Coming January 3rd to a boob tube near you!

I want to know how the hell we failed to make mention of the fact that the new season of the Donald Trump Show starts up on January 3rd. I know the last season was a bit of a bust, and this season's "celeb Apprentice" doesn't look too promising from where I sit, but come on, we have to at least give it a try.

I think it was really selfish of Reesie to move and not even have the decency to start up the "App-Reese-Tice" game, or at least instructing me how to do so. I tried to figure it out online yesterday, but I'm at a loss. Reesie, if you're reading this, I know you have to deal with finding a place to live and starting a new job in a whole new state, but please, set your priorities straight and get us started!

Anyway, I've been a pretty unfaithful viewer of the Amazing Race this season. I still maintain that the most beautiful attraction featured on that show is none other than the Amazing Phil. We actually watched it last night. I suddnely remembered why I never watch it; the contestants are so freakin' annoying! The two goths were, at long last, eliminated. This might make the rest of the season more palatable and I might tune in to a few more episodes.

I'm signing off, my friends. I'm at the gym and I have class in five minutes.

I think I'll leave the Trump picture on the computer desktop so that the poor sap who has to shut them down tonight and take all the random crap off the desktop can see his lovely visage.

Post Christmas Blog!

So, how was Christmas, everybody?

My Christmas was great! I spent time with both my family and Stephen's (this being my first Christmas as a married woman) and got some fabulous gifts.

Lauren gave me the entire Sex and the City series, which blew me away! I have already watched about a million episodes, and I'm only halfway through season 2! I've seen most of the episodes, but, never having subscribed to HBO, I've seen them all out of sequence and edited for network television. I love seeing the whole series unfold in its rightful order of events. I know I'm jumping on the "Let's talk about Sex and the City" bandwagon a little late (like four years after the series officially ended), but I have to mention a few things...

First of all, Miranda is a riot! I never really had any strong feelings about her character one way or the other, but the more I watch the show, the more I get a kick out of her one-liners. She is so acerbic and cheeky. I love it! I also think it's really funny that Charlotte, the total prude of the bunch, keeps meeting these men with these hideous sexual proclivities. How funny!
Anyway, thanks, Lauren, for making this vacation fun with plenty of episodes of Sex and the City to keep me entertained. I've mentioned to a lot of my friends that you gave me this, and they are all inviting themselves over for a series viewing marathon. I'll have to let you know when it's going to take place.

I got some great books, too. Stephen's parents gave me, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver, which I'm dying to read. Stephen gave me a book about the serial killer who is the subject of my all time favorite book, Devil in the White City, H.H. Holmes. The title of this book is, aptly, Depraved. I also got Bill Clinton's book, Giving. I think Bill is brilliant. He could write fortune cookie and I'd think it was nobel prize worthy. I think I might be the only person, beside for Bill himself, who read his autobiography in its entirety .

Those are just a few of the great books I got.

I also scored some nice gift certificates and a lovely necklace and earrings set from Stephen. I love seahorses, and he found the coolest necklace and earrings with these lovely silver seahorses on them. He also gave me some books and a pair of Nike Shoxx for my busted feet. They seem to do something to keep the pain at bay while I'm exercising, too, which is great!!



At any rate, I mentioned my favorite book, Devil in the White City just a few minutes ago. I am delighted to see that Juanita is reading it because it rocks! I gave a copy of it to my principal (not because she is my principal, but because she wrote a letter of recommendation for me to a graduate program) and lent both of my copies (yeah, I have two) to two colleagues to read over the Christmas break. I had a hard time letting one of them go because I was actually in the middle of reading it AGAIN!! However, since it was like my 9th time through the thing, I figured it was for the greater good to let her borrow it. I was happy to learn that she read it and then passed it to her husband, who thought it was amazing, too. And one of my gym friends just mentioned that she made her husband buy it for her for Christmas. She is aptly blown away by it, too!

I think the author of Devil should thank me for boosting his sales like 3,000 percent. If you still haven't read this book yet, waste no time in getting your arse to the bookstore to procure your copy today!!

'nuff said.

Many Happy Returns

Today I went to the mall to return a sweater that I bought several weeks ago.

I purchased the sweater as part of a "buy one get one 75% off" promotion. One such sweater fit perfectly. The other fit as if I had purchased it at the Baby Gap. This despite the fact that they were the exact same style and size. I guess this speaks volumes about the shoddy craftsmanship of modern day clothing.

At any rate, I fully expected to be refunded only the 75% reduced rate for the sweater since I had kept one. This was fair enough, I figured.

The line at the store was huge, of course. The woman to whom I presented the return and the receipt was dumbfounded as to how to perform the return. She got all stressed out. I assured her that I was in no hurry and that she should take her time and ask her supervisor what to do.

She patiently waited for her manager to finish a transaction and asked her how to conduct the return. The manager agitatedly told her, "Ring in the non-sale amount, then subtract 75% and give her the difference." Fair enough.

The poor girl returned to her register and started the return process. She rang in the official amount (pre-sale) and then stood there in further confusion. She asked me, "If I have to figure out 75% of 30, I just take 75 cents off, right?" I said, (and no truer words were ever spoken), "I'm hardly a math expert. Ask your manager."

With this, she looked toward her manager who, once again, was crazy busy, and decided that, yes, all she needed to do was take 75 cents off and then give me the full price minus 75 cents in a return credit.

Who was I to argue?

Where I should have had 5 dollars credit on my card, I ended up with 30. Hey, you could call me immoral. I would reply, "Hey, if they can sell an allegedly 30 dollar sweater for 5 dollars in the first place, aren't they the ones stealing from me??"

Ha!

Take advantage of store craziness to conduct your returns!

Who ever said the news wasn't entertaining??

I was laughing my butt off last night as I watched the 11:00 news.

Apparently, there was some water main break in the city of Lynn. Naturally camera crews were there to catch the action.

The newscaster introduced the story, and then cut to video footage. The first thing shown was, nor surprisingly, the flooded street. Next up was some footage of workmen standing around, doing nothing to quell the rush of water. They were all laughing about something, yucking it up. Suddenly, there was audio and one of the workmen quipped, "Yeah, he's a fuc#$%@in' Asshole." (Of course, with the thick Boston accent, it was pronounced "aaahhhhs-hole.") With this, the other workmen all started breaking into these big, vicious chortles." The video ended abruptly and the cameras went immediately back to the newscaster in the studio. The guy looked stunned, and tried to seamlessly head into the next story.

Hilarious.

Merry Christmas!

Difficult as it is to believe, Christmas is just about here.

Stephen and I are preparing to leave the house shortly to get our Christmas celebrations underway. We'll start off by going to mass where we were married (unbelievably) six months ago! Today is the sort of remembrance mass for Uncle Matthew, who passed away five years ago (right?) at the very tender age of 37.

After mass, we'll hit the road to head to NH where I'll spend my first Christmas as a Mrs. with my new in-laws.

