Making my list and checking it (more than) twice

Happy vacation, y'all!!

I am so very thrilled to have this week off.

Recently I read this amusing Atlantic article about introverts: and this part struck me:

"Rather, introverts are people who find other people tiring. Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially "on," we introverts need to turn off and recharge."

I don't think I am a true introvert, as apparently a hallmark of extroverts is their never-ending chatter (which I can often be guilty of), but that quote above hit home. I've often labeled myself as an introvert with extrovertist tendencies, and I think I'm right on.

I don't work eight hour days, but I "work" six days a week. And that tires me, because I want to just sit and be at home. (Because I have those kinds of white girl problems. And also because I am childless, so I have the luxury of feeling "off" when I'm home.) I love watching tv, reading, knitting, just being. I really enjoy hanging out with friends, but even sitting at someone else's house and talking, watching tv, knitting, doesn't feel as relaxing as being at my own home, you know?

All this to say again, I am really excited to have this week off. We'd originally thought of going somewhere warm for the holidays, but everything was too expensive. And thank goodness! For weeks I have been eagerly anticipating this week of nothing!

I did end up covering a shift of babies yesterday, and I guess we don't get New Year's Day off from babies either, so technically I don't have the entire week off. Happily we do get next Monday off. But I had two days off in a row--for maybe the fourth time in six months--and now I get five days off in a row! Five days of as little as possible!!!

Therefore, here, in random order, is my to-do list for the week:
--Sleep in as much as possible
--Go to the gym at least twice (one trip already done!)
--Visit a friend tomorrow for tv, knitting, and some sewing help
--Review my 2011 goals
--Create goals for 2012 (this time with Mister Melancholy's complicit help, instead of me conscripting him into it this year)
--Visit at least one museum (we're planning for two in case we wimp out on one of them)
--Shop for a new couch (we've had the Mister's college futon, and it is old and uncomfortable, not to mention un-grown-up)
--Skype with some friends and family

--Take my bag of donations to Goodwill
--Do some cleaning around the apartment
--Choose and bake a new recipe

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you are having a wonderful time!

I'm a big liar. With a well-used passport.

Remember the two conflicting themes I've mentioned lately? A) No more spending money! and B) I want to travel SOON!

Well. They do not mesh well, these two ideas. I have some stuff to share. But wait on that a bit.

Once again I've had a nice Sunday experience. I was awake about 7.15, but got up around 8.15, just because. I worked out right away, which helped me get warm in the still-chilly apartment air. I think I shall try to do this every Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday, since those weekdays I get home sooner and at least on Tuesday there's no good tv on to distract me.

There, I have made a pledge to the world that I will try to stick to a routine for working out. Therefore I must stick to it! Ha, we'll see.

Then I set about continuing to clean up. I've got my shag rugs piled in the hallway for the yoga and for the floor sweeping. I cleaned up the random stuff littered on the floor, and did a pass with the swiffer vac.

But I did not stop there, ho no.

--I moved the AC unit and my three fans into the linen closet (I LOVE ALL MY CLOSET SPACE!).

--You know those wire shelf things that you build together to make cubes and stuff? I've got several two-story cubes around, holding various things. One was in my closet holding socks and stuff. So I took them out, organized the socks (dark for work and white for summer and free time) and put them in the fabric drawers in my big white storage shelf/entertainment unit. Hurrah!

--Next, I moved the wire cube to the wall under the window previously occupied by the AC. In it I put the extra piles of books that were accumulating on my other 'bookshelf.' I had another cube under the other window, and I moved it over next to the other one, so they are sitting together, holding some random things.

--I finished and paid for the certification application. I had tried a month ago but the page didn't go through. My ATS-W scores are supposed to be ready at the end of the month, and so hopefully the certification process will proceed very quickly after that.

--I sorted through the piles of mail and bills and bill-related items that I just throw in a couple spots. I went through them all and tossed anything I could, and put the rest together in neat little piles, which I then put in either file folders (for pay stubs and grad school stuff) or an expando-file for monthly accounts like credit cards, cell phone and energy. I feel much better with that done. Hurrah!

--Boyfriend called to tell me that my girl Haley is playing in the East Village this week! It's on Thursday night at 10pm, but I don't care. I'm totally going to go. I didn't really see her play last time. She opened for Mason Jennings at a show two years ago at the Mercury Lounge, but I missed most of her and only saw her do one song with him. I really love both of her albums, and I'd been afraid she wouldn't come back out here again.

He bought us tickets and I'm going to drive in to the city at nine. I figure it'll be faster and easier than dealing with late-night trains and whatnot. I won't get home til way past my bedtime, but it will be worth it.

--And now, back to the lying and self-deception!

In the first four months of this year (if you count the last week of December, which, close enough, I say), I traveled to three countries and another region of the US: Barcelona and Paris in December, Prague in February, New Orleans in April. Plus Seattle in the summer.

