Contender Number Two.

Yesterday one of my dear bridesmaids (aka: Eileen) took me venue shopping. Coincidentally, it is where she got married last summer and knowing how hard she is to please, the place definitely came with a very comforting stamp of approval. (Just kidding about the "hard to please" part -- she just learned about the blog and I wanted her to yell at her screen.)

Anyway, place number two was great! And I'm not just saying that because she got married there...it actually is great! Much more affordable and very high quality. I definitely feel like we would get a whole lot more for less there. Me, being a total doofus, left the camera at home...but they sent me home with a DVD. I will steal some pictures from Eileen and put them up (if she doesn't mind, of course. *pretty please*?) It is very different from the first place we looked. A very different ambience, but it is more what I envisioned for myself at first. I have a feeling that Jamie will agree when he sees it (the punk is in Minnesota right now).

Anyway, I'm sorry for the lack of posts -- I have been extremely stressed out about my Hopkins portfolio (our big masters project) that is due this month. But, once it's turned in (March 17th) and once I give my presentation on it (March 30th) I'll be back in full force.

Brokeback City.

Okay...this is the last one of these...but I had to link to this one because it was Jake's breakout role. Also, a favorite movie from my childhood. To this day, I very vividly remember my dad buying tickets for us at the theater ("...four for ceeeety sleeeeeeeckers" -- David knows what I mean).

Law Revue Review.

Yesterday was the culmination of many, many weeks of Jamie-less nights. The Law Revue's opening night/final performance (approximately 1,000 tickets sold!). You wanna see some pictures of Jamie wearing more makeup than I ever do? Of course you do.

Here's my man as a Backstreet Boy. This number (which Jamie wrote and directed) was one of the biggest hits of the night: "I Want to Get Paid"(based on that unforgettable ditty, "I Want It That Way"). The group of guys sitting behind me kept on calling for "MORE BOY BAND!!!" the rest of the night. All 2 1/2 HOURS OF IT. I think the sweatband is a nice touch. But, I think Jamie went a little nutty with the lipstick.

Or perhaps you'd prefer this one which I like to think of as "Three Guys Trying to Look Manly with Lipstick On".


The show was great and I'm very proud of my man for all that he accomplished. He sang, he danced, he directed, he wrote...he was responsible for the opening act AND the grand finale (a Rent Medley which. was. awesome). He also proved to me that he is capable of doing the Napoleon Dynamite dance quite hilariously. I doubted him...but I will never doubt the dancing skills again.

He also pulled off a funny impression of one of his professors. Although I don't know what the real thing is like, he got lots of laughs from the crowd, so I think it's safe to assume it was spot on. Plus, someone behind me said (and I quote), "That was the best impression of Fredenthal I have ever seen in my life. Ever." So, Jamie, you get a thumbs-up.

After not having him around for the past few weeks (I saw the man for a cumulative 30 minutes the entire week last week -- and he was unconscious for 25 of those) despite the fact that I live with him, it was going to be hard to convince me that it was worth all the work and hours he had been putting into it.

It was.

Return of the King.

A truly wise and wonderful woman Meredith is. OF COURSE, I'm not mad! Except of course now everyone who reads my blog (all two of them) will not tolerate my lameass posts. "MORE Drewie!" they'll clamor...and sadly I won't be able to satisfy their procrastination needs.

Anyway, Jamie is kicking me off the blog because he wants to read your post. It begins...Welcome back Drewie.

[Uninvited] Guest Post: Rudy! Rudy!

It feels like Breaking and Entering. Or maybe, just simple tresspassing. Or perhaps, I've invented a new crime, let's call it "Grand Theft Bloggo". Either way, I desperately feel like this is against the rules. Then again, maybe it's a cry for help...

Despite my unforgivable absence (mostly signified by my loss of "link" status from this blog), "Rudy! Rudy!" of Death Cab for Drewie is alive and well, although being held captive by the IT Forces of his Employer. "Don't post your opinions on the Internet" they said. And I listened. Yet another form of Corporate America stifling the creativity of the very cogs that keep the gears turning. What a fool I am.

Incidentally, should DCFDrewie ever resurface, I should probably change the name to "Drew's on [Arcade] Fire". I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more "Funeral" (not to be confused with what happens should you actually forget to fill a prescription. That would be an unfortunate irony, wouldn't it?) Which also reminds me that I've had the most perfect. idea. ever. You should come to Chicago for Lollapalooza. You know you want to.

And now, I must run, before I've said too much. Venue #1 looks beautiful, but more importantly, regardless of location, you're wedding will be the most perfect day ever, and I will be honored and touched to witness it.

Cheers.
Blogger's own Rip Van Winkle

PS - To everyone who has no idea who I am, Melissa will be back for her regularly scheduled programming soon.

PSS - I will not be offended if you cut me off. Seriously, you should probably cut me off. I'm not kidding. I flunked "self-restraint" all through school. I'm like the kid who couldn't stop eating the glue stick, even though I knew I wasn't supposed to.

PSS - I never ate the glue stick. That's just gross.

PSS - [smacks lips] mmm... glue-y.

PSS - Mere said you wouldn't get mad...

The One with A Lot of Hyperlinks.

Just changing gears here. On Friday, Jamie and I went to see Capote. While I could see why people thought it was a good movie -- and I thought it was a good movie -- I just wasn't very entertained. There was great acting...the story was interesting...but for some reason I kept on waiting for it to be over.

Anyway, seeing that movie got me thinking about the upcoming Oscars. More specifically, thinking about the Best Actor nominees. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He made me cry like a baby in Magnolia and I can't look at him without thinking about Boogie Nights (even though he had a teeny part in it), but I'm rooting for Heath Ledger.

While Hoffman does a phenomenal job capturing Truman Capote's emotions, mannerisms, and "that voice", I think it's somewhat easier to adjust your acting when there is an eccentric person who really existed for you to base it upon. In contrast, Ledger had to create his character -- granted there was a script and a rough outline of the character -- but he has to bring Ennis Delmar to life. Not only that, but he needs to play a subdued character that has "penned-up-angry-bull" emotions and I think that's really difficult to portray. And he does it! Amazingly well! Heath Ledger for Best Actor!

Ultimately both actors did amazing work -- and I'm sure Joaquin Phoenix, David Straithairn, and whoever Terrance Howard did too. So I guess the message to take home is that this was a good year for acting.

Oh, and congratulations to Jake for winning the BAFTA. Go Wolverines!

Finding "The One".

Today Jamie and I got up bright and early to do some reception site shopping before we strapped ourselves to our computers to get some work done. It was our first official wedding venture. We drove 40 minutes to Annapolis, crossed the Bay Bridge, and braved the cold...I loved it.

Since it was our first time we weren't all that efficient with our time -- we only ended up seeing one place...but it was one of our favorites from our preliminary searches online. Wanna see? (Wait, is it bad luck for guests to see the reception site before the wedding? Whatev. We probably can't afford it anyway.)

The first one is of the "altar". The second is of the ballroom. I am a fan of this place, but the wallet is not. I look at this one as my ideal venue -- it even had rocking chairs on the porch outside of the ballroom! Dream come true! I love love love the altar -- I think it has a Shinto temple quality (okay, just the shape) that my dad would appreciate. Plus, the bridal suite was awesome.

Okay, I'm done gushing about the expensive place. To tell the truth, this is actually in the middle of the spectrum (maybe upper-middle) available to us. There are some really, truly, crazy expensive places to get married around here! I'm talking $8,000 to get married places (I'm thinking I shouldn't visit those places). I can't imagine what it would be like trying to get married in a city like Los Angeles or San Francisco would be like.

So...what do you guys think of contestant number one?

"You Hold the WooKEY to My Heart."

Happy Valentine's Day!

And of course, we all deserve a little geek lovin' so...

hee hee hee.

Just got back from a lovely night on the town with the fiance. We went to see some Shakespeare at a playhouse in D.C. after he cooked me some yummy risotto. (Which I just burped). He's a good man. We saw Measure for Measure -- Shakespeare's last comedy...ever! It was good -- I had never heard of it before, so it was nice to get some fresh Shakespeare. It was also law-related so Jamie got a kick out of that. There was also sex in it...so you know, I liked that. Kidding. Sort of.

