Damn!!!

Today is "Stay Home Because You're Well Day"!!! Why didn't I check on that yesterday to have plans ready for today!? Oh well...

Today should be a relatively easy day. The sophomores are going to the WCCC (Career Center) and so I'll have fewer kids so that will be nice. I really need to start thinking about exams since they are in about 2 1/2 weeks! Is that right? Am I stupid and can't calculate the dates? Oy Vey!!! Someone help me out. Anyway, I need to start prepping the kids in Language Arts at least cause I think I'm going to have the exam be all our vocab which is about 70 words...ugh! They're going to fail!

In other news: Dot's mom passed away yesterday! She was 90 something and I know it was her time...I just feel bad for Dot.

In some other news...get a load of this face! Mmmm...mmmm....mmm! That's face with some baked ziti (rotini really) and cupcakes. He LOVED the cupcakes Maggie made for my birthday. He LOVED the baked ziti too! He's such a good boy and being in Columbus with nearly all my siblings (missed Anne and wished she could be there) and little J Bird was the perfect gift. It's all I really needed.

Okay - I better head out because truly I don't know what the heck I'm teaching today...yowza...oh crap, Bubba just barfed!!! JIM!!!

Columbus Bound

Yippee!!! Headed to Columbus here in a bit. Jim and I are going to meet Dad at an exit to get Cullen and then head up around 10!!!! Trip and Susan and J Bird will be there as well! It's going to be a PARRRRTAY!!! Can't wait to hang and play games and eat baked Ziti and maybe a little cake - cause it's my birthday!!! Can't believe I'm 39 - almost 40!!! Best time of my life!

So, I missed Aunt Kathleen's birthday yesterday! I'm a douche!!! Sorry! I hope you had a great day Aunt K lots of cake, wine, presents and good company!

Here's a funny story from Thanksgiving - which was terrific and delicious and I wish I had been able to eat more than the two helpings I did! So we had finished eating and people were getting dessert. I was sitting at the table with Maggie and Becky. Dad walks in. I look over into the great room and see that his favorite and most coveted spot is free so I said (hoping he'd go take a load off cause he had been going all day), "Hey Dad, your seats open," and I pointed to the couch. He turned toward me and reached behind him (to his seat) and said, "WHAT!?" Then he walked away. It was funny! I just laughed again!

Okay - I gotta go get things ready and feed the babies and Jim...Later all! Have a good weekend and THANK YOU DIANE!!!! You better call me if you need me!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Mmm...turkey...stuffing...mashed potatoes...succotash...broccoli casserole...pies (chocolate chip and apple)...ice cream...

I think I hear the treadmill calling my name. I need to walk at least 2 miles cause I plan on eating well today!

So, yesterday I went to Raeburn and Maggie and I made pies. They look and smell delicious. When the apple came out of the oven, I bent over it and took a deep inhale...it made my mouth water so much that I wanted to just stick my face in it and take a ginormous bite! While Mag and I baked, Dad did his favorite thing: Peeled potatoes! That man loves to sit at the sink and peel away! After everyone got home we had Dewey's Pizza (buffalo chicken pizza was fabulous!!!) and I managed to get home by 7...I had to feed the pups and boy were they ravenous! Ooh, when I left Raeburn, there were 3 deer in the next door neighbors yard, 5 across the street and then in the next block I saw another. There were never deer like that when I was growing up! Crazy!!!

Jim called around 10:30 and said he was going out with some people after work to have a beer and he didn't get home until 2AM!!! Good for him...I'm glad he's found people at work that he wants to have a beer with. Hopefully he'll sleep until about 10 so he's not a complete bum today.

Today: I plan on leaving here around noon. I want to wait until around 10:30 or so to feed the dogs so they aren't waiting around too long for dinner...I don't expect we'll get home until around 8 or so...and I also want to walk them before leaving. In regard to the diet change and how Bubba's doing, I go back and forth on the itching. One minute he seems better and then next he seems worse. I know they said it will take up to 8 weeks before there's a complete turn around but I feel so bad for him and just wish this were a quick fix! I think tomorrow I'll have to give him a bath because his skin is a mess. It helps relieve his itching...at least for a little while.

Anyway, I'm going to go sit and drink more coffee, read my awesome book and cuddle with my babies. I hope everyone has a superb Thanksgiving today! Eat lots and be safe! Later!

The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell

I know, I know...it's been a while since I've posted a recent read. One reason is, I read the recent release by Diana Gabaldon (Echo in the Bone) and it was nearly 900 pages and I took my sweet time reading it. I'm not planning on reviewing that because unless you've read the previous 6 books it won't make any sense to you and if you ever do decide to read this series (Outlander series and I seriously recommend it) I don't want to ruin anything for you.

