MEOOOOOWWWWW!!!!

That's what Jim sounds like right now as he bitches he doesn't want to go to work. He said to me a minute ago:

Jim: "I'm going to call in sick."
Me: "Uh, no you're not. Get your ass up and get ready for work."
Jim: "Awwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!"
Me: "How many 4 day weeks do you need!? Suck it up and quit your bitchin'!"

(This said as I realize I just had a 10-day vacay and am currently working a 4-day week.)

I'm a little nervous today; possible thunderstorms this evening with a slight chance of them being severe. Ugh...hate this time of year. Spring is pretty and all but I think it's my least favorite season. I can't deal with this shit! I told Jim last night that we need to move to Maine. I mean, you NEVER hear about weather shit happening in Maine. I'm sure there are issues here and there but nothing like the crap the rest of the country has to deal with. And why would anyone EVER live in Oklahoma!? Ridiculous.

School: Apparently the new autistic kid who started just before break, that only comes in 2 periods a day is on vacation with his dad this week. WOOT! He's a nice kid but a serious pain in the ass. Picture yourself redirecting someone every 10 seconds as you try and get him to do work...just simply answer a question. I don't look forward to Monday...or next year for that matter when he'll probably be in 2 of my classes.

Speaking of next year - we got a minor rundown of next year and teacher schedules. We found out which district teacher will be moved to the high school (our numbers are crazy for next year) as well as some class changes. (We'll have two transition classes - life skills classes - and we'll have co-teaching US history.  No more World History co-teaching.) I think next year will be an exciting year and thankfully the admin has finally listened to what special ed needs to look like. That only took 3 years.

What else? Nothing. Any suggestions for what I should make for dinner tonight? I've been quite the "fly by the seat of my pants" person this week. I didn't make a menu and I'm struggling to find exciting things to make. I'll probably have to stop at the store tonight. Maybe spaghetti squash and meatballs! That sounds good. K - done.

And now it's time for me to get a move on. Happy Thursday (almost Friday!!!). Later!

I Hate That!!!

I don't have this dream often but when I do, it always leaves me a bit discombobulated! I dreamt I was walking around (drunk...but that isn't the part that gets makes me all whacked out) looking for my car and I can't find it. I'm walking and walking and nothing. I'm walking and end up down a sketchy street where someone starts following me...ugh! I did manage to get lots of sleep last night, however. I didn't wake up with adrenalin rushing through my veins but I did wake up with the alarm, a little happy to be awake with the knowledge that my car is right outside. (I hope...maybe I should have checked!)

Speaking of my car being in the driveway...I sure will be happy when I'm back in the garage. I hate getting into a freezing car with a fogged up/frosted windshield. I'm determined to make the move BACK into the garage this weekend whether the drywall in the laundry room is up or not (it's in the middle of the garage which is why I can't park in there). I'm sure Jim will have something to say about that.

Speaking of my driveway...the initial check has been sent to the driveway guy and hopefully work will start next Monday! Woot!

School was fine yesterday. My autistic kid didn't show up...not sure why and of course we got no message/phone call. Kind of annoying but I did manage to get some needed work done.

Made "reservations" to go to PIB in May! Woot! Can't wait. Diane will stay with Sami (thank you Diane) and we'll leave EARLY on May 13th. Maggie and Charlie and Eva will join us. It always flabbergasts me that by the time I get there again in the spring, it's been about 7 months since I've laid eyes on the place. Hate that!

Tampon tax: How is it that there's so much tax on a necessary product in Ohio? They say that annually, $11 million in taxes on tampons and pads is collected. Ridiculous! And tampons aren't cheap! $7 for a supply that sometimes doesn't last a cycle!? If you're a man and uncomfortable right now - think how my pocket book feels! Menopause can't come soon enough!

And that's all I've got. It's Wednesday - YAY - so an easy day at work...I hope. Happy Hump DAY! Later!

ARG!!!

Not a good Tuesday! Why? Cause I gots to go back to school! I can't believe my vacay is over! I can't believe I have no plans written for the week (although I'm fully aware of what I'll be doing...same old, same old). However, I also can't believe I have only 9 weeks left of school! Nine weeks until summer vacay! WOW! This year really did fly by. Now lets home the rest does the same.

I had crazy dreams last night that I had a hard time coming out of. I dreamt I was driving Mom and Richard somewhere and we got caught in a flash flood. I remember the water pouring through and breaking the windshield and I told the Mom and Richard to unbuckle their seat belts and grab hands. Thankfully I woke up after that but the adrenalin coursing through my veins had me buzzing and I kept falling back into the dream. I hate that shit! Happens too often.

Jim's making slow progress...still. He managed to sand the bathroom last night so that's ready for paint. I would imagine he'll sand the mudroom tonight. That won't take as long though.

