Bad Blogger

I know I've been absent from this blog.  Every day I try to think of something...anything to write about, but other than the following random list of thoughts, I struggle.  So, here are some random things I have been thinking about lately.

• I wonder if the cows I pass on my way to work in the mornings abhor being rained on.  I mean, they don't look upset by any means, but if I had to stand out in a mud field and be rained on first thing in the morning, I would be mooing angrily.  I bet I could pull off a really good angry cow.
  

• Birds start chirping outside our bedroom window at 4:30am.  I am one of those people who loves to hear birds chirp..even at 4:30am.  We have a lot of Robins and Red Winged Black Birds around our house.  Bear loves them and wants to be their friends, but they won't have it.
  

•  There are 8 teaching days left until exams begin.  I am a little stressed about how much I have left to teach before I can begin my exam review with my classes, but it will be okay, right?

• One of my students bought me a can of Alpha-getti last week.  Whatever happened to apples?  Is Alpha-getti a Canadian thing or are people in the States as lucky as we are?  I personally love dipping a piece of buttered bread into my Alpha-getti.
  

•  K2 and I are ecstatic that So You Think You Can Dance has begun its new season.  Thrilled is more like it.

• I have become woefully addicted to The Real Housewives of Orange County.  I watch New York as well, but I don't like the women on that one as much as l like the OC women.  Shameful, really.

• We haven't planned a summer trip for 2009.  This will be the first summer in a couple of years that we won't travel anywhere out of country.  In 2007, we went to San Francisco and last summer we went to Barbados.   It might be time to plan a winter trip to somewhere warm.  This past winter knocked us on our behinds with how cold and miserable it was.  I think the Mayan Riviera might be the ticket!

• How excited was I to hear about my friend's referral news?!?  Good things come to those who wait.

• Was I the only person who didn't watch American Idol this season?

• I was talking to my dad this week and was saying that I think some people really enjoy worrying.  I think they get a payoff for seeming so preoccupied with worry in the attention they get.  I believe the same is true for people who I deem to be "complain-i-acs".  You know, they're the people who complain about EVERYTHING and nothing makes them happy.  There has to be a payoff for being that miserable.

• Perhaps we should put the worriers and the complain-i-acs in the mud fields with the cows.  Maybe they would learn some gratitude?  Nah, the cows don't deserve that.
  

Not That I'm Counting

There are 22 days left of school before exams begin on June 19th.  22 days, people.  I can't wait for summer to arrive, for the air to be consistently warm and for long evening walks in shorts and tees. 

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed this semester and the students I have (all ninety of them) are really sweet and good natured.  For the most part, I think they think I'm insane, but that's okay.  Today, as a review for a unit test we have tomorrow on Islam, I created a Jeopardy game on PowerPoint.  I told them that there would be a prize for the winners.  When all was said and done, I offered the winning team a Granny Smith Apple that was left over from my lunch.  Would you believe that they actually wanted it?  I walked over to their desks, apple in hand, then proceeded to lick the entire apple and cough all over it before attempting to hand it to them. Needless to say, they opted for me to keep it.  Wonder why?

Last week, I was drinking from a bottle of water (in which I had poured lemonade crystals, so it was tinged with yellow).  At one point in the afternoon, I had made a mistake with something I was saying and I immediately looked at my yellow water and declared that I was no longer going to drink Margaritas in the afternoon. They would only be a morning drink from now on. 

Despite the insanity and my desperate attempts to make the days go by as quickly and as painless as possible, I'm ready for the year to end.  The students are ready too.  Time for beaches, sand, kayaking, and long, lingering evenings.  I'm ready.  22 days.

Special Gift

My birthday was back in April and, being the VERY lucky girl that I am, I received some lovely gifts from even lovelier people.  One of the gifts is extraordinarily special to me and I thought I would share it here, since I finally found a home for it today.

Doris and Dan presented this to me when they were down a few weeks ago.  Dan sketched and painted it HIMSELF and from a photo that I had of Bear.  How precious is this?