So I have to complain a little bit about my neighbor. I'm not exactly sure which neighbor it is, but ONE of my neighbors has a severe snoring problem. So severe that it keeps me awake at night. At first I thought it had to be a television, but its regularity and the fact that it's. every. NIGHT. led me to believe otherwise. I don't mind loud neighbor sex (that at least has some entertainment value -- especially when it shakes the walls). I can stand the bad hiphop music every once in a while. I tolerate the loud t.v. BUT THE SNORING???

Seriously. He snores so loudly it keeps me -- in a completely different apartment -- awake. I was thinking about writing a note to him pretending to be a doctor and saying "as a doctor, I feel as though you should have your sinuses checked. You got problems." I thought that might be unethical. Also, I'm a huge coward that I'm unable to confront my neighbor about the fact that his snoring sounds like a garbage disposal.

Suggestions?

Charlie Brown Happy Dance.

Literally the second I published that post, my phone rang and it was my teammate, Eileen. This is our conversation (which may, or may not be slightly dramatized for the occasion):

Me: [frustrated] What??

Eileen: How long ago did you refresh the website?

Me: [frustrated] two seconds ago.

E: I want you to go to this website, http://wbal.com and click on the School Closing button...because WE'RE CLOSED, BITCH!

M: NU-UH!

E: YUH-HUH [screaming]

M: [screaming]

E: I'M CALLING ALL MY FRIENDS NOW AND RUBBING IT IN THEIR FACE!

M: IN THE FACE! IN THE FACE!

There is no one on God's green earth that can convince me that kids get more excited about snow days than teachers. No way.

Charlie Brown UUUUUUUUUUG!

That's how I feel every time I check the school closings website and see that five more schools are closed for tomorrow and Baltimore City schools are not. I think every school district around Baltimore City is closed tomorrow -- or at the very least delayed for 2 hours.

Perhaps the superintendant likes to torture people. Or at least torturing me. The tally is up to 74 school districts closed for tomorrow. UUUUUUUUG!

Cross your fingers for me.

It Snowed!

But, first things first: CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Jamie and Joel on their engagement. They are the first of my friends to get engaged, and I think the feeling that I got as soon as I heard the news was one of the most overwhelmingly great feelings I have had in my life. It puts everything in perspective.

Another reason it's a good day? I looked out the window and saw this:

Our first big snow of the season. Probably will be our last too. I love waking in warm bed and looking out and seeing a fresh blanket of snow. Cody liked it too...

"Some Play the Game, He Changed It!"

Just got back from a yummy seafood dinner with Jamie for and early Valentine's Day celebration. Really yummy. The dinner was originally scheduled for yesterday, but we had to reschedule because of car trouble. Jamie's car died so I had to buy some jumper cables to try and rescue him. No luck. So we waited for the tow truck guy.

A conversation with the tow truck guy revealed that he worked the 12 hours between 6pm and 6am. Yikes. How does he keep himself entertained if no one needs a tow? I wondered. Jamie's ride with him to the gas station answered my question. Apparently, he watched DVDs. WHILE HE DROVE. He had his laptop hooked up and on the dashboard so that he could watch Boss'n Up with Snoop Dogg. With Jamie in the car. While towing his car. Needless to say that guy was weaving all over the road.

Seriously, people.

It's that Time Again...

...another pressing due date...another set of procrastination tools.

Here's one I have clicked on a couple times for a few chuckles. I enjoy the "Email from God" one. Oh, and this one.

Weekend in Review.

I decided for sure that my next cell phone has to have a built-in camera. Friday, on our way home from our party, Jamie and I witnessed a hit-and-run. Some guy bashed into a car...paused...and then sped off. In front of a ton of cars. That guy probably got off completely scot-free. I just hope someone had a cell phone camera to take a picture of loser's license plate. When I got rear-ended last year, the guy sped off and all that was going through my head was that I wished I had a digital camera.

Verdict: next phone will have camera.

Also on Friday, I saw a friend from elementary through high school. Jamie happened to bump into her on the street while walking from our parking space (over a mile away) to where our cocktail party was. He brought her up to see me and it was so surreal! I hadn't seen or spoken to her in 5 years, but it was so great to catch up with her and reconnect. It really inspired me to do a better job catching up with old friends that I know are in the area...

Quickie.

My feet are about to fall off. Just got back in from a nice night of dancing with Jamie...so I guess that makes it worth it.

Here is a new one of those recut movie trailers. They seem to be all the rage now...I dedicate this one to my dear friend, Abby. Oh, and another one for my dear friend, Jess.

G'Night!

Hi, Pop!

So I may not "get" White Ninja (is he a person? how old is he? what's the point?) but I still think he's funny.

In other unrelated news (that got lost in the posting debacle at the old site), my dad is in Arizona right now. He's being interviewed for a position with Medecins Sans Frontieres (aka: Doctors Without Borders). As of right now he is tentatively placed somewhere in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At once I am terrified and I am in awe. For years I have thought that MSF has been one of the best humanitarian organizations out there. It is one of two organizations that I have actually donated money to on more than one occasion -- still, I never thought I would be able to donate something as precious and valuable as my dad.

While I know their doctors are well-protected (and very much needed), I worry more for his health. It's hot...The medication he'll have to take before he goes there for malaria and whatnot will wreak havoc on his body...It's a conflict zone and undergoing a lot of civil unrest...He will be out of contact with us for weeks at a time....The minimum commitment is 6 months. Whenever I think of it I get teary-eyed and I can't tell if it's because I'm scared or because I am so proud.

When I was growing up (and sometimes still) my dad always said that the main goal in the life of a parent is to raise their child to be a better human being than they ever were. He never mentioned how hard he was going to make it for me. The day that he told me that he had applied for the position I knew that I would never be able to catch up to him. I guess I get all misty because I'm proud of him.

A New Record.

Last night I peed four separate times within half an hour. I have been trying to drink more water lately and I think it is to the point where it just runs right through me. All Jamie could do was laugh and laugh...

Tomorrow is a day off of the kiddies. "Professional Development". What that really means is hours upon hours of sitting in frustrating meetings where all we can do is feel sorrier and sorrier for ourselves. But...it's amazing to not have to worry about planning for tomorrow. Hooray.

Hey! You people who actually read my blog. You need to start leaving comments...NOBODY reads this thing except for people you already know and love. SO COMMENT. Also: I need to start hearing about possible date conflicts for a wedding. Is mid-May 2007 a bad time for people? (looking at those people in Med School) Let me know so I can bully Jamie into planning something (anything) with me...

Pick Me Up?

So I just realized what a downer that last post was...so a quick-pick-me up is in order:

These are the rubber duckies that Jamie put on the Whirlpool tub that was in our engagement suite. Makes me happy to look at them.

P.S. You like my new look?

Crawling Back to Blogger.

After my sad stint at another blog, I decided to come back to Blogger. It's more reliable, and they've added on a lot of features that were missing before. Also: for some reason a whole bunch of (read: 3 or 4) posts that I made at the last site were lost. I'm thinking some problem with my account -- it's enough for me to come back to my old website.

I swear I had been better about posting.

Nothing super going on in my life right now -- same old. I'm overwhelmed and underrested, but I love my fiance and most days I love my students. They like to keep me manic depressive: one day I'm laughing at them, the next I'm fuming at them, the next I just want to hug them all, and the next day I'm just so sad for them.

A couple of weeks ago I actually saw a boy get beaten to a bloody pulp on the street. I was driving home from work and about three blocks from our school I saw that traffic had stopped. I mean, even the public transportation had stopped and busloads of people had gotten off to watch these teenagers fight. Three or four boys were all attacking one and I immediately called 911 (they had already been called). Then I called Jamie to cry to -- I had never felt so helpless. I couldn't bear to watch after that so I drove around the traffic and passed the police cars and ambulances coming from the opposite direction.

