Tiiiiired.
Still waiting for my contract.
Ready for the end of school.
Kind of smitten.
Happy that One-Act is still advancing.
Ridiculously behind on grading.
Reading Great Expectations.
Possessing great expectations.
Counting down the days 'til I see the Decemberists! (31)
Going to see opening night of A Chorus Line tomorrow.
Overworked.
Running low on clean laundry.
Running low on quarters.
In love with this song.
Going to sleep.
=]
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Because of that I'm not scared at all.
I can't sleep because I keep hearing my pulse beating in my ear. It's been happening since about 11:00 this morning, and it's only managed to not be a problem when a) I'm listening to music with earphones in or b) when I'm on the phone.
So it's basically been a problem all day.
Especially now.
Because I would like to sleep.
I even tried meditating.
It did not work.
I guess instead, I will write here about stuff. And things. In general. Here we go.
I'm less stressed about the job situation, now that the superintendent said at a district meeting that he didn't expect to have to let any teachers go. But the way he said it was that he didn't expect to have to reduce the work force because the people already leaving would just have their classes absorbed into the current staff. But then that begged the question of who he is counting on already leaving, because technically, since I'm only on a 1-year contract, I'm already leaving. Thinking about that technicality gives me the shivers, and I hate that my brain works out the most haphazard and sometimes irrational way to the worst-case-scenario. I'll find out either next week, or the week after that at the latest. I'm at the point now, though, where... either way, I just want to find out. I'm tired of worrying about it, because there are so many other things to worry about it, and this whole employment situation is taking up more than its fair share. My other neuroses are getting jealous.
I'm having a difficult time adjusting my expectations to reality. It's actually a strange boat to be in... because.. well. I'm a pessimist. But also an optimist? I'm the most positively negative person that I know. I have these quixotic ideas in my head about people, and intents, and actions, and I want everything to be right. I get frustrated when people are unkind or careless or just plain mean. but then I figure that, for the most part, those terrible characteristics are intrinsic in everybody. I think I have a hard time remembering that... most people are not like me, and they're not going to value what I value or abhor what I abhor. But mostly that they're not going to react like I'm going to react, or if they do, it won't be for the same underlying reasons.
I guess I figure that life is a struggle to overcome our inherent weaknesses. Yeah, that's totally it. It sounds good, at least. It's not something that I gave much thought to until I was overseas, but... maybe living in such an unfamiliar situation taught me the value of a little bit of kindness. It was a lesson I preached often to my kindergarteners, if only by simply saying, "Be kind to your friends" after one of them did something mean. And they would inevitably walk over to whoever it was, rub their shoulder, and say, "Sorry."
Speaking of kindness, I was talking to my friend this evening. He had lived in Japan for several years and has been keeping up with the news regarding the nuclear reactors and tsunami and earthquake relief as avidly as I have. And we both agreed that it was a horrible situation. I mean, it would be a horrible situation regardless, but Japanese people are so nice. I visited Osaka and then Tokyo a while later, and even during my brief time there, I was so impressed by how kind everyone was. People always tried to help us. If I or any of my friends stared too long at a subway map, someone would inevitably come up and ask if we needed help. There wasn't any marked avoidance, or surreptitious sidelong glances, even though we were a big group of foreigners speaking in a different language. Most of the places I traveled to were filled with friendly people, but it was that much more noticeable in Japan.
I do wonder when I'll be able to travel again. My feet are getting itchy just thinking about it. Is that the proper phrase for it? Itchy feet? (If it wasn't; it is now. I can do that because I'm an English teacher.) It's been almost a year since I came back from Seoul. I guess I did go to New Orleans in May. And since moving up here, I have been exploring the DFW area pretty enthusiastically. But I miss the excitement of taking trips. Plane reservations, hotel reservations, planning on where to go and how to go, and trying to figure out how to say "Hello" and "Thank you" in a way that isn't unintentionally hilarious.
Don't get me wrong, I want to travel through the U.S., too, where I have the advantage of a car with a navigational system and already-acquired knowledge of how to say "Hello" and "Thank you". But... Italy! Greece! Thailand! Egypt! (Once there's.. you know.. less civil unrest) France! Brazil! South Africa! China! Hell, I'd even go to Canada. But I won't use an exclamation point.
