2007: A Recap

We're nearing the end of 2007, and I decided to take a few minutes to reflect on the past year. I have to say, it was one of the best years I've had in a very long time. Allow me to recap the highlights for you:

Even though I was technically finished my grad school classes in December of '06, the graduation ceremony was held in February. So I started my year by graduating with my masters... and a 4.0 . And I don't feel bad bragging about that, because I worked my ass off to get it.

Also in February, I threw myself a graduation party. I figured I earned it, especially considering I hadn't done anything special for my previous graduations. It was a kickass good time.

In April, I was in yet another wedding (number three!)... and despite the drama preceding the Big Day, I had a good time at the ceremony and SO much fun at the reception. And I LOVED my dress.

In May, I bought a new car. I'd wanted to buy a red SUV for ages, and I finally decided to do it. And I'm so glad I did. It's an awesome car.

In June, I got to visit my dear friend Bonnie (and her husband Mitch) in New York. While I was there, Erin went into early labor... and her and Mike welcomed Henry Michael into the world two weeks early!

In July, I took the trip of a lifetime... three weeks in Australia! It was an amazing trip. It wasn't exactly a vacation, because I was there to chaperone a boychoir. But I had the BEST time getting to know the boys, hearing them perform, and seeing the sights Down Under.

Also over the summer, I threw three awesome parties. A Memorial Day party in May, the Wild West Bonanza in August, and a Kill the Booze party at the end of the summer. All good times, as always.

In September, Sam and I started looking at apartments... and found one! So at the end of September, I finally moved out of my parents' house!

And not a moment too soon... because in October I turned 30. The big 3-0. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And I got to eat fondue!!!

In November, Sam won tickets to see Dane Cook. She took me, Karen and Joe... we got to ride in a limo and meet Matt Cord and hang out in the press box with Preston and Steve. And Dane was hysterical!

Then this month, Sam and I threw our first party in the apartment. We packed the place with as many friends and family members as possible. Good stuff indeed.

All in all, it was a fantastic year. 2008 is gonna have to work awfully hard to top it. I'm ready. Bring it on, bitch.

I’ll be home for Christmas

This was my first Christmas away from home. It was interesting. I wrapped all my presents in the apartment and transported them to my parents' house on Christmas Eve. We had our annual feast for Christmas Eve dinner - all sorts of yummy Ukrainian foods, including borscht, pierogies (potato and sauerkraut), and buckwheat (which I refuse to touch... just the smell turns my stomach). After the extended family left, my parents and I exchanged presents with Doug and Jill. They went back to North Wales that night and then to Jill's brother's house on Christmas Day. It was the first time Doug and I didn't open all of our presents on Christmas morning. But it wasn't so bad. I stayed at the house (on the sofa bed... ugh...) and my parents and I exchanged presents in the morning. It was different without Doug, but at least we got to see him the night before. It's all good.

It's funny how much your presents change when you get "old." And how excited you get over things you would have tossed aside ten years ago. This year I got a battery operated screwdriver, an umbrella (auto open and close... yay!), flannel sheets, a bottle of blackberry brandy, perfume, flavored coffee, a book, a Target gift card, an AMC gift card (now I can go see "Sweeney Todd" for free!), and season three of "Mad About You." Plus, my parents gave me a gift bag filled with food stuff (grater, baster, hot cocoa mix, taco dinner kit, applesauce, etc), and some money to put toward furniture and stuff for the apartment. Good haul.

Now I have the rest of the week off... simply glorious! I plan to spend it well. Going to the movies, going shopping (both grocery and fun stuff, because I feel like treating myself), visiting friends, going to parties, and catching up on some reading. And whatever else I can squeeze in. And absolutely no lesson planning until sometime next week. I refuse to even think about work.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Enjoy the rest of the Christmas season!

two more days!!!

I feel like Christmas should have been over weeks ago. I've heard every Christmas song ever written, my tree's been up since November, and my shopping is finished (except for the people I won't see til after Christmas). Our last day of school was Friday... the culmination of an extremely long week which included our school's annual Peace Vigil and our faculty party (I got a basket of Tastefully Simple stuff as my polyanna gift!). My computer desk is piled high with presents from the kids... this year's mug count is five (four with candy, one without), and I think I got a total of six candles. Boxes of candy made a surprising comeback (3 full sized, 1 medium, 3 mini). And the gift of the year award is a tie between a Yankee Candle electric tart warmer (shaped like a gingerbread house, came with a Cranberry Chutney tart) and a gift set including a picture frame and a tealight lamp (both decorated with brown glass mosaic tiles, matches my bedroom perfectly!).

I never got a chance to blog about last weekend, but it was awesome. And amazingly busy. Saturday morning I went to our school's Lunch with Santa at 11 AM, where I chatted with my kids and their parents, sold homemade crafts, and served hot dogs. From there I went straight to the First Presbyterian Church of Germantown to see the Keystone State Boychoir's Holiday Concert at 2 PM. The boys sounded wonderful (as always), and afterwards I stayed to say hi to my godson. I was also greeted quite enthusiastically by the boys that I chaperoned in Australia as well as several of the other boys who remembered me from the tour. It was great to see them all again! (I'm hoping to go on tour with them again next summer... all fingers and toes crossed...)

From there, I zipped home to get ready for the party! People started arriving promptly at 6 PM and after that it was a BLUR. Everyone showed up... family, friends, and about a zillion babies. My favorite part of parties like this is watching my friends mingle. People who don't know each other bond over the strangest things... like taking over the world, for instance... lol. Much alcohol was consumed (my personal favorites were the Bailey's Mint Chocolate and the Canadian Club), and everyone sampled the homemade coquito. Overall, it was the perfect party. Good food, good drinks, good friends, good music... I couldn't ask for anything more.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve to all! And to all a good night!

sing we now of christmas...

Eight days til Christmas!!!

I'm sure that by now you've heard every Christmas carol known to man. Some are classics, some are fun, and some... well, some don't deserve any air time, in my humble opinion. Allow me to list these for you, in no particular order.

1. "Christmas Shoes" - To quote Sam... "Please sir, I need some shoes for my dead mom so she looks good in her coffin. Merry Christmas."

2. Barbra Streisand's version of "Jingle Bells." Normally I love Babs, but this one is just too much for me. Especially the rousing ending where she speeds up the tempo and sounds like she's stuttering. No thank you.

3. Anything by Michael Bolton. That no-talent ass-clown.

4. Anything by Celine Dion. Especially her "Feliz Navidad." She's French Canadian, for Pete's sake! (I mean, for Pierre's sake!) Why is she singing in Spanish?

5. "Same Old Lang Syne," by the recently deceased Dan Fogelberg. I actually like this song, on some strange level. But it has very little to do with Christmas, and it's depressing as all get out.

5. Kenny Loggins, "Celebrate Me Home." I just don't get the words. Is it supposed to mean, "Celebrate the fact that I've come home"? Or "Welcome me home"? Or "Celebrate my home"? It reminds me of the "Will and Grace" episode when they're at the gym and Will sees a guy he went out with once who asked him, "Will you cuddle me bum?" If you've never seen that episode, that won't be very funny at all. Sorry. (Stake it, UK!)

6. Anything by Neil Diamond. He's Jewish. Why is he singing about the birth of Jesus if he doesn't believe in any of it? Oh right... for the money. Ah, commercialism. The TRUE meaning of Christmas.

7. Bruce Springstein's Christmas songs. "I just wanna say... I just wanna say... umm... wait, it'll come to me." I just can't stand the man.

Honorable mention goes to the following songs for their ridiculous lyrics:

1. "Wonderful Christmastime," by Paul McCartney. It's just so bouncy and synthesized... and the choir of children refrain ("ding dong ding dong ding dong...") is extremely annoying.

2. "Little Saint Nick," by the Beach Boys. "Christmas comes this time each year..." Thank you, Captain Obvious. When else would it come?

3. "Do They Know it's Christmas?" by BandAid. "Tonight thank God it's them instead of you." It just sounds so heartless. Hey everyone, pack your bags... we're going on a guilt trip!

I'm sure there are more that I've forgotten, so expect many addendums to this list. And feel free to comment and add your own!

Decking my hustle and trimming my bustle

Hello, hello to all my blogerific friends...

Haven't blogged in awhile. I've been quite busy. I have a to-do list on my white board that overwhelms me when I look at it. But I've been able to cross a few things off the list in the past few days. Nothing makes me happier than crossing things off a list. Who needs men? Who needs chocolate? Who needs alcohol? Just give me a notebook and a pen and a list of things to do. I'll be happy as... as... wait, forget what I said about not needing men and chocolate. That was foolish of me. I take it back. But I do enjoy list making.

I feel like I'm on top of a lot of things (tee hee... I said, "on top") where Christmas is concerned. The halls have been decked both at home and at work. My cards were written in November (don't hate) and mailed the first week of December. I went Christmas shopping today and nearly exhausted the limit on my new Target card. Sigh. But I'm almost done shopping, which is good.

