The Worst Week So Far This Year

I'm too exhausted to go into all of it right now, but some high points:

• Spending 3 hours at a school board meeting, watching them make an absolutely wrong decision. Subsections of this include:

(a.) Staying at school until 9.45.

(b.) Being 'invited' to share my views with the board and then being criticized for them.

These things make me want to yell at them, 'I'M NOT COMING BACK NEXT YEAR BECAUSE I'M GOING TO CAMBRIDGE! SUCK ON THAT!' Except that would be neither polite nor professional.

• Getting lost.
• Staying at my director's house overnight because I couldn't make it home.
• Getting stuck in the road outside my house. For the third time.
• Missing THREE dance rehearsals.
• Not being able to do my laundry for the third straight week.
• Finding out that, yes indeed, I am being screwed over by my car dealership.
• Trying ineffectually to contact said dealership.

I just want to give up.

Taking up space in my brain right now:

In bullet form, because I love those bullet points:

• The snow's novelty has worn off. I love sledding and various snow-related activities as much as any former Buffalonian, but doing fun things in the snow is far different than driving in it. And by 'driving', I mean 'getting stuck twice'. My new goal in life is to live in a city with fantastic public transportation and/or win the lottery so I can hire a chauffeur, so I don't have to drive. Ever.
• Apparently my car's tires are bald. This is example #3 of the dealership screwing me over. I am pissed about this.
• I have an appointment to take my car in for a tune-up and new tires on Wednesday. Thank goodness that's also pay day.
• I totally forgot to get a gift for this baby shower that we're having for a co-worker on Thursday. I won't have time between now and then, either. What to do??
• Tomorrow night is the school board meeting at which a number of Big Important Issues will be decided. I'd planned on going, because I have some things to say about these Issues. Hopefully I won't be stuck there until 10.30 at night, which is often the time these things are finished.
• I have to attend a training session on how to use the copy machine on Wednesday. WTF?
• St. Patty's Day madness is starting up. I missed the first big rehearsal yesterday due to the aforementioned car being stuck and still am frustrated about this. However, there are rehearsals at least twice (if not three times) a week from now until then, so I guess I'll catch up.
• Still haven't done my laundry. This broken washing machine situation is the biggest pain in the ass.
• Triple Sec and Sprite is quite tasty.
• 5 hours' sleep is not good to me.

It's 8.30, and I'm going to bed in a few minutes. Good night.

The funniest thing I have heard all day

Local news weatherman, amidst wimpy little snowflakes: 'It's really coming down out here. I'm guessing it's about an inch an hour.'

WTF?! An INCH per hour constitutes really coming down?! Give me a break. I literally burst out laughing at the TV. And if that makes me a huge dork, well, so be it.

On a less funny note, these people suck at plowing the streets. It's not 'really coming down' or anything, but the streets are as slippery as... something really slippery. A wet seal, perhaps.

I am such a wimp.

It would figure that the Big Snowstorm Of The Winter So Far (cue shrieking) would occur on the one free day I'll have in the space of two weeks. I desperately need to go grocery shopping and do my laundry today, because I won't get a chance to until next weekend, but the snow is blowing sideways and I don't want to go outside. I'm not a great driver in the best of conditions, but freezing rain and snow and wind is a bit much. Maybe I'll just be that obnoxious person who drives at like 10 miles an hour down a busy road.

All right, I'm going to suck it up and go now. Wish me luck!

ETA: I made it back in one piece from the grocery store, in case anyone was wondering. However, I got stuck halfway up the driveway when I got back. The driveway is short but steep, and so I had to leave the car parked with the tail end sticking out into the road while I shoveled out the wheels so I could try to pull it in... twice. After that (and fishtailing all over the short driveway), I decided that I could live without doing laundry for another few days. Heh. I have never missed a washing machine more in my life.

Enough procrastinating, I'm going to bed now

Remember when you took that Myers-Briggs personality test in high school or college? I still remember when the career counselor told me that I was the most introverted person she had ever seen... Anyway, the descriptions on this site are actually true! Check this part out:

INTJs are usually difficult to get to know well, and difficult to get close to. Those who are close to the INTJ will highly value them for their ideas and knowledge. Although INTJs are generally very serious-minded people, they also have been known to enjoy letting loose and having fun, if others pull them into it. They also can be really good at telling jokes, and exhibiting a sarcastic wit with a poker face.

Sarcastic, me? What? Oh, I love that dry sense of humor...

Also, 'they' say I would be well-matched to a career as a scientist, professor or teacher. Maybe they know something after all. (We'll just ignore the suggestion of 'military leader'...)

Something's not right...

I've been enjoying my Day O' Freedom very much, and by that I mean doing as little as possible. Though I did get around to doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom (gross), participating in an online 'professional development' course and getting the week's lesson plans done. But somehow I've gotten this strange feeling of unease in the past 20 minutes or so. I don't know if it's because of an email from DB (he feels it's unlikely that I'll get a great deal of financial aid) or just dreading going back to work tomorrow, but my good mood has vanished. Weird.

I heart Presidents

Thank you, dead Presidents, for giving us a four-day weekend. It was/is sorely needed, especially since it's the only break we have until Easter. Oh yeah, and thanks for leading the country through its times of crisis, etc., etc.

I've filled in three of the four days so far by driving around and doing errands: planning with my co-teacher, making a half-assed attempt to reorganize my classroom, teaching Irish dance, going to dance rehearsal, putting gas in the car, going to Target, and going to the Mall. All I really needed was a black shawl-/scarf-type-thing to wear with a borrowed dress to the 'Maskenball' (that's right, the formal affair that serves as a fundraiser for the school to which the teachers were invited and/or forced to attend). However, I ended up coming home with a dress. And you all well know that I am perhaps the cheapest person on the face of the planet and rarely buy new stuff, let alone frivolous stuff that I will possibly never wear again. But this dress (apart from being on sale -- ha, some things never change) is totally worth it; I actually look good in it. And I never think that about myself, so clearly, I couldn't pass this one up. The only downside here is that I feel rather dumb and irrational having already had a decent dress, but then going and spending money on a new one. Rationalizations, anyone?

Anyway. Other things I bought at the Mall were jewelry to wear with the dress (at Claire's! I was totally surrounded by 12-year-olds and felt way too old) and shoes for no real reason other than they are very cute. And they have cherries on them. And thus ends my last shopping spree for the foreseeable future.

About the Maskenball: It was actually not that bad. A bit weird, perhaps, to be chatting with the parents of your students while sipping champagne and wearing formal attire, but rather nice. I made no huge social faux pas, so that was good. Unfortunately, it was basically single me in a sea of married people; that was a bit annoying, but I didn't really care too much. At least there was no one I really had to impress.

In other news... got some mail from Cambridge today. The more I think about it, the more I really want to go for it. Despite all reasonable thought that says, I have a job with decent security (because there is a limited pool of qualified applicants), I'm earning money and paying off loans, I've spent a lot of time and effort trying to feel at home here, I don't necessarily have good plans for the future following an MA degree... then I think, it's the University of Cambridge! Seriously, how cool is that! I checked out the website for the umpteenth time today and found a list of MPhil candidates in my department... there are ten of them. TEN. Being accepted to a program that only takes ten people a year is pretty amazing. And turning that down because I don't have a spare 18,000 pounds seems pretty stupid.

Then again, it's 18,000 pounds. Let's hope I win the lottery or strike oil or something.

Things I Have Learned From A One-Date Experience

1. There are indeed people out there who like me for who I am. Those dating gurus aren't kidding.

2. Aforementioned people are crazy and obsessive. Purely hypothetical example: Sending me two emails and calling me 6 times the day after a first date.

3. If he doesn't like coffee, it's over.

4. Correct spelling in an email counts more than you think it does. At least with me. (For god's sake, don't screw up 'your' and 'you're'!)

5. Don't tell the guy you are nervous... or anything but completely cool. German honesty wins you no points here.

6. Don't be irrationally afraid if you don't know what the plan is. *cough*control freak*cough*

7. Alcohol makes things much easier.
7a. This is why the guy should drive.

8. You are not obligated to like the person back. In fact, you are not obligated to anything.

9. Ask specific questions. 'Tell me about yourself' is not helpful.

10. Ask follow-up questions. Otherwise, your date will think you are not interested in any aspect of her life.

Guess I got something out of it after all. Email or call me if you want stories... oh, how there are stories...

Dating = Iraq

Words of wisdom on dating/breaking up from Müs:

"Don't be like President Bush. Don't be afraid to cut and run."

Thanks, man.

Why...

... am I such a basketcase?!

... can't I not flip out during a first date?!

... can't I just go out on a date like a normal person?!

I'm 25, for god's sake. I clearly need mental help.