I think I figured out what I want for the mudroom. I really like this on left with modifications. Specifically, It would have to be only 2 sections at the bench and I wouldn't have all those shelves on the left...I'd probably remove some of them and do a couple more hooks. We'll see. This is all done with Ikea products pieced together.

What else? Oh, the driveway should start next Monday if all goes as planned. I have to send the contract and check today. I'm so excited about that!!!

Okay well, I guess I'd best get to school. Happy Tuesday to all! Later!

Hoppy Easter!!!

Just a few little pics to get your Easter started right!

Today I'll be "assisting" Jim with the reno. Things are moving too slowly for me so I gave Jim some incentive (I'll buy him a little something special - nothing disgusting - IF he finishes the floors today). I'm hoping that he'll knock something out of the park today and get the floors done. I know, I know, I sound like a broken record! If you think you're sick of hearing it, imagine how sick I am of saying it!

Dinner will be the usual Easter dinner: Ham, asparagus, au gratin potatoes and under the sea salad (which I made yesterday). I could eat that alone and be satisfied...yummy!

I took a nice 3 mile walk yesterday. I first took Sami on a one miler, dropped her off and went out again. I walked my old route and saw they're building another house on the street where I had mapped out my own compound (when I win the lottery). Guess I'll have to come up with a new plan.

SO!!! Happy to have tomorrow off. SO!!! Happy to go back on a Tuesday so that I have a short week to start off the last push to summer. SO!!! ready for summer!

And now for a few jokes that you can use to entertain throughout the day:

What happened to the Easter Bunny when he misbehaved at school?
He was eggspelled!

What day does the Easter egg hate the most?
Fry-days

Why did the Easter egg hide?
He was a little chicken!

What do you call a rabbit with fleas?
Bugs Bunny!!!

Why was the little girl sad after the race?
Because an egg beater!!!

What do you get if you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole?
A hot cross bunny!!!

Why doesn't the Easter Bunny make noise when he has sex?
Because he has cotton balls!

What do you call a bunny with a dictionary in his pants?
A smarty pants.

How do you sent a letter to the Easter Bunny?
By hare mail!

K - I'm out. BTW - slept like a baby last night on my new mattress cover (with memory foam) and my new pillows!!! Happy Easter to all!!! Later!

Faucets & Doorknobs UPDATE

Exciting, huh? My plans for the day include shopping for doorknobs and faucets (I need a mirror to for the bathroom but I'll do a bit of looking before purchasing). This after Maggie and Eva leave me...WAH!!! I'll head to Home Depot and then to Kroger (for Easter dinner makings) but beyond that, I've got no plans.  Most definitely a bath is in my future.

Yesterday was FUN! Eva and I hung out and played outside after a "nature walk" with Sami. We had lunch and she went down for her nap around 1:30. She's such a good girl who loves her sleep and never gives grief about naps. Maggie got home from her day out with Lynne around 3:30 or 4:00. From there we just hung out, drank wine, ate dinner and watched TV.

I'm happy that it's Friday and that Jimmy and I will get to spend the weekend together. Even though he'll be doing work, at least we'll get to lay eyes on each other for more than a couple hours at a time. There will be a lull tomorrow, however, when Jim goes to a union meeting/contract vote. They're voting to put in a new contract which will include a pay increase, vacation pay, holiday pay and paid parking. I'll be THRILLED if this passes because of course, every little bit helps.

Speaking of which - the driveway should be under way in about 10 days. CAN'T WAIT!!!  I am so sick of looking at that crumbling eyesore!

Okay well, that's all I've got. Happy Good Friday! Later!

Maggie yelled at me because I didn't have a picture of the doors so here you go. This pic is obviously  not of my bathroom but you can see the door with a handle. Pretty exciting, huh?

Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!

I hadn't been to the Cincinnati Zoo in years and seeing the changes they've made were pretty impressive. It's definitely a better zoo in terms of parking and updates but their ticket purchasing area has some room for improvement. The weather was not nearly as nice and warm as they had predicted and the wind was downright chilly. Fortunately (or unfortunately as  my feet may argue) the amount of walking we did kept us warm.  I think we must have walked about 3 miles, total...yowza!

Upon our arrival - and after waiting in line for a half hour for tickets - we made a beeline for the naked mole rats in the World of Insects. Afterward, I asked Eva, "Were they everything you hoped they'd be?" and she answered, "I thought they'd be bigger." She did thoroughly enjoy them, however. They really are a ton of fun to watch as they climb all over each other through the tunnels of their habitat. Other things we saw:

• Night hunters (in the nocturnal house)
• Gorillas
• Tigers
• White lions
• Polar bear
• Black bear (sleeping and cute!)
• Reptile house (more snakes than I cared for)
• Elephants (and a squirrel who was in the house as well)
• We saw a peacock walking around but not with his feathers up
• We went to "Africa" and saw the meerkats, giraffes, flamingos, painted dogs (so cute) and an ostrich
• Rhinos
• Baboons 
• Gibbons

I hope to go back once the new hippo exhibit is open...I loves me some hippos! 