Waiting until February to travel again? No way!

So just now I sat down with my friend Kayak.com and a list of big cities in Europe, (I marked the ones that I haven't been to). I looked with flexible dates between the 24th and 31st of December. Here is what I found, in cost order:

Florence: $820
*Bratislava: 761
*Istanbul: 753
*Vienna: 738
Athens: 682
*Krakow: 645
*Warsaw: 641
Venice: 622
*Copenhagen: 593
*Milan: 575
Rome: 573
*Edinburgh: 573
*Budapest: 553
Brussels: 516
Amsterdam: 515
Berlin: 510
Prague: 505
*Munich: 492
*Frankfurt: 485

According to Kayak's fare trend graphs, the prices have been dropping or staying steady at fairly low prices. Woohoo!

So, HOLY COW. These prices are not too bad at all. I think my February 2006 Prague trip cost $485. For a Christmas time trip, around $500 is really not bad at all. Actually, our Barcelona-Paris trip was a special steal at $475, bought six months ahead of time, so these really aren't too shabby.

It looks like Germany is a good place to go! I've wanted to visit the Black Forest area, which I believe Munich is in. And it's all new to me, which is great.

The other thing to remember is the incredible rail system in Europe. Part of me just wants to get there as cheaply as possible, and then take a train somewhere else if I want. Or more than one somewhere else. Ooh-ee!

In theory, I really should not do this. I can't afford it right now.

BUT! Here's the thing. Travel is one of, if not the most important things in my life. Judge if you like, but if you've traveled at all yourself that you probably agree with me. If you've traveled and don't agree...well then, you have some thinking and reprioritizing to do. I am young, no family, no outstanding debt, the world is my oyster!

And let's not forget the magic of credit cards. Charge it now but pay it next month or the one after, when you CAN afford it. And then you've paid for it well before the trip and you can save up to actually spend a little while there.

So clearly, I have to go!

Any recommendations for which gorgeous city to visit this December?

My Very Special Someone

This weekend we celebrated six months together! The time has gone quickly, but it's been a lot of fun. I am the luckiest girl in New York!

We met because of teacher blogs and Ms Frizzle, so big thanks to her. :) When we finally went out back in April, after emailing for a couple months, it was clear that this was something special and not just a casual thing. Things were very happy and comfortable, but still exciting, right from the start. Barely a month into the relationship, soon after I bought my ticket to Seattle, he bought one too, for two months down the road. We took a couple road trips to get away, and plan on another one this weekend.

We have similar or overlapping tastes in a lot of areas, like humor, education, music, tv, and movies. We are both self-proclaimed nerds, for different reasons though. He loves politics, nonfiction, and history, and I love fiction and travel. He's also almost three years younger than I am (gasp!).

I am very happy. It is awesome. So great!

So anyway, back to this weekend. On Saturday evening, we got dinner in Chelsea and then were going to go somewhere else, except that I got a bad case of worn-out-ness at EIGHT, like the loser I am. So Sunday was a bit more fun. We started with a couple errands, and then an impromptu brunch in the East Village. We walked down a few blocks to this awesome establishment:

I randomly watched a special on Food Network about French Fries, and they visited this shop, Pommes Frites. They make authentic Belgian fries, in a paper cone like you see on the giant model in front there. And that's it! There are a ton of sauces you can get to dip the delicious, freshly-fried potatoes. We got cheese and curry ketchup:

We had heard that it was supposed to be rainy and yucky all day, so it was a very pleasant surprise when the afternoon developed sunny, with a few fluffy clouds, and quite warm at times. It was decided to do a New York-y thing that we've talked about, visiting one of the viewpoints. So we traveled up to Rockefeller Center, and got tickets for the Top of the Rock:

The view was fantastic, and the weather was great. It was still warm all the way up there, instead of windy and chilly like I thought.

Here we are, smiling for one of the strangers we had to ask to take our picture:

Here we are in front of another familiar skyline:

Just ONE of the reasons that he's the best boyfriend ever: He looked around for a month until he tracked down banana chocolate. at a little Czech shop here in New York!

Happy six months, Boyfriend! Can't wait for more!

Kick Ass!

Yes, I kick ass today! It's a good thing we didn't have school today, so I could get some stuff done.

I was up around 7.15 (having gone to bed at 11.15pm, which means I'm finally normalizing again). It is now 12.15. (Well, it was when I wrote this dang thing the first time).

I have:
--Done my laundry;
--Sewn over two feet of trim back on my favorite blanket (I'm a grown-up, I swear!)(I'm not really a sew-er, so the stitches are uneven and all over the place, but I did it! Very proud);
--Remade the bed with fresh sheets (pain in the ass but so satisfying when it's done);
--Watched three DVR'd shows from the last three days;
--Finished grading the vocabulary quizzes (not too pleased with all of them, though);
--Input those grades into the computer; and
--Done the dishes.

