Crab Legs anyone?

This is hysterical!

Solid Milk

I brought a cup of milk to work last week as part of my breakfast. It was in one of those big Astros cups you get when you order a Diet Coke at the Juice Box, but that doesn't really matter. Anyway, there were just a couple of inches of milk at the bottom of the cup.
I put it in the small refrigerator I keep in my classroom. Then forgot about it.

Today, I was moving some things around to fit a pan of brownies in the fridge and needed to move the cup of milk. I glanced in the cup, planning to ask a student to go wash it out. The top inch or so? Solid! As in thick, all moves together when you swish the cup, solid! GROSS!

I felt like I'd been a part of a science experiment and didn't even know it.

3 months nothing...then an email?

So I had a date with a guy mid December. We didn't know each other very well, so it was a lot of conversation, laughter and all the "get to know you" type questions. All in all it wasn't a bad first date. A few days later I went out of town for Christmas. We talked a couple of times while I was gone. Upon my return to our great city, we scheduled a second date. The morning of our date, he calls me to cancel because he was moving that weekend and wasn't finished packing yet. No problem. I'm an understanding girl.

Then I don't hear from him again. Period.

Until this weekend. He emails me with no explanation whatsoever for his silence. Just chitchat about what has been going on in his life.

Seriously?

I've rediscovered an old flame

Yes, it's true. I admit it. I played Tetris all the time in college. I haven't played it in years and just found it on the internet. A free site! So I realize I've lost a few of my skills. But it's still fun nonetheless. Practice, right?

Gotta love tetris!

Tomorrow = Field Day

Well, really it's called Academic and Athletic Olympiad, but that's just a fancy shmancy term for Field Day. We're not allowed to give a test or quiz of any kind or in any other way take a grade on anything.

Students have tie-died shirts in art class over the past week. They are allowed to wear them tomorrow, and they enter the school uniform for the last month of classes.

We're to play academic games in the classroom for the first half of the day. At 11:00, we go outside to the track and have lunch. Parents are invited to come, and students don't have to stay with their teacher. (A headache in and of itself.) We have over 1,000 students at our school. There is certainly not enough parking, so parents have to park in the Kroger parking lot two blocks away and walk. They arrive late, because they're not expecting that much parking trouble. Students are crying because their parents aren't there, and they don't have a lunch.

After lunch, comes the "athletic olympiad" part of the event! There are inflatables, popsicles, scooter races, beanbag tosses, orange relays (you know the one, where you carry it in your neck and have to exchange it), musical chairs, etc.

Basically, the kids will have a blast and bounce off the walls all day long.

I will have a headache.

Weird Dream

I don't dream often. But my dream last night took place in a restaurant and regarded a vat of marinara sauce. A roach had been found in the sauce by someone in my group. I made a statement about wasting an entire pot of sauce. A person from the restaurant commented that they would only throw it out if we could find the roach's babies in the pot! It became quite a lively discussion!

Why can't I dream about white sandy beaches, frozen drinks, and volleyball games?

What's the deal?

I went to bed about 11 and my alarm went off at 5. 6 hours of sleep. Not bad, right? But for some reason today, my eyes are gritty, my body aches and I have an, "I'm tired!" headache. I want to whine. Instead, we have people coming to school to film our instructional strategies today. We have no idea which rooms they are going to enter. They are here from 9am-1pm and we have a list of things we're supposed to be doing for that entire time!

I just want a nap.

It's Friday!

This weekend is busy, and I know I'll be exhausted when it's over, but nevertheless...It's Friday! Whoo-hoo! :)

Healthy Conflict

I hung out with two friends last night. Throughout our conversation, some points of conflict arose. Through the conflict, there were some hurt feelings, disagreements, varying perspectives of the same situation, and miscommunication. Through the entire conversation we were discussing how we could do better in the given situation. At no point in time were we debating, yelling, refusing to discuss or arguing in any way. At the end of our time together, all hurt feelings had been mended, apologies had been made, and confusion was cleared up. My respect for my friends inched up a couple of notches. I so appreciate when conflict and disagreements can happen in a healthy way!

Technologically Savvy?

So last night at church the preacher referred to 8 track tapes. Most of the audience knew what they were, though probably only half of those had actually seen one.

I was chatting through gmail chat with a friend of mine yesterday. I initiated the chat and soon found out she had NEVER done instant messaging before. I was shocked, because that's how I communicated with everyone in college. She's not that much older than I am, but when she arrived at college, she'd never even heard of email!

I spoke with a high school student on the phone last night. She was trying to get to a website, but was typing an email address instead of the website address into the address field. She didn't realize there was a difference. I admit that floored me! A high schooler that didn't know the difference in email addresses and website addresses? What?

So all of these things caused me to think about what will be going on in just a few years, much less quite a few years that will separate generations.

