an exercise in hyperbole

'Twas the week before Winter Break and my Tuesday gave to meeeeee:

12 bazillion sick kiiiiids (thanks to the weather going from 70 to 40 degrees in a day!)
11 million "What are we doing today?"s
10 million "Do we HAVE to do something to day?"s
9 thousand students whining about having to read Macbeth or Into Thin Aiiiiir
8 hundred more essays to graaaaade
7 thousand questions about Macbeth Act II. (Honestly. Did they not listen at ALL?)
6 hundred more whining students asking "Do we HAVE to do this? Do we HAVE to do anything today?"
5 mooooore days until we leave for Michigan!
4 faiiiiiiiliiiiing Poetry test grades in 7th period (you have NO IDEA how amazing this is!)
3 times Bryan called Stephanie a bitch.
2 cars I almost hit trying to parallel park
1 New Haircut!:



Tuesday was okay for it being the Tuesday-before-winter-break. My eyes hurt, but we think we've figured out that it's the contact solution I switched to causing it and not an infection or the contacts. If it's not the solution, then I will have to go back to the doctor. My eyes hurting so bad has really put a stop on reading essays. I got 6 of them done today, but I have about 20-30 more to go. That's not too bad, but I'd like to get them done before Friday. I'm going to work my butt off tomorrow to get as many as possible done. My throat also hurt today because apparently, Virginia's weather gods want everyone to be sick for winter break. It was not a pleasant day for me or most of my students and our sinuses. But. The day ended up okay, I'm making some mini cupcakes now. Who doesn't cheer up while making cupcakes? Seriously.

I'm looking forward to going back to Michigan, but worried that we're going to miss everybody. We barely know anyone that lives there anymore and the dates that we have to travel back and then switch between east Michigan and west Michigan seem to be different from everyone else's. I'd like to see some friends while we're there! It's bumming me out thinking that I'm not going to see anyone.
Also, Megan and I (and now David and Mike) have been enjoying playing together on iminlikewithyou.com. If you're on there too, or you decide to join, let me know! I'll challenge you to a game or two.

getting stuff done (finally)

This week I was at school until 3:45-4 PM four out of five days. I had three or four different meetings, progress reports due on Wednesday and Thursday (and the whining & complaining that comes along with them), an armed intruder drill (and only a drill), tests, projects, poetry readings and essays. This means I ended up with the biggest stack of Papers To Be Graded ever, all while trying to start a new unit on Nonfiction Essays which will straddle the winter break.
But. Somehow I managed through the week, I got a lot done and I was determined to have a productive weekend (last weekend I felt exhausted and lazy, which probably added to how much I had to do last week). Yesterday started off the productivity. We did some holiday-related shopping, finally. We started with giving ourselves gifts since we decided on trying to figure out something to get the both of us and we're never good at keeping gifts secret from each other. Then I wanted to go to a few places to figure out a treat I can give my students for bringing back their signed progress reports. The last time they had reports due back it was Halloween, so I gave them Halloween candy and pencils. I was thinking of making a little holiday-related/more-winter-than-Christmas-related bag of candy and other goodies, but I found these and got a brilliant idea:

I'm making mini cupcakes! I also went to the dollar store and picked up boxes of cherry and peppermint candy canes. I think that'll do. I figured the cupcakes were a special reward for my 10th graders since I just about killed them with the end of the poetry unit: a poetry portfolio of 10+ of their poems typed, a poetry reading where they had to read one poem, a test that was pretty long and difficult on poetry AND a poetry essay that was pretty challenging for 10th grade. Most of them survived, thankfully. For my 12th graders, it's a thank you for reading Macbeth out loud and acting in front of the class twice.

I also wanted to see if I was inspired to participate in the Secret Elf bag exchange the faculty was invited to do on Thursday. I did this on Halloween with the Phantom bags and it turned out pretty fun. I didn't have anything in mind though, but thankfully, Target has a ton of winter/Christmas/holiday gift sets that teachers would love. So I made one:

My bag's pretty cute for not really being prepared to decorate it. You should see some of the other bags both this time and last--they were amazing! My Phantom bag had a witch pez dispenser, some office supplies, cute pens, and cold/flu season supplies (airborne, cough drops, lip balm, etc). I thought it was pretty useful. My Secret Elf bag this time is a lot more in line with a specific theme. I hope whoever gets my bag likes hot cocoa. I got them a cute mug with a penguin (or was it a snowman? I can't remember) drawn on the mug with another one sitting on the handle, some chocolate and a set of four different types of hot chocolate (tiramisu, creme brulee, and two others I can't remember).

After all that, I relaxed for a while and then made myself work on school-related grading or planning from 3-6. I actually did it, too. I got a lot of grading done. All I have left are essays and the short answer part of the poetry test.