Wow! Fabulous! Incredibly productive!

Now I am tres hungry and must make some nachos before I faint.

I still have plenty of things I should/could do, like sweep, take out the trash, call parents, work out, make a trip to the post office, walk to the library, finish cleaning the bathroom, etc etc.

But right now I'm going to bask in the glow of morning productivity. Also, nachos.

**

UPDATE, 3.15:
I just returned from completing three more tasks--no, four:
My apartment is located roughly equidistant between the library and the post office; each is a little less than a ten minute walk away. So I took the trash and recycling to the basement, and then turned south to the library. I browsed but resisted getting anything new; I still have five books from my last trip. Then I walked back north, past my building and on to the post office. I need stamps but did not want to stand in line, as I had forgotten to bring a book. So I returned home. Altogether it must have been at least a 25 minute walk, which counts as exercise, and I got some vitamin D to boot!

Weekend Productivity--Sweet!

It's only 10.40 and I've already been very productive! I guess that happens when you're awake before eight on a Sunday.

I started by cleaning the bathtub, then finished marking the second noun quiz. The scores were worse in some cases! After we reviewed the first one together, piece by piece. Argh!

So then I input all the homework, quiz, and classwork grades to my grading program. Excellent! I printed out reports for everyone getting Ds and Fs. Those children will need to get them signed by parents. I'm planning on calling each of the parents to let them know it's coming, and to make sure the kids don't throw them away and/or feign ignorance.

The first book orders were collected on Friday, and yesterday I put all the orders together. I still need to submit the order after getting a clarification from one student. I'm gonna get a whole bunch of free books with the bonus points! Including the Harry Potter 6-book paperback box set, and the children's book version of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. So excited! I love books! Squee!

Back before school started, I planned out a whole month. Obviously, I'm way, WAY behind. So what I've been doing is going back and correcting each day with what we actually did. This way I will have a record of an actual month of school, including homework assignments and quizzes.

My next assignment is to plan this week. Tuesday each class is going to the library, so I'll have to plan around that. I must make the kids finish their book letters, because it's been like a week already. We need to work on the vocabulary words for sure. Also genres.

I've got a bulletin board set, a paper bookcase. It's got each category, like fiction, non-fiction, fables, poetry/drama. Then there are matching-color smaller circles for each genre--fairy tales, fantasy, biography, etc. What I'm thinking is another pin-the-tail-on-the-whatever activity: post each category on a different wall, and give a pile of genre cards to each table. They must look around and figure out where each belongs, and then they will go put them on the correct category. Then we'll review definitions of each. There will be a pile of books on each of their table, a mix of genres. They will then work together as a table to classify each book as the correct genre.

It will probably take an entire class period to do this. If there's any time left, they can start reading one of the books on the table, or their own book.

On Thursday, I introduced the family crest/coat of arms project, talking about identity, community, what makes us unique. It seemed to go okay, but the homework assignment was totally off. The vast majority of the students did not do what was assigned. So that, plus the fact that I found a better, more specific template, means that I refined the project on Friday. On a shield shape divided into roughly four equal parts, the students first brainstormed notes to go in these categories: goals and dreams, things I'm proud of, things I like to do, people important to me. Along the bottom I asked them to put their name and what it means/why it's special.

They did that part well, and in two of the classes we began the next step. (Because I'm doing my best to be very clear and go slowly, step by step, with everything. These kids need that.) I had them turn to a fresh page and divide it into four parts. Then I wrote and narrated this in one square on the overhead:

One of my goals is to be an Olympic gymnast. I've been doing gymnastics since I was a toddler and I really love it. Plus it would be wonderful to compete and win a medal. Another dream is to act. Performing in front of people is a huge thrill for me--I don't even get nervous! How awesome would it be to act in a movie with my favorite stars? Talk about a dream come true!

I asked the students, "what did you see me do here?" A student answered, "You listed your goals and then expained why." "Yes! We are going to build this brainstorm into an essay. In each square, begin writing about what you chose and why you chose it, why it's important. Then later, these will become paragraphs and this will become an essay. Bam! Easy!"

They got to work, and it was good. As I walked around during these activities, I loved the fact that A) everyone was thinking and writing and really working, and B) I got to learn interesting stuff about the kids. One tiny girl loves karate. Another knows how to do all kinds of dance, including hip hop, salsa and Irish. One boy likes to hang out with his girlfriend and her friends while eating pizza, and also plays basketball at the park, where he meets and plays with another girl in the class. One girl has a strange/unique name, but on her paper she described how her name comes from parts of her mom's, dad's, and aunt's names. Another girl wants to be a forensic anthropologist just like Bones.