This year I opted not to exchange gifts with my friends. Most of them are married and/or as low on cash as I am. Not to mention that there are a lot of them, and how do you decide who gets gifts and who doesn't? And quite frankly, what do you get a 30-year-old for Christmas? You either have to ask them what they want (which is just awkward, cuz then they know what you're getting them), or else take a guess and buy something that they may or may not like. Or you could always go with the ever-popular gift card exchange. Might as well just exchange cash. There was talk of a pollyanna awhile back, but plans for that went awry a few months back. So that's out. Which is just as well, because the pollyanna situation is always an iffy one. You set a price limit, but not everyone sticks to it. So you might wind up spending the full $30, while someone else only spent $15. And not everyone sticks to the suggested gift list, either... which kind of defeats the purpose. Anywho.

So I'm buying gifts for family (which includes parents, Doug, Jill, and my two young cousins), a gift for our work Pirate Party (everyone has a different name for this... when you pick a gift and the next person can either steal your gift or pick a new one, etc etc), a work Advent Angel (we leave them little gifts and such during Advent), Toys for Tots collection at work, Backpacks for Pride (fill a backpack with essential toiletries, socks, underwear, gloves, hat, plus a few small toys... for children of battered and abused women who stay in shelters), AND presents for three children of a family in my work parish. They lost their home and all their possessions in a fire, so me and a few other friends are playing Santa so that the mom doesn't have to worry about buying toys for Christmas. It's an exhausting list. But it feels good to do all that at Christmas. I should really do stuff like that all year round.

And that's what I've been up to. How about you?

Recipe for any Lifetime Christmas movie

To make a Christmas movie suitable for the Lifetime channel, start with one of the following combinations of characters:

Snooty/high class/over-worked/spoiled/jaded business woman and sensitive/emotionally needy/do-gooder man.

-or-

Sensitive/down-on-her-luck/romantically scorned woman and high-powered/heartless/scroogy businessman.

Supporting cast may include: meddling, but well-meaning, mother; children who are wise beyond their years (often see the "true meaning" of Christmas before their adult counterparts); town kook who mysteriously helps everyone come together in times of duress (usually played by Peter Falk).

Bonus points for addition of soldiers. They add a sense of good old American pride tinged with melancholy nostaglia, as it forces us to remember our troops who won't be home for Christmas.

(Note: When in doubt, cast Kellie Martin or Jane Seymour as female lead.)

Once the characters have been chosen, there must be some sort of conflict or trauma preventing said characters from having a happy holiday. Acceptable scenarios include, but are not limited to: recent divorce, life-threatening illness, large new corporation about to put small town general store out of business, death of family member.

A good setting is one in which our lead characters are forced to spend time together, thus enabling them to work out their problems. Popular settings include: stranded at the airport, snowed in at the family cabin, lost in the forest, working together to write an article for the newspaper/magazine/news program.

Dialogue is key. Use phrases such as, "It just won't be Christmas without _____ (dad playing Santa Claus/a big family dinner/Grandma's apple dumplings)." Or, "Where's your Christmas spirit?" Or, "C'mon, everyone! Let's gather 'round the piano and sing carols!" Or, "Will Santa still be able to find us in this cabin in the woods?"

Basic plot is as follows: male and female are thrown together in some improbable situation. There is some sort of deadline that must be met by Christmas Eve. Failure to meet said deadline could result in a disastrous holiday. The characters' inability to see eye-to-eye causes many heated discussions. The scroogy character finally has emotional breakdown, recalling traumatic childhood memories, allowing the senstive character to see the "true" person inside. Much bonding follows. Scroogy character caves and helps the sensitive character save Christmas. Much merriment ensues as the whole town celebrates the holidays. Small town Christmas pageant, nativity, or Christmas parade often brings the movie to an close.

And there you have it.

When it rains, it pours

It's been quite a day. Actually, it's been quite a week. Let's make a deal... I'll give you the highlights of my crappy week, and you leave me comments offering sympathy and promises of booze. Sound good? Okay, then.

On Monday morning, I went to take a shower and discovered that we had no hot water. Apparently the tiny leak in the water heater had become a gushing stream. The landlord came out later to take care of it, but the cold shower I took that morning was NOT pleasant.

Yesterday morning I was trying to butter my morning bagel, and I knocked over my coffee mug. The coffee spilled all over the counter and all over my bagel. And there wasn't enough coffee left to pour myself another cup. Sigh. (The only bright side was that it was my regular Folgers, and not the baggie of good Colombian shit that I just got from my dealer.) I had to grab some coffee and breakfast at the BK Lounge, thus depleting my already meager funds for the week.

Last night my cell phone died, for no apparent reason. It was fine all day and all night... then I went to check the time and the screen was blank. I tried everything, but I couldn't get it to work. (Fortunately, it's still covered under warranty... and Verizon had my model phone in stock, so they were able to give me a replacement immediately.)

After school today, I tripped on the steps outside and fell forward onto the concrete. I skinned both knees and scraped up my hands... but luckily my face missed the ground by about half an inch. I saw it coming and threw my hands out at the last possible second. But now the muscles in my upper arms and shoulders are KILLING me. I fell pretty hard... and apparently, I'm not as young as I used to be.

And then I came home and had to bake cupcakes for a bake sale tomorrow. Not a huge deal... but it's just one more thing I had to deal with today.

Okay... to be honest, it wasn't an awful week. But I still want sympathy, damnit. Now deliver the goods.

I don’t know how it happened...

... but I've become one of THOSE people. I started Christmas decorating in November. UGH.

In my defense, it was a gradual process.

It all began when my parents came over on Friday. My mom brought me a decoration that she found in a closet that she wasn't planning to use. Sam and I put it up right away to see how it looked. And it stayed there.

On Saturday, I went shopping for an Advent wreath, but was disappointed with the selection and price of the ones I found in two different religious stores. So I headed to Michael's and bought a plain green wreath, along with some ribbon, some assorted Christmas picks and some craft wire. The result is a gorgeous homemade Advent wreath... much nicer (and a lot less expensive) than a store bought. I just need to get some candles and I'm all set!

On Sunday, Sam and I went grocery shopping. At Target, we found Christmas stockings (mine is red velour with a bejeweled "A"... I like me some bling!) and at the grocery store, we bought a real wreath... mostly because it smelled so nice. I jazzed it up with a homemade bow (with ribbon leftover from my Advent wreath project), and we hung it on the front door of our apartment.

Today I went to my parents' house for dinner. After we ate, I dug out all of my Christmas ornaments from storage and hauled everything back to my apartment, along with a Christmas tree that my parents are no longer using (they bought a pre-lit one a few years back). When Joe came over to drop off some coffee for me, I convinced him to help me carry all the boxes in... and then I further convinced him to help me move some furniture and assemble the base of my tree. Tee hee... thanks, Joe!

I wasn't planning to put the rest of the tree together tonight. In fact, I took several amusing pics of the tree in various states of disarray (involving some sloppy garland placement and a bottle of Jack Daniels). But after Joe left and Sam came home from CCD, I decided to put the other branches on the tree. And that's as far as I got. So now we have a naked tree in our living room. Eh... we'll get around to decorating it sooner or later.

And now, I'm off to bed. All this Christmas-ing has worn me out.

turnaround

You know when you wake up and just KNOW that it's going to be a bad day? Yesterday morning was one of those. When I woke up it was cold and rainy. I felt like crap. It was gym day at school, but it's the gym teacher's week off (we only have him every other week), which meant I wouldn't have a break all day. I went to make coffee and discovered that I left my travel mug in my car over the weekend... and I wasn't about to go out in the rain and get it. Sigh. Then just before I left the apartment, I decided I had enough time to run to the bathroom. And the toilet decided to overflow. Good Lord. The toilet handle has been sticking lately, making the water run until you jiggle the handle. So of course when it overflowed, the water kept running and I couldn't get it to stop. And then I had to clean it up, because I couldn't just leave water all over the floor all day.

UGH.

Work was freezing. It was between 55 and 57 degress inside the building and it was still cold and damp outside. All the kids were in jackets and gloves. The boiler has been replaced, but not all the pipes are hooked up yet. The heat won't be on til Friday, which doesn't help us any, since we're off on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.

Then my day turned around. Our principal talked to the pastor (again) and he finally gave us the okay to close school. (It only took 3 weeks.) So we have off today and tomorrow in addition to Thursday and Friday. Six whole days off! It's almost too good to be true!

And then Sam called me after school to tell me that she won a contest on WMMR to see Dane Cook on Wednesday! And she got four tickets total, so she's taking me, Karen and Joe!! In a limo!!! There's some pre-party at Slainte pub included with that, too. Yay!!!

The day only got better after that. I was on my own for dinner, so I made mac and cheese with chicken nuggets (hardly healthy, but quick and tasty... plus, it's comfort food)... and "Heroes" was on... and Sam got a free gingerbread donut from Dunkin', which she shared with me.