Today was great. I woke up at 7:00. Any school teacher out there will understand what I mean when I say that I consider a 7:00 wake-up time a "successful sleep in." Considering the fact that I'm usually on the bus to work at 6:35, being able to sleep until 7:00 is a big deal!

I decided to go out for a walk. The thing is that I LOVE to be out walking around really early on any Sunday morning because there's nobody around. But the even better thing is that here, in Boston College world, there is literally not a soul around as they've all left to go home for Christmas. I walked across normally lethal intersections without so much as a care in the world. I didn't even regard the walk signals because there wasn't a car to be seen. They could have filmed that new Will Smith "I am Legend" thing right around here at Christmastime.

I walked into CVS and was the only customer in the dump.

I walked into the coffee shop and was the lone soul in the place.

I trolled the streets for over an hour, just enjoying being the only living thing within miles. I LOVE just being out there and having the whole darn world to myself!!

Anyway, I should get going. I have to pack a few last minute things. It just dawned on me that I should bring the essays I stupidly assigned all my classes for the day before break. Now they have all the work done, but I have to do massive correcting! Oh well, I should have plenty of time at Stephen's parents' place to get some work done. That is if I can tear myself away from the Risk game we are promising to get started!!



Gotta run. Have a great Christmas!!

Anyone Out There?

I'm beginning to think that our little blogging group has fallen apart. None of us is writing as much as we used to. And I miss reading your silly little comments on my blog.

So, are any of you girls still out there, or am I in blogland all alone?

Boston was walloped by a pretty significant snowstorm on Thursday. Our superintendent of schools released us on noon Thursday. It proved to be a really good call on his part. I ended up going to lunch near my school with two of my colleagues. We spent a leisurely couple of hours in the coffee shop, chatting and enjoying our gourmet sandwiches. The snow had only just started when we entered the cafe, but in the just under two hours that we were there, it really accumulated!

One of my colleagues takes the same bus home as I do. I was never more glad to have somebody's company on a bus ride; we spent 2 and a half hours on the bus. Normally this is like a 30 minutes (tops...in high traffic) ride. I was going a little stir crazy at the end of that ride!!!

the snow continued to fall fast and furiously right on through about 8 last night.

I woke up the rooster to hold "no school announcement" vigil with me. I was starting to lose heart; although Boston called off school, (which is usually a pretty good barometer as we often follow suit), but none of the other telltale districts were calling. I started to stir from my comfy perch on the sofa, entertaining thoughts of the commute nightmare, when all of a sudden, my school district was announced as being closed!!!

Yes!

Honestly, the school could have easily opened. The weather wasn't that bad. The snow was pretty easy to negotiate in my travels. Public transportation was running (relatively) seamlessly and the car traffic was moving pretty smoothly. I know we have to make up the missed day in June, but seriously, it is soooo much easier to wait for the bus in the warm sun on a June day than it is to slip and fall in patches of ice in the still-pitch-black New England winter mornings.

I was at a 7:00 AM spinning class, I did all my food shopping, and cleaned every room in my house.

I might even tackle the laundry next!!

Yeah, this day off was well worth it.

There is supposed to be another storm coming Sunday night. We'll see if that translates to another day off on Monday. I'll keep you posted....if you're even reading, that it!!!

What the Fuck-abee????

OK, so if you make it to the very end of my next post, you'll see that I wrote about some "republican senator hater" who was spewing stupid, ignorant things about gays and AIDS. I wasn't really even looking at the screen at the time. The hater was not some no-name senator, but rather presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee. Jesus, I haven't really been paying attention to anything about this jerk, but I think I've heard all I need to. This is some scary, scary stuff. Get thee to the polls on election day to make sure we keep this asshole as far away from the white house as possible.

Screwed!!

OK, so I think I mentioned that I have to face my arch rival standardized test, the GRE, very shortly. I bought a review book yesterday. I thought I had my head wrapped around just how hideous this thing was going to be; I had made peace with it. But then I opened up the review book and well, let's just say that upon my first glance at the math section, I broke out in a cold sweat.

See, the problem is that I already took and bombed the GRE years ago. I was all prepared to send those horrible scores with my application, but the Educational Test Service web page reported that they are unable to generate score reports for any test taken before 2002. Since I took my GRE in like 1919, I'm screwed. So, a $140 registration fee later, I'm counting down the days to GRE hell.

I know I could take a review class, but here's what bothers me about those stupid courses....

They are often run by the ETS, the selfsame company that writes the test. Basically, all they do is teach you strategies to "beat the test." They admit full out that you don't really even have to know how to do the stuff, but rather you have to know how to navigate your way around sticky questions. Where is the merit to this exam?

To be honest with you, if I thought it might help me, I might even lay out the cash to take the course, but I did it for the SAT and after 4 tries on that thing, I only just broke a score of 1000. My best score ever was 1010. Really.





But seriously, this math. WTF? I am applying to a program for English teachers! Why they are so hell bent on making people take this silly ass math test is beyond me. Yeah, yeah, there are English sections on the test. For the most part, I'm doing pretty well on the practice tests in English. I mean, Christ, reading is an ongoing skill in our lives. We don't really lose touch with it. But honest to God, the math (like the crap shown above) is so far from being at the forefront of my daily thought process that I'm at a loss as to how to even begin to solve these things.

The worst part is that I recognize a lot of the stuff. I know I've seen a lot of it before, but I can't figure out what to do with it. The most frustrating thing is that there are times that I spend ages on a problem, and I don't mind that it took me a half hour to do single problem (on a 30 question, 30 minute session) because I'm convinced that I'm dead right. I then go to the answer key to check my work and find out, not only that I'm wrong, but that the right answer is the one that I rejected at the outset of my solving, having dismissed it as a completely impossible answer to the question at hand.

I am so screwed. And I'm not talking about the kind of crap when I was in high school and I'd say, "I know I failed that test." and then I'd get like an A-. I'm talking about completing the 30 question practice sessions, and finding that I only got 5 or 6 questions right when I correct them at the end.

The thing that made me laugh is that they explained that for the computer-based test, (which is what I'll be taking), they keep seeing how you did on questions to determine the level of difficulty of the subsequent questions. They're going to have to call some jerk in to fill up the database with some simple ass questions to make sure there is enough of a supply for me. I'm hoping they keep me at around the 4th grade level throughout the duration of the exam.

Anyway, I'm just super frustrated right now by this crap. Why, why, why do these schools insist upon this standardized test shit? Why don't they judge applicants more on the important things like professional experiences, letters of recommendation, school transcripts, interviews? Why does everything have to depend on this silly ass test? And why, in the name of God, is the "general" test so math oriented? And who the hell deems complex calculus-based math problems, "general knowledge?" I think my math general knowledge (figuring out sale prices at stores, doing quick subtractions from my checking account to avoid overdraft, etc) to be acceptable enough general knowledge.

