tests

Remember that really hard oral proficiency test that I had to pass to become fully certified that I told you about, the one that I was certain I failed because I got so upset that I couldn't even finish and left the testing room crying, the one that 85% of non-native Spanish speakers fail the first time they take it, the one that only about 50% of native speakers pass the first time they take it? Well....

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, I actually passed the test! You can not even begin to understand the state of shock I was in this morning when I got the email with my score. I barely passed, but it doesn't matter because I PASSED!!! I will never have to take it again, yippee! God totally gave me grace on this test because there is no way I could have passed it otherwise. The grader must have felt so sorry for me as they listened to me cry my way through the last few questions that I completed; maybe God made them pass me because of it. I don't really care, I'm just excited that I passed!

I need to celebrate, but I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions? Where's some Woodchuck when I need it?!

more pics!

The bridge in the background is hard to make out, but Maracaibo is home to the world's longest concrete bridge. It spans about 5 miles! As I look at the picture, it appears that Maracaibo is very green, but don't be fooled! It is so hot there that grass does not grow naturally. Most yards are made of concrete.

Here are the beautiful, wonderful women in my Bible study while I was in Venezuela. We're standing in front of the VZ flag in my old apartment. Can you figure out which one I am? LOL!!!

This is a painting done by the second lovely lady from the right. She is very talented! It represents several aspects of life in Maracaibo. I proudly display it in my living room.

Easter candy

Every holiday has some kind of candy associated with it, and the candy companies love it. At Christmas you can find Santa shaped Snickers and tree shaped Reeces peanut butter cups. Valentines equals hearts. And of course, the best candy holiday of all, Easter. I think it all started with Easter and the other holidays felt jealous and slighted, so to even it all out, every holiday has candy. But nothing can beat Easter.

Why? you might ask. Because Easter is the only time you can get Cadbury Creme Eggs. These are the best chocolate treat ever. And I love that you can only get them at Easter which makes them extra special.

Easter candy doesn't exactly fit into my new nutritional plan. But, I do reward myself with a little treat on the days I have a few calories left over. Lately it has been with a small portion of Dreyer's Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint ice cream (yum! who could ask for more?! fave cookie with fave dessert, delish!). I just went to Target to see if there was any candy left over and I hit the jackpot! Not only did they have Creme Eggs, but they now have the mini variety, which is perfect for my diet. Just enough to hit the spot. Plus, I feel like you get more for your money because the mini eggs come in a 12 pack so one per day, whereas you can't easily save any uneaten portion of the larger eggs (like there would be any uneaten portion left...).

pics

Everyone has been posting pictures on their blogs so I need to jump on the bandwagon...

This is one of my favorite Maracaibo scenic pictures. This was the view outside my bedroom window; every evening there was a beautiful sunset to see, but because Maracaibo is so close to the equator, it lasted only a few minutes.I don't know why this one is turning out so weird, but here is a picture of one of my dearest Venezuelan friends. I haven't asked her for permission to post this, so I'll leave her name out for now. Check out my blonde hair!

That's it for now. Maybe I'll post more later.

day off

So far, I slept in until 7:30 and have eaten breakfast while watching the Today show. Not too exciting. I'm still feeling yucky, but not as yucky as before so I think I'm getting better. I think I'm going back to bed here in a few minutes.

My church is having a Good Friday service tonight, so I will hopefully feel up to going to that. I better take an ample supply of cough drops so that I don't disrupt the service. I've been struggling with how I should feel this week in light of Easter. Part of me wants to be somber and introspective, really reflecting on what the resurrection of Jesus means to my life. Another part of me is so self-consumed with my own issues that I feel nothing. I am thankful for Jesus and what He sacrificed for me, but I take it so for granted. I need a good dose of perspective; it is not all about me, no matter how much I want it to be.

still sick

I've been sick four days now. It started as a sore throat and cough, and now major congestion has been added to it. I have almost completely lost my voice which my students love. It's interesting to discover which students really like you when you can't raise your voice so they tell people to "shut up, y'all!"

I sat in another teacher's class for a few minutes while she had something to do and in the midst I had a major coughing fit. Her class was horrified. Some thought I was dying, others covered their faces with their shirts to avoid my germs. As I'm hacking my brains out, face turing bright red from lack of oxygen, and trying to hold onto my water bottle to take a sip, all sense of dignity went out the window.

I probably should have stayed home today. At least I have tomorrow off.

weekly exercise update

I have been doing really well going to the gym and eating right, that I am going to include a weekly update in the ol' blog so I can track my progress. Any encouragement that this warrents is well appreciated (hint, hint).

Last week I worked out 4 times, all of those time were pretty hard core workouts. I usually do a mix of 20-30 minutes on the eliptical and 15-20 minutes on the stair master, with some treadmill thrown in to help me cool down. In between the two machines I will do weights for 15 minutes, then after I finish the second round of cardio, I'll do 15 more minutes of weights. Saturday I worked out especially hard and Sunday I walked outside at a moderate pace for 1 hour (it was such a gorgeous day!).

Eating went extremely well, I'm quite proud of myself. I went to a party on Saturday evening and indulged in a chocolate chip cookie (just one) because I had been good all day. Sunday at Bible study someone had made cinnamon rolls and while they were very tempting, I didn't eat one, yay!

Okay, and now for the numbers! So far, I have lost 4 pounds! Yippee! I've only been doing the food bit for 2 weeks, so not bad. I've been working out for almost 4 weeks now and I can actually see muscle definition in my legs and I fit into a pair of jeans last week that I haven't worn in months. Baby steps...now just 20 more pounds to go! I should post pics every couple of weeks so you can see my progess. Now if I can just teach Simba to hold a camera...

broke

What could be more embarrassing than being in Starbucks, paying for your latte and the barista hands your bankcard back and says, "it's been declined"? I didn't even have $3.57 to pay for my stinkin' latte! Thank goodness I had my Target card on me!

I'm horrible with finances. I get paid near the end of the month and it works out well because my bill are all due around the second week of the month of the following month. I pay them all (gotta love online bill pay!) and have a little bit left over for the rest of the month. And when I say a little, I mean VERY little. After I have filled up my car with gas, there's usually nothing left. It's a vicious cycle. I bought a skirt last month that I still haven't taken the tags off; I think I'll take it back to Kohl's and get my $20 back so I can have some grocery money...

Those of you that think teaching is a noble profession, would you mind writing to the Texas state government and beg for a pay raise? This is ridiculous!

sick, again!

My throat started hurting Saturday and then a cough developed yesterday. Now I feel all achy. Ick! Nothing's even going around right now! I have lost count of how many times I have been sick this year. At least I have Friday off so I can just sleep, although calling in sick tomorrow is very tempting. If I actually had everything ready for a sub, I think I would do it...

tgif

It is finally the weekend. Actually, the week flew by, but I am so exhausted that I could not have gone another day. I have big plans to sleep in tomorrow, work out, and then go to a party/get together that the single's ministry at the church I'm going to is having. Did I mention that before? I finally found a church I like. It's a long drive, but worth it.

My department head gave me some cool news today, but I can't post it because I'm not sure if my co-workers read my blog and it isn't really public yet. If you are interested in finding out what it is, email me and I'll fill you in.

Let's see, what else to blog about? My kids were a little nutso today. Spring fever is in full force. They weren't really misbehaving, they just could not stop talking for 2 seconds so I could explain their assignments. I had my Spanish II classes today and I really like them. The kids are funny and like me, even if they find my class completely boring and worthless. Not that I'm a teacher to be popular, and I do wish more of them liked Spanish. But at least if they like me, they are more willing to do their homework. One student in a level I class is pretty much failing every other class but she has an A in mine. She also told me once that if she had a problem with me, she would let me know, so I'm thinking she must like me since she has never given me too much attitude (and boy, is she capable of attitude!). Maybe, just maybe, I'm making a small difference in their lives.

