger place that had huge burgers made from scratch. (not pre-formed, frozen) It was very tasty. Josh and I headed home around 6:30 with a quick stop at Walmart to get new sheets for his bed. Now I'm tired. I'm going to veg in my chair for a couple of hours and then head to bed. I'm probably sleeping in tomorrow and will go to the 11:15 service instead of the 8:30. I was thinking of going to the school to do some work, but I think I'll just do it at home. I'll go early on Monday morning instead. Well, I'm already tired from typing this so have a good evening and I'll be back tomorrow.

Friday at last

It was another very long day. I got to school by 8:00. We had a session this morning for 3 hours. It was o.k. but the speaker wasn't that interesting. The concept was o.k. but I felt it wasn't covered adequately. It was a very long morning. I went to lunch with some other teachers today. This afternoon was spent getting books and scripts from the other speech teacher that she can't use for theatre. (due to language or subject matter) After that, I came back to my room and put the books up. I did some last minute tidying up and started on my lesson plans for next week when Josh called and reminded me that we needed to go to Amarillo college so he could register for his dual credit classes. (He will get college credit for two classes he is taking at high school next year.) He will start college in two years with possibly 12 credits. It only costs $75 for each class which will be considerably cheaper than it would be in college. We barely made it in time to get him registered, waited in a line then when it was our turn we were told we were supposed to go to a different area. We went there, got him registered, and then had to get back in the original line in order to pay. This is all because for whatever reason we can't access their website from home.

After that we went to the teacher supply store so I could get a border for my bulletin boards and a grade book. Josh was not impressed with the store. Then we went to Burger King for dinner. From there we went to Hastings book store to browse a bit since we had some time to kill. After 20 minutes we then went to the school where his auditions are being held. It was running a bit behind, but he felt pretty good about it when he finished. We left there around 7:30 and got home a little before 8:00. Now Monk is on and I'm going to watch it and Psych and then head to bed. I have to take Josh to school at 6:30 in the morning for his March-A-Thon. Then I have to head to Lubbock for a speech meeting.

Well, I'm going to enjoy my show and call it a night.

Almost there

I have made progress on my room. I put all the files in the filing cabinet (although I still need to go through the files and organize them) and have most of the boxes unpacked. There are two boxes of extra "stuff" that I'll get to one of these days. It's not crucial stuff and it just needs to be gone through slowly. I have a small box of items that I'll deal with tomorrow. I need to make plans for the first week of school, which I'll also do tomorrow. I put my curtains up today and figured out the length. I pinned them so that I could hem them tonight. I got a lot of compliments on them today. I still need to find material for my bulletin boards, but I have a rainbow of color choices with my curtains. I'll go to walmart tomorrow and get some material. I have a little bit of organizing/cleaning to do in my office and in the storage room, and I'll be set...almost. My computers in the classroom aren't set up yet and I can't print anything.

I have the same parking space and morning duty that I did last year. I'm disappointed to some degree because I'd like to have a closer spot, but it could be far worse... and be across the street. Morning duty is in the cafeteria, which isn't too bad, but I'd rather have a nice quiet hallway. Oh well. It's on Fridays and I miss a lot of those during the year.

I stayed until 5:00 today. I was exhausted by the time I got home. I actually started writing this blog around 6:00, but other things came up. I made dinner. (If you call heating a frozen pizza in the oven making dinner.) I watched t.v. for an hour and then I decided to run to walmart and see if I could find some fabric for my bulletin boards. I found some but nobody was around to cut it. I then went and picked up some other items. I came back to the fabric place about 15 minutes later and there still wasn't anyone there, but there were two other ladies waiting to have fabric cut. Finally a manager came and did the cutting for us.

I sewed the hem on my curtains and now I'm ready to go to bed. Tomorrow will be another long day. We have a meeting all morning in the library and then in the afternoon we're supposed to meet with our departments. I'm going to get some books and scripts from the other teacher and then finish working in my room. We'll, I'm going to call it a night.

Only Wednesday

I'm exhausted. This morning came way too fast. I did not want to get out of bed. I probably would have hit the snooze if I hadn't had to pee. I got to school on time and we had meetings all day. Most of them were the same old information that we get every year. I did a little work in my room during lunch. Then we had more pointless meetings. I left by 4:00 so I could pick Josh up from his lesson. He's trying out for a youth symphony on Friday. After his lesson, we met my dad and his g/f for dinner. I went out on a limb and ordered something I never have before. (That is a feat in itself as I tend to order the same things over and over when I find something I like.) I had bacon wrapped shrimp which was o.k. but the bacon was a bit salty. We got home around six and I could have gone to bed easily, but I'm forcing myself to stay up until at least 9:00. I decided to go ahead and take my shower in hopes of waking me up some and so I wouldn't have to get up as early in the morning. Tomorrow is a work day so I'm going to tackle the filing. And yes, Susan, I will take pictures once everything is done in my room. Right now there's lots of empty boxes and stuff that's haphazard and I want to get that cleared first. I've gotten compliments on the color from a lot of people. Today, however, the teacher that I had issues with before made a bit of a snide comment in the hallway about me painting over the giant cow head on the wall that the previous teacher had painted last year. I hate to not like someone because I'm the type of person that can be friends with anyone. Whether or not we agree on things, have different tastes, whatever... I can like a person as long as they are civil. I don't know what it is about this teacher but she continues to rub me the wrong way. It's just her attitude I guess. I hate when I have to be around her. I don't hate her, but I guess I would have to say that I don't like her much. I don't harbor ill-will towards her, but I guess I just try to avoid her when possible.