Of course, the math people are probably all upset about the literature and vocabulary stuff. But I stick to my assertion that math people are more likely to be in constant contact with reading on a daily basis, and therefore are homing those skills on a much more regular basis than I am with my math skills.

The REAL reason that I was so excited about Bates when I first applied was that they did not require the SAT from students. They openly say that they understand that their applicants are more than a 3 hour standardized test that takes place on one Saturday morning of their lives. They also refuse to play into the ETS institution, preferring to learn about the people their applicants are, as opposed to what number they earned on a silly test in a subject they probably have no intention of studying.

They claim the GRE gives the school a chance to see your thinking and strategizing skills. Let them come watch me teach teenagers all day long, and they can see how I operate and think. I feel this is much more indicative of how I'll perform in a teacher program.

OK, enough about my anti-GRE diatribe.

Onto important sale news....

I was in EMS yesterday when I saw this jacket.....



I've been thinking about buying a down jacket, but was always deterred by the fact that they make you look like ten times more puffy than you already are. There are lots of things I need in life. Looking puffier than I am is not one of them. But anyway, this $100 down jacket was on sale for $70, and it was quite thin and looked relatively decent. I only looked 400 pounds instead of the 700 pounds I normally look in down jackets.

I didn't buy it, but started regretting it later. They had only had one in the store in my size. So, out of worry that they would run out, I decided to order one online. I logged on and VOILA, they were running a web-exclusive sale...the jacket was only $50 dollars online!!! So,I ordered it. Now, I don't care how damn puffy I look, I'm going to be in my warm-ass down jacket when I'm standing there waiting for the bus!

And I'm going to LLBean today and I think I'm going to try on these boots. Too cute, huh?




OK, gotta run. Some republican senator hater is on TV refusing to recant his statement that homosexuals are evil and should be quarantined. The remote control is on the other side of the room. I have to go get it and change the station because I CANNOT listen to this hate-spewing asshole.

Have a great one.

The True Shame of America

You know, we keep hearing about these presidential candidates' stances on the "issues." The one issue that I feel is never adequately addressed is the cost of education in this country.

Why are there so many countries (I'm talking wealthy, industrialized European nations, Canada, etc.) that have figured out that the government should pay to educate the citizens, and we here in the United States, continue to unabashedly ask our citizens to come up with upwards of forty thousand dollars a year for a college education?

As I apply to Harvard Graduate School of Education, I am horrified by the fact that it costs $85 just to submit the education. It cost almost 100 dollars just for some Harvard graduate admissions officer just to deign to read my files.

Christ.




And, on top of all of this, I now have to participate in this GRE racket. I took the tests when Christ was a child back in 1999, but now the ETS says they can't generate a score report for any tests taken before 2002. Come on, as if these bastards don't have that information at hand.

So, now, not only do I have to spend four hours of my life on the last Saturday in December in some computerized test center hell taking the GRE, but I had to pay 140 bucks for the privilege of doing so.

WTF???

Happy F#$%@ing Holidays!!

For several years now, I've been running the school faculty holiday party. Every year, I get driven batty by the same old crap.

The people who don't pay but show up anyway, thus creating an awkward "Hey, sorry to interrupt your meal, but can you please pay up?" moment.

The people who bitch endlessly because no matter what I do, it isn't goo enough.

The people who claim, at the time of the party, that everything is great, but who go home and call the restaurant and complain about the paltry quantities of food in order to have a meal comped at a future visit.

Last year, after I engaged in a six-block foot pursuit (in three inch heels) of a woman who showed up and never paid, I swore I was done planning the holiday parties.

And then, a few weeks ago, my principal, who I like a great deal, asked me if I would plan the party again. In a moment of weakness, I consented.

Things have been going OK so far. Of course, the final payment is due tomorrow and I have over half the staff who have not even acknowledged the fact. This in spite of my mass emails, multiple photocopied notices stuffed in mailboxes and thrown across every inch of the staff room. This in spite of the fact that I keep stressing the fact that, because the party is catered this year, final numbers cannot be tweaked at the end. More money can't simply be thrown at a restaurant chef to throw on an extra try of chicken, ziti and broccoli. I keep telling these people that I'm meeting with the catering staff tomorrow, and giving them final numbers and payments. Has this prompted people into payment action? No siree.

I don't even really give a shit about all that.

A few days ago, a couple of women whom I have lunch with, asked me if, instead of getting a sheet cake, I would ask people if they'd be willing to bake desserts. I said, right up front, that I knew this would give rise to endless complaints from the staff. After all, in all fairness, they have paid money to attend the party already and they could argue that dessert should be included, and this is a difficult time of year to expect people to throw more "to do" items on their cooking lists.

But, in an attempt to continue being democratic (for up to this point, I have given people the option of two restaurants from which to choose, and held meetings in my room about menu selection...attended, mind you, by NOBODY!!), I sent out another email about the desserts.

Christ, I don't think the authors of the Geneva Convention were more mindful of wording and the general impact of language than I was in this email. I basically acknowledged the abovementioned concerns (already paid, busy time of year, etc.) and said that the idea of bringing home made desserts was not mine, but rather had been proposed to me by several of our colleagues. I said that I would leave a dessert sign-up sheet in the staff room, and if, by Friday afternoon, there were no/not enough volunteers to bake desserts, I would quite happily order a cake. I stressed that nobody would be required to bake, and that nobody would be expected to bake enough for the entire staff, but rather one batch of whatever they do best.

Again, I stressed the importance of not wanting anybody to feel obligated, and my general flexible nature in the whole thing.

Well, wouldn't you know, word got to me today that the entire first and second grade faculty were, during their common lunch shift, kicking the shit out of me. I didn't even care about maintaining professional decorum. I immediately went to them after school and asked them to give voice to their concerns to me, rather than behind my back. They started laying into me. No sooner had they begun than I pulled up the email I had sent Sunday night and that NOT ONE OF THEM HAD READ IN SPITE OF BEING TOLD BY OUR PRINCIPAL TO CHECK WORK EAMIL DAILY.

As you can imagine, they felt like assholes.

I honestly think I'm going to be there for the food delivery that day, make sure the person is paid, help in the setup, and then fucking retreat to my classroom.

Screw this crap.

And as far as being caught in a moment of weakness when asked next year if I'll run the party...

NO F'n Way.

Oh, and as I reminded those ladies, not one of them offered to help me plan and not one of them came to my room for any of the meetings I attempted to convene.

If they had so much to say, I reminded them, they had been afforded plenty of opportunity, and chose not to take it.

Cat Fight

Today I went to pick up my homeroom to start the morning routine. The snow meant that the kids were all in the gym instead of lining up outside. The mother of one of my students was there to basically alert me to the fact that the conflict between her daughter and another student had reached critical mass, and to ask me if I would keep my eye on things. I assured her that I would, and headed upstairs with my class.