Okay, enough ramblings for one post...

disappointing

I'm disappointed with so much, but mostly with my life. Why hasn't anything gone as I have wanted? It's like the prize dangles in front of me and just when I go to grab it, it is snatched away. Maybe my expectations are too high. I feel like they get lower and lower the longer I live. I don't want to bring anyone down with this post, these are just thoughts I have been processing over the last several weeks. Do you ever feel like you could fade away until you are completely invisible?

On a lighter note, only 7 more weeks of school. I've been thinking about what to do over the summer. Going home to Va ranks highest on the list. I really need to get a job though. Yep, I'm going to be one of those teachers that works during the summer. I could use the extra cash, that is for sure. I would also like to go to Orlando to visit some friends, but we'll see if it will work out. I think I will just sleep the first week of vacation because I am exhausted! In other news, I have started going to the gym regularly again and really watching what I eat. I almost don't want to say that because I don't want to jinx it, but it's fun to see some muscle definition and I have lost 2 pounds. I know, nothing to write home about, but I'm happy to see a little come off. If I could get back to my college weight, that would be amazing! I'll keep you updated...

I am not a priority.

MIA

Sorry I haven't been around this week. It's been a hard and stressful one, and I'd like to fill you in on what has happened, but I just don't have the strength or the will to even try. I am completely exhausted...

song

A while ago, Kel posted a song that's lyrics were meaningful to her. At the time, I couldn't think of any that really moved me. Well, I just had one of the hardest weeks since I've been here in Dallas and as I have sat here listening to U2, the lyrics to "I Still Haven't Found..." struck me. Here they are:

I have climbed highest mountain

I have run through the fields

Only to be with you

Only to be with you

I have run

I have crawled

I have scaled these city walls

These city walls

Only to be with you

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I have kissed honey lips

Felt the healing in her fingertips

It burned like fire

This burning desire

I have spoke with the tongue of angels

I have held the hand of a devil

It was warm in the night

I was cold as a stone

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I believe in the kingdom come

Then all the colors will bleed into one

Bleed into one

Well yes I’m still running

You broke the bonds and you

Loosed the chains

Carried the cross

Of my shame

Of my shame

You know I believed it

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for...

why me?

*warning: do not read this if you are currently, or have just finished, eating!*

Today I took the day off so that I could go to a 2 day mini-conference at the seminary I want to attend. It's an opportunity for prospective students to check out the school and see if it is where God is leading them. I was so excited to go and have the chance to have my vision renewed for what I want to do with my life.

The day was going great. I got to attend a counseling class and even ran into someone I joined staff with back in 2001 (small world!). Chapel was amazing and I felt reassured that this is where God wants me in the future. It was lunch time so I headed to the room where all those interested in Biblical Counseling would be eating. There were several professors from the department and a time of question/answers. The food was served, chicken with cream sauce and delicious steamed vegetables.

I don't know if you know this about me, but sometimes I have problems eating. The food gets caught in my esophagus and I end up throwing up. Don't worry, I talked to the doctor years ago about this and he said that since it doesn't happen that often (the last time was several months ago), I shouldn't worry about it. I can always tell when it's about to happen because I get this terrible burning sensation in my chest and I can feel the saliva just collecting in my esophagus. As one of the professors was talking about the program, I got up to go to the bathroom. Most of the time when I get this sensation, I just have to wait it out and it eventually goes away when the food finally goes down into my stomach. This time it did not.

I was in the bathroom for about 20 minutes, going between gagging and throwing up a little. Finally I decided I just needed to go home because the feeling would not go away. I went back to the room, grabbed my stuff, and walked out to my car, completely frustrated that I had to leave early when there was still so much left to do. As I got to my car, an unexpected gag came on me and I dry heaved by my car. "I have got to get home!" I thought and quickly got in the car. As I closed the door, another gag came on except this time, it was not a dry heave. I threw up on the floor of my car. I left the seminary and as I'm getting ready to get onto the interstate, I grabbed the trash bag I keep and threw up again, while I was driving! I'm glad it wasn't rush hour! I set the bag aside and then threw up again, but this time all over me! I don't want you to think that each time I was barfing it was a huge amount; it wasn't, and it was mainly clear, thank goodness! But after I threw up all over myself, I was super annoyed! My thinking had been if I felt better as I drove home, I would turn around and go back. But this could not be the case now.

I finally started feeling better as I pulled into the parking lot of my apartmenbt complex. Figures...

tight

And I don't mean it in the way my students do when they say, "that song is tight!"

I use this to describe my neck and shoulders right now. I am so stressed out that my body feels like it can't bend anymore! Plus, I have a monstrous headache and feel nauseated. Stress can do so many crazy things to your body.

You may be wondering why I'm stressed. There are many reasons, but I'll give you the top 5:
1. My portfolio for my certification program is due next week. I've barely started on it.
2. I hate my job.
3. I am broke.
4. I feel like I have no purpose in life but to be abused by punk teenagers.
5. I can't lose any weight because I am too exhausted all the time to actually be able to exercise.

There are countless more, but those are probably the biggest ones. I think I may have my own happy hour. Oh, wait, I can't afford it because I'm broke. I'll just go take some generic ibuprophen since that's all I can afford...

laundry day

Today is the day. I put it off as long as I can. It's been 3 weeks since I last washed clothes and I need to get it done. I hate having to gather everything together, carry it all out to my car, load it up, go to the laundrymat, lug everything out of my car and into the washers inside, transfer to dryers 30 minutes later, wait for my clothes to dry (but they never really do), fold everything, load back up into my car, then head home. It's such an ordeal!

I went to a website for a company that the leasing office suggested to rent a washer and dryer. 30 bucks a month; I'm not sure I'm ready for that commitment. It would be nice to have them in my apartment though. I can't afford to buy them right now, so why not rent? The best thing is that I could wash my sheets every week. I have to block out of my mind the little dust mites that I know are living in them because I can only wash them every 3 weeks. Gross! Now I'm getting all itcy...

la comida

I just made a yummy lunch. I'm so proud of myself! I actually got the idea from Real Simple's tv show on PBS. I didn't have all the ingredients so I improvised. Even so, it turned out pretty well.

I cooked up some linguine noodles and the last few minutes I threw in some frozen chopped spinach. In another pan I sauteed half a sweet yellow onion, sliced, in olive oil and added some salt and pepper. When it was almost finished, I added some balsamic vinegar. In another pan I grilled a chicken breast in olive oil. When the pasta and onions were finshed, I drained the pasta and added the onions, tossing lightly. I put some of the pasta mixture on a plate, topped it with the chicken breast, and sprinkled Italian mix shredded cheese. Perfecto!

I want to experiment more with food but I'm not very daring, plus my cabinet is bare of almost every spice and herb. When I get to the grocery store and see the spice aisle, it makes me hypervenilate. I can't make up my mind at McDonald's; don't put me among 5000 bottles and expect me to get out of there anytime soon!

dedicated to Karebear....

nanner, nanner, nanner!

Hawaii, here I come!!!

American Cities That Best Fit You:

80% Honolulu

75% Atlanta

70% Austin

65% Denver

60% Seattle

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

kitty fight

I am officially a crazy cat lady! I love this pic, so cute! It's probably what Simba and Ginger were like as kittens...

ice, ice baby!

Whew, it was cold this weekend! It was in the 80's on Wednesday and Thursday, then dropped to the 20's and 30's this weekend. I don't have a winter coat here (didn't think I'd really need one as the normal temps for this time of year are 70's) so I froze each time I went out. Not only has it been cold, a rain/ice mix has been drizzling all weekend.

I went out to my car this morning to go to church. I almost slipped and fell on the sidewalk, then when I got to my car there was a layer of ice covering it. I turned on the engine and blasted the defrost, got out my handy Foxridge scrapper (remember, the Mecca of years past?), and got to work. As I was working, I kept hearing sirens, fire engines and ambulances. I felt that the sirens mixed with freezing my butt off trying to scrap off the ice was a good enough sign that I should not go out in this mess. I turned off the engine, almost slipped again as I walked back to my apartment, and turned up the heat a little (to a balmy 64 degrees) and read all morning.

lessons learned

I found out the hard way that Ginger is allergic to milk. I knew that cats are lactose intolerant but I figured it affected them the same way it can affect humans; stomach ache, gasiness, etc. I ate cereal for dinner (I know, lazy) and when I finished, I had some milk left over. Ginger was sitting on the couch beside me so I figured I'd let her have some. She drank a little and then I took the bowl away. Within 2 minutes, Ginger starts gagging and all of the milk and food she had eaten a while ago came up, right onto the couch! Good thing I had a sheet on the couch (to protect it from all the cat fur). She proceeded to throw up again, this time even worse, on the carpet. I felt so bad that I had given it to her in the first place; I'll stick to straight cat food from now on! I think Ginger has a very sensitive stomach to begin with. I should have known better...