After the zoo, we came home and just hung out. Eva was exhausted and laid down for about a 1/2 hour (she fell asleep on the way home). We had dinner (chicken burgers, french fries and tomato/mozzarella salad) and then watched TV. 

Jim's making SLOW progress on the mudroom etc. renovation. The mud on the drywall isn't drying as fast as he wanted so he had to set up the heater. I'm hoping that he'll get the walls done before the weekend so the flooring can go down and I can get my bathroom back. 

Today Maggie will go out to lunch with Lynne (around 11:00) and Eva and and I will chill. The weather isn't supposed to be great but it isn't supposed to start raining until around 4 PM. That will give us some time for play outside, I hope. We'll have sausage patties, crispy crowns and green beans for lunch. Yummy! Maggie and Eva will leave me tomorrow. 

And that's all I've got. Time to get my mimosa on. (I can't NOT have one when Maggie is here!). Happy Thursday - later!

Several Talking Points

Ugh - another terrorist attack. One of the disheartening things about the recent terrorist attacks is that it's never a surprise anymore. Seems that every time something happens within our world the first thought that goes through my mind is, "It was bound to happen." And the next thought is, "Where will it happen next?"

Switching gears: Do you ever see or watch something about someone famous and think, "I wish I'd known her."?  I watched a documentary last night about Nora Ephron. It was a film done by her oldest son, Jacob. It was so interesting and she had such an interesting life. I remember when she died and I thought, "Wow, I didn't know she was sick." Well, turns out, some of her closest friends didn't even know she was sick (which pissed a lot of them off). If you get a chance to watch this film, I highly recommend (on HBO). She was really an interesting, intelligent, thoughtful writer. And of course the movies that are considered "hits" are the ones I tend to watch over and over. Heartburn, You've Got Mail, Julie and Julia, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally. The last part of the documentary had her speaking about the things she'll miss. Of course she listed her kids, her husband Nick and then little things like: Dinner with friends in a foreign city, Paris, waffles, Pride and Prejudice, coming over the bridge into Manhattan, butter, pie. Important to remember those things before it's too late to remember them.  (She also had a list of what she wouldn't miss which was equally as interesting: bras, technology, Fox TV, the sound of a vacuum cleaner - that might be on Maggie's miss list.)

So on that note - I'll close with 5 things I would miss (so this doesn't get too deep I won't mention the obvious...the people) - in no particular order:

• The first sip of coffee in the morning
• The first night after the Christmas tree has gone up
• Mimosas with Maggie (sorry - that almost got too deep)
• The first glimpse of PIB as we approach the ferry
• Being woken up by Sami grunting at me from the side of the bed

K - I'm out. Happy Tuesday. Time for breakfast. 

This Really Gets Me!!!

I didn't read the story but here was a line from a story on the Today show, which I saw on Facebook: “Schooling may be mandatory, but homework isn’t. Home time is family time. Kids need time to play and reboot for the next school day, not go into overtime.” And then it said, "Here's why I said no to homework for my elementary aged kids."  Awesome! Way to set your kids up for failure when the get to junior high/high school. They won't know how to budget their time, or riddle out a problem on their own. And why does "homework" have to take away from family time? Why can't homework be a time the family gets together. I know when I'm at home, I check emails and do a bit of work here and there. If I had kids, I set aside a time where we sit together and work through our work. I know Maggie does this with Eva and she's in preschool. She's being taught the value of homework and that the work you learn in school doesn't STOP with school. I certainly don't agree in the old belief that "for every academic class you have you can expect a 1/2 hour of homework a night" (this could result in 3 hours of homework for some kids or more) but most homework doens't take that long. What a disservice parents do to their kids when they turn homework into something bad. This is why so many teachers fight with lazy little gits!

So I'm packed and ready to go! Of course I won't be able to "go" for another 8 1/2 hours. Oh well. Can't wait to get there. Can't wait to be officially on spring break! Can't wait to NOT think about school for a week! And, no, I don't EVER assign homework over break. In fact, I rarely "assign" homework. Kids sometimes have homework, however, if they didn't finish the work in class but I almost always leave time for that.