That was on a Friday. On Monday morning when I was driving to work there were crosses and flowers laid on the ground where the fight had been. When I saw them there, I had a wave of regret that I am not a more religious person. My students walk to school not far from this street. Sometimes when I drive home at 6 or 7pm I can see first graders playing on their own in the alley. It scares me to think that once my students leave the elementary school, they are completely out of my hands. They go off to middle-school...they turn into teenagers, and some of them might fight in the street and stop traffic. And others will cheer them on like those busloads of people.

Ch-ch-ch-changes.

Out of boredom I decided to update my blog. I'm still in the process of beautifying it, but update your bookmarks anyway.

Latest post is already there...

I need an excuse.

As weird as it may sound: I knitted a poncho a couple of months ago. Even weirder is that I have actually worn it a few times. To tell the truth, I made a poncho because its easier than a sweater and because I felt that I should graduate beyond scarf.


Poncho with Cat Butt.

The thing about the poncho is that every time I wear the thing, I am roped into making another one. I think I have four on queue. Very exciting. Actually, I am excited. Easy and guilt-free.

Robbed.

I have a four-hour class to go to tomorrow. [SHUDDER]. When you include the commute, going to class becomes a 6-and-a-half-hour-weekend-ruining ordeal.

Sorry for the lack of postage -- I will come back with more regular posting soon. For today, I will leave you with this: ("Dr.Browne" from the USS Constellation came to talk to my class about life in the olden days -- really a crotchety old museum curator posing as Dr. B)...

Amber: [raising hands enthusiastically] Is it true that you were married to Alicia Keys??
Ms. U and Dr. B: ????????
Koby: [clarifying] In the biography we read it said you were married to Alicia Keys.
Dr. B:...I was married to Alice Key -- daughter of the man who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner.
Students: ...
Dr. B: Who is Alicia Keys?

Also: I had a complete fit of laughter today -- could not STOP -- when Koby was so intent on getting back to his seat before I counted down to zero that he ran back to his desk and immediately sat his butt down on the chair that wasn't there. He managed to spring back up from the floor, run back across the room and grab his chair before I finished counting down.

That was probably because I couldn't stop laughing for long enough to finish the countdown.

Back to School.

An excerpt from class today...

Dashawn: I have a problem word: "occasion"
Koby: That's easy! That means black!
Ms. U: ???
Koby: Because "caucasian" means white.

Day of Respite.

My day off was good. I did minimal lesson-planning and a whole lot of vegging out. I watched the big fat snowflakes outside our window, I knitted some butt-ugly mittens, I read some of my book, and I watched two movies. I also did a little shopping. Good times.

Jamie just got home, though, so now I must touch base with him.

The Most Beautiful Thing I Ever Saw.

Don't get it? Have a closer look:



There is no way that this means more to the students than it means to the teachers. The happy squeals of my colleagues over the phone and the jump that my heart made when I first saw it cannot possibly be matched by a 3rd grader. No. Snow Days were made for the teachers.

Wanna see what happened this weekend?




It's very pretty out there.

And very cute in here:

It's All Relative.

Lots of snow! Finally! It's absolutely beautiful outside. Of course, this Maryland snow pales in comparison to what Williamstown is getting right now. I'm such a wuss now.

Late post tonight because Jamie bogarted the compy today. He was trying to get a 5.1 audio receiver off eBay...sadly the eBay gods were not smiling down on him. Anybody have a receiver they don't want?

Brown is the color of poopy service.

While I love our postman, I am not very fond of our UPS guy. He leaves little stickies on our door saying that he "tried" to deliver a package. In reality, I think he is just tapping feebly at the door, hastily slapping the sticky on it, and then running away with my package. When I got home yesterday the mail had not come. I spent the rest of the evening in the living room -- right off the front door -- because Jamie had confiscated my compy and I had little else to do but watch a DVD. At no point did I move farther than 100 ft from that door.

So what explanation can there be for my not hearing the UPS guy when he "knocked" on our door? Only that he is a poo that doesn't actually knock.

Oh Boy, Tannoy!

Today at 6am -- just as I had finished making my tea and brushing my teeth -- I got a glorious phone call: school was delayed for two hours. I immediately climbed back into my warm bed and slept for another hour. GLORIOUS. Once I did get to school, my kids were in great moods and everything went really well.

When I got home today, I was introduced to another member of our family:


Tannoy meets The Cheat.


Yes. It is a new speaker. We actually have six others (including one obscenely huge subwoofer) for a complete surround sound experience! It was a gift from Jamie's dad (acoustic engineer extraordinaire) who was passing along the complimentary goods. This complimentary good is worth a whole lot and is greatly appreciated by we music (Jamie) and DVD (me) lovers over here in Greenbelt. Between the speakers and cat, Jamie is as giddy as a little schoolgirl these days.

The Cheat was actually a brilliant Christmas gift from the brother. It actually makes different noises when you kick it. In all honesty, it's hilarious and never grows old. Ever. (Thanks, D!)

Wow, this post has been somewhat ADHD.

Mud Angels.

It was the first real snow on a school day today. During Writing Workshop, a few of my kids suddenly jumped out of their seats and to the window. SNOW! While we were only supposed to get an inch today, we ended up getting closer to three. Nothing huge, but our first snow of the school year.

Watching my kids run outside screaming happily and throwing themselves in the snow to make snow angels and hastily packing snowballs made me realize that I have missed a substantial part of my childhood by growing up in California. At least today I was able to live vicariously through my students. For some of them, it was the first time I got to see them acting like children instead of the young adults they have been forced to become. It was almost as if the snow had wiped all of that away.

Another thing I missed by growing up in California was learning how to drive in snow. Sure I've done it...but always with 4WD or chains. Trying to go up a hill on ice is no fun. My car is the only SUV in existence that does not have 4WD. I have no idea what we were thinking when we decided to save some cash by forgoing the 4WD. Thankfully I have mastered my sliding down a hill in reverse skills. Also thankfully, Baltimore is filled with genuinely kind strangers who are willing to help push a clueless woman's car up said hill.

Please let tomorrow be a snow day.

Climate Control.

It is so cold outside. I would like everyone to do a little snow dance so that the bitter cold that I must suffer through will not go unrewarded. While I know that snow days will only make the school year drag out longer in June -- something about not knowing (a la Mountain Day) -- makes it more special. Do you think they'd cancel school for 1" of snow? Mind you, I live in the Mid-Atlantic region...

So. Jamie and I have come to a divergence of thought. We both agree that energy conservation is important, but I feel that when our indoor apartment temperature registers at 55 degrees or less, it is time to turn on the heat. Whereas before I could simply layer on more clothing, we now have a kitty cat who has a mild cold. It is time to turn on the heat. It is 16 degrees outside -- time for heat!

It's not that Jamie is against turning on the heat...its just that he will not leave it on automatic for the night. Its more efficient to let the heat turn on and off automatically around a predetermined temperature than it is to turn it off...let it get really cold, and then turn it back on again. We can both agree on that.

BUT, the problem is at night. He insists that we turn off the heat completely (rather than just turning down the automatic minimum temperature) so that it gets really, really cold while we sleep. I get up a full 2 hours before Jamie does, so the duty of turning on the heat falls to me. This morning, when I checked the temperature it was below 50 -- it went off the thermostat. All fine and good for Jamie who gets to wake up and get out of bed after the heat has regulated the temperature back to a bearable 68 degrees, but it is impossible for me to get out of bed when it is that cold.

Solutions? Should I just cut Jamie off?


Cody thinks so.

Not Free at Last.

So last Friday I was talking about Martin Luther King, Jr. with the kiddies:

Ms. U: Dr. King had a dream -- he wanted everyone to live in peace and to have equal opportunity regardless of their race or color.

Kiddies: (raising hands enthusiastically)

Ms. U: Does anyone remember the words with which Martin Luther King ended his "I Have a Dream" speech?

Kiddies: (raising hands enthusiastically)

Ms. U: Ronald?

Ronald: FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!

Kiddies: (all hands drop down)

Deshawn: Man! That's what I was gonna say

Sigh.

A Whole Lotta Talk.

Drewie is really making me earn my keep! Another day, another post.

Last night, Jamie and I watched a doubleheader: we watched Before Sunrise followed by Before Sunset. As an adolescent I absolutely loved Sunrise. Not only because I had a massive crush on Mr. Hawke, but because...I actually don't really know why. I guess I liked the story. I guess I longed for a similar experience or instant connection with someone. Anyway, I had seen that film several times -- although not for years.