Mmmm... saltines

Do you remember when you were in elementary school and you got the stomach flu? And all you did was lie around on the couch and watch bad daytime TV, and you ate saltines and ginger ale if you were feeling up to it? And just getting up and walking to a different room in the house would completely wear you out? Yeah, it's still like that, even if you're an adult. Though when you're older, your mom's not there to bring you coloring books.

Side note: Does anyone get the stomach flu beyond elementary school? Is it just a bug that only 6- to 11-year-olds are capable of carrying? Because this hasn't happened to me in a very long time.

In non-self-pitying news: I met this guy on Saturday, and we hit it off...possible updates to come...

BRRRRRRRRRRR!

Local forecast courtesy of weather.com:

Today: Bitterly cold. Mostly cloudy skies. Dangerous wind chills as low as -30F. High -2F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.
Tonight: Bitterly cold. Mostly cloudy. Low -14F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Tomorrow: Bitterly cold. Sunshine and clouds mixed. Dangerous wind chills approaching -30F. High -1F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Tomorrow night: Bitterly cold. Partly cloudy. Low around -15F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low single digits and lows -8 to -12F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

I feel like I'm living in the tundra here. Someone won't be going outside during the next few days!

Reasons why today is a great day

1. It's Müs's 22nd birthday!

2. Müs got into grad school! And they are paying him lots o' money! *Edit: Not just one, but two schools on the same day!

3. Harry Potter Book 7 is coming out in July!

4. I got a very nice compliment on my report card commentaries from my boss. She even gave me the impression that they were the best-written ones of the staff.

5. 'The Office' is on tonight! And it's new!

*happy sigh*

Small world

Check out this article:

21-year-old man accused of beating grandmother to death

The details are nothing too special, but note the address: 462 Kaymar Drive.

I grew up on 463 Kaymar Drive.

Also crazy: I remember this kid coming over to our house when I was little. My brother and I and our friends never really liked playing with him, because he was bossy and rather obnoxious and wanted to ride bikes off the front porch.

I guess we had good intuition.

Format inspired by Dwight

Fact: I have got to stop eating dinner at 7. It wrecks my blood sugar, I can't get anything done in the evening, not to mention that by 7, I am ravenous.

Fact: Today was the WORST DAY ever. I reamed out my class, and I love my class! They seriously need to pull it together. And I seriously need a few more hours of sleep.

Wait, upon further consideration, it was not the worst day ever: No one was injured or threw up in the classroom. Either of those would make for a pretty bad day.

Fact: I was invited to a formal event ('ball' might be an appropriate word) which is a fundraiser for the school. Sounds kind of cool...except when you consider that it's on a Saturday, in fact on the Saturday of our only long weekend from now until spring break. Plus the fact that there will be mostly parents from school there, which means there'd be little or no alcohol for me, since I'd have to watch what I say. Plus: Who wants to think/converse about school stuff on a Saturday?? Because we know that that's going to be the only topic of conversation. However... turning this thing down looks bad; a fundraiser to which teachers were given free tickets but they don't show is tacky. Please help me find a way to get out of this. Can I visit someone on the weekend?

Okay, the 'Fact' thing is getting old. Besides, it loses the effect when your fact is eight sentences long. One more anecdote about today: I was chatting with the kindergarten teacher after school, and we were talking about life outside (!) of school. She asked me how I fill my time outside of work, and I honestly couldn't think of an answer. I play my violin about once every other week, do the Irish dance thing but haven't done any shows yet, watch 'The Office' like a fiend, but that's about it. Really, the most accurate answer to this question would be 'sleep'. I didn't realize until this afternoon how big a loser I actually am. Scratch that, we'll go with the explanation that I am worked to death and don't have energy to pursue anything outside of school. And that is sad.

Oh yeah, let's add 'underpaid' to that last sentence.

Self-explanatory

HOLY CRAP! I got into Cambridge!!!!

No amount of exclamation points do that sentence justice...but let's add some more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Donations to the Send Bridget to England Fund are now being accepted.

In which I am an obsessive fan

I recently bought the DVDs of seasons one and two of 'The Office'. This could be considered a very poor choice, in the sense that it's become my new obsession and keeps me from getting anything done. In the past two days, I have probably watched 7 episodes, some with commentaries, as well as the deleted scenes and outtakes. The great thing is that the show doesn't get less funny the more you watch it; it even gets funnier. The characters are so well-done, the writing is fantastic, and John Krasinski is now the man I want to meet before I die. I just need to get him to fly up here; I think we'd hit it off.

In more realistic news, the first-graders and their teachers had a big sleepover at the school on Friday...nothing like spending 26 consecutive hours at work! (My housemate said, 'Think of the overtime!' and then I broke into hysterical laughter.) To be honest, though, it wasn't that bad, apart from being exhausting and my having to corral 6-year-olds because their parents wouldn't/couldn't. There were lots of games, lots of food, movies, and zero crying. It actually would have been an okay Friday night, if the people I was hanging out with weren't 20 years younger than me.

So tomorrow is a teacher work day, which means no kids but hours dedicated to checking off standards and writing report cards. Yippee. Until then, I will procrastinate by watching further episodes of 'The Office'.

Gratuitous self-flattery

Our current unit in the first grade is something like 'All About Me', so an assignment for the kids was to bring in pictures, especially baby pictures, so that we can do fun projects and make collages. Of course, it's extra fun if the teacher does it too, so I had my mom send me some photos...

Very small me. I think that is one hand holding me up.

Me at 18 months. Apparently I am fond of snow globes.

(Aside to Müs: Shout out to the avocado shag carpet and the plaid couch!)

My hair is still that messy.

Dude, I was a cute kid! :) Whatever happened?

Video killed the radio star

This one's for Müs: Endless Caruso One-Liners! Or, How to Don Your Sunglasses While Sounding Pretentious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarYH0z948

Also, how to fold a t-shirt:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5739257457512694439

I have not a clue how that works, but it looks pretty cool. I am inspired to try folding some of my shirts like this.

Back to reality

Aaaaaand we're back. Vacation = love (=bacon?), but you can overdose on too much of it. Much like bacon. Then again, being nearly ready to claw out one's eyes from boredom helps one appreciate coming back to work. Hypothetically speaking.

In a more coherent sense: My first day back was actually not too bad. The kids seemed to appreciate having a normal school day after three weeks of chaos, and they were surprisingly quiet. Also, not to sound conceited or anything, but they were really happy to see me... they all were like, '!!!' when they came in, and many proceeded to tell me all about their vacations. To be honest, it was nice to see them again; I wasn't kidding when I said I'd missed them. I didn't miss some other aspects of school, but I missed my class. I am still amazed when I give them directions, they get it, and then they do exactly what I just told them to do. We'll see if that feeling holds up tomorrow.

Cambridge update: I did not get the scholarship I was hoping for. This means that even if I do get in, I may not (most likely won't) be able to go. Really bitter/mad/upset about this. If you have any leads on free money for hardworking but poor master's students, let me know.

In other randomness, I found a book at the post office the other day. It was a traveling book, and there's a label on the inside that instructed me to go to BookCrossing.com and write in that I'd found it. Apparently the gist of this idea is that you register a book and give it an ID number, then you let it go into 'the wild' for someone else to pick up and read, and they leave it somewhere else for someone new to read, etc. Sort of like a 'Pay It Forward' with books. But when you visit this website, not only can you register a book that you have found, you can also go book-hunting; there's a section on the site where you can search in your city for books that have been left places. How great is this idea?! I am totally going book-hunting in the future. All I need now is one of those safari hats and a tranquilizer gun. And a bad British accent.

*Edit: I forgot the best story of the day! We were talking about the best part (or best Christmas gift) of vacation, and one girl said, 'Mein bestes Geschenk war ein Augen-Hund.' Er...what? Is someone in your family suddenly blind, so that they need a seeing eye dog? I'm not sure that should be on the list of 'my favorite gifts'. Upon being asked what this 'Augen-Hund' is, the girl proceeded to explain what it does, and I figured out what she meant...

An iDog. Of course!