I blame Spring Break. The very words invoke images of sunny, distant places. My sunny, distant place looks like it'll be Carrollton, since I'll be escorting my mom and sister there for some Korean food shopping.
I should probably try to sleep now.
But first!
For your listening enjoyment:
I do love me some Rachael Yamagata.
So it's basically been a problem all day.
Especially now.
Because I would like to sleep.
I even tried meditating.
It did not work.
I guess instead, I will write here about stuff. And things. In general. Here we go.
I'm less stressed about the job situation, now that the superintendent said at a district meeting that he didn't expect to have to let any teachers go. But the way he said it was that he didn't expect to have to reduce the work force because the people already leaving would just have their classes absorbed into the current staff. But then that begged the question of who he is counting on already leaving, because technically, since I'm only on a 1-year contract, I'm already leaving. Thinking about that technicality gives me the shivers, and I hate that my brain works out the most haphazard and sometimes irrational way to the worst-case-scenario. I'll find out either next week, or the week after that at the latest. I'm at the point now, though, where... either way, I just want to find out. I'm tired of worrying about it, because there are so many other things to worry about it, and this whole employment situation is taking up more than its fair share. My other neuroses are getting jealous.
I'm having a difficult time adjusting my expectations to reality. It's actually a strange boat to be in... because.. well. I'm a pessimist. But also an optimist? I'm the most positively negative person that I know. I have these quixotic ideas in my head about people, and intents, and actions, and I want everything to be right. I get frustrated when people are unkind or careless or just plain mean. but then I figure that, for the most part, those terrible characteristics are intrinsic in everybody. I think I have a hard time remembering that... most people are not like me, and they're not going to value what I value or abhor what I abhor. But mostly that they're not going to react like I'm going to react, or if they do, it won't be for the same underlying reasons.
I guess I figure that life is a struggle to overcome our inherent weaknesses. Yeah, that's totally it. It sounds good, at least. It's not something that I gave much thought to until I was overseas, but... maybe living in such an unfamiliar situation taught me the value of a little bit of kindness. It was a lesson I preached often to my kindergarteners, if only by simply saying, "Be kind to your friends" after one of them did something mean. And they would inevitably walk over to whoever it was, rub their shoulder, and say, "Sorry."
Speaking of kindness, I was talking to my friend this evening. He had lived in Japan for several years and has been keeping up with the news regarding the nuclear reactors and tsunami and earthquake relief as avidly as I have. And we both agreed that it was a horrible situation. I mean, it would be a horrible situation regardless, but Japanese people are so nice. I visited Osaka and then Tokyo a while later, and even during my brief time there, I was so impressed by how kind everyone was. People always tried to help us. If I or any of my friends stared too long at a subway map, someone would inevitably come up and ask if we needed help. There wasn't any marked avoidance, or surreptitious sidelong glances, even though we were a big group of foreigners speaking in a different language. Most of the places I traveled to were filled with friendly people, but it was that much more noticeable in Japan.
I do wonder when I'll be able to travel again. My feet are getting itchy just thinking about it. Is that the proper phrase for it? Itchy feet? (If it wasn't; it is now. I can do that because I'm an English teacher.) It's been almost a year since I came back from Seoul. I guess I did go to New Orleans in May. And since moving up here, I have been exploring the DFW area pretty enthusiastically. But I miss the excitement of taking trips. Plane reservations, hotel reservations, planning on where to go and how to go, and trying to figure out how to say "Hello" and "Thank you" in a way that isn't unintentionally hilarious.
Don't get me wrong, I want to travel through the U.S., too, where I have the advantage of a car with a navigational system and already-acquired knowledge of how to say "Hello" and "Thank you". But... Italy! Greece! Thailand! Egypt! (Once there's.. you know.. less civil unrest) France! Brazil! South Africa! China! Hell, I'd even go to Canada. But I won't use an exclamation point.
I blame Spring Break. The very words invoke images of sunny, distant places. My sunny, distant place looks like it'll be Carrollton, since I'll be escorting my mom and sister there for some Korean food shopping.
I should probably try to sleep now.
But first!
For your listening enjoyment:
I do love me some Rachael Yamagata.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
To tell you I'm thinking of you
I'd call you now to tell you I'm thinking of you
But it does me no good when the phone is just blocking my view
And I would sail back to you
And I would sail back to you
And I would come back and admit that it wasn't your fault
But I'm tired and unwilling to be the only one who was wrong
And I would sail back to you
And I would sail back to you
And I would sail back to you
I'll be sailing on your deep blue eyes...