Now I'm used to people having wrong impressions about me. Many times people have said that they took me for a snob simply because I tend to be quiet. I think for the most part, I'm anything but a snob. Perhaps I have the wrong impression of this teacher but the feeling hasn't really waned. There have been times, however, that we've conversed and it's been friendly-ish. I guess I'll just continue with my avoidance tactic. I'm not one to be confrontational. I suppose that if she ever actually her my feelings or was rude, I might say something, but right now it's just one of those feelings. Surely you know what I'm talking about, right? Or maybe it's just me.

A Hard Day's Work

I got up early, shortly after 6:00 a.m., and got ready for work. I headed out around 7:15 and got to Hereford 30 minutes later. This morning was breakfast. Luckily, they serve more than just eggs so it was pretty good. I had potatoes, bacon, sausage, and fruit. Surprisingly, we finished by 9:30 this morning so after that I headed back to the school and continued unpacking. At 11:30 I went to Walmart to get some supplies and then to Sonic for lunch. This afternoon we went on our home visits. I didn't say much as all the houses that we went to in which someone was home consisted of parents that only spoke Spanish. Nobody was home at a few of the houses. We did our visits in about an hour and 15 minutes. I spent another two hours working on my room. I got most everything unpacked other than stuff that needs to be sorted and filed. I hung up posters, organized my office and tidied up. One of my former students came by to visit for a bit.

I left work around 5:00 and came home. I made dinner (spaghetti with meatsauce and cheesy breadsticks) and then I started working on the curtains. I'm at a stand still with the curtains and I think I need to get them hung and then I can pin them for hemming. I'm pretty tired now and will be heading to bed soon.

Oh, I did get a compliment of sorts today. One of the new assistant principals came by to visit me and said that she wanted to use my substitute notebook that I put together last year as an example of what it's supposed to look like. She said it had everything that they wanted in it. I thought that was pretty cool - but then again, I am quite the over-achiever. Well, I'm going to catch up on blogs and then head to bed soon.

I'm ready for bed

It has been a very long day. I got up around 6:30 this morning. I headed to work around 7:15. It was a work day at school so I worked in my room all day. I am making progress. I got some bad news today. I found out that I have to share my room with another teacher. He will be teaching driver's ed in my room during my conference periods. (Luckily that means I still get two conference periods.) Because of that, I decided to move my desk into the office area. I need a place to work while he has classes in my room. It really sucks. So I had to figure out where to put everything in my room. That took most of the morning. I cleaned out cabinets, wiped them down, and by 2:30 I was able to start unpacking boxes. I made a huge dent and most of what's left are small items that need to go in drawers and such.

I left right at 4:00 so I could get to Canyon and pick up some brake pads and then rush to the shop so my brother could install them. Turns out that I let one side go way too long and I needed a new rotor. So while my brother worked on getting the old stuff out, I took his car into to town and got two new rotors. At least now the car is fixed for good. It's almost like driving a new car. I was so embarrassed by the sound it was making. Now it's smooth sailing.

After my brother finished, I headed back into town for more shopping since I didn't get to go on Sunday. I went to the fabric store and although I found some fabric I liked for curtains, it was pretty expensive at $8 a yard. The window is rather large and it would take quite a bit of fabric. So then I went back to Kohl's to mull over the shower curtains that I saw that would work. I declined due to the cost as it would have been almost $60 with tax. On the good news front, today I did find three tops that I liked and fit. I got those and a pair of black shoes that are very soft and comfortable. I still need a pair of brown shoes but I didn't find any that I really liked or fit properly. After Kohl's, I headed to JC Penny's again. I finally decided to get a purse/wallet that I have been mulling over. While there, I solved my curtain dilemma. I found some table cloths on sale for 75% off that have the shade of yellow of my walls along with an assortment of other colors. It's not flowery which is good because I didn't want a flowery pattern. It is actually very similar to the shower curtain I liked at Kohl's but it has more of a pastel rainbow palette instead of the yellow/blue palette of the curtain. They both are a pattern of squares. I also found a yellow oblong table cloth to cover one of the tables in my room and a white round table cloth to cover another table. They were all 75% off. So for my curtains I spent about $12 instead of $60. I just have to do a quick bit of sewing.

By then it was time to head home. I hadn't eaten so I ran by Taco Villa and picked up dinner. Now I'm home and I'm just about ready for bed. Tomorrow will be another long day. The morning will be breakfast at the admin. building and the typical welcome back speeches by the superintendent that will lull me to sleep. That will last 3 hours or so. Then there will be a break for lunch and then we meet briefly at the school and then go on home visits. In groups of 4 or 5 we will visit about 10 students welcoming them back to school. It's kind of awkward and I feel like those religious fanatics that knock unannounced on doors.

Well, that's it for today. I hope to get a few things done in my room tomorrow. I'll probably eat lunch in my room and continue unpacking.

Change of plans

I didn't go shopping today. I didn't want to risk messing up my car more than it already is. My brother is going to install new brake pads, but can't do it until tomorrow. I'll have to drive myself to Hereford, then come home, get the pads, and have Josh drive the car to the shop. So instead, I did some cleaning and laundry. I wanted to at least get some things done before I start work and come home completely exhausted and too tired to clean. I didn't get as far as I wanted, but I've made some progress. I went to the store and stocked up on groceries. I'm heading to bed early tonight and I plan to get up fairly early tomorrow and head up to school early. I still need to find shoes. I'll go up in the evening sometime this week and if I can't find anything, I might try my luck ordering them online. Well, gotta get ready for bed now.