Honestly, I have known that conflict has been brewing between these kids for a while now, and so I figured it would be more of the same old same old. I'm so used to the tell tale trappings of adolescent girl drama that I tend to be pretty tuned in to the signs of when the conflict has reached a "boiling point."

Anyway, I was doing my usual morning thing, wandering back and forth between my classroom and the lockers, and making sure that kids were keeping it down to a loud roar in either location.

Things in the classroom seemed pretty under control, so I took a "tour de locker." No more than 30 seconds had elapsed, but when I returned to my homeroom, these two girls were locked in a pretty serious and violent fist fight. And these are pretty tough kids. So, I did what I get paid the big bucks to do, and I threw myself right in the middle of the melee to stop the fight. I took a kick from one and a punch from the other, but that was the extent of my exposure to extreme violence.

I marched the kids to the principal's office, where she lectured them and said everything you'd expect the principal to say to warring middle school girls.

But here's the thing...

she sent both kids back to class.

And let me just say here that I really like both of these kids. I don't think either is a sociopath, and I don't fear for my safety or that of my other students if they are present in the class.

However, if two boys were to be involved in a similar situation, they would automatically have been suspended for at least two days. They would have been made to sit in the office for the remainder of the day at hand, at the very least.

Two boys would never have been allowed to return to class after a simple talking-to. I even had to go to the principal later and suggest that she might want to call the kids parents to alert them to the fact that their kids had been fighting, and possibly injured.

Again, with boys, that would have been an automatic.

Anyway, doesn't it just suck to be a middle school kid?

Honestly, I feel really badly for the kids sometimes. It is such a tough developmental stage. I would never want to go back to being that age. As I said, I like both of these kids. This is just something that got bigger than both of them, and they had no idea how to make the problem go away. Hopefully we can get them some help and get them to internalize some coping skills that might make them stronger problem solvers in the future.

It is decidedly NOT the most wonderful time of the year

I was listening to some Christmas music today on Rhapsody. Of course, I dug right into the Johnny Mathis Christmas album. Yeah, I'm only 34, but I freakin' LOVE the Johnny Mathis Christmas album. My favorite tune on the album is "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." If you aren't familiar with the album, you've got to pick it up. You'll have an instant new favorite.

I have to say, though, that it is so FREAKIN freezing right now in Boston that calling this the most wonderful time of the year is completely inaccurate.

We are actually expecting snow on Sunday into Monday. Fuck! Excuse my language, but I can't think of anything else to say about it. I REALLY, REALLY hate this winter crap. And here in New England, we're always doomed to months on end of it.

Anyway, I digress...

My main message to you, my devoted readers, is this...

GET BACK TO YOUR BLOGS. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU. I WANT TO BE ENTERTAINED BY YOU.

Trading Places Jail Scene

Have you all seen "Trading Places"? If you haven't, get thee to a video store immediately. So touching and heartwarming for the holidays!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Its not really about the Turkey or the family gathering, is it?

Let's face it, Thanksgiving weekend is all about jockeying up for position in line at the stores with the must-have Christmas gift items on Black Friday.

Lauren and I were out at the shops early, early on Friday morning. Actually, she was out earlier than me, and swung by the house to pick me up at 6:00, AFTER she had already hit at least one store. She's always been the one to wake up the rooster, but she outdoes herself on Black Friday morning. To be honest, though, I can't blame her or any parent for taking advantage of the insane toy/kid stuff sales offered super early on black friday morning. I don't have kids, and there really isn't anything I need that desperately to buy at 6:00 on a holiday morning, but I still like to go along for the laughs.

And we had plenty of laughs.

Something that struck me as gross/funny this Black Friday was the fact that so many people at the mall just stunk to high heavens. I mean, I can understand that getting up that early is no joke, and that most people aren't going to go through an entire lengthy grooming ritual just to get to the mall for the early bird specials. But Christ, does it really take that much effort to run a toothbrush over your teeth and throw on a quick layer of deodorant? And how about a swift underwear change? My god, it was repugnant at several stores.

I also had to laugh at the people who think it's appropriate to walk at a good swift clip in one direction, all while they have their head turned squarely in the opposite direction. Usually these selfsame people have shopping carts so full of shit that they couldn't stop it even if they did care to look around and see some poor innocent soul standing in their path of destruction. Next year I'm bringing protective gear to buttress the many shopping carriages that will invariably make violent contact with one part of the other of my body.

And of course there are the charmers with the cell phones out, telling the cashier in the 100 person-long line, "Hang on. My sister/father/uncle/cousin wants me to run back and grab another one of those (insert inane item name here) for him/her. Can I just run back and grab another one? You can wait, right?"

Or I love the idiots who wait in a line similar to the one described above, only to pull out their checkbooks at the very last minute and inquiring as to whom the check should be made out, etc. Jesus, first of all, who pays by check anymore? And never mind that, but why wait until the last second when you've been standing in a line for 7 hours? Is it really necessary to make me wait for even longer than I already have in this godforsaken line?

And there are the people who use the shopping carriages as weapons. You see me walking toward the last of the item that we both want? Well, why not just run over my food with your gift-laden carriage in order to put me out of commission so that, by forced injury, you will get to the item before me?

But seriously, we had a good time. We trashed the dollar store where we were able to procure cheap-o wrapping paper. Of course all of the paper had characters like Shrek and Tinkerbell on it. I can see where Lauren's kids will appreciate it. I'm not sure how I'm going to explain it to my in-laws, who are bound to get their gifts wrapped in Sponge Bob Square Pants paper. Oh well, they'll get over it.





And now, I'm back to grading papers. Essays. The worst. I don't know why I left this until the last minute, but alas, I did.

I had better stop procrastinating here and get my arse to work.

Peace out, YO!

Some Things Never Change

Remember my pained missives about weeks on end spent with no heat in school? Well, we were laboring under the false delusion that this would be a thing of the past in a BRAND NEW BUILDING, but we were wrong. It started yesterday, with temperatures falling throughout the day. It only proved to be worse today when we were greeted by the principal on the way in with a message of, "Attention Staff, the heat is down. Please allow students to wear their outerwear in school today." And so it went. I never once took my jacket off all day long.

Same shit, different building.

Something to REALLY Be Thankful For!

So my back thing seems to be somewhat under control, but I'm still being cautious about it. I am done with my course of prednisone, but I'm still on my advil regimen. Fingers crossed that it clears up on me soon.

I am extremely thankful for the fact that I have a very short week coming up. Today is a regular day. I have all my classes and am expected to actually teach something of value to my students.

Tomorrow is also a regular day, but I have a nutritionist who is scheduled to speak to my classes every Tuesday for 6 weeks. (She's been there for 2 already, and has 4 to go.) She'll be there tomorrow, which is great. I basically have to sit there and do crowd control. This is another reason why teaching middle school rules. If I taught a lower grade, self-contained class, the woman would come in once for an hour and be done with it. However, since my kids all switch around classes, in order to make sure that she sees all of the 7th and 8th grade kids, the woman has to hit each and every one of my teaching periods. I know it sounds dead lazy of me, but I'm psyched!