Stream of Consciousness

1. I've never ordered lobster tails at a restaurant.

2. Grandma always ordered them.

3. Grandma liked Lamb Fries.

4. I ate Prairie Oysters in Australia right after the bull was castrated.

5. I'm in class right now talking about the lobster that the character in this story ate.

6. Don't giggle, don't giggle, don't giggle. Keep control!

Are you smarter than a Houston 5th grader?

Are you smarter than a Houston 5th grader?

Check this out! :)

Welcome to the new edition of getting to know your friends. ~

I got this as a forward. I decided to blog it instead of reply via email. This is my blog, so I can do whatever I want! :)


1. What is your occupation? Teacher, ESL


2. What color are your socks right now? I'm not wearing any.


3. What are you listening to right now? My students turning pages as they take a practice TAKS test.


4. What was the last thing that you ate? Diet Coke for breakfast. Yeah, baby!


5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, though I don't often.


6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red Hot! :)


7. The last person you spoke to on the phone? Nicole. She called around 5:30 this morning to tell me she wasn't coming to work today! :(


8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Of course!


9. How old are you today? 26


10. Favorite drink? Strawberry margarita and Diet Coke!


11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Definitely baseball! (And my allegiance has shifted...Go 'Stros!)


12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Am I female?


13. Pets? No, thank you.


14. Favorite food? Chips and queso


15. What was the last movie you watched? Ferris Bueller's Day Off


16. What was the last book you read? Remember


17. What was your favorite toy as a child? my doll, Amy


18. Which is your favorite, fall or spring? Spring


19. Hugs or kisses? Yes, please!


21. Cherries or Blueberries? Blackberries


22. Living arrangements? 1 bdrm apartment, but if anyone wants to buy me a house...I'm just sayin'


23. When was the last time you cried? Two weeks ago, yesterday.


24. What is on the floor of your closet? shoes, filing cabinet, pictures, bookshelf, books that don't fit on the bookshelf, purses


25. What did you do last night? Went to class, talked with Jill on the phone


26. What inspires you? This is a cheesy question and I'm not in a cheesy mood today, so sorry, but no answer for you!


27. What are you afraid of FLYING or BOATING? Afraid? To do something fun? Nope!


28. What fear have you conquered? I was petrified of jumping off the high dive when I was little, but I did it!


34. Favorite dog breed? Chocolate or black labs


35. Number of keys on your key ring? 2


36. How many years at your current job? 5


37. Favorite day of the week? Sunday, though Saturday comes pretty darn close!


38. How many states have you lived in? 2, but I don't really count Arkansas since I was only there for college. So really just 1, the best state of all!

39. Favorite holidays? Christmas


40. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? No and honestly, I don't have any desire to drive either.

New Name

I decided it was time for a new name for my blog. Hmmm....My Life was only because I wasn't feeling creative that day. I like this one much better! :)

Our Spiritual Citizenship

This is an article printed in the Dallas Morning News yesterday that succintly explains the Christian faith.

Truth = Ouch

I've been told I have control issues regarding my vehicle. Can we say, "ouch!"

I like driving my car. I don't care where we're going, I'd rather drive. I've already admitted in former posts to being an aggressive driver. Maybe this is part of the problem. I don't think others are aggressive enough. We don't get there fast enough. "Hey, there's a spot on the highway in front of that car, why don't you take it?" So I'm working on giving up control...but it's NOT easy!

A friend of mine was coming to my apartment today. We were going to run some errands and then meet some friends for an Astros game. She called on her way and asked if we could take her car. I had a bunch of stuff for the needed errands in my car, but decided to release control (a conscious effort.) We took her car and ran several errands. (We were VERY productive.) As we leave our last place and head to meet our friends, she gives me the keys to her car and says, "Will you drive please?" Ha!

A Recent Conversation

Me: I think it's interesting that people think I'm Little Miss Innocent

Him: I don't think you're Little Miss Innocent at all!

Me: (raise eyebrow with mouth slightly open)

Him: I'm going to be quiet now. I keep getting myself in trouble. Hi, Alyssa. Bye, Alyssa. That is all I'm allowed to say to you.

Odd sleeping schedule

I was so tired yesterday! I left work right at 3:15 (the earliest we are allowed to leave) and went straight home. I was laying on my couch and fell asleep around 4:00. I was startled awake at 6:00 by a friend's text message, but went right back to sleep after replying (of course!) At 9:15 I woke up. I was thirsty, so I got a drink. I should have moved to my bed and gone back to sleep, but I didn't. Instead I played around on the computer until 1:00am! Then, because I knew I would have trouble getting up this morning, I took a shower to get ready for today. I started my dishwasher right before I went to bed...it didn't go off until 3:00. I think I fell asleep around 2:15...and my alarm went off at 5:45.

But I'm more awake today than I was yesterday!

