Thursday, November 29, 2007

Time for Christmas Music

I haven't had time upload Christmas music to my mp3 player so this morning I tuned my car radio to a local station so I could listen to some music. In a 30 minute drive, I only heard 3 songs. The rest of the time was spent with the DJ's chatting. In addition, the songs were the cheesy stuff that is still "politically correct" to play. It seems that playing traditional Christmas hymns might offend people. I'm sorry, but if you don't enjoy celebrating Christmas, then turn the radio off or listen to your own music. I'm tired of people trying to say things like "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" in order to avoid offending people. (Actually the word holiday is a form of the words holy and day) And now instead of Christmas trees, we have "Family Trees." When is this going to end? Even when I was not going to church or being religious in any sense... I still celebrated Christmas. I gave some thought to the reason for the season, but regardless, I still put up a Christmas tree. I still gave and received presents. I listened to Christmas songs. I enjoyed my Christmas break from school. I wish people would get over their self-righteous attitudes and quit claiming they're offended by such terms. Despite one's religious beliefs or lack thereof, it is still a time of year to celebrate and be thankful. It is a time to give and receive.and spend time with family. It is a time of peace regardless of whether you call it Christmas, Hanukkah, Pancha Ganapati, or nothing at all.

So after my rant, the point I was making is that now I'm downloading Christmas music on my player so I can listen to the kind of music I would prefer to hear during the season of Advent. I happen to love the traditional hymns and carols. Now I can listen to all the ones I want.

Nothing exciting at school today. Just a typical day. I'm making progress with some things. I did finish grading all the debate cases and filled out purchase requisitions for our upcoming tournament. I stayed until a little after 5:00 listening to students perform. I came home and made porkchops for dinner. I sat in front of the t.v. since then and downloaded music. Now I've got to get them on my player. I'll be going to bed shortly.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Total Geek Attraction

I am totally attracted to geeky guys. Now, don't get me wrong... there still has to be some bit of physical attraction, but I am enamored by guys that are smart and into science or other intellectual pursuits. I was thinking about my favorite characters on the shows I watch and they are all the geeky guys. On CSI, it's Gil Grissom. On Chuck, it's... duh... Chuck. On Criminal Minds, it's Spencer Reid. I don't have a favorite on Heroes yet... but they're all pretty nerdy. I just thought I'd throw that out there.

No Whining

I picked up some pre-cooked chicken for dinner and made some rice-a-roni with it. It drives my dogs nuts and they're whining to get some scraps. I also have a cat that is driving me nuts by whining outside my door at night. If I let him in, he'll sleep for a few hours and then want out. If I don't let him in, he whines until I get up and open the door and spray him with the water bottle. I just can't win it seems.

Another typical day at school. To answer Abbagirl's question, I'm doing o.k. on grading. I still have 6 more debate cases to read and grade. I didn't get to them today. I did get the trophies ordered... I think. I sent an email with my order to the person that I dealt with last year. I stayed after school to do some work on the comm. app. interview project. My students have to go through practice job interviews in a couple of weeks and we have members of the community that will be doing the interviews. I worked on a letter to them. My debate classes have started debating. I need to get ready for a sub on Friday afternoon.

I'm going to try once again to go to bed early. I just hope I'm able to get better sleep than I've been getting. Well, Criminal minds is on so I think I'll go watch it.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Why is it...

... that when you go to bed early knowing you need to get up early that you wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep even when you know you need to get up in like four hours? Or is it just me?

I was in bed by 9:15 last night and read a little bit and had the lights out by 9:45. I set the alarm for 5:30 in order to get to school early. I eventually got up around 5:45 and took my shower and made it to school about 30 minutes earlier than I usually do. I did get some things done but it still wasn't quite enough time. I spent a good portion of 1st period looking for a new dramatic piece for a student that hasn't "got" the fact that you have to perform a piece that could be somewhat believable for the type of person you are. My principal also came by to visit so I worked with a student on her dramatic while he was there. He was gearing up for the visit from TEA or as my students call them the "feds." I didn't personally get visited, but I understand that they were on campus by 1:00 today.

I stayed after school today getting the order for our trophies ready. I had a nightmare over the weekend about our tournament and I dreamed that we didn't have trophies to hand out. I'm trying to get everything ready earlier this year because last year half the trophies they sent us were the wrong size. They were able to replace them in time, but I don't want to take any chances. I was going to shop around but after talking to other coaches, I realized that I'm really getting a pretty good deal on the trophies compared to what others are spending. We spend around $650 and we give trophies through 6th place. Other schools spend around $1000 or more and only give trophies 1st-3rd and sometimes give medals for 4th-6th.

I got home around 5:45 and Josh wanted to go to Amarillo to look at humorous books to find a piece to perform for the Lubbock swing tournament. We headed to Amarillo around 6:20 and was at Barnes and noble for almost 2 hours. We finally found a book and then we went to dinner at Fazoli's. I had the rigatoni romano which was quite yummy and I have some leftovers to take to school tomorrow.

Now it's already bed time. It's a good thing I have at least another day of clean laundry done. That's all the excitement here today. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep better tonight. I'm feeling pretty tired now.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Monday Shows

I brought home stuff to grade tonight that really needs to be done, but I know I'm not going to get to it. I didn't get home until shortly before 6:00 p.m. and had to immediately make supper, do the remaining dishes and finish some laundry. Now my t.v. shows are on. I can't concentrate on grading while watching t.v. Sure, I could just record the shows and work elsewhere, but I'm not going to. I'm thinking of just going into school early in the morning. We have a visit from TEA (state agency) officials and have to be ready to be on our best behavior.

I made a discovery this weekend while paying bills through my bank. I can possibly defer one of my loan payments for Christmas. That means I could potentially have some extra money for Christmas and pay for my GRE test. I really need to get that done. I need to apply for graduate school in January so I can also start applying for financial aid.