2006: Year In Review

01 What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Bought a car!
02 Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I am horrible with resolutions, and as such didn't make any last year. Tentatively looking at making some for this year though, and they are:
(a) Quit the self-pity.
(b) Get out of the house more.
03 Did anyone close to you give birth? Not that I know of.
04 Did anyone close to you die? No, thank god.
05 What countries did you visit? Germany.
06 What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A life outside work.
07 What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Can't really think of any.
08 What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving my first year as a kindergarten teacher.
09 What was your biggest failure? Almost getting fired.
10 Did you suffer illness or injury? Not serious ones.
11 What was the best thing you bought? My car, and enrolling myself in the WB program.
12 Whose behavior merited celebration? Jamie, for moving to DC!
13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Politicians at large.
14 Where did most of your money go? Good question. Doubtless to the car.
15 What did you get really, really, really excited about? When I found I'd been accepted by the applied linguistics department at Cambridge!
16 What song will always remind you of 2006? That 'Beautiful' song by James Blunt. Because it just won't get out of my head.
17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? About the same, I guess.
b) thinner or fatter? About the same, I (optimistically) guess.
c) richer or poorer? In terms of material possessions, richer. Actually earning a salary does that for a person.
18 What do you wish you'd done more of? Made more friends and gone out more.
19 What do you wish you'd done less of? Agonizing over work-related issues.
20 How did you spend Christmas? With the fam in B-lo.
21 "There is no question 21" Ha ha! Hey, Mr. Question Writer, you're not funny.
22 Did you fall in love in 2006? No..
23 How many one-night stands? Ha! 365, baby. And if you believe that, welcome, first-time blog reader!
24 What was your favorite TV show? 'The Office'. Steve Carell, you are a comedy god.
25 Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, it takes a lot to make me hate someone.
26 What was the best book you read? The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
27 What was your greatest musical discovery? Ben Folds. Old-school, yes, go ahead and laugh.
28 What did you want and get? An iPod. Because I bought it myself.
29 What did you want and not get? A winning lottery ticket.
30 What was your favourite film of this year? 'Little Miss Sunshine'
31 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 25, and we had a celebration of the last day of school. Also, I went out for Indian food with some friends.
32 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being appreciated by colleagues and parents of students.
33 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Workdays: Nice-looking clothes that I wouldn't mind getting tempera paint on. Weekends: Jeans and fleece.
34 What kept you sane? Phone calls to and from friends.
35 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Are we British now? I don't really know.
36 What political issue stirred you the most? Stupidity in general annoys the crap out of me.
37 Whom did you miss? (American and Scottish) Friends from Germany.
38 Who was the best new person you met? One of my directors is pretty great. Though I really met her in 2005, so I'm not sure that counts.
39 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. Learn to communicate. If you have a question, ask it. (hey, that was two lessons)
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 'Who needs sleep? (Tell me, what's that for?)' ~BNL, 'Who Needs Sleep?' Ha, lame but true. Perhaps I'll come up with a better quote later.

Happy New Year, everyone!

New Year's Resolution

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Bring back disco. Get your resolution here.

B is for 'Big Idiot'

It may actually be possible for me to get too much sleep and not get anything whatsoever accomplished and thus get very cranky... or maybe I'm just a brat and need something to complain about. (the latter is probably true) At any rate, vacation is lovely, I am incredibly lazy and haven't even finished my Christmas/Happy New Year cards yet. Also, the intentions to apply to other grad schools have rather crashed and burned: Georgetown's deadline is the 3rd instead of the 15th, which makes me want to pull my hair out or do something that would at least help me feel like less of an idiot. Perhaps my hopes are pinned on Cambridge after all.

Re: Cambridge: No further news as of yet. Though everyone I've talked to, including those who have connections in grad school offices of admission, thinks I'm in. I'm still not trying to get my hopes up too much, but it's getting hard! I have also stupidly forgotten my application ID and password in MN, so I can't check the status of my application online until I get back. Oh well, at least this way I'm forced not to think about it.

Hope everyone has/had a wonderful Hannukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa/Diwali/Festivus! Go live it up on New Year's Eve...because I will certainly be hanging out at home, watching the ball drop on TV, just like every year.

Guess who's on vacation!

Pick me, pick me!! Not having to work is fantastic...funny, but I feel like I've been more productive not going to work than I do when I go to work. (does that make any sense?) So far, I've got a haircut, gone to the grocery store and the bank, picked up Christmas presents, done my laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and gone for a walk. And I've gotten 10 hours of sleep for two nights in a row. Being in a good mood and not exhausted is a nice change.

While trolling the Internet (because I have time to do that!), I've found this highly amusing site for those of you who have spent extended periods of time in Germany: the Germany Survival Bible! Hilarious, and everything they say is so true! One of my favorite sections is the one about German medicine; how they are averse to anything non-homeopathic, including vaccinations, and how they firmly believe that wearing a scarf cures any illness. Even if you haven't been to Germany, you should read it...those Germans are strange.

Only one more day till I fly home for two weeks! Yippee!

Stay tuned for possibly another post today, or at least before I fly home. Since I'm on vacation and now have time for that sort of thing.

What I Did Today

• Made truffles (mmm!)
• Snapped at the other first-grade class
• Very, very much missed my class, after spending only half an hour with the other first-grade class
• Took an hour-long nap after school
• Danced the tango with one of my students
• Cleaned the shower (eww)
• Did the dishes
• Finished folding laundry that wasn't dry yesterday
• Watched disgusting amounts of television
• Put off going to bed, due to the aforementioned nap

Back in the day

Meme stolen from Jess.

20 years ago, I was:

• hating my kindergarten teacher for playing a joke on me in front of the whole class
• chilling on our old orange and brown plaid couch with the stuffing coming out of the top, watching Nickelodeon
• begging my mom to please, please, please let me take violin lessons

15 years ago, I was:

• the sound tech-type person for a guest speaker/school play (the other gifted-and-talented kids got to be in the play; I was backstage)
• playing "Press Your Luck" with Lauren, Mike and Jonathan at lunch
• cracking my friends up, doing impressions of our teacher

10 years ago, I was:

• crushing madly on a boy from church
• pleading with my friends who had cars to give me rides to and from orchestra
• spending weekends cruising up and down Transit Road, hitting up the bulk foods section at Wegman's and hanging out at Denny's

5 years ago, I was:

• thinking about going abroad for the first time ever, on a 5-week summer program
• 'working' at the Math and German Workshops, getting pizza delivered to Hollenbeck Hall
• spending Thursday nights at Heather, Molly, Jessie and Nick's house, watching 'ER' and griping about those stupid education classes

1 year ago, I was:

• being run ragged by kindergarteners
• pretty much hating my job
• feeling lonely in a new city and still figuring everything out

Yesterday, I was:

• being run ragged by first-graders
• teaching Irish dance
• taking part in a 'holiday sweater pub crawl', which turned more into hanging out with a few folks at one bar and losing the rest of the pub crawlers

Wow, three bullet points every five years really do summarize my life.

The worst Christmas songs!

I've been listening to the 24-hour Christmas music station a lot recently, and I feel a need to share my opinion on this subject with the Internet world. As if you wanted to know, here it comes:
the Unofficial List of Worst Christmas Songs I Have Ever (Or, At Least Recently) Heard!

1. Last Christmas, by Wham! -- I know some people are going to strongly disagree with me on this one, but I seriously cannot stand this song. Whiny, obnoxious, self-pitying... and who can forget that chorus. ('Laaaaaaaaaast Christmas, I gave you my heart [gave you my heart]...) Good god, it's annoying me just thinking about it. Plus, this song reminds me of spending Christmas in Germany; apparently, this song is what the Germans associate with American Christmas carols. Ugh.

2. Wonderful Christmas Time, by Paul McCartney -- [picture this on a synthesizer:] WOW wow wow wow wow wow... WOW wow wow wow wow wow... I love you, Paul McCartney, but the synthesizer was really a poor choice. Plus, I highly doubt the children have been practicing their Christmas songs all year; it's probably been a month and a half at most.

3. Anything by the Beach Boys -- I don't think I really need to explain this one.

4. That Christmas shoes song -- Someone needs to tell the music executives that a heartfelt song does not equal sappiness. Who thinks that a song contrived to wring out every drop of sympathy from your soul, backed up by a children's choir (subtlety, nice!), is actually going to convey the spirit of the Christmas season? Apparently listeners can't draw conclusions; they need to be smacked in the face with a message and be told what to think.

5. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer -- Speaking of Christmas messages, here's a real winner. Nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like the untimely death of a close relative, bad grammar and stupid jokes.

On the flip side, two amazing Christmas songs:

1. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen by Nat King Cole -- Actually, anything by Nat King Cole is fantastic, but this carol is my favorite to begin with. I love me some Christmas carols set in a minor key. I can (and have) set this song on repeat and listened to it over and over.

2. O Holy Night from 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip' -- Okay, it's from a TV show. The musicians who played this original version are from New Orleans and were sponsored by the Tipitina Fund, which is working on rebuilding the musical tradition of the city. When I was watching the show, this song gave me goosebumps; I got online to download it the next day. (available for listening or downloading here)

I'm curious to hear opinions on this. What are your most loved/despised Christmas songs? Not that this blog has a vast readership or anything, but I'm sure that between the 5 or so of us, we could come up with some pretty good lists.