Seeing it again now -- when I'm supposedly the same age as the actors on the screen -- made it a little bit weirder. I mean -- who really talks like that?.

I wasn't disappointed with Sunset. I think that it captured their growth pretty well and I was thankful for that. I was especially thankful that they decided to fast forward nine years into the future, as opposed to the 6 months that the characters had promised in the first film.

Now all I need is for someone who has seen Sunset to explain the ending to me. Then I can decide if I like it better than the first. I mean...I get it...but I don't know if I get it...

Tagged.

Now it's my turn.

To tell you the truth, my reason for not posting lately was because I didn't have much to say beyond the cat. It's sad really...this cat has taken over my life. I also think Jamie loves the cat more than me now (meaning if he had to pick a friend to take on a deserted island, he'd pick the feline).

But, this post is not about the cat. This post about another sad and pathetic obsession of mine: yesterday, Jamie and I went to IKEA and purchased this...


Not so bad? Look at what's inside:



I am ill. To have so much yarn that one must puchase a separate piece of furniture to house all of the yarn is not healthy. But the cat was getting into all of the bags of it around the house, and I would forget the yarn I have stashed away in the closet. Unfortunately, I haven't progressed much at making stuff with said yarn. I just like to buy and fondle it...it just so purty.

I'm thinking of going to the yarn store later today.

Phobia.

Jamie's home again and life is good.

Jamie and Cody met and they are good too. Now I understand the extent that Jamie must care for me because apparently he is terrified of cats. I think a bad experience with one as a small child scarred him -- but I know that Cody will mend it.

They bonded today...and I'm sorry to say that I think Cody likes Jamie better. Boo.

Resolution.

Not that kind of resolution. I know it's New Year's but I have neither the will power, nor the patience to actually make and keep any of that kind of resolution.

The resolution I am talking about is that of the yearbook. I came home from my trip to find a letter from an old friend of mine from Williams. Our friendship is one in which we did not see each other all that much, but those times that we did manage to sit down and talk we had really sincere and honest conversations. Anyway, to the unfamiliar eye he is a big, huggable bear. Actually, he is a big, huggable bear. But, he always manages to surprise me with the genuinely nice things he does.

So I got this letter from him saying that he had gotten the yearbook and that he loved it. Seriously, I almost cried. I had no idea that the yearbook was even out there. Through some weird glitch (of the computer? of the procrastination? who knows?) I was never put down for my own copy. Every last copy of the yearbook was sold, so there aren't any extras left for me. Cruel world.

But, I'm confident that I will somehow get my paws on one. Even if I have to break down the door at Jostens I will at least get to see a copy.

I hope.

Now I have to deal with the angry people who are unhappy with their ads. But so far the emails and letters warm the heart...making the yearbook (gasp!) worth it.

Hooray for closure and resolution.

Baby Talk.

So I know I said I wouldn't make this blog entirely about my cat...but give me a grace period. Little else is exciting about my life right now.

Can I just say that it is extremely difficult to photograph a kitten. The thing will not sit still if conscious. Which is why, so many of my pictures will end up being of the cat in a state of respite. Here is the one money shot I could get out of a set of many.


Need proof?


(I used the flash in this one, which is why Cody looks like a giant Cheeto).

Some Cody-antics in the past 24 hours. Remember, the cat is not dumb -- he is just very young (5 months) and has spent his entire life to date in an animal shelter. He has little experience with home life. Consequently, the cat is curious and skittish -- an interesting combination.

11:00pm: Jumped in the shower.
11:01-02pm: Freaked out, tried to find a way out of the shower

12:03am: Saw reflection in mirror -- freaked out and hid under the bed.

4:05am: Came out from under the bed. Slept on Melissa's face.

5:52pm: Cautiously batted at the screensaver.

5:53pm: Received static shock from the screen -- freaked out.

This cat is awesome. And easily freaked.

Recap.

It's been a while. I survived the crazy week with little energy to spare and then I was whisked away to Jamaica for my week off. No email or internet. But of course there was lesson planning.

But let's not speak of those things.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and New Year. Mine was pretty great -- I got to spend time with my family and cruise around on a giant boat. I have pictures!

We started in Miami, Florida.

You can actually see our ship in the background...see the red, white, and blue?

Our first port was the lovely Cozumel, Mexico.
This is the view from our room. We ended up hiring a cab to take us around and show us the island. It was absolutely beautiful. And we stopped at a local restaurant...good eatin.


Waves crashing at Cozumel.

Next, we found our way to Grand Cayman. This island was completely devastated by the hurricanes last year. In the part of the island that we got to see, there were lots of fallen trees and houses in disrepair. So many of the houses still lacked shingles because they simply couldn't get the materials they needed to fix them. It rained pretty much the whole week, so several of the beaches were closed, but we still got to see Hell.
Hell, Grand Cayman. Nice place to visit...wouldn't want to stay.

Apparently the place got its name from the rock formations.
The shores of Hell.

Our last port was Jamaica...which was so beautiful.
View of Jamaica from our balcony. One of those houses is Mick Jagger's. We visited the Ochos Rios area, and climbed up a big ol' waterfall (in the river!) and bounced around in jeeps as we trekked into the hills. .
Beautiful, beautiful Jamaica.

Even though the weather wasn't cooperative, it was great to be able to spend time with the family and to see these beautiful places. One last parting shot of the ocean...

This is the view from our balcony. It was so incredible to walk outside the room and suddenly be in the middle of the ocean.

One thing: why on earth would they show "Open Water" over and over and over again on a cruise? That's bad form. Although the last time I went on a cruise they showed "Titanic".

Finally -- the most important news of all! In December, Jamie and I hit the 6th anniversary (...onto year #7...) and for the anniversary Jamie got me something amazing.

He got me this:




I am in love with this cat. Technically, I was the one who went to the shelter and adopted him. And, maybe Jamie has never seen him before. But that doesn't mean that Jamie didn't give me his blessing and doesn't trust me to adopt only the very best, very smartest, cat out there.

I only meant to go to the local PetSmart to pick up some things in preparation for the new family member. We had planned to wait until Thursday when Jamie got back from break to look. But the local shelter was having an adoption fair and this baby was embodiment of every cat dream I have ever had. I played with him for five minutes and then I had to have him. I had to take him away from the greedy eyes of all those other pet adopters who were oohing and aahing at his adorableness.

Trying not to be rash, I asked the shelter lady if I could just see an application so that I might take it home to look over and decide. Apparently, they only have one copy of the application -- their way of hooking people I guess. But after my interview she let me take it home. Really, I went to the supermarket and bought food and kitty litter. I have never been one for patience.

When I came back he was gone. Some other couple had taken him out to play with him and a different shelter person was searching for his missing files. I signed and he was mine. I actually had to take him away from this other woman's arms. I felt bad...

...but not horrible because now I own the most perfect cat in the world. If I say his name and look at him, he rolls over immediately so that you will rub his belly. He purrs something fierce when you pet him, but he is so undemanding. He will play with his little toys for hours, but as soon as you want some love he'll come over and lay on your lap and kiss you. I LOVE HIM.

I will try not to let this blog turn into me talking about my cat all the time. Just one more picture.


His name is Cody.

Fwhump! is the sound of poo-poo hitting the fan.

Sorry for being such a lame-butt. Although, not as big a lame-butt as someone else I know. Things have been hectic this weekend. I may have even uttered the words: "This is the worst it's ever been" on Friday.

In all my four years at Williams -- including those countless all-nighters, crunch study sessions, and even the yearbook deadlines -- I have never encountered such a huge hole of shit that I had dug myself into until this weekend. I'm telling you people...it's bad.

However...with great need (and lots of caffeine) comes great accomplishments. By early Saturday evening I finished the entire week's worth of lesson plans (that's 30 lesson plans) complete with fun worksheets, charts, and tests. Come this morning, I completed my Synectics project and my Assessment Analysis project. This evening I finished gathering and analyzing the data I will use for my final project in my Curriculum and Strategies class. Now all I have to do is write 10+ page book review (for the book I haven't started) and then do the final project 10+ page write-up. This is all due on Wednesday. Did I mention that this is all for ONE CLASS? I won't even bother studying for the final.