Seriously, really cool stuff! I loved it. I saw that they really needed to share with each other these interesting stories if we were going to build an atmosphere of respect and understanding of differences (we've got cultures from many countries and continents). They were very excited to talk to each other about themselves. I can't wait for the final projects; they'll get to present and maybe even demonstrate some of their skills. I've got a piece of a thought to turn it into a cultural festival show thing....but I don't know. Time is really tight. We'll see.

Anyway...now it's 11.20 and I better get to work with all this stuff. Back to the grind!

A bit more normal, at long last

The not-sleeping all week really kicked my ass. I was fading well before 9pm on Friday, but somehow didn't actually go to bed until about 10.30. I slept well until about 8, and then went to bed from 9-10.15.

I'd thought that getting a good night's sleep would help. Silly me! A whole week's of sleep can't be made up at once.

ALL.DAY. Saturday I felt like the waking dead. My head wasn't clear; my limbs were weak. Under normal circumstances, I am a fast, striding walker who weaves in and out of the stupid slow folks. All day Saturday, I became a plodder, a trudger who was keeping up with the stupid slow ones.

I ate some and thought that would help. Nope.

After a successful trip to Costco (ie, getting what I needed and somehow keeping it well under $100), I came home and had a nice big dinner and two big glasses of ice water. Yum.

About an hour later, I noticed that the dreary drudge head had disappeared; I was miraculously feeling normal again! I was fully awake and aware, and not once did my eyelids droop the rest of the evening. In fact, I stayed up fairly easily until midnight.

Behold, the power of nutrition and hydration!

I only slept six hours, and got up at seven. I cleaned my bathroom and got started on looking up lesson ideas and materials online. (Much more on that very soon.)

It's now noon and I'm still feeling good. I had a breakfast of (sugary, oops) cereal, mango juice, and a nectarine. I'm thinking about a baked potato, snap peas, and a pear for lunch. And more water, of course. Yum!

Happy Long Weekend!

I am LOVING the fact that it's Sunday night and I DON'T have to have the Sunday Night Anxiety.

On Friday, there was some anxiety, however. As you know, my online math course began on Monday. And I bought the textbook that evening. The prof assigned a pretest and a couple bulletin board postings. I could definitely do that, pretty easily, in fact. The first chapter was also assigned, which I patently could not do. The book was supposed to come on Thursday night. I figured, well, that's cutting it close, but I can get it done.

So, come Thursday, there's nothing. I checked the tracking, and it said there was no apartment number. Hm, that was odd, but I called and gave it to them, and the woman assured me it would be redelivered the next afternoon. Wow, really cutting it close, I thought, but I can easily come home, do the math all at once, and still have time to get into the city for some fun.

Friday afternoon, when I got home, nothing. I waited around for about 45 minutes, and then called to check that it still was out to be delivered. The person told me that the package was at the warehouse, because it's missing the apartment number. Shit, I thought. They're only open til 5, and it's rush hour on a holiday weekend.

I got in the car about 4, and I was happy to arrive at UPS in about 25 minutes. The traffic going the other way was nearly stopped, and that got me a bit nervous about the return trip, but anyway.

At UPS, the line to pick up packages was actually OUT the DOOR. It took an entire HOUR to get my textbook. I didn't panic; I just read my magazine and tried to be in the moment.

Staying on the local roads, I got home around 6 pm. No problem, I thought, I can still get this done pretty quickly and get on the train within an hour or so.

There were three homework problem sections to be done and submitted online. First I had to set up all the installations and web stuff, then the first homework set took me nearly thirty minutes to do. The second one didn't go much quicker. The third one only took like ten minutes. But I had a quiz to do too! I wasn't sure what it would be like, how long it would be, how difficult.

All this would be no problem, except it turns out the special someone had gotten tickets for a real Broadway show, starting at 8. I was so thrilled and surprised, and then crushed that this STUPID math crap was going to get in the way. At first I thought I'd make it. But it took too long to discuss and decide.

I did the quiz and it literally took me five minutes. Cake.

Then I thought I might try to make it into town after all, and get in during a scene change or something. It was such a nice thing that he wanted to do, and I was ruining it!

It turned out that he got stuck on a train and was late also. So we had a night out, but not the one we were supposed to. Boo, math!

Saturday was an afternoon road trip involving an outlet mall and a very small mountain. And today I slept past 7.30 for the first time in weeks, watched a movie and caught up on grading.

And there's still another day without work! Hurrah!

Hurrah for Productivity!

My friends, the work continues. And it is good!

Today, I FINALLY got caught up on homework and extra credit grading. Then I made a dent (a tiny one, but a dent nonetheless) in grading the poem projects from a week or two ago.

At lunch, bunches of students have been helping me clean and organize my many piles of crap. Among other things, a stack of paper at least two feet high was tossed. I am trying to consolidate and purge to ready for the end-of-year packing that's coming all too soon.

