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.