*SHRIEK!!*

I got an email from the secretary of Cambridge's Applied Linguistics department today. The second sentence is:

'I am happy to inform you that we intend to recommend that you are accepted as a candidate commencing October 2007.'

I just tried to type all sorts of exclamations that come to my mind when I read that, but nothing does it justice.

Anyway, the email goes on that this is by no means an acceptance, the university still has to look at my application, etc., etc. ...but still! Holy one-step-closer-to-going-to-Britain-next-year, Batman!

"I'm compelled to go straight home and crawl into bed until morning. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Thanks to Hetta for the quote. And dude, that is totally my life; don't knock it. Let me tell you that I was in bed by 8.30 yesterday. That hasn't been my bedtime since I was 10 (or so). I guess the exhaustion was stemming from a number of factors, such as spending a day with first-graders, trying to teach said first-graders something, doing a painting project with the first-graders, and also getting less than 5 hours' sleep the night before. Because...

I finished and emailed the Cambridge paper! 2137 words of unadulterated crap, but well-written crap. Example sentence: 'Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson’s hypothesis that a second language learner has no hope of attaining native-like proficiency fails to take into account any individual variables that might affect one’s eventual outcome.' Yeah, that's right. Take that, Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson.

Other news: School is being a pain. Not so much the kids as the lack of communication, things not getting done, etc., etc. (the exhaustion might be coloring my view on this one)

Also: I am making spinach lasagna for the Night Formerly Known As 'West Wing Wednesday' But Is Now Just A Wednesday On Which We Eat And Hang Out (And Watch 'Studio 60'). Hopefully it's edible.

How are you?

On today's shopping list

Among a few other things:

• Tissues, times 3
• Zicam, times 2
• Clementines
• Soup, 4 cans

Someone's got a cold. Blech. Stupid germy kids.

And to Müs: 2,000 words is totally eight pages, not four. You lied. Punk.

*Edit: Wow, that Zicam is good stuff! Also, 1098 words. 902 to go. Shoot me in the face.

Oh my god! He's got rabies!

Müs (in the white shirt) is now famous as a 'Sexy Rabid Cannibal'.



Still procrastinating.

Cambridge update

On Monday, I got an email from the secretary of the linguistics department at the University of Cambridge. I was kind of surprised and nervous, not expecting a decision this soon, and via email. However, the content of said email was only one sentence: 'I wonder if you had received my previous email.' Um, no...? So I continued to read the previous email which she had attached. Basically, the admissions comittee wants me to write a paper on a specific journal article in addition to my application, so that they can better decide if I'm suited to their program. This paper was due on: Wednesday, November 29.

[insert expletive here]

So I emailed back, saying that I hadn't received the original email and therefore it would be exceedingly difficult to write a 2,000 word paper on an article in two days, especially since I had to first find the article. After much back-and-forth, I got the very nice and patient secretary to send me the article and give me an extension until Monday.

The gist of all this: Instead of having 3 weeks to write a 'critical analysis' (what does this mean, anyway?) of a journal article, I have two days. (weekend days at least, not evenings after work) What am I doing now? Procrastinating.

Some things never change.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't fool yourself, it really is the best holiday of the entire year. I am off to NJ to visit extended family... well, family, period. And eat all sorts of fantastic food. I have been counting down until Thanksgiving since September and cannot wait!

Safe travels to all and enjoy that bass! (...er, turkey)

Say hello to my bipolar self

Heh heh... so the previous post, while true, strikes me now as rather bitchy and obnoxious. It may be deleted in an attempt not to offend people and/or to not get found out by my co-workers. So read and enjoy(?) while you still can.

In other news, today was a fantastic day! My kids had NO TIME-OUTS! None of them! Generally there are at least 4 usual suspects who get 3 or more in one day, but today, everyone was on task! Everyone did their best work (or an approximation thereof)! AND I got to eat my lunch in peace today, not with 50 rabid squirrels (=elementary schoolers). But seriously, no discipline infractions!

My kids rock.

Oh yeah, and I got an iPod. :)

Culture clash

I have an assistant teacher in my classroom, since our school participates in this program that brings foreign students to the US for a semester or a year, to help teach their native languages (Spanish, French, German, etc.) in American classes. I suppose it's sort of like the Fulbright TA program, except the students who come over are in various situations: some have already graduated from college and want to spend some time abroad, some are studying to be teachers and want some real-world experience, and some are killing time before their student teaching starts. My intern belongs to the last group.

Now, I've tried to be open-minded and culturally aware, not to mention patient with the fact that she's not a teacher yet and things don't come naturally to her. However, it's been three months and I've come to a conclusion: We just don't get along. It's not that we really dislike each other, but we are just not on the same page at so many levels. For example, I still don't know very much about her life in Germany, other than her worries about getting a good student teaching placement. I also have no idea how much she knows about me. Other examples:

• I am at school 20 minutes before the kids arrive and usually until at least 5.00.
• She spends time chatting with the other interns downstairs and during lunch hour, showing up 15 minutes late in the morning and afternoon. She also does not help at dismissal, instead leaving early with one of the kids.
• I will send kids out of the group if they are acting up, and talk about it with them later.
• She reprimands them in front of the class, and pretty harshly at that (if you know Germans, you know what I mean).
• I recognize that when a large percentage of the kids aren't paying attention or doing what they're supposed to be doing, it's because I didn't give clear enough directions.
• She plows on ahead and continues to reprimand students for not listening.
• I tell anecdotes about some of the kids occasionally (come on, all teachers do), but in private, among coworkers.
• She talks to me about what some of the kids have done (usually negative stories) in class, within hearing of all of the other kids.
• Me (to kids): "Thank you for listening. Did you hear how quiet we were in the hallway? Everyone has earned a plus; you did a great job."
• She: "I heard that being here helped the last intern so much, and she's having a much easier time with her student teaching. I am so glad I'm doing this now; it'll make student teaching so much easier!"

Disclaimer: I am by no means super-teacher (hi, it's only my second year, I'm still figuring it all out). I think the main difference is that this is my job right now, and I am going to do it well if it kills me. My intern is just waiting around until her student teaching starts and earning a gold star for her resume.

Also, she's German and I'm not. That might have something to do with it.

I heart Canada and ridiculous online quizzes

You are 91% Canuck!

You rock, you are an almighty Canadian through and through. You have proven your worthiness and have won the elite prize of living in a country as awesome as Canada. Yes I know other countries think they are better, but we let them have that cuz we know better than they do, eh?

How Canadian Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I clearly need something better to do with my time. Wait, 'The Office' starts in half an hour. Guess that problem's solved.

You know it's going to be a long day when...

... a co-worker says, 'You look tired this morning.' Apparently the 7 1/2 hours that is my standard on the weekdays isn't doing it for me. Also, you know it's going to be a really long day when you find out that the copy machine is broken indefinitely.

Random thought of the day: My housemate asked again (!) today how I hit something with my car. (insert expletives in my head here) I explained. He asked, 'Was there any alcohol involved?' I nearly burst out laughing... obviously doesn't know me very well yet, does he? I can drive just as stupidly without being under the influence, thanks very much.

Off to watch 'House' shortly and then to bed. Such is my exciting life.

This one's for you, Müs!

My brother and I spent so much time talking about accents, who has them and how quickly certain people develop them (e.g., I start sounding British after a week in England). But according to this quiz, you talk like you learned to talk: from your parents.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Boston
Philadelphia
The Midland
The Inland North
The West
The South
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

What's in a name?

• Although the name Bridget creates an active mind and a restless urge to explore new ideas, we emphasize that it causes procrastination, lack of confidence, and the inability to realize your goals and ambitions.
• The name of Bridget creates a very versatile and creative nature.
• You are quick-minded and have the freedom of expression to mix easily with people.
• Because your feelings and desires are so changeable, you are never satisfied with conditions as they are.
• You have many ideas, plans, and ambitions, but too often they are for an easy way out of a difficulty or an easy way of making money.
• You seek change in order to have the opportunity for travel, new experiences, and new friends and associates.
• You find it difficult to systematize your efforts and to fulfil your obligations and plans as you are not inclined to apply yourself consistently to a job to reach your goals.
• Although you appear positive, you inwardly lack self-confidence and will-power.

So...not entirely flattering, eh? Some are true (procrastination!), some not (easy way of making money? Yeah, that's why I'm a teacher, for those big bucks.). From here.

Nothing else interesting to say today. Perhaps this is due to a lack of coffee. Must go buy some more.