Last night, I finally set up my own computer and office nook for real. I'd kept on using the laptop on my 'portable office desk' (aka my folding kitchen table) until I was done with the thesis and other grad school stuff. Just to keep it easier. But now I have my real computer set up, and it is so great!

So this afternoon, I came home and got started immediately on grade inputting. I'd ignored this all quarter, due to the fact that I've actually had a life for the past two or three months. I was annoyed even thinking about it, and then slightly panicked when I learned the due date for report cards. As such, I had to cancel even the idea of going away for Memorial Day. Grr!

I have completely input two of my three classes. And I haven't done the third just because of wrist fatigue. So perhaps I will try to finish up tonight or if not tomorrow.

The only fly in my productive ointment is that my math book did not arrive today. Apparently they don't have my apartment number, so while they were here, I did not get what I needed. I called and gave the extra info to them, so it will get here tomorrow afternoon. That means I have to sit down and do one chapter of math between getting home at 2.30 and going into the city around 6. No problem!

My mom is coming to town next Wednesday. I'm excited to show her my awesome apartment and get her help with some decoration. And a week from today I will be 'graduating' from grad school! That is very exciting indeed.

You know what else is exciting? I will have a two-day work week next week. Tee hee!

Yesterday, I had students in all three classes read "Who's On First?" by Abbot and Costello. I made sure to pick students who could voice-act and who could read well, and boy, they were great. I laughed every single time; talk about comedic genius! Man. Anyway, Class 3, my slowest, didn't really laugh or giggle audibly. I think some kids were smiling or silent-laughing, but it was weird. Class 2 really laughed and was delighted, as was Class 1 (both classes are much higher-level). It was funny; kids kept looking over at me. It was either to watch me laugh out loud, which they rarely if ever see, or to 'get permission' to find it funny and laugh. Regardless, they all loved it and Class 1 even begged to read it again immediately.

Today, I had them read a readers-theater script I found of Casey at the Bat. I had read it to them last month for poetry, so I suppose they were sort of familiar with the sound of it and the story. I was pretty impressed with how they did.

I think next week we will start drama in earnest. First I will have them perform short plays that I will give them. The next week, I will have them write their own. I found a great site--aaronshep.com--with tons of scripts and other drama tools. One of them is a regular text that the students have to adapt to a play script. That will be excellent practice before they have to write a script from scratch.

We also have to do portfolios. I began that for real yesterday. I'm using that as an excuse to get down and dirty into spelling and grammar even more, so that then they will be equipped to do some real revision. And actually, it's sound instruction, because they'll need to do this on their state exam next year, so there. We win!

It's only six! What on earth will I do with the rest of the evening?

Sunday already?!

It's only one pm, but I've been very productive! Hurrah!

I crashed around 11, and staying up even that late was a stretch for LAME me. I was awake before 7.30 this morning! But I didn't mind because my plate, she is full.

First, I sorted laundry and got ready. At eight, I went down and got two loads started. When I got back upstairs, I started on my portfolio for the tech class. When I looked at the assignment again, I felt, ugh, maybe it's not gonna be as simple as I thought. But alas, I buckled down once again and got to work.

In the last four hours, I obviously got the laundry done, but also nearly all of the portfolio! I need to write out or copy some lessons to include, but it's mostly finished. Hurrah!

I have copies to make for the thesis and I tried to get all that ready and in my bag to get done first thing when I get to school.

I also finally opened the tax stuff that the accountant sent me a month ago. I need to send out all that stuff, plus a bunch of other things. So on the way home tomorrow, I need to buy stamps and also groceries. And then completely finish up both the thesis and portfolio. At this point I shouldn't have to stay home on Tuesday, but I suppose I'll keep my options open if I need to.

My online math class starts Monday night, to make things more complicated. So maybe I need to keep Tuesday for me after all. I don't know how I'm going to cram it all in.

Man, I feel like it's already evening. I don't want to work any more! I'm gonna get bored. I can't wait til it's Wednesday!

Sunday Afternoon Blues

I think it's a gorgeous and sunny day outside, but I don't want to open the blinds and see.

All day yesterday was spent shopping. As you might have seen by the photos yesterday, I bought a television (hurrah for a return to normalcy!), shelving, a folding table and chairs, a great sea-foam shag rug, as well as an office chair. The chair and two shelves have yet to be assembled; I'm saving it for more energy and space, as I still have a bunch of boxes to unpack.

Eventually, most things were put together and it was starting to feel more homey. So my special someone and I settled down to relax. We watched Noises Off!, a movie chock-full of big names (Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, Julie Hagerty, and more) and bigger laughs. Seriously, it's a hilarious movie and if you haven't seen it, do.

