I Hope My Day Gets Better

I know...it's only 5:36 but already I can say my day started off horribly. Why? Because as I sleepily got out of bed this morning, eyes closed and wishing I were still warm in bed, I stepped in barf. Not sure which of my pups left that little gift for me last night (right in the path from my side of the bed) but I believe it was Boo who was tearing apart his monkey last night. I think he probably swallowed a little too much fluff. Usually I hear the lead up to the actual barf but I didn't last night. Which is a testament to how well I slept last night! So hey, my day isn't really so bad!

I did a full workout on my elliptical yesterday and it was terrific! It's so smooth! Can't wait for another workout after school today!

Got a call from Becky yesterday about the remodel for PIB. Apparently the final approval was given for what we can do to the house. Here's what was approved:

• Connection of the loft to the main house (Woot! I'm most excited about that.)
• Enclosing the side porch to extend the house that way
• Adding a small deck or porch to make the back (near the road) entrance easier. 

They did not approve any changes to the roofline which I'm fine with. We'll still be able to knock down walls and reconfigure the main living room. Additionally they're going to try and get a linen closet upstairs as well as another 1/2 bath and they'll remodel the existing bathrooms up there. They'll also try to put another 1/2 bath downstairs. In my opinion if that 1/2 bath is NOT put in downstairs, I don't think we should close off the existing bathroom to the main bedroom downstairs. Certainly we should move the door though (so it isn't off the kitchen). None of this will start now until after this summer which makes sense...why give up a summer when it could be started after the season? Plus that gives time to get the plans right and even get the house better prepared for the remodel.

I'm hoping too that we can finally get rid of some of the furniture that isn't quite comfortable anymore. Like the falling apart wicker furniture. I mean, I know they are sentimental pieces to some people but who wants to redo do things and make things pretty and then stick the (sorry) junk furniture back in? I would assume that if someone is so attached to those pieces, they could haul them home and put them in their own houses. No arguments from me. Just this persons opinion.

I read a chapter of the Help to the kids yesterday - the chapter where the old white man is naked and twiddling himself outside of Celia's house (this scene isn't in the movie). In the chapter, he keeps asking Minny if she wants some of his "pecker pie" which of course the kids thought was hilarious (as did I). After we finished reading, one of my kids said to another kid across the room, "Hey Gary, didn't I see you eating some pecker pie yesterday?!" I mean, what was I supposed to do but laugh?! It was funny. Of course I then reprimanded him with, "Now, remember, what happens in 002, stays in 002!" Oh, and then another kids said, "What's a pecker?" (Yes, he was serious.) So I said, (since none of the other kids knew how to answer) "It's slang for a boys thing." Oh the life of a teacher...you can't make these things up.

Okay well, that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Wednesday. Later!

Breathe Easy

There will be no complaining today about my elliptical because you will be happy to hear IT IS FIXED! I can't tell you how happy I am! It was an immediate spirit lift after a gloomy day, I can tell you that. The window for the fix yesterday was 4-6 and the guy showed up at 3:43. He was out the door by 4:09 I was on the elliptical doing my thang by 4:35 (had to feed the dogs first). She runs so smoothly and though I didn't do my normal 50 minutes (I did 36 because after two weeks, I didn't want to overdo it) I could really tell the difference in comparison to my old one as my feet didn't go numb. I can't WAIT to come home today and get back on and do a full workout! The need for exercise and the endorphin rush is truly addicting and a must for my mood.

In sad news, I made a disgusting dinner last night. Let me correct that, the marinade for my pork chops was disgusting. It was just a balsamic, mustard and rosemary but I put too much balsamic in and it tasted a bit like feet. Poor Jimmy...he felt so bad that he didn't like it but I left him off the hook and made him a sandwich instead. We still had the roasted potatoes and green beans to eat so all was fine. I have NO idea what to cook tonight...I'm getting to that point where I'm getting sick of my winter meals and need something to change things up. I'll see what I can come up with while at school today.

IEP meeting went well yesterday and now I don't have another one until March 23rd! Woot! My focus now at school is getting my Biology chapters complete for the year. I've got the next three chapters pretty much done. I'm on mitosis and meiosis and it's very confusing (not just for the kids) so I'm having to REALLY dumb it down (not just for the kids) and it takes some time. Hopefully I'm not completely killing the subject for the kids. I try to make it bearable by putting in a "relevant" movie in there (we're watching Hulk on Fridays currently). This too shall pass!