By the way, the water came back on late Friday evening. The next morning it was acting weird, coming out of the faucet in spurts so I was worried it was going to cut off again. But it didn't.

splish splash

That is not the sound I am hearing this evening. The water in my complex has been turned off since before I got home from work at 3:30. I'm ticked. There were a couple of guys working on it and they left about an hour ago and haven't returned. And with the threat of freezing rain tomorrow, I'm not sure if they will come back to finish the job any time soon. I know I should extend grace and not be upset, but this is ridiculous. Why in the world didn't they get it fixed earlier? It looked like a couple of the maintainance men who work for the complex; they need to get some professionals in here if they couldn't get the job done. What makes it even worse is that the Brita is out of water (didn't refill this morning) so I have little to no water until who knows when. I don't even know how I'm going to brush my teeth!

I've had a horrible week. Way to end it...

another list

Four Jobs I've Had
1. customer service associate (bleck!)
2. teacher (jury still out)
3. missionary
4. day care (best summer of college was working with Kel at good ol'...what the heck was it's name?!)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. It's a Wonderful Life
3. Ever After
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Four Places I Have Lived
1. Venezuela
2. Spain
3. Blacksburg, VA (love them Hokies!!!)
4. Hardy, VA (aka, the middle of nowhere!)

Four Shows I Like to Watch
1. Lost
2. ER
3. 7th Heaven (I know, major cheese!)
4. Extreme Home Makeover Home Edition (I want to marry Ty!)

Four Foods I Like (only 4?!)
1. Girl Scout cookies (it's that season again!)
2. ice cream
3. Panera's blueberry/strawberry summer salad (I can't wait for it to come back)
4. berries of any kind

Four Websites I Visit Daily
1. Blogger
2. Hotmail
3. MSN
4. um, that's it...

Four Things I Want to Do Before I Die(in no particular order)
1. Live in Italy and/or Greece
2. Get out of debt
3. Visit every Spanish speaking country in the world, and then some
4. Get married (I know, pathetic)

super Ginger!

I was just playing with Simba. I admit I was playing rough and getting him very stirred up. He kept trying to attack my hands but it was okay because they were under a blanket; his bites never penetrated through to my skin. All of the sudden, Simba decided this wasn't good enough and jumping up, tried to bite the top of my head. Before I even knew what was going on, Ginger jumped onto Simba and bit him, protecting me from his attack. When he fell, she let go and started hissing at him, letting him know his behavior would not be tolerated.

Don't worry, I'm fine; he didn't really bite me. I'm in shock right now by Ginger's heroic feat! She's normally so docile and a scaredy cat. She was my knight in shining armor!

perezosa

I don't feel like doing anything today! My apartment is a disaster and I've been sick all week, so you'd think I'd want to get moving and do something. But no, I am super unmotivated. It's a beautiful day, although a bit chilly, so I should get outside or at least go to the gym. What is wrong with me?!

lame

The commercial said, "And the return of Dr. Carter". What was I supposed to think except that there would be at least on significant scene with him. I watched the entire hour of the program and they stuck him in a scene at the end, background music playing, he's flying in a helicoptor over a field of white tents. He didn't even have a line! I'm so mad!

back in the saddle

I took another sick day today because I was feeling horrible last night. I thought I was even going to have to make a trip to the doctor. I woke up this morning and felt very tired, but not as sick, so that was good. I have spent a good portion of the day sleeping; I think that has been a huge help in my feeling better.

The worst part of being sick this time is that I blew my nose so much that it's dry and crusty around the nostrils. It constantly looks like I have something hanging out of my nose when in fact it's just dry flaky skin. Anyone have ideas for getting rid of it?

Growing Pains...

is now on DVD!!! At least the first season is. I know what I'm adding to my wishlist. Who else was totally in love with Mike Seaver?

wheezy

Nothing like going for a walk when you have a cold to make you feel out of shape! I decided to walk to the drug store that is just a block away so I could buy some medicine. I figured it was close enough that I wouldn't feel winded and far enough to at least get me out of my apartment complex. I thought the movement would help get my lungs working a bit and maybe clear them out. I was wrong. Walking there I got so hot and short of breath I thought I needed to stop and take a break. On the way back, I was walking so slow and felt like I needed my inhaler. I know I'm out of shape, but this is ridiculous!

Catkins

It's no secret that my cats are a little overweight. Simba is just a pound over what he should be, but Ginger is a whopping 5-6 pounds over what she should be; that's a third of her current weight. Think about trying to lose a third of your weight, yikes! When I took her to the vet the other day, I asked what I should do as the current method of diet cat food was not working. She suggested putting her on the "Catkins" diet. Yup, you read correctly. It's based on the Atkins diet for humans; high protein/low carb, which actually makes sense for cats. Because they eat out of each others' bowls, they both have to be on the diet. They seem to like the food though, so that's good. We'll see if Ginger loses any weight.

By the way, her eye is all healed and looking good. She is not the least bit excited about the drops, though.

sick day

I feel like the whole world has come down with the flu. Kids are hacking and sneezing all over the place. Schools are not exactly the most sanitary environments. I woke up this morning with a terribly sore throat. I thought about calling in a sub but I figured I should suck it up, especially since my sub folder isn't updated and I don't even know where it is! I went into work, and upon talking with a co-worker decided that I should just show a movie. They have been begging me for a free day, and while they don't deserve it, it would help to preserve my voice. I showed Napoleon Dynamite, which they love. I enjoyed watching the kids who had never seen it before react to the movie; they laughed and commented about it the whole way through. I saw my assitant principal and he told me to go home and that he would take care of finding a sub, so after 2nd period, I left. I'm a little sad not to watch the movie with my kids, but I know I need the rest. On top of everything else, it's gray and raining today. I'm going to crawl into bed and sleep forever!

new addiction

Your Scholastic Strength Is Deep Thinking

You aren't afraid to delve head first into a difficult subject, with mastery as your goal.You are talented at adapting, motivating others, managing resources, and analyzing risk. You should major in: PhilosophyMusicTheologyArtHistoryForeign language

What should you major in?

pobrecita!

Ginger has an eye infection. I took her to the vet this morning and 125 smackers later, she has some eye drops and got an allergy shot. Yesh, I spend more on medical visits for my cats than I do for myself! She did very well at the vet, surprisingly. I was afraid she would be a nervous mess and not let the vet touch her. She did let me know, repeatedly, how unhappy she was to be in her carrier. The whole way there and back she meowed this low guteral meow that is not like her at all, the same one I heard for 22 hours when I moved here from Florida. She's doing fine now, not too excited about the drops but she'll survive. Oh, yeah, the vet weighed her and she's gained almost a pound since last April. I've been feeding her diet cat food for months and this is the end result. Yikes! I guess this just means there is more of her to love:)

here he is!

Isn't he precious?! I'm already in love with the kid and I haven't even met him in person. I can't wait to finally go home now! I'll keep you updated on when that will be; unfortunately I'm so broke I don't know if or when I'll be able to go home, so sad!

window sitting

It is a beautiful day! It's 70 degrees and sunny, with a slight breeze. I took a nice long walk which helped to relax my brain a bit.

Ginger and Simba loves days like this because I open the windows. They love to sit in the sill and check out what's going on on the other side. They watch the cars and the trees swaying in the breeze. Just a moment ago, Ginger was sitting in the sill. I heard her start to meow, but it was a soft low meow, and sounded really far away. My first thought: "oh no! she's fallen through the screen!" I went to check on her and she had not fallen through, thank goodness! She had discovered a little birdie or something and was singing to it. Isn't that precious? I love my little critters!

i'm an auntie!