The song is completely unrelated to anything going on in my life EXCEPT for my newly found appreciation for Damien Jurado. Please disregard the video attached to the song, as I'm not sure what it's supposed to be doing. And yes, the song was on the latest episode of House, BUT I think that's more of a signal that I'm supposed to enjoy the music more rather than less. I am not a disdainful nonconformist who hates the masses that appreciate a song after hearing it on a TV show. Now, if it were a book, it would be a different matter.
Life has been exciting lately? If by exciting, I mean stressful. Which I do. I have only recently barely gotten somewhat caught up on the mass of papers awaiting the right side of a red pen* that are piled on my desk at work. I have finished my giant-white-suburban-of-doom driving for two more weeks. Driving through Dallas was not fun. I spent a lot of time hunched over the steering wheel and muttering, "Ohhh, scary. Scary." Especially every time an 18-wheeler came up alongside me. I really hate 18-wheelers. They're just so... wheely. And loud. And gigantic. And scary. Did I mention scary? They're scary.
On the plus side, I didn't hit anything**!
I will admit, however, that I enjoyed driving the suburban simply because it has a working stereo. My own has been non-functional for about 3 weeks now and while I am fairly certain that the problem is an easy fix, I lack the ability to fix it. So I enjoyed hearing something while I drove that was not the sound of the road. Like the dork that I am, I listened to NPR for almost the entire time. They were debating the effects of increasing class sizes on the Diane Rehm show, and talking about how teachers throughout various states are being vilified due to the whole budget crisis. Now I realize that my opinion is directly affected by the fact that... I am a teacher.
Also, I was going to go into alot of detail on this subject, as it's one that is affecting me greatly.
But it will have to wait for another day.
*The write side of a red pen? Tee hee.
**95% sure.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Counting
Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break.
Five days five days five days five days.
Five days five days five days five days.
Monday, February 28, 2011
=/
I have run the gamut of emotions in the past few weeks, from elated to irritated to...magistrated? I don't know.
ELA exit level TAKS is tomorrow. I have to drive a giant suburban to Dennison, TX on Thursday. Denison? I have no idea where I'm going when I drive the giant suburban, I just follow the bus. I do know that to get there, we have to be at the school at 5:00 am. Which means I will have to be out of my apartment by 4:35 am. Which means that I have to be up by AT LEAST 4:15 am. I feel like I should go to sleep RIGHT NOW to prepare for it.
I am pretty tired. That might be a good idea.
ELA exit level TAKS is tomorrow. I have to drive a giant suburban to Dennison, TX on Thursday. Denison? I have no idea where I'm going when I drive the giant suburban, I just follow the bus. I do know that to get there, we have to be at the school at 5:00 am. Which means I will have to be out of my apartment by 4:35 am. Which means that I have to be up by AT LEAST 4:15 am. I feel like I should go to sleep RIGHT NOW to prepare for it.
I am pretty tired. That might be a good idea.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The pile of papers there for me to grade has been multiplying when I wasn't looking, I'm pretty sure. There's no other explanation as to how I can grade and grade and mark and mark and still have piles of papers that haven't seen the right side of a red pen at all. I even went to work early today! Earlier than I normally go, and I normally go pretty early! I need a paper-grading robot. Named Rhett. Miller.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day.
 |
| Valentine's Brownies! |
Well, I'm a day early. That's alright though, because tomorrow I'll be so busy grading papers that I won't have time to write anything.
I kind of have an interesting perception of Valentine's Day. I realize that it's popular to hate the holiday, the artifice, the superficiality, the rampant consumerism, blah blah. I should be calling it "Single's Awareness Day" and throwing Anti-Valentine's parties wherein I smash heart shaped piñatas with spikey baseball bats. What are they called? Oh yeah, maces.
But you know what?
I'm not.
Because you know what else?
I like Valentine's Day.
If it really comes down to it, it's not about giving or receiving cards, or flowers, or chocolate or whatever. It's not about feeling pressured to show someone you care. It's not even about taking some ancient martyr's memory and twisting it into a day that doesn't really have much to do with the guy who got killed in the first place. I like Valentine's day because it's just about appreciating someone else, and having the excuse to show them that. I can tell people I love them all day long, but usually they look at me like I'm weird and keep walking. But if I do it on Valentine's Day! Well.. they'll probably look at me like I'm weird and keep walking. Unless they're people that I know. Then the chances of them loving me back are significantly higher. Unless they're my arch nemeses. My arch nemeses might love me back anyway, though, because I'm a pretty good rival... I'm getting off the point, though.