So, I've finished the above. This book happens to be the 17th (I think) in her Kay Scarpetta series. It takes place, like the last one in NYC. Kay is working on the autopsy of a young woman who came into the morgue that day. The autopsy reveals a violent death but the body is telling a different story than what the police brought in with it. As a scientist, Kay is forced to believe what medical, factual evidence says to her no matter that her friends/family/police think she may be delving into a God-like mentality of herself. This in turn causes her to start questioning her knowledge and training. More intrigue enters the picture when a suspicious package is delivered to her apartment in NYC. As the contents of the package are revealed, Kay, her husband, Benton, her niece Lucy and her best friend Marino are forced to face the fact that something from their past is not just haunting them but is in fact stalking them.

I read this book fairly quickly because it was deeeeelicious. Patricia Cornwell has stepped back and returned to writing in a more personal way - giving her characters the attention and respect that they deserve. (For a couple novels - probably numbers 14 and 15, Cornwell disappointed). She's allowed, in the Scarpetta Factor for her "novel family" to continue to develop without turning into "people" they are not. If you are familiar with this series, I would certainly recommend it but if you haven't read any, start with #1 - Post Mortem - you won't be disappointed!

Last Day Of The Work Week!!!

I'm so happy! Today is my Friday and I have a LONNNNNNGGGG weekend! Need it...deserve it!
So, here's what Zeke does while I'm at work. Jim tucked him all in and then snapped his photo. He's such a sweet baby! Makes me want to stay home from work and cuddle! Mmmm what a baby!

On Jim's new job, things are going okay. I think it's taking a bit of a toll, him adjusting to his new schedule but once training is over (another 2 1/2-3 weeks) things will be better. In addition to that, the training hasn't been going well because some of the programs at the facility haven't been running correctly. The first few days, there were 5 people (Jim included) who didn't have a computer - tech support kind of needs a computer. His calls last night - during his breaks - were much more positive, however. He said he was actually learning something (they had a different instructor and his computer was working).

Jim's also been great about doing things for me before leaving for work. He walks all the dogs before leaving, he cleans and the last two days he's worked, he's laid me a fire! Keep it up Jim!!!

Oh, I forgot to mention this "stupid comment" that a student made on Friday. Lisa was showing her class a video with Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) and one of the students asked, "Did he make this video before or after he died?" WOW!!!

OK - my computer is acting the fool and I can't stand it anymore...must motor...later!

I Got Nothing!

A bad day in the Jungle people. Damn those Bengals! I think the stupid announcers jinxed them by announcing over and over again that they were 0-9 at Oakland. Oh well, now 0-10. I guess you just gotta lick your wounds and move on. And can I just say I've always liked Solomon Wilcox in the past but he pissed me off yesterday! I find his comments about Ochocinco rather unprofessional! Oh well I'm just mad and looking to place blame anywhere.

So this week is a 2 day work week for me!!! Yippee!!! Wednesday I'm headed to Raeburn to help Maggie bake pies. Mmmm...PIE!!! Other than that, I'll be chillin with my babies.

In the puppy department...the new dog food is going well. I'm afraid they aren't getting enough food but I know that's ridiculous - Bubba gets 4 cups a day and Sami and Zeke get about 3...Sami really gets less but Zeke sometimes doesn't eat all his and she finishes it up. Anyway, that is the recommended amount according to the bag of Natural Balance so...I'm not going to worry. Bubba's itching seems to be okay...right now we just need to keep his eyebrows lubed because the dry skin makes him nutty. Once that heals, I think he'll be much better.

I finished another dog sweater. I think it is sweet and comfy. I put it on Sami and she was not a happy camper. I thought that if I knit one that was much larger and roomy, she wouldn't hate it so much. Not the case. Once I took it off her she was all mad and walked up to Bubba (who was just trying to compliment her pretty sweater and tell her how purty she looked) and barked right in his ear! She's so bitchy sometimes. I love her! Anyway, by friend Kim's baby - Riley - should be nice and toasty this winter!

Okay, that's all I've got. best finish getting dolled up. Later! Ohhh...I finished The Scarpetta Factor (I will review later) and I've started another: Audrey Niffenegger's 2nd novel (she wrote The Time Traveler's Wife). Her new one is called A Fearful Symmetry! I'm loving it already. Maggie, download that for your Sony Reader thingy - we can read it at the same time! K - later!

Whoops!

BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! Woke up to a rather cold house. Poor puppies. It got pretty warm yesterday and when Jim and I got home from our "day of fun", we opened the sliding glass door so the babies could come and go as the pleased. Then, we had a really nice fire last night and whoops - forgot to turn the heat back on. It's 32 degrees outside right now but it only got down to 55 in our house. That's not too bad.