Last night we went with Shannon and Dan to a cute boutique to see two bands play.
While we were waiting for the second band to start, Dan and David looked at some of the records they had for sale in the store. That's when Shannon and I realized that they looked like twins once again:

The second band was just okay, so we dipped out early and headed next door to the Village Cafe, which we'd all heard a lot about. The guy that does the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives went there apparently. We didn't try the food, just had a few beers and talked until we all got tired.

drrrrr

It was one of those weeks where I felt frazzled and overwhelmed. I didn't have a lot to do, but my brain wasn't quite working right. I would forget things, I would wander around in circles, etc. It just wasn't quite working.
But that's okay. Positive things that make it not really matter that this week was "meh":

• The holiday season has begun which means my new holiday favorite, Pomegranate 7Up, is available once again. 
• And there are only two more weeks until a two week winter break where I not only get to go to Michigan, but Megan will be coming to Richmond to celebrate NYE! Eeeeexciting.
  
• Hopefully while we are in Michigan, I will get to see some friends AND get a new tattoo or two. 
• Netflix watch instantly now works on my computer.
• David got new glasses that are pretty sweet.
• David bought my moped new things.
• We ate some Five Guys burgers and fries and tried out an Italian place I kept hearing good things about that lived up to its reputation.
• Oh, and next week will be better, of course.
  

Here is a Flickr stats meme for your taking the time to read through my increasingly boring blog.

Most views:

Megan's tattoo (1062 views). 2nd place is Mike's tattoo, but the picture pretty much looks the same.

Most "favorite"s:



Most comments:

Oops.

I keep meaning to update this, but then I get distracted by something else.
Recently, I've been trying to hit my 50 books in 2008 goal. After the 2 books I have left to read from the library, I have 2 more to read to reach my goal. I think I can actually do it this year!
I've finally caught up and gotten on top of things school-wise. That feels amazing. My to do lists are shorter and get done quicker.
We went to Michigan for Thanksgiving. It was kind of a crazy idea, but this year we could actually afford to do both Thanksgiving and Christmas and we had no plans in Richmond, so why not, right? It was nice to get a few extra hours with both families.
Speaking of Christmas/winter break, we will be in Warren from December 20-24th and Kalamazoo from the night of the 25th-29th. I hope to see some of you then.

Old Dominion
Robert Hass

The shadows of late afternoon and the odors
of honeysuckle are congruent sadness.
Everything is easy but wrong. I am walking
across thick lawns under maples in borrowed tennis whites.
It is like the photographs of Randall Jarrell
I stared at on the backs of books in college.
He looked so sad and relaxed in the pictures.
He was translating Chekhov and wore tennis whites.
It puzzled me that in his art, like Chekov's,
everyone was lost, that the main chance was never seized
because it is only there as a thing to be dreamed of
or because someone somewhere had set the old words
to the old tune: we live by habit and it doesn't hurt.
Now the thwack... thwack of tennis balls being hit
teaches me and it is the first sound of an ax
in the cherry orchard or the sound of machine guns
where the young terrorists are exploding
among poor people on the streets of Los Angeles.
I begin making resolutions: to take risks, not to stay
in the south, to somehow do honor to Randall Jarrell,
never to kill myself. Through the oaks I see the courts,
the nets, the painted boundaries, and the people in tennis
whites who look so graceful from this distance.

why Halloween was just okay

I know that most of you that read this have not had the joy or opportunity of being in a room full of teenagers on Halloween, let alone a Halloween on a Friday.
Let me tell you, it can either be incredibly fun or a living hell. I had both yesterday.
The day starts off calm, but then they start eating sugar and more sugar. By the end of the day, they are rabid animals ready to kill you if you don't add to their sugar intake.
Add that in to a variety of ignorant (mostly racist) things coming out of my 10th graders mouths this week and you can maybe understand why my Halloween spirit was killed.
There is a longer post in all of this, but I mostly just wanted to let all of you (all 2 of you!) know that I'm still alive and at some point in time will update you on how this school year is progressing.
Real talk, I feel like I'm in Gorillas in the Mist, studying a species I've never had the chance to meet up close and personal before. I'm not sure if I like it. (BTW, I miss having kids that preface their serious chats with me by saying "Real talk, Mrs. P...")

6 quirky things

Kate has tagged me to list six personal quirks. I don't know if these count, but this is what I could think of.

1. I, like Kate, used to count steps in sidewalk blocks. I only do this when I'm alone and especially when I'm trying not to think about how cold, rainy, etc. the weather is.

2. I have to check the doors at night about 2 or 3 times. Just to make sure they're all locked, even though I know they are.

3. My desk at school has only a few places where things can go. There must be piles of similar things in the same area, otherwise, I lose my head. My former students used to laugh about this.

4. I am totally one of those people who straights cards in a game ALL THE TIME. I'll also randomly straighten up books, piles of random junk on your desk, anything in a pile that isn't even or straight. (It's super awkward when I do that in front of people)

5. If the cushions on our couch are even the tiniest bit off or have slid a little bit from the back of the couch, I must fix it immediately. I hate it when I sit on the couch and and I can feel the cushion leaning over the edge.