Just goes to show you that even the worst days can turn out good. Once in awhile, anyway.

people suck

I got some news yesterday about a former student, who is currently in sixth grade. Another teacher discovered welts all over his legs and sent him to the nurse. He told her that his mother did it with a belt. The nurse called DHS (Department of Human Services) to file a report, because we're bound by law to do that when we suspect abuse or neglect.

I'm having a hard time dealing with it. I taught him and his sister (currently in fifth grade) when they were in first grade, and I tutored the sister after school for a semester... so I know the mother pretty well. I just can't believe she would do that to her own child. I've seen abuse before, when I worked at the charter school. Bad abuse. A handprint on a second grader's cheek. Lashes from an electric wire on a fifth grader's upper arms. Over one hundred tiny round cigarette burns all over the body of a first grade boy. I don't care what people say about television and movies desensitizing us. It doesn't get any easier or any less nauseating to hear about it again now.

I had yard duty today, which means I had to be outside supervising the lunchtime recess. I got to see the boy and his sister for the first time since I heard the news. Of course I didn't let on that I had heard anything when I talked to them. But it was good to see them and give them a hug. If for no other reason than to assure myself that they were, for the moment, safe.

A moment of calm...

After a relatively early dinner (like "early bird special" early, lol), Sam and I took our respective seats on the futon with our respective piles of work. We found a jazz music station on cable and worked until "Heroes" came on. After "Heroes" (which was AWESOME, by the way), we switched to some smoky big band music and returned to our work, this time armed with mugs of hot cocoa (for Sam) and tea (for me). It's nice to have a moment of calm.

In other news, we have no heat in work. Still. Since last week. I'm not normally cold. Even when it's cold out, I manage to walk around work in short sleeves quite comfortably. But our building is ancient... high ceilings and concrete walls that suck in the cold air and hold it all day. It was at least 10 degrees colder in the building than it was outside. Some teachers have space heaters. I do not. And I can't afford to buy one just for a few days of cold. So today I wore the following: long johns, sweat pants, socks, a long sleeved t shirt under a polo shirt under a fleece jacket, fingerless gloves (makes it easier to write), and a scarf. And I was still cold! It's supposed to be a tad warmer the next two days, before the temperature plummets yet again. The heater guys said it could take a week... maybe more, maybe less. Cross your fingers.

Back to my tea... and my Tommy Dorsey. Life is good.

getting stuff done

I was determined not to go out and drink this weekend... and I didn't! As a result, I wound up getting a lot of necessary stuff done: cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, bought a lamp for my bedroom, hung some pictures, got my winter clothes out of storage, assembled a media tower for my DVDs, paid bills and did grocery shopping. It felt good to be productive.

If you've been following the apartment saga, you'll be pleased to know that we've added some furniture to the living room. We now have a media tower for DVDs (looks like a bookshelf) and a papasan chair! The chair is on loan from Doug's girlfriend Jill. She has no room for it in her house, so it's ours as long as we need it. It's currently just a frame... I bought a cushion on eBay and it should be here in about a week. Huzzah for more seating! It's starting to look more like a living room now. Finally.

And now to continue the productivity... time to do some lesson plans.

cooler than macauley culkin

I'm home alone! Sam won't be home til close to midnight, so I have the apartment to myself for several hours. It's pretty cool. Oh, the freedom! I can walk around naked if I want to! (But I'm not going to.) I really don't know how I'm going to occupy my time. It's only 6 PM. I think I'll sit around in my pajamas... eat dinner... watch some TV... check emails... watch the Flyers game... maybe work on my scrapbook... who knows? Of course, these are all things I could do if Sam were home. In fact, these are all things I could have done when I lived with my parents. But there's something about the freedom of being in your own place. It's simply glorious.

But hey, I'm not opposed to visitors, either. If anyone's in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi. Just be prepared for me to answer the door in my pjs.

apartment living... one month down!

Hello friends. I haven't updated you on the joys of apartment living in awhile, so I figured I'd take a few minutes to fill you in.

Overall, things are going quite well. I've finally started referring to it as "home," although I still refer to my parents' house as "home," too. (And I always will.)

Sam and I have fallen into a routine. As far as cooking and cleaning go, we've pretty much split it equally. Whoever gets home first cooks dinner, the other person does dishes. Whoever has a day off might decide to clean if there's a room that needs cleaning. It's a very laid back kind of thing.

We've developed some rituals in the short month that we've been here. One favorite is our Wednesday night "Ghost Hunters" marathon on Sci-Fi. This past Wednesday was a live episode that was 6 hours long. Since we were at Karen's party, we didn't get to watch it. So Friday night we watched all 6 hours, stopping only long enough to run to Dunkin' Donuts for hot cocoa and a muffin. (It's called geeking out. You should try it sometime.)

Due to our work schedules, we only see each other for a few hours each night during the week and on Saturday. On Sunday, we're both home all day. So there's really not much opportunity for us to get on each other's nerves. It's all good. And we both do our own thing when we need to. Take last night for example... Sam and I decided to go out for dinner, because neither of us felt like cooking. But after dinner, she headed to her room to drink tea and watch some TV, and I settled on the couch with a warm blanket and a movie. Later on, I wound up going to the bar and she opted to stay home. To each her own.

On a personal note, I'm still loving the freedom of being able to go out whenever I want to and come home whenever I want to... and not have to answer to anyone. Although I think I'm starting to abuse the privilege. Last night I went out to the bar... drank too much and stayed out too late. Again. Sigh. I had fun for awhile, but I spent too much money and did too many shots. Didn't feel so good by the end of the night. Usually I'm a happy drunk... flirty, dancy, talkative. But once in a blue moon, I'm a sullen drunk. Last night was one of those nights. By the end of the night, I just wasn't in the mood to socialize. I know I wasn't fun once I left the bar. But... what can I do? It happens to the best of us. Everyone's entitled to one "off" night, right? And Lord knows I've had plenty of "on" nights.

And on that note, I'm gonna go relax with a book until I'm tired enough to sleep. Have a great week, everyone!

Something wicked this way comes...

'Tis the season! All Hallows Eve is upon us at last.

This past weekend was spectacular. (Even though I had to spend a large portion of it at my parents' house so I could dog-sit Tasha while my parents were away.)

Sam's mother's surprise party was on Friday night. I was in rare form. I had a long week and by the time Friday rolled around, I was all amped up and ready to party! I donned my costume (which was quite tactile... and garned a few comments) and danced my ass off. Prior to the party, I had decided not to drink too much. Enter Joe and Rich. Between songs, I headed to the bar for some water and was intercepted by the aforementioned gentlemen. Joe asked, "Wanna do a shot?" I replied, "Hell yes," without missing a beat... at which point Rich started cracking up. "What's so funny?" I asked. "Joe just asked me how he could get you to do a shot." Tee hee... like I need convincing.

Saturday was all about recovery... and I spent most of my morning in bed, sleeping off the mini-hangover. When I finally got out of bed, I did all my laundry, stained an unfinished bench that I bought for the apartment, walked the dog several times, and drove to Wendy's for a cheap and easy dinner because I was too lazy to cook for myself.

Sunday morning I woke up early, feeling more refreshed. I picked up Sam and we headed to Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Cathedral, where we met Tim and Michael for Mass (in Ukrainian!). It was a beautiful Mass, too. Brought back memories of going to church with my grandmother. After Mass, we drove to Port Richmond and had coffee and pastry at a little Polish bakery. That was followed by lunch at a hole in the wall bar/restaurant/discoteque. Homemade Polish food. It was out of this world. We split two plates of pierogies (some potato and cheese and some meat) as an appetizer, and I had kielbasa with fresh rye bread. Also, I tried some fabulous Polish beer. I was stuffed for hours.

And then it was Monday. Ugh. I got two days of work out of the way, and tomorrow is Wednesday! I'm psyched for Karen's party tomorrow. I get to wear my costume again and I'm bringing a treat. Jello shots! I decided to make some orange and some black. But first I had to figure out how to make black jello. It was an experiment... lots of bubble, bubble ... but not so much toil or trouble. I used black cherry flavored jello and put in a ton of food coloring. Now it's a very dark, deep purple that can pass as black. Oh, and I used vanilla vodka in the orange jello, so it'll taste like a creamsicle! Should be yummy.

And on that note, I best be going. See some of you tomorrow night!

If you can’t beat ’em...

This time last year, I was complaining about the overabundance of "sexy" Halloween costumes. This year, I gave in to the pressures of society (and my own creative juices) and decided to embrace the tradition of slutting it up for a night, in the spirit of the season. Oh, and did I mention that this endeavor involves fishnets?

So yeah... I'm excited about my costume. I'm going as Little Dead Riding Hood... kind of a gothy, vampy take on a fairy tale classic. The costume is quite tactile. In addition to the fishnets, I have some crushed velvet, some lace and some leather. Should be fun. And I've got two costume parties to go to (one tonight, one Wednesday), so I get to dress up twice! Wooo-hoo!