My nephew was born on Jan. 25th! I'm so excited and I will post pictures as soon as my sister is able to send them. He was 9 lbs, 2 ounces, so a big boy! My mom says he already has chub on his legs:) I can't wait to see him. Hopefully I'll be able to go home over spring break!

wut a happend wuz...

A big fat nothing. Yep, you read correctly. Upon my co-workers return, I told her what happened and she also had the extensive note the substitute left. She went to the principal's office for advice on how she should punish the class. He said, "you're not going to like this, but you shouldn't do anything." His reasoning? You can't punish the whole class for what a few students did because the opposite effect will happen and the entire class will mutiny. I have to admit that it did make sense, but it still stinks! I was told that if it ever happens again, that I should call security down. As for my class, they of course heard through the rumor mill that her class wasn't punished and they were upset. I had to tell them that it was none of their concern but I certainly felt their pain.

ps--I'm applying my ebonics language learning in the title:)

today

Ah, the joys of teaching. I teach in a portable, which isn't really that bad. I get to control the temperature in the room and we have windows, which isn't a luxury that every class in the building has. You can feel a little closed off from the rest of the staff and the copy room is about a million miles away, but other than that, it's not that bad. The worst part is that my room is right next door to my co-workers; a door separates them so we can visit each other if we need to. The walls are not that thick, so if one of our classes gets rowdy, the other class can hear it. This usually isn't a problem because even when I have a super rowdy class, hers are equally so and they block out each other.

Today, my co-worker had a sub. The day went fine until the last period of the day. My class was behaving very well (one of my favorite classes) and trying to work. The class next door kept banging on the wall, making all sorts of noise. They were also yelling and evidently not doing their work. My class was so frustrated that a couple of the boys got up to go over to the door to go into the class to say something. I had to threaten them with detention to divert them, even though I secretly would have loved to see it. I handed out a quiz and my students were having great difficulty concentrating because of all the noise. Finally, I opened the door and told the other class that their behavior was unacceptable and that their teacher would hear about it. I shut the door and as I did so, one of the students yelled "f* you!" at me. I'm used to the cursing by now, but this is the first time that someone has so openly directed at me. Legally, I can even press charges and the punk will have to pay a $175 fine. I'm thinking about doing it...Anyways, my class continued to get upset by the other class' behavior, making comments like, "Miss K, you're getting punked by that class!" and "I'm going to turn hulk on that class!" I felt bad for them but at the same time it made me feel really good because my kids didn't like that fact that I was getting treated badly. They love me:)!

I can't wait to talk to their teacher tomorrow...

a few new favorite things

Peanut butter filled Hershey's kisses (to die for!!!)

diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke (yummy! way to mix to of my favorite flavors together)

Vegetable Italiano Progesso soup (great for a cold gloomy day)

my new Black and Decker blender (finally can make smoothies!)

it's raining!

I was just sitting on the couch, reading, when I heard this unfamiliar sound, a pitter on the windows and roof. I looked outside and it's raining. Not just a drizzle, but a steady rain. It hasn't truly rained here in months.

Even though we desperately need the rain, it still makes me want to crawl into bed and sleep. Takes me back to winters in Blacksburg, where it was cloudy and gloomy about 90% of the time. Gotta love the New River Valley:)

Where were you?

10 years ago: I must have been a sophomore, too, since Karebear and I are the same age. I was living in Main Egg two doors down from Mish (btw, why doesn't she have a blog?); we'd make our daily trek to Owens for meals and we had some ridiculous Sociology class with a professor who obviously smoked too much (but isn't one cigarette too much?). I was a psych major at the time but took my first Spanish class that spring semester. Who knew it would change my life forever?

5 years ago: I lived in Harrisonburg after coming back from a year in Venezuela. It was my "what the heck do I want to do with my life" year, or so I thought. Too bad I'm still living that year...anyways, I had two jobs, one as an office manager at a crisis pregnancy center and another as a home/school liaison with Migrant Education Program. I loved that job and wished they would offer me full time, but that didn't happen until April when I had already decided to join staff.

3 years ago: I was in Venezuela for round 2, living with my favorite family in the world in the midst of a 3 month long nationwide strike. I remember the guys on the street corners who bought 2-liter Cokes in Colombia and sold them on the street for a huge markup because there was none in any of the stores. Everything was shut down and the lines for gasoline were literally miles long. Buses didn't run and taxis were also scarce and it was nearly impossible to do ministry.

1 year ago: Yikes, I don't like to think about this. I had just heard back from Hewitt that I got a job as a customer service associate, and I was actually excited about it because I was so desperate for a job. At least the uncertainty of getting the bills paid would shortly be ending.

yesterday: Tried once again, and almost surely unsuccessfully, to teach reflexive verbs to my Spanish II classes. Took my co-worker Tim to Whataburger so we could grab lunch. Had coffee with a friend and caught up on our lives. Definitely the highlight of an otherwise horrible week.

today: Same ol' same ol'. Had my terrible, rotten, no-good first period today (my school is on an A/B block schedule so today was a B day). To start it all off, one student saw his progress report grade, wasn't happen, and decided to let a stream of obscenities fly out. Office referral number one for the day. As I'm writing it up, he starts calling another kid derogatory terms (nevermind that it wasn't even related to the other kids true race) and the second kid was ready to pound him. So, I had to send kid #2 outside to cool down while I finished the referral. The kid who called me stupid on Wednesday was in true form again today. He threw paper all over the room but I could never catch him in the act. He was disruptive, etc. I told him that we were going to have a conference after school because his behavior was unacceptable. The bell rang and on his way out he hurled a paper wad at me, aiming for my face but hit me in the chest instead. It actually stung a little so I know if it had hit me in the face it would have hurt. I was furious! I wrote up an office referral and marched straight to the office during second (my planning period). My favorite assistant principal was in so I talked to him about the issue and he called the student down. He reemed this kid out for a while. I felt bad for the kid but at the same time he has been this way for a while and this isn't his first occurance. Another teacher said I should file charges for assault because that is what he was intentionally trying to do, even if just with paper. I have had it with this kid, though. I shouldn't have any further problems, though, after today. Parents have been notified and a conference is in the works. I will not put up with disrespect any more!

tomorrow: Sleeping in! Going to the library is on the agenda for the morning, then I have a test review thingie for yet another test for certification that I have to take in February. That is most of the afternoon, then I plan on hitting SuperTarget to finally stock up on groceries. It has been rough lately but finally payday came! Yipee!

5 snacks i enjoy: peanut M&M's, Dove chocolate, kettlecorn, white chocolate covered pretzels, Nutella spread on almost anything

5 songs i know all the words to: Ummm, this is a hard one...Living on a Prayer/Bon Jovi; Where the Streets Have No Name/U2; You Can Call Me Al/Paul Simon; Born to Fly/Sara Evans; Nothing But the Taillights/Clint Black (this is in no way an exhaustive list...)

5 things i would do with $100,000,000.00: Get out of debt! Pay of those pesky school loans finally! Then buy a house or two, give lots away to various ministries, never work another day in my life, and volunteer where I wanted. I'd also go to back to school just because I love learning. And I'd travel!

5 locations i'd like to run away to: Hawaii, Venezuela, Greece, Australia, Mexico

5 bad habits i have: Eating crap food; not exercising enough; not having consistent QT's; not flossing regularly; gossiping

5 things i like doing: Watching movies, traveling, reading, cross stitching, playing with my kitties

5 things i would never wear: anything that shows off my flourescent white legs; belly shirts; leg warmers; matching outfit of boyfriend/spouse; holiday cardigan (you teachers know exactly what I'm talking about!)

5 t.v. shows i like: Lost; ER; What Not to Wear; Extreme Makeover Home Edition; Law & Order: SVU

5 movies i like: About a Boy; Spanglish; While You Were Sleeping; Return to Me; Pirates of the Carribbean

5 favorite toys: I'm broke; I can't afford any toys!

recommendation

I just finished watching the sweetest movie, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." I love how the friendships of 4 young women are portrayed in such a positive light. Precious!