So, after much research, I finally changed Bubba's (and eventually Sami and Zeke's) food. I still have a little Iams left so I'm mixing that with a dollop of the new canned stuff for Sam and Z. I'm now feeding them Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance - Sweet Potato and Chicken. After reading a ton about different grain-free foods, this one seemed to best serve our needs. The flavor I chose is actually a new flavor and is considered their allergen-free, grain-free, best-for-dogs-who-itch food. If it doens't seem to be doing the job, they have lots of other proteins I could switch to (venison, duck, fish, organic) and even a totally vegetarian flavor (which I would hate to do since doggies are carnivores). I thought it would be difficult having to feed them all at the same time, 2 times per day but so far so good. I bought a few cans as well to mix in a dollop to whet their whistle and that seems to be making them happy as clams. The largest bag (about 30 lbs.) is just under $50; the cans are $1.88 (I bought 4). You figure, however, that we were having to buy all this Benadryll, the food we had was about $40 for a 40 lb. bag and then we've cut out their chewies as well...just the food and carrots. I'm betting it will all come out in the wash. Plus, we're cutting back their intake too - well, Bubba's! It would be worth a million bucks, really, if it helped Bubba's itching.

Speaking of which! I may be crazy and I may be hoping too hard but it seems to me that his itching has subsided tremendously. Usually I wake up a couple times per night trying to get him to stop his itching and nibbling on his paws but last night he didn't do it once. AND!!! usually when he gets up in the morning, his eyes are full of junk...not today! So, cross your fingers and hope this offers him some relief!

So, today, Jim and I will be hanging at the homestead. We need to clean the house and then we'll chill - maybe go to the local bar for a little MegaTouch- and then come home to watch the Bengals at 4:15 (they play Oakland!!! Hope your not a fan Aunt Kathleen cause I think God hates the Raiders too!) I'm making Crispy Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken! Yum...this is a recipe I got from Maggie and it is delicious!

4 small boneless chicken breast trimmed
1 C. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 C Toasted breadcrumbs
1 1/3 c tortilla chips crushed coarse crumbs
1 C lightly packed sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C slice jarred jalapenos chopped and patted dry
1 lime cut into wedges

HEAT OVEN 450 Put flat rack on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Pound chicken b/w plastic-wrap to even out thickness.

In a large bowl ( I use a storage bag) mix yogurt, with 1/2 of thyme, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat well. You can marinate overnight OR just proceed with coating.

Put the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and toss with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, jalapenos and remaining thyme. Working with one piece at a time, transfer chicken to the dish of crumbs, scoop some crumbs on top, and press well so crumbs adhere to both sides. Transfer to the rack on the baking sheet.

Bake until firm to touch and registers 165 on instant thermometer. About 20 min. Serve immediately with lime for squeezing over chicken.

K - I'm out...gotta go pounce on my hubby - wake his ass up! He's in trouble too because he didn't get coffee ready last night! Later!

Some Things I'm Excited For!!!

There aren't many. However:

Seeing my husband tomorrow. I haven't seen him since Sunday except for a kiss goodbye in the morning - and really, then I don't see him cause the lights are off...oh and he came down yesterday just to give me a hug. Oh, and then he never came to bed last night because he fell asleep on the couch and so when I got up at 5 and he got up to go upstairs, I saw him then! He gave me a hug and then said, "See you tomorrow!" So, I'm excited to spend Saturday and Sunday with him...make him a nice "live" home cooked meal.

They've announced the premier for LOST!!! February 2nd...2 hours...which I won't be able to stay up for but I'll DVR it! I can't wait.

I'm excited that it's "Name Your PC Day"! I've dubbed mine Fickle! Some days it works...other days - not so much. But I still love it and wonder what I did without it.

I'm really excited that I have a two day week next week! I plan on doing very little in my teaching classes. We're about to start studying the Industrial Revolution in history so next week we'll watch Oliver Twist. Then in Language Arts, I'm having the kids make totem poles (not real) and they'll be finishing those and maybe we'll watch the Peanuts Thanksgiving afterwards...I love to watch Snoopy pop popcorn...it makes me giggle.

I'm excited to see Maggie and Charlie next week and hopefully head up to their place on my birthday (28th)...and J.J. will be there too!!!

I'm excited to see Trip and Susan and the rest of the Arbaugh clan next week too...not just Maggie and Chuck!!!

I'm excited to eat loads and loads of turkey. I've been working out pretty hard lately in preparation for all the grub...mmmm...turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and succotash and pie and pie and pie and chocolate chip cookie pie!!!

I'm excited that my friend Diane will soon be feeling better!!!

I'm excited that over the next two months I'll only have to do 2 IEPs!!!

I'm excited that today is Friday!!!

I'm excited that...I can't think of anything else...

K - gotta head out...I'm not excited about going to work...but TGIF!!! Later

Have A Bad Day!!!

That's right - a year's gone by since I've wished you all a Happy Bad Day!!! I hope yours today is as crappy as it can be!