What is everyone else doing for Halloween? Costumes, parties, traditions? Comment away!

my day

Our school had off today. To be completely honest, I'm not sure why. It has something to do with us having some optional days off and we got to pick when we wanted them. Someone suggested today and we voted yes. No holiday... no holyday... just a day off. It was blissful.

So here's how I spent my day:

I awoke rather early (around 8:30 AM) and showered. I went to the mechanic to get my oil changed... and I managed to read several chapters of a book while I was waiting. From there, I hit the Dunkin' Donuts drive thru, where I purchased a hazelnut coffee and a pumpkin donut (yay! finally!). I took my breakfast with me into Parkwood Hair Salon for my hair appointment. I was debating between leaving my hair long or cutting it a bit shorter, the way I used to wear it before I let it grow. Since I couldn't decide, Nat offered a suggestion... "Wanna try something different?" She explained what she wanted to do, and it sounded good. So I told her to go for it. (I trust her.) It's awesome. Short in the back and angled longer in the front (about chin length). When she finished, I got compliments from several people in the salon. Thanks, Nat!

After my haircut, I stopped at my parents' house to play with Tasha and pick up my mail. I also managed to catch an episode of "Full House" that I'd never seen before. (I didn't think such a thing existed...) Joey was playing in a charity ice hockey game and the opposing team's goalie had humilated him in a college game years ago. Joey decided to come back with a vengeance and score the winning goal, but Michelle didn't like "mean Joey." So he played nice for the first two periods, but then during intermission, he had a heart to heart with Michelle. He told her that sometimes hockey players have to act mean to win games. She gave him permission to be a meanie, and of course he scored the winning goal. Huzzah for Joey! Huzzah for Michelle!

Anyway.

From there I went to Oxford Valley Mall. I hit Barnes and Noble first, buying two Mo Willems books for the classroom (moms and teachers, if you've never heard of him... LOOK HIM UP NOW! He is amazing.) and two books for me ("Eat, Pray, Love" and "Love in the Time of Cholera"). Then I went clothes shopping. I found a few cute tops, a black skirt for Halloween, and some black fishnets (also for Halloween). I went to Hallmark and bought a crapload of cards for several upcoming birthdays and holidays.

Then I went home... and the rest of the night consisted of dinner, laundry and reading "People" magazine. All in all it was a busy but productive day.

And tomorrow - FONDUE!

festivities

Yesterday I hit a milestone... the big 3-0. I've officially been alive for three decades. If I were a rosary, I'd be more than half finished.

I started celebrating on Friday night, when I was persuaded to hang out at Rich and Heather's place with Karen, Joe and Dooner. We hung out til 3 AM (the usual time with that crew) having some drinks and munching some Doritos. Good times indeed.

On Saturday, I headed to West Chester to see Erin, Mike and young Mr. Henry. After a yummy Chinese dinner, we drove to Linvilla Orchard for an Autumn Moonlight hayride. After the hayride, we enjoyed apple cider and toasted marshmallows on the bonfire. When we got back to the house, we watched a few scary movies ("1408" and "Witchboard") while drinking warm apple wine and eating homemade apple pie from the orchard. It was a fun night filled with fun autumn-y activities. (I think the actual word is "autumnal," but I like the sound of "autumn-y" better.)

The next day was Rich's party. I hung out for awhile, but had to leave early for a family dinner... in honor of me! My mom cooked a delicious dinner for my birthday. It was only me, my parents, Doug and Jill for dinner. But later on, several other people came over for cake and ice cream... my aunt, my cousin and her two kids, Erin, Mike and Henry. My cousin's daughter Kait (the one Karen likes, lol) and her son Kyle (my godson) got me a Build-a-Bear for my birthday. It's a koala (because I went to Australia with Kyle) wearing Flyers gear. I LOVE it!!! It even has a helmet and skates! It is now sitting in a place of honor on my bookshelf, along with my Flyers beanie bear and my autographed puck. I also got some gift cards (Target, Great American), a Brita water pitcher, and a membership to BJs.

Last night, I had some company to help me celebrate my actual birthday. Joe came over first and entertained himself with my Magna Doodle until Karen and Dooner showed up. We watched a bit of the Flyers game while we pre-drank, and then we headed to the Ashburner. It happened to be trivia night, so we decided to try our hand at the game. We kicked ass in the second round, but overall, we didn't fare so well. But we had fun trying. Sam and Heather came later to join in the festivities, but Sam had to leave early with Dooner (something about them having to work in the morning... wusses... lol). Joe was in the mood for a shot of Jack, so him and Karen stopped by my apartment on the way home. I got to sleep at 1 AM and woke up at 5:45 AM. With a teensy hangover. But once I took a shower and some allergy pills, I felt better. And after I got some coffee in me, I felt MUCH better.

Mad props to Joe, Karen, Rob, Sam and Heather for driving, buying me drinks and food, and helping me celebrate. So far, being 30 isn't half bad.

Oh, and I almost forgot... THE FLYERS WON!!! 4-0!!! SHUT-OUT, BABY!!! WOOOOO-HOOOOOO!!!!!

just in case you wanted to know...

People who were born on October 16th...

• Noah Webster (lexicographer)
• Oscar Wilde (author)
• Angela Lansbury (actress)
• John Mayer (musician)
• Suzanne Somers (actress)
• Tim Robbins (actor)
• Eugene O'Neill (playwright)
• Kellie Martin (actress)
• Flea (musician)

... and me!

it’s the little things...

Sam and I were watching TV and we saw a Dunkin' Donuts commercial for pumpkin flavored coffee and muffins... and it was like the 17th time we're seen the commercial this week. Today actually felt like autumn and pumpkin snacks sounded ever so tasty ... therefore, it was decided that a Dunkin' Donuts trip was in order. We donned our jackets (yay for cool weather!) and hopped in the car. When we got to DD, I noticed that there were no pumpkin muffins... which is what I had been craving. I settled for a coffee cake muffin, accompanied by a hot cocoa (free with coupon!). After Sam ordered her donuts, one of which was pumpkin flavored, I commented that the pumpkin donut looked mighty tasty. The man behind the counter handed me another one and said, "Try the pumpkin, too." Free donut!!! Score!!!

It was a wonderful end to the day... and now I can start my Friday morning with a pumpkin flavored donut (and my daily mug of hazelnut coffee). Life is good.

wooo-hooo!!!

Dear readers... I HAVE INTERNET!!!!!

Allow me a brief, but necessary, celebration: WOOO-HOOOOO!

Thanks to our DSL getting turned on and my brother talking me through the set-up process on my laptop, I am now able to get online any damn time I want!

That means more surveys, more blogs and more email!

Anyway. Apartment living is still going well. I made tacos for dinner tonight. They were quite tasty. The trashcans are still MIA. We discovered a small black box marked "Danger: Poison" where the trashcans used to be. I've learned that we have to buy smaller cartons of milk. But it's all good.

I really have nothing else to say. I just wanted to share my joy with you, the blog reading world.

updates

Things are going swimmingly at the apartment. Except for my roommate - she's a real bitch (tee hee... just kidding, Sam!). Anyway, our DSL gets hooked up tomorrow... FINALLY!!!... so until then, my only internet access is Sam's dial-up or my work computer. If you email me and don't hear anything back, it's not because I don't love you anymore. Well, maybe it is for some of you. You know who you are.

Among the things we've had to deal with since moving in:

• garbage disposal backing up (thank goodness we had the foresight to buy a plunger)
• a gallon of milk curdling completely
• a bag of baby carrots went very soft (some to the point of near liquification)
• our washing machine in the cellar tends to get a wee bit noisy... reminds me of when I lived at the apartment at LaSalle and our upstairs neighbor would have extremely loud, obnoxious, headboard-banging sex with her boyfriend, who visited every Wednesday (which is why we dubbed it "Fuck Me Wednesdays")
• the garbage can (labeled with our address) mysteriously disappeared from the side of the house... and not on trash day

Also, I dropped a Corelle bowl while doing the dishes. I had no idea that Corelle would shatter the way it did. I'm talking tiny little shards of bowl dust, all over the floor. It practically disintegrated. I thought Corelle was supposed to be pretty sturdy. Guess not.

Anyway, it's all minor problems. So far.

On the plus side, I got a bookcase, so now my books are all in place, which makes me feel SO much better. And we've had a few visitors... my parents stopped over on Saturday (and brought pizza!), and last night Erin and Henry came over. It's slowly feeling more like home. Slowly.

One of the best things about living on my own is that I no longer have to check in with anyone about where I'm going or what I'm doing. On Friday night, I went to Karen's to hang out with her, Joe and Dooner. I didn't get home til 4 AM (as per usual, when I'm hanging out with that crew)... but my mom didn't call at 2 AM to say that she woke up and noticed I wasn't home. And when I got home, there was no dog to bark when I came in. It was very liberating. (Sounds lame, I know... but it's the little things that make me happy.)