I'm going to the library tomorrow to see if I can find the books!

horrible day

I almost quit today. My first period class was horrible. I hate American teenagers! They were loud, obnoxious, rude and disrespectful, refused to do any work, and I got called my normal "boring" but with an added, "you're stupid". Okay, punk, when you graduate from college and have lived on 3 continents, then you can call me stupid! Once class was over, I went into a co-workers room and just lost it. I cried and cried. Not because of what was said to me but because of their disrespectful behavior. If you don't like my class, fine; you don't have to pay attention or act interested. But shut your mouth! Sit there and just be quiet. Don't make everyone else's life miserable because you think the world revolves around you. I hate my life right now. I have absolutely nothing to look forward to here. Sure, I have good things in my life, like the fact that today is my bro and sister-in-laws' due date, but those things are so far away. I work, come home, work some more, and sleep. It's miserable. But it's not like I even have the energy to change anything. Never ending cycle...

donuts

1. What goes best with a donut?
o Milk
o Muffins, bacon, eggs, toast... mmmmo Irish coffee
o A mint chocolate chip iced coffee drinko You've been asking yourself that for a while now
o Your normal coffee - two sugars and cream (nonfat latte with 4 splendas)

2. What's better? Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme?
o Doesn't matter - whatever's closest to youo You'll have both, thanks!
o You prefer an indie donut shop
o Krispy Kreme, especially when they're hot (yummy! hotnows!!!)
o Dunkin Donuts, no question about it
o Depends on what you're getting

3.If you were a donut, what would you be filled with?
oCherry flavored jelly
o Apple filling
o Caramel
o Gooey dougho Chocolate
o Cream (the white sugary vanilla or boston, both are great!)

4.When you get up in the morning, you're most likely to say "Time to make the ..."
o Coffee (i wake up at 5am people!)
o Bacon
o Alarm clock stop ringing
o Pancakes
o Cappuccino
o Donuts

5. How many donuts do you eat in one sitting? (be honest!)
o 1
o 3
o You lose count
o Enough to get a sugar high
o 2 (not too bad, right? i don't eat them that often...)
o 6

mountains

I had a dream 2 nights ago that I was driving through enourmous mountains covered in snow. The peaks reached up as high as the Alps. The sun was shining and it was all so breath taking. I miss the mountains so much. Virginia mountains are nothing like what I saw in my dream, but I still miss them. I think the enormity of their size in my dream shows how much I miss being home.

Dreams are funny things. I often find myself in the morning wishing I could fall back asleep to my dream because the thought of going through my boring drudgery real life leaves me restless and discontent.

I need to get out more...

ginger

doing what they do best

I can't believe they are actually sitting next to each other. Usually Simba (right) attacks Ginger within seconds of their being close to one another. He's just having fun; she does not feel the same way and hisses at him...

small victories

I made it to the gym yesterday. I ran 2 miles on the treadmill then walked for a long time waiting for the Redskins to beat Tampa Bay. I even did some weight training. Now we'll just have to see if I can keep it up!

blah

That is what I feel today. I feel like there is a hole in my stomach, a sinking pit. I think I'm getting sick of hearing how other people's lives are going somewhere and I feel stagnant. Plus I'm exhausted because school started back up this week. I gotta look at the positives...

change

Sometimes I like change. Sometimes I don't. Right now is one of those times when I don't like change. I printed out a class roster for the 6 weeks starting on Wednesday (trying to be prepared) and I noticed some names I did not recognize. I looked through all my classes and not only do I have new students in each of them, but some of my favorites were taken out! This is a bit of a shock for me, especially after the guidance office let us know that there would be very minimal schedule changes mid-year. This is very frustrating me because I tend to be protective of people. I have had these students for a full semester and I know them; they are my kids. Now everything is getting all mixed up! I need to make a new seating chart but I have no idea where to put people because I don't know who knows who, who's a discipline issue, etc. Very frustrating! Ugh!

Happy New Year!

I have made some goals for this year. I don't like the word "resolutions" because I tend to not fulfill them, so we're going with "goals" this time around. Goals are things to shoot for; it makes me want to work harder to reach them than keeping a resolution. Here are the four I have come up with so far:

1. Train for and run a half marathon. I already mentioned this one. I have no idea how long it will take to actually accomplish this one, but I'm hoping before the end of the year. I'm registering for a 5K in February to get my into gear.

2. Pass the TOPT--this is an uber hard oral profiency test I have to pass in order to become fully certified. It's really tough; someone said that only 10% of non-native speakers pass it the first time around. I have 2 chances to take it before next school year starts. I have a lot of work to do!

3. Meet with a financial advisor and start investing. My savings account is pathetic and I really want to start investing for the future. I'd love to be able to buy a house one day!

4. Start seminary. I have already started filling out the application online and I made a reservation to participate in a 2 day info session in March. My hope is to start taking a class this fall.

So, that's it for now. I'm sure I will have more to add as the year progresses. Those are my top 4 for now. I will keep you updated on how things go. Happy New Year!!!

goal

I want to be a marathoner. Really. I need to start training at some point because right now I don't know if I can run 3 miles, let alone 26! There is a 5K on Feb. 11th that I want to sign up for. This will give me a goal to work towards. Once I accomplish this race, I can look for a 10K to train for, then up to a half marathon, then a full. I have no idea how long this process will take, but if I take baby steps, I know that I can achieve my goal. One of the things I want to do before I die is compete in a full marathon.

To be continued...

current obsession

My current obsession section is old. I need a new current obsession. Unfortunately I don't have one at the moment. I'll have to think on this one.

If I had gotten an ipod for Christmas, I'm sure that would be my obsession; I'd spend all my time, like a fellow blogger, doing stuff with it. But, I'll have to wait on that one. My mom did say if I don't get one before my birthday she will get it for me. Hmmm, that's 6 months away. I need one now because I am convinced that I will not be able to exercise properly at the gym without it. I guess I could use that as an excuse as to why I can't shed the 20 pounds I would love to lose by summer and swimsuit weather.

gift card Christmas

I received several this yuletide season. Yesterday I spent my Target card on new flatware. I know, boring, but I have been wanting new flatware since I moved into my own place. I don't even know where the old stuff came from, probably remnants of college. I also got some cute earrings.

I got 2 Starbucks cards. That's right; now I'll be able to get my caffiene fix before having to face nutso teenagers.

I also got a card to J.C. Penney. This one was a surprise because of the place, but it will definitely come in handy. I haven't decided what I'll get. I'm still in need of slippers and I'd like to continue building up my earring wardrobe.

motivation

I lack this today. I need to clean my apartment in the worst way. If I don't get it done this week, it will not get done until summer vacation. Once school starts back up, there's no looking back. Now that I'm feeling better, I need to get into gear and get cleaning. I have the kitchen and bathroom done, just need to mop the floors. It's the rest of the apartment that's going to take a while. I'm a perfectionist and because I know it will never be perfect, why even bother trying to straighten up? But I have friends coming into town and I am so embarrassed by the state of my place!

I need some kind of reward system. When I finish cleaning an area, I should reward myself. Let me think...it can't be anything monetary because I don't have any. It can't be food because goodness knows I don't need more of that right now! I will have to brainstorm on this.

And by the way, before you start thinking I'm a complete slob, I clean my bathroom and kitchen regularly.

commentaries

One of my favorite weekend shows is CBS News Sunday Morning. It usually has feel good stories about small towns and funny travels as well as commentaries on different subjects. I really like Ben Stein's commentaries. He has such a dry sence of humor but above all else, he makes sense! Here is a recent favorite titled, "Who Are Nick and Jessica?" Enjoy!

And Merry Christmas!!!

relapse

Just when I thought I was getting better, this cold came back with a vengence! Yesterday I felt pretty good although tired. Then last night I started coughing and sneezing all over the place. I felt weak and ucky. I didn't sleep well last night (again) and today I feel so exhausted. I forced myself to go to the store to pick up more tissues and vapor rub (that's what you smell, by the way) and it seems to be helping a little. I hate being sick!!!