This is what I'm thinking:

(subject line a very obscure reference to a columnist in the Buffalo News)

• Random bullet points today, folks. Sorry, but my thoughts just happen to be this short and random; it's what you get from working with 6-year-olds.
• I was unable to vote today. Kind of pissed off about this. I had no form or combination of IDs that was acceptable. Note for future reference: Moving just before Election Day screws you over.
• Kids were craaaaaazy today. I may or may not have grabbed one by the shoulders and physically made him sit down. (he's the one who's always hitting people, though, so maybe that makes it okay)
• I got roped into helping kids prepare for this play they're doing on Friday and thus lost 20 minutes out of the normal half-hour we get for lunch. As if eating lunch with shouting children isn't bad enough, I had to eat in 10 minutes or less.
• Parent-teacher conferences tomorrow and Thursday = I've left my TA in charge of the class for 2 days. Is it mean that I'm secretly thinking, 'Now you can do some REAL work for once in the past 3 months?'
• Not as nervous about conferences as I was last year. I'm sort of feeling like: 'Well, this is your kid. [insert complimentary phrases here] His/Her biggest challenges are: [insert how kid is a royal pain here]. I'm looking forward to working with him/her over the rest of the year!' Wait, that's basically what I wrote on all the report cards...
• Also, not as prepared as last year. Oh well. I feel like I've known these kids forever.
• I have to go to the DMV tomorrow because their hours are 8-3.45 on weekdays and tomorrow morning will be my first time off since the beginning of September.
• I do not like driving. I am also a bad driver and stupidly hit the corner of the garage. I've had the car for 2 freaking weeks and already have a dent in the bumper. Goddamn it.
• Mental note: Must work on balancing my blood sugar so I don't get this cranky. Sorry, Internet.
• On the plus side: Thanksgiving is in 2 weeks! Start fishing for bass! (obscure inside joke)

Food snob

I've had a sneaking suspicion for some time now that I'm a bit of a food snob, thanks in part to growing up with Wegman's. At college and in Germany, Wegman's was probably the one thing I missed from home (apart from family and friends, obviously). I still miss this store; words cannot describe how absolutely amazing it is. Yes, I did just call a supermarket 'absolutely amazing'. (I love you, Wegman's!!!1!one!)

Anyway. I guess I also have my parents to thank, since they always, always cooked dinner. We very rarely went out to eat, not even for birthdays. Instead, the birthday person got to choose his/her birthday dinner. Mine was usually salmon. In fact, one of my (many) embarrassing moments from elementary school was when we discussed our favorite foods; in a sea of kids calling 'pizza' and 'spaghetti', I said 'salmon.' Weird looks ensued. At any rate, I was lucky enough to have parents who forced me to try new things and weren't afraid to try cooking new things themselves.

So I went grocery shopping today, since I had practically no food in the new house. After scrounging around for lunches for a week, I guess I went a little overboard at the supermarket, as evidenced by some of the items on the receipt:

• dried cranberries
• dried apricots
• couscous (3 types)
• dirty rice mix
• mix for chicken and rice
• tuna - the kind that comes in a pouch and that you don't have to drain
• apricot jam...from France
• sugar snap peas
• cheddar cheese with cranberries in it
• horseradish
• Norwegian salmon (some things never change)

The cashier was like, 'Is this all for you?' Heh heh...yeah. I guess it makes up for those two years shopping at Aldi in Germany and buying the same things (salami, yogurt, juice, cheese, Spätzle, pesto, pasta, pasta sauce, soup and chocolate) every week.

Apparently I do not exist

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Happy 101st post!

Guess I missed noticing the 100th one. Oops. Here's to 101 more frivolous blog entries to amuse myself and clutter up the Internet!

So... I moved this weekend. And seriously, every time I move, I forget what a gigantic pain it is. Packing, organizing stuff, schlepping it, cleaning the old place, rifling through your stuff so you have a semi-matching outfit to wear to school the next day... not fun. This will be the eighth consecutive year that I have moved to a new place. That's nearly a third of my life. Pretty sad, eh? On the plus side:

• low rent and utilities
• a wide-screen TV and cable
• a DISHWASHER -- if you know me, you know what a big deal this is
• Internet at home!!!!

Time to go unpack my stuff. And by 'my stuff', I mean 'one suitcase', because I am freaking exhausted and will no doubt collapse on the bed once I've cleared it off.

Baby, you can drive my car

That's right, I did it! I have broken down and bought a vehicle with more than two wheels! From now on, I can go to Target without spending 1 1/2 hours in transit! I can go to Irish dance without worrying how I'll get there! I can go to and leave school as early or as late as I want! I am very excited, as shown by the abundance of exclamation points, but still kind of leery... now that I've gone ahead and bought the car, I'm afraid that something is going to break off or that I'll somehow mess it up. But I think that's just me being a perfectionist and anal-retentive.

Check it out!

Note the wheel of the bicycle (my former mode of transportation) in the corner.

Spoiler! Not that I need a spoiler (in fact, I think they're kind of ridiculous) but there is a spoiler!

Other things that you can't see from the pictures: Cruise control, a CD player and a sunroof! I am the coolest marginally nerdy first-grade teacher ever.

You knew I looked familiar

I just ran my school photo (ha!) through this face recognition site, and I apparently look like the following people, in this order:
1. Angelina Jolie
2. Ann Kok
3. Brittany Murphy
4. Woranuch Wongsawan
5. Lee Hyori
6. John Cusack
7. Hugh Grant
8. Ueto Aya
9. Maggie Cheung
10. Q'Orianka Kilcher

This begs two questions. One, who are most of these people? Two, why do I look Asian? And like men? In comparison, Müs is most similar to David Beckham. Further proof that he got the good genes.

(Weekend) Update

Did I just reference SNL? Ha ha ha ha ha ha... that is so lame.

To keep everyone posted:
1. Still looking for a car. Finding a member of the male gender to take me to a car dealership is harder than I thought.
2. Still moving at the end of the month. Still have not begun packing.
3. The school is no longer moving. Instead, it will be paying exorbitant amounts of money to the current landlords next year.
3a. The possibility of closing the school next year has reared its ugly, sharp-toothed head.
3b. On the plus side, this gives me new incentive for the grad school thing.
4. The wedding went well. I should be getting paid soon. (!)
5. The application to Cambridge is coming together. I just have to get my ass in gear and get those essays done.
6. I've been invited to a Halloween party! Any costume ideas? I was thinking of fastening bags to a sweatsuit or something and going as a 'bag lady' but that seems kind of dumb. I know you all are crafty, help me out.
7. Still feeling guilty about asking DB for a reference on really short notice. He was obviously not happy. What can I do to make this up?
8. The music at this cafe is the theme to the 'Batman' TV show from the 60's!! Müs, this one's for you!
9. It is 76 degrees and sunny today.
9a. It is supposed to snow on Thursday.

Consider yourselves updated.

STRESSED OUT.

aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH WHAT WAS I THINKING?

This application is kicking my ass. It has grown legs and arms and is beating me to death. The worst part is the guilt I feel for springing reference requests on my three references. ('Uh, hi...do you remember me? Super! Would you write me a reference? Great! How about for next week?') Though I do things at the last minute, I hate it.

Stressing out majorly at this point.

On the plus side:
1. Müs caught the BNL reference.
2. I made shrimp scampi for dinner. I am awesome.
3. New running shoes are also awesome. No wonder Americans wear these all the time.
4. The wedding yesterday went well. Hopefully I will be getting paid soon.

Life, in a nutshell

What is happening with me, you ask? Some recent developments:

1. I am looking for a car.
2. I am moving at the end of October.
3. The school might be moving in December/January.
4. I am playing in a wedding tonight.
4a. I don't have the music yet.
5. I am applying to the University of Cambridge for next year.
5a. The deadline is October 15.
6. I will be applying to other grad school programs, whose deadlines are hopefully later than October 15.

There is some stress going on. Back to work.

PS- But how cool would it be to study in Cambridge?!

Back after extended period of laziness

So I recently realized I haven't posted to this blog in nearly a month....er, whoops. I actually have had some interesting thoughts (!) that may have been worthy of sharing (!!), but I haven't had the access. Oh well. Today, you're stuck with caramel-macchiato-fueled, slightly-congested me, Internet world. Brace yourselves.

First on the agenda, as always, is school. And let me just tell you that beginning the year at an established school as a SECOND-year teacher is about 2371893659287437 times easier than the hell that was last year. No kidding. The kids are one year more mature, have attention spans larger than that of a fruit fly's, and understand what I'm saying. That little last bit has made the hugest difference: I tell them to clean up, they clean up! I tell them nice job, they smile! I tell them to quit shrieking while playing with the dinosaurs, they do...sometimes. The best of all, though, is that there's no longer the permanent question of 'are they acting up because they don't understand what they're supposed to do, or are they just obnoxious little children'. Because the answer now is the latter.

