Photos!

At long last: Photos From My European Adventure! (PFMEA?) Some of them are kind of boring, and you probably have seen these things before, but oh well. You don't have to look. So there.

Moving on...

Ah, the East... how I've missed you, your Ampelmänner and your Ostalgie...

The Brandenburg Gate, with no scaffolding! Will wonders never cease?

Gendarmenmarkt. Say it with me now: "Die Tasche! Die Tasche!"

One of the lions on the Ishtar Gate, at the Pergamon Museum.

Inner workings of the Reichstag. The color of those chairs was specially made for the Reichstag... I mean, you can't have green or red chairs favoring any political party now, can you?

Entrance to KZ Sachsenhausen. Chilling.

And now we're in Prague...

The Charles Bridge, home to street vendors and pickpockets. And one of the main tourist drags in Prague.
On the Charles Bridge. See the tourists? And the castle in the background?

That's enough of Prague. (I'm not a fan.) Now for Budapest:

The first night we arrived, everyone was a little hyper after the 10 hours spent on the bus. We all met in the lobby to do some sight-seeing at 9.30 at night, because... well, why not? This is the view from the Pest side of the river (where the Parliament is) across to the Buda side.

Heroes' Square. This is the part where Hungarian reading skills would have been nice, since I didn't know who any of these people were. Except for the...
Barbarians! Aren't they frightening? Whereas most countries have these Classical-style marble statues of their heroes (Lincoln, Goethe, whoever), Hungary has barbarian hordes. Parliament building, as seen from here:

Fisherman's Bastion. Not entirely sure what its use was (check the Wikipedia link), but nice-looking just the same. The view made up for the endless stairs we had to climb to get here.

I think that's about it for now; my poor laptop and I are tired of uploading pictures. Enjoy! Photos of Austria and the Alps yet to come...

Much ado about nothing

So I've been harassed by the only two semi-regular readers of this blog that I should update. Good thing I succumb easily to peer pressure! I suppose I should catch you all (?) up on recent events, but to be honest, there haven't been a whole lot of those. Suffice it to say that I love being on vacation. Sleeping till 9, watching movies and reading all day, cooking decent food because I can... being a teacher has its perks.

Let's get to the point.
Recent Event #1: Chaperoning a high school trip to Europe
This was actually ganz okay, to use the proper German. Not quite as fun as traveling with friends and having an open schedule, but it was paid for and I got to know some interesting kids. The first two weeks were pretty awful, weather-wise; it was cold (in the 60s) and rained EVERY SINGLE DAY. Which is typical German weather, but not at the beginning of July. The last week of the trip was sunny and really warm, so it made up for the miserableness of the preceding weeks. There were also some crises: a girl decided to wander off, by herself, on the last night of the trip (!) and there was an incident of two couples kicking other people out of their hostel room so that they could have some 'alone time'. (Side note: Doesn't it seem counterintuitive to have 'alone time' when there is another couple in the room? Ew.) However, it was quite successful, and I'm going through the 300+ pictures I took so that I can post the good ones and write a decent update about the trip later. At some point.

Recent Event #2: More drama at school
That's right, I'm not even under contract anymore and I still can't get away from it. Apparently some comments that I made to a co-worker (who, until recently, I considered a friend) got back around to my boss, through two other people. These statements were used to attack her and her effectiveness at the school. Sketchy? Let's count the ways:
(1) These statements were used fourth-hand, without bothering to reconfirm with me.
(2) Board chairperson called me after the fact, to get my opinions.
(3) Apparently, griping to your co-workers can be used against you and the subject of the complaints.
I called her (my boss) today, and we're having coffee tomorrow to clear things up. She didn't sound incredibly upset, so I'm hopeful, but we'll see how it goes.

Recent Event #3: Harry Potter 7
Woo! I bought it Saturday morning (not quite enough of a dork to go to a midnight party, but enough to get up early on Saturday) and read it straight through until that evening. Fabulous! Lots o' action and drama, and plot twists. I'm going to have to read it again, slowly, because I rushed through the first time, but I must be the only person on the planet who thought the epilogue was cute. Granted, not as good as the rest of the book, but warm and fuzzy just the same.

That's the overview. Pictures of Germany/Prague/Budapest/Austria to come!

Some day, when I win the lottery...

I would like to buy this entire website. Too bad my birthday just passed.