Today wasn't very exciting. I still feel behind at school. I think getting there early is a good idea... I just hope I can manage getting up early enough. I'm going to be in bed by 9:30 tonight.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

A little progress is better than none

I did make an effort today. I cleaned the kitchen. I still need to mop the floor, but I think I'll wait until the rest of the house is done so that I'll only have to have the mop out once. I went to the store to get groceries. Is it just me or are they getting more expensive? I didn't even get anything beyond normal groceries unless you count the extra dessert I got for tonight. I spent $107. I guess that isn't really too much, but that is for two people and will only last about a week.

I slept in this morning and then went to Mass at 11:15. I came home and started cleaning the kitchen. I didn't move really fast, but I did get it clean for the most part. That reminds me... I just realized I forgot to get a sponge at the store. Oh well, I'll make due without it.

I need to start on the living room. I'll probably do a little bit, but I doubt I'll finish tonight. I wanted to get my tree up, but I'll hope for having it up by next weekend. I need to do some laundry and start supper in a bit.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

So much for productivity

I simply can't get motivated today. I had grand intentions of cleaning the house, but I haven't lifted a finger. I only feel slightly guilty. I've been crocheting and reading most of the day. I'm working on a scarf for my brother.

I enjoyed sleeping in this morning. I changed the sheets on my bed and put my comforter back on and it was quite lovely to sleep in last night. I had some cereal this morning and then a slice of leftover pizza for lunch. I ordered pizza last night since I didn't want to get out of the house.

Now I need to figure out what to do about supper tonight. I really need to go to the grocery store, but I'm not ready to get out of the house. I need to take a shower and get dressed. Yes, I've stayed in my pajamas all day.

Maybe I'll get motivated by tomorrow. For now, I'm going to stay in my chair and continue to read and crochet.

Better late?

I was tagged by Terri for a meme a while back and I'm pretty slow on the uptake. So here goes. I'm supposed to use my middle name, but it is fairly short so I'll use my online name which contains my middle name of Ann.

A - Anchored - I tend to stay in one place and and am pretty set in my ways.
N - Nice - I think overall that I'm nice to others.
N - Nerdy - Although I'm not into science fiction, I am a computer geek of sorts and like learning.
A - Able - I can get things done as long as I put my mind to it.
B - Bright - I think my intelligence is one of my best assets. I'm not a genius or even close, but I think I do have a little something going on upstairs.
E - Eclectic - I have a variety of tastes in things (except vegetables) but most especially in music.
L - Lucky - Despite some of the hardships I've faced, I've been a pretty lucky person.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Made it home

I don't know whether or not I should believe the meteorologists. I had heard something about snow being forecast during the break, but I guess I figured that if I didn't really believe it, that it wouldn't happen. Wrong. But first, let's talk about Thanksgiving.

Josh and I left around 5:30 on Wednesday and drove to my aunt's house which is in the mountains east of Albuquerque. We arrived around 9:00 mountain time. We visited for a bit and I started working on a scarf that I'm crocheting for my brother-in-law. I went to bed around 11:00 to a very cold room. (Something happened to the heater vent and hadn't been fixed.) I went to sleep under a sheet, comforter, and two quilts. As long as I stayed under the covers, I was fine. Unfortunately, the bed that I usually sleep in isn't very comfortable. But I just dealt with it. On Thursday, I slept in and got up around 8-something. I continued to work on the scarf and we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade until we got tired of listening to the cheesy announcers. Josh and I watched the episode of Chuck that I missed on Monday and that he recorded for me. I helped a little with dinner. Very little. I opened the cans of corn and put it in the microwave. I also poured the water for the instant mashed potatoes. I'm a big help. I did play bartender and made the drinks but I didn't have to do much in that respect either. I only had two glasses of wine and that's it. My brother and his family got there shortly before dinner time. Dinner was great with all my favorite Thanksgiving foods. We had turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, stuffing, salad, green bean casserole (yuck), and rolls. We had several pies for dessert, but I had two helpings of food so I passed. Around 4:00 we left to go into town to visit my sister. She had lots of dessert too, but I passed once again. Josh and I left around 7:15 to head back to my aunt's house so we could watch CSI. After that, we watched the Monday episode of Heroes. I continued to work on the scarf and I'm more than halfway done with it.

It started snowing shortly after we returned around 8:00. I went to bed around 10:30 and slept until 7:00 this morning. My aunt had wanted to go into town to do some shopping but it had snowed pretty heavily in the mountains. We decided against going into town. I started the car around 10:00 and used a broom to sweep the 5-6 inches of snow off it that had accumulated. We left around 10:30 and wasn't sure if we'd make it out the brief road from my aunt's house. It was a snow packed hill and the car just didn't want to move. I finally shifted to a lower gear and got out after a few minutes. The road to Edgewood was a bit slushy, but manageable. I thought I-40 was pretty clear, until we got to Moriarity. From there until Clines Corner the road was pretty much ice. Traffic slowed to a crawl for a couple of miles due to an accident. A pick-up truck was off the road and it's front window was smashed in. The road got a little better but still wasn't great until we got to Santa Rosa. After that, it was pretty clear. The only problem was that my windshield wipers didn't work and my windows got pretty dirty. I had to pull over three times to clean the window. We stopped in Tucumcari for lunch and made it back home by 4:00. The trip usually takes us 4 1/2 hours, but today it took 6 with a stop for lunch. But at least we're home safe. I've changed into my pajamas and I'm going to sit in my recliner the rest of the evening and just relax. Tomorrow I will start the house cleaning.

We got a little snow here, but nothing major. It barely blanketed the ground. It's cold though. I'm glad I'm not out shopping. (Not that I have any money.) I am making most of my gifts this year. I have no idea what to get Josh though. He doesn't know what he wants either. I'd like to get him his class ring, but I don't think I can swing it by Christmas. Well, I'm going to wash my comforter so I'll have it on my bed tonight. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Off to Albuquerque

I may not post again until Friday. I'm not going to take my laptop with me. If my aunt still has internet at the house, then I'll try to post something tomorrow. If not, it won't be until we return Friday.