Get this: So there's a government teacher at school who was great at informing me of upcoming tests and ensuring I had a copy so I could make a study guide for one of my students. Well, of course basketball season started and he basically became a teacher in spirit only. I haven't heard about an test until the day of for about 3 months. So yesterday I asked my kid, "Do you have a test before break?" and she says, "I think Friday." So I email the teacher and say, "Is there a government test on Friday?" And he emailed back and said, "No!" So I tell the student she doesn't have a test Friday. Fastforward to later in the day and Lisa hands me the student's government test that she had YESTERDAY! What an asshole. I wanted to email back and say something but alas, I held my "toungue". Stupid f&%king teachers.

Okay well - I'll probably not post again until Monday - and you can't get mad at me Mom because I'll be with you! I'm sure I'll post on Facebook, however. Happy weekend! Later!

P.S. Spellcheck isn't working. Sorry!

Wonderdryer

I got home yesterday to my dryer hooked up (since my other one almost literally blew up)...Jimmy did his job. I was thus forced to do some laundry. I put in a load of towels and holy shit that bad boy dried those towels incredibly fast! So shiny and fancy! I then proceeded to get 2 more loads in and now I can't WAIT for the washer to be hooked up. Which means Jimmy needs to get a move on! He did manage to get most of the insulation up yesterday (he ran out of the stuff for the last panel). I told him that by the time I get home Monday - I expect the walls to be up and the flooring to be down. I'd like to then get the toilet in. I'm not sure how hard that is so we'll see. I think we can do it together but Jim gets a little unsure when it comes to plumbing.

So Jim's still on 2nd shift. I was sick to death of not cooking so I made myself a nice meal last night: Chicken Marsala with roasted Brussel sprouts and couscous (or goose goose as Maggie likes to call it) and I have to say it was extra delicious. I won't tell Jim though...I'm sure he's sick of leftovers and not getting a home cooked meal.

This week is CREEPING by! It's killing me! However, I'm starting a movie today in 5th period so I'm hoping that will help. We'll see.

OH! Happy St. Patrick's Day. I don't really have anything green to wear...oh well. What can you do?

I'll leave tomorrow after school for Maggie's. I plan on hitting it right when the bell rings so that I'll hopefully be there by 4:00. This means I need to be packed and ready to go when I get up tomorrow. Sucks that Jim's on 2nd shift. I've not seen him all week and really won't see him again until Monday. And hopefully by then he'll be OFF 2nd shift. UGH! I know I'm sick of it I would imagine Jim's doubly annoyed. Work is work though.

Okay well, I'm out. Time to finish my toilette. Happy Thursday and St. Paddy's Day. May have to have a Guinness after school today!  Later!

I May Not Make It!

These kids! I mean, they've been good, don't get me wrong but I think it's safe to say, they are driving me to the edge! This time of year is always a bit tough (spring air makes kids act like buffoons!) but I think along with losing their minds, the kids have also lost their ears and ability to pay attention! I did a little project yesterday in my history class: The Amazing Race. The kids had to look up the locations of about 20 notable landmarks around the world (Golden Gate Bridge, Stonehenge, Taj Mahal etc.). Then, once they wrote the city and state/country for each place, they had to figure out mileage for trip. Well...you'd think I had asked them to study string theory or something. I even went over the assignment with them, going over the first two legs of the trip. I told them over and over, YOU MUST WRITE DOWN THE CITY + STATE/COUNTRY!!! Because when you go look up the the distance from city to city, the computer isn't going to be able to know if you mean London, England or London Kentucky! Did the listen? Of course not! I even gave them about 3 answers. For instance - the closest location for Stonehenge which the distance calculator recognized was Salisbury. So I said to the kids (LOUDLY), "WHEN YOU GET TO STONEHENGE, THE ANSWER STARTS WITH AN 'S'!!! WRITE THAT DOWN!!!" And I repeated that line twice. Of course half of them wrote down "Wiltshire". F&%king kids!!! This was a project I thought would take at MOST one day. I was worried they'd finish really fast and have a ton of time on my hands. Didn't happen. We'll still be doing this today. UGH! The week before vacation is never easy.

Jim's on 2nd shift today which - don't tell him - I'm glad about. At least he can switch out the dryers and, hopefully get some shit done in the renovation.

Didn't ever think I'd be happy that John Kasich did well in the polls but there you go. He is the lesser of two evils. Not that I think he has a change to ever get the nomination but at least it wasn't a sweep for Trump.

Hair is done. Glad to have that done! I always say to myself that I won't let so much time go by between appointments but then I do. Oh well.

And that's all I've got. Happy Wednesday. Later!

Coincidence Or Sheer Dumb Luck?