When it all comes down to it, the Beatles were right. All you need is love.
And brownies.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I think of you only
I have a couple of bands that I am dying to see in concert and fortunately, the opportunity to see one of them presented itself to me recently. I get to go see the Decemberists when they stop in Dallas in April. So I've been listening to their latest CD to get in the mood. Yes, I realize that April is still a long ways away, but I like to be prepared... and I really am enjoying this new album. This song won't replace my long-time favorite song (Hazards of Love 4), but it's ranking well so far. Colin Meloy+steel guitar=magic. It's like a scientifically proven equation.
I still remember first listening to the Decemberists. I was overseas and dying for new music, so I'd taken to downloading mixes of indie music then going through them to try to find groups that I liked. I'd generally just load the entire batch of songs onto my ipod and listen on the way to work, or while I was at the gym. That's how I first heard the Decemberists-- O Valencia...which is still a song near and dear to my heart. But now there are so many, it's hard to pick just a few favorites.
I could gush for days and days. Well, maybe not, but at least paragraphs and paragraphs. But I won't. I'm just going to sit and (loudly) anticipate the end of April.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Friday, February 04, 2011
Liveblogging: My Day
I have been snowed in for four days, ya'll.
Actually, that sounds way more exciting than the truth. The truth is... I have been iced in for four days, ya'll.
The first day held a thrill of excitement. There was the whole waking up late bit, which was fun. I lazed around and watched television episodes online and chatted and texted with people right and left. Everyone marveled at the weather, made predictions for the next day (would we have school? Oooh, the suspense!) and joked about staying warm. The second day.... not so fun. The third day... even less so, though I did manage to get up the nerve to brave the weather in the evening, because if I didn't get some socialization I was going to start smashing my head on my (sparkling because I've had plenty of time to clean it) kitchen floor. Now, the fourth and hopefully final day. And I'm going to share the excitement with my blog.
I'm not going to talk about waking up, having a headache or losing my phone. Or eating breakfast/lunch/dinner (I'm rationing myself just in case it snows again tomorrow) (Not really). Instead, I'll begin from now, 12:38 pm until I go to sleep.. or get bored.. or realize this is dumb. Any of the above could happen. Let's begin!
12:38 pm: Decide to start liveblogging my day. Until I go to sleep. Or get bored. Or realize it's dumb. Hmmm....
12:48 pm: Things are looking melty! Maybe I can make another go at leaving the apartment. My brain will thank me.
1:15 pm: I did not prepare for this. It just kind of happened this way. Liveblogging is off! I am leaving the apartment! This time, I'm actually driving. Gotta clear all the snow off my car. Wish me luck!
Actually, that sounds way more exciting than the truth. The truth is... I have been iced in for four days, ya'll.
The first day held a thrill of excitement. There was the whole waking up late bit, which was fun. I lazed around and watched television episodes online and chatted and texted with people right and left. Everyone marveled at the weather, made predictions for the next day (would we have school? Oooh, the suspense!) and joked about staying warm. The second day.... not so fun. The third day... even less so, though I did manage to get up the nerve to brave the weather in the evening, because if I didn't get some socialization I was going to start smashing my head on my (sparkling because I've had plenty of time to clean it) kitchen floor. Now, the fourth and hopefully final day. And I'm going to share the excitement with my blog.
I'm not going to talk about waking up, having a headache or losing my phone. Or eating breakfast/lunch/dinner (I'm rationing myself just in case it snows again tomorrow) (Not really). Instead, I'll begin from now, 12:38 pm until I go to sleep.. or get bored.. or realize this is dumb. Any of the above could happen. Let's begin!
12:38 pm: Decide to start liveblogging my day. Until I go to sleep. Or get bored. Or realize it's dumb. Hmmm....
12:48 pm: Things are looking melty! Maybe I can make another go at leaving the apartment. My brain will thank me.