Last day of freedom

Today is my last day before returning to the world of the working. I wished I had gotten more done before heading back. Oh well. I'm heading to Mass in just a little bit. I had trouble sleeping again last night. I took 1/2 a tylenol pm at 9:20 but was still awake at 11:00. I got up and took another 1/2 and that seemed to do the trick. I woke up around 9:00 this morning. I took a shower and got ready for church. Now I'm catching up on a few blogs before heading out. After church I'm going to head back to Amarillo in search of shoes. I checked Zappos last night and found a few in some styles that I'm looking for, but I'm wary about buying shoes online. I know that I can return the shoes without paying postage if they don't fit, but I'd rather be able to try some on and decided if they fit and are comfortable. At least I have an idea of what I'm looking for now.

My car is having issues. I think the brake pads need to be replaced. I need to check with my dad and see if they're under a warranty. When I've gotten them replaced in the Honda, it came with a lifetime guarantee. I probably won't get to Hereford before tomorrow, but I think I'll just go in early. Well, I'm off to Mass.

Shopping excursion

I didn't go to Hereford today as planned. I went shopping instead. I wanted to continue to take advantage of the sales tax holiday despite the enormous crowds. I intended to get up early and head out by 8:00 a.m. but it didn't work out that way. I'm not sure how much sleep I got last night, but I know it wasn't very much. I went to bed at 10:30 but was still awake at 11:30 so I gave up and got up for a while. I got on the computer until around 12:30 then watched t.v. until 1:30. At that point I went back to bed. Josh was getting up to get ready for the freshman kidnapping breakfast that the band was having. He had to pick up two of the freshmen at 3:00 a.m. and take them to the park where they had breakfast. I still hadn't fallen asleep by the time he left. I guess I slept a little after that off and on but it wasn't solid. I got up around 9:00 and started getting ready.

I headed to the mall and went to JC Penny's. Shopping is such a chore. I tried on probably a dozen pieces of clothing but only ended up buying two shirts and a pair of pants. Everything was on sale, so that was a plus. Then I headed to Dillards. I tried on probably 6 or 7 pieces and ended up with only a pair of gray slacks. I paid full price for them but at $30 it was reasonable. They fit well and the material is nice and thick. After that, I went to Sears. I didn't find a whole lot there. I tried on maybe 6 things and only got one shirt. Luckily it was on sale for only $10.

After the mall, I headed to Target. I was disappointed in the clothing selection there. I didn't find anything worth trying on. I looked at shoes, but didn't find anything I wanted. I wanted to find a round table cloth for a table in my classroom and there wasn't anything. I did get a toaster oven though. I have one that my aunt bought me for Christmas two years ago that I used at school, but since I brought it home, it has become a permanent appliance in my kitchen. They had a basic toaster oven for only $16 so I decided to get it to have at school.

I went to Kohl's and tried on a pair of black slacks and about six different shirts and none of them worked for me. I found some curtains that I wanted to get for my window in my room at school, but I didn't want to pay the price for them. I thought I'd leave empty handed, but I did find a watch. Mine works, but it's paint splattered so I decided to get a new one. It was on sale for $13.

By that time it was 2:30 and I was starving so I went to Applebee's for lunch. I had the Fiesta Lime Chicken which was very good. When I finished lunch, I went over to Fashion Bug. I finally found two tops that fit and I liked. I wish clothing sizes were consistent. I'm at an awkward size that makes it difficult to find things that fit sometimes. I'm a size 16 regular most of the time. I'm 5'4 (if I stand up straight in shoes) so I'm borderline petite. Regular long sleeve shirts and jackets are usually too long in the sleeve. Petite size 16 fits in the sleeve, but the fit is usually too tight. Women's size 16W is too big. Once in a while I can find a 14W that works. Pants tend to be too long in regular sizes but the short lengths are often too short.

I didn't find shoes today and I desperately need some new ones for school. I still want a new pair of khaki slacks as well. I could always use new shirts and blouses. I may try to finish up shopping tomorrow afternoon. I'm thoroughly exhausted now.

Just being lazy

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I didn't have anything to say. I have been totally lazy. I feel guilty about it, but not guilty enough to actually do something. Both yesterday and today I slept late, watched tv, surfed the web, played some games and just sat around. I did get out of the house yesterday evening and went to see the musical Texas in Palo Duro Canyon. My friend Carol had some tickets and invited me to go. It was o.k. but I thought that it wasn't as good as it's been in the past. I didn't care much for the lead actor playing Calvin Armstrong. I was also irritated by the people sitting behind us that were talking throughout the play... not whispering, but actual conversing. Sure, I've seen the play a dozen times but it's still irritating.

Today I lazed around most of the morning. I took a shower and got ready to go out into the world for a little bit during lunch. I had to go visit with the high school band director about creating the band website. I came home and made myself some lunch and now I'm considering a nap. I think we're going to get hit with a storm shortly - the after effects of Erin I believe. I heard some thunder earlier.

I need to get my hair cut again. I don't know what I want to do with it. I'm so impatient when it comes to my hair. I'd like to go shorter but I have no idea what I want or what would look good. I know I can't get too short because it will make my face look fatter than it already is. I don't have a regular hair dresser. I finally went to one more than once and she moved away. I wish I could visit Cheryl and let her have her way with my hair. I imagine she is an amazing stylist. I've been growing my bangs out and they're getting pretty long, but I'm not sure what to do with them now as they are very wavy.

On the good news front, I finally got my bonus money from school. I was happily surprised at the amount. I was hoping to get at least enough to cover the cost of Josh's engine, but it was almost double that amount. That will help pay for school clothes. This weekend is the tax-free weekend in Texas, but shopping is very chaotic. We might go out this evening and see what we can find. I need some new shoes that are dressy but comfortable.

Abbagirl called me today. I guess she and Vital were concerned since I haven't posted. It's good to know that there are people out there that care. Now if I could just find a few friends that aren't hundreds of miles away.

Well, that's all I have to tell right now. It's feeling a little warm in here. I guess I'll turn the air on for a bit. I'm hoping the rain starts soon and it cools things off a bit.