And now, my friends, I must go... the morning bell rang and I have to go out and get my students.

On moving and apartments

Hello friends!

I'm officially moved in to the apartment. And I consider myself pretty much settled. Sort of. Kind of.

My bedroom is fine, except I need to buy some bookcases. My bookcases in my bedroom at my parents' house are built in to the wall, so I couldn't take them with me. The kitchen and bathroom are very well furnished. But the living room is lacking in seating. We have Doug's old futon for a sofa (and guest bed, if needed), but that's about it for seating. Our dining room furniture is a card table and four folding chairs on loan from my parents. It's not fabulous, but it's a place to eat. We're going to look into Ikea, Kmart and other inexpensive options for extra chairs and a dining room set. And someday, who knows? Maybe we'll get all crazy and buy a coffee table or coat rack. Imagine it!

I went to my parents' house for dinner on Tuesday night. It was an interesting experience. It felt kind of like home... I set the table and washed the dishes, just like I hadn't even left. But I felt like a guest there. None of my things are there anymore. However, my new home doesn't feel much like home yet, either. All my furniture is there, but it still isn't HOME. In fact, since I moved, my classroom feels more like home than either of my other homes.

Anyway... time to teach CCD. More later, when we get decent internet at the apartment.

Dree and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

(With apologies to Judith Viorst)

When I woke up this morning, my allergies were making my nose run and my eyes water.

It was humid outside again and the only work pants I had clean were long pants.

I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

That's what it was, because when I was walking to my car with my breakfast in my hand, my peanut butter waffle fell peanut butter side down.

As soon as I started my car, my gas light went on.

I knew it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

We had a fire drill in the rain. Then we had a second fire drill later because the first one was so bad.

My students were wild things.

I had yard duty, and I HATE yard duty.

When I got home from work, I had a letter saying that the red light camera caught me and I owe $100.

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Some days are like that.

... But, in all honestly, it wasn't so bad. After work we had a faculty wine and cheese party to celebrate a successful first month of school. I can't believe it's going to be October already! And I already have pretty much every weekend booked. I love fall and fall parties and fall activities! Yay fall!

For those of you who haven't heard, I'm moving out. Finally. My goal in life was to be out of my parents' house before I was 30... and by some miracle, it actually happened! Sam and I started going apartment hunting a few weeks ago and after much newspaper searching, many phone calls, and a few frightening visits, we found a really nice twin duplex about ten minutes from both of our parents' houses. It's got a lot of space (but not a lot of closet space...), it's in a quiet neighborhood, and the price is decent.

Tomorrow is moving day... yay! We both have plenty of furniture for our own bedrooms, and our moms have supplied us with plenty of things for the kitchen. But the living room will be quite bare. I'm bringing my brother's futon for a sofa, and we're borrowing my parents' card table and folding chairs for the dining room, until we get a real table. But as of tomorrow... it's home! Let the adventure begin.

Back to School

Well, it's almost the end of September already. I've only had my kids for eleven days. Eleven days doesn't sound like long at all, but apparently it was enough time to catch a cold from one of the little buggers. Not sure which one, but I'm sure they all had germs that contributed to this illness. It's of the runny nose, raw throat, coughing, sneezing, headache variety. (Basically all the symptoms covered on the NyQuil bottle.) It's not so bad that I have to call out of work, though. If I worked an office job or something like that, I would have called out. But it's just not worth the trouble of writing lesson plans for a sub. It's easier to go in and suffer quietly while trying to control a class of 22 energetic six year olds. They're cute kids, though. And smart, so far. No complaints yet.

Anyway. In other news, my new obsession is a little show called "Heroes." I wanted to watch it when it started last season, but I missed the first few episodes and I never had the time to get invested in yet another show. ("Lost" was and still is my TV watching obsession of choice, and it requires diligent viewing to keep up with the storyline.) So Erin and Mike got season one of "Heroes" on DVD and kept talking about how good it was. They burned me a copy and gave it to me at the autism walk... which gave me about two weeks to watch 23 hour-long episodes before the season two premiere. Season two starts on Monday, and right now I'm watching episode 17. I knew it was a good show, but I didn't think I'd get hooked like this. I can't stop watching it. I just hope I can finish the rest of the season before Monday. Good stuff.

Okay, time for another dose of DayQuil.

not myself

I'm not feeling like myself today. I don't know why. I had a pretty good weekend. Didn't get a lot of sleep Friday night (2 hours, to be exact), but I got plenty of sleep last night. I saw my friends all weekend. The apartment hunt is going very well. Work is good. Family is fine. Weather is finally feeling like autumn. But I'm off somehow.

I can't put my finger on what it is that's wrong with me. It's nothing physical. Could be emotional, but I can't say that there's any one thing that's bothering me that much. Nothing seems to be wrong. (Or more accurately, to quote Elliott Smith, "There's nothing wrong that wasn't wrong before.")

Lately I've just felt like I want to surround myself with people. Usually when I'm like this, I feel like being alone to wallow in self-pity. But I've been accepting invitations left and right to parties, get togethers, and the like... and I've been seeking people out for conversation, drinks, and whatever else they're up for. However, there's a small part of me that wants to burrow under the covers and ignore the world. Doesn't make sense.

And now I feel ridiculous for blogging about it. I actually considered deleting this blog instead of posting it, but I stopped myself. This has become like my diary (without all the steamy parts, lol), and I enjoy the feedback. Although I don't know what feedback can be given now, since I don't even know why I'm so out of it.

Eh. I don't know what my deal is. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll pass. But in the meantime, it sucks.

happiness is...

The weather is cool again! The air conditioner is finally turned off! The windows are open!!!

Is there anything better than lying in bed with the windows wide open and the crisp fall air blowing in? I used to drive my roommates nuts in college. It could be the dead of winter and I'd have the windows open. I just LOVE being all snuggled under the covers and feeling the breeze.

Add it to my list of random things that make me very, very happy.

It’s true... size DOES matter.

Today Sam and I went to look at a duplex. Everything about it was decent, except for one thing: one bedroom was significantly smaller than the other. I had also noticed this alarming trend while searching online for apartments. It seems that one bedroom is the "master bedroom," and the other is intended for either a child's room or for a home office space. It didn't appear that any place (at least any place that I found) catered to two single people who want to share an apartment. I simply can NOT afford to live on my own, thanks to the Archdiocese and their meager pay scale.... which is another blog for another time... but those of you who know me are aware that my salary - even with the increase for my masters degree - is pretty much enough to qualify me for food stamps. In fact, I have friends who don't have their masters, who are making the same or slightly less than me. Depressing. Anyway, I can't afford to live on my own, and I don't mind having a roommate at all. But I'm starting to worry that when we find a place, one of us is going to have to settle for the smaller of the two rooms. (And while we're on that subject... how in God's name do you decide who gets which room? Talk about a hairy situation.)

To make matters worse (and this is a personal issue), the young man who showed us the duplex had gone to high school with us... graduated in '99, which makes him four years younger than me. He and his wife recently moved because she's expecting their THIRD child. Lovely. So while I'm just getting around to moving out of my parents' house, people four years younger than me are having more kids than I'll ever have (at the rate I'm going, anyway).

Sorry for all the bitching, but I'm just feeling frustrated with a lot of things, and I needed to vent. Every now and then I feel like my life is right on track, until I have an exceptionally hormonally imbalanced day (such as today) to make me want to drown my sorrows in vodka.

Does anyone know if all two bedroom apartments have a similar bedroom situation? Does anyone have a reasonable solution for it? Does anyone want to take me out for some shots? (Hey, I figured it was worth a try.)

(And my apologies to Sam, for blogging about something that also concerns her!)

reading

I read several teacher blogs, and in one of them, I saw this:

There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Do you have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only person you know who has a serious reading habit?

I thought this was a seriously depressing statistic, and I didn't believe it was true. So I searched online and lo and behold, I found the article. Amazing.

It made me think about my own history of reading. Everyone who knows me knows how important reading is to me. I'm a teacher - a first grade teacher who is responsible for teaching children how to read. And I went to grad school to learn how to teach reading. And sometime in the near future, I hope to be employed as a reading specialist who does nothing BUT teach reading. But career aside, I have always been a reader. My parents read to me and Doug from birth. I can't remember a night in my childhood that didn't end with a bedtime story... either read by my parents, or when I got older, read by myself. I remember trips to the library, not just during the school year, but in the summer as well. I had shelves full of books in my bedroom. Series books, like Sweet Valley High and Babysitter's Club... young adult books, by authors like Judy Blume and Lois Duncan. And I still have the copy of Goodnight Moon that I read as a child. That one has a place of honor in my classroom, where it waits to be shared with yet another group of first graders.