Excerpt of nearly 3-hour long conversation

Me (after finishing story about co-chaperone): Is this weird, or is this just me? Because I sometimes blow things out of proportion.
Jamie: Dude, this always happens to you!
M: I know! It's like I give off this 'helpless, please-protect-me' vibe.
J: You do; it's this 'fragile English rose' thing.
M (laughing): Are you serious?
J: I know because I'm the opposite, like 'I'll kick your ass!' The funny thing is that I'm more of the sensitive type, but you're liable to be like, 'WTF? Get away from me, you weirdo!'

News, in haiku form

This morning, I woke
Up, and I was twenty-six.
Funny how that works.

School is over now,
Except for some paperwork.
Freaking report cards.

I'm playing for a
Friend's friend's wedding next weekend.
This time, we'll practice.

The family for
Whom I'm housesitting are back.
They're leaving Sunday.

All my stuff is crammed
Into my room, so that the
Kids don't play with it.

I knew that one day, those hours of writing inane haikus in elementary school would come in handy.

They might not have to downsize our branch. And I could work here for years... and years... and... years.

What NBC "The Office" character are you? Your Result: Jim Halpert You are the kind of person that everyone likes. You are funny, laid back, and not bad looking. You love practical jokes and having a fun time with your friends. However, because you are so laid back you often let the things that are most important to you get away. I miss Dwight. Congratulations Universe, you win.
Toby Flenderson
Pam Beesly
Ryan Howard
Kelly Kapoor
Dwight Kurt Schrute
Angela Martin
Michael Scott
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_nbc_the_office_character_are_you">What NBC "The Office" character are you? http://www.gotoquiz.com/">See All Our Quizzes

Chicago!

Chicago was awesome. Or, if you will, 'dawesome'. (shoutout to Müs!) All the energy, culture and variety of a big city, plus the niceness of the Midwest. Three days was definitely not enough, and I do not want to go back to school tomorrow. Some highlights of the trip, in picture form...because I have a new camera...

Chicago from the 94th floor of the Hancock Tower. The Sears Tower is on the right.

Pizza! The Germans didn't like it, which shocked and horrified me. And provided me with extra lunch.

Michigan Avenue, or the Magnificent Mile. I didn't do any shopping though; I was waiting at the bus stop to get to the Museum of Science and Industry...

... to see the greatest exhibit ever! If I weren't a teacher, I'd totally be a forensic scientist.

I also spent some time outside the Adler Planetarium enjoying the sun and the view.

Amazing. Now I just need an excuse to go back. I hear they're opening an immersion school in Chicago...

I hate to be such a sqealy fangirl, but...

...tonight's episode of 'The Office'? Made me so very, very happy. *sigh*

Off to NY for the (extended) weekend, to see Müs graduate! My little brother's all grown up. Except he's going back to school in the fall, so not quite. Wait a minute, so am I...

Feeling accomplished, for once

One of the only advantages to moving is that it gives you the incentive to clean out your closet. Which I absolutely hate doing, but it's either that or pack up and move extra pounds of stuff which I will probably not wear again anyway. So that was today's project, along with packing up my winter things and replacing them with tank tops and shorts. One less box I'll have to pack when I move, yay! Also, yay for donating stuff. Now it's just a matter of taking the bags down to Goodwill, along with the other bag of stuff that has been riding around with me in the trunk since October...

Also building my self-esteem: clothes that I bought for my first trip to Germany (5 years ago!) still fit! Awesome. Does this mean I need new summer clothes? Possibly.

Also, what is this?? Hi, WB, are you ripping off ideas from foreign films now? I have two main gripes with this: (a) The original movie is fantastic! and (b) Judging from the trailer, the directors have just ripped off the ideas from other directors. I mean, the shots are taken exactly from the original film, down to the one of the girl sitting on the counter, eating spaghetti, and the one of the chef bringing out a raw, bloody steak on a knife and impaling it to the table. It makes me want to go watch the German original again, just so I can recall how great it is.

Also, one of my students is moving to India on Tuesday. And she's one of the really great ones: hard-working, does everything without complaints, gets along with everyone, is just generally a happy person. Having taught her for almost two years, I'll miss her.

Also, no more 'also's. Get out there and enjoy the lovely spring weather.

Possibly an overreaction, but sometimes you just need to vent

I am so annoyed. SO ANNOYED.