I think my "bad day" came a day early yesterday! Actually, my day wasn't really bad yesterday, I just had a 20 minute period that was "bad". And by bad I mean that I had to meet with that oh so annoying father of Slappy. You know the one: butcher, baker, candlestick maker! The man with every profession out there. (I forgot to tell you ladies about this yesterday). So, apparently (in his mind) Slappy's dad is also a former special ed teacher. This bit of information came about when he accused me of cutting him off and not writing an IEP that detailed his sons problems (that have never existed at school, nor been a discipline issue that we've had to deal with at school). After telling me how accommodating he is and then accusing me of consistently cutting him short in meetings (um, yeah, we set extra time aside for this guy because he rambles on endlessly) he tells me that he's, "written many many many IEPs in the past! He knows how it's supposed to be done!" Of course later when asked by my VP why he signed the IEP if he thinks it is so poorly written, his answer was, "I didn't know that I could refuse; I'm not an expert on this!" Hmmm...

In the end, my meeting was a joke. The father stormed out of the office, told Slappy NOT to sign anything (he's 19 and technically in charge of his own life) and proceeded to the expulsion hearing where he ranted and raved for an hour and a half. When he was leaving he said, "I'm outta here! I won't sit here and listen to this! I'll see you all over the KEC!" Me: "Well, I won't be there but, okay! Bye! See ya Slappy!" (Of course I didn't say "Slappy" I used his real name - I just wanted to make sure he knew that I'm not "mad" at him.) In the end, he'll be back to school the Monday after T-giving and hopefully his job through MRDD won't be affected.

The really sucky thing, however, is that all the kids are talking about it. So's the staff - which is ridiculous - but the kids are going around discussing it. I've tried to staunch that quickly when I hear it but I'm not privy to the discussions in the hallways so...poor Slappy. Maybe this'll learn him! Yeah right! That's like saying, "Maybe he's not mentally retarded anymore!"

K - I gotta head out. Later and have a bad day!!!

Sick Of The Crap!!!

God am I just exhausted! Seriously! It's only November. I have another 6-7 months of school to deal with not to mention the non-professional shit that seems to be clouding around above me! Ugh! Fer Real!? I'm hoping that the Powerball Jim and I will be playing for tomorrow's drawing is a winner because my plans? Quitting my job, effective immediately and quitting my life - meaning I'm moving away with no forwarding address - effective immediately! IDGARA!!! Oh, and Suck It!!!

Today (Wednesday) at work, I have the "manifestation determination" meeting for Slappy - prior to his expulsion hearing. The meeting has been moved up - about 9 days - because Slappy's father has been badgering the assistant superintendent and my sped supervisor, repeatedly. He called the main office today three times. The father - adoptive - is ready to turn the kid over to MRDD and have him withdrawn from school. Way to stand by your "son"!!! What a f$&king asshole!!! This guy is so going to be sucking the biggest turd in hell when he dies. His only goal in life is to make a few bucks off poor, minority special ed kids. He finds the most down-on-their-luck kids, adopts them (Oh, and they have to be as cognitively delayed as possible because special ed means cash) and then turns them out of his house when it turns out that these kids may need a bit more guidance, love and caring than he's willing to expend! Terrible! Horrible!!!

You think you've got problems!? You think you've got shit to bitch and moan about?! You think the world has treated you bad?! Try being this poor kid on my caseload who has NO ONE!!! NO ONE who actually cares about him!!! NO ONE willing to make an attempt to keep his life in line and keep him out of jail. NO ONE to keep him from falling through the cracks!!! He doesn't have a damn person in his life to TEACH him the lessons that will lead him through to old age!!! It just makes me sad!

Who out there has something to bitch about that can top that?!

And that's all I can deal with right now. Nothing else. No other bullshit is worth my time. I think we should all just take a step back and be just a little bit thankful that the people we have in our lives, the people we are lucky enough to call friends and family actually treat us like loved ones and don't throw us to the wolves when the times get tough.

Done!

Slappy's At It Again!

Oh boy what a day yesterday!

So, there I am, minding my own business. It's my planning period and so I head to the office to turn some paperwork in to FW. As I walk there, I see that the sheriff is here. "Uh oh. Some kid has either gotten in a fight, sold/bought drugs or stolen something." I don't think too much of it though because the sheriff shows up pretty often at our school. I also can't see who he's talking to and I don't make it a priority to find out. However, I soon must walk directly in the area where the cop is questioning this someone so that I can deposit an envelope to go into the "pony". But again, I mind my own business and do what I need to do without interfering in police business. The next thing I hear, however, is this from the cop: "So, you say you were just walking around taking pictures for photography class? Then why would these two people," pointing to the Junior High vice-principal and one of the aides down there, "say you were running around with no clothes on? Naked?" Well, how can I help whipping my head up at this point? Who do I see sitting their looking scared, rattled and slightly satisfied (YUCK!!!)? That's right, Slappy, the kid on my caseload who loves to do the (in MY VP's words) 5-knuckle shuffle!!!

Oh, and even better, about 20 junior high kids witnessed this too! Oh, and Slappy is 19! In the end, the cop said he couldn't arrest Slappy because the offence was a misdemeanor (I don't know how that can be) so Slappy is, right now, suspended for 10 days with recommendation for expulsion. I'll have to have a meeting to determine if this was something that occurred because of his disability. I have a hard time saying it isn't. He's just really that cognitively delayed.