Now it's Sunday and I'm tired and want a break. However, the dreaded thesis beckoned. After I had to conveniently clean the bathtub, I began working on this dastardly paper. First I made my references page, while correcting my APA format. Then I updated my methods section, mainly the setting and participants. Next I opened up the lit review. Of course I did the formatting first, but then I finally buckled down and took a look at two of the three sources I need for my intro. I read one article and browsed a chapter. Then I typed out a decent first draft of the intro...it's all bullshit anyway.

I still have to finish up the intro, plus do a few paragraphs and conclusion for the lit review section. I also need to rework the results, write the discussion, plan and add the appendices, and write another section-intro or two. It doesn't seem like a lot, but I think it's deceptive and I'll probably regret not doing more sooner.

But ugh, I just can't care. I can't muster up the will to do much. I'm trying, sort of, to peck away a little at a time. I don't have energy to do anything during the week, and I told myself I would work "all day" today on it....Yeah right.

Phew. What a week.

I don't know why I've not posted this week; a ton has happened. I guess I'm just lazy. Shocker.

Actually, before I get into anything else, I want to state for posterity that this weekend I've been surprisingly productive. I have read the rest of my articles needed for my annotated bibliography, and I have graded a class set of last month's author project, and updated two classes' grades in the computer. Go me!

Yesterday I got to go to Project Cicero. It is the coolest thing: someone or some organization gathers books all year, and then in two days, they invite a bunch of TFA/NYCTF-type teachers to come and take a big box of books for their classrooms.

Do you remember the contests on Nickelodeon, where you could win a shopping spree in a toy store, and have like three minutes to dump as much stuff as possible into your shopping cart? Didn't the very idea of that just thrill you to bits?

Well, going to Project Cicero was like that for the nerdy, more grown-up me. AND without the time limit. I didn't speed too much, though I tried not to dawdle either, since the books were flying off the tables and I wanted to see as many as possible. But I didn't pore over any books; if it sounded familiar or vaguely interesting, I added it to my pile.

A free book shopping spree! Man, talk about a thrill.

I stayed for perhaps forty minutes of my hour and a half shift. I didn't even fill the box because I only brought my medium-sized rolling suitcase. As it is, I must have gotten nearly sixty books and packed that suitcase as much as it could go.

I had driven my little car into the city, on a Saturday afternoon. I'd hoped that the traffic wouldn't be too bad and it wouldn't scare or intimidate me too much. And you know what? The transportation gods were with me: it was so easy and quick (relatively). I parked in a garage a couple blocks from the event and they let me drop my full suitcase in the garage office.

Then I had some hours to kill. I got a very tasty smoothie on Sixth Avenue, and then sat in the food court of the Manhattan Mall, chatting on the phone and reading research articles (though not at the same time).

I did feel bad about being inside on such a gorgeous day, so after I felt like I had spent some worthwhile time on work stuff, I left the mall and strode outside into the dusk. It was still very pleasant, and I really enjoyed just walking down the street.

I walked for a good twenty blocks before I figured I had to get on a train. The blocks were the north-south mini ones, though. And I came across a salon, so I went in and got my eyebrows threaded. That was a new experience for me. It's kind of ticklish and a very odd sensation. I don't get how the thread pulls out the hairs, but I think it's pretty neato.

On the train, read a bit of my advertising book, and then met up with Ms Frizzle. There were supposed to be a few people getting together, but it ended up being just the two of us. It was nice, we just sat and talked about boys and work.

The other weekend I had drinks with Ms M, and that was really nice too. I think more of that talk was about traveling. Ooh, and then we found a crepe place! I was so excited. We were both annoyed at their many menu misspellings and inauthenticities. For one, once they were done cooking, before serving them, he let them sit on the plate thing, which made one edge all crispy. Also, the guy put the crepes on plates! To be eaten with a knife and fork! Not cool.

If I haven't said it recently, or at all, I am so glad and grateful for the wonderful people I have met through this silly blog. Thank you to all you friendly NY teacher types!

At school, this week was rather tiring. Prejudice has been the unofficial word of the week, and not necessarily in a good way. Ugh, I think I'll just leave it at that.

I'm having my students do some work on the beginning of equal rights work: abol!tion and the suffr@gettes. I told them about how the two movements grew up at the same time, only a hundred sixty years ago, and that all movements since then were possible because of those first fighters. I let them know that this is an important project to do, because it's so personal and sensitive. None of us would be here without them. I'm crossing my fingers that they get into it and learn a lot. (So far they've at least learned/heard the terms for the movements. That's new to them. I suppose that's a good start.)

Um, what else? Hm. It feels like I might be forcing myself out of the lazy-bum phase I've been in for awhile. I hate working at home, but I also hate feeling behind. So now I have only one set of projects to grade, a project to sort-of plan, and a media unit to polish.