Seriously, though, I have heard from various sources that my class is the quietest, most well-behaved class in the school. And I've got the crazed ADHD kid in my class. Granted, this compliment is only comparative, but still. I rock.

However, I'm not getting too complacent in my job, because we all remember what happened last year when I thought I was going fairly well. So I've still got grad schools in the back of my mind, which I'm going to start contacting once I get this project for the Wittenberg program done. That's right, the project that I supposedly 'started in July' and 'have been working on all summer'. In reality, it hasn't really been started yet and most definitely hasn't been worked on since that day when we had to present the projects. It has to be turned in by Wednesday. Guess what's on the schedule for today and tomorrow. My work ethic has certainly changed since college, though, because I feel that at least one person in the program is going to be doing a half-assed job, and why should I put in all this effort and make an awesome project when they clearly are going to be BSing it the night before? That's bad, I know...but I figure my version of 'zero effort' is actually more like '85% effort' and I'm trying not to drive myself crazy. Conceited, what?

In other news, I am in the process of buying a car (still looking around) and will be moving at the end of next month! Tough decision, this one; I really like where I am now but will be paying less than half my rent by doing this housesitting gig. You just can't beat that. Until then, I am enjoying my current location as much as I can: walking to the movies, going to Izzy's, etc. Both of those things will be much harder to do once I move.

I think that's about it for right now. Consider yourself caught up. (and then go see 'Little Miss Sunshine,' one of the few movies that actually made me laugh out loud, no kidding!)

Quotes!

Go to this page, pick the first five quotes that ring true and describe you, post them. Here goes:

Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down. - Charles F. Kettering (1876 - 1958)

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. - Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967)

Consult your friend on all things, especially on those which respect yourself. His counsel may then be useful where your own self-love might impair your judgment. - Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD)

The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism. - Sir William Osler (1849 - 1919)

Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment. - Robert Benchley (1889 - 1945)

Thanks to Jess and Heather for the idea!

(Sorry about the lack of posting; if I'd post anything at the moment, it would be chock-full of negativity because I don't want to go back to work! So let's avoid that for the moment; content yourself with the quotes listed above.)

The Virtual Album meme...yet again, shamelessly stolen

This meme is your chance to become the next big singer-songwriter without setting up your own overhyped MySpace site. Here is a list of song titles to complete. The idea is NOT to fill in the gaps with the original lyrics – it is to provide your OWN answers in order to personalize the songs and create your own virtual album that is personal, emotional and relevant to the world today. (Or entirely and gratuitously stupid, self-indulgent and/or obscene, it's entirely up to you.) Now, enough of this yakking. Let's ROCK!

1. You can call me long-distance.
2. Summer's here and the time is right for getting some Guinness ice cream at Izzy’s.
3. I can't get no grammar lessons. I done love me some double negatives.
4. If I ruled the world, there’d be chocolate eclairs for everybody. Wait, that’d only happen if I were the King of Spain.
5. I've been to Paradise but I've never been to Disneyworld.
6. The only thing that looks good on me is not in my wardrobe.
7. I would do anything for love, but I won't do the dishes.
8. Oh my god, I can't believe it, I've never seen ‘Back to the Future’ in its entirety!
9. All you need is coffee.
10. The answer, my friend, is pi over 2.

'Cat, go AWAY!'

Title of this post brought to you by the one sentence I have repeated most often today. I am cat-sitting once again, which is basically an excuse for me to use someone else's free internet and eat their food. Oh yeah, and I do actually take care of the cat. The single thing about the cat that annoys me the most, though, is his tendency to jump up onto the table while I'm eating. I am totally grossed out by this. And as I was trying to read the newspaper this morning (since I don't do it very often), the cat jumped up onto the table literally 20 times. After each time, I picked it up and dropped it onto the bench. Apparently it does not know how to take a hint. Now, thankfully, he is sleeping on the floor and not shedding cat hair or sneezing all over my computer.

Side note: If you have never had dried apricots, you are missing out. I bought some yesterday and can't stop eating them; they'll probably be gone by the time I finish writing this post. They remind me of Greece. Seriously, go get some dried apricots.

Crisis of the moment: I have a workshop to go to this week, starting tomorrow. Said workshop is out in a suburb, about 20 minutes west of here by car. I was planning on going with a co-worker, so carpooling was no problem, and we had figured this all out back in June. However... it appears she was scheduled for a different session than I am, and she's already done her training. This means that I now have no way to get out there...I've emailed and called the place, and they were like, 'Well, if you can get here on Monday, the participants usually figure out carpools for the rest of the week.' I was like, that is not helpful. I haven't heard from people whom I've asked for rides, and the buses are such that I would have to leave here before 6am and end up walking between 2 and 3 miles to get to the school. So now I have to throw myself at the mercy of one of my colleagues, who obviously has better things to do than drive 40 minutes out of her way, but I do not see an alternative. Good lord, is this a pain in the ass.

Also about school, I didn't mention last time that last week's workshop (apart from the buzzwords) was remarkably helpful. There was some theory but some actual, practical tips were included, and I couldn't help but think: This would have been incredibly useful last year. Oh well, with experience comes cynicism, or something like that.

Anyway, I felt very prepared and excited to start the new school year with all of these ideas, and then we all met up at school one night to move in furniture. I don't know what it is, but upon entering the building, I just felt like I was not good enough all over again. The new kindergarten teacher's room (i.e., my old room) is set up completely differently, and it looks fantastic: full of great stuff but organized, and all so much more prepared than I ever was (...and am?). Just being back in the school building seems to remind me of all the times I felt utterly beaten down: when the kids made me cry, when parents verbally attacked me, when I was nearly fired because I wasn't working hard enough and appeared 'inept', when I was categorized as a weakness to the school because I was inexperienced. I know, take your past experiences and learn from them, etc., etc., but it's very difficult to get the past year out of my head.

Just thought I'd share that. Mmm, dried apricots.

Education-related buzzwords heard about 13874653286 times each during the past 5 days

• Proactive
• Scaffold(ing)
• Socio-cultural __________
• Administrative buoyancy
• Context
• Best practice
• Content-based instruction
• Challenges
• Standards
• Effective
• Authentic
• Prior knowledge
• Objectives

None of the above are made up. One workshop down, one more to go!

Aaaaaand we're back

Not much to report today; I got back from Ohio on Monday and have been doing all sorts of nothing over the past few days. I did make it into school today, though, to measure my classroom and furniture so I can figure out where to put everything. I'm basically trying to soak up the lethargy as much as possible, since I start a workshop on Monday and have pretty much no vacation after that.

To backtrack: The wedding was lovely, Pamela was beautiful, and the reception was lacking of alcohol. (just teasing, Pamela, it's okay!) It was fantastic to see everyone again, especially Heather and Jamie. With some people, you can just pick up your friendship right where you left off. Again, I was not particularly wanting to come back...assisted by Jamie in this matter, as we almost got lost and I almost missed my flight! (Un)Fortunately, I ended up catching it and made it back home with no further issues.

So since my mind is not currently occupied with school-related things, I've had time to think about other things, such as where I want to live for next year and whether or not to buy a car. I think I've decided for the car; being constantly dependant on people is obnoxious and maybe I'd get out more if I had the means. The other question is whether (and if so, where) to move. I like my apartment, especially the location, but it is a bit expensive. However, less expensive one-bedrooms are not to be had. Other options: (a.) moving in with a roommate, or (b.) housesitting for one of my students' families as they live in Germany for one year. Advantages to each of those: (a.) meeting new people, saving money; (b.) living rent-free (!) for a year. Disadvantages: (a.) having to get used to living with someone again, possibility of annoying roommate; (b.) living way the heck far away from everything that I'm involved with in this city, not feeling independent.

These topics are now open for voting! What do you think? Should I stay where I am, check out craig's list for a roommate, or housesit?

*EDIT: Just found an ad on craig's list for roommate wanted...right down the street from where I am now!

*EDIT #2: I am meeting with the housesitting family at the end of next month and have sent an email to the craig's list girl. Guess we'll see what happens!

Quiz

As Ginny, you are friendly but quiet and timid. You have a thing for men with glasses.

Apparently, it figures out which HP character you are most like, and it also sorts you into a house. The character and the house don't have to match. I guess that would be rather unfair, since nearly all the characters are from the same house.

Back in the US...A

Nothing like a thinly veiled Beatles reference as a subject line. Did anyone else get that or is the connection just in my head? I'll explain it if you want, but then it won't seem quite as witty.

Anyway: I'm back! And as much as I wasn't entirely looking forward to returning to my wreck of an apartment and lack of food, it's nice to be back. I got in on Tuesday and was jetlagged as hell, due to going to bed at 1.30, leaving the house again at 4.30AM to get to the airport, and then about 12 hours in planes and airports. Wednesday was also rather shot, but today has been much better, largely due to my having coffee in the house this morning. Life is good when you don't have to go to work.