Another tiring day

I was so tired yesterday. I could have easily gone to bed after posting last night around 6:30, but I made myself stay up until 9:30. I fell asleep easily and didn't wake up until 7:00. Although I was awake then, I didn't get out of bed until 7:30. I got ready and headed to Hereford by 8:30. I spent the time painting my office. I ran out of white paint so I had to run to Walmart and get a quart to finish up. I barely had enough yellow. I probably need more to go over some areas again, but it will have to wait until after pay day. My desks, boxes and such have been moved into the room, but not my computers and tables. I hope they're moved by Monday. Once I finished in the office, I cleaned up the mess and starting organizing my room. I got my desks situated the way I wanted and then moved other pieces of furniture here and there. I have my desk in the corner of the room behind the student desks. I think I'll like it that way better. I haven't started unpacking, but I think I'll go up on Saturday and start that process. Work officially starts on Monday. It's a work day so I get to wear jeans and will probably continue sorting things and figure what I'm going to do for the first day of school.

I need to go take a shower and get ready to go to Mass. I have no idea what I'm going to do about supper tonight. I'll probably make something when I get home. I'm still tired and shouldn't have a problem going to sleep tonight. I know you're interested in pictures and I'll try to remember to take the camera on Saturday and get some shots once I've got most things unpacked. Well, I'm off again.

Teaching is Tiresome

Boy am I tired. I was on my feet all day. I guess I better get used to it. The workshop went well. I wish I had more things for the staff's to work on, but in five hours there's only so much that can be done. I think they got a lot of good information. I met a new adviser that is also going to be teaching speech and doing competitions so I gave him so additional information as well. I kind of miss the creative process of doing yearbooks, but it takes a lot of work.

I got home a little before 5:00 and played catch up on all the blogs I missed today. I sent some emails, did some surveys and now dinner is heating up on the stove. I need to go to Mass either tonight or tomorrow night as it's a Holy Day of Obligation for the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since Josh has plans this evening, I guess I'll go tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm going back to Hereford to see if they've moved my stuff to the room and to finish painting in the office. I may have some students that come up to visit. I hope they've moved my stuff so I can start setting up my room. I'll have two work days next week, but I have a lot of files to sort through and organize and things to get ready for school so I want as much done with the room itself before then.

I'm sure it will be an early evening since I actually got out and did stuff today and it wears me out. I still need to get a bed for Josh so tomorrow I'm going to make some calls about mattresses and see what it's going to cost. My dad will be coming back next week so I can use his truck.

I don't have anything else to report. If anything exciting happens, you'll be the first to know.

I've got to get busy today

My workshop is less than 24 hours and I still haven't done much other than examine the stuff I used last year. My boss gave me a cd of some new stuff, but I don't think I can use much of it. I still need to figure out what I'm going to print. I didn't get it ready for my boss, so I'll have to go have it printed today or go early in the morning. I also need to do some laundry so I'll have something to wear. And yet, I'm still sitting here in front of the computer and t.v.

I woke up at 5:30 for some reason and couldn't go back to sleep. I got up for about an hour before I headed back to bed. Eventually I went back to sleep for a little while because I had another weird dream. This time Josh and I went to an amusement park. We were going to ride a rollercoaster but the line was full of people with food (and strange food at that... pot pies and grocery bags). The wanted us to cut in front because they were waiting on some other people and we tried to get by but somehow tripped on something and food went everywhere. Then we were walking somewhere and I saw a grossly obese person riding a bicycle and it wasn't a pretty sight. I can't remember all the details, but it was really odd.

Well, I think I'm going to get some breakfast and then start getting some work done.

Just had a weird dream

I went to church early this morning... barely. I got up shortly after 7:00 despite my alarm having issues. I had to iron Josh's shirt and then I was going to take a shower but had to wait for Josh to take his. Yes, there's two showers in the house, but if both are going at the same time, it affects the water temperature. I quickly took shower and got ready and we left shortly before 8:00 so that he could rehearse beforehand. I brought him home after church and headed back to go to class, but it was canceled today. So I came home and watched the post secret video and then decided I was still tired so I went back to bed. That's when I had the weird dream. O.k. it wasn't totally off the wall, but really strange. I dreamed that Josh and I went to New York in order to watch a Broadway play. We were going to see the musical Chess which is an older musical that I'd never seen, but perhaps you know the song that made the 80's hit chart "One Night in Bangkok." We got there and our seats weren't together and the theatre was really strange. The seats were kind of haphazard and some were in rows and some were in front of tables. My seat was supposed to be in front of a table but it didn't reach it and the chairs were strange. Some rolled, some were just cushions. I saw several people I know in real life there but they were people that I haven't seen in some time or really know very well. I thought it was strange to be at a show in New York with so many familiar faces. I can't explain the show, but it was strange. It's hard to explain, but I just thought it was weird. Then I woke up and decided to heat up some left over pizza for lunch.

I just had one of those pointless IM conversations with one of those guys that pretend to be someone successful but you can tell by the way they talk that they're either not from the US or they didn't graduate from high school. When I told the guy I didn't think he was being honest, he finally ended the conversation. What a waste of time... not that I'm accomplishing much at the moment.

Today I've got to figure out what I need printed for my upcoming workshop. I guess I should get started instead of looking up pointless information online.

Pretty dull around here

I finished another book today. I was up until midnight reading and then I slept until around 8:00 this morning. Today I've read, watched t.v., and played on the computer. I also loaded the dishwasher and made pizza for supper. I started going through my yearbook stuff trying to get ready for my upcoming workshop. I'm glad I already have pretty much everything ready since I've done the workshop for the past several years and it's just a matter of updating a few things and reviewing. The money will help cover some bills this month because I spent a little too much on paint and supplies for my room at school. The workshop is on Tuesday. I'll probably go up to school on Wednesday and see if I can get keys to my new room (officially - I sort of already have a master key that I've sort of forgot to give back and nobody knows). I hope my stuff has been moved so I can get my room set up.

