What I'm doing right now (cuz I know you wanna know)

... watching the Flyers (they're up 2-1 right now)

... stuffing pumpkin shaped treat bags for my first graders (Halloween pencil, jack o'lantern eraser, spider ring, small sheet of Halloween stickers, and 2 Dum-Dum lollipops)

... baking Halloween cookies (the break 'n bake kind, for school tomorrow)

... typing my weekly "First Grade Homework" sheet

... ignoring my puppy (who is under the mistaken impression that Dum-Dums are puppy treats)

... waiting for dryer to buzz

Just a little slice of my life... from me to you with love.

TGIF? Not really.

Damn stomach flu is going around school. One kid threw up last Friday. This week, I had one out Monday and Tuesday, one out Thursday, and one out Friday. Plus two of my kids threw up in school on Friday (not in my classroom, thank God) and had to be sent home.

I left on Friday feeling mentally and physically exhausted. But not sick. Then I made the mistake of going to our 8th grade teacher’s house for happy hour. She had all sorts of yummy snacks out: cheese and crackers, tortillas and salsa, veggie tray. She gave us a choice of cerveza or homemade pina coladas. She served taquitos (beef and chicken). I had three pina coladas (two with alcohol, one virgin) and a shot of passion fruit rum. I munched on a lot of veggies and chips, as well as a few taquitos (YUM).

I got caught in some crazy traffic going home, so I got bored and sent Erin several text messages about Karen’s party that night. Finally got home, checked my email, found the party info on myspace, and sat down on the sofa to relax. That’s when I fell asleep. I woke up two hours later feeling like complete shit. Blech. I briefly debated going to the party, then realized that it was already 8:20, I didn’t have anything to wear (costume or otherwise), I still needed to shower, and I didn’t have the energy to pick my head up off the sofa. I wound up going back to bed at 10:30. On a Friday night. Damnit. How pathetic is that?

And of course I feel fine today. It’s 9:30 and I’m bored as hell. If there was a party tonight, I’d be good to go.

Stupid long week. Stupid sick kids.

At least this week will be better. Work Monday, off Tuesday (All Saint’s Day!), work Wednesday and Thursday, out Friday (personal day – wedding in NY). And Monday I get to do fun Halloween-y things with the kids, which means I don’t need to have “real” lesson plans for that day.

Ooh, and I don’t have my grad school class this week, because of Fall Break. AND… Doug & I are going to see Ben Folds on Wednesday! Whoo-hoo!

Okay. That’s enough blogging for tonight.

no habla espanol (yet)

I am currently indulging in one of my guilty pleasures: Sweet & Salty Honey Nut Chex Mix. It is the SHIT. Any combination of salt and sweet and crunch is a good one.
Long day today. Work, home, walk dog, dinner, class (including midterm and sitting through a presentation). And it's only Tuesday.

I need to learn Spanish. My four years of high school French turned out to be pretty much useless in the real world (and that includes my trip to Paris, where everyone spoke English). Spanish is kinda similar to French. I can't speak it well, but I can usually understand enough to pick up on a conversation.

One of my first graders (who is fluent in both English and Spanish) gets a real kick out of saying "gracias" to me every chance she gets, just so she can hear me say "de nada!" Today she said to me, "You speak Dora Spanish!" I'm not sure if she meant I speak Spanish just like Dora... or that I only know the "easy words" that Dora teaches on her show. She didn't elaborate.

So I have to find someplace that offers Spanish lessons that are relatively inexpensive. It'd come in handy during parent conferences, and it would look sweet on a resume.

I guess that's it for now. Adios!

crappy poem, written during class... found in my notebook while studying for midterm

The in-between of summer and fall
Is hardly not even a season at all
The sun is high
The wind is cool
The pool is open
(But so is school)
It’s not yet time for Halloween
The back porch door still has a screen
My jacket’s on
But flip-flops stay
The weather changes
Day by day
And what comes next?
It all depends
When fall begins
And summer ends

10/04/05

plans

After my crazy-long Weekend O'Rock last weekend, and an even more chaotic week at work, I decided I needed to take a few days to do nothing but veg. So this weekend it's pajamas and cheesy movies. And some internet surfing and perhaps a few chapters of my new book. And if I'm so inclined, there's a stack of tests that need to be graded, a pile of laundry that's just about ready to walk to the washing machine on it's own, and the weekend newspaper that's just begging to be read. Oh, and I can dig out my fall/winter clothes, and put away my summer clothes. If there's time, I might squeeze in a haircut. And I have lesson plans to write. And I have a midterm on Tuesday night that I have to study for.