6. I can't leave our cats alone. If I see one sleeping, I have to mess with it. This is probably why they normally hide somewhere if they actually want to sleep.

I tag Megan, Leanne, and Diana to do this.

check these out

What McCain thinks of white voters






And something not political that was hilarious:

ladies and gentlemen: we have success

I haven't been 100% recently. Friday started it off with a horrible headache that felt like someone was stabbing me on the left side of my skull. That headache made an appearance on Saturday and at times on Sunday. Sunday also brought the Sore Throat, which continues until today. My voice has slightly gone in and out, but I'm trying to pretend that I'm NOT getting sick in any way, shape or form, cause you can only pull the "I'm sick kids, please stop being crazy" only so many times before they get tired of it and think you're faking (side note: the headache excuse? ALWAYS WORKS. Seriously. I could probably claim to have a headache even when I didn't and they would be all nice, calm and quiet.)

Since I have been slightly sick, I was dreading today because today has Seventh Period, it's a 4 day week due to the holiday on Monday, and next week is Homecoming (cause, you know, just cause it's next week doesn't stop them from being excited this week and the week after [which is also Halloween week]). During my 6th period planning time yesterday, I was debating not coming in today. I felt horrible and exhausted, which is usually how I felt trying to wrassle 28 10th graders into doing something(ANYTHING!) but talking, wandering around the classroom and generally being more interested in going home rather than the work that needs to be done during class. If you are a teacher, you probably understand. End of the day classes are usually the most challenging because they're either seriously awake (a little too awake) or incredibly tired, but either way, they're brains are fried and they don't want to do much. Every class I've had at the end of the day (and last year, I had classes on both A and B days at the end) was always the one I heard "How about we don't do anything today, Mrs. P?" during. Do you know how annoying that is? On the positive side, they were always the one with more energy and personality than the others.

But I decided to show up to school today.
Today was the first day my 7th bell was exactly what I wanted it to be. The kids in there are super helpful, mostly because they like being on their feet and find it hard to sit down for longer than two seconds. I have one that sits at my desk (he loves to put on a show, but if he sits at my desk, he calms down) who took attendance, started/ended the video, and made sure what needed to be on the Promethean Board was up there. I have another student who sits in a blue chair right next to my desk, who everyone lovingly refers to as "Fatty" (that's a whole other story, though). I also have a few other students who always like to be up and social who help in passing out books and papers.
I made the few announcements that I had to make, answered "ARE WE PLAYING TELEPHONE TODAY? I HEARD YOUR OTHER CLASSES GOT TO PLAY TELEPHONE. DO WEEEEEEE?" about a thousand times ("No, your class is about a day behind. We'll get to play telephone next class"), we watched a short 3 minute video from the textbook on what it took to be a knight, and then I let them loose. They had to create a knight's shield for themselves (we were reading "The Sword in the Stone"), put it on the wall somewhere in the room (one student put it on the ceiling!), and then they had to read the story on their own, and finish a sheet we started with the knight clip. While they were coloring and tracing animals onto their sheets using the Promethean Board, I was passing out papers, getting candy for students who turned in their progress reports signed and getting students to make extra copies, clean up, pass out books, finish their work, help others tape up their shields, etc.
These are the days that make teaching worth it. I looked around the class and saw that they were helping each other out, they were learning and having a fun time at the same time, and they were completing what they needed to do. I think I should do those kinds of activities more often. I was also repeating to myself "go with the flow, you are not sick" and I think that helped.
With that class, I try (I'm definitely not 100% successful) to stay as calm and positive as possible. They respond a lot better to me joking around with them or just giving them the "And? I'm not amused" face (or, for Megan and David, who will get it: the "Am I bovvered?" face) than getting angry and yelling. This is mostly because they are the kind of kids that like to find the buttons that make a teacher snap and go bonkers. The more you get angry--the more they win and the more fun they're having, while also creating a very tense, negative classroom atmosphere. When you have a class full of kids used to being yelled at, knowing exactly how to set a teacher off and being able to easily accomplish just that, it really shocks them when you say nothing but positive things about them (no matter how small) and make a joke about the crazy things that come out of their mouth instead of snapping and writing them up. Just imagine me brushing my shoulder off and trying to keep the "What? You thought that was something for me to get mad about? You are crazier than I thought!". What happens with them is that they are either shocked out of misbehaving because they weren't expecting that reaction or they get whatever jokes they have out of their system. Either way, they get over it and everyone moves on a lot quicker than if I decided to make a big deal out of it and argue with them over it for who knows how many minutes. Also, when you have to use the "teacher voice" (which I did have to do to one student today because he kept bouncing up and down on the floor to make the projector shake in an attempt to mess up a few shields), they take it slightly more seriously than if you're using it all the time. Again, it's the shock that makes them straighten up and actually listen. When I told one child to sit down and get to his own work today in "the voice", half the class's jaws dropped and they were all "Oooh, dang, Mrs. P's serious." and then I went back to doing what I was doing and they went back to doing what they were doing. Amazing.