And then Wednesday is a half day. I'm sure it won't be terribly productive, but the kids are usually in rare form before an extended weekend, so there will, once again, be lots of crowd control.

Thursday and Friday are of course, days off. Lauren and I will most likely hit the stores really early on Friday. Then, when I come home, I'll snooze the afternoon away!

Life is good!!!

What do Nants and Barry Bonds Have in Common?

Steriods.

That's what.

On Monday, Veterna's day, I was all happy to have a day off, and was planning on sitting in front of my computer to do some much overdue paperwork

I had my coffee, made some phone calls, and was just settling in to do the abovementioned paperwork.

All of a sudden, as I sat there, engaged in the widely-known-to-be-strenuous activity of reading my computer screen, a pain, the likes of which I'd never felt before, tore through my low back, from right side to left. It felt like somebody had taken a 12" dagger, jammed it into my back, and then just tore across the entire thing.

The pain literally took my breath away.

When I finally did recapture my breath, I think I released some kind of inhuman moan of agony.

And from there, you can guess the rest....

I lowered myself onto my heating pad on the floor (with alternating periods of time on the ice bag), propped my knees up, and called my back doctor.

I did make an appointment for Tuesday. The doctor things I tore my disc again, causing some of the disc fluid to spurt out and irritate (to put it mildly...her words, not mine), my nerves.

And so here I am, on day 5 of the 6 day prednisone treatment. I hate the steriod element of it, but damn, those things work!!

I'm already back at step aerobics (because the steroids are helping my foot too, so why not take advantage?) and lifting weights.

sometimes I wish my docs at the New England Baptist would tell me to relax, keep off my feet, rest. I guess it would just make me fell better about being lazy. But, when I ask them, always hopefully, if I should take it easy, they always look at me like I have five heads and say, "Stop exercising? What for? No...get right back in there."

And so it goes. I love my hospital and the fact that they are literally all about getting people back in motion, but Christ...a few days off never killed anybody, right?

Well...according to them it would.

Anyway, just thought I'd mention that I had yet another back episode But, I'm (fingers crossed) back on my hooves!

Crap TV

I am watching Dr. Phil right now. I can't believe I'm even admitting this. The fact that I'm watching the show is even more pathetic than the show itself.

There is some woman on the show who claims that she won't even speak to people who are ugly. This in and of itself would normally not bother me. However, the fact that this woman looks like a pig (literally) with her disgusting snout and lopsided mouth (filled with crooked-ass chicklet teeth) is ridiculous to me.

In other TV news, I was all pumped for season 1 million of the Amazing Race, but found myself really disappointed with the premier. It was, in a word, boring. A majority of the episode focused on these boobs trying to find the airport in LA, the city of origin. The trip to Ireland was disappointing. Usually they highlight some cultural aspect of life in the featured country. However, the main thrust of the episode was, again, people trying to figure out driving directions. Crap.

And last night I watched the penultimate episode of "The Bachelor." I only saw the premier (and not even on purpose) so I have no connection to these people. But I just have to say that this Bachelor and Bachelorette show is so wrong on so many levels. It is so humiliating to those who participate.

What Am I Going to Do With Myself Now?

The World Series is over. How do I fill my nights now?

Happy Halloween, by the way!!

Tap the Rockies!!!!!!!

The Red Sox did it....AGAIN!



Dice K finally looks happy. After a choppy season, he put in a fine performance in the World Series!



I love this photo of Hideki Okajima because while he is humble in the face of the fans, this Red Sox fan feels justified in doing a little in-your-face GLOATING!!!!! I've held off all this time and its been killing me! Red Sox Rule!!!! Woo-hoo!!

Ok, end of gloat fest. I fear that any overdoing it could lead to impending doom in future seasons. But come on, you gotta give me a little gloat time!



Here's my dude, Papi, having a little post-game celebration.



So, tomorrow, before you head out to the Red Sox parade (route shown below)......



make sure to gather up your cheering strength in a nice bowl of Josh Beckett Wheaties!!!

Voila!

Finally, I am able to upload photos taken on my new Canon camera.

My subject, of course, is Fenway Park. This is where some magic happened last night. Let's hope Dice-K can bring it tonight.

PIcture's Worth a Thousand Words...When I Can Actually Post One, That Is!

Bummer. The picture-post function doesn't seem to work right now.

We went to Best Buy today to replace the Fujifilm camera we returned earlier this month. I think I wanted that camera to be great, but in the end, it just wasn't. And, if I allow myself to toot my own horn for just a moment here, I'm not such a bad photographer. I might as well have a decent camera to practice my "craft."

Anyway, last night, I saw a great little Canon at BestBuy online, marked down from 250 to 220. I figured I would just go to the store today, check it out, and pick it up if I liked it.

Funny thing was, at the store, they had the exact same camera, but instead of being black around the lens (which was a pretty cool accent look), the camera was entirely silver. I asked the guy about the sale price (not really caring whether the thing was silver or black), but the guy said the sale price was only for the back camera, which is only available online.

After toying around with the camera for a while, I decided it was the right one for me, but also determined that I would just order it online to save a few dollars. Before I left the store, I decided I would ask the dude whether the store protection plan and memory cards were also available online. Smelling a decent sale, the salesjerk told me to hang on a minute so that he could go ask his manger whether they could just offer me the online sale price on the model they had in the store.

Ten seconds later, he was back, telling me his manager approved the sale price.

I guess in the end, it was worth them to take the 30 dollars off in order to make a sale with all the attaches (memory card, protection plan, etc.)

And before you admonish me for taking the protection plan that you probably would never buy, just keep in mind that I'm a total klutz, and that I screwed my last Fujifilm camera (that I LOVED) by busting an entire bottle of Gatorade on it in my backpack. The Best Buy protection plan even covers water damage, which is pretty unusual for a store protection policy. I know at the Apple dump, we didn't cover water or otherwise "accidental damage."

Anyway, we took some pretty kickass pictures of Fenway Park after we bought the camera. (The Best Buy is right in the shadows of Fenway Park), which I would love to have posted. However, the blogger website has decided it shan't be.

Perhaps posting pictures would be akin to gloating, and so it might even be better to post nothing at all.

I quit. I give up.

Ok, so before I get to the true thrust of this post, let me just say that Red Sox pitcher, Josh Beckett, can BRING IT!!!

Make no mistakes. This is not gloating. This is stating a clear and undisputable fact. The kid is impeccable. At this point, it almost seems as if the entire Red Sox team is resting on this kid's shoulder. But perhaps that's where they should be looking because, as I said, this kid is a sick pitcher!!!!!



OK, onto my real message.

I quit.

I give up.