Today was a useless day at school. There was no point in being there for 1/2 a day. I only had two classes with 6 students in one and 4 students in the other. I stayed at the school during my first conference period and then I just "had" to go run some off campus errands. O.k. I really did, but I still left a little early to head back home. I got home and had to go the pharmacy to have Josh's prescriptions filled. So much for my birthday money. I spent $96 on his prescriptions alone. I was hoping to save it for the GRE test, but I guess I'll have to come up with some other way. I haven't sold any more rosaries.

Well, we're leaving in a few minutes. That will get us to Albuquerque around 8:30-9:00 p.m. (mountain time). We'll pick up dinner on the way. I've got to get some gas. I have left food for the animals and they should be o.k. for the next day and a half. (We have a pet door so they can go in and out as they please... the best invention next to air conditioning.)

Thanks for all the Thanksgiving well wishes and I wish all of you a wonderful holiday. May you be blessed with time spent with your friends and family.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

A pleasant surprise this morning

I haven't weighed myself in months probably. I figured there wasn't any point. I had gained some weight and was topping out around 187--190 and it never seemed to go down. I noticed that some of my pants were a little easier to button lately so I figured I should check it out. I actually lost about 5-7 pounds. The scale showed 182 this morning. I'm not sure how I did it, but I'm not complaining. I just hope it's not a fluke.

In other news, I had a choral performance tonight. It went o.k. I didn't feel very confident when I sang with the diocesan choir. The piece was a quiet slow piece and I had only sang it a few times. The other large group pieces were fine. I didn't sing some of the really high stuff in the Hallelujah Chorus, but I'm getting better each time I sing it.

I'm ready for a break. I have to go to school for half a day tomorrow. It really is a pointless day. We have classes in the morning only. There's no point in doing anything productive. I just need to get some other work down and send some stuff off for printing. Josh and I need to leave for Albuquerque sometime tomorrow. I don't want to leave too late. We'll get back sometime on Friday. I hope I can get the house clean this weekend. If I don't, there won't be any time. I have tournaments the next two weekends after Thanksgiving.

Well, I don't have much more to say. I'm going to head to bed shortly. I'm worried about my friend Andrew. I attempted to leave a comment today but somehow it didn't go through which is probably a good thing. It's not that I wasn't kind, but I didn't sugar coat my feelings. It's difficult to watch a friend that you care about make mistakes. Well, the bed is calling me.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Just a few more days

I just now found the time and simply sit for a few minutes. I was awake too early this morning. I had my alarm set for a little after 6:00 but I was awake long before that. I got to school a little earlier than usual around 7:30. It was a normal day at school. My interp and debate classes worked on their materials. I listened to speeches in my comm. app. classes. I left school around 4:30 and came home for a brief couple of minutes before heading to the grocery store. I was there until about 6:00.... the check-out lines took forever. I was able to bring the groceries in and then had to leave immediately for my choir rehearsal tonight. I'm singing in the Festival of Praise concert tomorrow night. If you live in the Amarillo area, you should try to attend. It is a free concert at the Amarillo Globe news center at 7:00 p.m. I was at rehearsal for about an hour and half and then got home around 9:00. I had to finish my gift for Leann that I've been meaning to send her for a while. I'll be putting it in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm about to head to bed shortly but figured I should at least post a little something this evening. I'm feeling pretty exhausted.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Fed up

No, not with any person... other than perhaps myself. I'm tired of my house being a mess. I decided to start working on it today. Now, I haven't moved very fast, but I am making slow progress. I no longer use my computer desk. I've found that I prefer sitting in my recliner with my laptop on my lap or on my tray in front of the t.v. Yes, the epitome of laziness, I admit. But I did clean up the dog hair and trash around my sitting area and the living room in general. (I haven't touched the desk that I no longer use as it has become a catch-all for everything at the moment.) I had a headache this afternoon and after a big lunch. I still felt tired so I took about an hour and a half nap. I got up a little while ago and started attacking the junk on the bar in the kitchen. It is slow progress, but at least I'm making an effort.

I guess we're going to go to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving but it's going to be a brief trip. I do like seeing my aunt and spending time with her, but since it's my small bit of vacation time, there's a lot I want to be able to do at home. We'll probably leave Wednesday evening and stay all day Thursday and then come home Friday morning. I won't get the house finished before we leave as I have a rehearsal on Monday evening and a concert on Tuesday evening. I do want it clean by the end of the break, however. I am going to put up my Christmas stuff this year since I didn't do a thing last year. We'll spend Christmas in Albuquerque again, but I think it will help lift my spirits just having it up this year. It's not that I'm down or anything... actually I am quite content... but it just seemed so "dry" last year without the tree and stockings up.

Tonight Josh and I are going out to dinner with my dad and his gf. We're going to the Olive Garden to eat. We both love Italian food so we enjoy this treat every year for our birthdays. I've got to start getting ready in just a few minutes. I have on my cleaning clothes which would not be appropriate in public. Well, I'm off to make myself somewhat presentable.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Some sweet successes

It was another long tournament day. I was up shortly after 5:00 a.m. and left by 5:45. I arrived in Hereford around 6:15 and we left by 6:30 minus one student. One of my new students that was supposed to go to the tournament did not show. He also did not answer the phone when I called. Well, I guess he'll pay the $35 drop fee. The tournament went well. I was in charge of debate at the elementary. We started off behind, but actually caught up and ended an hour earlier than planned. My students over all did fairly well. I was surprised by a few, disappointed in some, but overall pleased. I was happy with one student that has been trying for years to be successful at something, but has not really made it. Today she placed 6th in student congress and earned her first trophy. I now have two students qualified for TFA state which is a relief. I have another that is close, but needs two more points. The team earned first place sweepstakes at the tournament so it was a pretty good day overall.