For another JHU class I just need to complete my SWEEPS assignment -- somewhere in the ballpark of another 10+ pager? -- and then do some tweaking on my electronic portfolio. Thankfully, I'm all done with the third class' assignments.

Honestly, one is not meant to teach and go to graduate school at the same time. At least not during the first year of teaching. Let's hope the kids don't kill me this week. Something about it being so close to the holidays tells me not to get my hopes up.

Bah-humbug.

Would You Like Some Cheese With that Whine?

Today I had a gut-wrenching realization: there are people out there who go home after work and do not think about work from 5-10 when they go to bed. These are the same people who can go to work at 9am. They can also have lives outside of their jobs -- ones where they can go out to a bar and fraternize with friends who are not work-related!

I would like to be one of these people right about now.

I hate having finals -- damn you, Hopkins! Don't you get that we're first year teachers and our first priority is SURVIVING?? I hate working so hard for 36 kids who do not get that I am working so hard for them and decide to throw away their precious time by spending it in the office sitting on their butts instead of in my classroom. I hate not sleeping -- that kind of insomnia is not meant for life after college (or maybe, life after 22). I hate that we're too poor to be able to afford basic cable. I want to go see a friend or two on a weekend! I want to watch a movie guiltfree!

Whinewhinewhinebitchbitchbitchmoanmoanmoan.

In reality, it's not all that bad. Jamie is entertaining. Especially when he wears my crazy rainbow socks.


Yay for socks!

Also, I realized that I hadn't posted any Thanksgiving photos yet. So here you go. I'll let you contemplate the uncanny similarities in peace.


Thanksgiving Crew.

P.S. That's Mary in the middle!

The Girl with No Patience.

I suck at waiting. I am one of the more impatient people on the planet. Ask anybody who really knows me.

Exhibit A: I have already given Jamie his birthday, anniversary, and part of his Christmas present. None of these momentous events have happened yet -- they occur on the 19th, the 22nd, and the 25th respectively. I simply am unable to wait. Ever. I am holding out to the smaller part of Jamie's Christmas present. My goal is to wait until the 17th to give it to him. The one saving grace is that I will not actually be with Jamie for any of the events so we would have to celebrate them a little early anyway.

Exhibit B: I have already watched three episodes of The O.C. after having gotten the boxed set of the first season for my birthday (seriously the most awesome. gift. ever. Thanks, D!) Holy crap! I just linked that to Amazon and saw how expensive it is...reminding me why I didn't get it before. [Runs back to buy D more presents for Christmas].

Anyway, I watched these three episodes pretty much straight through without getting up. That's two and half hours of teen soap drama, people. I also have a mountain of work to do. But I couldn't wait to watch this show.

After having seen the beginning of the season (which I had never seen before), I must say that I finally get it. I can now understand why so many people told me to watch the show because I would like it. I like it.

Exhibit C: Jamie finally caved in to the whole cat debate and has promised to adopt one with me at the beginning of next year. I had to use every ounce of resistance not to run out to PetSmart now and buy stuff for our non-existent cat.

Pet name ideas?

Brrrrrrrr.

The temperature in my apartment right now is in the 50s. That's as cold as it would get in L.A. ever and would cause Los Angelenos to don their hats and scarves. Brrrrrr. Thankfully, Jamie finally caved an turned on the heat for a little bit. I really wish we had a fireplace.

Yesterday, I was running late for work when I hopped in my car and realized that there was a thick layer of frost. No problem, I'll just run back to the apartment and grab our scraper. Except we don't have a scraper. Hooray for ignorant West Coasters. Maybe it's time to get one of those.

So, yesterday was pretty great! I'm used to having my birthday in the most inconvenient of times with finals and all. This time wasn't really any exception -- still have finals for my Hopkins classes and on top of that all the teaching. But it was so nice to be with my kids. They threw me a surprise party and gave me teacher gifts (you know, used mugs and picture frames) and wrote cards. Had tons of cake.

It was also the second birthday that I've ever actually been with Jamie for...so he was able to spoil me with dinner out on the town (Burmese) and a movie (because I'm too tired for anything beyond that). We saw Closer which was a fine film. A little depressing but good. The weird thing was that people were laughing hysterically in the theater at the most depressing parts. "HAHA! He told her to fuck off!"

Funnily enough, one of the previews for a new movie started off with a scene of one my classmates from high school getting coke splashed in his face (he overacted). Apparently he is in a Will Smith movie. It actually looks kind of funny -- if you're in the kind of mood for that kind of movie. I freaked out in the theater when I saw it and I'm sure everybody thought I was weird.

Hooray for surprises.

Over the Hump?

So everyone said that once we got to Thanksgiving, teaching would be cake. I don't know if that's true.

But I can say that things have been so much better. Honestly, I can safely say that I have my management down for the most part. Or, at least I'd like to think so. Now I got to focus on the whole learning thing.

On the not-so-good note, I had all the money stolen out of my wallet the other day. I'm assuming it was one of my students since they are the only ones who know where I keep my purse (at the top shelf of a closet in the back of my room). It could have been so much worse as they did not take the entire wallet (and thereby burgle me of my credit cards and license), nor did they take my phone or my ipod (!!!) which I usually don't bring into the building except for on days when I have to stay late for class. Honestly, if someone stole my iPod I would be devastated.

So I gave my whole class the spiel of how they shouldn't bring anything of value to school and to stay vigilant for their friends and peers. So many of my kids broke down crying when they heard that someone took my money and then I felt bad.

Today (a full two days later), one of my students was in his reading group in another class. They were studying cause and effect. Apparently his was "Cause: someone was really mean, Effect: my teacher had her money stolen". So cute. And...suspicious. Just kidding.

Please, someone, get me through tomorrow.

And I Was Doing So Well...

...on blogging consistently that is.

The truth is I got deathly sick. Okay, not so much deathly, just sick. But the thought of sitting upright when I could be laying down wasn't kosher with me. Sorry 'bout that. At some point in my illness I was delirious. Jamie alleges (since I don't remember) that I was scared of the "blue men trying to sit on my head and suffocate me" and that when Jamie told me there were no blue men, I was convinced that he was tryin to kill me and started crying.

Weird. I wish I remembered that.

Anyway, I'm all better now. Thanksgiving break makes it even better. We had a successful night last night -- Jamie's brother and his girlfriend are here for the week and I attempted my first Thanksgiving dinner. All in all it was a success! Yummy turkey, (tofurky for Jamie), stuffing and gravy, sweet potatoes, corn bread, cranberry sauce, stuffed mushrooms, brie and brown sugar, candied walnut and apple salad, and of course pumpkin pie. And no disasters. Sweet.

Also, the kiddies were AMAZING on Wednesday. I was bracing myself for the worst -- supposedly the day before break is always the worst -- but they were incredible. They were respectful. There were times when you could hear a pin drop in my classroom because they were so busy working on a creative writing. All around lovely.

Now, I must try and survive the mountains of work that piled up when I was sick from school for two days. Boo.

Will post again soon.

The Other Shoe.

Of course, the day after I have the "I-love-my-job" moment, I have the worst day yet. Honestly, everything was chaos today.

The guest reader showed up twenty minutes late -- two seconds after I decided that the reader would not be showing up and therefore had began my lesson.

Alexis.

I got called out of my class to attend an IEP meeting (for a special ed kid) -- right as I sit down to read our comprehension story to my kids. We are already behind two days in reading comp. As I walk down the hall, I pass my Johns Hopkins advisor who did not get my message about said meeting and was on her way in to do my official observation. She was not pleased.

Came in all flustered because the meeting was chaotic. Did not know where to pick up with my kids who had been left in the hands of a substitute. Botched the rest of my observation.

Missed my lunch because I was busy lecturing children about respect. Made three students burst out crying when I told the class that "it hurt my heart that they could be so disrespectful to each other and to me after I work so hard for them". Missed my planning period because I was busy holding resource detention and calling parents. Am hungry. One grandparent comes to my classroom and proceeds to beat his grandson's ass in the boys bathroom across the hall. I finally shed a tear on schoolgrounds.