My refrigerator is still having issues. I had to unplug and defrost it again. Now that my brother is back in town maybe he can come by and try to officially fix it. I haven't heard if Josh's engine has come in yet or not. I hope it comes in soon. Sharing a car is getting old fast. Not that I need to go anywhere, but it's just nice to know that I can if I wanted to. Tomorrow Josh is playing at church. That means we have to go to the early Mass and be there by 8:00. I guess I should get to bed early tonight.

Still nothing exciting going on here. Glad that you seemed to enjoy the last meme. And Andrew, yes, I've thought about getting my library certification/master's degree once Josh goes to college, but I don't know if I can afford it financially. I can actually get the degree online for the most part, but I don't know how I'd pay for it. I still have bad marks on my credit because of my divorce so I'm not sure if I could get a loan. Even if I did get a loan, I don't know if I would really make more money and be able to pay it off. I can barely live as it is now and in two years, Josh will be in school and that will probably take any extra money I have and he'll lose his SSI. It's still a thought, but I just can't do anything at this point.

Well, I guess I'm going to watch some t.v. and hopefully call it an early night.

A meme since I can't think of anything to write about

Are you taller than your mother?
Maybe by 1/2 an inch. Actually since she was cremated, I'm quite taller than her.

What color is your car?
White. It would probably be my last choice of color, but when you have to get a used car, you don't have much choice.

If you instantly become qualified for any profession, what would you do?
Work as a music librarian for a major university.

What is your ring-tone?
Mozart's symphony # 25 in G minor

Is there an animal that creeps you out?
If we're talking of the mammal persuasion, I can't think of anything. But I hate all kinds of creepy crawly bugs especially roaches.

The last person you rode an elevator with?
I can't remember the last time I was in an elevator. Probably with one of my students during a speech tournament trip.

Did you go ice skating as a kid?
Yes, once. We had a pond that actually froze over enough for ice skating once. It was fun. I've done it as an adult and it's exhausting and hurts my ankles.

Last person you had an argument with.
Probably Marty though I'm not sure we ever had a full blown argument - but that was about 3 years ago.

Ever have stitches?
Yes... 104 in my life. (3 behind my ear when I ripped it after getting it stuck in a cabinet when I was 2. 20 in my head when I fell off a slide when I was 3. 80 in my neck when I broke my neck when I was 4. And one is a private spot after giving birth.)

Favorite non alcoholic drink?
Coke - the real stuff. No diet for me.

How long ago did you kiss someone?
Do I really have to answer this? About two years ago.

Ever caught something on fire?
Yes. When I was little, I caught the popcorn popper on fire after I forgot about it.

Ever seen the northern lights?
Not yet.

Would you be a surrogate mother, carry a baby for someone else?
No.

Ever been in a fight?
Physical? Yes, when I was about 7 I think. Verbal - many times with my ex-husband.

Wearing nail polish?
Only on my toenails. I can't keep it on fingernails.

Innie or outie?
Innie.

Ever used a Ouija board?
No.

Sweet or sour?
Sweet usually.. but sour is o.k. too.

Sun or Moon?
Both.

What shoes did you wear today?
I have yet to put on shoes. Ahhh the joys of vacation!

Favorite eye color of the opposite sex?
Brown

Most important quality in a relationship.
Friendship and trust.

Nap today?
Maybe. It's too early to decide.

Time of day that you were born?
9:42 p.m.

Do you know your blood type?
A- The only reason I know this is because I had to have a shot due to the Rh factor after having Josh who was born A+

Name something annoying about public transit?
The only time I used it was in Vegas so the only thing I can say about it is that you have to pay each time you get on. It also causes a lot of pollution.

Did you grow up in a city or in the country?
I was born in a small town, then moved to a small city, then spent most of my junior high/high school time in what I call "the middle of nowhere" country. Now I'm back in a small town.

Consider going on a reality show for a large amount of money?
As long as I would have to eat something gross like bugs so I guess Survivor is out. I'm with Susan... I'd rather be on a game show. (I did try to get on the Price is Right once but didn't get called to "come on down")

Flown in your dreams?
Yes.

Whats the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
Probably alligator. Tastes like shrimp textured chicken as best as I recall.

Hugs or kisses?
Either. I mostly get hugs lately, but wouldn't mind a nice kiss again.

What was the best night out of your life? Lurid details please!
When I was confirmed in the Catholic church on Easter Vigil 2006. You can read about it here.

Whats your favourite item of clothing?
I don't know that I have a single favorite. Maybe my coaster freak t-shirt.

What form of dancing are you best (or worse) at?
I don't dance much. I guess I'm pretty good at the Time Warp. I'm not so good a two-stepping.

Would you at any time of your life have done playboy for a million?
Never.

Gold or silver?
Silver most of the time.

If you joined the circus, what would you be?
I have no idea. Maybe the announcer.

Do you have a criminal record?
Not that I'm aware of.

What item of make-up can you not live with out?
I could go without, but I often feel I need lipstick even though it never lasts.

Slurpee flavor?
I can't remember the last time I had a slurpee. I guess I would say blue coconut.

I know....

...your day just isn't complete unless I post. Just kidding. I really didn't have much to share yesterday. I slept late, got up, sat in my chair most of the day. I finally decided I needed to get out of the house around 7:30 so I went to Hastings in search of a book to read. Sure, I have a lot of unfinished books around here, but none of them were captivating me. So I went and found two books. I started one when I got home around 8:30 I think. I finished it last night around 2:30 a.m. I have another book, but I'm going to hold off on starting as I need to start getting some other work done. But that would mean I'd have to get up out of my chair, huh?