I'm really exhausted now. I could barely keep my eyes open on the way home. I'm now going to take out my contacts and call it a night. I'm going to Sunday school in the morning and then the late service at 11:15. I think I deserve a little time to sleep in.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Another busy weekend ahead

Tonight will be relatively calm. Josh has gone to the game (playoffs) so I'm on my own tonight. I could go watch as it is in Amarillo, but I'd rather just stay home. I'll probably pick up some fast food for dinner which is completely appropriate as it is officially "National Fast Food Day". I made these silly calendars for my students that have all these funky holidays on them. I figured if I put them on their calendars they might actually use it. I'm definitely going to bed early tonight as I have to leave by 5:45 a.m. to get to Hereford by 6:15.

Tomorrow is another speech tournament. I'll be gone all day so I can't promise a post. Sunday will be church and dinner with my dad. I'm contemplating whether or not to go to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving. I think perhaps we might. Yes, the gas will be costly, but honestly it probably won't be much more than paying for dinner. We could make it a quick trip. Unfortunately we have 1/2 of school on Wednesday. We could go on Wednesday afternoon and come back Friday morning in time for a possible playoff game.

Well, I've got to figure out what to get for dinner and then do some laundry. Hope you have a relaxing weekend.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Meme as Promised

I was tagged by Abbagirl so here we go with my answers.

1. What were you afraid of as a child?
I think I was afraid of the dark because I always needed a night light and music playing. Now I can't stand any kind of light (my alarm clock is too bright) and I can't listen to music as it will keep me awake.

2. When have you been most courageous?
I don't know. I don't ever think of myself as having ever been courageous. I guess maybe when I finally decided to get divorced.

3. What sound most disturbs you?
Nails on a chalkboard.

4. What is the greatest amount of pain you have been in?
Physical - childbirth, hands down. No drugs.

Emotional - One night in my marriage after having a fight with my husband. I truly can't describe the feeling, but I can tell you that I banged my head against the wall and threw canned goods because I was so angry, hurt and frustrated. I think that was the beginning of my depression that lasted another two years.

5. What's your biggest fear for your own children (or children in general if you don't have children of your own)?
That something will happen to him. That he will make the same mistakes I did. That he won't be successful.

6. What is the hardest physical challenge you have achieved?
Losing 30 pounds. I took a dance workout class for six weeks that didn't really push me, but I certainly felt it in my muscles.

7. Which do you prefer: Mountains or oceans/big water?
I love to view water. I don't know that I would want to live near either, however. I kind of like being land-locked and visiting other places. But I do get excited when I travel somewhere and can see water in the distance.

8. What is the one thing you do for yourself that helps you keep everything together?
I pray every morning. I continue to participate in music which is something I do simply because I love it.

9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer?
Yes, my mother died from lung cancer.

10. What are the things your friends count on you for?
An ear to listen. I tend to be pretty grounded. Sometimes I have worthy advice.

11. What is the best part about being in a committed relationship?
Knowing that you have someone that cares about you. Having someone to talk to.

12. What is the hardest part about being in a committed relationship?
Getting someone else to actually commit. Finding the the right one. Being able to communicate when you are in a relationship when you are from two different worlds.

13. Summer or Winter? Why?
Summer. No school. I hate being cold.

14. Have you ever been in a school yard fight? Why and what happened?
Not at school, but I did get in a fight with a girl in my neighborhood when I was in first grade. I don't remember the details. I pretty much kept to myself in school, was shy, and didn't cause any trouble.

15. Why blog?
Because I can't help it. Because it gives me friendship. Because it seems as though some people are interested in my ordinary life. Because I have always loved to write and I guess I'm addicted.

16. Did you learn about sex, and/or sex safety from your parents?
Are you kidding? No. Friends, books, and experience.

17. How do you plan to talk to your kids about sex, and/or sex safety?
Josh knows what he needs to know.

18. What are you most thankful for this year?
That I am blessed even when I loudly complain about my life. That I have an amazing son, a good job, a home, and paid bills. I am thankful that I have a Church that helps build me up. I am thankful that God is present in my life and continues to bless me even when I am most undeserving.

Tag yourself if you are so inclined to do this meme.

So much for going to bed early

I had good intentions. But then I had issues with my web publishing program that I had to figure out before I could go to bed. I didn't get to bed until after 11:00 p.m. I did get the problem fixed so that is a good thing.

A relatively uneventful day today. School was school. Nothing major happened although I wasn't very happy with my comm. app. class. They were supposed to have their outlines for their speeches done today. Less than half of them were finished. I made them practice without them anyway. My students took their orator group picture today after school then I listened to students. I still have one student that has refused to perform for me. If she doesn't come through tomorrow, then I will let her perform at the tournament, but she will not be able to advance regardless of how she does.

I got birthday money in the mail today. That was exciting. I think I'll spend it on the GRE. It's almost enough and I think after payday I can pay for the rest. Sure, I'd like to buy myself something, but I think the GRE is more important right now. I guess I should start studying, huh?

I decided against cooking tonight and picked up Thai Kitchen for dinner. It was quite yummy and now I have food for lunch tomorrow.

I am definitely going to bed early tonight. I just took a benadryl so it will knock me out shortly. I hope I stay awake enough to watch CSI. Well, I'm going to catch up on blogs and such and then call it an early night.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

My clarinet has come home

My clarinet arrived today. It is so pretty and shiny. He did an amazing job. I hate that it is such a nice instrument in a crappy case. You should see the case. It has been through hell and back. I think that if I get any Christmas presents, I'll ask for a new case. It's something I've wanted, but won't buy for myself when there are other things I need to pay for... like bills. I forgot my reeds at school but I found some other ones so I could test it out. The keys are nice and smooth. The side keys no longer get stuck and the sound is amazing as always.