So I got home yesterday and was doing some cleaning up, putting away (Jim was at work...2nd shift) and I saw that Jim had a load of laundry in the dryer that wasn't quite dry. I figured he had stopped the dryer before leaving because we don't like the it running when no one's home. I go to restart it and nothing happens. Hmm...so I text Jim and say, "The dryer isn't working." He calls and I tell him the story. I ask him if he thought maybe something happened when he was working on the electric. He said, "Not possible because the circuit for the dryer is completely separate from what I was doing." So I go check the fuse box and what do you know, it's blown. So I switch it, walk inside and I shared with Jim that I thought it strange that in nearly 13 years of living here, we have NEVER blown the dryer fuse. I then turn the dryer on and stand there for about 30 seconds talking to Jim and BZZT!!! POW! And then the dryer shot out some sparks and died. Well, there you go! Guess it's a good thing that we had the new washer and dryer delivered Saturday. Guess what we'll be doing this evening?

Jim isn't working 2nd shift today which kind of sucks because I was hoping he'd get more of the revo done but beggers can't be choosers.

Mom flies into Columbus this morning. Safe travels...can't wait to see you!

Today after school (I'll leave right when the bell rings) I plan on heading to the polls to vote and then zipping up the street to get my hair done. I'm hoping Jim doens't have to be at work until later so that Sami won't be alone for that long. We'll see.

This "Super Tuesday" can't end soon enough. I'm so sick of having to mute my TV when a Donald Trump commercial comes on. Makes my skin crawl. I told Jim on Sunday that I would seriously divorce him if he were supporting Trump. I could seriously not share a bed with someone who supported such a disgusting person. Not that I can stand any of the republicans in the race: a Christian fundamentalist; a union buster; a bigot/racist. UGH! What is wrong with this country?!

Okay - I stepped off my soapbox and need to go finish getting ready. Happy Tuesday! Get out there and vote! Later!

A Bit Of Progress

Progress on the revo in the Hanke household didn't go quite as I'd hoped. We managed to get the bathroom completely ripped out which means the mudroom/bathroom part is ready for insulation and drywall. However, Jim had some electrical work to do for the new outlet in the mudroom and the new light. We made a Home Depot purchase of drywall, insulation, lights and electrical so that's good. Jim will be working 2nd shift for the next two days so he'll be able to get a ton done. What I'd really like to happen by end of week is for the mudroom/bathroom to have walls, lights and toilet. The vanity won't be delivered until around the 17th (at the store) so I'm hoping to get that before heading to Columbus on Friday. Depending on what Jim's got going this week, he may even be able to put floors in and paint. I'm probably over-stretching Jimmy...whatever.

The weekend was good. We did a little hanging out with the neighbors on Saturday and had dinner at Silver Spring House as well. Delicious as usual. Time change didn't affect me too much yet. Interestingly, I usually have an easier time in the spring, when we lose an hour, than the fall. Maybe it's the amount of daylight...who knows.

Psyched for Spring Break. Psyched to go to Columbus and see Eva and Mom (and Maggie and Charlie)!!!  Hopefully this week will fly by!

And that's about all I've got. Guess I should get a move on. Happy Monday. Later!

Making Progress

So excited!!!  Jim got a phone call last night from the guy who gave us a quote for the driveway (he's a guy that Jim has known for years who does a ton of work in Clifton and has had this company forever). Jim was holding out for this quote and thank the baby Jesus he did because it was the right price! Which means: NEW DRIVEWAY!!!  No more tripping and stumbling and risking my life walking home from a few neighborhood cocktails! I'm not sure when this will happen but within the next couple of months - weather permitting. YIPPEE!!! YAHOO!!!

Today will be an EASY day at work because Lisa is taking many of my students on a field trip so I'll have only 1-3 students to teach. This means I'll be playing a video in LA and who knows for history. I was thinking that for LA, I should try and pair something with the book we're reading (Kindred) having to do with prejudices and race. I thought a Little House episode would be perfect (as long as Carrie was nowhere in it) and remembered the 2-part episode "Blind Journey"! Mrs. Olsen has a little "come-to-Jesus" moment with the Mr. Kagen and Hester Sue Terhune! Can't wait. The kids always bitch and complain as I'm putting a Little House on and then of course they get completely wrapped up in all the goodness. Silly kids!

What else? Nothing. Oh, here's a funny. Yesterday, I was getting ready to take my new autistic kid - Dezi - to his next class (this after we worked on his online course and spent some time in the library). I was chit-chatting with the ladies in my room and Dezi walked out the door. I wasn't worried because Diane had told me he managed to get to math class all by himself the day before (she was walking behind him). So I finish my conversation and leave and see that he is NO WHERE (from our room, you can see all the way down to the farthest part of the building...it's about a football field length...maybe a bit more). So I hustle down the hallway toward math assuming he's headed that way. I'm just about to turn a corner and I hear, "HANKE!?!" I turn and Dezi is hustling toward me, all the way from our room (he was next door in the nurse) muttering, "Oh, oh, oh...I'm sorry about that...sorry about that!!!  So sorry!!!"

