Some stuff.

Just a few random notes about things I've been up to... nothing special...

I've officially given up on the job hunt for this year. I sent one last application two weeks ago, and have yet to hear anything from the district. And it's that time of year for me... I usually head back into my classroom two weeks before school starts so I can set things up. This year I wanted to get an earlier start. Partly because I'm bored sitting at home, and partly because when I packed everything up in June, I sorted things into two groups: things that are mine, and things that belong to the school.

(Sidenote: It took me months to sort the books in my classroom. I can't even begin to estimate how many books are in that room. I had at least 5 milk crates full, 6 computer paper boxes full, and two bookshelves full. All of the milkcrates and 2 of the boxes are my personal books paid for with my money over the past 8 years.)

So anyway, I knew it would take me longer than usual to weed through all the piles and boxes this year. I went back a few days this week and got a lot of stuff done. I'm going back next week to finish up. Then hopefully I can spend my last week of "vacation" doing lesson plans and making copies for the first few days of school.

In other news, I made it through an entire summer without seeing the beach once. Damn gas prices. Oh well. Maybe next summer. On the plus (?) side, I think I've seen pretty much every episode of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" and "Full House." And I've been to the library twice. I read a TON of books this summer. Most of them were chick lit romance novels, not quality literature. That's my summer indulgence. Well, at least I got to read.

Last night I went to Mass with Tim and Michael (Feast of the Assumption). We went to a lovely church in Camden for a Latin Mass. The Mass was beautiful, as was the music, even though it's a little hard to follow in another language. But I've done that before... in addition to the Latin, I've heard Mass celebrated in Spanish (at the parish where I work), Ukrainian (at several different churches), French (in Montreal) and once in Polish. It's pretty cool to experience something so familiar in a different language. Tonight I'll be going to Mass again (to fulfill my Sunday obligation), but I'll be going to the Ukrainian church that my aunt and cousins belong to. Their Saturday night Mass is said in English, but it follows the Eastern rite, so the format is a little different from the Roman Catholic. Nothing like broadening my horizons.

I guess that's all for now. It's time to tackle my laundry and start cleaning my bedroom. Oh, joy...