I had an interesting morning. I have an alarm clock that has two alarms. I generally set the first alarm for 6:00 a.m. and the second for about 10-11 minutes later. (The snooze is only 7 minutes) I guess somehow I slept through one or the other or at least turned it off in my sleep which is very unusual for me. I didn't wake up again until 6:37. I had to jump in the shower and try to leave by 7:10 to get to school on time since I was meeting students this morning. I didn't get out of here until about 7:18 this morning. I was about 5 minutes late meeting my student that was there.

I sold a rosary today! I got an email confirmation that someone bought one. I updated my site and I'll be shipping it out tomorrow. That is very exciting. If I sell enough, I can hopefully pay for my GRE test. I am not sure how I'll pay for it if I don't bring in some extra money. I need to start paying Josh back money that he used to pay for his dual credit classes and some other items. I also have to pay for the tags on his car this month. Next month is Christmas and it will be slim this year. I'll get Josh something and either make items for everyone else or just tell my family to not get me anything. I really need to make taking the GRE my priority. I need to be able to apply for grad school in January. I am determined to make it happen. If any of you know me at all... you know that once I set my mind to something, I do it.

I've got to get to bed earlier tonight. I didn't really go to bed that late last night, but obviously, I was still pretty tired this morning. I'm definitely going to kick one of the cats out tonight. I was up at least 5 times letting them in and out. My classes are going fine at school. I'm not having any further problems with the student I was having issues with. I am getting caught up at school. I spent a good portion of the morning cleaning my room. I tidied everything up and it feels pretty good. I have lots of things to file away, but they're in manageable stacks in my office.

Tonight I made manwiches for dinner with some mac-n-cheese. Now I'm watching t.v. waiting for Criminal Minds to come on. I'm going to do some web design work, watch my show, get the rosary ready to mail and then get to bed early. Another speech coach in the area wants to hire me to do their team website. Oh! I'm getting $50 at the end of the month for organizing a focus group of students for a college research thing.

I need to do the meme that I was tagged by Abbagirl for. If I don't get to it tonight, I'll try to get it done by tomorrow. Well, that should be enough for now.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

General Ramblings

I think I figured out what is wrong with my camera. I think the camera is fine, but the Compact Flash card is not working. I guess that means it will be an easy and fairly inexpensive fix. After payday I'll get another card and try it out. I have more rosaries to put up on my site, but I can't get pictures of them. I guess I've gotten pretty good use out of the card. I've taken over 6000 pictures with it and it has lasted me for five years.

We had a mandatory meeting at school today to cover more information about the state testing and special education referral process. It's just one of those things that settles it even more that I need to get out of teaching. It is so frustrating to have to document, verify, record, modify, accommodate, adjust, and keep track of everything all the time. We have an upcoming school visit by the some state agency and we're all being put on the offensive to make sure if we are questioned that we answer appropriately. It's not that our school has done anything wrong, but we happen to have a lot of English language learning students on our campus (it is a heavy migrant worker area) and since we receive state and federal funding we have to be held accountable for it.

Tonight I was able to simply sit and not think much about work. I didn't have homework to grade and I have enough clean clothes to survive the rest of the week. I went to the store to get groceries to last until Monday. Now I'm on my music download service trying to find Christmas songs to put on my mp3 player. I'm going to try to get into the spirit more this year. Last year I didn't even put my tree up. My goal is to clean my house during the Thanksgiving break and get the tree up.

I'm feeling pretty tired already. I should go to bed soon, but I want to keep finding my Christmas music. It is my favorite time of year and I love playing the music in the car. I use my mp3 player all the time and I love it. I can go more than a week playing it in my car on the way to school and back every day. It is one of the best gifts I ever bought myself. I felt incredibly guilty buying it, but I don't really regret it. Of course I feel guilty almost every time I buy myself something. Maybe it's a mom thing or simply that I often feel the need to be self-sacrificing. I live a pretty simple life. I don't do or have anything extravagant. I don't get my nails done. I get my hair cut only when it is driving me nuts and I have the money. I drive cars until they literally fall apart. I wear clothes and shoes until they've worn out. I usually only buy new clothes at the start of every school year. I'm not sure where I was going with all of this, but I'm going to try to wrap up my music downloads and call it a night.

Monday, November 12, 2007

At least the internet is working now

Now I'm having issues with firefox. I started using firefox a couple of years ago after having some issues with internet explorer. I really haven't had problems with it except when it comes to publishing my sites. They don't appear as they should in firefox. They look exactly like they're supposed to in IE. I got my rosary page up, but if you view it in firefox, the text has moved and doesn't align as it should. The text is also a lot bigger than in IE. I'm not sure what to do about it other than completely revamping the design so it will work in either browser. I have my basic knowledge, but this is beyond my comprehension.

No internet, no post

I really intended to post something last night. I was online for a while because I did chat briefly with Andrew. I was working hard on getting my rosary page up when the internet decided to stop working. It still wasn't working this morning. Josh just called me and said it's still not working. I am not happy about this. I will be calling the company as soon as I get home today. I figured I should post a little something from here at school since I probably won't get to post tonight.

The rosary sales were o.k. but not what I hoped for. I sold six rosaries and made $90. With the money I spent on rent, I made $60 in profit but most of that is gone now that I bought Josh his birthday present, got supper last night and a few groceries. At least it helped out a little this week. I plan to try to sell the rest online, but without the internet, I can't do much to get my site ready.