I've started the annotated bibliography. I'm taking it on like an assembly line: I started with the really easy stuff, the citation and summary. Now I can continue to put in the more detailed parts of each article. It's due in three weeks or so, so if I keep up with working on it some each week, I should do okay. Shit, I keep forgetting that that has to be turned into a literature review, and they BOTH are due in three weeks. Yuck. Still, I'm making progress. Hurrah.

And now I have to go get groceries because I'm hungry. Food!

Late last week, I gave my email address and screenname to my students, so that they could keep in touch with me. Also, this was a crafty way to prevent the routine printer excuses. Somehow, whenever a big typed project is due, half of the students' printers don't work or are out of ink. Yeah, I don't think so. Thus I told them: no excuses, just email it to me and I will print it for you. Ta-da!

Three students actually did that. No students tried to tell me about broken printers. Hurrah!

A few of my students immediately began IMing me, just saying hi or asking what the homework was. It's really cute and kinda fun. Not sure yet if it will lead to a better rapport with them, but we'll see.

On Sunday afternoon, I drove to Brooklyn (see post below with CHOCOLATE!) for a game of ultimate frisbee with a new friend. It was great! I got to dress in my workout clothes (old yoga pants and two AmeriCorps-era t-shirts) and then go run around after a frisbee. It was a relief to find out that even though it had been at least a year if not two, my skills were not too rusty. I was never great at throwing or catching, but I've always been decent. For this game, I successfully caught two goals!

Sadly, even during the game I could feel my out-of-shapeness haunting me. My foot was tight, twinging with plantar fascittis. I was out of breath. My legs were a bit shaky.

I so enjoyed playing a game, meeting a few friendly people, AND feeling like a hip New Yorker.

On Monday, sad to say, my entire body was sore: legs, arms and even my entire midsection. Must have been a fantastic workout...and I must be fantastically out of shape at this point!

Now, on to politics and current events:
--I got a forwarded email from my old teamleader (which looks to be from the CEO of NCNS), which has a message about how the new proposed budget will work for the Corporation for National and Community Service. The request is only enough to cover the CLOSING OF ALL NCCC CAMPUSES. I can't tell you how shocked and utterly heartbroken I was/am about this, and I know that others must be too. I can only hope that in Congress, someone lobbies to keep more AmeriCorps positions!

I don't even want to think about this country without NCCC. I just looked at the site, and a full thirty percent of this year's resources are focused on hurricane relief projects. See? It's an incredible program that gives back to the entire American community.

Gotta go to my next class. Much more later about this and the after school 37.5 fiasco mess.

The after school 37 minutes is a complete mess at my school.

Fourteen dollars' worth of gourmet Park Slope Chocolate

From the Cocoa Bar.
God, they're gorgeous, aren't they? I haven't brought myself to eat any (obviously), despite the steep prices.

To make myself feel better, I donated the same amount to a great cause. You can too!

Guess it's been awhile

Hi there, again. :)

First, I wanted to share some music that has totally made my week: Susie Suh. Her voice sounds like a blend of my girl Haley Bonar, Joni Mitchell, and Fiona Apple. Go check her out!

Next, we had a teacher-blogger event on Friday, in Brooklyn. It was a lot of fun. Saw some old teacher friends, and met a few new ones. Sadly, a few did not show up. What happened to you guys? Hope to come to the next one! We hung out at the bar for a couple hours, and then went next door to the tiny but excellent Mexican restaurant. We did a good job of not only talking about teaching, I think. There was some good travel talk (yay for fellow solo travelers!), and some culture/television stuff, as well as the standard contract/city education politics hot topics. Very good times!

On Saturday, we didn't have school--hurrah!! I got to sleep in, watch tv, take naps, read, and do nothing. Do you watch Globe Trekker? I don't catch it very often, but I love it. Last weekend, the American girl (there's also a British guy and a British girl) was in Sydney. She went to a music show at the Opera House, and it was this weird interactive thing with strange instruments and stranger people playing them. She whispered, "It's not what you'd call...pleasant music. It's kind of annoying, actually. But maybe it's supposed to be!" That cracked me up. Yesterday, the British guy was going around Polynesia, including Tahiti and Bora Bora and a few other islands that I can't remember. Among other things, he got a traditional tattoo, helped harvest black pearls, and fed manta rays in clear turquoise water. God, it was gorgeous!

In the evening, my friend N and I went to her cousin's house for a girl's night hangout. We ate some, talked about careers and weddings, and played games. We hooked more folks on Taboo, and then we played some Cranium. After the excitement of Taboo, though, Cranium was all quiet and they didn't like it very much. Sad! But it was a lot of fun, and it's always nice to meet new people. One girl, the one who's getting married next month, is thinking about leaving her current job and going back to school for teaching. So my friend and I told her about it. I am bad about that; I tend to dramatize the negative aspects of the things I've done and I fear that I discourage interest in it.