Also: my 12th graders are actually liking Chaucer/The Canterbury Tales, which is great compared to their utter dislike for Beowulf. They are probably just humoring me though because I can't say enough how much better Chaucer is than Beowulf. Does that make me a bad teacher? (Allow me to answer my own question, like a crazy lady: probably not. I do make a point to say that I just don't appreciate Beowulf as much as Chaucer's work, but I definitely understand why it's important. It's just not my thing.)

I need to take more pictures!

Look at that face!

What have I been doing?
Besides answering questions about evolution, I've been getting to know the adorable kitty above. That's Vincent Gallo, Shannon and Dan's new kitten. He is adorable, but incredibly hard to photograph cause he hates cameras. Also: I tried sushi for the first time and ate tater tots with chopsticks. I sent the best birthday present I've ever put together to Megan for her 21st birthday. I had a headache that lasted about 2 1/2 days, which was a new experience for me. I've made plans for Halloween/Autumn-related activities, Christmas break, and NYE. I've found a balance between work and fun. I've gotten to know my students better and my classes are falling into more of a routine. I've emailed back and forth with old students and each has been the same: they say: I miss you! We talk about you every day! We are jealous of your new students! and I say: I miss you! I brag about you every day! It makes me feel amazing to hear they still remember me and look forward to seeing me again (because I look forward to watching them graduate). I got my Richmond Public Library card. I'm grateful I work in a pretty stable industry. David and I (sort of) celebrated being together for 5 years. I've started to really focus on what I want to accomplish with my career and what I should chose to do for my master's. I watched most of the debates and I've laughed really hard at Tina Fey's Sarah Palin sketches. I'm looking forward to a lot of things.

that's a new experience.

So, 10th graders were taking notes on different kinds of folk tales (I know, right? Who still teaches 10th graders about folk tales? Isn't this what K-9 is for? Sheesh.).
We got to the part about myths, where I was explaining that they're similar to fables and parables because they deal with religion or religious beliefs, but different from them because it has to do with an explanation of the gods, landmarks, creation of humans/earth, or interactions between humans and gods, etc. My example was Greek or Roman myths and this is what happened:

Student: But myths aren't true.
Me: Not necessarily. Sure, we use the word 'myth' to mean something that's not 'fact', but the kind of myths I was just talking about were true to somebody at some point in time.
Student: But Greek and Roman myths aren't true.
Me: You have to be careful saying that because you're basically saying that someone else's beliefs and religions are false. I'm pretty sure no one likes to be told that. Like I said, at some point in time, myths were true to whatever group of people the tale originated from.
Student: But... aren't they not true?
Other student, just chiming in: Like, don't we use 'myth' to mean false?
Student: Like evolution?
Me: ...........


Evolution?
Student: Yeah, like the myth of evolution.
Another student, just hearing this: But evolution makes some sense... (more thinking out loud than anything, but still... I just wanted to ignore what could possibly explode into a very awkward debate)
Me: Well, some people believe evolution is true. There are many people who have studied long and hard and found common traits, so they came up with the theory of evolution. (and I made sure to use "Theory" just becaaaaause of trying to avoid some crazy situation that could end up with me being sued and/or fired.)
Student: Oh. So, do you believe in evolution?
Me: ............



(very quietly) yes... it makes some sense to me...
Student: Oh, well I believe in God. And Adam and Eve.
Me:....I believe in God....
Student in the back: You can believe in God and evolution!
Another student: Debate!!
Me: Aaaand we're done with this conversation. We're not having a debate because I don't want anyone to feel like others were ganging up on them for their beliefs. Everyone has something to belief and that's okay. Moving on to legends...

Thankfully, after I explained that it was all done.
My jaw seriously did drop, though.

that's a big spider

Do you see that?! I get to see it every time I enter or leave my apartment, since it's on the way downstairs. It's got a pretty amazing web, too.

So. School's getting better. A lot of my students are starting to constantly harass me (in a good way). I still don't know a lot of the teachers because a lot of them are anti-social/have their own thing going on and we're spread out over the huge school. The culture of the school is definitely different, a mixture of being really relaxed and really micromanaged. From what I've heard, some of these students have had 3-5 teachers for one class in the same YEAR. How does that happen?? Plus, quite a few of the other teachers (so far! I haven't met & talked to all of them) seem to really dislike their job, teaching and the students. Whatever. It's a job and I'll probably stick with it cause the kids are great.
I finally caught up this week, too. I don't have half of what I had last week to grade. I've made all my copies. I've put grades into the gradebook and been able to show some kids their grades. I had plans for the full week ready. This upcoming week will have the first tests of the year, I did pretty good getting them ready seeing as how I had no idea what kind of tests teachers usually give at these schools. I'll be interested in seeing how they do.
We watched the debate last night. Well, David watched all of it, I took breaks every now and then to watch or do other things. Too much of politics is like too much of anything else: dangerous to your health.

self-portrait

self portrait meme:
take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture.