Today at school was fine. I had to hurry to get some debate cases graded before 11:59 today. I think I finished around 11:56. I got to school late because I was trying to get something done with the rosary page this morning and fiddled around with the internet that still wouldn't work. I still feel perpetually behind. I really would like to take a day off to simply stay at home and clean my house. Wishful thinking. I have the days but we're supposed to be getting another grant this year and I will lose out on part of it if I miss too many days... I'll miss four at the end of the year for grad school, I've already missed 1/2 a day for the flat tire, I'd like to go to Vegas to work for my uncle in February so that means I'll miss one or two more. If I want to see Josh in All-State band again, I may have to do what I did last year which is drive 1/2 way on Friday after school and the rest of the way Saturday morning. I just don't know.

Well, I need to get home. This will probably be the only post today. I'm going to go read a few blogs before I go home so I won't get too far behind.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Another year

My birthday was uneventful which at this age is a good thing. I got to the tournament by 7:00 this morning. I judged a round of oratory at 7:30 and then left for my choir rehearsal at 9:00. I came back a little before 1:00 and had a wonderful baked potato with all the trimmings. (butter, cheese, bacon, onion and sour cream). It was very yummy. I then had a meeting with our area coaches regarding issues with one of our state speech organizations. We put together our own proposal for limiting the size of our state tournament. That meeting took an hour and a half.

My kids did o.k. at this tournament. Some did very well. Josh even made it to finals in oratory and came in 6th place. At the awards ceremony, we had some down time as we had to wait for some award lists that they had left out and during that time the entire auditorium sang "Happy Birthday" to me, Josh and another student. Several people wished me a "Happy Birthday" and one of the other coaches even gave me a gift. That was very nice since it was the only present I got. My aunt called to tell me that she was sending a card and money and it would be late. My dad is taking Josh and I to dinner next weekend.

Well, I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow. I have to go to the early service so I'll be able to get set up for the craft fair. I really hope it goes well. I have a fear that I'll sit there for four hours and not sell a single rosary. Well, good night all.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Too tired to post

But since I'm certain I won't be posting tomorrow, I figured I'd leave you with at least something. Since tomorrow is my birthday, I figured you could read the posts from my last few birthdays. Last year, however, I didn't actually write anything on my birthday. I simply posted a video (the mentos experiment). The year before, I did write quite a bit including the story of my son's birth. The year before that, I also had another brief post. I was dating Marty at the time. I feel that I have changed quite a bit since that post, but maybe that's just me. Only a couple of you have been with me through the long haul of my blogging journey.

Well, I've got to get to bed so I can head back to the tournament in the morning. Just so you know... tomorrow (Nov. 10) is National Vanilla Cupcake day so have one and think of Josh and me on our birthdays. By the way... I still say that I'm officially 21 because I had Josh on my 21st birthday and I decided it was now his birthday and I could stay 21 the rest of my life. Just tell that to my 38 year old body that feels like it is about 60.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Relief

I've been panicking for a while now about my clarinet. I know it was delivered approximately three weeks ago, but I hadn't heard anything about it. I've started to have wild imagination scenarios go through my mind that it was delivered to the wrong place or I copied the wrong address down. I even had some nightmares about it. I finally decided I just needed to call and ask about it. My worries were unfounded. My clarinet is fine. He actually just finished it this evening he said. He needs to let it sit for a few days to make sure that everything is set the way it needs to be. He said that it should hopefully be on its way on Saturday. Whew! I know I don't play it much, but it's like my baby and I really feel lost without it. Actually, it will technically become Josh's instrument, but I think he'll let me play it every once in a while. I have high hopes and good intentions to get Josh his very own brand new Buffet clarinet as a graduation present, but I'll just have to wait and see how my finances are at that time. That is when I should be getting out of debt, but it will also be when Josh loses his SSI. The clarinet really needs a new case. Mine has been battered and torn over the past 27 years. Maybe I can suggest that as a Christmas present from my aunt.

Well, I need to head to the game shortly. I have no idea what to eat for dinner. I don't have any simple single meal things to cook. I was kind of hoping I might have some birthday money in the mail. I usually don't get any presents. My aunt, however, almost always sends both me and Josh checks which comes in handy. I try to spend it on myself, but well... you know how it is... always self-sacrificing. Money is short this month, but I'm prayer-ful and hopeful that the craft fair will go well. If you are of a mind to pray at all, I certainly wouldn't mind a little word lifted up on my behalf.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Time Flies When You're Busy

I've been staying up at school until 5:30 every day this week. My students have to perform their events for me before they are allowed to compete in the tournament. Some of them are waiting until the last minute - of course. They have been made aware that they if they are not performance ready, that they will have to drop and pay all drop fees. I've also been working hard on the debate files. I have to create some argumentation cheat sheets for my students. No, it's not a real kind of cheating... it's just sheets that help them make their arguments in the right order since they've never done it before.

During my lunch break I put price tags on all of my rosaries. I originally planned to price them according to my expense of making them with a little profit figured in, but it was too much work to try to remember what I paid for the beads and such so I just decided to make it simple. I'm selling them all for $15 each. I don't think I should price some over others because it's not for me to determine which are more worthy or prettier than others. That will recoup my costs and bring in a little profit as well. I think it's a fair price. It will also make giving change easier. I just hope some of them sell. My student that is my assistant during my conference saw them and she thought that they were great. She also gave me some business card sheets and I printed some business cards today. I have a free drawing planned (it was suggested as a way to get more people to stop by your booth). I'm giving away a free custom made rosary for the person that wins.

Tomorrow will be a long day. I have to stay after school and listen to students once again and then I have to go to the football game. Josh's game this week is on a Thursday and it's the last time they're doing their full show. Friday will be nice. I only have to go to two classes and then we leave for the tournament. We'll stop at Feldman's for lunch and then go to the tournament.