Okay well that's all I've got. Woot on it being Friday. Later!

Who's Ready!?

For Friday?! I am!!! Not that it's been a hard week (minus Monday but that was just me reacting to circumstances) but I haven't seen my husband since Monday and really I've only talked to him for a handful of minutes. It'll be nice to see his face. I hear he got a haircut!

So yesterday I bought my washer and dryer and my vanity (seen left). The original vanity I was going to get was out of stock so I opted for this one. I originally didn't want something that had an open shelf but it's a 1/2 bath so I don't need a ton of storage and both drawers open so that's okay. Here's the crazy thing though - the washer, dryer and vanity TOP will come to my house (free shipping) but the vanity itself was a $55 charge to ship to house (which means I'll be picking it up at the store). So annoying but oh well...no biggie. The appliances will supposedly be delivered on Saturday and I'll be JONESIN' to get those installed but it'll have to wait until the laundry room is ready (stink!).

In school news: I mentioned on Tuesday, regarding Monday, about the student who came back to the high school from the Alternative School? Well, when this all went down, I told FW about it (bitched about it). She was in agreement regarding how things went down (the student being put into classes for behavioral reasons...completely inappropriate and against our policy not to mention special ed law!) So she emailed our sped coordinator who then told FW to send an email to the case manager (Slacker) to call a meeting WITH THE TEAM (this would include me) to make the change of placement and discuss the student's schedule...oh and make sure the sped coordinator is invited. Fast forward to yesterday in 2nd period (my class with this particular student). My phone rings and it's Slacker asking me to send the student down to the office for a meeting. So I do and then, in total disbelief, I look at the school calendar and see that a meeting has indeed been set up but the only people invited are the guidance counselor and the VP. NOT sped coordinator. Not me. Not the team! So I call up FW and inform her. She's flabbergasted. So she calls sped coordinator who is LIVID and supposedly going to deal with this. I'm sure nothing will happen. I'm not sure why Slacker continues to display incompetence (and now basic insubordination) and gets to keep his job. Above and beyond my ability to understand. UGH! I'll keep you updated. It's always something, huh?

Okay well - best finish getting ready. It's raining like the dickens. Happy almost-Friday!!! Later!

Fun At Work

After my day on Monday, it was nice to have a day like yesterday. Especially 7th period. I haven't laughed like that in a long while (to the point I was crying and one of my kids said, "Mrs. Hanke! Look at you!!!") I'm sure the kids have been enjoying the app that makes these hilarious faces but I just found it. Every time I look at myself I crack up (and get a little scared...hope I didn't scare you).

Yesterday was quite the change. Thankfully I went into the day determined to be positive and not let things influence how I was feeling.  My autistic kid - though a distracted, hot mess - was a crack up. I'm not kidding you, every 10 seconds, I have to pull him back from whatever outside force is pulling him away. His attention span is like a baby. I finally had to say, "Dezi! If you don't get this work complete, you don't get to work on the history lesson tomorrow!" His answer is always, "Oh oh oh...sorry, sorry, sorry!" He really is quite funny. (I'm sure in about a month, I'll be ready to pull my hair out!)

I got sleep last night too. I think a good night's sleep is dependent on a few things. A) Not drinking and B) Yoga. I'm finding that a nice 45 minutes of yoga in the afternoon (after school) really sets me up for a relaxing night.

What else? Nada. We have Early Release today with a couple of training sessions (there were about 12 things you got to choose from) and I'm hoping mine gives me some new and good ideas for the classroom.

Jim's still on 2nd shift. He managed to tear out the drywall in the bathroom portion of the downstairs yesterday. I would assume today he'll tackle the tile.

I couldn't order my vanity yesterday because of course the one I like is out of stock and you can't order it. AND it's not available in store - only online. Stink and BOLSHEVIKS!!! (The new alrternative to bullshit that the kids have hooked on to after our Russian Revolution chapter...fail on my part!)


Well, time to get it together and head to work. I'm wearing sandals today...can you believe it. It's March 9th and going to get to 75ish today! I'll take it. Happy hump day! Later!

P.S. Spell check hasn't worked in the last few days for Blogger so I apologize for any mistakes (drives me crazy!!!).

More Bullshit

I'm not sure who is to blame for the current load of shit that's being doled out at school but I have a feeling it's a lot to do with one of our guidance counselors. Hmm...