Oh, and did I tell you that HE STRIPPED DOWN TO NOTHING!!! I don't understand why he couldn't just quickly whip it out and take care of it lickety split!

Oh, and did I mention that apparently he was smackin it so hard, his watch flew off? The VP had to go out to the dumpster to find it for him. I hope he took some gloves.

Oh BOY!!! I'm going to have a headache having to deal with this for the next few weeks (months?). UGH!!! And the sucky thing? This kid is in a job-to-work program that we've got him involved in with MRDD. He just got a job with Biggs. I don't know what this means for that now. He'll probably lose the job. Right now I have to figure out what to tell them.

Okay, on that note, I need to head to work. I'm exhausted already and the sun isn't even up. Yowza!

Monday - Back To The Grind

This should be an interesting week. Six months really. At least. Jim starts today with his weird 2nd shift job. He had orientation on Friday but that was 8-5, no biggie. Today starts 2 weeks of 3-11 and then another two weeks of 3-9...I think. It should be interesting not having him here at night. I will have a lot of time to read, that's for sure. I still plan on cooking dinners at least 4 nights a week. Jim will need the leftovers for his dinner breaks and I still need to eat healthy, don't I? I made chili last night with ground turkey...delicious. Can't wait for lunch.

In other news: My ass is killing me. I started new workout yesterday. I try and change up what I do every month or so. Otherwise I get bored and stop working out. For a while I was doing my aero pilates. Then I switched to my recumbent bike and now I'm back to my treadmill. I'm doing a program on it that has major hills and my ass is paying for it. I guess if it doesn't hurt it isn't working, huh? I think my ass may also hurt because I gave poor Bubba a bath Saturday and bending over for a 1/2 hour was quite the workout on my maximus as well as the back of my legs.

Can I just say, Poor Bubba!!?? He is pitiful. He rubbed his eyes so bad Saturday that he gave himself rug burn and he drew blood. I'm at my wits end with him! We're trying to never leave him alone so that he can't do that to himself but it's hard. With Jim's new schedule, there will only be about 1/2 hour between when Jim leaves for work and when I get home. Again, Poor Bubba! I need to switch his food and see if that helps. So hard though with two other pups.

Okay, I best head out cause I have no idea what I'm doing today at school! Yikes! Later.

Who Dey Bitches!!!

Confirmation has been made: God hates the Steelers!!! Yippee!!!

Chili is now calling my name!!!

Later, going to go cuddle with my hubby (I accidentally called him my "huggy"...that's funny).

More Computer Woes

So, I came home yesterday to a blank computer screen. No screen saver, no moving "windows" icon, no nothing. And the nothing wouldn't go away. So I shut the motha down, restarted and saw that the problem was the color-tubey thing. It went out about 1 1/2 years ago (remember when I was sans my computer for about a month?) and it seems the replacement part finally went kaput. So, today, I went to Best Buy and bought, for just over $100, a monitor. And it's awesome. I'm seeing color like I haven't seen before. I didn't realize my blog was so GREEN!!! Goodness. So, here I sit, typing away on my laptop with a ginormous monitor glaring me in the face. It's kind of awesome. Of course the portability of the laptop has sort of been compromised but, alas, 100 bucks is better than over 500!

In husband news, Jim has the next 5 weekends off! It's kind of nice. However, this morning he was driving me bananas being a douche bag and all. Following me around, being goofy...at one point he said, "After these 5 weekends off, we're barely going to get to see each other with me working that weird 3-9 shift for at least 6 months!" My answer, "That may just save our marriage." We both laughed our asses off at that.

In more computer news, the letter "a" on my keyboard is starting to be all weird and crap out. Half the time it doesn't register when I type and it's driving me bonkers!!!

K - Jim is playing poker with the guys tonight and he's currently napping (stupid letter "a"!!!)...I need to go wake him so he can get ready and help me change the sheets on the bed before he leaves. Later!

Totally Bummed!!!

I was just looking at a website that posts celebs birthdays and can you believe I'm 10 - TEN years older than Ryan Gosling!!! (You know, from the Notebook). How can that be?! I guess when he and I get together I'll be considered a cougar! Ugh! How embarassing, huh!

Hold on, Sami's trying to climb on my lap...I love her!

In other news, it's Friday!!! Jim and I are going out to eat tonight but I'm not sure where. We'll be celebrating his first day of work which starts today. He had his last day at OG yesterday. He decided a schedule with NO days off for a month would be too much for him. I told him to do whatever he needed to do. He's been working like a dog anyway and deserves a bit of a rest. Cross your fingers that he likes his new job...although, even if he doesn't, he's going to have to stick with it!