I spent a lot of time yesterday looking at other high school band sites to get an idea of what should go into the one I'll be creating. I admit I played a few games on the computer. I need to get off my rear and start getting busy around here though.

A new job

I've been volunteered to create and upkeep a website for the band (Josh's, not Hereford's). I hope I'm not getting in over my head. I think it's a great idea and I have some great ideas for it, I just hope I can do it. I think I did pretty well with our speech team website this year. I'd give you a link, but I think it's down right now as I just tried to access it and couldn't. I'm certainly not a website whiz, but I've learned enough I think to create something useful. Today was a dull day. I need to do more. I'm a bit stuck, however, as Josh has been taking the car to band. On the good news front, his new/used engine for his car has been ordered and should be on its way soon. I hope he has a car again by the start of the school year at least. I got some stuff to use for my upcoming yearbook workshop but haven't started looking through it yet. I guess that's something I could be doing. I think I'd rather be shopping or something.

It's hot here

I guess I should break down and turn on the air conditioner. I haven't done much the past two days. Yesterday I sat in my chair with my computer in front of the t.v. most of the day. I did load the dishwasher and go to the grocery store once Josh got home. At least there's food in the house now. Yesterday I had a steak for lunch. I couldn't find anything else to make and being out of milk limited some of my choices. I broke my record playing word yahtzee yesterday with a score of 496. One of my students emailed me yesterday asking when the first speech tournament is. I think he's excited about it. That's a good sign. I'm expecting some dissent next year and some kids bowing out, but I think that's to be expected. There are some that aren't up to the challenge.

I need to get started working on my workshop for next week. My former boss is coming by today to drop off a CD for me to use. I'm just not motivated at the moment. Since I'm not painting this week I need to get myself to start walking again. Well, that's all going on here today.

Woo Hoo - More questions!

This time from Summer -

Did you grow up in Texas? Yes, I'm the only native Texan in the family. Everyone else was born in Indiana. I have never lived anywhere but Texas and have never lived outside of the Texas Panhandle. In actuality, I've lived in the Amarillo or Canyon area since I was six. I do travel, however, and have been to half the states in the U.S. at some point as well as Mexico and the Caribbean.

Did both of your parents work? Yes, my parents both worked. When I was little, my dad owned a t.v./appliance store/repair shop. That store burned down when I was little. I think they rebuilt, but they eventually had to declare bankruptcy because of a matter dealing with a family inheritance. My mother worked as a waitress. Later when we moved to Amarillo my dad worked as a maintenance supervisor at a packing plant and my mom eventually worked at the plant in the scale house. She worked there the rest of her life and only stopped working in the last month before she died. My dad eventually started doing some electrical panel design work for another company and has always done that kind of work for the most part. He owned his own shop for the past several years until he somewhat retired a couple of years ago. He now works for my uncle doing all sorts of jobs.

What was your favorite TV show growing up? Believe it or not, Sesame Street started the exact same day as my birth. I enjoyed watching it when I was fairly little. I don't know that I can choose one favorite as my interests changed. I enjoyed watching Happy Days, Lavern and Shirley, The Facts of Life, The Love Boat. When I was really little, I had an obsession with Bonanza. On Saturday mornings, my favorite was Scooby Doo and I loved all the Schoolhouse Rock videos.

What color was your first bicycle? My first bicycle was white. I got it when I was five, but didn't learn to ride it until I was six and moved to Amarillo. I had a hard time keeping bicycles when I was a kid because my brother always took them apart. He would hang the parts to all sorts of bicycles on an old swing set in the back yard and would sell them. Finally in 6th grade my parents got me yet another bicycle and forbade my brother to touch it. Even when I got a flat tire, I wouldn't let him change it and I did it myself (somehow) just so he wouldn't touch it.

Did you like dolls? If so, do you remember their names? I didn't have baby type dolls when I was a kid. I did have some stuffed animals that I remember and I played with Barbie dolls. I remember one of my favorites was a dolphin that I named (of course) Flipper. I did play with Fisher Price Little People however. (When they were actually "little")

What is your favorite color to wear? For some reason my closet probably has more black than anything, but it's not necessarily my favorite color to wear. I have a number of favorite colors like purples, blues, and greens. One of my favorite shirts is a magenta colored top. I wear almost every color except I don't wear much orange or yellow. I had my colors done when I was in high school and I have a "summer" complexion so cool tones are what looks best on me.

What is your favorite perfume? Right now my favorite is a scent called "Intuition" by Estee Lauder. It's the first perfume that I discovered and decided I liked on my own with no male influence. Unfortunately, I won't buy it for myself as it's pretty expensive (to me). Luckily, my brother bought me a large bottle for Christmas one year and I've had it for a couple of years now. It's getting close to empty, however. When I was married, I wore "Red Door" because that is what my husband liked. I also enjoy "Passion" by Victoria Secret.

Sweet or unsweetened tea? Sweet tea... but sweetened myself and preferably not pre-sweetened. Though I like flavored teas as well.

Do you like grits? Ewwww.... no. I don't like grits. (I don't like eggs either.) But give me some bacon and hashbrowns and I'm a happy camper.

Anyone else have questions? I'm game!

To answer Abbagirl's questions

Thanks to Abbagirl, I have something to write about today. I'm here to answer all her questions.

When does school start? For the students: August 27. For teachers: August 20.

What classes will you be teaching this year? At this point, I'm assuming that I have the same schedule (at least I hope). Last year I taught two debate classes, two oral interp classes, one communication applications class and had two conference periods. At one point last year I was asked about teaching a photography class, but it didn't pan out for this year. I taught a class on digital cameras to teachers during a technology day and the assistant superintendent came and observed for a while and thought it was really good and suggested the idea.