I have been trying to continue my usual regimin of step aerobics classes in spite of my horrible, hideous, hateful, motherfucking plantar faciitis. However, the time has come for me to admit that I cannot continue any longer.

I have altered my schedule to replace some of my step classes. I've been limiting my step classes and trying to work in alternative workouts. However, this week I've learned that I can no longer even afford to get the occasional step workout.

Last night, I almost wept as I watched my usual Thursday step class get underway, as I walked into the neighboring studio for a spinning class.



I really dislike spinning. The techno music preferred by a majority of the instructors is not to my liking. My ass kills by the end of the hour. And the thought of sitting on a stationary bike and going nowhere drives me nuts. But the workout is good and I can't deny the fact that I sweat my ass of.



On Tuesdays, I've begun to abandon my step class for kickboxing. It is still somewhat taxing on my poor foot, but when the class is over, I still have some limited ability to walk from the studio.

Tonight, I decided to screw it and take a step class. I would not even mind,but it was just a 40 minute step/20 minutes weight class. I survived the step portion of the class, but had to take my leave during the forward lunges portion of the class. I was either placing all my weight in my left heel to lunge into it, or keeping it constant flexion to lunge into the right foot. Either way, I was screwed.

I am sleeping in the below pictured splint every night. I am wearing my Dansko clogs as perscribed. I've had the cortisone shots. All to no avail. My doc says surgery by February if all isn't well. Somehow, based upon what's going on, I doubt I'll be well by February.




I'm starting to be bummed out big time.

At least I have the Sox game tomorrow night.

Papi, Don't Fail Me Now!

Fingers crossed. The Sox absolutely HAVE TO do something in this game tonight. They have to. They just have to!!!

Good Morning.

Is it just wrong that when I wake up in the morning, it is so pitch black that I can't even find my way to the light switch?

Just asking.

Anyway, here's the camera I'm eyeing.



The only drawback is the fact that the thing takes regular batteries (as opposed to using a rechargable battery.) My experience with my last camera was that the thing ruled, but the bateries died every three seconds.

I guess I should keep my search open.

Anyway, did you see the Sox last night? Let's not talk about it.

Killing Time

It is 10:30 Sunday morning and I'm at the gym. I 've just finished my workout, but I need to go to TJ MAXX, which does not open until 11:00. I figured I'd use the gym computer to update my blog while I kill a few minutes. You see, the store is just a stone's throw from here, and if I leave the gym now, I'll get there way too early. You probably already figured that out, though. I think sometimes I overexplain thing. That's probably typical of teachers.

I digress...

Anyway, not much to report.

I could start with the Red Sox, I guess. Last night's game was an exciting, close, into-overtime game. I fell asleep when the Red Sox were down just 5-4, and woke up at the top of the 11th inning. Just in time to witness the wheels come off of the Red Sox bullpen. Jesus. In game one, the Red Sox tore the wheels off the Indians in the 4th inning. But last night was awful. It would have been one thing to fall apart early in the game, but the fact that so much time and energy was invested to keep things close throughout the entire 9 innings, only makes the huge loss in the 11th all the more devastating. And believe me, the loss was a devastating one. Not just a one or two run defecit in the end, but rather a 7 run shortcoming.

But that's OK. The Sox are headed to Cleveland where, after a day's rest, they will try to reclaim some ownership of this series. Fingers crossed.

And remember....NO GLOATING.

In an entirely different rambling subject...

I feel like I must confess.

I was only partially responsible for the lovely pictures posted in my last "Fall in New England" entry. You see, I did in fact take the pictures, but then I treated them on iPhoto before publishing them. I did some color boosting, adjusting of exposure, temperature, contrast, shadows, etc. iPhoto has some fantastic tools for editing photos. But the problem was that the original pictures were rather flat and lacked all that vibrancy of photos taken with my previous camera. (You know, the one I drowned in a bottle of gatorade on my honeymoon.) Stephen bought me a new camera for my birthday. Like my last camera, this was a little Fujifilm. I was really excited to use it. One of the things I always loved about my last Fujifilm camera was the fact that the colors were always so freakin' brilliant, even before I tweaked little things on iPhoto. With this camera, however, I had to practically alter the entire photo to get it where I wanted it to be.

So, with a heavy heart, I decided to return the camera. It was purchased online, so I'm hoping the return goes smoothly.

I haven't given up on Fujifilm yet. I think I will try to get the camera I had before and see if that's any better.

Damn!

OK, I have to get going. We have a wedding today. Lots of stuff to iron, etc. And of course, there's that TJ MAXX pit stop to make before going home.

Peace out, fools!!

Memo to Red Sox Nation

Date: 8 October, 2007
Time: 16:05:00
To: Red Sox Nation
From: Nants
Re: Gloat Free Zone

In 2003, encouraged by a promising performance by the Red Sox against the Yankees in early ALCS games, I jumped the gun and began gloating about the team's prowess and jumping to the conclusion that they would take the ALCS, and then move on to sure victory in the World Series. My most shameful gloat fest took place during a phone conversation with my friend Leslie, a Yankees fan. How can we be friends, you ask? That's a topic for another day.

We all know what happened in 2003. Leslie was quick to remind me of my premature gloating, and ascribed the demise of the Sox to it.

I promised her, myself, and anybody who would listen, that in the future, no matter how well the Sox are doing, I will not gloat.

I have not allowed myself a single word of premature gloating since.

I urge the members of Red Sox nation to join me now, in this pivotal hour, to refrain from premature gloating. Yes, the Sox swept the Angels in the ALDS, and this is wonderful, celetration-worthy news. But please, folks, limit your rejoicing to a celebration of the Sox good work and fortune. Do not let your revelry cross the line into gloating. I beg of you.

If you do gloat, please make sure that I don't hear a single word of it. I can't be party to premature gloating.

So, with that said, I will close in saying that I am celebrating the ALDS victory, and I'm looking forward with non-gloating optimism, for the upcoming ALCS.

I sign out in reminding my readers that this is a gloat free zone.

Autumn in New England

Stephen and I went to the cabin this weekend. It was a typical cabin outing. Bad food. Too much beer. Stupid movies. Well, I say "stupid movies" although I don't think I have ever seen a full movie through to the end at the cabin. I usually fall asleep long before the end. Usually I fall asleep through the opening credits.

Anyway, I digress.

I usually can be herd complaining loud and hard and at length about the absolute torture of a New England winter. Here, however, are a series of photographs I took of the glorious New England Autumn.

The pictures were taken with the great new Fujifilm digital camera Stephen bought me for my birthday.

My god...

My school year has been crazy so far. Two students arrested already. It is early October.

Whatever.

I turn 34 tomorrow. Woo-hoo.

Celebration

Awesome Stuff

So, I don't have much to write about at this point. I'm at my friend's place, catsitting, and you know how it is when you're not in your own place. You don't really feel totally comfortable to go off and do your own thing, and your own stuff isn't there, so you just kind of kill time doing stupid stuff like watching TV and reading.