As soon as I got home tonight, I made pizza for dinner. It is one of my favorite meals to make and eat. I'm glad that I have leftovers to take for lunch tomorrow since I had my last bowl of soup today. I brought home papers to grade, but I'm fairly certain that I won't get to them. Thankfully I did some laundry last night. I'm going to watch Criminal Minds shortly and then fix some rosaries. I hope to get to bed before 10:00 tonight.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Sometimes you have to say "no"

I was supposed to have choir rehearsal tonight. I decided that I needed to get some other things done and I didn't want to feel overwhelmed. I was at school until 5:30 and didn't get home until after 6:00. I had to make supper and I just now finished so I would have had to rush to get there. I still have laundry to do, papers to grade, rosaries to price and I want to be able to go to bed at a decent hour. I wouldn't be able to get any of this done if I went to rehearsal. I also knew that I wouldn't sing very well at an early morning service after two long days of a speech tournament.

I've been working on CX debate files this week. I'm helping a team get prepared for the tournament on Friday and it is very time consuming. There's so much to have in order to compete. It can be very overwhelming. I hope my students simply survive. Luckily they are in novice debate. Friday will be 1/2 a day for me as I'll be leaving around 10:30 for the tournament. Saturday will be all day except for a diocesan choir rehearsal for a few hours. That is mine and Josh's birthday. We'll be spending it at the tournament again this year. I hope I make enough in rosary sales to pay for us to go out to dinner on Sunday evening.

Well, I better get some laundry started so I will have something to wear at school tomorrow.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Almost forgot to post

It has been another long day. I don't care much for Mondays. I did feel a little more rested being able to leave when the sun is actually coming up. School was o.k. My comm. app. kids started 24 hours of silence at the end of class so when they come to class tomorrow, they have to remain quiet. The goal is for them to not talk or make any vocal sounds for 24 hours straight and to communicate completely nonverbally. I know that some cheat, but some make an honest effort often to simply prove it to themselves.

I stayed after school until 5:30 as I had students stay to work. I spent most of the time printing out evidence for my first CX debate team. I got home at 6:00 and had to quickly make supper so I could go to a band booster meeting. I was able to get reimbursed for the expense of the website and they've agreed to pay for it for a year in advance. It's not much each month, but every little bit helps.

I came home after the meeting and watched the end of Chuck, and then I watched Heroes. I'm starting get into it, but it's still confusing... but I think that's their intent. I changed into my p.j.'s and spent some time converting a video for the band website. It's still a large file and I'm not sure that I want to put it on the site in that size right now. I haven't been able to update the speech website in a while. Maybe over Thanksgiving break if we get one. It will depend on playoff games.

Well, I'm going to get this posted and head to bed shortly. I had trouble falling asleep last night and I'm sure it was because I had a coke kind of late. I was just craving one completely. I avoided it tonight so I hope I can fall asleep faster.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Sunday Update

The party last night was o.k. The most fun I had was acting as bartender. I originally signed up to work from 6:00 to 7:30 but I didn't leave to eat until around 8:00. There was only one person signed up for the second time slot and I didn't want to leave them shorthanded. I had my steak dinner which was pretty good, but since I ate so late, I didn't get any steak sauce. I don't know if they originally had sour cream for the baked potatoes, but I didn't get any of that either. I only had one drink all night and that was a margarita. After I ate, I went back and helped bartend for about 30 minutes until the next shift came at 9:00. Then I sat with my friend Carol for about two hours. I didn't dance and all I did was watch the names in the reverse drawing. (Last person left won $10,000). My name came up before the the halfway point. Oh well. I left the party at 11:00. I couldn't stop yawning and I was starting to sprout a headache. The band was good, but a bit on the loud side for me. I guess I am getting to be an old fogy.

This morning I enjoyed getting my extra hour of sleep. I went to the adult Sunday school class and then the 11:15 Mass. I came home and had a quick lunch and watched t.v. for about 30 minutes. I then went to work on some rosaries. By the time I'm finished, I'll have about 30 to sell. At 2:20 I was getting ready to go to Josh's orchestra concert. I checked the oil in my car and it was low so I had to make a quick stop to get more. I made it to the concert with about 10 minutes to spare. I had to sit through two other groups before Josh's concert. Once again, it was extremely frustrating. I know that the audience is made up of a lot of parents, but I still can't stand such horrible concert etiquette. I know it can be difficult to find babysitters and of course your perfect little angel doesn't normally act that way, blah, blah, blah, but a concert really isn't a place for young children. If you absolutely insist on bringing a child to a concert, you should always sit on the aisle in a location near an exit door and the moment your little one starts to fuss, you should immediately take them outside. Don't keep shushing because it usually doesn't work. Concert halls can be scary especially when the lights go down.
Then there are the adults. I know that coughing is often unavoidable, but there are cough drops. If you happen to have a miserable could, you really shouldn't be at a concert infecting everyone around you and disturbing the performance. Also, one should only enter and leave between numbers. (The only exception is when you must take a child out.) If you really have something you must say, it should be in a very quiet whisper. A concert is not the right place to speak above a whisper. I was sitting in the concert enjoying a lovely clarinet duet played by my son and his friend John when the people behind me made a comment that completely took away my attention. I know I have high expectations and many parents don't understand the basic rules, but I feel that it's really common sense.

Regardless of my frustrations, I thought the concert was amazing. I love that Josh is able to have the experience of playing in a symphony. They announced that this is the 20th year of the youth symphony and I realized that I was in the very first one. I played in it my senior year of high school which was in 1987-1988. Like mother, like son.

On the way home, I stopped at the store to pick up a few things and then heated a t.v. dinner for supper. Josh went out with the woodwind players to Chili's after the concert. I changed into my p.j.'s and have been sitting in this chair for the past hour and half or so. I need to research some books this evening for my librarian to order. I also need to finish the rosaries I have started.