So today I have an IEP meeting - my last for about a month! What a relief! After a December IEP, I won't have another until January. Yippee!!! Today shouldn't be too bad but the only people who will probably be there will be the other, student and me. I've excused the general education teacher from having to attend and because the mother switched the time, the Speech and Language person can't attend because she has another meeting during mine. And you KNOW an administrator won't show! Lame-o's!

K - gotta head out...later...sorry so boring!

Can I Get A "HEY!!!!" For A Guy That Married A HO!!!

That's right! It's Charlie's birthday!!! The big 4-0!!! Happy birthday Charlie! I hope your day is fabulous! I'm sending you 40 hugs and kisses! And by the way, thanks for deciding to take on the massive task that is Maggie! I know it can sometimes be daunting but isn't it worth it when you get to spend time with the rest of us!? Anyway, HB!!

(By the way, I think in this picture Charlie is thinking, "God I'm lucky to have such a GREAT sister-in-law - MUIR!!!")

So, I knit the cutest dog sweater for Kim's (at work) dog Riley. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it will be too small. I tried it on Sami and though she refused to move with it on - making it hard to see the fit - it was pretty tight. She and Riley are about the same size - I think - so...poop!!! Anyway, I'll bring it to work and Kim - you can try it on your pup but I'm pretty sure it will be too small/tight. If that's the case, I'll just give it to my Anne for Maizy. I'm gonna start another one here though for Kim...I'll make it for a size larger this time!

In other news, I have a massive headache. I just downed some ibuprofen but can I just say how much it sucks to START your day off with a headache?! Ugh! In good news, however, I slept through the night!!! For the previous two nights, I woke up around midnight and laid there for about 3 hours. Sucked. I guess it finally caught up with me though and I slept like a baby rock. Weird dreams though. Maybe that's why I have a headache.

K - I'm going to head upstairs to put the finishing touches on this masterpiece. Later and again - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHUCK!!!

Happy Anniversary Maggie and Charlie!!!

I looked at the calendar last night and said to Jim, "Two years ago, we were in Alabama!" What fun that was. Loved the B&B, loved the wedding, loved the everything (except when the airline lost my luggage). Sigh...wish I was there right now. Oh well, happy anniversary Maggie and Charlie. Two years!!! If it were still around, you would now be past the number of years allowed for couples on the Newlywed Game! The honeymoon is over I guess.

So, I'm one sore and tired bitch. Yesterday's leaf collecting extravaganza lasted from about 10AM until 4PM. Some day off, huh? Jim and I could both barely walk last night and Jim even took a hot bath to soak his weary hips and knees! No complaints here, except you would have thought I would pass out and sleep like a baby rock, wouldn't you? Well, you'd be wrong. I woke up at around 12:30 and couldn't fall asleep until about 3:00. Oh well, I feel okay...lets just hope I sleep tonight.

Yesterday marked the last day that Jim will have off for nearly a month (I chose the right day to be "sick", huh?). Friday, he starts his Convergys job and during that time, he'll be in training Monday - Friday and work weekends at the Garden. Poor guy. Oh, I forgot! He gets Thanksgiving and the Friday after off. That's a bonus! Anyway, after his training is over, he'll most likely have to quit his OG job because of the weird hours at Convergys. We'll see though, he may be able to work something out.

K - I've got to head out so I can catch up at work today. Later.

Monday, Home "Sick"

I had planned on calling in sick all along, since Friday but after my dinner party on Saturday, I actually need the extra day for recovery. I drank just a little too much but didn't really realize it until Sunday when I woke up and still felt drunk. That feeling continued all day long. Ugh! Couldn't even make breakfast (poor Jim). AND I'm sore as hell. At first, I couldn't figure out why my back ached or my upper chest felt like I got beat up until I recalled the "push ups" that we did on Saturday night. I think I got through 1. Pitiful! And I kept trying to show that I wasn't a total weakling but alas, could get my face off the floor.

Anyway, dinner was great. Everyone loved the food. The dogs were perfect. They're still recovering too. Zeke couldn't even make it outside this morning. He came downstairs, looked outside, looked at his sweet dog pillow, looked outside again and then opted for his bed rather than relieving his bladder. He's so tired. I love him.

So, today, since Jim is off work, we'll get the leaves done in the yard. The task looks daunting but it's so dry out that it shouldn't be a problem at all. We'll probably just drag everything through the back yard and beyond the fence. Hopefully we'll finish before the afternoon and I can relax the rest of the day. After my push ups and then the leaves, I'll be majorly sore tomorrow. Oh well, a good workout.

K - I'm off to make breakfast - I owe that to Jimmy...and then we're leaf bound. Later.

Big Weekend!

So it's the Friday of my big dinner party weekend. It will be a busy one for me starting tonight. After school I'll be heading to Target for some soup bowls/cups (something smaller than what I have in my every day wear). After that, I'll head to Kroger for the needed groceries for my Cajun themed feast. When I get home, I'll make my bisque and then probably pass out after a tough week at school.