How was that last sentence? Yes...I am an English teacher!!

Whatever.

Anyway, I thought I'd take to the laptop to write about some pretty cool freakin' things I've run into or encountered recently.

First of all, I'm sitting here having a nice glass of cold Chilean sauvignon blanc. I thought I had discovered my true wine love with sauv. blancs from Australia/New Zealand, but then I stumbled (probably literally)upon one from Chile. I was and am hooked. The Chilean sauvignon blancs are possessed of almost an exaggerated degree ofo the qualities that I like about the wine. First of all, sauv blancs are generally quite dry. The Chilean ones are extremely dry. In general, the sauv. blancs have a nice, crisp, acidic-citrus finish. The Chilean ones I've tried are almost a bit harsh in their crispness and citrus flavor. I LOVE it! If you're a savu. blank fan, try one from Chile. You won't be disappointed. If you're not a sauv. blanc fan, I'd suggest you try it anyway to broaden your horizones. Hey, you never know when an unexpected hooch will strike your fancy and make you forever a believer.

Another awesome thing I've welcomed into my life of late is the freakin' "Smartboard" I have in my classroom at school. Have you people seen these things??? My god, it is incredible. It bears an initial physical resemblence to a white board. But, my friends, the physical resemblence is where the similarity ends. The smartboard is a totally interactive educational tool. I can't even get into everything it does, but all I have to say is that it has revolutinized my teaching entirely. I can't imagine ever going to a white/chalkboard ever again.

I'm also chuffed to no end that there are weekly housecleaners that come to the place I'm staying in. Granted, I've been tidying up after myself, but last night, after dinner, when I didn't feel like putting away the dishes I had washed, I knew that I would come home today to find them all snugly nestled in their appropriate cabinets. Wonderful.

I am really happy to be teaching English instead of social studies because I actually have books and curriculum materials for the first time in years! I feel bad for the social studies teacher, but screw that crap. I love having stuff to actually give the kids to learn! This is like a luxury.

I am really pleased about a lot of the kids I have. Sure, I have the convicted armed robber, but still...there are a lot of great kids, including a 7th grader whose idea of pure pleasure of avidly reading anything that is tossed her way. She has already torn through half of my classroom library (because she already tore through her 7th grade homeroom teacher's library) even after only 7 full days of school.

I love having an 8th grade homeroom. Even though the kids are by in large the same ones that I had as a 7th grade homeroom teacher, they are so much more mature and homeroom time is less of an exercise in crowd control and more of a pleasant, clam experience.

I love that I was able to pick up some GREAT books for my abovementioned classroom library at the Curious George store in Harvard Square. Everybody thinks they have stuff just for the little guys, but they have a fantastic young adult reader section downstairs, and the staff are most helpful and knowledgeable about the material.

I had a great time cruising around Old Navy, taking advantage of some pretty serious sales this weekend. And, praise the lord, even though they did away with their mid-rise boot cut jeans, they unleashed the new style "sweetheart" which is essentially the same fit. And I am even more enamored of the fact that they were on sale this weekend for 20 dollars! Hells yeah!!

I'm psyched that I'm two credits away from a payraise in school and that I was asked to join the school council, which is a totally brainless activity, and will give me the last two credits! For Free!!

For now, that's all the good news I can think of.

If there are any more delightful moments, I'll letcha know.

Hey, while we're on the subject, what's good in your life?

Those Damn Yankees!

My paternal grandfather, who passed long before I was born, apparently coined the phrase (or at least was very fond of using the phrase), "Never underestimate those pinstripes."

Those "pinstripes" are, of course, the New York Yankees.

Last night, the Boston Red Sox lost their 5th straight game to the New York Yankees. This wouldn't be so bad in and of itself, but the fact of the matter is that the Sox had, at one point in the game, a 5 run lead over the Yankees. The Yankees' bats were essentially dead for the first 7 innings, but in the 8th, they hussled a big-time rally and bounced back to claim an 8-7 victory over the Sox.

I'm not being a Sox hater. I love the Red Sox. I love everything they stand for. (Although, I do think they should speak to Manny about the "Little Orphan Manny" red braids and droopy drawers). It just breaks my heart to see them blow such a comfortable lead to those damn Yankees.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, the supposed pitching prodigy, has been a disaster in his 5 most recent starts. He begain last night by loading the bases in the first inning, havingn WALKED A-Rod after lobbing a fastball right into the guy's thigh. Jesus. I could not believe the fact that he managed to pitch his way out of that trainwreck without even giving up a single run. From there, things started looking up for the Sox. Their bats were hot, and the Yankees were fumbling around in the field.

I didn't watch the entire game. The place where I'm catsitting does not have cable TV. I watched some of it in a bar, but it got too crowded. So, I came home and did it the old fashioned way...I listened on the radio. This was apparently another of my paternal grandfather's favorite things to do. His passion for the Sox predated the advent of television, you see.

I digress....

I fell asleep at some point with the Red Sox enjoying a comfortable cushion runs up. I awoke this morning to the newscaster reading, "The Red Sox squandered a five run lead to lose to the Yankees 8-7 last night at Fenway."

I think I might have groaned in disappointment out loud.

Last night could have been the night the Red Sox won and increased their Eastern Division lead to a more comfortable margin of 5 games. Instead, through their loss, they are now down to a 4 game lead.

Yes, it is likely that they will take the division, but guess who they'll have to play in the elimination championships? Yep....those Damn Yankees.

But here's my thing....

Red Nation holds its collective breath when sluggers like A-Rod and Jeter comem to the plate. They pray that whomever is pitching will be able to put those guys to bed. I agree with my fellow Red Sox Nation dwellers, but my real apprehension kicks in when Hideki Matsui comes to the plate. Jesus, that guy's dangerous. He might not be leading the league in homeruns or anything, but that bastard can hit the ball. I don't think I've ever seen him get up to bat and NOT get a hit. Singles, doubles, triples, the guy does it all. He drives in runs like nobody's business. Every time I see that guy up there, I get all nervous, and rightfully so.

This is nail-biting time in Red Sox Nation.

I am so psyched for the Red Sox that they've had such a stellar season. I hope that their final series agains the Yankees does not result in a total Yankee Sweep, the way their last series did. I hope we can at least pull off a couple of wins here. God knows that just for morale, the Red Sox need it. They cannot enter into playoffs with the painful recent memory of devastating losses to those pinstripes.

Fingers crossed. Really, in the grand scheme of things, the Red Sox deserve victory over the Yankees. The Red Sox are a kinder, gentler, more beloved team. Sure, you can say that New Yorkers love their Yankees, too, but there is almost somewhat of a bully factor there. You see, it is easy to love a winner. And the Yankees are so frequently winners. Where's the challenge in loving the team that seems to so easily go out there and rough other teams up? Look at the almost poetic relationship that the Red Sox have with their fans. For season after season....hell, decade after decade, the Sox would come up dead in the water. But, through thick and thing, through crappy season after crappy season, the Red Sox have sold out every home game and, (and I have this on authority), they sell more logo merchandise than any other team in Major League Baseball. We love our Red Sox in good times and bad. The Red Sox are more deserving of victory any day, any sesason, any year.