But this quote also made me think about the people in my circle of friends. I know that many of my friends read. Several of my friends are even in a book club. However, I'm curious about the rest of you. Do you read? What do you read? Magazines, newspapers, books, online journals? Why do you read? For fun, for work, for school? And if you don't read for fun, what is the reason for that? Is it because you don't like to read? Because you don't have time to read? Because you prefer other forms of entertainment (i.e. movies, TV, internet)? Was reading important to your family? Did you have good models of reading in your home? How many books have you read so far this year?

I'm genuinely curious about this. I'd love any feedback you can offer on this topic. Please... comment away!

Another poet

About a week ago, I wrote a post singing the praises of my favorite poet, Dorothy Parker. I was listening to my mp3 player today, and it occured to me that Fiona Apple just might be Ms. Parker's modern day equivalent. I've always found Fiona's music to be both poignant and bitter... perfect for when I was in college and everything was drama with a capital D. Although the music itself is very good, it's her lyrics that have always hit home with me. Here are some of my favorite Fiona lyrics for your enjoyment.

"You say love is a hell you cannot bear,
And I say gimme mine back and then go there for all I care."
(Sleep to Dream)

"What a cunning way to condescend:
Once my lover, and now my friend."
(Shadowboxer)

"You'll say you'd never let me fall from hopes so high,
But never is a promise and you can't afford to lie."
(Never is a Promise)

"And all I want is to save you, honey
Or the strength to walk away."
(Carrion)

"I would've warned you, but really, what's the point?
Caution could but rarely ever helps."
(To Your Love)

"You fondle my trigger, then you blame my gun."
(Limp)

"I want your warm, but it will only make me colder when it's over.
So I can't tonight, baby.
No, not "baby" anymore,
If I need you, I'll just use your simple name.
Only kisses on the cheek from now on,
And in a little while, we'll only have to wave."
(Love Ridden)

"Hunger hurts, and I want him so bad, oh it kills,
'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't wanna clean up."
(Paper Bag)

"I thought he was a man but he was just a little boy."
(Paper Bag)

"Now every other man I see
Reminds me of the
One man who disappointed me."
(Get Him Back)

"I am likely to miss the main event
If I stop to cry or complain again.
So I will keep a deliberate pace,
Let the damned breeze dry my face."
(Better Version of Me)

"I'm either so sick in the head
I need to be bled dry to quit
Or I just really used to love him,
I sure hope that's it."
(Tymps)

"The signs said 'stop'
But we went on whole-hearted
It ended bad
But I love what we started."
(Parting Gift)

"I try to talk sense to myself
But I just won't listen."
(Oh Well)

"What wasted unconditional love
On somebody who doesn't believe in the stuff."
(Oh Well)

If you're interested in checking out any of Fiona's songs for yourself, I highly recommend listening to the following tunes: Never is a Promise, Love Ridden, Get Gone, I Know, Tymps, Parting Gift, Oh Well. If you decide to give any of them a listen, let me know what you thought!

The Tale of Slick and Spike

I went to Great American tonight for dinner and drinks with Heather and Sam. After we ate (I had a yummy Philly cheesesteak wrap), we headed for the bar to take advantage of the Saturday night drink special (all drinks were almost half off). Through the glass partition, I could see two men sitting in a booth in the dining area waiting for their meal. One had a shaved head, glasses and a button down shirt, and he bore a slight resemblence to Moby. I nicknamed him "Slick." The other had the dark, messy, spiky hair that I absolutely LOVE on guys and was dressed more casually in jeans and a t shirt. He was christened "Spike." Because I found Spike quite attractive, I found myself glancing in the direction of their table every once in awhile. I quickly became intrigued by their actions, which I narrated to an amused Heather and Sam.

In front of each man was a black binder. They flipped through their binders, pausing from time to time to discuss their contents. From my seat in the bar section, it was difficult to determine what the mysterious binders contained. Since I couldn't figure it out, I made several educated guesses.

Scenario 1: The men were discussing work. This wasn't very exciting, so I moved on to...

Scenario 2: Both men are working on their doctoral dissertations, and met at the restaurant to proofread the other's work. While this idea had merit (men who are cute AND smart), I felt it lacked imagination. Enter...

Scenario 3: The men are writing a screenplay, a la Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Perhaps they were brainstorming the next "Good Will Hunting," right there in the restaurant!

At this point, Sam decided to do some reconnaissance work. She moseyed past their table in search of a drink menu, but managed to take a glance at the now infamous binder AND overhear part of a conversation. As a result of her mission, we believed at least one of the binders to contain sheet music, and according to Sam, the men were discussing something about lyrics. A-ha! This led me to...

Scenario 4: The men are going to audition for American Idol! Philadelphia audutions are being held on Monday. Maybe the binders contain lyrics and sheet music, as well as maps and instructions for the audition process. Sam then proposed...

Scenario 5: Maybe Spike was writing a screenplay and Slick was composing the soundtrack. By now, the suggestions were just plain silly, so it was no surprise when I came up with...

Scenario 6: They're really top secret government agents discussing top secret government agent work. All hush-hush.

And that's how I entertain myself at bars.

On a completely unrelated topic... As I was driving home tonight, I heard "Silent Lucidity" by Queensryche on the radio. I haven't heard that song in AGES and I forgot how much I love it. I actually sat in my car in front of my house for a few extra minutes just to hear the end. I noticed how much it reminded me of a Pink Floyd song, possibly "Mother" or "Learning to Fly." Anyone else ever notice that similarity? Maybe it's just me. Anyway, it inspired me to make a playlist of the perfect songs to listen to in the car while cruising around the city aimlessly at night. I'm taking suggestions for songs that would fit the playlist. I'll post the song list when it's finished. And then if anyone wants to come along for the ride... you know where to find me.

me learn you good

I copied this fill-in-the-blank quiz from another teacher blog that I read. I posted it on my own teacher blog, but I wanted to share it with the myspace community as well. I thought it was fitting, now that all the teachers are in Back to School mode. And all good teachers could use a little reflection before they start the new year... myself included.

I am a good teacher because... I absolutely love what I do. When I was younger, I never felt like I was really good at anything. But then I started teaching and I knew I had found my niche. When I'm not teaching, I'm thinking about teaching. When I am teaching, I'm thinking about ways I could improve. Teaching is what I do best.

If I weren't a teacher, I would be... a children's librarian, perhaps. Books and reading make me extremely happy. The only thing that makes me happier is sharing my love of reading with children.

My teaching style is... energetic, creative, flexible, compassionate, fun, quirky, musical, hands-on, noisy… and it's all me.

My classroom is... my home away from home. I know every nook and cranny of that room and I take great pride in its appearance. It's a gallery of the children's work. It's a safe haven for my students… criticism-free, bully-free, insult-free. It's a place where books come to life and where first graders become authors and illustrators.

My lesson plans are... a guideline, but not a script. And they're usually not done on time. And above all, they are not set in stone. I stick to the curriculum, but I'm all about the teachable moments. Those are the best part of teaching.

One of my teaching goals is... to turn my first graders into readers. Even the reluctant ones. I'm convinced that there is a book out there for everyone, and all we have to do is find the perfect fit. Another constant goal is to make learning so much fun that the kids don't realize that they're learning.

The toughest part of teaching is... admitting that I'm only one person and that sometimes, I need to take some "me" time so that I don't fall apart. I can't solve all the problems of the world in one school year. I can't guarantee that every child I teach is going to learn everything he needs to know by June. But that won't stop me from trying.

The thing I love most about teaching is... it's both consistent and varied. I know what's expected of me, I know the curriculum inside and out, and the faculty has become like a second family to me. But every year I get a new crop of kids, each with their own unique personality. And you just never know what's going to come out of their mouths next. It's never boring.

A common misconception about teaching is... that anyone can do it. I'd gladly hand over my classroom and all its responsibilities for one day to any non-teacher, just to see what would happen. Another misconception is that teachers get nights, weekends, and summers off. Some people don't realize the long days and late nights we have with things like Open House and Back to School Night and parent conferences. And they don't know that we spend our nights writing lesson plans and grading papers and worrying about the one student who doesn't quite seem to be on level with the rest of the class. And they don't realize that many teachers need to take a second job just to make ends meet (because Lord knows we aren't paid nearly enough for what we do). And don't forget the summer classes and workshops we take to keep our skills sharp.

The most important thing I've learned since I started teaching is... I affect every child that comes through my classroom, sometimes in ways that I'll never know. And I've also learned that I can't do everything. And I've learned that I'm capable of so much more than I ever realized.

Reacquainting myself with an old friend

I decided to dig out my volume of Dorothy Parker poetry tonight. Here are a few examples of why I absolutely adore her:

Unfortunate Coincidence
By the time you swear you're his,
Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is
Infinite, undying -
Lady, make a note of this:
One of you is lying.

Prophetic Soul
Because your eyes are slant and slow,
Because your hair is sweet to touch,
My heart is high again; but oh,
I doubt if this will get me much.