I now have no voice whatsoever and a fever. Any pipe dreams of skipping work tomorrow are out the window as another teacher just walked out of her classroom today and quit. We had no substitutes before...we have negative substitutes now. Those kids are going to be dispersed among different classrooms until we get one. Not looking forward to having 1st graders sitting in the back of my classroom tomorrow.

I have to redo several report cards now.

P.S. Isn't it funny how I assumed I would be too busy to post on this, the day of my blog's birthday, a few days ago. I have no faith. Happy birthday blog.

What is This? A Freshman Dorm??

There is the slight possibility that I have strep throat...and I am not happy about it. For serious.

I have decided that I really like teaching science. I really wish we had more than a 20-minute period to teach it. Also, it kind of gets shit on for being the last 20 minutes of the day.

Today wasn't a particularly good day -- but it wasn't a bad day either. On the way to a meeting for TFA...I actually stopped and thought to myself: I really love what I'm doing. I love being a teacher. I love being one of the most important adults in the lives of my students right now (aside from family of course). I love that a smile from me, or a pat on the head from me can make their faces light up. The job that I have right now is a really good one.

It's too bad it's kicking my ass most of the time.

Munday.

This is going to be a pretty crap week. I'll post if I survive it.

On today's agenda:

-Turning in Report Cards
-Being Observed by the Assistant Principal
-Visit from the Superintendent and the State Senator
-Meetings until 8pm
-My students bouncing off the walls and fighting

Goody.

Happy Birthday.

Officially, I know it hasn't been a year. But I also know that come the 16th, I will be so busy with planning and what-have-you, that I will not have the time to give a proper post. Therefore, I would like to commemorate the 1st birthday of this blog a couple days early.

So, to prepare for this post, I checked out some of my first posts ever. I can say that I am sufficiently embarrassed. If this were a paper journal I would have impulsively ripped out and burned those pages (at least that's what precedent would suggest). But, I will grin and bear it.

It's pretty great to see how much things have changed in a single year. A year ago, I was complaining about a 5-minute mini lesson that I would have to give in front of 12 "students". Now, I have 8 hours of that every. single. day. And in front of 20 bipolaresque hooligans.

It's also nice to see how my life hasn't changed. I still cannot sit down and do work without a little bit of procrastination. Seriously. I need help. And I'm still pretty fond of:


...this guy.

Anyway, that guy just came into remind me that I have to figure out and record 20 report cards for tomorrow (of which I have not officially graded a single thing -- all year) and that I should procrastinate no further. Boo.

P.S. Happy Real Birthday to Scott: the best little brother I never had.

What Happens When You Have...

...two recent college grads, living in an apartment together, one of whom goes to law school full-time, and the other who makes a meager living by being an elementary school teacher at an area 3 school, over a week's (more like three) worth of laundry, and washing and drying machines that cost $1.50 per load (I know, ludicrous)?

You get this:


Laundry Explosion!

In My Thoughts.

Today I learned that a friend of mine lost her arm in a bus accident yesterday and it gave me another one of those "life is so fragile" feelings. She is a beautiful and strong human being and I know that she will survive this with so much grace and positivity, but I cannot help but be so angry at how unfair life can be.

Fridays are so good.

The quarter is up. I cannot believe how fast it went! Although I feel like I have been teaching forever...every minute in the classroom is on fast forward, and every week speeds by. Report cards are due and I feel like I'm just now getting the hang of things. Sad.

I do think this bodes well for the rest of the school year. I've been told that the first stretch of school is the hardest and that if you can survive through Thanksgiving you're in the clear. Let's hope this next week doesn't completely crush me.

P.S. I'm taking the camera to school with me tomorrow -- you should be seeing some lovely picture of the classroom (sans kids, of course).

Hotness in a Pink Jumpsuit.

I know I promised (or at least implied) a bunch of pictures from this weekend. Sadly, I am a pooface and forgot to bring my camera to each and every outing. I remembered to pack it in my bag and took it with me to Massachusetts, mind you...I just never took it out that last mile from the hotel in which I stayed to Williams. Lame, I know.

BUT, I did have a great time seeing my friends -- it was incredible to me to see just how many '04 alum actually came back! I managed to see most everyone that I had aimed to see, but since I was only there for a little over a day (arrived late on Friday and left early Sunday) I didn't really get to see anybody as much as I would have liked. It felt so rushed. Still it was great (and surreal) to see what everyone was up to.

If anything it made me realize that I need to do a better job keeping in touch with people...

New Strong Bad. I mention it because it has an awesome homage to a childhood pasttime of mine. Actually, more of a childhood pasttime for my brothers -- I was always the lame little sibling who watched the big kids play video games rather than actually play them. I'm including it because I know Dave will appreciate it. (Wait 'til the paper comes down and then click on "Strong Bad"...it's awesome).

On the Ups...

Today would have been a great day if it weren't for the last five minutes of class. My students were learning, they were quiet and well-behaved. They were respectful and all around lovely.

Then, Alexis decided to leave school early and shit hit the fan. It ended with her mother calling the assistant principal some bad bad words. Wah.

The good news is that tomorrow I will be heading to Williamstown for the much awaited Zero Year Reunion and Homecoming...and more importantly, to see my beloved friends who I miss dearly. Many good stories (I'm sure) and pictures to come! For now I must de-snot my nose and lesson plan. Oh and pack for the trip!

UNLESS

Not feeling the Johns Hopkins love tonight. Head is full of snot and is also pounding. Not happy that I just got home and that I have five lesson plans to write. Boo.

Also not feeling America right now. Seriously, if I am going to be spending my time teaching it...

So this morning I woke up with half a voice. I decided to tough it out at school and pleaded pathetically to my children to not make Ms. U raise her voice. They were sweet and caring for the first 25 minutes of school. Then all hell broke loose. I realized that if I do lose my voice what I end up with is a horrible wheezy, raspy, animal-like, screeching noise that actually does a good job of getting their attention. I have to make a note of that.

Snot Monster.

I am seriously checking the polls every two seconds. My stomach is in knots. (Help!)

Today was a pretty unproductive day (of course). I did little to advance myself along in my lesson planning. Instead I sat around feeling sorry for myself and blowing my nose. I am playing with the idea of taking a sick day tomorrow -- but I am of the "boy-who-cried-wolf" paranoids who thinks that if I take a sick day tomorrow, next week I will be stricken with a severe case of almost death and will lack the chutzpah and the sick days to take a day off.

Plus, I'm thinking of taking a half-day on Friday so that I might be able to take off at a reasonable hour for the 7-hour road trip to Williamstown. Homecoming! Friends! Nostalgia!

Therefore, I must grin and bear it. Hopefully, my kids will take pity on my non-voice and runny nose. Unlikely, I know.

Democrats Vote on Tuesday. Republicans Vote on Wednesday.

My throat is so sore. With each swallow I am dying a little bit inside. Luckily, I have tomorrow off so I get to sleep in and basically feel sorry for myself allllllll day. Oh...and maybe some lesson planning.

My stomach is in knots about this whole election business. Although, after living with Jamie (who's life has been almost completely consumed by the elections) I feel like I've been relatively blase about the whole thing. Right now, he's driving to Philly to help protect voter's rights -- like the good little citizen that he is. I, on the other hand, am just watching movie after movie and drinking hot tea. Oh, and I'm really hoping that Kerry will win.

Kerry would want me to be healthy.

More Time for Procrastination.

How wonderful is it that we get an extra hour of work time today? I love daylight savings. I am also pleased at the thought that it will be light by the time I get to work tomorrow morning. Something about getting to work when it is still pitch black outside is seriously depressing.

You know what else is seriously depressing? The thought of my students coming in tomorrow sleep deprived and pepped up on sugar. Boo on Halloween.

Speaking of which: the other day I was driving to JHU for class and I was stopped at a stoplight. The house on the corner had a huge picture of Michael Jackson hanging outside the top floor windows. I thought it was nice that Michael J still had fans to support him in this time when he is the butt of so many jokes and so much speculation. Then, as I was making the left hand I actually gasped in fear and surprise because there was a lifesized picture of him standing at the window on the porch. Then I realized: Halloween decorations.