Yup... pajamas and cheesy movies it is.

the rest of my weekend

Last night a group of us went out for my birthday. The whole experience was, in my opinion, subpar. We went to Jolly's Piano Joint downtown for some fun drunk sing-along antics. The bar was ridiculously loud and crowded. There was a huge bachelorette party there. They had three tables reserved, but they weren't using them. Instead they were crowded around the piano being obnoxious, as drunk bachelorette party guests are wont to be. So we crammed ourselves into a back corner. The waitress came around to take drink orders and informed us that there was a 2 drink minimum per person after 8 PM. (Which wasn't mentioned on the website or posted at the door.) We almost left, but then decided to stay for a few songs to see if the situation would improve.

There was a small back section with a few tables and some cushy chairs. Three people were sitting there taking up the entire space. When they got up to leave, my friend asked the waitress if we could sit there. She said yes, so we started to move our stuff back there. Then one of the men said he was staying there. He sat there, by himself, smoking a cigar and nursing his drink. We were furious, because there were like 6 chairs and 3 tables back there. One of my friends went to ask him if we could sit there, and then the manager came over, told us that it was a reserved area, and put up a velvet rope to keep us out. Totally unecessary. After about half an hour, more people showed up and joined the man in the back. They kept the rope up all night. How pretentious.

Anyway.

So the music was okay. The piano player played a Ben Folds song (whoo-hoo!) and some Beatles, but way too much Springsteen. Then, of course, there were the quintessential piano bar songs: Sweet Caroline, Build Me Up Buttercup, Tiny Dancer (!!!), Piano Man, Friends in Low Places, Take Me Home Country Roads... good stuff.
Then the drama started. One of my friends didn't show up (she had fallen asleep and didn't wake up til after 11), there were some fights involving people and their significant others, there was much discussion about where to go after the piano bar - and everyone kept saying, "It's up to you, it's your birthday!" C'mon, you all know I hate making decisions! Ack. But it wasn't completely awful. It just wasn't how I had hoped the evening would go. Next year, I'm going to have a fondue party at my house for my birthday. No more going out.

Today I went to dinner with the family. Yummy dinner... tiramisu for dessert. And my parents gave me a Magna Doodle as one of my birthday presents! (That wasn't a completely random gift - I kept saying I wanted to buy one.)

So that's my 28th birthday in a nutshell. My Weekend O'Rock is over, and tomorrow it's back to work. Bleh.

weekend o'rock

My Weekend O' Rock (which began with Weezer/Foo on Thursday) continued on Friday night. I went to Grape Street with Doug & Ray, where we met up with Tom, Remy, Kay, Doug's friend Jill and someone else that I'm probably forgetting. We saw 4 bands total - 3 full sets, and the tail end of a band that was playing when we came in. Lemme test my memory for a minute: Rebel Saints, Idiosympathy, Wayne Junction, Jealousy Curve. I'm pretty sure that's right. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)

My review of the bands is as follows:

Rebel Saints - Eh. I could take 'em or leave 'em. Some of their stuff was kinda quirky, but I couldn't decide if I liked them or not.

Idiosympathy - Very very cool. Kind of a combination of Coldplay, Radiohead, and maybe a little bit of Travis. Plus the lead singer made John Mayer faces while he played his guitar. I was impressed enough to buy their CD for $5.

Wayne Junction - Not bad, but nothing spectacular either. I had a hard time understanding the singer. But they did a kick-ass cover of "Elenore Rigby."

Jealousy Curve - Definitely the highlight of the evening. I was blown away by how good they were. To borrow a Ray word - they were "tremendous." I usually get bored when a band is playing songs I don't know, but that wasn't the case this time. I bought their CD as well, and I expect to wear it out in my car's CD player. :)

Other highlights from the evening include: the Big Red sing-along in the car, the peanut butter and jelly video (does anyone know who that was?!), the discovery of Ray's gangsta side (musically speaking, that is), killing my cell phone battery by taking blurry pics, and of course, the drinking of beer. Beer is always good.

All in all, a solid night of rock. Good stuff.

Weezer & Foo

Well, what can I say? I expected rock, and I got it. I can sum up the entire night in 4 words: Best. Fucking. Concert. Ever. (EVER.) I've been to a lot of kick-ass concerts, but none of them have ever rocked as hard as last night's show.

Doug & I were supposed to pick up Pat & Tina by 5:30, but I got stuck at work and we didn't make it there until almost 6. We got to the concert & parked at the Linc near some of Pat's work friends. We decided to skip the opening act to have a few beers and watch the work friends get high on various substances. Ahem.