1:15 pm: I did not prepare for this. It just kind of happened this way. Liveblogging is off! I am leaving the apartment! This time, I'm actually driving. Gotta clear all the snow off my car. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Snow Day
 |
| The view from my kitchen window |
I learned how cold it was when I finally ventured outdoors for a trek to my apartment's leasing office to drop off the rent. I'm not sure why I bothered, as no one was in the leasing office and wouldn't have known if I deposited the check a day later, but I do have an excess of conscience sometimes and felt compelled to pay my rent on time. Also, I was bored and wanted to go outside to see if it was anything like the cold weather in Korea.
It was.
Other than that brief and exciting excursion (I almost slipped! and fell! But didn't!), I lay on my futon and watched this season of the Bachelor. It made me feel bad about womankind... mankind... reality television and romance all in the course of a few (okay, more like five) hours. That said, I'm totally going to continue watching it because it's fascinating and bizarre and they go on some incredibly lavish dates that, if I had a bajillion dollars and no concept of why it's important to not spend ridiculous amounts of money, would give me ideas about dates I myself would want to arrange. Alas, I don't think I'll be renting out any carnivals for an entire night anytime soon.
Instead, I will read poetry and pray for another snow day tomorrow. It's going to happen, I can feel it.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Dreams last so long
I had a dream about work last night in which I was in a class teeming with kids, and it was madness. I'd look up to see one group of kids with their phones out and when I was taking up their phones, I'd look up and see another group of kids with their MP3 players on and I'd have to go take those up, then I saw a trio of students with navigational systems and I had to go take those up, too. THEN, a couple boxes of pastries and donuts got delivered to my class and they were there for something, so I had to save them but the next time I looked, all these kids were eating them and I had to go up and down the aisle looking for marks of chocolate on their hands or faces or papers so I could write those kids up, and I ended up rubbing a chocolate covered cinnamon roll into one boy's face, kind of like a naughty puppy. Plus, the whole time I was trying to shout at the kids to lecture them or to, at the very least, get their attention, and my voice was gone. I could barely produce a whisper.
It was horrible.
And pretty easy to interpret.
Clearly, I am obsessed with the idea of protecting kids from childhood obesity.
Also, my pic update will come tomorrow, and I didn't really cook this weekend, unless you count my boyfriend (it feels weird to type that, but it's the proper name for the guy) cooking a fancy chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and spinach, while I took half the ingredients for a chocolate mousse and mixed them with some flour and an egg and threw it into the oven because how bad could it be? Turns out that the answer is pretty bad. It's still on my kitchen counter.
On second that, that totally counts as cooking.
Also, I've run a grand total of 6 more miles this week. At this rate, I'm only going to hit 300 miles by the end of the year. But you know what? I don't mind.
It was horrible.
And pretty easy to interpret.
Clearly, I am obsessed with the idea of protecting kids from childhood obesity.
Also, my pic update will come tomorrow, and I didn't really cook this weekend, unless you count my boyfriend (it feels weird to type that, but it's the proper name for the guy) cooking a fancy chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and spinach, while I took half the ingredients for a chocolate mousse and mixed them with some flour and an egg and threw it into the oven because how bad could it be? Turns out that the answer is pretty bad. It's still on my kitchen counter.
On second that, that totally counts as cooking.
Also, I've run a grand total of 6 more miles this week. At this rate, I'm only going to hit 300 miles by the end of the year. But you know what? I don't mind.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
My belated weekly progress report
Yes, I meant to type this up this weekend, but I as busy. It was an eventful weekend. A lot of stuff happened! So I kind of phone it in, uploaded my pics for the week and called it a night. I didn't even get to mention that I cooked my weekly meal--kimchi bokeumbap--and that I did some running--6 miles (again, I'm building up quite a deficit). I don't really feel that bad about not making it to the proper number of miles. At this point I'm 8 short. But that's still 12 miles traveled. I'm not going to worry about it until I'm like 50 miles short. Which, at the rate that I'm going, will be in about 10 weeks. So the end of March will be the point at which I decide whether or not I should drop the whole running-500-miles-in-a-year, because who knows? I might make it but I might not and if I do then it's great and if I don't then that whole idea was a stupid one anyway. That's kind of the way life goes.