Funny sidenote: Simba was biting at his tail, trying desperately to get something loose. Curious as to what it could be, I grabbed him and saw it was a sticker that had gotten stuck to his tail and he couldn't get it off. I helped by yanking it, along with lots of fur. Poor guy! He seems to be content now, though, sleeping in a ball on the floor. Earlier as I was rubbing the vabor rub on my neck, he came up and wanted to smell. I thought he would run away once he got a whif, but not so. Strange cat!

generic

For those of you wondering, I am feeling much better today. Still a little tired and run down, but overall I feel much better. I tried cleaning earlier but it took a lot out of me so instead, I'm baking chocolate chip cookies.

I make pretty good oatmeal cookies but I have never had much luck with chocolate chip. They just don't turn out that well...until today. These are really good! I bought the generic chips at the store and followed the recipe on the bag. And viola! They are quite tasty! Who knew?

I realized today that I use a lot of generic products, from cold medicine to bathroom cleaner to cereal. It not only saves a lot of money, I usually can't tell a difference between them and the name brand. Now, before you think I'm a total cheapskate, I still have those few items that must be name brand: Smuckers jelly, Jif peanut butter, Starkist tuna, Tropicana orange juice.

sick day #2

I am still sick, which isn't very surprising since you usually have a cold for more than one day. I didn't sleep well last night and I'm so exhausted and drained. I want some juice but I don't have any and can't muster up the energy to go to the store. I am supposed to get together with a friend tonight at Starbucks and I know I should just go ahead and reschedule but I feel so bad about doing that. But I'm also sure she'd rather get together when I am less germy. My apartment is a disaster so I feel even worse than I do to begin with. Ugh!

Okay, okay, no more complaining. I'm going to try to change into something other than my flannel pajama pants and go to the store.

sick day

I hate being sick, especially when I'm on vacation. It seems to work out that way for me. I remember several times being sick on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day growing up. I guess the holiday stress just wears me down...okay, not likely since I really don't feel any stress in that department. My stress is reserved solely for school related topics. Back to being sick, I'm achy and congested and coughing and my throat is on fire. This came on all of the sudden so I'm thinking it could be the flu, which totally stinks; the one year I don't get a flu shot!

Why is it that only one nostral seems to get stopped up? I can breathe just fine out of my right one but my left side is all clogged. I don't know if it's always the same one that is clogged (thankfully I don't get sick that often) but I do remember that one is always messed up. And why can't I fall asleep? I even took Nyquil for heaven's sake! That stuff should knock me out. I'm so sleepy and drained and have no energy to even squeeze lemons to make this hot lemon and hot water mixture that is the Venezuelan cure-all for everything from colds to plantars warts (this is what they always recommended to me when I was sick in VZ). And yet, I can't fall asleep.

Simba

I was just looking for Simba. I couldn't find him anywhere. I looked in all his usual spots: curled up in the corner of the dining room, under the bedside table in my room, in my closet. He was nowhere to be found. I was about to resort to calling out the "t" word (treats) which was sure to get him out of any hiding place. The thing about cats is they don't come when you call their names. It's always on their terms. Anyways, I looked at my unmade bed and noticed an unusual lump. I pulled the covers down and there was Simba, curled in a ball getting himself warm. Yes, it is chilly in my apartment but he must have been really cold to do that. He's so goofy!

Christmas presents #2

I started and finished my Christmas shopping today. I know, I'm a big time procrastinator! I hope everyone likes their presents; I tried to be creative while sticking close to the lists people provided. The most exciting gifts to buy were for my little baby nephew set to arrive mid-January. I love cute little baby clothes and blankets, etc. So fun to buy that stuff!

I even got the presents in the mail today. Talk about industrious! And while the line at the post office was a little long, it went really quickly. Way to go PO! Should be there by Thursday, yay!

Christmas presents #1

I had a notice in my mailbox on Thursday that I had a package waiting at the office for me. Yay, I love packages! Unfortunately the office decided to close early so I had to wait until yesterday to retreive it. I knew it was a Christmas present; my mom told me the night before that she had ordered something from Amazon.com for me. I went to the office yesterday and sure enough it was a box with Amazon emblazend on the side. I then had an inner struggle. Should I open the box or wait until Christmas? It wasn't gift wrapped so it wasn't very pretty to look at. But it was a present all the same. Finally the child in me won out and I opened the box. Inside were 2 dvds: Napolean and Pride & Prejudice. Yipee! I love getting presents!

arrivals

My sister arrives to the US from France this evening. She's in the air even as I type this (I think; that whole time change thing gets me all confused). I'm excited to actually talk to her and hear how she's doing. Going overseas changed my life and I'm sure it has hers.

The funny thing is that my sister and I do not communicate that regularly. Don't misunderstand me, I love her; we just don't talk as often as we probably should. And I haven't seen her in a year. I miss her more now though than I ever have. I think part of it has to do with my being protective of my baby sister and she being so far away. Plus she is a junior in college now, almost ready to bound into the world...

I can't wait to talk to her.

intervention

I spoke to a fellow blogger via phone last night. We have started weekly phone dates during Lost commercial breaks (sidenote: stinks that Lost is reruns, I'm so sick of those new people!). I called her to let her know that another blogging friend had threatened to cut her out of her list of blogs to read if she didn't update her blog. She informed me that she hasn't checked email in forever and forgot about her blog. What!? How can someone not check email? And forget about the blog? I hope I was able to convey to her the importance of staying connected to the world and not living like a hermit. We shall see...

why i do this...

One of my students was in my room after school with questions about his grades and such. It's amazing how they come out of the woodwork when the six weeks is about to end. He shared with me how he really wants to graduate and go to college. I asked where he was planning on going and he said he wants to start out at community college and then eventually go on to get his 4 year degree. He asked, "What's up with college? What is it like? How will I even know what to major in?" I told him that he will have the opportunity to take classes in various areas to find out what he likes and doesn't like, and hopefully that will help him choose a career. I asked him what interests him and we continued to talk for a few more minutes. As he left, my heart felt so proud and I thought, "Students like him are the reason I am here."

internet dating

One of my new friends here in Dallas wants me to sign up for an internet dating service. I'm an old fashioned girl; I want to be pursued! I feel like internet dating makes it easy for the men because they know when a girl is interested. They don't have to put themselves on the line and take a risk. Unfortunately, this way isn't working too well for me. I'm too embarrassed to put the number of years it has been since I had a date.

I think getting a circle of friends together is more of a priority than dating. Plus, I can't afford it, although the free meals would be nice.

as if traffic wasn't bad enough...

I thought Orlando traffic was bad. And it still is, probably the worst I've ever experienced in this country. But Dallas traffic ranks right up there. It is always busy on the highways, even on Sundays when people are supposed to be hanging out at home with the fam. No one uses their signals here, super annoying, especially when you get cut off going 70 mph. Anyways, traffic is bad here. So what does some genius decide to do? He must have gone to the beach and saw those airplanes flying over head with the trailing ads and thought, "wow, what a great way to advertise!" Now these planes fly over the Dallas metroplex advertising attorneys and jewelry stores. One huge difference between the beach and here: people at the beach aren't doing anything but laying there so not too much concern over a major pile up on the highway!

I think I'm going to write to my congressman about this!

and the award goes to...

The first thing that came to my mind this morning as I woke up was the strangest memory. When I was in the 7th grade one of my classes was an exploratory block. The point of this class was to allow students to experience several different types of classes. I spent 6 weeks in various classes, from home ec. to a careers class where the teacher told me my eye brows were huge and that pharmacology (what I wanted to be at the time) was a boring profession. Way to encourage the future there, Mrs. Whatever-your-name-was. Anyways, one of the classes was shop. Yes, you read correctly, I was actually allowed near power tools. I wasn't exemplary in this class by any means, yet somehow my teacher nominated me for student of the week. I would not have been surprised if I had been nominated in a core subject area like English or social studies (yes, I was a nerd; still am). But shop? I, to this day, still have no idea why he chose me out of all his students as student of the week. I don't remember all the prestige and benefits that came with this title, except that I was allowed to cut to the front of the lunch line that week. I think I may have been given a pencil or something, too.