The kids wrote their own books on their favorite animals this week, for which they had to make a list of questions and do some research. One of the questions was how big the animal could be. The know-it-all kid in the class decided to write his book on fish. I don't know how big a fish can get, so I look it up online. After searching around for a while (surprisingly, searching for the key phrase 'world's largest fish' doesn't get you anywhere), I find some site that says a certain kind of fish can get up to 2 meters long. Okay, here you go. He insisted that it was up to 17 meters, and I was like, you can't just make up numbers; besides, why did you ask me to look this up if you already knew what it was? You're writing this book in pencil; you can change it later if you have to.

Here's the kicker: I just got an email from him (via his dad's address) that's like, did you know that this certain type of fish can grow up to 18 meters and why did the school computer say that it was only to two meters when my laptop says 18? And he included the link to the article.

Seriously. Now a seven-year-old is treating me like I'm stupid. How the hell am I supposed to know how big fish are? I'm trying harder to get the class to get their work done, stop winding each other up, and think about what they're actually supposed to be doing. And clearly his parents take his side; why else would they let him write this email? And probably proofread it for him?

I AM NOT F****** STUPID. This is why I'm going to Cambridge next year. I am sick of this sh!t.

Arrr, eh?

I was listening to the radio on my drive in to work yesterday, as I do every day because the 40 minutes are otherwise mind-numbing, and this song came on. At first, I thought, what IS this? But then it made me laugh, and that's tough to do during the morning commute. I mean, come on, it's about CANADA! and PIRATES! In fact, it's about a CANADIAN PIRATE! How can you go wrong?

Also, 'The Office' is new tonight! And it's 45 minutes long! I feel like it's Friday, or my birthday.

Threat Level: Midnight!

This is the trailer someone made for 'Threat Level: Midnight', which you would be well familiar with if you watched 'The Office'. Even if you don't watch 'The Office', go watch this; it is the funniest video I've ever seen on YouTube.

Feel the need for more 'arbitrary' quote marks? 'Channeling' Moslow's 'syllabi' from 'high school math classes', perhaps? Here 'you' go.

Also, I told both directors that I'm not coming back next year. Went surprisingly well. One was really supportive, the other was a bit cooler but said that if I want a job there within the next five years, I'm hired. Which is nice, I guess. I'll have to weigh this against the endless crap that I have dealt with during the past year and a half, but having a backup plan is not a bad idea.

Lessons learned this weekend

1. When playing at a friend's colleague's wedding, always drive yourself. Do not carpool, no matter how much fun said wedding will supposedly be.
2. Practice may not make perfect, but you should definitely run through the music at least once before the wedding. Receiving the music earlier than two hours before is key.
3. When playing at an outdoor wedding, wear pants. No skirts, especially none that can be caught by the wind.
4. Cold medicine + Alcohol = NOT GOOD.
5. Try not to overanalyze things. At the very least, don't think about 200 steps in advance.
6. I am a mean-spirited, bad person. *frowny face goes here*

WTF?

My housemate asked me earlier this evening if I was going to play violin today. (strangely, this is not an uncommon question from him) I said yeah, I have to practice for the wedding I'm playing in tomorrow, but I'd rather not have it recorded, ha ha. He was like, okay, I won't tape record it. I thought that this was a weird turn of phrase, but whatever.

So I wait until he's downstairs watching TV, and I play around for about half an hour. I pack up, leave the room, and he's standing there with the camera and says, 'Can you do that last part again?' WTF, dude?? I was pretty ticked off at this point and was like, 'I asked you not to record me.' He goes, 'I said I wouldn't tape record you.' I was like, seriously, this is not funny. I'm not going to get into a semantic argument with you right now; the point is, I asked you not to tape me practicing, and you did it anyway. When he saw that I was so pissed off, he said, 'Okay, okay, I'll erase it.'

WTF, dude. If this tape even ends up on the internet, I will be so pissed. Creeeeepy.

Brought to you by tea and antihistamines

So 'allergies' have turned into sinusitis. I stayed home sick today and have done nothing but sleep, read, and watch TV. And it sounds like my TA wasn't there either...and I hadn't written up any sub plans... oops. But I did ask if there was anything I could do, and my boss didn't say anything... and she could have called and asked me to email in some plans, right? Oh well. Hopefully my class didn't get into some huge fight or burn down the school or anything.