Godspeed
Oh, seek, my love, your newer way;
I'll not be left in sorrow.
So long as I have yesterday,
Go take your damned tomorrow!

Indian Summer
In youth, it was a way I had
To do my best to please,
And change, with every passing lad,
To suit his theories.
But now I know the things I know,
And do the things I do;
And if you do not like me so,
To hell, my love, with you!

Experience
Some men break your heart in two,
Some men fawn and flatter,
Some men never look at you;
And that cleans up the matter.

Parker writes longer poems, too... but this is just a sampling of some of her shorter ones. She is the queen of bitterness and irony and sarcasm and cynicism. She is my literary hero. Go check her out and read the rest. It's better than Alanis Morrissette for female angst.

this is why I love summer...

My family (i.e. cousins and aunts) came over for my godson's 16th birthday yesterday. Hoagies, snacks, soda, pool, cake, etc. I'm cool with my family, but after approximately 8 hours, I was ready to jump ship.

Enter Sam. She texted me telling me to come over for drinks, snacks and conversation. Screw the drinks and snacks... I just wanted to get away from the family. I headed over at around 9:30 and thanked Sam profusely for the text. After I got settled in downstairs, the gang quickly filled me in on what I had missed so far.

The rest of the night was a riot. I don't remember exactly what was so funny, but I do know that I haven't laughed that hard in ages. My stomach actually hurt from it. There were a lot of obscure references... including old toys (Lite Brite, Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker, Easy Bake Oven, Teddy Ruxpin)... Shrek ("Not the gumdrop buttons!")... Billy Joel's "Laura"... Simpsons ("Look out! He is a Spider Pig!")... The Brady Bunch Movie (George Glass!)... Dane Cook ("Peace off!")... Seinfeld (sidler, Pez dispenser on the knee, Beefarino)... Sting ("Message in a bottle...")... MST3K ("Manos: The Hands of Fate")... None of it makes sense on its own, but in context it was hysterical.

Eventually people began to leave... first Karen and Dooner, then Rich and Heather... and then there were three. Me, Joe and Sam stayed out back talking until 3:30 AM. Why is it that the best conversations take place in Sam's backyard after midnight?
So now I have two weeks left until I go back to work. I'm gonna cram in the fun, damnit. I'm not wasting a single second of precious free time!

All grown up (?)

Tonight I had "grown up" night with Other Heather and Becky. I got dressed up (i.e. no jeans) and went to a low key bar and drank grown up drinks (i.e. no beer). Other Heather was celebrating tonight - 5 years cancer free! She's officially in remission now. Definitely worth celebrating. So we went to the London Grill, where I drank a vodka tonic and snacked on duck quesadillas. We talked about jobs, relationships (or lack, thereof) and life in general. Made me feel kinda old. And the bar was playing 80s tunes, which didn't help... the fact that I knew all the songs made me feel even older.

Good Lord, when did I grow up? Or maybe I didn't. Maybe I was just playing grown up for a night.

When does one actually become a grown up, anyway? I know the legal age for "adult" is 18, but I didn't feel like one then. Something happens between college and the rest of your life that transforms you into a grown up. Maybe it's when you have a career instead of a job. Or when you worry about things like a 401K or a mortgage. Or when you'd rather curl up on the couch with a good book than go to a club. Or when you start saving your money for a car or a house instead of a new CD or video game.

Kinda scary.

So I guess I'm a grown up. It doesn't mean I have to stop having fun... I've just changed my idea of what "fun" is.

randomness from me

Just a few things that are going through my head at the moment. Indulge me.

1. I really, really, really want to go on the TV show "The Singing Bee." It's the karaoke type show where you win money for knowing song lyrics. I am Rainman when it comes to music. I win big every time I play along at home.

2. I finished one book today and then I started and finished another book. (It was a short one... just over 100 pages.) Now I can't figure out what to read next. I have to get our next book for book club, but in the meantime, I need something else to read. Which brings me to my next random thought...

3. After MK, I have the next pick for book club. I can't decide if I should pick a book that I haven't read yet, or a book that I already read and I want other people to read. I went through my bookshelf today and pulled off books that are on my "to-read" list. There are at least 3 that I think would be good for book club. But then again, there are SO many good books that I've already read that I want to introduce to other people. Tough call.

4. It's Back To School time!!! Now that my vacation and my party are out of the way, my mind automatically goes into School Mode. I'm surfing the web, looking at teacher resource sites, or better yet, other teacher's classroom webpages. I get most of my ideas that way. I'm planning projects in my head and making lists of things I need to buy or remember for this year. Soon I'm gonna start having dreams about my classroom and about former students. I guess I should venture back into the classroom next week and start getting things ready.

5. Which means I need to start going to bed earlier than 3 AM. It's not even like I sleep late... I'm usually awake between 9 and 10 AM. Once school starts, I'll have to be up around 5:30 AM and in bed no later than 11 PM. That will be quite a shock to the system. I should ease back into it slowly over the next few weeks... hmmm... we'll see.

6. And finally... I think it's amusing that I posted a bitchy blog about how guys don't notice me in bars, and it got 18 comments. A few days ago, I posted a lovely blog about things that make me happy, and it only got 2 comments. Squeaky wheel gets the oil, huh?

Hope everyone's having a good week!

smile :)

Things that make me very, very happy (in no particular order):

• ice-cold Coca Cola
• best friends
• the smell of a bookstore
• homemade chocolate chip cookies
• fall leaves
• babies
• "Friends"
• chocolate milkshakes
• good hugs... giving and receiving
• Tetris
• hearing one of my students read a whole book for the very first time
• road trips
• flannel pajamas
• sleeping in my own bed after sleeping somewhere else
• homemade chicken noodle soup
• shopping
• long summer nights
• the smell of new stereo equipment
• dogs
• Yankee candles
• maps
• an evening of board games
• Joel McHale and "The Soup"
• writing (blogs, poems, lists, journal entries, letters, notes, stories)
• making scrapbooks
• Fourth of July fireworks
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
• flirting
• the cool side of the pillow
• remembering a dream
• singing (in the car, in the shower, with a choir, with friends, alone in my room, with Doug)
• the good old Christmas movies ("Christmas Eve on Sesame Street," "The Year Without a Santa Claus," "Charlie Brown Christmas," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas")
• teaching
• shopping at Target, Wegmans, or Trader Joe's
• the beach
• making someone else laugh
• hearing a choir sing
• Monet paintings
• holding hands
• "When Harry Met Sally..."
• strawberry-banana smoothies
• the slidy-screechy sound of fingers changing chords on an acoustic guitar
• brand new notebooks... all those clean, white pages!
• getting a hair cut
• Crayola crayons
• opal jewelry
• learning a foreign language
• sleeping in crisp, cool, clean bed sheets
• the smell of Coppertone
• beer bread
• jeans
• crossword puzzles
• "new car" smell
• books that make me laugh out loud
• when someone says exactly what I was thinking
• buying gifts for other people (and wrapping them!)
• the first dip underwater in the pool on a really hot day
• swimming at night... warm water, cold beer... 
• roller skating
• blue eyes
• good nachos
• feeling trusted
• family get togethers
• bonfires
• Dorothy Parker's poetry
• "Summer, Highland Falls," by Billy Joel
• concerts
• wrapping Christmas presents
• a glass of good wine
• late night diner conversations over coffee and pie
• going to church
• re-reading a favorite book
• a Philly cheesesteak ("American with")
• daydreaming
• stargazing
• parties
• fresh roses
• traveling
• People magazine
• music
• having an "inside joke" with a friend that only the two of us get
• curling up on the sofa with a blanket and a mug of hot cocoa on a snow day
• French manicures
• cooking
• watching the sunset over the bay in Fire Island
• going to a Flyers game
• "The Sound of Music"
• taking pictures
• homemade pierogies
• driving around in December at night to look at Christmas lights
• dancing and not caring what other people think
• mix tapes
• words like "mellifluous" and "endoplasmic reticulum" and "binomial nomenclature" and "autumnal" and "antidisestablishmentarianism" and "specificity" and "ethereal"
• funky patterned socks
• Back-to-School shopping
• Fiona Apple songs and lyrics
• Girl Scout cookies
• waking up to find out that school is cancelled
• Mo Willems books
• "Dancing with the Stars"
• doing something creative
• looking through my old photo albums
• Broadway musicals
• taking towels out of the dryer... all clean and warm and fresh
• coffee!!!
• getting lost while driving and finding my way without looking at a map
• getting good mail (magazines, postcards, greeting cards)
• gerbera daisies
• making lists
• kisses
• fresh, juicy berries
• laughing until my stomach hurts and I can't catch my breath
• the smell of the air right before it snows
• "Lost"
• Butter Rum Lifesavers
• The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
• snuggling under the covers with the a/c on
• phone conversations that last for hours
• beer... an ice cold Lager, a summer Corona with lime, holiday & seasonal beers, mixed six-packs, micro-brews, beers with fun & unusual names...
• my windowsill herb garden
• a snifter of brandy
• extra dark chocolate (70% and above)

Feel free to add your own!

why I do what I do

So it's 12:55 AM and I'm awake (as usual). A few minutes ago I got a text (from someone who shall remain nameless, unless he choses to reveal himself ) saying I should be asleep instead of doing surveys. Fair enough. Except I don't have to sleep. I'm not working this summer. I'm not taking classes anymore (thank goodness!). I literally have nothing to do with myself all day. Don't hate. I don't need 18 comments from angry people who work all summer. Usually I do work in the summer. In fact, last summer I took 3 grad school classes and worked at a summer camp. This year I couldn't work at camp because of the Australia trip. And I decided that I deserved a summer off. I haven't had a summer off in years. But I didn't expect to be bored out of my mind.