So tomorrow is Friday already, and that means getting on another plane to fly to Ohio for Pamela's wedding! Amazing that it's in two days already; where has the time gone? I am very, very excited to see Pamela and meet Andrew, and to see Heather and meet Kevin. (sense a pattern there?) It should be an excellent weekend, rounded out by a Toledo Mudhens game on Sunday. (Müs - if you want a Mudhens baseball cap I will totally get you one.)

So... yeah, nothing else to report at the moment. I'll end with an awesome South Park image of me, made by Müs:


...and now for the description: 'I naturally assumed you have a Ramstein tee shirt, a frazzled expression in a classroom of children, and ice cream in one hand (izzy scoop? what?) and a knife to cut anyone who gets too close to it in another.' Thanks, bro!

Happy Fourth of July!

I was going to be all patriotic and write this in fancy red and blue, but (a.) that is too much work and (b.) it would be too hard to read. Nevertheless, Happy Independence Day, enjoy the fireworks and grilling! Oddly enough, this makes the third consecutive year that I'll have missed the Fourth...also oddly, I'm not too upset about that. Oh well.

We just got back last night from spending three days in Berlin and Potsdam, which were great. Berlin is one of my favorite cities; every time I go there, there is always so much to do and to see. I always go with a list of things to visit or do and leave with at least a third of them not accomplished. This time, I checked off the Museum at Checkpoint Charlie (disappointing), the new Jewish Memorial (very moving), and the New Synagogue (as part of a three-hour walking tour -- interesting and informative). Two days in Berlin is not nearly enough; I'm thinking of going back after the program is finished to do some shopping... with my extensive funds, you know.

However, one of the best parts of the weekend was going to visit a friend of mine in Schöneberg, which is a neighborhood in Berlin. She has been studying there for the past year and I hadn't seen her since summer 2004, when we worked in a random teeny village in Sachsen-Anhalt. It was excellent; not only did we get to catch up (a lot), but we also watched some of the soccer match at ......

TIM'S CANADIAN CAFE!!!

Hopefully Müs will find that as amusing as I did; I took pictures of the place and of the menu. The Germans as well as Fiona thought I was crazy. I was too busy laughing and being nostalgic to notice.

Double-double?

PS - Deutschland vor! Deutschland vor! Cheer for them today, it's the quarter final!

Gedicht des Tages

Seit ich ihn gesehen,
Glaub ich blind zu sein;
Wo ich hin nur blicke,
Seh ich ihn allein;
Wie im wachen Traume
Schwebt sein Bild mir vor,
Taucht aus tiefstem Dunkel
Heller nur empor.
-- Adelbert von Chamisso (1781-1838)

Sorry, non-German speakers, but I just can't translate it and make it sound as nice as that.

On an unrelated note (I swear! Totally unrelated!): We had an awesome class today, about poems and how to interpret them, and how to use them in class. Not quite related to working with 6-year-olds, but what a great seminar. It also helped that the man leading it was very attractive... however, he's married and has two small kids. Damn.

Requisite story about trains and almost missing them

Group dynamics are much better, though a little strange; I think the traveling this weekend helped 'group bonding' a little bit. Although I guess that wouldn't be considered group bonding, as there were a few smaller groups. At least I got to know some people a little better... nothing like being ridiculous and overtired on trains to help friendships along.

The train story: I went to Dresden on Saturday with a group of 4, and was returning with Pam (not to be confused with Pamela) that same evening. After getting up at 6.15, three hours on a train, and a day of fighting crowds of elderly tourists and 90° heat, we were rather exhausted. We had to change trains two times on the way back, once in Elsterwelde-Biehlau and once in Falkenberg (Elster), both of which coincidentally have really long names and are in the middle of freaking nowhere, in Brandenburg. (not to equate 'nowhere' with 'Brandenburg', but if you know anything about Brandenburg, it makes the story better) Anyway, I heard the woman get on the PA system on the train, announcing the connections for the town at which we were arriving, and I heard her say 'Elsterwelde', so Pam and I got off. As we got out, I was like, 'Wow, that was early; the Deutsche Bahn is never early.'

Lo and behold, we got off in Elsterwelde, which is not Elsterwerde-Biehlau. And we had 5 minutes between connections, so we had about 8 minutes to make it to the real station and get to our next train before we were stuck in this rinky-dink town in Brandenburg. We get to the ticket counter in the station; there's no one there. We get to the front of the train station; lo and behold, there is one lonely taxi. I'm like, 'Pam, get in the cab!' She's like, 'Maybe we should first make sure we're at the wrong station...' I'm like, 'Get in the cab!' We get in, tell the driver to step on it, he convinces us that we'll make it while I'm cursing under my breath. Four minutes, three minutes, two minutes left. The driver says, 'Why don't you get the money ready.' Finally, we pull up to the station, I hand him a five Euro bill, and we jump out of the cab. There's no train there...it's 8.25, when the connection was supposed to be. Did we miss it? The taxi driver is hanging around just in case we are stuck in this teeny Dorf with probably no place to stay. Suddenly the PA system sounds, and an announcement: The train is coming! Gott sei Dank! We say goodbye to the taxi driver (who probably then went home and told his wife about the two crazy Americans whom he drove to the next train station over) and get on the train.

And then I got hit on by the ticket-taker for the Deutsche Bahn. But that's a story for another time.

wtf?

Being in Germany and in WB again is fabulous, but to be honest, I am a little disappointed in the program this week. It has included a 3-hour long speed-walk through Wörlitz (a park; you wouldn't think you'd need to speed-walk if you had 3 hours, but the park is huge) and a lecture that was not helpful at all. However, our teacher is excellent and so nice; she has invited us over for coffee during the last week of the course.

The key weirdness here is the lack of group camraderie. I miss the hanging out with friends, inside jokes and generally being ridiculous; here, it's sort of clique-y, and I don't fit in with any of them. Who knew you could have cliques in a group of 11! It all feels very superficial, which I suppose is a typical American trait, but seriously. Can someone please be my friend?

Who knew you could feel lonely when you're constantly with a group, in a town where you know 1/3 of the population.

Rückkehr nach Wittenberg!

Here I am, once again typing away in the computer lab at the Leucorea in WB. Apparently, not much has changed in four years, except now the computers are (slightly) better and DB is probably not going to suddenly appear beside me in a bright orange shirt. Though you never know.

To back up a little, the school year is OVER!!! I survived! I will never be a first-year teacher again! The last two weeks were rather rough, what with summer craziness, report cards, end-of-the-year inventory, and people generally giving me tasks and saying, 'Now, you have to get this done before you leave.' Thank god it's done; time to enjoy being in Germany a little bit.

Coming back has reminded me of all the things I missed about Germany: the fabulous bakeries (a piece of cake for 60 cents!), walking to places, biking, public transportation, German breakfast...I'll surely think of more. However, there's already one thing on the list of things I didn't like about Germany: people talking to me like I'm stupid. I know the freaking numbers; you don't have to show me the number of fingers. Thanks, waitress at the Kartoffelhaus. Anyway, I'm having a great time so far and I'm especially looking forward to the 3-day Berlin/Potsdam trip in two weeks!

Returning to Wittenberg has been strange in some ways. In one sense, it hasn't changed much and so it feels like I never left. On the other hand, I get stared at on the street (ah, the German stare!) and realize that I'm once again the outsider, one of those tourists or students who comes in for a few weeks and then leaves. Also, all the places in town remind me of something that I did there; the Schlosskirche is no longer where Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, but where I stood squashed in the balcony while watching Reformation services. This is the Blumengeschäft where I always bought flowers for people. There is the Kino where I saw Star Wars: Episode II (and sort of understood), Ich kann mal anders (and sort of understood and laughed a lot), Spiderman ('Die Wahrheit ist...ich liebe dich), Luther (and pretty much understood), Fluch der Karibik (and was proud that I understood), and Mona Lisas Lächeln (and understood but thought it was dumb). This is the Haus der Geschichte, where they have a stuffed cat. The list continues; suffice it to say it's rather a nostalgia trip.

Anyway, just wanted to say I made it and so far, so good. It's time to get out of the computer lab and go have some Eis!

Four more days!

...by which I mean three more days, plus the last day (during which kdg will be a madhouse), plus a 'culture week'. But really, the kids have lots of specials tomorrow so it's like two more real days. Can you tell I am ready to be done?