Saturday, Jim took off work and he and I will be doing a marathon clean of the house. It really won't need much since I clean it every week anyway but just getting those areas that you skip over when you're in a hurry or that no one else will see...well, you know. I'll also pre-make my crab cakes in the morning and get the sauces made. Then, all I'll have to do is make the jambalaya in around 5 or so (it takes about 2 hours). I've decided not to do a dessert but will buy some Graeters in case someone has a sweet tooth. Three of the original members are NOT coming but we have at least two replacements. Kind of disappointing but whatever.

In other news, I'm exhausted. Seriously exhausted. People exhaust me. Work, home, family, friends! Arg!!! Things so often in this world are misconstrued, misinterpreted, internalized and blown out of proportion...it's enough to make you want to move away and give NO ONE your number or address! To just say, "Leave me alone!" People seem to forget things said so easily! I'm so sick of people at work who can't stand by their convictions and who DEMAND DEMAND DEMAND and then walk away when you ask to sit down and talk about their demands! People who can't look you in the eye and have to use the phone or email to tell you that their reneging on their commitments! Frustrating. Hey, I think I'll be like half the world out there that I'm dealing with and just stick my head in the sand and pretend things aren't happening! Pretend that if I don't deal with them, they'll go away. Just ignore it! Or at least stop even dealing with those people who can no longer be dealt with if I want to keep my sanity. Yes, that is the answer. I'm wiping my hands clean of those people! Done!

K - I'm done ranting. Gotta head to work. One IEP today and then none for another two weeks or so! Yippee! Later - may not have time for much of anything this weekend in regard to computer time so don't expect a lot of posting!

Beer and Wine For Dinner With A Reese Cup Chaser!!!

It's just been that kind of day! And really, it wasn't that my day was BAD, it was just exhausting.

So, first: I had an IEP meeting with a really difficult parent. She's just one of those really brash, in-your-face, all up-in-your-shiznats people who just completely exhaust you. Seriously, for the first 1/2 hour of the IEP meeting, we didn't even look at the actual 13 page document. She just sat there and bitched. Now, here's the interesting thing: Every time I talk to this woman, she ALWAYS asks me what she can do about her sons most current issue (math, organization, all the teachers that he has that according to him, suck and don't understand his disability. Blah, blah, blah). Often times I'll give her advice but usually I'll just sit there an let her ramble on about how no one in my district can fix her child (HA! Wouldn't that be nice if we had the "miracle cure" for learning disabilities!). Anyway, she did the same thing today and just like every time I talk to her (the interesting thing) she brought up how she knows her son isn't "lying" to her; how he always looks in his eyes and can tell that he's telling the truth. Now, you're probably asking the same thing I do in my mind every time she does this: "Who the f&%k mentioned or accused your kid of lying?" Obviously the kid is a big fat liar otherwise why would she always insist on bringing up the fact that he isn't when no one has even mentioned or accused him of being any such thing. Weird.

The second thing that happened will take a bit of explaining. So, I have this kid on my caseload who moved into the district at the beginning of this year (let's call him Scar). Well, it took us a while to get Scar in the right classes because we didn't immediately have his paperwork from his previous district. Within the first two weeks of school, we had switched his schedule 4 times. And let me tell you, this kid is LOW!!! He could realistically be in ALL special ed classes but currently he's just in Language Arts with me and Math. Biology and history, he's out in the general ed classes. Well, about a month or so ago, I get an email from FW telling me we needed to have a meeting for this kid because the history teacher wanted him out of his class (because he was too low to be in it). This pissed me off too because why the f&%k didn't this history teacher contact me if there was a problem!!! Understand too, we've had kids who are as low and lower out in these same classes - with major modifications to the curriculum - but, they've managed the work and succeeded. AND, this kid works SO hard!

Anyway, I decide, "F&%K it!!!" I'll just set up an IEP meeting and talk with the parent and put Scar in my history class (if the team agrees) - but the switch won't happen until after the meeting has occurred. So the meeting is tomorrow and I scheduled it probably a month ago. My general ed teacher (required to be there) was to be the history teacher - I figured he could tell the mother why Scar wasn't fit to be in his class. Invitations went out A MONTH AGO!!! I sent a reminder out today to all those required to be there. I get a "Decline" from the history teacher. I emailed him back "Are you serious?!" He responded with, "I'm taking a personal day tomorrow. Sorry." I then called him and said, "You know, I sent the invite a month ago and you accepted. The meeting is tomorrow." He said, "Sorry, I just put in for it today. I need a day off."

Now!!! First of all, personal days are to be put in 72 hours in advance! Secondly!!! I'm not changing the kid out of his class now! He can SUCK IT!!! What an asshole!!! He's the one who basically demanded a meeting and now he's backing out!? Oh, and by the way, when I set up this meeting, I said to Lisa and probably anyone else who was in the room, "Yeah, he'll probably be sick that day!" I'm so sick of lame, inept fucking teachers!

Sorry about the language and anger!