Confession

I have worn no make-up but mascara and lip gloss for the past 3 days...and I don't care!

Blah

Today is just a "blah" day. You know what I'm talking about. No matter how cute you do or do not look. No matter your attitude at the beginning of the day. No matter how much work you are supposed to get done. It's just a "blah" day.

I don't want to do anything but take a nap. I certainly don't want to be at work. I don't want to deal with kids who don't know how to behave. I don't want to listen to a coworker complain. I don't want to... well you get the idea.

Blah...

Whew! Spring Cleaning!

As you can tell from my post earlier today, I was in need of some productivity around my apartment. Oddly enough, I am very productive while on the phone and oftentimes that productivity seeps into my time once I am off the phone. So I call my mom on the way home from class tonight. We're chit-chatting, about some pretty heartfelt stuff actually, and when I walk in the door (still on the phone) I'm energized to get stuff done!

Sheets on bed (check)

All laundry folded and put away (check)

File various and assundry paperwork (check)

Sweep kitchen (check)

Rehang closet light fixture that fell a month ago (check)

Put away all purses used in last week (check)

Pick up all shoes left throughout apartment (check)

Hang all clothes hanging on back of desk chair (check)

Put pile of papers to be shredded by door to go to work tomorrow (check)

Vacumn all carpeted areas (check)

Pay bills (check)

Sign tax return (check)

Reprint tax return because signed on wrong line...

Ah well... I guess I can't do everything right the first time!

On the couch = ...in the doghouse?

I live in an apartment complex that does not have washer/dryer hookups in the apartments. Instead, we go to a small in-complex laundromat. There are eight washers and eight dryers, though none of them all work at the same time. It is $1.00 to wash and $1.00 to dry. I usually do 3 or 4 loads at one time, unless I have sheets or towels...then its more like 5 or 6. The laundromat is great because I get it done all at one time. The laundromat isn't so great because I can't do it throughout the week as I have time to throw a load in.

So Sunday, I did laundry. This week I needed to do sheets and towels, so there were more loads than usual. Not a big deal though, because there are multiple machines, and I get $50 in quarters from the bank about every 6-8 months, so quarters aren't a problem either. I got all the wash done before church, but didn't have time to get it out of the dryer before I had to leave. So I arrive home about 9pm and head to the laundromat to pick up my laundry. A friend came over and we hung out until just after 10. I hadn't put my sheets back on my bed and that is an overwhelming task to me when I'm tired, so I decided to just sleep on the couch.

Yesterday was another busy day. I didn't arrive home until after 9:30...so I didn't even bother with the sheets. They're sitting on my bed in a clean clump. The towels are still in the laundry basket, as is the rest of the laundry. Yet again, I slept on the couch.

I have class tonight and will get home around 8:00. Hopefully I will have enough energy to actually finish my laundry!

NEXT SEASON ON SURVIVOR

Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show?

Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary school classroom for 6 weeks. Each business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school district's curriculum, and a class of 28 students.

Each class will have five learning-disabled children, three with A.D.D., one gifted child, and two who speak limited English. Three will be labeled with severe behavior problems.

Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also supervise recess and monitor the hallways.

In addition, they will complete fire drills, tornado drills, and [Code Red] drills for shooting attacks.

They must attend workshops, (20 hours), faculty meetings, union meetings, curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor those students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the RPTE and NAEP tests. Not to mention that those two non-English speaking students will take the TAKS next year, so they have to be ready for it! If the business men or women are sick or having a bad day, they must not let it show.

Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment at all times.

The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to 30 minutes. On days when they do not have recess duty, the business people will be permitted to use the staff restroom as long as another survival candidate is supervising their class. They cannot listen to their iPod while at work or make an occasional personal phone call because they will not have a phone anywhere near them.

They will be provided with two 40-minute planning periods per week while their students are at specials.

If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials at this time. They cannot surpass their daily limit. The business people must, also, continually advance their education on their own time, using their own money.

The winner will be allowed to return to his or her job.

I did it!

I sewed a button on!

What? You say.

I know, I know. I'm little Miss Susie Homemaker or something or other.

But, I have awful issues with sewing on a button! If one falls off, I simply don't wear the article of clothing again or wait for my mom to come and visit. It all goes back to my HomeEc teacher in high school giving me a bad grade on the boxer shorts I had to make...all because of the button! I remember lots of frowning, fussing, and "Alyssa, this isn't hard."

Which hole do I start with? Do I crisscross or go straight across? What if the thread doesn't match? Does it matter which hole I come back in on? Ugh! The pressure! So now, I just refuse to do it. Until this week! I had a pair of clam diggers that were brand-spankin' new. Still had the tags on 'em! And one button was very loose. But you see, it was on the inside! So who cares if the thread doesn't match and it doesn't look all pretty. I can still sew the button on, wear them and nobody will be the wiser.

So....I did it!