I think I'll try to choose one of my students for this honor. I don't know if there are any benefits with the award other than knowing your teacher thinks you're a good student.

Christmas list

My family wants to know what I want for Christmas. The truth is, I have no idea. I don't feel in the Christmas mood at all this year, even after going to an amazing performance at the biggest church I've ever been in (it has it's own workout facility!). I'm so blah right now. I think my problem is that I have been slaving away at a job that is killing me and I haven't met any people or found a church yet. Plus, the biggest downer of all is that I can't go home for the holidays. It's been 2 years since I went home. That's so long! I really miss Virginia. Anyways, I've been racking my brain trying to come up with things. What I'd really like is to be out of debt at last but we're talking around $8000 so I don't think that's going to happen (school loans etc).

Here's my list so far:
-subscriptions to "Real Simple" and "Cooking Light"
-slippers
-"Pride and Prejudice" dvd with Colin Firth
-Napolean Dynamite

Anyone have any ideas of things I can ask for?

fire alarm check

I just got a flyer on my door that said the apartment complex will be coming into apartments to check the fire alarms. I wish I had a little more notice; my place is a wreck! I know, who cares what they think of my piles? But I do! It embarrasses me to think of people coming into my place and thinking I'm a slob. So, I need to get cleaning, or at least throw everything into my closet and shut the door.

this is only a test...

I took a test today, one of three that I have to take to get fully certified as a teacher. It was the written Spanish exam; all multiple choice so you would think no big deal. Not so. Everyone told me not to worry, that I would do fine. I left the test unsure of how I did. Usually you know right away on a test, either you passed with flying colors or you bombed it. I have no idea. There were so many questions that I was uncertain of and that I second guessed myself. I feel like I don't really know Spanish. Sad thing is that this test is supposedly much much easier than the oral profiency exam I have to take in March. This guy in the test today said that a teacher he works with had to take that one 7 times before she passed it. If I fail either of these tests twice, I think I'll quit teaching...

playing hookie!

I stayed up late last night hoping and praying that my school district would be closed today. It was sleeting outside and I just knew it had to happen at some point. No such luck. I woke up this morning at 5:15 and stumbled to the living room to turn on the television. As I hugged my legs to my body trying to stay warm, I watched the little bar at the bottom of the screen with cancellations. My district was not listed. Then I changed the channel. Still no luck. I checked all 4 major stations and none of them had my district. I was so bummed! I started getting ready, all the while complaining under my breath about having to slip and slide to work. As I was putting on my makeup, smelling the coffee brewing in the next room, my cell phone rings (not the cool VT ringtone I've been trying to download, stupid phone). It was my department head. She told me school has just been cancelled. I was happy but ticked it took so long. Oh well, at least I have the day off.

It is so freezing right now! The temp outside is 19 with a real feel of 2 degrees. And that's not in celcius people! No wonder my apartment won't get warm!

weather

It's 65 degrees in my apartment right now. Brrrrrr!!! And outside? 32 with a real feel of 22. Yikes! It's even sleeting right now which is unbelievable. My students were a little nutso today (when aren't they?). They were so excited about the potential for bad weather and getting out of school tomorrow. I have to admit, I desperately want a snow day, too.

reality

I don't know how personal I should get in this thing, especially when it has to do with my students. I'll leave it at this: one of my students got into major trouble and will not be in school for a while. We're not talking getting into a fight and being suspended kind of trouble; this is big time. It breaks my heart. I have students who are troublemakers, who spend lots of time hanging out in in-school suspension or end up suspended from school but this is the first time I've had to deal with this kind of issue. I wish I could go into more detail because I need to process, but I need to protect my students. The reality of my job came crashing down on me today.

a few of my favorite things...

I just had a great cup of coffee this morning and it inspired me to make a list of my current favorite things. Here goes:

mocha peppermint creamer (makes my regular coffee as good as Starbucks)

my new snowman coffee mug (so adorable, got it at Target)

Coke zero (I love this stuff! I can drink it like water!)

working out (I know, I know, it can be hard to get to the gym, but once I'm there, I feel so good!)

cooler weather (it's been in the 50's and 60's and the leaves have even changed colors)

Nutella (spread it on a ritz and it's a delightful treat)

ancillaries (we just got our much awaited supplemental material for the text books and all of us were so excited; one teacher mentioned that you know you're a teacher when this gets you excited; they are making life so much easier)

Memoirs of a Geisha (this book is really good! I can't put it down!)

kitty prints

I bought some furntiture wipes for my new dining room table. I used one last weekend to polish the table. By the way, they don't work as well as using the spray can and a cloth. Anyways, I was washing the dishes this morning and the sun was coming through the dining room window, shining onto the table. It was then that I noticed several little paw prints running across the table. Sneaky little devils! They would never think of walking on the table while I'm there. They know better.

incident

Ginger scared me half to death last night. She was in her usual spot, taking up half the couch like the true princess she is. She was laying on her back, sprawled out and sleeping. I happened to look over at her and she was shaking with her eyes rolled back in her head. I freaked out and thought, "oh my gosh, she's having a seizure!" Ginger isn't a young cat anymore; she's 7 years old. I was frantically thinking through calling an emergency vet and how I would transport her to the office while shaking her a little and saying, "Ginger, Ginger!" She woke up and looked at me with those huge green eyes like she was dazed. She then got up and ran away from me because I had startled her from her sleep.

I guess she was just sleeping and having a dream, but I have never seen her do that before! It scared me to think that she was sick. I'm so attached to these cats...

kitty pics

I'm not that great with the ol' camera. I always forget to download my pics to the computer. I finally did it and now I'm even pasting them to the blog! Enjoy!

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

I have no idea what to get my family for Christmas. Any ideas? My brother and sister-in-law are having a baby in January, so I know what to get the new addition, but no idea what to get them! Plus, my bro's b-day is next week. No ideas for that either! Maybe I'll donate money to a cause for them. They'd love that! Ideas are welcome!

venting session

I don't want to be a complainer. I wish I could see the glass half full more often. But I'm going to take this opportunity to gripe about Dallas. It has been a lot harder to get adjusted to living here than I thought. No, it's not the landscape that's hard. Yeah, I miss the mountains but I haven't had them in over 3 years so I'm getting used to it. The pollution stinks (literally and figuratively) but at least it doesn't reek of retention ponds like Orlando. (I like Orlando, by the way; I have a lot of wonderful friends there that make me miss it tremendously!) What has been the hardest for me is getting to know people, mainly other Christians. I love the people I work with; they are so great and supportive. But I don't have a connection with them like I do with my Christian friends. I don't want to assume that they are not believers; some of them very well could be. Anyways, I have been trying to find a church in the area. People kept telling me there are so many great ones here so I was excited to see what was out there. Well, they failed to mention that they are great churches if you happen to be married. Every church I go to, I'm surrounded by married people. I don't hate married people, it's just hard when you're the only single person. It's like being a cat at a dog show...you just don't fit in that well all the time. What makes it worse is that I have been trying to connect with a church that I like. I emailed someone about the singles ministry and even filled out a little card asking for someone to contact me. This has been over the span of 3 weeks, and I have yet to hear from anyone. I know, it's the holiday season and they are probably busy. But I can't help thinking, what if I was a non-Christian desperately looking for answers? I need fellowship in the worst way and even when I reach out to people, I get nowhere. I'm finding that Dallas is very superficial. People are very friendly when you first meet them. But getting to know them on a deeper level is almost impossible! I should clarify; this has been my experience at churches. I have not felt that way about my co-workers. Go figure. Churches here are currently batting a zero...

boo-hoos in 'hooville

VT 52, UVa 14
'nuff said.

it's electric!