Now you know why I'm tempted to suck down a whole bottle of wine (1.5 liter!) and inject Reese cups directly into my veins!

K - I'm done. I'm going to go cuddle with my babies!

Things Are Looking Up!!!

So, about a week ago, I called Jim from work because there was a story on WCPO about a company here in Cincy (Convergys - it's actually a global company) that was holding a job fair because they were hiring 200 positions (full-time, part-time and seasonal). Jim used to work for this company doing telcom support and stupidly quit for a "better paying job" in a shitty company which he ended up hating (and quitting). Anyway, he raced down to Kentucky the day the story ran and applied. He tested really high for the telcom position and was asked to come back for more testing (which he did last Friday). He went down again yesterday to complete the application/testing process and they ended up offering him the job. They offered him the full-time position but because it's a split position (4 hours on, 4 hours off, 4 hours on) and wouldn't be worth it for him with the distance the company is from our house, he took the part-time position instead. It's 30 hours a week and he can move into a better position within the next 6 months!!! It's weird hours (either 3:30-9:30 or 5:30-11:30) but that just means that he can continue working a few days a week at Olive Garden. We're both really happy that he's gotten his foot back in the door at Convergys and hopefully, he'll be happy there. He's been happy at Olive Garden - interestingly enough so either way...Anyway - YIPPEE!!!

Yesterdays in-service also didn't suck. I actually learned a lot of neat stuff and it wasn't a waste of my time. Hey, things are looking up! One negative thing however: I was in the same training room with a sped colleague - Lil Platt - and I'm not kidding you, if I had to talk or even look at her every day (or even more than once a week for that matter) I may just commit murder! She constantly talks baby talk. I guess she thinks it's cute but really she's f%&king annoying. Seriously, skipping around and walking up to someone and pretending to have the voice of Betty Boop ("What are we doing!") - I could smack her glasses right off her head! What a f$&king loser!!!

K - now that that is off my chest, I can go deal with work...tomorrow is my dreaded IEP meeting so I need to get prepared...later.

It's Sandwich Day!!!

Which sounds really good. I may have to go get a sandwich somewhere for our lunch "on our own" during the in-service today. Now, what kind of sandwich sounds good? Lisa?

By the way, doesn't that sandwich look f%&ing good?!

So, today is an in-service. No kids, which is great, but we have to sit in training all day which sucks. I feel like taking my book or knitting so that it's not a complete waste of my time. But I won't.

Oh, so, we get an email yesterday from the assistant superintendent telling us that "HEY!!!! How awesome!!! We're allowed to wear jeans today!!! As long as we wear spirit wear!!!!" Um, yeah, I was going to wear jeans anyway and I'm NOT wearing spirit wear! Suck it! If I'm sitting in front of a computer all day I'm going to be comfortable in what I want to wear. Asses! I've never been able to find a dress code for our school/district so when they produce one and show me that we aren't supposed to wear jeans any damn time we want, well then, I'll comply to their wishes. Until then, I can manage to look presentable in jeans, thanks!

K - not that I've gotten that bit of bitterness off my chest, I can finish getting ready. Ooh, just saw that the Phillies beat the Yankees. Not that I really care about the series but I just DO NOT want New York to win...though, most likely that is what will happen. Anyway, I'm out...happy sandwich day...and get out there an vote!

One Of My Favs!!!

It's that time of year again! That's right! It's Cookie Monster Day!!! Love him! I hope J.J. remembers to bring out his Talking Cookie Monster Farmer that I got him for his b-day and give it some love!

In other news, I felt like shit yesterday and thought, "Uh oh! I may be getting something." But, alas, I feel fine now. I was all queasy and hot/cold and exhausted. Sucked. Must've been all that beer I drank Saturday night. I wasn't hung over though...not even a headache. Oh well...no complaints here if whatever it was passed.

So this week is weird. We have an in-service tomorrow (Election Day because many of the schools are polling places). Should be plenty boring and a huge waste of my time! Promethean Board training (like a smart board for those of you scratching your head. If you don't know what that is either, I can't help you). Can't wait!

My mom is in town to!!! Bonus!!! She's staying at Anne's to watch the kids while she and Dan are in San Antonio. They'll be back Wednesday and Mom and Richard leave Thursday =( Jim and I went over yesterday to hang and have dinner. Trip, Susan and my sweet little J Bird came too. He definitely made me feel better. That boy is such a ham! And so sweet. He was giving everyone kisses...I even got an open-mouthed one as they were leaving.

In other exciting news, Jim and I went to IKEA on our way over to see Mom and Richard. I needed to get a big cast iron/enamel pot for my jambalaya this weekend. I also got another book shelf. I'm very excited. Looks like I'll have to buy some more books to fill it up.

K - best get going and head to work...I feel well rested after gaining that hour. I'm ready to crack the whip on Jim's ass to get this house cleaned (He made a deal with me yesterday that he would clean today if we didn't have to clean yesterday! Who's going to say no to that?!) Later.