So anyway, we made it in just in time for Weezer's first song, after stopping for another beer (which I drank through a straw - never done that before!). Our seats were nose-bleed, but at least we had a good view of the whole stage. Weezer was great! I've seen them 3 times before (not counting last night) and I always enjoy them. They mixed a lot of old school favorites (If I recall correctly, they played "Surf Wax America" and "My Name is Jonas"!) with some of the better new ones. All in all, they played an amazing show.

Then came Foo. Ah, Foo. I've never seen them live before, so I was really looking forward to it. I was not disappointed. They are SO GOOD live. Every song was awesome, the audience was insane, and Dave Grohl rocks my socks in a major way.

Doug & I were singing along, and I was hoarse by the third or fourth song. I don't know how that man does it night after night. (And on that note, mad props to Dan - I couldn't get through "Best of You" at all! My voice gave out about halfway through the song.) My favorites: "Breakout," "Hero," "In Your Honor," "Learn to Fly," and "This Is A Call." They ended the set with "Everlong," which started out acoustic, and then went into full-out rock by the last verse. Amazing. Their encore included (what else?) "Monkey Wrench," which just made my night complete.

Great show, awesome bands, good crowd, kick-ass rock. Best birthday present I've gotten in years. Thanks, Doug!

Tonight my Weekend O'Rock continues at Grape Street to see Jealousy Curve.

Whoo-hoo!

I've got another confession to make

The concert fucking rocked. Dave Grohl is the MAN.

More tomorrow.

is it Friday yet?

I know it's late, but I have a faculty meeting tomorrow, which means we start an hour later than usual. Nice.

So the aftermath of the accident is upon us. Erin texted me this morning to say that her & Mike were hurting, so they were going to get checked out. I was a little sore today too, which kind of surprised me, because I felt fine last night. I think I just got banged around in the car when it was bouncing off of SUVs and medians. That, and the fact that I braced myself about a split second before the impact, so I think my muscles are stiff from that. I took some Aleve and sat around doing nothing all day. I haven't had a decent night's sleep since at least Thursday, so I didn't feel guilty about being lazy at all.

This week is going to kick some serious ass. For starters, I only have kids for 4 days this week, thanks to the faculty meeting. On Thursday night, I'm going to see WEEZER AND FOO!!!! I'm like, just a tiny bit excited about that. (!!!!!!!) Then on Friday night, I'm going to Grape Street to see Jealousy Curve, who I heard in Ray's car last weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing them live. On Saturday, I'm going out with my friends for my birthday. We're going to a piano bar in Center City and then probably out to dance. Sunday is my birthday, and dinner with the family. Definitely a kick-ass week.

Time for bed now. Hey, if anyone's interested in joining us on Saturday night, email me and let me know. The more, the merrier!

Municipal Pier No. 9

I had a fun evening planned tonight. Erin, Mike and I were headed to a bar to see a band. With the exception of In Theory shows, Erin & I haven't hung out in about... 6 years? Maybe more?

Anyway, on the way downtown, Mike's car was hit by some guys in an SUV. They hit the passenger side, sending us onto a median (narrowly missing a poor, defenseless sapling), across Del Ave, onto the sidewalk (narrowly missing a pole), directly in front of Municipal Pier No. 9.

No one was hurt, but we were all shaken up. Understandably.

It took the cops an hour to get there, and in that time FIVE tow trucks appeared, as if from thin air. The tow truck drivers all got out of their respective trucks and congregated on the sidewalk. They all seemed to know each other. We actually heard them talking about past accidents. Erin & I suspect that this is what they do on their slow nights.

While we waited for the cops, we stood in the drizzle, took bad cell phone pics, watched the tow truck parade, admired the view of the bridge & the river, chatted about random stuff, and debated going across the street to the Comfort Inn to see if they had complimentary food. Since Mike's car was undrivable and had to be towed, Mike's dad had to come get us and take us home.

Not quite the evening we had planned.

So now I'm home, and tired, and very hungry. Sleep first. Food will have to wait until tomorrow.

no hangover... just tired

Blech. I feel crappy. I got home at 3:30 AM, after a night of mild drinking at the Bistro (yay for shots!) and snacks at GA (I should've ordered the sunrise burrito, damnit). Fell asleep right away, then woke up at around 7-ish. Went back to sleep, but couldn't breathe well. I've been battling a head cold, but I didn't want to take any cold pills last night after I'd been drinking. Now I'm paying for that. I actually don't feel as sick as I have for the past few days, which is good. I just don't feel like I got enough sleep. And sadly, I have to be awake, because I have a dress fitting (for a wedding in November) at 11:30.