(I'll make this short and sweet since I've been bitching about it for nearly 24 hours and I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing about it from me). A student (10th grader though he has NO credits) who had, for the past 2 months, been at the Alternative School (an alternate placement for kids who are not able to function well at their home school - usually having to do with behavior) returned yesterday (not sure why all of a sudden what wasn't appropriate 2 months ago suddenly is). He was only in a math pullout prior to leaving. Suddenly upon his return, they've put him one of my LA classes, Lisa's Transition class, the LOW math (rather than the one he was in) as well as 3 guided interventions (sped study halls). I am currently in the MIDDLE of a novel and the minute he walked into my classroom, he changed the whole dynamic of my class. ARG!!!  One of the most annoying and frustraitng parts of this whole thing is when I heard he was back, I immediately called his guidance counselor and told her in no uncertain terms that it would be completely inappropriate to put him in my LA class (didn't know about transition at this point). We have a policy in sped that we don't put kids in there because of behavior. We are NOT a dumping ground. But of course she didn't listen or care. I'm pissed and no one cares and no one will do anything and this kid will continue to do nothing and gain no credits. (His GPA is a .9!)

After my day yesterday, Jim and I went out to Home Depot where we bought our flooring and a toilet. We have to order our vanity on line so I'll do that today. I'll also order our washer/dryer - picked out a Maytag, stackable (we'll get white though)! Can't wait! From there we went to El Picante and I drank a delicious beer and a margarita. Oh, and I ate dinner too. Home - we watched the final Downton Abbey and I cried because it was the final episode. Why do good things have to come to an end?!

Of course I got NO sleep last night. Sucks. Jim works 2nd shift for the next few days but at least he gets to work. No complaints from me and it means he can do some tear out in the mudroom/bathroom/laundry room. Yesterday he tore out all the tile in the entryway. Today will hopefully see the vanity out of the there and the tile torn out in the bathroom. YAY!!!

K - well, time to get a move on. Hopefully today will be a better one. I just need to decide not to let things get to me. All about how I let things affect me. Positive thoughts and attitude!!!

Happy Tuesday - in the 70s today...later!

Alone Time

Jim came home last night from work (he worked all weekend including going in Friday at 3:00) and said, "So...how was your weekend?" It isn't often that Jim and I have basically NO time together on the weekend so I'm fine with how things went. Plus, he didn't work at all except on Friday last week so the hours were needed. He's off again today but then will be back at it tomorrow. In the mean time, I've put him to work here (more on that below).

This weekend really was an all "Muir" weekend. Friday I came home and made chili. Jim headed off to work and I caught up on some of my shows. After dinner and a nice hot bath, it was time to hit the hay. Saturday Jim was off by 7:00 so I quilted all day. Dinner (I was not up for cooking) was Thai...yum. Sunday Jim was out of the house by about 7:00 again so I did breakfast, yoga and then cleaned the dickens out of the laundry room and 1/2 bath. After that I did some more quilting, took a nice hot bath and then started dinner (penne a la Betsy). Jim didn't get home until late - around 6:30 so basically after dinner and some 60 Minutes, I was ready for bed.

Jim's work/mudroom update: So now that the shower is out and I've cleaned the laundry room and 1/2 bath in preparation for reno, I've asked Jim to start removing the tile in the hallway and bathroom as well as the vanity. This weekend we will make some purchases since we weren't able to do it this weekend (flooring, toilet, vanity order will be put in and maybe some drywall and insulation). I figure by the weekend, we can do some drywall reno as well as and maybe even get some back up.

And that's about all I've got. This week will be quite warm - in the 60s and 70s! Rain, however, starting Wednesday.

K - well, I'd best get a move on. Happy Monday...two more weeks until Spring Break!!! Can I get a WOOT!?!? Later!

Jim's Not Here But He's Driving Me Crazy!!!

ARG!!! Jim shouldn't be allowed to use the computer! In reality, I know that whatever just freakin' happened with my computer and Blogger and Google had nothing to do with Jim but it was HIS account that WOULDN'T SIGN OUT so who else should I blame!? I started to panic too because I couldn't get on my blog to post and I would have caught all kinds of hell from my sister and mother if things hadn't worked out. Phew!

Had a sweet phone call last night from Eva. She called to tell me that when Nana (my mom) goes to Maggie's in a couple weeks, we should all color eggs like we did last year. I said, "HELLS YES!!!" (Of course I didn't say exactly that but you get my gist.) After we had been talking for a bit, she said to me, "I can't wait to dye..." (and she paused and I was all...WHAT!?)..."Easter eggs!" she finished. Love her. We talked for about 10 minutes and at one point Maggie said, "Eva give me the phone so I can ask Muwee something then we need to get you in the bath." Eva replied with, "MOM! I'm talking here!" Then she said to me, "So how was your day!?" Seriously! I love her!