A Complaint.

I need to start updating more frequently. At various points throughout my day, I will think to myself: "That would be something nice to share" or "I bet so-and-so would enjoy reading about that"...and then I run out of time to post. I have decided that I will attempt to post something -- anything -- on my blog each night. Or more realistically, every other night.

At this point I don't think anyone is really reading this -- so it'll be more so that I can look back at it later and smile (or cringe). After all, this is a journal of sorts.

Probably the most eventful thing that happened last week is that my kiddies and I took a field trip to the Baltimore Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. I was so overwhelmed by how well my students behaved (for the most part -- there was one fistfight, but that didn't happen until the end of the trip while we were on the way back to the buses). It was truly wonderful to be able to let down my guard a little on the bus and let the kids see that I am actually a pretty nice person.

It was a wake up call though. Probably my biggest reason for doing Teach For America was to provide a context for my future. I know that I want to work with education policy and whatnot...and teaching was supposed to provide me with some insight into what is actually wrong with the system that we have now. TFA has done what I hoped it would do...it has given me a lot of motivation to change things.

When we went on the field trip I could see how huge the disparity in education for children can be based on where they are born and what they are born into. The Meyerhoff had opened its doors to 900 children from various schools throughout Baltimore. I watched as the white, uniformed children were escorted through the front doors and into the front rows of the auditorium. Each child was accompanied by an adult chaperone -- one per every two children. Meanwhile, I had five students clinging to each arm and about four holding onto other parts of my body (legs and butt included) as we were escorted through the back door to the nosebleed sections.

It was incredible to see -- it was as if I was in a segregated courtroom in the 1930s...all the black children up in the mezzanine and a sea of white faces and blonde hair on the ground level. I started to tear up a little when one of my students reasoned that they had to sit on the hard wood chairs because they were black and had behavior problems. Outside, chaperones warned their children not to stare at my students as they passed us on the sidewalks (sadly, I'm not even exagerrating).

I wonder if the children in their schools have problems like ours...lead-filled water, children throwing bricks at each other and breaking each others arms, biting, screaming, naked men that wander through school halls...

P.S. Happy Halloween.

Starved for Entertainment.

I am close to caving on the cable front. Jamie and I have survived quite blissfully without cable for the past three months. Sure, it kind of sucked to not be able to watch the Olympics. And maybe it wasn't the best thing to have to watch the political debates through a thick cloud of static (through which -- one should note -- George W. still looked like a monkey). But then came America's Next Top Model...and all of the sudden, the extra money may be worth it.

Now, it should be noted, that I have actually only watched two episodes of this show. The last two episodes of last season...but seriously, it was high quality television.

I'm pulling for Tocarra or Norelle. The former actually seems to have a shot, and the latter is just so hilarious to watch (even if only in the clips they put online). Anyone want to pay for my cable?

A Walk in the Woods

Jamie and I took a walk in the neighborhood this morning -- a nice opportunity to take in the beautiful day and enjoy some of the fall foilage. I figured I would share some of it with the few of you who still might check this sorry blog.

I'm thinking about a makeover (for the website). Anything to keep me from having to start actually thinking about lesson plans...

Kick in the Rear.

In order to entice me to finally finish knitting his sweater, Jamie posed with the scraps.


Finish this sweater or else...

Right now I have the back completely done, and most of the front (just doing the shoulder). But the thought of sleeves makes me want to leave it as a vest. Then I think of Jamie in a sweater vest and I vow that this sweater will be done by the boy's birthday on December 19th. Or maybe our anniversary on the 22nd. Or maybe Christmas...whatever, it'll get done. (right??)

UGH. School tomorrow.

Brain Indigestion.

So I have forgotten to bring my wallet with me to work four days in a row. That is a four days worth of driving to and from Baltimore during which I could have needed my driver's license. Four days in which I might have needed some spare change for a meter or a soda. Four days in which I might have wanted to have some form of I.D.

Seriously, I think I'm losing my mind. With all of the knowledge that comes with teaching and going to Johns Hopkins, I am losing basic survival skills...like walking. I damn near sprained my ankle again when I totally bit it while walking my kids out at the end of the day. They were all laughing at me without the tiniest ounce of sympathy...those little conniving...poofaces.

Actually. This week was still good. The kids were good. I'm getting better each day. Yesterday, Alexis was sooooooo good the entire day. It was amazing. I had to keep on praising her...stickers, notes home, lunch with me, hugs...but seriously, it made my day. Yes, I am aware of the fact that it will be back to the same old fighting, punching, name-calling, pouting, screaming, running, back-talking, chin-kicking Alexis when we get back on Monday but still...

Rapture.

I am in love with our postman. Today he let me in when I had my hands too full to open the door. Then, he delivered me the 4th season of Dawson's Creek. I gave him a freshly baked (well...last night) blondie in return. Whenever we bump into each other it's always the day after I bake something so he always gets some. He better love me too.

Those blondies are good.

Today teaching was amazing. My kids learned stuff -- lots of stuff! We talked more about segregation and about discrimination. We mastered place value and the expanded form. They told me about the various stages of the life cycle. It was a dream. Except for the fact that I had to send two students to the office. Oh, and the fight. Oh, and all the yelling I had to do to get them to sit quietly. BUT. THEY. DID.

I'm giddy.

Driving Along in My Automobile...

...when some a-hole decides to rear-end me and then tear off. Bastard got away. But I did get to meet some of the kind staff of the Maryland State Troopers.

Aside from that my days have been pretty good. I'm horrendously overworked and stressed, but other than that? Good. I think I may be breaking out in some serious acne for the first time in ever, and my stomach does drop at the thought of actually doing my Johns Hopkins work. But, working with the kids is fun -- in a often painful sort of way.

It has its highs: the discussion my class had this afternoon about segregation and racial apathy (one of our newest vocab words!)when one of my students likened Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Jesus and started said comparison with, "I would like to make a connection..."
When James (my most challenging student) gave me a drawing of himself so that he could come home with me.

Unfortunately, at this point I think the bad outnumbers the good: so much yelling. I watched another teacher (the computer teacher) actually punch two of my kids for talking out of turn. She prefaced it with: "Ms. U, turn around so you don't have to see this". The fact that my kids get into fistfights every. two. minutes. Or maybe the fact that I have three students (in THIRD GRADE) who cannot read or write above 1st grade level. One of my kids got suspended for 3 days because he brought a cigarette to school and lit it. Or the fact that I still waste so much time having my kids sit in the dark trying to be quiet and still for one minute (it is inevitable that the first five minutes are spent trying to get them to sit still for five seconds).

Bah. Teaching. I want a break.

Dry Spell.

You thought I'd forgotten...I haven't. I have guiltily been allowing the days to pass without posting, for that I am sorry. There are many stories to be shared -- the difficulty lays in how to cut them all down so that they fit in a readable post and a good night's rest for a sleep-deprived 3rd grade teacher. Let me sum up:

1. I just pulled a BUG that had embedded itself into my flesh out of my big toe. I noticed it as an egg about a week ago, but didn't think it was an egg until it hatched today. Gross. Also, no more open-toed shoes at school for me.

2. I just moved into a new classroom because they are knocking my old one down. You don't know SUCKY until you have to see 3 weeks of hard work go down the drain as you have to move as much as you can to a room half the size and down a big flight of stairs in the span of an afternoon while still teaching a class of rowdy 3rd graders.

3. I am a bad teacher.

4. The parents are coming to scope out the pad this week! EEP!

5. My kids are hilarious. I never knew it was possible to simultaneously love and want to scream at 19 children all at once.

6. Jamie made a really good eggplant frittata the other day. He's the greatest. He is also the only thing keeping me sane at this point.

7. I rule at Madden 2004. (Disclaimer: Madden 2004 only happens on Fridays and Saturday mornings in the Long/Umezaki hovel).

8. I don't think an MAT is worth the pain and suffering they are making me go through...

9. I cannot believe that I have to pay that much in taxes when I make that little in salary. Holycrap. And...

10. I am so, incredibly, without-a-doubt, thankful that I decided not to do the CNN thing. I cannot even fathom how awful it would be to have my failed attempts at teaching captured on television for all the Dan Rather fans to see...