Will you be coaching again? Yes. I was hired to take over the coaching position. My first year, I mostly observed and helped out the current coach. Last year, I took over the responsibilities. The other teacher will be there at least another year and she keeps saying she'll retire... but I won't believe it until I see it.

Any kids you aren't ready to see this year? Oh no.. I love ALL my students. O.k. maybe there's a few. One in particular that has had an attitude problem. He seems to think he already knows everything and so he goofs off most of class, then complains when he doesn't get an "A". The problem is that he does have some talent, but he really needs to be put in his place.

Have any favorite students? A good teacher doesn't have favorites. Actually, they'd probably be lying. Of course there are some students that stand out. My president VP and secretary of the team are very exceptional students. They all have great attitudes and are hard workers. Actually the majority of the students are really good and I'm lucky to have them on my team. I'm not going to be surprised when a few drop out of speech because several didn't like the fact that I made them work last year.

What are the other teachers like? Well, there's a lot of other teachers so we have a variety of personalities. Of course there are some cool teachers. We also have dull ones, mean ones, nice ones. I think that because the district doesn't pay as well as other districts there might not be as many qualified teachers as there should be but overall there are a lot of really good teachers. They're all pretty friendly and have been very welcoming. I've only had issues with a couple of people since coming to this school. One teacher just rubbed me the wrong way when I moved into the main building. (I wrote about it here.) The other I had to deal with when I was in my first room in another building and I mentioned it here. My principal has been very supportive and I can't complain about the staff.

Are they as cool as you? Well, I don't know that I'm that "cool" but one of my students did say that once. I think a lot of the kids like me because I'm pretty nice, but I'm not a pushover. I try to make classes as interesting as possible but I still need to work on some of my lesson plans. I always have good intentions, but I just don't find the time. I had to start from scratch two years ago when I returned to teaching and last year I started teaching two new classes I'd never taught before. I'm still not certain that this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I still want to look into the possibility of getting my librarian certification. I just don't have the money right now and until I get my credit issues cleared, I don't think I can get student loans.

And to answer Terri's question - Word Yahtzee is a game that is on a Hoyle Word Game CD that I have. I'm playing it because I can't find my rollercoaster tycoon CD. Sometimes I get on a Scrabble kick as well.

That's it for now. I'm thinking of going back to bed. I didn't intend on getting up early, but I was awake around 7:30. Or maybe I'll play some more games on the computer.

Done... for now

I finished painting. I'm sure I need to do some touch ups, but for now I'm done and am leaving it that way at least for a while. I didn't get to the office. I pulled up the plastic and was going to vacuum but ran out of time. I didn't want to risk being in the building and have the alarms go off because of it being past 5:00. I was there six hours today. I was going to take a picture, but I forgot my camera at home. I'm exhausted and decided that I wasn't going to cook tonight. I picked up dinner at McDonald's. Now I'm sitting in my recliner with my laptop on my lap watching t.v. and playing word yahtzee. I'm going to stay here tonight until I can't stay awake any more. Then I'm going to bed and sleeping LATE. Now I'm going to have to find other things to write about besides painting.

Almost

I didn't quite get finished yesterday. I painted from 10 until 4 with no breaks. Have I mentioned how much I hate paneling? I have a coat of the yellow on the paneling, but now I have to go through and individually paint all the grooves where the paint didn't go. I have about half of that done. I need to finish it today and then put a second coat on and then I'm calling it quits. Well... I'd like to finish in my office if there's time. I'm going to church in a few minutes and then I'm going to head to Hereford. I'd like to go to class, but the school is only open until 5:00 on weekends so I probably need to get up there as soon as I can.

Last night I went to a friend's house to watch a movie. We watched the Astronaut Farmer. It was a decent movie. Nothing to write home about. Well, I better head off to church. Today I'm either going to finish painting or run out of paint. Either way, I'm stopping today. Next week I'm taking off and staying home.

Wishful Thinking

I'm getting closer. Really. I am. I have high hopes to be finished with the painting tomorrow. I did finally get started with the yellow paint. My body must be getting used to the torture. I didn't feel as sore today. I picked up Josh from work at five. He got his first paycheck today. He made $168. He put 10% into saving and deposited the rest. I still need to get him a bed and hopefully we'll do that this weekend. I've been invited to watch a movie at a friend's house tomorrow night. I will probably go just to get myself out of the house and away from anything related to painting.

I made pork chops for dinner. I was going to make some cheesy mashed potatoes but Josh used most of the milk for his cereal so I had to make mac-n-cheese since it only required 1/4 cup of milk. I watched Monk and Psych tonight and played a bunch of games of word yahtzee. I found a new addictive game. I'm going to bed soon as I have to head back to Hereford in the morning.

Thanks for the comments today Terri, Mago and LAB. I was just a bit moody this morning I guess. I think for the most part I am nice and genuine, but I have my faults like most people. Like just the other day I got snippy with someone online for no particular reason. I guess I haven't shelved my inner bitch altogether. I blame it on female issues. Yeah... that's it. Oh well... I should get to bed so I can slave away for another day. (Oooh.. that rhymes!)

I hope I finish today

I really hope that I'm able to finish the main painting today. I'm really sick of painting right now. My body is sore; I'm tired; and I just want it to be done! It would have been easier had I had any kind of help, but I've been doing it by myself for the past week. I put the word out to my students via email and facebook and none of them has any inclination to come help. I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to spend the last part of my summer up at school painting. As you know, I have very few friends to speak of and those that are friends either work or have other things to do and can't help. So I guess I'm on my own as always. I know that I made my bed and have to lie in it. I didn't have to paint the room, but it was pretty ugly. Not as ugly as the previous room which was painted pink and green. I just want my room to be a reflection of my taste. I want it to be an enjoyable place to teach and hopefully to learn. Right now I'm waiting for my brother to call so I can take Josh to work and then I'll head to Hereford and paint once again.