Teaching, though...whew, there's a lot of things about the reality that most people don't know. So it's kind of a favor to prospective teachers to tell them, Don't have any romantic ideals about teaching. It's really busy and very stressful.

I still haven't decided if I "like" teaching. Is that strange? Even last year, I couldn't say that I hated it OR liked it. And last year was an awful year. This year is a billion times better, but I can't bring myself to proclaim, I love my job! I know that I don't hate it. I'm just kind of ambivalent about it. It's what I do. I pride myself on doing a good job, or trying my best, or pushing through the bad times. That seems a little more important, doesn't it?

It's already Sunday morning.

Less than two weeks until Prague!

A Productive yet also Relaxing Sunday

...I just wish there was more of it. :)

First thing this morning, I did a workout. It was the first since my mom was here a month ago; no wonder my size eights are getting snug (forget about that size six).

I had a semi-healthy breakfast (instant oatmeal with banana and organic juice).

I FINALLY finished grading the short stories that were turned in back in OCTOBER. Yep, lazy bum, right here.

After deciding to leave the bio grade for next quarter (I already graded the quiz and resume), I was able to calculate grades for two of my three classes. No bubbles yet; perhaps I can start that tomorrow during some preps.

I bought another eBook, for the l!t c!rcle book that we don't have much info on. (I bought one last weekend too; we already have a bunch of stuff for the third title).

Upon the frustration that is my old-school desktop DVD player was acting up with all kinds of discs, and with nothing on television, I (rather excitedly) took myself to the library. I came home with TWELVE books: four each related to travel, teaching, and fluffy chick-lit. Guess which stack will get read first? Guess which stack will almost assuredly NOT get fully read? Heh.

I lay in bed reading and giggling for a few hours (Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need), took a nap, snacked on fully unhealthy foods.

AND, I finished my road trip scrapbook! I'm so excited! I just wish I had people to show it to. Maybe I'll bring it to school and force people to look.

That means that I can begin on the scrapbook for Barcelona/Paris! I think that one will run long, there are so many pictures! So many things to write about!

I talked to my mom tonight and brought up the danged fur coat. She wants me to bring and wear it in Prague (in less than three weeks now!). I'm interested in the warmness quality, but not so much in the bulkiness and heaviness factors. But basically, she's gonna force me (by phone from three thousand miles away, as moms can do) to bring it anyway. I'll probably have to use it as a blanket to keep it safe in the hostel at night, cause I'm ghetto like that.

She said she'll send me a fur-trimmed hat with fabric strappy things, and that I really need to go get fur-lined/other big warm boots. And hand-warmers. And toe-warmers.

All these things sound very practical. In theory, I should need them for winter here in New York. I really needed them last winter, when I had to walk around in the snow and below-freezing temperatures for several months. This year, it's a cakewalk! More like Northwest weather than typical Northeast. Weird.

Anyway, so sometime next weekend (which is busy!) I shall visit some stores, and spend money. And here I was hoping not to buy too much for this trip, since I bought a bunch of stuff for the Christmas one. Ah well.

Monday looms again. Damn, these weekends go too quickly.

Weekend Notes

Saturday:

Flushing Avenue is one of the worst-kept streets ever.
My directions led me on that street to the BQE, only that particular ramp was detoured. I successfully followed the detour and got onto the BQE, but then was past my exit. Frustrated and confused, I got off the freeway at Atlantic Avenue. I pulled over to the side of the road and consulted my handy Hagstrom atlas. And then I totally got myself to the volunteer site without getting lost. Hurrah! I was very proud of myself.

However, on the way back, I got off the BQE in Brooklyn. Big, colossal, stupid, moronic mistake. Metropolitan Avenue does not go all the way through; there's a huge, complicated detour in Maspeth. Ugh. Took FOREVER.

I stopped at Wendy's when I was almost home, because I felt like I deserved something a little special. Mm, butterfinger frosty.

Saturday Night:

Catherine Zeta-Jones is one hell of a performer. "Chicago" is one of the best stage shows, and the film version is also outstanding. "Cell Block Tango" is one of the best musical scenes of all time. However, I'm always disappointed that the disjointed filming doesn't let us just soak in the incredible dancing.

Anyway, I loved her opening number on Saturday Night Live. She's a fantastic singer, eh?

I laughed like a five-year-old boy *all* the way through the parody "Butt Cancer" commercial. Tee hee.

I went to bed at eleven and got up after eight. Ahhhsome.

Sunday:

One of my friends N and I went to Costco this afternoon. It took an hour to drive there, through stupid, traffic-ridden Astoria. I hate Astoria.

I spent way too much money, obviously, but I got a lot of stuff. For one, a snow shovel and ice scraper. Plus a huge thing of construction paper. Lots of snacks and other mostly healthy food.

We asked a lady at the store, and she told us how to get back to the Grand Central. Return travel time? Approximately twenty minutes. See? Stupid Astoria.