Okay, okay, so I took that last night. I didn't have much time to post last night between trying to relax a little from a very busy week at school and then get back to grading the massive amount of papers left.
But I basically look the same right now. I'm still on my bed, Gabriel's still taking a nap on top of me. He's really into cuddling recently. No matter where I am, he's gotta be there. He's even been sleeping between D and I through the night. This has really upset Jackie because that was our time to cuddle and she's very picky about how she curls up with someone.

Today was all about grading. I graded my ass off. I've gone through 3 classes of introduction letters and have only one more to go (24 more!). These kids do not play around when it comes to turning in work, man. I am not used to that. I also just finished up checking off the Beowulf/Grendel maps and weekly journals for one class and am about half done doing that for a 10th grade class, too. Sweet! It looks like Mrs. P might just get some "me" time this week!
I had some pretty awesome experiences this week at school. I'll hopefully find some time to sit down and tell you about them soon. I'm getting more used to it and the kids are getting more comfortable with me. I still haven't really gotten to know a lot of the other teachers. They're... strange. Very welcoming, but also, not so much. One of the other new-to-the-school teachers just moved back to the US after living in Germany (her husband's in the military) came to see me early on in the week to say that anytime I wanted to talk, vent, share ideas, etc. to come see her. I'll probably take her up on that this upcoming week.
One big thing happened this week (that I was told about 2 days before it happened--ahh!): Back to School Night/Open House. I saw quite a few parents. One of the dads reminded me of Bob D. He had all sorts of questions, elbowed me a little bit about grading, the schedule, etc, and then shook my hand and said "Welcome to NK county!" I asked him, "Was this my initiation?" He seemed to get a kick out of that. Whew.

so you wanna know about the new job, eh?

Pros:
-Barely any kids in the hallway
-No workrooms (because it means all my stuff is in one place instead of 2 or more)
-Not one, but two cabinets in the room
-Not one, but two bookshelves in the room
-New high school! Whoa!
-Kids are super friendly
-95% of them do their work without me begging and pleading with them.
-They have their own supplies
-No tardies. Well, no unexcused tardies. When they come in late, they freak out and apologize a thousand times and have a note.
-Principal and APs are cool, and ALL the office workers are nice (those of you that do not work in schools and can't remember those that worked in the office: THIS NEVER HAPPENS! I swear, there always has to be ONE that always looks pissed off.)
-The Promethean Board. I can't really explain it for those of you that don't know what Smart boards or PBoards are like, but I am totally in love with this thing.


Cons:
-Sometimes, I feel useless because they all just sit and do their work.
-No workrooms (because it means I don't know any of the other teachers since we all have our own rooms)
-Classrooms next to me are empty or a computer lab that no one uses, and across the hall from me is a wall. So, it kinda feels like I'm all alone over there. (pro of that is: it's quiet?)
-I don't know the kids and everyone else knows everyone.
-They say "that's gay" and "fag" a lot more. And wear more confederate flags.
-I miss bonding with the kid that borrowed pencils every day. And the kids that always strolled in late every class.
-Lots of forms to fill out.
-A teacher told mesome students chew tobacco in class (ew) and some bring their guns or crossbows to school during hunting season. Uh...

Pictures are on flickr. I was going to put some here, but I'm tired and I have a lot of letters to grade and other stuff to take care of before Back to School night tomorrow night.


My 12th graders are cool, though. Super cool, for the most part (minus a few that sit in the back corner, never shut up and are really stuck up). My 10th graders are... strange. My 7th period is hilarious, 5th period's okay, 2nd period is sleepy. One of the science teachers I met today said, "Oh, you're the new English teacher! I'm _____, we both teach 10th grade." So I made a joke about how fun they can be and she said "Yeah, the 10th graders this year are a little undercooked". That was hilarious, and also very true. I think it was just a bad year for kids, cause the kids in the same class at The Old School are "undercooked" as well. It happens sometimes.
I think it'll be okay and I know I'll get used to it. It's a little hard right now because at the end of the school day, I just sigh and think "I miss Granby". Obama was there this week and I had excited messages from former students and Tye. It made me miss them a lot and wish I could share that excitement with them. I know it'll get easier and I'll start feeling more a part of this new school, but right now, I just feel confused, slightly overwhelmed, lost and like an outsider. Part of that is because I started late, another is because it's a lot smaller and a third is that I am an outsider. A lot of the people I'm working with and a lot of the students have all known each other for years and years already. But, like I said, it'll get better. Even if it doesn't, I'll make it work because most of me is just happy to be teaching again.
Oh yeah, and one of the Assistant Principals is like Dan W-K's redheaded twin. It is freaky how alike they are. I also have a student that looks almost exactly like a student I had last year. This morning, I saw her in the hallway and almost called her Stephanie instead of her real name.