Not a whole lot to report besides this...except that my housemate is getting on my nerves. I don't know if this is because I've been not feeling well, but all I really want is for him to leave me alone. He's got this tendency to ask questions that don't really have to do with anything, like 'What kind of violin do you have?' or 'Did you graduate high school when you were 14 or something?', or tell me random information that I don't really care about, like how he used to think the woman for whom we are housesitting was really hot. Between this and his posting a video (or, more accurately, audio) of my violin-playing online, I'm starting to get weirded out. Müs, come on out here and break his kneecaps.

*squeak*

It's Saturday! And this means I can give you lovely folks an update about what has happened this week. Not a whole lot has been going on, per usual, but some strange/annoying/illogical stuff at work. Surprise, surprise!

Before I get into that, some notes:
1. My sinuses are squeaking. Thanks, allergies. (TMI? Ha, welcome to my blog!)
2. If you haven't heard of this band, they are worth checking out! Not as good as GBS, but fun music. (Müs - I will burn you the CD, no worries.)
3. My housemate keeps trying to get me to play violin again. So he can record it, I guess. Uh, creepy or just weird?

Okay, let's get back to the stories about work. It was my director's brilliant idea to have a big 'First Grade Exchange Program' between the two classes. First, the teachers would teach each other's class for a day. Then, we would swap three kids a day for a week or so, or until all the kids had a chance to visit the other class. The point of this was for the kids to get to know each other better, since they'll all be in one huge second grade class next year, but the underlying reason was for me to bring some sort of order to the other first grade class. Because I am mean and strict and don't tolerate any disrespect or kids screwing around.

So we started this program on Wednesday, and my coteacher spent the day observing my class so that, hypothetically, he could copy the routines and techniques that I have down and apply them to his class. I took this as a compliment, so I was okay with it. Until he brought a book to class and proceeded to read it while I was teaching class. Every time the boss would show up, he'd quickly shove the book under the desk and take a few notes in his notebook, but other than that, he had a free day. And after he had finised the book, he played solitaire on his palm pilot (as observed by my TA). I was pretty ticked off, so I called him on it at the end of the day. He was like, 'Oh, don't tell [the boss]; I'll help you move again when you have to move or help you find a dishwasher!' It's not like I'd tell her anyway (hi, not a tattle-tale), but I found this very obnoxious and unfair. Especially since we swapped classes on the next day, and he was supposed to be following my routines in my class, but just brought over his routines. Whereas I'd had no exposure to his classroom structure and was just supposed to jump in and teach his kids cold. According to my TA and some of the kids, it did not go too well. (Actually, my TA was a bit horrified and the kids all gave me hugs when they saw me at lunch and were like, 'We miss you!' Yeah, that's right, I'm awesome.) So, in summary:

• Coworker gets a free day and gets to teach a (usually) well-behaved and orderly class.
• I get no day off and have to teach a crazy class for which I have had no preparation.

Is this my reward for being a decent teacher? And it's not like I think I'm amazing or anything (definitely, definitely not amazing), but if there's one thing I do have, it's structure and follow-through. And then he asked me if we should get together this weekend to plan, which we usually do at the beginning of each unit. I said, 'Maybe, but to be honest, I don't really feel like it.' I'll try it on my own this weekend, I think, because I was just too annoyed at the whole situation. And if he even shows up on Monday and asks me for my plans for the week... well. Nothing dramatic will happen, but I can pretend it will.

Guilt trip

Today, I lodged a formal complaint with my boss about the aide for the ADHD kid. And by 'formal complaint', I mean 'handwritten note on a piece of notebook paper'. And by 'aide', I mean 'the 60ish-year-old man from the Ukraine who sits in my classroom and gets paid $12 an hour to do nothing'. Anyway, he was undermining my authority yet again in front of my class and just generally being a huge pain. Again, I question why we pay this guy and why we don't just ditch him, but apparently it's not that easy. Being incompetent is clearly not reason enough to lose your job. (case in point = me! ha ha!)

ANYWAY. I was griping to my boss about this and wrapped up with something like, 'Just wanted to make sure this was documented somewhere, if anything else happens or a pattern shows up.' She congratulated me on being stubborn and said, 'You know, you wouldn't have trusted yourself enough to stand up to him last year. You've really grown into this job. I'm proud of you and so glad we have you.'