Yesterday was MLK Jr. day, which the students got to observe but the teachers got to work. I don't really mind staff days like that, though, since they give me time to catch up on grading, or update my class assignments or clean my desk. My desk is a war zone. It's nuts, too, because I don't really have anything on it. Not anything that's not necessary. I don't have any plants or pictures or.. um.. pencil holders? on my desk. Just books and papers and pens and things that I really need but ohgeez, they take up a lot of room. I don't think I'll ever be super organized like some people. The most I can hope for is to be organized... chaotically.
Anyway, tomorrow I get to skip my last class of the day for a One-Act Play trip to the costume shop. I'm pretty pumped about this because.. well. Let's say that my last class of the day is an exciting and fun challenge but you know what? Somedays, I don't want a challenge. Tomorrow is one of those days. Thursday and Friday will probably be pretty normal, with the exception of my certification-observer-guy coming in on Friday. He'll get to watch me administer a test. I should probably think of something else to do.
Also, I've decided I want to read Gone with the Wind. Again. I don't know why I like Scarlett O'Hara so much. She's a terrible person, but then again.. she's not. She's determined and mean and thoughtless and sometimes I think that I relate to her pretty well, but then again, I never say things like "Fiddle dee dee".
First I've got to make my way through The Great Gatsby. Again. I actually am starting to like the book. At least a little. I'll probably return to hating it once I get past chapter 5 or so. I also totally want to buy this print and hang it up in my classroom but I'd probably have to creatively censor it somehow. Maybe I'll just buy it and hang it up in my kitchen.
Finally, this update is pretty fragmented. I blame the endorphin rush.
Yesterday was MLK Jr. day, which the students got to observe but the teachers got to work. I don't really mind staff days like that, though, since they give me time to catch up on grading, or update my class assignments or clean my desk. My desk is a war zone. It's nuts, too, because I don't really have anything on it. Not anything that's not necessary. I don't have any plants or pictures or.. um.. pencil holders? on my desk. Just books and papers and pens and things that I really need but ohgeez, they take up a lot of room. I don't think I'll ever be super organized like some people. The most I can hope for is to be organized... chaotically.
Anyway, tomorrow I get to skip my last class of the day for a One-Act Play trip to the costume shop. I'm pretty pumped about this because.. well. Let's say that my last class of the day is an exciting and fun challenge but you know what? Somedays, I don't want a challenge. Tomorrow is one of those days. Thursday and Friday will probably be pretty normal, with the exception of my certification-observer-guy coming in on Friday. He'll get to watch me administer a test. I should probably think of something else to do.
Also, I've decided I want to read Gone with the Wind. Again. I don't know why I like Scarlett O'Hara so much. She's a terrible person, but then again.. she's not. She's determined and mean and thoughtless and sometimes I think that I relate to her pretty well, but then again, I never say things like "Fiddle dee dee".
First I've got to make my way through The Great Gatsby. Again. I actually am starting to like the book. At least a little. I'll probably return to hating it once I get past chapter 5 or so. I also totally want to buy this print and hang it up in my classroom but I'd probably have to creatively censor it somehow. Maybe I'll just buy it and hang it up in my kitchen.
Finally, this update is pretty fragmented. I blame the endorphin rush.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
--.--;;
I am very, very tired. But my apartment is cleaned and my refrigerator is... well, it's got some food in it, and I put away most of my laundry so it was a productive Friday.
I have a three day weekend, as well. Well, it's three-days in theory, in reality I still have to go to work but can it really be called work if there aren't any students there? I call it time to catch up on my podcasts.
I wonder if I have time for a nap before going to the basketball game. At very least, a coffee run. I ....
...well I was going to write something else but then I got distracted and forgot. Maybe it's time for coffee RIGHT EXACTLY NOW.
I have a three day weekend, as well. Well, it's three-days in theory, in reality I still have to go to work but can it really be called work if there aren't any students there? I call it time to catch up on my podcasts.
I wonder if I have time for a nap before going to the basketball game. At very least, a coffee run. I ....
...well I was going to write something else but then I got distracted and forgot. Maybe it's time for coffee RIGHT EXACTLY NOW.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I can tell that we are gonna be friends.
I used to work at Hastings, a book/music/video store. For about three years, I guess? I worked in all of the departments, but the book department was my favorite and the video department was my least favorite. The one good thing about the video department, however, was the fact that if you worked there, you got to select the movie that would play on the TVs that were dispersed around the area. This had some restrictions, of course, considering it was a retail environment, you were basically limited to playing movies with a kid-friendly rating. I put in a lot of cartoons, because.. well, I like cartoons. But that all change once Napoleon Dynamite came out. I was not the only one who did this, almost anyone who worked there just left the movie in to play over and over and over again for weeks and weeks.