warning: political post

Okay, so I watched most of the Democratic convention. I loved Michelle Obama's speech (next Jackie O. much? She is gorgeous!) , I loved Joe Biden's, and I especially love Barack Obama's. It was inspiring and uplifting, but I felt they kept it kind of realistic.
So, I've been trying to watch parts of the RNC, but I just can't after a while. It's so incredibly negative and has so many personal attacks that it's just ridiculous. I find myself wanting to yell at the TV! David was watching Rudy Guliani's speech last night while I was in another room, and what I heard was just... horrible. It was really, really... something else. I don't even know how to explain it.
And don't even get me started on Palin. I am very glad that a woman is involved (yay women in politics! Woo!), but this woman is not only completely inexperienced, but is also incredibly crazy extreme. I used to have respect for McCain. I really did. And then he became the Republican candidate. Now, I'm not denying that Democrats have their issues, and that Barack Obama has some downfalls, but goddamn are the Republicans making all those issues look like nothing compared to what I've heard out of their mouths recently.

Let me share some good reading with you...
Save Richmond: How to Be a Republican Hypocrite
Feministing: Palin's Handling of Other People's Pregnant Teens
John McCain thinks women are stupid

Oh, and not to mention, my favorite John McCain moment (yes, besides the whole not knowing how many houses he owns and having to get back to people about whether or not birth control should be covered by insurance, even though viagra is and that's never debated): "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt". Not only does he call her a cunt, but he uses my favorite word: trollop! Yes! McCain/Palin '08! Sign me up!


Ohhhh yeahhhhhh, by the way, I got a job.


ETA: Megan passed along this blog, and right at the top was this post: Because She's a White Republican. Also:

I love Keith Olbermann.

have I reached the bottom yet?

A year ago, I was starting my second year teaching for a school I loved. I felt confident, I felt I had learned a lot my first year and I felt ready.
How do I feel now, a year later?

• Frustrated. I have no job, but I've had interviews. One was awkward and weird, another was a complete mischeduling mess and the third was somewhat okay, but I got the feeling they filled the position before my interview. I heard from someone that one district I had two separate interviews with doesn't even really care about filling open positions because they can save some money by starting off the year with subs, then finding someone later on. W.t.f.
• Regretful. Every day that I've had to wait for phone calls or someone to respond to an email, I've kicked myself multiple times for not doing this, that and the other thing. I figured that these school districts actually wanted me to teach for them because I attended their job fairs and impressed them there. HA! That's funny. Turns out, they're too big and crazy for their own good and I shouldn't have put so much faith in them. I don't know what they pay their HR people for, or even if they have actual human beings working in their HR department, because all I get is voicemail and emails that take about a week or so to get a reply. I also regret not keeping my NPS job just in case. It was crazy to think about while I was happily signing the form saying I was not returning because I was moving, but now I'm kicking myself because at least then, I'd still have a job.
  
• Sad. I miss working where I was working. I liked it there and I didn't want to leave. This morning, I realized that everyone would be going back there to start off the new year, and here I am. Jobless and feeling crappy every day.
• Useless. I don't like not having a job. I don't like waking up every single morning without a schedule, and no end of that in sight. I don't like having to watch every penny we spend just in case it takes me forever and a day to get a job. I don't like having to think about the things we can sell if it takes me even longer to find a job.
• Worthless. I guess that's a word to describe it. Who has three interviews with no takers? Who? Me, that's who. And that is embarrassing. No one wants me to teach for them--what does that say about me? I really do feel like Worst Teacher Ever. It's like those that doubted me are now being proven right. It's like they can see every single one of my failures, everything I don't do perfect. I've been trying to counteract that with the thought that no, I'm not perfect, but I'm willing to try! Really! This whole experience makes me think that maybe I'm not meant to be a teacher. Maybe fate is trying to send me that message. I thought I was pretty good at what I did and was getting better every day. But, again, maybe I was just meant to enjoy those two years and then become like those thousands of other former teachers who quit within their first 5 years.

Whenever I have go through a hard time, I've always tried to remind myself that I go through it for a reason and that I'm supposed to learn something from it that I'll need later. I just don't get it, this time. I try and try to stay positive, and every day something new happens to make it that much harder. I keep telling myself that I haven't found that school yet, either. When I got the call from NPS, I got a feeling that I needed to go to VA and interview with them. When I met everyone there, I knew why I got that feeling. Recently, I haven't gotten any feeling of the sort. My intuition, my gut instinct? Gone. I feel restless, but lazy and tired. I feel frustrated, but I don't care enough anymore to do anything about it. I feel trapped. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, and that's the scariest part of all of this.
I've liked Richmond so far, and I really have nothing against it, but I wish we had never moved away from my former job.

recipe time!

One positive of having so much time to spend at home and wanting to save money is that I get to finally try out some recipes. I made this one tonight and it was incredibly tasty and easy (once I got used to folding the pie crust over). I know many people that would enjoy this dish as well, so I figured I'd put something that wasn't job related or me whining about not having a job on the ol' blog. I got this recipe out of this aaaaaamazing little magazine I picked up. David and I can usually come up with suggestions to change the recipe to make it better, but we couldn't really come up with anything.