All they have to do is get by those Damn Yankees!!

Riddle Me This

Why are all the major television networks and other media paying such rapt attention to the first birthday of Anna Nicole Smith's kid?

Aren't there other things going on in the world?

Didn't Brit just completely embarrass herself on the MTV video music awards?

I want to hear more about that.

Notice I'm not even trying to get all high and might and saying that I want to hear more about the Presidential campaign or the war in Iraq.

All that's new

So, the school year is officially underway.

I cannot believe how insanely beautiful my new school is. It was very telling when, on the first day of school, the kids all looked in awe and wonder at the windows. "Wow..look! Windows!" said they. Isn't it a state statement about the state of the schools in my district that kids in the 8th grade, who have presumably gone through the requisite nine years of school leading up to 8th grade are blown away by the fact that there are actually windows that open in the place.

I have an 8th grade homeroom this year. For the past few years, although I've taught both the 7th and 8th grades, I've always had a 7th grade homeroom. Funny how a summer makes a vast difference in the maturity level of the kids. Last year i felt like I was babysitting a roomful of wackos in my 7th grade homeroom. This year, even though most of the kids are the same, I feel like I'm sitting there in the company of a roomful of adults. Well...that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I am just trying to illustrate my point that the kids are so much more mature now.

Because our new facility is massive, and in order to justify its construction, we had to augment our student population. To that end, we've absorbed the population of a neighboring school that was in equally appaling condition to our own. The new kids add a bit of change, of course. Some of the changes are positive, and some will take some getting used to.

I can't believe the stuff that the kids are getting into these days. One of my students spent the summer on house arrest for armed robbery. Another came to me on the first day to report that he had been jumped by some other kids from another school and was taken from the scene in an ambulance with a broken eye socket and nose.

Still other kids were rearing to act completely wild on the first day of school, yelling and screaming and swearing on the way into the class.

It is shocking because you think that they might at least try to make a good impression (or pretend to) on the very first day of school.

I point these things out not to be critical of the kids. On the contrary...I point them out because these things make me genuinely worried about the kids. Kids are so busy getting caught up on way-over-their-heads crap today. I wish they could just spend a little more time being kids.

Although maybe the very definition of the word "kids" has changed since we were kids. Maybe in our day, being "kids" meant hanging out with friends at the mall and goofing off in school, whereas today maybe the accepted definition of "kids" means stealing shit at the mall and cutting school to go smoke and have sex.

Am I getting too philosophical/contemplative here? I guess my mind is just wandering through these questions as I see some of my kids and become aware of the things they've seen and done.

Christ, I think many of them have been around the block way more times than yours truly.

Anyway....onto other subjects.

What else is there?

Oh, yeah, I'm cat and dog sitting for the next three weeks. I just arrived at my guest house yesterday. It has more space than I know what to do with. I can take or leave the cats, but I love the god. Sadly, he will only be here for a few days until he is shuttled off to his auntie's house. The cats will be with me for the duration. Don't get me wrong, they are nice enough cats, but I just don't find cats to be very fun or affectionate. They just kind of sit there. The dog, on the other hand, is playful and affectionate. He has not left my side at all since I've arrived. I really like this dog. If I didn't live in a city apartment, I think I'd be a big time dog owner.

Also, just something silly to point out...

It seems that lately, no matter where I am, or no matter where I need to go, I get stuck behind the absolute slowest people and am left feeling entirely frustrated.

I get stuck behind the slowest person in the supermarket who decides to block the entire aisle with their massively overflowing cart.

I get stuck behind some asshole who decides to board the bus and pay their fare in pennies.

I get stuck trying to cross the street as some idiot drives toward me too fast for me to cross in front of him, but slow enough so that the traffic is building up behind him as to prevent my ever getting across the street.

I have to run to the bathroom before my class at the gym, or sometimes even during the middle of the class, and, not wanting to miss any of the activity, I try to hussle over there, only to find some old bat doing quadriceps stretches in the frame of the bathroom doorway.

Jesus!

Oh, and speaking of activity, I'm somewhat limited in what I can do these days because of this annoying-ass plantar faciitis.

That's it for now!

Just thought I'd keep folks posted.

Nants

God help me

One of my homeroom students just finished his summer-long stint on house arrest. The charge was armed robbery. This is going to be a crazy year.

There are times when I honestly find myself speechless in the face of the sheer rudeness of people. Now, keep in mind, I am rarely speechless, so this is quite a powerful statement. But it is true.

Today I boarded an already crowded bus, and managed to find a seat next to a woman who was reading the newspaper. She apologized several times for the newspaper crossing over into my personal space. Dude, its a newspaper. No worries. Actually, I found myself enjoying reading the pages that did come my way as I had forgotten my book.

Anyway, a few stops later, the newspaper lady got off the bus, and a passanger who had been standing in the aisle took her place. The woman was, like me, not petite, so we were crowded in the two seats-astride seating configuration. This is par for the course on public transportation. What bothered me, however, was that, realizing that she was unable to hold her massive iced coffee, talk on her cell phone, and read her National Equierer at the same time, she leaned over at an obscene angle to facilitate cradling her phone between her ear and her shoulder (and I think I am rather qualified at this point to say that hair hygiene seems not to be a priority for this woman) and was all up in my grill. The paper was all over my lap, and she ended up trying to wedge the iced coffee between her leg and mine. When I suggested that she might like to place the coffee elsewhere as it was rather cold (not to mention DISGUSTING) on me leg, she shot me a filthy look and just got up. Big martyr.

I was just pretty much astounded that this moron would find it acceptable to place her iced coffee cup next to my leg.

Anyway...onto the gym.

It is so typical at my gym for women to walk in 15 or 20 minutes late to an hour-long class and just expect those folks who bothered to show up on time to move all their equipment around. Today, in my double step class, one woman showed up 15 minutes late, caused such an interruption as to cause the instructor to lose focus therefore throw off the entire class. She proceed to set up her equipment at the front of the class, even while she left her purse on the floor in the back of the room. Five minutes later, when some other bitch showed up for class, she caused a huge investigation into whose purse was on the last available inch of space in which she planned to set up her equipment.

Normally, the instructor gets us through six coreography combos in this class, but today she was barely able to get us through five combos.

The thing is that the teachers should throw these jerks out, and I know they'd like to, but they worry about having the members complain.

There are a plethora of other examples of rude and inconsiderate behavior that I could illustrate in detail here, but is it really necessary? I know you all see it on a daily basis.

I know I'm not perfect, but at least I try. I know I don't always do the right thing, but at least when I put other people out I apologize.