Static electricity is something I almost forgot about. Living in a super humid climate for the last 3 years has helped me to forget the blue sparks. I hate getting shocked. It ranks right up there with packing to move overseas and eating cow intestine soup. Texas does not have a lot of humidity during the fall and winter. I was watching the weather channel and the level of humidity today is 23%...I didn't think it could get down that low unless you are in the desert!

I'm remembering why I use conditioner now. My hair is scary crazy sometimes with all this static. Plus, my clothes are sticking to everything, including my new couch. Granted, the static sound is kind of cool, but not the feeling you get when you come in contact with a metal object. I've gotten so badly shocked that I temporarily went numb in my left arm.

A couple of funny occurances, though. Simba came up to me earlier to be petted. I touched his nose and could tell I shocked him as the electricity left me and went into him. He jumped slightly, not sure what had just happened and kind of looked around, starteld. Later on, I was sitting on the couch and Ginger decided she wanted to share the space. She jumped up and when I went to pet her, I shocked her. She looked at me with a surprised look as if I had betrayed her. It didn't stop her from hogging half the couch, though.

get in shape, girl!

I finally broke down and joined a gym this past Saturday. It's about time, too. I haven't done anything fitness wise since I moved to Texas. I went to the gym on Sunday and again this evening and it feels so good! I'm taking it very slowly so I don't get so sore that I want to never work out again.

The one good thing about the hours of my job is that I can leave at 3pm if I don't have a meeting or tutorials. That means I can get to the gym and work out before the crazy crowd gets there after 5pm. I have free reign of any machine and because I'm one of the youngest people there at that time, I'm not self conscious about how my pasty white legs look in my black Nike shorts.

hummus recipe

I've been asked for my delicious hummus recipe. I should keep it a secret...but sharing is caring, right?

What you'll need:
1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans (16-19 oz)--drain and save the liquid
1/4 cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (one small lemon squeezes about this much)
1 clove garlic (if you like garlic a lot, you can add more)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender, adding only enough of the saved liquid to make it as thick or thin as you like; the more liquid, the thinner the dip. Blend for 2-3 minutes to a smooth paste. Viola! You can garnish with parsley sprigs if you want to get fancy and you can also sprinkle olive oil and paprika on top. I like to eat hummus with almost any veggie (carrots and cucumbers are my faves) and wheat thins. It's best with pita, but haven't quite mastered making a good pita yet.

This recipe comes from "A Taste of Lebanon" cook book by Mary Salloum. It is filled with great Lebanese delights!

hummus

I truly amaze myself sometimes. I like to make things in the kitchen, whether cooking, baking, or just using the food processor (which I just bought a couple of weeks ago and it is now my new favorite appliance). I don't really do much in the kitchen because I am single and I hate going to all the trouble of preparing a meal if it's just for me. But sometimes I get into stints of making stuff.

One of my dear friends loves to create things in the kitchen. She is my culinary inspiration. She makes a mean hummus and I have always wanted to try to make it myself. I finally broke down and bought all the ingredients now that I have the food processor. Well, I mixed all the ingredients together and viola! it was amazing! I can't believe that I made this batch of hummus! Very exciting, especially since I feel so mediocre lately. It's like that scene from Garden State where Sam says when she feels unoriginal she has to do something that no one has ever done before to feel unique and original again, even if just for a second. Now I know millions of people have made hummus before, but not me. So, even if just for an instant, I feel a little original.

Tonight my co-workers are getting together at our department head's house for a night of poker and fun. I will bring my batch of hummus for everyone to enjoy.

It has taken me a few days to write this post because I have been processing exactly what happened. I knew someone was going to die on Lost; the commercials let me know that. But why did it have to be Shannon? Sure, she was a little miss princess when the show started, but she has come so far. She was finally starting to see that there was purpose for her life and that she was valuable. That should have been my first major clue that she was getting the axe. She wasn't my favorite character or anything, but I hate it when someone goes through such a transformation and then dies. It's such a waste! But I'm so emotionally connected to these characters that I can't think of any one of them that I want to see die. Maybe I should take a break from the show for a while...

Whoa! What just happened?! Did I just say I shouldn't watch Lost?! I'm better now, no worries.

adulthood

I feel like such an adult! I recently purchased some furniture, the first time ever in my life, apart from my mattress and boxspring I bought last year. One piece was delivered yesterday and I was so excited; still am! Buying furniture is so fun! Ten years ago I'm sure I would not have said that. Ten years ago I was a sophomore in college...oh my gosh! I am so old!!! When did that happen?!

humility

I was reminded last night that no entity is completely invincible (except God, of course). My beloved Hokies lost to Miami. It was a sad game to watch; they just never really got it together. Miami played a great game, too. At least we lost to a top 5 ranked team and not to NC State or some other team. But it hurts just as much to see them lose. Now if USC and UT will just lose!

nevermind

Okay, I am totally obsessive, but I figured it out! Now it's all lined up just the way I want it to be. I should go into computer engineering! Just kidding.

Ugh!

I am trying to update my blog by adding links, etc. But it is driving me crazy! I am so computer illiterate at times! I can't get everything aligned just the way I want them and it's ticking me off. I know, I know, I just need to calm down and breathe. Why am I such a perfectionist with things that don't even matter? Maybe it's because I feel so out of control with my life that the little things I can control I become obsessive about?

sleeping in class

I understand that my class can be boring sometimes. But I absolutely love when I give an assignment and they have had 10-15 minutes to work on it and I announce, "Okay, 2 more minutes!" and a student pops his head up and says, "Nah, miss, I ain't finished!" and expects me to give him more time to finish the assignment that he chose to sleep through. Ugh! (Like the run-on sentence? I grill my students on that too!)

fire drills

Today the fire alarm went off at school. I hate it when that happens. As if it's not mad chaos to begin with in my class, they have to set off an alarm that allows them to roam outside in the parking lot between all the teachers' cars. I did a head count a at least 5 chose to hang out with other classes. I had students from other periods come over to hang out with my class and I had to tell them to go back to their class. I thought it was just a drill but then a fire truck zoomed by and I thought, "great!" I looked around the school to see if smoke was pouring out anywhere. I figure a cake must have spent too long in the Home Ec oven or something and set off the alarm. After 20 minutes we were allowed to go back into the building. With only 20 minutes left of class, it was impossible to get anything done. Oh well.

Wahoo-not!

I just had to include this in my blog. Thanks Kel! I'm still laughing:)

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS -- A seven-year-old boy was at the center of a courtroom drama today when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and to confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary shared custody to the Virginia Cavaliers, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

what not to wear...

One of my students said to me the other day, "Miss, you know that show on TLC...?" I rolled my eyes and said, "Which one?" and he replied, "I don't remember the name but my mom watches it all the time. It's the one where they give you a bunch of money to buy a new wardrobe and get you all fixed up." I looked at my outfit, which I didn't think was that bad; gray slacks, black 3/4 sleeve sweater and loafers. I'm in desperate need of a haircut but I thought I was okay besides that. I guess I was wrong. I need a fashion makeover!!! Help!

Rain

It finally rained in Texas. It's only been about 3 months! The air feels so much cleaner now. I think Dallas has the dirtiest air of any place I've ever lived. Scary! It's so nice and cool this evening, I love it! I'm even wearing a hoody to stay warm. That rarely happened in Florida.

Hokie football

My beloved Hokies are #3 in the nation. I finally have cable so I can watch the games. I'm glad that Marcus is getting his act together and growing up a bit. I'm just waiting for USC and UT to fall...

I love Virginia Tech! As I was watching the game on Thursday, there were a couple of times when I got choked up looking at Lane Stadium. I want to be in Virginia right now, with the leaves changing color and the air getting cooler.

I went online to see how much tickets would cost to go to the Rose Bowl when the Hokies will become the National Champions. $600...yikes!!! I'll be watching that game on tv...

Go Hokies!!!

update

Okay, so it's been a while since the last update...but I have a good excuse! I just got internet in my apartment! I can't blog at school because 1) I'm at work and need to be a responsible adult and do the job I'm paid to do...and 2) the site is blocked. It's so sad, too, because there have been some truly great blog moments over the last few months that I haven't gotten to capture...