And every time the movie neared its ending, I would go and stand under a TV and watch.
I love the Napoleon Dynamite dance. I'm going to learn it and that will be my dance and I will dance it forever and ever and ever.
For your viewing entertainment.
And every time the movie neared its ending, I would go and stand under a TV and watch.
I love the Napoleon Dynamite dance. I'm going to learn it and that will be my dance and I will dance it forever and ever and ever.
For your viewing entertainment.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Our ghosts will wander all of the water.
I kind of panicked about my next bout with running, considering my awesome allergy attack that wasn't an allergy attack but I don't have a better word for it--itchy palms and scratchy throat syndrome? Nah-- that occurred last time. But today I managed without a hitch and got 3.5 miles closer to my goal. Which isn't much closer at all, considering I still have.. um.. 494 miles to go.
Though, to be fair, I was unbelievably lazy this week. I blame it on returning to work after a two week holiday. The students felt it to a much greater degree than I did, so maybe their grumping was contagious and that's why I made so many (completely effective) excuses and didn't do as much as I had planned.
Technically, however, as far as non-resolutions go, I'm still doing alright. I got my pictures in for each day... they're coming up if you don't believe me, and I got my dinner made and tomorrow I'm going to cook kimchi bokkeumbap because it's easy and I already have all the ingredients so I don't have to go to the store and buy anything. And I'll just go an extra mile for the next four weeks and that will even it out? Or maybe I'll go the extra mile for the LAST four weeks of the year so it seems like I'm building up to it? I mean, that'll give me something to think about.
Furthermore, next weekend I'll get a visit from an old war buddy of mine. That's gonna be exciting. Expect wacky hijinx to ensue, folks. Expect it.
Though, to be fair, I was unbelievably lazy this week. I blame it on returning to work after a two week holiday. The students felt it to a much greater degree than I did, so maybe their grumping was contagious and that's why I made so many (completely effective) excuses and didn't do as much as I had planned.
Technically, however, as far as non-resolutions go, I'm still doing alright. I got my pictures in for each day... they're coming up if you don't believe me, and I got my dinner made and tomorrow I'm going to cook kimchi bokkeumbap because it's easy and I already have all the ingredients so I don't have to go to the store and buy anything. And I'll just go an extra mile for the next four weeks and that will even it out? Or maybe I'll go the extra mile for the LAST four weeks of the year so it seems like I'm building up to it? I mean, that'll give me something to think about.
Furthermore, next weekend I'll get a visit from an old war buddy of mine. That's gonna be exciting. Expect wacky hijinx to ensue, folks. Expect it.
 |
| Day 4: Spicy Tofu and Breaded Zucchini |
 |
| Day 5: A closeup of my Rilakkuma pencil case. |
 |
| Day 6: I like oranges. |
 |
| Day 7: Friday! The scenery on the drive from work. |
 |
| Day 8: This is my owl pillow. He doesn't have a name. |
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
I'm a nerd, reason 1
My non-resolutions ended up having three parts.
Part 1: Photography (Project 365)
I've already gotten a fair start on this, and have taken a picture every day for (gasp!) four whole days. Like I mentioned before, I'm going to put them up here randomly and today is not one of the days that I want to put a picture up because of a reason that I will explain in a second.
Wait for it, it is very interesting. To me. Kind of.
Part 2: Cooking (I haven't thought of a catch-phrase for this yet.)
I realized how lazy I'd gotten about cooking after about my third trip to the grocery store in which I only purchased microwave pizzas and Lean Cuisines. Cooking is fun, and I'm not a terrible cook. I can follow a recipe at least. For the most part. I do tend to skip parts of alter ingredients, but that's all in the name of science. So I decided it would be good to create a home-cooked meal once a week, and microwaving broccoli in one of those vegetable steamer bags wouldn't count. This week, with some assistance, I created a lovely kimchi jiggae, spiced tofu and breaded zucchini. I took a pic. It'll go up here this week. It's like killing two birds with one blog update.
Those vegetable steamer bags are amazing, though. Just for the record.