 

I put the picture in our foyer, so that as soon as someone enters the house, they can see it.

 

Honestly!  Adorable.

Thanks again, D&D!  It is one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received.

Bullets

• Why is it that Monday to Friday, the sun shines its warmth, but on the weekends it rains chilly, wet drops?  I'm tired of watching spring from my classroom window.

• I have three very brave friends who are waiting for referrals.  It would be really nice to see them become mommies VERY soon.

•  Bear gave me a good scare this morning before I left for work.  He was shaking and very sick.  I almost called in sick (which would be incredibly rare for me to do).  I gave him some snuggles, then asked K2 to go home on his lunch hour to check on him.  He's okay now.  Probably just a hairball.  

•  My best friend found out the sex of her baby today, but I forgot to ask her if I could post it here.  I just tried calling her, but there was no answer.  Sigh.
  

•  I have rediscovered sour watermelon slices.  It's a sickness, really.  I need an intervention

• Our next door neighbors...the ones against whom we filed a formal complaint with the city (due to their two dogs barking throughout the night) have MOVED!!!  There has been peace for the past seven days.  It has been glorious.  We are not brutal people.  We understand that dogs sometimes bark when they are outside and we have no problem with that.  What we were living with were two terriers barking for 45 minute intervals at all hours of the night.  We're talking midnight, 3:00am, 4:00am, etc.  

•  K2's volleyball season ended right before Easter.  He doesn't enjoy beach volleyball, so he is not joining a summer league.  I have lost my alone time.  
  

• My best friend just called.  She said I could show you the ultrasound picture from today as it is VERY obvious from that:

 

CONGRATULATIONS, TANYA!!!

Prom

Do you remember yours?  Did you even go?  Who was your date?  Did you go solo?  Is it a night that you would want to remember?  Do you have pictures of the gawd awful dress or tuxedo you wore?

This past month, I (and two of my colleagues) have been feverishly organizing our school's prom and last night was the big night.  A prom in 2009 is certainly different than the prom I attended in 1991.  My first clue that things would be different was when I had to call our local police department to arrange for two officers to be present for the duration of the night.  I don't recall officers being present at my prom.  Another difference was that the banquet hall we rented was nicer than my wedding reception hall.  No joke.  I think, when it was all said and done, just the facility alone (not including the four course meal, drinks, DJ, and decorations) was something like $13 000.  If I remember correctly, my prom was in our school's gymnasium and our group of friends went out to dinner on our own beforehand.

The night was a beautiful one and all of the students had a great time.  No one seemed blatantly intoxicated or high and no one had to be thrown out.  A success.

I managed to drag my sorry butt through the door at about 1:00am last night and am still feeling the effects of a late Friday night this morning.  I guess I'm officially old.

One of the grade 12 teachers chaperoning the prom last night told me a funny story that I have to share.  She said that in her class this week, she drew a Value Line on the floor (a straight line across the middle of the class).  She had the students make up statements to agree or disagree on, then they had to move to the side of the line that best suited their opinion (similar to my Agree/Disagree activity from before).  She told me that one of the students wrote, "Mrs. (insert my last name here) could take Chuck Norris in a fight".  The entire class moved to the "Agree" side.  How funny is that?  What does this say about me??  Too funny.

Birthday Wishes!

Happy birthday to my VERY lovely friend, Doris!!  Head on over to her blog to wish her all the best.  On your next birthday, you will have Baby Girl to celebrate it with!!

 

I love that you love naughty food as much as I do!

Because He's The Cutest

My Blueberry Bear is my little buddy.  It is rare that I can be anywhere in the house without him by my side and it is equally as rare for me to sit anywhere without him on me in some fashion.  Evidence is below:

 

Half on...half off.

  

  Fully ON!

  

  

Nap time with me.

It is very difficult to be stressed when there is a warm and purring mass of fur snuggled up with you.  Honestly, there is nothing like it.