So what do I do all day? Well, before the trip, I spent most of my time working on my resume (for a job that unfortunately didn't pan out) and getting ready for my trip (planning, shopping, packing). Since I've been home from Australia, I'll admit that I've been rather lazy. I spent my whole first week home sleeping extremely late (like 11 AM or noon) and then unpacking my suitcase or doing laundry. Then I slowly returned to the land of the living... I met friends for lunch or coffee, I went to bars at night, I got my hair cut, I started going through the pictures from my trip, I started a scrapbook of my trip. This past week I've been doing some party planning (cleaning, laundry, shopping) in between the fun stuff (like having lunch with friends).

At night, I don't get tired until at least 1 or 2 AM. My body is on a completely wacky schedule... which, incidentally, I need to get out of SOON. In a few weeks, I'll be back to waking up at 5 AM. So when it gets this late and I can't sleep, I kill time by reading or by watching Lifetime ("Will & Grace," "Frasier," and "Golden Girls"). And this week, I've also been downloading music and putting songs on a playlist for the party. So while I'm waiting for songs to upload or download, I indulge in a survey or two. Or three.

Why surveys? Hmmm. I really don't know. I guess I like talking about myself. (It's a subject in which I am well-versed. ) And it kills time. And it amuses me. And aside from that, I don't have a good answer.

But I can tell you this: next summer, I will have a job again. Even if I chaperone another concert tour, I'm gonna do tutoring or something in my free time. I need to keep myself busy so I don't feel so damn lazy.

karaoke, and other things

Last Night

I went to karaoke at the Roadhouse with Heather, Karen, Joe and other assorted people. With my last blog (and all of the comments it garnered) in mind, I dressed in something that made me feel good. It was comfortable and flattering (a rare combination) and I decided not to give a crap what anyone else thought of it. Karen said I looked cute. Joe mistook the floral print of my shirt for camoflauge and decided he wanted to take me hunting. As there happened to be a fair amount of cleavage showing, I used it to my advantage at the bar, and got served before a man who had clearly been waiting longer than me. Score! I also had a ten dollar bill thrown into my cleavage... which was partially my fault, because I folded it into a paper football and left it on the table within Joe's reach. Damn men and their obsession with football. And boobs, lol.

Some of the evening's other highlights... The bar was serving the new Miller Chill, which is AWESOME. It's my new summer beer. Also, Justin's boyfriend Chris got extremely drunk... which resulted in him looking me dead in the eye and saying, "I like your face. Wanna make out?" Good Lord, I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. As always, the downside of the Roadhouse is that it's filled with smoke. I can't wait til they pass the no smoking law in Bensalem.

Today

I met up with Heather, Karen and Sam at Starbucks for coffee and conversation. We told Sam about the Roadhouse. She told us about Ireland. I told her about Australia. Good times, good drinks, good company.

From there, Heather and I went to lunch and then got our hair done by Nat. While we were there, Sam came in with Lucas. He got so big... the last time I saw him, he was only a week old. Now he's three months! He's quite the flirt, too. He kept smiling and laughing at all the ladies. I took a pic of him with my cell phone and sent it to Erin and Henry. Erin sent a pic of Henry back in response. Babies are just too cute!

Currently

Just finished eating dinner (leftovers from lunch) and now I'm going back to work on my Australia scrapbook. I was having a creative block earlier, so I don't have much done yet. It's my goal to finish it before the end of the summer, because I know people at work will want to see it.

And that's what's goin' on.

Pondering

On Saturday night, I ventured out to Knights Tavern (my neighborhood dive bar) to see Karen's boyfriend Chris play with his old band. Since it was just Knights Tavern, I wore a cute, but non-slutty t-shirt with jeans and flip-flops. At one point in the evening, I was trying to get the bartender's attention to buy another beer... with no luck. Karen made a comment along the lines of, "It's a shame you're not wearing a cleavage shirt." I replied with, "Well, it's a dive bar, I figured I'd just go with the jeans and t-shirt." Dooner overheard this and said, "It doesn't matter." What? Clothes not matter?? I questioned him further, but his answer remained the same. He claimed that men don't notice hair, make-up, clothes or shoes. Revolutionary.

But I wasn't convinced. When Rich arrived later, I asked him: "Do men notice clothes and make-up?" His answer? "Yes. But only if it's bad."

Is this true? Do men not notice the effort we put into going out? Even though I didn't get "dressed up," I still chose my clothes carefully. I straightened my hair and put on make-up and perfume. So if men don't care about that, then why do we bother?
Sure, I feel better about myself when I look good. I wouldn't feel attractive at all if I went out without make-up, or with frizzy hair, or with sloppy sweats.

Interesting. Very interesting.

So theoretically, I could go into a bar wearing sweats and no make-up and still catch a guy's attention. Theoretically. However, if all the other women in the bar were wearing nicer (or more revealing) clothes and make-up and accessories, they would look better than me. It's all about comparison. Men might not notice a woman's effort unless he had someone else's lack of effort to compare it to.

To take it a step further... women feel more confident about themselves when they think they look good, so maybe that's what men notice. Their confidence. But even when I make an effort, I still don't think I look as good as some of the other women in the bar... and I don't feel the same degree of confidence that they do... so men probably pick up on that vibe, which is why I don't get hit on in bars.

Whew. I feel like I just had a breakthrough.

So now I guess my new question is... how do I feel more confident about myself? I shouldn't need the validation of men (or women) to feel good about myself. Maybe that's been my problem all along. I'm too worried about what other people think of me.

I think my most attractive and desirable qualities are the ones you can't see... like my creativity, my talents, my intelligence, my sense of humor, my compassion. How do I get someone to notice those non-visual traits?

Let me clarify something. I don't think I'm going to meet my husband - or even a boyfriend - in a bar. I'm just trying to figure out why some women get more attention than others, especially if men claim not to notice things like clothing.

So, dear readers... Comment away. I'd be interested to hear what men and women alike think about this subject.

Home sweet home

I'm home.

After a 1 hour bus ride from Buderim to Brisbane, a 12 hour flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles, a 5 hour flight from Los Angeles to New York, a 2 hour bus ride from New York to Penn Charter School and a 45 minute car ride back to the Northeast, I am finally home.

I have no idea how many hours I've been awake... I woke up at 4:30 AM on Sunday in Brisbane, and it's now 2:08 AM on Monday in Philly. Which means it's 4:08 PM on Monday in Brisbane. And aside from tiny cat naps here and there on the flights and drives, I haven't slept at all. So if my math serves, I think I've been awake close to 36 hours.

And now I'm going to bed. (Pics are coming soon.)

Bundaberg!

Well, this is officially the last leg of the trip. I'm in Bundaberg now. After Sydney, we took a bus to Bathurst (quaint, sleepy little town). Everyone stayed with a "billet," including the chaperones. I stayed with a great couple and their 17 year old son (she had two older boys who live elsewhere... damnit...). They had two dogs, a blue tongued lizard, twelve chickens and several birds. She was an amazing cook... I had fresh eggs for breakfast, laid by her own chickens the day before. Can't beat that! The boys' performance in Bathurst was their best so far. It was in a small church... but the people who were hosting us put up fliers and talked us up on the radio, so the church was packed. They said it was amazing to see so many people out on a Monday night in the middle of winter. And our boys knocked their socks off. It was awesome.

From Bathurst, we took a bus back to Sydney, where we flew to Brisbane. We stayed there for two nights and then today we took the bus to Bundaberg. Bundaberg is famous for its sugar products, especially rum. I'm going to try to bring a bottle home so I can see if it's as good as everyone says it is.

Tomorrow we're headed for Lady Musgrave Island, in the Great Barrier Reef. We're taking a ride on a glass-bottom boat and then the boys are going snorkeling. I don't think I'm going to snorkel. I'm still getting over a head cold, and it's in the coughing stage now. But I'm sure the boat will be amazing.

Three more nights in Australia, and then I'm heading back to the States! I'll miss Australia... and the boys... but I can't wait to get home. I'll talk to everyone soon!