Cheesy Corn and Chicken Turnovers
(Makes 8 turnovers)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (about 2 chicken boneless breasts)
1 11 oz. can whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained
1 10.75 oz. can condensed cream of chicken and herbs soup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 15 oz. package rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crusts (2 crusts)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, mix together chicken, corn, soup and cheese.
2. Unfold pie crusts and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll each pie crust into a 13" circle, then cut into quarters. Spoon between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of chicken mixture along one straight side of each triangle, about 3/4" from edge. Brush edges with water & fold other straight side over. Seal, fold, do whatever you like to try and keep it closed. Prick pastry several times with a fork. Repeat with remainin pastry and filling, then place on a large baking sheet (or two small-medium ones, if your oven is tiny like mine).
3. Recipe says to bake 15 minutes, but mine took about 25-30 minutes to get brown around the edges and the crust baked enough to eat. Serve hot to warm.

The toughest part of this recipe is getting the hang of closing up the crust in a way that doesn't rip or tear the crust or make it become a totally different shape. We had two that had wonky crusts and became really strange looking turnovers, but they were still as delicious as the others. Oh! And make sure you put a good mixture in the turnover, I got one that was a lot of chicken and not so much of everything else.

job update

Interview #1: Got the feeling they didn't really want me.
Interview #2: What a mess. Scheduling misunderstanding and just... a mess.
Interview #3: I liked the school, the people, the philosophy, and I think I did pretty good. Still haven't heard back, though.

Today I called the HS a few blocks from our house. Left a message and the secretary for the principal said she'd call me back.

So... now I'm back to waiting and hoping. Great.

you were right

Remember how I was freaking out?
Well. Yeah. You were all right.
I have been called and emailed (FINALLY!). I have my preferences (HS>MS, less than 10 mi commute>30 mi commute) and I now have to figure out how to handle the more-than-one-interview situation, but I am no longer waiting to hear whether or not there are jobs. Yay!
I really suck at interviews, but hopefully I'll have at least one principal that wants me to work with them.

panic sets in

It's now August. August means only a few weeks until school. Three weeks until pre-service week. Four weeks until most schools start.

And I still have not heard from any of the places I've applied to. I've emailed. I gave my resume to someone that knows someone that works for Richmond's schools. I've heard nothing. Nothing!

I am now officially panicking. Yes. Full on panic. I've been telling myself that August will be The Month. The Month to Get the Job.
I don't care what job. I don't care where they send me, really. I'll make the best of it. I just. want. a. teaching. job. Please? Pretty please?
Then I start thinking: What if I did something wrong on my application? What if they don't think I'm qualified? I'm full of "What if".

(And the other part of my brain, not panicking and trying to be reasonable says: I'm sure I did everything okay on my application. I had all the info, all the references, but who knows? And on that note, if I don't get an interview or job because I screwed up on one small thing on the application, do I want to work for them anyway? Probably not. That's a small mistake on a mere formality, but it still bothers me. And about not being qualified: how is that possible? I don't know. I succeeded for 2 years already.)

The big "what if": What if I don't get a job? What happens?

Do I go back to working jobs I worked before I was a teacher? That's a scary thought. I didn't hate those jobs, but it's embarrassing and depressing to think that I go from being a teacher to a barista again.

I miss my students. I miss the other teachers. I miss being employed and having a paycheck and something to do.

What if I don't get a job? What if I don't hear at all? Crap. I am in full-on panic mode and every second, I'm staring at my phone, willing it to ring. This is horrible.

in which I refer you to my flickr photostream...

Pictures of our apartment with stuff in it are up on my flickr.
You'll also find a few (no, really, like less than 5) pictures from Tye's visit. We went to a really cute place called Comfort, but my camera's battery was dying, so I didn't take a lot of pictures.
(picture taken by Leanne's wonderful camera. I am trying not to laugh at the guy taking the picture, who said "You look like ducks!" or something along those lines, because we were in a V formation. Also, a prize to the first person that notices what's different about this picture. Here's a hint: I learned a valuable lesson this week about keeping track of how long I use one pair of contacts.)
You'll also find really blurry, hard to understand pictures from the night I went out with Leanne, Diana, Shannon and Rebecca and had a ridiculous amount of fun. My camera was on its last little bit of energy, but I tried to take a few good pictures (uhh, they're "artsy"??).

There is a hilarious story behind this picture. I wish I could tell you, but 1) it's really Diana's story and 2) it's probably one of those "you had to be there (especially after a few cucumber mojitos)" stories.
There are also pictures (and videos) of when David and I went to the Gone to the Birds festival to see the Purple Martins. It was crazy to see! The picture above is a shot of the huge flock we saw first.
This hawk snatched a Purple Martin out of the air, plucked it, tenderized it with its claws and then ate it whole. Someone in the crowd called it a Republican, which got a lot of laughs. It then flew into a tree full of Martins to try and get another. What a jerk.

completely & totally not dead

It's weird being in a city again. I keep remembering there's lots of stuff to do!