But right now, I am actually out of the apartment (!) at a coffee place, so I thought I would regale all 4 of my loyal readers with tales of my scintillating social life. Because this weekend was actually fabulous. It was in the 80s and sunny, so my TA and I biked down to the state capitol and took a tour and some pictures. (more fun than it sounds) Then we biked all the way back and were picked up by a mutual friend, who drove us to Uptown, where we hung out at a lake with a beach. I got good and sunburned, then we came back to our respective houses, made ourselves look respectable again, and went out to a few different bars. This was actually not especially great, since they were all really packed, but a good time nonetheless. And then we went back to this friend's apartment, where we hung out and learned some salsa dancing until 4.30 in the morning. What a social butterfly I am! (ha)

Sunday was comparatively low-key; my TA and I hung out at a local street festival for about an hour, until we got bored of navigating our way around people and watching drunk people. The award for the Stupid Comment Of The Day goes to a street vendor who saw me pushing my (bright yellow) bike through the crowd: 'Yeah, I'll give you a ride.' Yeah, you can kiss my ass, buddy.

Anyway, we are down to the LAST real WEEK, and I should mention that all kindergarteners are coming on Friday for the whole day. AM and PM kindergarteners converging; it's like the perfect storm. I need to come up with all sorts of stuff for them to do, so they don't tear the school down. But who cares, because not only is it the last day of school, it's my birthday, so there will be much celebration! Some friends and I are going out for Indian food on Friday night... Indian food! And I have friends! Doesn't this sound like the best plan ever? Perhaps my good mood is caused by the impending end of the year, or the good weather, or the fact that I'm going to Germany shortly, but I cannot be moved to care about schoolwork anymore. What, the classroom hasn't been vacuumed in a week and there are crushed Goldfish and grapes smashed into the carpet? And my table/desk is covered in papers 10 sheets high? I don't freaking care!

Bring on the vacation! And the end-of-school/birthday celebration! (Sidenote: Good god, I will be 25. What am I doing with my life?)

To prove I have not, in fact, thrown myself out of a window

Yes, I am alive. Sorry about that. Zero internet access + scheduled weekends + end-of-the-school-year-craziness = no blog post. Never fear, I am still around and doing okay. However, it is nice to know that people care.

First, a school update: I will be teaching first grade next year. This is the consensus, though I have yet to sign a contract. (are they waiting for me to prove something?) It's not really what I want to do, but it's better than no job at all. Plus, I get to team with the current first grade teacher; he'll know the curriculum, and I'll know the kids. Not too bad. Until then, it's the final countdoooowwwwn! (do do do doooo, do do do do doooo!) Three weeks left with kindergarten... amazing. In those three weeks, I have to prove that they meet all the standards, prepare them for first grade, write report cards, and set up the end of the year program. Actually, I have to do that in only two weeks. Oh sh!t.

Anyway. then it will be off to Germany!! I emailed the Leucorea and tried to live with Jess, and they said no problem, but then I got shot down by the directors of the program here. I was like, the Germans said it was okay, for god's sake! How can you be more anal than the Germans? Oh well, it should be a good time. Despite the fact that the trip is not supposed to be a vacation, and I'm supposed to build a partnership with a school over there, I am so looking forward to getting out of here.

Other update-y news: Müs was just here last weekend, and we had a fabulous time. I was sad to see him go on Monday. Highlights of the weekend:

• Guinness ice cream...twice!
• Dragging him along to school and his acquiring a fan club of 6-year-olds
• (Frozen) Cheez-its
• Walking along the Mississippi
• Sushi!
• Uptown Minneapolis
• Getting stuff 75% off at Borders
• Making him illustrate the kindergarteners' weekly book
• 'The DaVinci Code'
• Ridiculing his ridiculously long hair
• 'Wayne's World'...even though I fell asleep

Excellent. Doesn't it just make you want to come visit?

As I am in school (surprise), I should go get some work done before Irish dancing. Only 3 more weeks!

Just to vent

I've been trying to buy plane tickets to get to Pamela's wedding pretty much all day now. I looked at prices yesterday and suddenly, it appeared this afternoon: a flight for only $170! (compared to the other ones I found starting at $240) Brilliant! And then... travelocity won't 'process my request'. Neither will expedia. Many, many times. And this fare doesn't seem to exist on the airline's website, or on other cheap fare websites. GrrrrRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr. I'll just keep stalking travelocity and/or expedia until they have to give me the cheap fare.

If I end up having to pay like $300 because these websites are stupid, I will be pissed.

On the positive side, I bought plane tickets home, went for a walk, had coffee and wrote two letters to folks in Germany today. Not bad for a Saturday.

Adventures at The Mall

Today is the last day of spring break (apart from the weekend, which doesn't generally feel like vacation, as it instead feels like a weekend), and I celebrated by going to The Mall. Only the second time I've been since I moved out here, and I was looking forward to it; I'm not a huge shopping person, but I do get in the mood to spend some money now and again. So it was kind of a bummer when one of my favorite stores, for which I had TWO (!) coupons, had nothing good. Apparently it's that weird in-between-seasons time, and everyone is trying to clear out their winter stuff before moving in their summer merchandise. And the winter stuff is pretty well picked over. In the entire 3 hours at the mall, I ended up getting a skirt from H&M; not quite wedding-appropriate, but I can wear it for teaching.

Interesting phenomenon at The Mall: Even with an insane number of stores, I still ended up going to the same 7 or 8. Maybe I need to expand my boundaries a little.

Dreading going to school on Monday, as well as not having Internet at home. Oh yeah, my next-door neighbor (the really nice one with the wireless hookup) moved out. Sucks...looks like I'll have to go through the whole Internet provider crap after all. Until then, I'm enjoying updating my blog while housesitting and having the cat crawl across my lap every 5 minutes.

Seriously, is my life really this boring? This is sad.

Fighting for truth, justice and the American way

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 70% Spider-Man 70% Robin 55% Batman 50% Hulk 45% Green Lantern 45% Iron Man 45% Supergirl 41% The Flash 40% Wonder Woman 31% Catwoman 25%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/superhero

And the verdict is...

...I passed, I think. The computer gave me the scores at the end of the test, but I have no reference values. So I got a 185 on reading and 190 on math, but I've not a clue what they're out of. If it's out of 200, then yay! If it's out of 2,000, then that sucks. But I think I did okay, at least on the multiple choice questions.

The interesting part came in the form of the timed essay. Timed essays are crap, because who can put together a coherent, thought-provoking essay on a given topic in 30 minutes? I write very methodically; it takes me forever to get words down on paper. My essay had some complex sentence structure and advanced vocabulary...however, I'm not sure if the point got across. I even made some parallel between the Good Samaritan parable and the Eightfold Path (Buddhism); here's hoping that that's actually a valid point. I'm not entirely sure whether the Eightfold Path has anything to do with how to treat other people, let alone whether it belongs to Buddhism or even if it is eight-(not ten-, seven- or pi-)fold. Hopefully my essay grader isn't Buddhist.

Now I am off to this store, to get all crafty. Wish me luck!

This post brought to you by: Poor judgment!

So I have to leave the house tomorrow at 7AM to take a freaking four-hour long series of computerized tests to make sure that my reading, writing and math skills are appropriately becoming a kindergarten teacher. I have to go to bed, but I'm not tired. I also have not really studied for this test. Hey, if I got over a 1400 on the GRE with about 2 hours of cramming the night before, I should be okay, right?

This is all going to bite me in the ass tomorrow, I can just feel it.

Forcing myself into bed now.

Vaaacaaation!

It's really been a while; I feel like I've been going through Internet withdrawal. Round #1 of catsitting went fine, though I discovered that I'm not really a cat person - or at least not a person who enjoys getting woken up at all hours by a stupid cat who likes to walk on sleeping people's heads. So now I'm catsitting again, for someone else, and thus far today I've had to not only clean out the litter box, but also clean up cat vomit. Off of carpet. Mmmm, lovely. At least I'm getting paid for sitting around someone else's house, eating their food, and going out for coffee once in a while.

In other news: MüS IS COMING TO VISIT!!! I'm just a little bit excited. We're going to tour around, and eat ice cream, and share awful stories about our schools! Doesn't that sound like fun? Don't you just want to get on a plane and come on over? Seriously, I cannot wait until May.

I'm planning on taking one of my eight sick/personal days (that's right, a grand total of eight) on one of the days when he's here...however, those eight days are now down from four to two, thanks to a persistent virus last week. And while I was lying lifeless on the couch, croaking that no, I don't think I'll make it in tomorrow either so you should call around for a sub, my director (who had subbed for me) felt it was necessary to tell me what was wrong with my classroom. Uh huh, okay, I'll carefully consider how to more effectively challenge each student at his or her academic level and how to check their work, just as soon as this pesky fever breaks. Feel the love from my coworkers.

More news (perhaps) tomorrow, because I am now on spring break and have all the time in the world to do things like update my blog.