The new student yesterday was good. No big whoop. I could tell he was very nervous but we got on well and I think things will progress for him. He's very autistic and has little quirks (smell sensitivities...he walked in to my room and said, "It smells in here."  I said, "Yeah, that's because sometimes people forget to shower!" I didn't really say that but I did say, "Yeah, we've been having a lot of discussions about that lately." And I glared at my students...because some of them stink...and I've been TRYING to explain to them that they need to shower every day and wash their clothes! They don't listen).  Anyway, the kid is sweet - I think I'll call him Dezi - and all went well. Hopefully things will continue that way for him. I'm sure it will be a learning curve with him, me and school.

Jim's gone already. He left around 5:30. He has a punch list to do today downtown so that's good. He probably won't get a full day in but he'll work tomorrow and every little bit helps.

K - well, YAY for Friday. I'll make chili tonight for dinner...yum...and just hang out. Happy last-day-of-the-work-week! Later!

Should Be Interesting

Today will either be interesting or it will be a day nearly like any other day. The student I've talked about who is coming to the high school after several years on the autistic scholarship (money paid for special program to students with autism in lieu of them attending home school) starts today. He'll be here for 2 periods - a period doing credit (with me) and then a math class. He is 16, should be a sophomore but he has no high school credits. So far, he's signed up for 2 courses in credit recovery (LA and US history). We'll see how that goes. Dad says this kid has high reading comprehension but his last evaluation put him around a 5th grade level (he would have been around an 8th grader then). Dad alluded to the fact that the kid is a speed reader as well. We'll see. I'm not as concerned about his cognitive functioning as I am his social functioning and his little indiosyncrasies. To be precise, his bathroom habits. We'll see how many times he asks to go to the bathroom. Dad stated it is his method of escape - washing his hands (and other parts?) but that given firm restrictions works. Hmm...

I finished a good book - Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Started (or rather continued) reading another one - The Nightengale by Kristin Hannah. I had checked that one out from the library on my Kindle and didn't finish it before it expired and then I had to wait for it again. WWII story of occupied France. Interesting.

What else? Nada...I said most of what I would have said yesterday in my late afternoon post. Jim isn't working again today. He is working Saturday though so that's at least something. I'll have to figure out some jobs for him. Can't have him sitting around all day doing nothing.

K - well, time to get to work so I can grade papers. Later! Happy Thursday - tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! YAY!!!

A Perfect Day Off

I caught a bit of flack from my mom and sister because I hadn't posted so here you go. (I can't guarantee my morning post will be very exciting since I'll be telling all here.)

I took today off because I have a student starting tomorrow who may be a bit of a pill and since I won't have a day off (scheduled school break) until the end of March I thought this would be a perfect time. It also just so happens that Jim was off (again) today so I decided to go balls to the wall and treat this day as a true day off. A bit of a celebration if you will. That being said, I started my day off with mimosas. Jim had a couple bloody Mary's, we played some Wii and then decided Shooter's would be the perfect next step. From there Jim took a nap, I took a lovely bath and here we are. I don't plan on cooking tonight because we have a ton of leftovers. Truly a great day off and it's beautiful out there as well...though a bit chilly.

In mudroom news: Jim tore out the shower and drywall. It's amazing what a difference it makes. I'm excited to get things done in there. I've chosen the vanity and flooring (not completely sure on the color of the flooring because I'll need to see it in person but I like the color shown in the pic) as well as a utility sink. We'll do some purchasing for that this weekend. I also need to start looking/pricing stackable washer/dryers. That will be a good chunk of change so I really want to shop around. I'm hoping by the end of March all of this will be complete. Fingers crossed. Oh, and that's the vanity I like. Not sure about the top yet.

What else? I think I should take every Wednesday off because it makes the week go really fast. I mean, tomorrow is Thursday already! And then it's Friday! Who can believe that it's the first week of March already? And next week, looking at the weather? It'll be in the 70s! Now, I think there will be rain (and I'm hoping not storms) but that's Ohio for you in March.

Okay well, that should satisfy my family for a little while. I'll be back in the morning to let you know how well I slept and all the normal exciting stuff I blather on about. Later!

Feeling Sketchy

Yesterday was weird. I felt fine. No issues at school but the minute school ended I started feeling "iffy". Nauseous and thinking, "I sure hope I make it home." Then I got in the car and I felt fine again. I made it home. Then upon walking into the house I started getting hot then got cold then clammy, then I started feeling like I might get sick...ugh. (And my neighbors across the way had a MAJOR stomach virus last week and though I didn't hang with them over the weekend, I did chit chat with a couple of them on Sunday...made me worried for a second there.) So I laid on the couch for about an hour or so and thank the baby Jesus...I felt fine again. And the feelings I had didn't come back. Don't know what that was.

I took a sick day for Wednesday. Excited!

What else? Nothing. Boring. Sorry.

K - going to do my hair. Happy Tuesday...later!