What we've done so far:

• Unpacked, cleaned, and went to Ikea to get some important things (like a sofa, chair and wardrobe)
• Figured out how to function in a smaller apartment
• Remembered what it was like to live in an apartment with no central air and no dishwasher again (that wasn't too difficult, it was only 2 years that we lived with those luxuries)
• Celebrated our 2 year anniversary by walking over to a wonderful restaurant called Kuba Kuba
• Many walks. One of those walks was to Plan 9, which I knew was a bad idea to begin with because I saw their vinyl collection when I was there with the family, and ended up finding a few good things.
• Got my moped running!!
  
• Got David a Schwinn Varsity for $50. Considering we spent about $200 on my female Varsity, his was a steal. It's a pretty green one that
  
• Went to see The Dark Knight with two lovely ladies. It was awesome, even though I was hungry and had to pee really bad by the end of it (TMI? I'm sorry).
• Met most of the people in the building.

Not much, but I've been trying to not spend too much since I still don't have a job. I know I'll probably have one by the time school starts, but I really don't want to chance our finally-somewhat-stable financial situation just in case I don't hear from anybody or get an offer.
But that's enough of that. Thinking about that just makes me anxious.
Plus, it's my summer vacation. I'm not going to worry about finding a back up job (positive thinking: because I won't need one) until school starts, so I've been enjoying that thing called sleeping in. I've also been trying to read The Pillars of the Earth--that thing is a beast! Since I don't teach during the summer, and my day to day activities of sleep in-read a little-check email-slide on the wood floors to Bikini Kill because I just moved to this lovely city and lack friends, places to go, a job, etc. isn't really interesting to anyone but me, I've been thinking about all the things I've been meaning to sit down and write all year. Being a second year teacher actually gave me a second or two to remember: oh yeah, I actually had other stuff that I did before I was swamped with planning, grading, giving a crap, etc. So, I'll try and get some of that down and hopefully some of it will be interesting.

two years!

Happy Anniversary, babe!
I can't believe it's been two years. It's gone so fast!

my tribute to rocket star

Dear Rocketstar,

I was there the day you opened. I remember I was incredibly happy when Bill and Dan asked me to work for them. I liked how they set up the place, I liked the atmosphere they were going for and they seemed like awesome people to work for.
I remember the first day I worked and how nervous I was that I would screw up, Bill would realize he made a bad choice and tell me not to come back (and then I'd have to go work at Ali Baba's again).

I remember when Dave B. put in the glass between the smoking and non-smoking rooms and how paranoid I was about breaking it.

I remember when this room was clean.

I remember working many midnight to 6 AM shifts and only seeing Scott (who always kept me laughing and had some sort of obsession at times. Does anyone remember when he would say "touche" to everything?), Mischa (who drew really interesting things in the Rocket Log and scared off creepy dudes for me) and Radiohead Dave (no explanation needed).

and then many 6 AM to noon shifts, where I saw Ms. McKenna a lot, but was too intimidated to talk to her.

I remember when a helicopter landed across the street.

And when Dan dropped a box or two of China Cola.

Dan also once told me that I had to own a moped and be a member of the Moped Army to continue working at Rocketstar, so I got this:

(hahaha. Just kidding. I got it cause mopeds are awesome, duh.)
I remember one day I got a special message on the sign outside.

And I remember when 2 of the 3 Hanson brothers were hanging out, drinking coffee in Rocket Star. And when Bill was convinced that Edward Norton came in, but was in ~disguise~.

I've met many people because of Rocket Star.

Erin M.


Miss Kim

Dan

Chris!!

Joeybearrrrr

Bill (I think this was during his dance off with Mikey O)

Mikey Ohio (winning the dance off)


Emily!
Beth.

Lauren (Petro's in that pic too, but I already knew him!) I believe this picture was taken at an 80s night. Ugh, I miss those! They were so fun!
Franta

Jordan

DVG
Abe and Kyle. (Abe once recorded a version of Elvis Costello's "Alison" for my birthday. It was awesome and I still have it.)

Chad
Dave B

Amanda.
Some of them I'm still very close with, a lot of them came to our wedding, but (sadly) some of them I don't talk to much or at all for various reasons. A lot of us are now living in different places, some I see when I go back to Kalamazoo and hopefully I'll see some of them within the next year.
BUT
We had lots of fun together! LOTS. I have a lot of good memories both inside and out of Rocket Star.















With lots of love and memories, (and sad I couldn't see you as Rocket Star one last time)

Alison

**There are a lot of people I don't have pictures of on my computer (like Miguel, Clay, Mike, April, Neil, Mary, etc., to name a few) that I got to know through Rocketstar. Also, I didn't take all of these pictures posted, but I'm glad that somebody captured the moment.