The Great White North
We leave momentarily for the great white north in order to take part in Eric's niece's 1st Communion. I am very much looking forward to the event, but am less excited about the 14 hour drive each way. I get extremely cranky while on long car rides, and I also have a bad habit of maliciously drinking water so we have to stop all of the time. It will be our first long car ride together, and I will do my best to control my cantankerous ways.
My lovely great aunt sent me a shipment of rhubarb which I made into delicious coffee cake. Ah the sour treat of the North!
I had my evaluation at work today, and I am not even sure what to make of it. I definatley need this weekend as a break from all of the crazy politics of school life.
Incidentally, for all those looking for love, check this out.
Must finish packing. Every time I go anywhere I leave something horrifically important at the house--it ranges from undies to tooth brushes to shoes. I can't wait to see what it will be on this trip.

Tush Trauma
My butt is killing me. . . too many hard workout and squats and lunges. Today I went to the gym intending a regular workout, and by the time I got done with my hour of cardio I knew it was hopeless. Still, if it perks me up it's all worth it. Is it wrong that I left because I really just wanted to hang out and watch tv? I haven't just bummed around all week.
I made a major faux pas at work today. As I have already mentioned, our building is falling apart and I have these huge cracks running up and down my walls. Anyway, we are learning how to write persuasive essays, and I let them choose issues they care about, and then they had to construct logical, factual arguments for their cause. One group's argument was that they wanted to build a new school, and I blurt out, "Yes, if you need facts, you can just grab a yard stick and measure my crack!" The class just about died, they were so horrified. The other teachers have been making fun of me ever since, advising me that a yardstick would be painful and I might want to consider a tape measurer against sensitive flesh!

Ticket to Ride
I am rideless. I totally misunderstood the Toyota salesman, and my car will not come in for 3 weeks. I was pretty bummed because I really believed that I would be driving back in my new wheels. The wait has taken away a lot of my excitement, but still, I am getting a sweet new ride in a few weeks. Grant me patience. . . right frickin' now.
There were some nuns protesting in Chicago burning pink smoke. My kids asked if I wanted to join them, and I said perhaps and then went onto the definition of sedition to get them off of the topic. Still, right on. I am reserving judgement on Benedict XVI for right now, but I do hope it will prove a good decision. Then again no one has ever asked for my opinion.
Eric is out of town and I have commenced sulking and being generally pathetic. I will be sniveling all week. I pity my students who must deal with my increasingly bad mood. Toby is no help as he has decided that without Eric here he is entitled to at least half of the bed. I try pushing him out of the way in the middle of the night, but then he freaks out. I should not have to fight a pommeranian for the bed. Perhaps I should start sleeping with a really big stick and poke him in the night.
Food for thought.

I Think I'm Turning Japanese
After my car died in the middle of the road yesterday as I was on my way to work, I made several critical decisions. My first decision was that I needed to drink less water in the morning so I wouldn't need to pee on the side of the road. The second was that I needed a new car.

I called every dealership in the Central Texas area, and I checked with the banks and credit unions and analyzed our finances for the last 6 months, and yes, ladies and gents, baby's getting new wheels on Saturday. I found a 2005 Toyota Matrix in bullet gray with power windows, locks, keyless, cruisecontrol and a cd player, and the guy is selling it to me at invoice. yay!!!

Also, I am walking in the Safe Place Walk to Take Back the Streets. Please sponsor me. The money goes to such a good cause. They save lives every day.

Tonight I got free tickets for the Round Rock Express. Baseball, popcorn and beer: happiness.

Can't Stand the Heat
It was pointed out to me this evening that I forgot to share my latest lame-brained injury. Last Thursday night or really Friday morning I could not sleep because I was full of snot. I mean I was drowning in it. So I decided around 3am to get up and make myself some tea. As I was getting ready to drink it, I remember my mom's old advice about steaming it out, so I bent down to suck up the steam, and I accidentally dunked my chin in boiling water. Well, now I have a massive blister/burn mark on my chinny chin chin. It's tremendously attractive.

In other hot news, this morning we had the heat on because the house was really cold, and I told E. to turn it off when he left for work. You can imagine how this is going to turn out. . . Anyway, after returning this evening from a long, hard workout, the house is 87 degrees and I am unamused.

I did get a piece of lovley news today. I will be getting a scholarship to the new graduate program, so everything is falling into place. I probably should not have said that.

Snot
I never knew one person could have so much snot. I think I have lost 10 pounds of mucus in the last 2 days.
I was sent home from work yesterday and have since tried every home remedy I can think of. Sigh.

Ack
Ok. I am not amused. Not only am I sick because on a ceiling cave in at work, but my car airconditioner has now gone out just when it is getting hot. This will make my 3rd summer without a working airconditioner. I am taking it in tomorrow to get checked out, but I am really wondering if there is some sort of cosmic curse on me and airconditioners. Actually rather than the wrath of a vengeful God, I really think it's a matter of crappy Ford engineering. Never buy a Ford. Ever!
I have officially lost my voice which makes my students giddy. I have to come up with some way of giving a spelling test tomorrow without being able to speak. Voice software? Hire a teacher?

Dust in the Wind
The school I work at is literally falling apart around us. There are massive cracks all over our walls which expand seemingly daily. There are several places in my room where the plater has popped off leaving bare brick. I try to patrol the area to pull away loose pieces so they do not hit kids during class. Yesterday I was doing this when I noticed that the ceiling tiles were kinda wonky, I pushd up on one, and piecces of brick and debris came down on my head, narrowly missing braining me! Since inhaling all the concrete dust, I have felt really sick, and my throat hurts badly. Whatever is in those 100 year old walls is not meant to be inhaled.
We also had excitement today: one of the students broke his arm on the playground. There really is never a dull day in this job.
I had a sweet thing happen. I was teaching a journalism class, and they were just being pretty awful. I got tired of telling them to be quiet and speak one at a time, so I just wen tot my desk to sit down and wait for them to settle themselves. When I did this, one of my students got up and went to the board, taking over the class and yelling at the other students to pay attention and do what they were told. It was funny because this is a kid who really can't be quiet to save his life, but it was the sweetest gesture on his part. I was really kinda touched.
No word yet on grad school. I hate the waiting, it makes me imagine a hundred different senarios in my head. I need to work on some grant letters to make it happen. I seem to be so bad about getting extra things done though. If it's not in my daily scheudle it rarely gets done.

This weekend we went to the Austin FIne Arts Festival which was amazing. Shockingly I bought a massive dragonfly for the back yard which makes my little mini paradise almost complete. E. and I took some pics in the wildflowers which I will try to post soon. Someone told me it was a cliche thing to do, but I don't care. They are great pics. I've gotten to care less and less about what people think. And yet I wait by the mailbox hoping for acceptance.