Part 3: Running (500 miles)
I have been running pretty regularly for the past two months or so. So I decided to up the stakes a bit and set a goal for myself. Then I wrestled with how high of a bar I wanted, because honestly, if it's too daunting, I'll just stop and if it's too easy then it'd be kind of embarrassing to even worry about. So I decided to try for 10 miles a week....ish. I want to have run 500 miles by December 31st, 2011. That's not too much of a stretch, plus it has a nice ring to it. I like numbers in multiples of five.
Well I told you all that so I could tell you all (ya'll) this. I finished running today. 2.5 miles. That brings my grand total for the year to 2.5 miles. Haha. I'm kind of a procrastinator. But! That's not the point. I finished running and I noticed that the palms of my hands felt really itchy. And then my nose started running. Then I started coughing and wheezing. Now I feel like I'm going to die. So I googled "itchy palms after running" and it turns out that this happens to people sometimes. I am allergic to running*. It's kind of like how I'm allergic to being outside. I officially have the nerdiest allergies in the world, guys. I mean, allergies are inherently a nerd sort of thing, but I am taking this to an entirely new level.
This might be a sign. I should change my projects completely. Running 500 miles? Heck no. I should be playing 500 hours of video games. Are there 500 pokemon yet? Maybe that should be my goal.
Gotta catch 'em all--
Pokemon!
*I am not really allergic to running. 90% sure. I think it's a fluke, but I did take some Benadryl so I'll probably pass out soon. My life is exciting, people.
Part 1: Photography (Project 365)
I've already gotten a fair start on this, and have taken a picture every day for (gasp!) four whole days. Like I mentioned before, I'm going to put them up here randomly and today is not one of the days that I want to put a picture up because of a reason that I will explain in a second.
Wait for it, it is very interesting. To me. Kind of.
Part 2: Cooking (I haven't thought of a catch-phrase for this yet.)
I realized how lazy I'd gotten about cooking after about my third trip to the grocery store in which I only purchased microwave pizzas and Lean Cuisines. Cooking is fun, and I'm not a terrible cook. I can follow a recipe at least. For the most part. I do tend to skip parts of alter ingredients, but that's all in the name of science. So I decided it would be good to create a home-cooked meal once a week, and microwaving broccoli in one of those vegetable steamer bags wouldn't count. This week, with some assistance, I created a lovely kimchi jiggae, spiced tofu and breaded zucchini. I took a pic. It'll go up here this week. It's like killing two birds with one blog update.
Those vegetable steamer bags are amazing, though. Just for the record.
Part 3: Running (500 miles)
I have been running pretty regularly for the past two months or so. So I decided to up the stakes a bit and set a goal for myself. Then I wrestled with how high of a bar I wanted, because honestly, if it's too daunting, I'll just stop and if it's too easy then it'd be kind of embarrassing to even worry about. So I decided to try for 10 miles a week....ish. I want to have run 500 miles by December 31st, 2011. That's not too much of a stretch, plus it has a nice ring to it. I like numbers in multiples of five.
Well I told you all that so I could tell you all (ya'll) this. I finished running today. 2.5 miles. That brings my grand total for the year to 2.5 miles. Haha. I'm kind of a procrastinator. But! That's not the point. I finished running and I noticed that the palms of my hands felt really itchy. And then my nose started running. Then I started coughing and wheezing. Now I feel like I'm going to die. So I googled "itchy palms after running" and it turns out that this happens to people sometimes. I am allergic to running*. It's kind of like how I'm allergic to being outside. I officially have the nerdiest allergies in the world, guys. I mean, allergies are inherently a nerd sort of thing, but I am taking this to an entirely new level.
This might be a sign. I should change my projects completely. Running 500 miles? Heck no. I should be playing 500 hours of video games. Are there 500 pokemon yet? Maybe that should be my goal.
Gotta catch 'em all--
Pokemon!
*I am not really allergic to running. 90% sure. I think it's a fluke, but I did take some Benadryl so I'll probably pass out soon. My life is exciting, people.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Buh-bomb. (Day 3)
I saw this on the way to a tapas restaurant in downtown Dallas.
As a sidenote, I am very tired and slightly panicked about work. We had a staff development day and got a rousing speech about state budgets and how they affect the campus and the ideas that resulted are concepts that have been floating through my mind for the past week or so. It was kind of unsettling. I'm going to practice not thinking about it.
I'm kind of tired now. I might take a nap. It will probably be amazing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)