Just felt like bitching. I knew you'd understand.

whatever and ever (amen)

I'm so tired. I just got home from grad school. This professor SUCKS. It's 3 hours of excruciating torture. My friend is trying to convince me to take 2 classes next semester. I might do it. I'd love to be finished my degree by December '06. I'm gonna have one hell of a graduation party. (Hey, can I book ...In Theory? Now that would kick some serious ass!)

Anyway, I just saw something on TV that reminded me of something that happened a few weeks ago. I wanted to blog about it before, but I just didn't get around to it.

Here's the story:

I was at a bar with 2 friends. One friend (Friend A) is a regular at this bar, so she introduced us to the bartender and another regular. Let me establish this up front: I was not interested in said regular. He's in his late 30s, longish greasy-ish hair, Harley Davidson t-shirt, smoker. Not my type. But he was fun to talk to, so Friend A & I were chatting with him. I was buzzed, and therefore quite amusing, whipping out the one-liners and sarcastic wit that most people find so charming (*ahem*). He kept saying, "You're so funny!" and to Friend A, "I like this girl, she's cool!"

At this point, let me reiterate my non-interest in Mr. Harley. I was simply enjoying the fact that someone (namely, a man) was enjoying my company. Call it an ego thing.
Now during this whole exchange, Friend B was being moody and distant. She sat, arms folded, and didn't talk unless spoken to. She had one drink, which she nursed for about an hour. She kept yawning.

And here's the kick in the ass - Mr. Harley liked Friend B! WTF? Did I miss something? She was so boring! She didn't say anything! She didn't get involved in our conversation! She was completely giving off the "don't talk to me" vibe. But Mr. Harley thought she was "cute." (Direct quote.) He tried asking her questions, to which she gave non-committal one word answers.

Sheesh. I simply do not understand men. And that's that.

the non-party becomes a party (sort of)

I tried (well, actually, Doug & I tried) to throw together a very last minute non-party, since AC was cancelled (still pissed about that, btw), and of course it was so last minute that no one could come. Or else there were some extenuating circumstances that prevented them from coming. In any event, the non-party idea was shelved. Instead, three-fifths of ...In Theory sat on the back porch working on some tunes while I graded papers & downloaded music in the living room. There may not have been a party, but by God, there was onion dip. (I thought it might help recapture the party atmosphere that I had so desperately wanted. Dip does miraculous things, you know...)

Then practice ended and the real fun started. First - we hopped in the car (listening to Jealousy Curve - way cool) for a dinner trip to GA. Always a good time. That was followed by an amusing drive (listening to Jimi Hendrix) to wherever our whim dictated (turned out to be South Street). Walked South Street, hit a few record stores, bought some music (for me... Amos Lee and Death Cab for Cutie). Back in the car (listening to Dr. Dog) for another trip to GA, this time for drinks. We sat in the same section, had the same waiter. Since we only ordered water, soda and coffee, he didn't charge us. We left a substantial tip. (He is the MAN!) Next, back to the house to watch "Old School," at the insistence of Doug and Ray, because Dan and I hadn't seen it. Damn funny movie.

So... Definitely not the evening that I had in mind, but it turned out to be a great time. The non-party became a mobile party, and a good one at that. Those guys can hang!

And now... back to work. I've got lesson plans to write.

it's random. it's good.

So tired. So very tired.

I had class last night (3 hours of sheer torture) and Back to School Night tonight. That's 2 late nights in a row. Blech.

So anyway, tomorrow is Thursday already. Whoo-hoo! One step closer to Friday and the weekend! Speaking of which...

When the hell is the next In Theory show??? It's just too damn long between shows, guys. Get your asses in gear! Some people need the rock, damnit! I NEED THE ROCK! Make it happen! (Btw, I know the next show is October 7th... I was just trying to make a point...)

Ahem.

Lemme tell you... I absolutely LOVE my mp3 player. It is my new favorite thing in the world. It is the keeper of all things good. It is my reason for being. It rocks my socks. Seriously, we're like best friends.

I watched "How I Met Your Mother" again this week, and I still *heart* NPH. He's so quirky! I think that's the same word I used last time. Oh well. I just love me some dorky guys, I guess. I'd marry one, if he were rich. And fairly attractive. And funny. And understanding of my busy schedule. And if he liked to iron. I hate ironing.

I have nothing to say that's worth reading at all. In fact, if you've made it this far, give yourselves a big fat kudo or two. You've earned it.

I guess that's all for tonight.