Heh. Uh... I won't be back next year. Every time something like this happens, it makes it harder for me to bring it up. (needless to say, I haven't done it yet) However, I have found a solution to the not-getting-paid-over-the-summer dilemma: I've volunteered to teach two week-long summer courses at school. In August. That way, they'll have to pay me through then, unless they don't want me to do the courses at all....right? Is that too backhanded? I just don't want to get screwed over, and I feel getting paid less (10 out of 12 months) for just as much work as the returning teachers is unfair. Hopefully they'll be relatively sympathetic...

'Hold on, I'm going to stop and take a picture...'

To change up the format a little bit from the usual bullet points, I present to you: A (Rather Small) Photo Slideshow of DC! Note that I am not in these photos because my uncle nearly dropped my camera. Twice. (At which he said, 'At least there's no film in it!' Ha ha... give it back now.)

The White House. Actually, it looked smaller than I thought it was.

WWII Memorial (obviously) and Lincoln Memorial in the background.

Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial. Luckily, we went on Wednesday, since there was a huge thunderstorm that night and most of the blossoms were gone the next day, I heard.

The Capitol. You can play 'Spot the Security Guards' with this picture!

Requisite photo of cherry blossoms. Does not, however, capture how ridiculously cold it is here; where's that lovely early-April spring weather?

Freudian slip?

I was just searching online for things to see during my stay in DC, and I was checking out a description of the US Capitol:
'CAPITOL HILL. The White House notwithstanding, this domed icon of democracy is the capital city's most significant and, perhaps, most impressive building.'
And the first time I read it, I saw the word 'doomed' instead of 'domed'. What does this mean for the future of my country??

[witty title here]

Guess who's on spring break! It doesn't feel a whole lot like spring break yet, since it's just a normal weekend and it's gray and rainy outside... However! In two short days, I'll be in DC, enjoying real spring weather and going out to dinner! It's actually rather funny how much I'm looking to going out to eat; I was thinking about this today and I've been out to eat twice in the past three months. At some point, making your own food (particularly if it consists of pasta and Lean Cuisine) gets very old. Also, I'm too cheap to have pizza or Chinese delivered, so that's that. Anyway, I'll be hanging out in DC with my uncle, to whom money is almost no object, and who loves good food. There will be some good times.

While I'm in DC, apart from fighting my way through groups of eighth-graders on their school trips, I'm also hooking up with Jamie, who seriously lives an exact copy of my life except has more fun, and Carolyn, whom I haven't seen since our shopping trip on Ku'damm in Berlin. I cannot WAIT. It will be fantastic. These are just about the two most fun people I know, and their sense of humor complements mine so well. It'll be great to be reminded that I do have friends out there, not just acquaintances.

In other news, I did my taxes today. Nothing like not getting as much back from the guvmint as you thought you might. And honestly, my taxes are not incredibly difficult but they take me forever. I was working on them for four hours today: See Instructions page 53, Complete Schedule A unless you have nine toes, in which case complete Worksheet K, etc., etc... Shoot me in the face. MN's tax forms are the most ridiculously complicated I have seen in my life. At least they're done, and I will be getting back a grand total of $600 to put into the Cambridge Fund (i.e., my savings account).

Speaking of Cambridge, I'm still searching for funding. Part of me just wants to apply for a loan and be done with it. Part of me still thinks I'm crazy for wanting to go another $35000 into debt. None of me really wants to be working at the school again next year.

Other than that, my life is boring, really. This is why I don't update very often.

Update for the sake of having an update

More bullets!

• We have had 3 cases of head lice at school. Thinking about this makes my scalp itch.
• The kids were ANNOYING AS HELL today. Nothing major happened; they were just being disrespectful, obnoxious little brats. Oh well, I have my bratty days, they have theirs.
• I am taking tomorrow off! I have never, ever taken a day off for a reason unrelated to a special occasion or to being sick. This is a pretty big step for me. It feels nice.
• The real reason I'm taking tomorrow off is that report cards have to be done on Saturday and I haven't started them. Oops! Nothing like mandatory on-line professional development courses and endless staff meetings to eat away at your soul free time. To be honest, though, I think I've reached that point where I don't care. I cannot be bothered with this stuff; it's just too much. I've been walking around like a zombie the past three weeks and it's got to stop.
• I'm going to DC over spring break! And it's paid for! I'm going to conveniently ignore the ton of work that has been assigned to me during that time and have a vacation.
• Kudos to Hetta on moving! I fully expect before and after photos when you redecorate. :)

Just one more week... I can do it...

PEOPLE SUCK.

Also: I am in desperate need of a day off.

That is all.

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?