I know that you're probably tired of hearing me gripe about painting, but this blog is about my life and that is what it consists of now. I have nothing else to share. I haven't talked to any interesting people, gone anywhere interesting. I come home, make dinner and watch t.v. or play word yahtzee on my computer. I did go get some cat food last night but I figure you don't want to hear about that either.

I don't have any grand thoughts to share either. I sometimes hate that my life is so dull but the moment I usually complain about it is when I get hit with something tragic (like having to buy a new engine or a broken refrigerator). My love life is still non-existent and I'm coming to terms with that slowly. I still don't like it but I just go with it. My house is a mess (one of those other interesting topics I always mention). One thing that has been positive for me has been going to church. It is something I still enjoy being a part of but even that has waned to some degree with the music director being gone and I haven't played or sung with the choir in a long time. I still go to class but it's about to wrap up in the next two weeks.

I'm sad that I haven't been able to ride any roller coasters this summer. I had grand intentions to go visit Andrew and get to Six Flags over Georgia, but it didn't work out. I still hope to visit him some day if he is inclined to have me. My summer is coming to an end and I still feel as though I haven't had my vacation. I'm not ready to go back to school because I have a million things to do before then. (Like finish painting and then unpack, arrange and sort my stuff when it's moved.) I have lessons to plan and a new computer program to use in creating them. Teachers head back the 20th and the students return the 27th which is later than usual thanks to a new state law. At least we get an extra 10 days or so this year. I think next week I'm going to stay home from school. (Assuming the painting is done.) The following week I have to teach a yearbook workshop that I'll prepare for the weekend before.

Well, I've rambled on enough. I have no idea why some you continue to visit this place, but I appreciate it. I'll stop whining now. Really. I mean it. O.k. for the moment - but it wouldn't be the Story of my Life if I didn't have something to complain about, right?

Who needs a gym?

All you need for a good workout is painting a room that never ends. I HATE paneling. Whoever invented it is stupid. It looks ugly and it is horrendous to paint. I started priming it today going through almost an entire gallon to cover two walls. The coverage is not at all smooth; it's very blotchy. I'm going to have to go over it AGAIN with white paint (leftover from extra gallon) and THEN hopefully paint the yellow on top of that. I really hoped to be finished today, but I think I'll be lucky if I finish by Saturday. I was contemplating going to Albuquerque this weekend, but that isn't going to happen.

Last night I didn't go to bed until 2:30. After I posted I stayed up finishing my book. I slept until 9:00 this morning and left for Hereford around 10:00. I painted non-stop from the time I arrived around 10:30 until I was starving around 2:45. I went and got some food and came back for more painting. I finished the primer as mentioned above, but still have a long way to go it seems. And this is only the main room. I haven't even begun painting the office or storage room. I think once I'm done with the main room, I'm going to take a break for about a week and enjoy my summer. The painting may be more trouble than it's worth. I just hope it looks good when it's finished... IF it ever gets finished. Aaaarrrggghhhhh!

I left school around 5:30 and now I'm sore and tired. I'm not hungry since I ate around 3:00. I think I'm going to veg in front of the t.v. and then call it a night. My house is so neglected right now. Oh well... I can only do so much at once. I just hope that I end up losing a few pounds out of this. I haven't been walking because I figure I'm getting enough exercise with all the steps up and down the ladder, sitting on the floor and then getting up, moving the step ladder, walking around to get paint, to wash the brushes etc. I need a nap in the worst way, but I'm just going to stick it out and then go to bed early.

Better late than not at all

I guess since it's after midnight I actually missed a day of posting. My apologies to my biggest fan Andrew (and anyone else that may have been disappointed going all day without reading about my boring life.) I got up sometime before 8 this morning and was headed to Hereford before 9:00. I keep getting myself in deeper with this painting crap. (Sorry... it's just taking longer than expected.) Although I got the Kilz paint that is guaranteed one coat coverage over any existing color, it doesn't seem to cover maple colored paneling very well. I painted the non-paneled wall (chalkboard wall) yellow but had to do a lot of brush painting because there were lots of small spaces between computer wiring that couldn't be painted with the roller. I also had to patch another area on a different part of the wall and I had to leave by 2:30 to get back home in time to shower before heading to Lubbock. I left closer to 2:45 but took a quick shower, got dressed and we were out the door by 4:00. I had to pick up some cash and get gas and then Josh drove to Lubbock while I read my book. We had dinner at Chili's and then went to the stadium.

We found our seats which were pretty good. 50 yard line fairly high up with a good view of the field except for the very tall/large gentleman in front of me. The first half of the show was pretty decent and we saw some good corps. We had an intermission and then the weather took a turn for the worse. The first corps after the intermission started their show but it was interrupted halfway through because a storm was coming in. We exited the stands to go to the covered area below and wait it out. We waited for about 45 minutes and the rain didn't show any sign of letting up. Finally they canceled the rest of the show. We were very disappointed. We didn't get to see the top corps that Josh and I really wanted to watch. We were out the $23 each for the tickets, plus the cost of gas. We stuck around a bit longer to let the crowd thin and the weather let up some before we headed back. I got to see a friend of mine from college and visit with him and his wife for a bit. We left around 10:45 and got in shortly before 12:30. Now I'm tired and I'm going to head to bed. I don't know what time I'm going to Hereford tomorrow, but I'm going to finish come hell or high water. (Ooops I shouldn't say things like that.)