Well, I'm going to veg for a little longer before I get started on everything else. I'm not ready for school tomorrow. I'm ready for Thanksgiving break actually.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Credit Recovery

Before I met my ex-husband I had perfect credit. Before we married, I let him use one of my gas cards in which he charged up and didn't pay it off. I had a glitch on my credit report for the first time, but it was taken care of - although it was after it had gone to collection. We had to clean up his bad credit before we bought a house but managed to do so. While married, I managed to pay the bills and keep our credit clean. Unfortunately, because of the divorce my credit was ruined again. Our house was foreclosed and the joint bills that were placed in his name in the divorce settlement were never paid. I paid the stuff in my name off, but I know it still follows me. I'm trying to get out of debt and have paid off all my credit cards except for my gas cards that I still use and I have some other debts that I'm paying down. If all goes well, I'll be debt free in less than two years (other than the loans I'll be taking out for grad school). I've been hesitant to do anything that requires a credit check because it is very embarrassing to be told that you're denied credit. My bank has given me the only loan I've requested since my divorce and I think it's simply because it was decided by a real person and not a computer that checks my credit history.

Today I took Josh's car to the tire place because he has a tire that tends to go flat. I was simply going to get it fixed but it turns out that his tires are in bad shape, bordering on being dangerous to drive. I wasn't prepared to spend money on new tires today, but it had to be done. The sales clerk told me of the payment plan they have so I decided to take a risk and just see if I was given credit. I prefaced it with the comment that I have some bad divorce debt following me, but we'll see how it goes. You know what? I was approved. It seems that perhaps I'm getting out of the hell hole of bad credit that has followed me for the past 3 1/2 years. I was actually approved for $1500 although I only needed to use $350. I have to pay it off in three months to avoid finance charges, which I intend to do, but at least Josh has new tires and I feel better about him driving because of it. Now I'm not sure how I'm going to add one more payment to my monthly bills, but I always seem to manage somehow.

Well, I'm off to the fallback festival. I hope it is a pleasant experience and not another social nightmare. I wish my friend Andrew was here because I know he would go with me in a heartbeat. (Especially for the steak dinner!) Well, I'm going to go stag and enjoy it. I'll get to play bar tender which should make for at least an interesting evening for a while.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Friday with nothing to do

And I'm not complaining. Today was an uneventful day at school. All my classes were good and I didn't have to spend time teaching. I was able to get some printing ready for next week. (I'm usually behind on that) and my office is actually clean. I can't say the same for my house, but let's not go there.

I was actually home before 5:00 today. I put a t.v. dinner in the oven and have been sitting in the chair in front of the t.v. I have the heating pad out on my back. I started having a pain in my lower back/pelvis area which made it difficult to walk. I don't know if something is out of joint or it's a pinched nerve or something. I thought I'd try the heating pad and see if that takes care of it.

I don't have any plans tonight other than relaxing in front of the t.v. I'm looking forward to being able to sleep in tomorrow. I have a few things on my agenda tomorrow. I need to take Josh's car to have two of his tires fixed. I also need to get some rosary parts to finish some rosaries. Tomorrow evening is the fallback festival and I have to be there by 5:45 to get ready for bar tending. I think I'm looking forward to it, but I have no idea what to wear.

Nothing interesting to report here. Just another day.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Going to Bed Early - I think

I just got back from Mass. It was very nice and my singing was much better today. I'm still not a great singer (nor will I ever be) but I still love doing it and I try to at least carry a bit of a tune. CSI is on, but I'm not paying attention to it. I hate watching shows or movies once they have started. I can't just watch something starting in the middle if I've never seen it. Josh started recording it for me so I can watch it later.

I know I said I probably wouldn't blog tonight, but I figured I could answer some questions that have been posted in comments.

Mapiprincesa - I plan to get my Masters in Library Science and get my school library certification. I have a rosary that was blessed by Pope Benedict. My RCIA sponsor got it for me from the Bishop after he went to Rome.

Marykay - Veterans day isn't a holiday here so I don't exactly get a day off. The day before Veteran's day, the 10th, is my birthday (and my son's) and it will be spent at a speech tournament. I will get 1/2 a day off on the 9th to attend the first half of the tournament that weekend.

Whitney - I've just learned to let certain things go with the student in debate. The last couple of days have been o.k. Today he asked to go work on art stuff and I let him because it makes the class go better when he's gone.

Cheshire cat - I finally have chocolate! I got some on Halloween and then today I got more since it was 1/2 off. I have enough to keep me satisfied for a while.

Abbagirl - The craft fair is next weekend on the 11th from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. It is at a place on the square in town.

No more grades

I'm caught up on grading except for papers that students haven't turned in. Everything that has been turned in to me has been graded and I've updated the gradebook program. What a relief! I started working on my office this morning. I'm making progress. I'll continue after lunch and hopefully get it in reasonable shape. The bell just rang for lunch so I'm going to go fix something to eat.

I put a dinner in the microwave so I have 3 minutes to type. What shall we talk about? I need finish up some rosaries this weekend so I can sell them next weekend. Josh and my birthdays are coming up next weekend and I don't have enough money to take us out to eat like we usually do. I hope that I sell enough rosaries to at least buy us dinner and a present for Josh. I told him that I'd buy him the Transformers movie.

***stirred lunch and put back in microwave***

The weather is getting cold here. There was a "freeze advisory" last night. I turned on the heater again after school. I hate being cold. I know I could save money buy keeping the heat down and layering and such, but I'd rather not be miserable. The school won't turn on the heaters for probably several more weeks so I just have to feel cold right now.

*** Break to eat lunch***

I didn't get a chance to finish posting after eating lunch. Now it's time to go home. The afternoon went fine. I finished notes in comm. app. early so I need to find something for them to do tomorrow. I think we'll do a test review and then play charades on Monday in preparation for 24 hours of silence.

I talked to my principal about getting my degree and he seems supportive of it. I now need to figure out how to get $140 to take the GRE. I owe Josh $120 for his dual credit classes. I spent a lot of extra money this month on his tuition payment and for the fallback festival.

Tonight I have to sing for the All Saints Mass. I also need to get to the grocery store. I'm not sure if I'll have time to post later (or have anything to say) so this will have to do for tonight's post.