More later?

Mmmm...Slanty.

Conversation with a colleague at school. As a sidenote, it took her a while to warm up to me.

Colleague: So, what are you? You're Chinese, right?
Me: Well...no...but -
C: - but you're ORIENTAL.
Me: I guess you could say that. My parents are actually from Peru.
C: Is that in China?
Me: No, it's a country in South America...
C:...but, you're ORIENTAL.
Me: My grandparents migrated from Japan to Peru...
C: ...so that's why your slant-eyed [pulls the edges of her eyes outward to make slanty eyes].
Me: Ya. [eep.]
C: But Chinese and Japanese are the same thing, right? Like, you could say that you're Chinese. You're just from a different part of China.
Me: No, actually, my grandparents came from Japan...but that's a whole other country than China.
C: But you all look the same! Would you be insulted if I called you Chinese?
Me: Personally, no. But it would be like me saying that Jamaicans and Africans are the same.
C: [angry teacher stare]...no they're not!!
Me: ...
C: ...
C: Do you speak perunesey?

It was later decided that I had to bring dumplings to our potluck because obviously I know how to make Chinese dumplings. How I love being the only Asian person anywhere near this school.

Update on the teaching: yesterday was the worst day yet. Today was the best one. Go figure. Have yet to cry...although it did cross my mind twice this week. Can I just say that I love my kids. The other day I just wanted to stop being their mean ol' teacher and HUG THEM ALL.

P.S. The idea that a TEACHER WHO HAS BEEN TEACHING FOR 30 YEARS didn't know that Peru was a country -- much less, knew that China and Japan were different countries -- is frightening.

P.P.S. The fact that I have to go to class for four hours on a Saturday morning after having taught 3rd graders all week makes me want to die. DIE. It has crossed my mind more than once that this whole "getting my Masters while teaching 3rd grade" thing was a very bad idea.

[Don't] Tell Me Box.

Somebody please tell me why my kids cannot spell "school" but have no problem spelling "dick lips". Please.

Today I introduced the "Tell Me" box, so that my lovely little angels would simply exert their tattletale tendencies on paper rather than in the middle of my lessons. This morning, the box was empty, and when I picked it up after school I actually dropped it because of the weight of the little slips of paper stuffed into it (granted, I wasn't expecting it to be heavy at all and therefore did not really try to get a good grip on it).

Among my favorites?

"ronald was cousen. Love, Dorian"

"ronald sed the b word."

And a nice little series from Sae'Quan:

"Alexis be making up stuff about people. From Sa'Quan" (this was the most spelling accurate -- sigh -- note I received. The only word he mispelled was his own name).

"Davan [Davon] hit Jawel [Jewel]. From Sae'Quan."

"Micaiah said I like Jewel. From Sae'Quan".

Oh boy, how happy I am to return to 3rd grade...

For the most part, the kiddies were ANGELS today and I am in love with them. I'm definitely not a good teacher yet. If I had to say what these kids learned today I would be hardpressed to find ONE thing. But, I am surviving and the kids are warming up to the thought of learning. I need to find a way to get through the afternoon unscathed (the mornings are great). I'm thinking of making them run laps after resource...

I called a parent last night, and this morning she sat in my class for the first twenty minutes and proceeded to yell at her son every two minutes. "WHERE IS YOUR NOTEBOOK??" "PAY ATTENTION TO THE TEACHER!!" "WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU??"

It was distracting to say the least and as soon as she left, her son completely shut down and would not respond to a single thing I said for the next hour and a half.

Please make tomorrow a better day for him.

Getting It Together.

If I can pull my life together during the weekdays, I will be able to post more often. Last week...not so much.

I don't think I had ever gone a week with so little consecutive hours of sleep. Not even trying to get the yearbook done (which it is!) made me as sleep-deprived. Getting to bed around 1 only to get up around 5, and then having to chase 3rd graders around all day made me a sleepy girl. Apparently, I was almost sleep-walking on Wednesday night (after going to my 4 and a half hours of Johns Hopkins directly after school and getting home at 10. Jamie found me in the kitchen throwing celery on the ground and wielding a giant knife muttering about making my lunch...at 2am.

Boy howdy did I ever sleep so well this weekend. I also cleaned up the office and am planning to lesson plan all day today and get my homework for JHU done. Mark my words...I will sleep more than four hours a night this week.

Teaching is going pretty well! I still love my kids. I'm definitely coming off firmer than I ever thought I could. I am beginning to worry that I'm just plain mean. However, I did manage to get my class to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, and reenter the room in a straight line and without making a sound in under 5 minutes. I was timing them with my stopwatch. I am a drill instructor.

I have so many stories to tell. I will get around to tell them...but right now, I must get started on the planning. Updates soon.

You Can Call Me Ms. U.

Lesson plans? Check.
Night of little sleep? Check.
First day of school complete? Check.
The sorest calves on the planet? CHECK.

So, after going over how to pronounce my name (I busted out the phonemes) for at least three minutes, one of my students whined: "Can't we just come up with a nickname?????" which was followed by whiny agreement from the rest of the class. I am now, "Ms. U". Also, "Ms. Umezoo.....Ms. U"

The day is done...and I must say it wasn't so painful. In fact, I would venture to say that it was pretty good. My kids are great -- the total opposite of the kids that I had over the summer...not that they weren't great, but rather that these kids actually like to participate and learn.

Today went relatively smoothly. The only thing is: the impending doom. Even though today went well...I could see the potential for disaster in the upcoming week. These kids are talkers and keeping them in check grew progressively more difficult. Add on to that, the fact that we have class straight through from 7:45am to 12:15 before their first break (!) This is a recipe for disaster.

But I have to say I love my kids so far. I got a bunch of "I Love You" cards (don't you love how little kids are able to decide they love you so quickly?) and hugs...and I was trying to be as mean as possible. I was worried that I was being too nice and friendly, but then I overheard one of my students telling a sibling that I was really strict. That made me smile until I started to think that I might be too hard...I definitely had two different kids on the verge of tears today. 3rd graders are babies.

The best part of my day came at the end when I sent a kid to the time out corner to fill out a reflection sheet. He refused, so I gave him another consequence at which point he got real mad. He spent the rest of the day (all of five minutes) scowling in the corner. I pulled him aside after class and explained why I did what I did (it just doesn't make sense for me to have to repeatedly tell him to be quiet and face forward) and he actually got it! He promised me to make tomorrow a "good choice day" and agreed that I was being fair (his words!!!) and gave me a hug.

Seriously though...I can forsee me wanting to pull my hair out in the near future. With the way the class was going towards the end of the day...I give myself until tomorrow afternoon.

The Schoolhouse Jibblies.

First day of school today. Hold me.

Also, please tell me I won't have to get up at this ungodly hour every day...

A Room: Transformed.

All week we've been having school orientation...meaning that we teacher's have been in meetings in the mornings with a little time in the afternoon to prep our classrooms for the kiddies that arrive on Tuesday. We hadn't had much time to prep, but this was all fine and good since most of Thursday and Friday was left open for classroom prep.

Unless, of course, you're me.

OF COURSE, I am told yesterday that I must go to an all-day workshop on Thursday (today) AND Friday. The administration fought it...but the school system is so messed up that they happened to overlook the fact that they hadn't run this workshop yet and picked random people out of a hat to attend. As I stared at my hardly-started room on Wednesday morning I felt an overwhelming sense of doom. My kids would be miserable and unstimulated and it would be my fault.

But...as we all know...I don't work well unless I am under a deadline...I was determined to get my room finished in the two hours I had after all our meetings. This is how far I got:

The room at the start of the day:







Later:






And of course, the hokey (but hopefully inspiring) expecations:


The only reason I got as far as I did was because my school is wonderful. I had two teachers in my room who had sacrificed their class prep time helping me. I [heart] my school.

I still have a lot of work to do, but I'll try to get it all done at my apartment and get to school really early on Tuesday so that I have time to throw everything on the walls. I did manage to get to school today after my workshop and I met the parent of one of my new students (just transfered into my room).

I felt so young and so Asian.