I've not been sleeping well. I've been waking up in the middle of the night and laying awake for about 2 hours each night. Sucks. I don't feel overly tired through the day so it's not so bad but it's annoying. I should probably push myself to stay up a little later but I just love bed so much!

Okay well, that's all I've got. More rain over the next day and then snow. Sick of this soggy weather. Happy Tuesday! Later!

Today's The Day! (I Hope)

I'm hoping that today will be the day that my elliptical FINALLY gets up and running. The sucky thing is that the window for the repair guy to get here is 4-6. Which means that I either have to do some other exercise today after school or wait for my elliptical to hopefully be fixed and do my workout extra late. We'll see how things go and it all depends on when Jim gets home from work.

Weekend recap:
Friday

• Drinks with a few ladies after work Friday
• Take out Chinese 
• Bath (and a bit of singing in the tub with a mimosa)
• Bed

Saturday

• Took Scoutie on a HUGE walk (since I didn't exercise on Friday)...he was WIPED out
• Shooters 
• Grocery
• Hanging out at home and a lovely dinner with Jimmy

Sunday

• Took Scoutie on a big walk Sunday (not as big as Saturday) 
• Little Miami Brewery + lunch 
• Shooters for some Megatouch
• Hanging at home + dinner

I have an IEP this morning but other than that, things should be normal at school. After this IEP is done, I'll only have 3 left for the year (one of which is a scholarship kid so it's just a technicality). I will have to do some amendments for kids going to the WCCC but that's not a biggie. 

The recycling guy came at 4:00 AM this morning...woke me up...pissed me off a little especially after I tossed and turned from 12:30 until about 2:00. Annoying. 

Watched Bernie on 60 Minutes last night...once again...not a fan. I just don't feel a connection with that guy. Of course, if he's the nominee, I'll vote for him but I just have a hard time picturing a 78 year old in the White House for potentially another 8 years. After a heart attack. And I say the same thing about Biden by the way. Ugh! 

Okay - time to get a move on. Happy Monday...here's hoping the week flies by. Later!

Lucky To Be Awake

I woke up around 1:00 AM last night and was sort of tossing and turning, trying to get to sleep. I had to pee a little bit but didn't want to get out of bed and freeze my ass off but I finally succumbed. And it's a good thing I did because upon coming back to bed, I realized I never set my alarm. Oops. I'm sure I probably would've woken up anyway but you never know.

My elliptical is finally set to be fixed! I set the appointment up with the fix-it company yesterday. When she called she told me she happened to have an appointment available today...at 8:00 AM. I was so tempted to take it and call in sick but there are 21 teachers out today, 7 without subs so I decided to be nice. My appointment is set now for Monday between 4-6. Fingers crossed this gets my elliptical up and running.

I think tonight I'm NOT going to cook. I left it up to Jim to decide if he wanted to go out, get takeout or have me cook. He chose takeout but was wishy-washy on what he wanted. Definitely not pizza...maybe Chinese. He really wants Thai but our Thai place closed and was replaced with Indian. We haven't had Chinese in forever so I'm good with that...mmm...Schezwan String Beans...yummy!

I've been showing the kids a movie in history - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I'd never seen it before and boy oh boy I wish I never had. Worst movie ever...but powerful. Kids hated it.

Yesterday we had two aides out sick and I got an email from the secretary asking for help in figuring out coverage. First, I have no idea where they need coverage...I don't know their schedules. Second...not my job. Sorry. Annoying. Maybe if they hired full-time aides we would get coverage. Maybe if you paid subs more, we'd get coverage. But mostly...not my job.

Okay - time to get a move on. Happy FRIDAY!!! Later!

Parts In!

The parts for my elliptical came yesterday! I called for service but had to leave a message and haven't heard back from them yet. I'll call during my plan today if the chick doesn't call before then. I'm hoping this gets taken care of this week but at this point I don't have much hope. It makes me tempted to deal with the fix myself. The only good thing about the timing is that it is the weekend tomorrow and Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for my big walks with Scout. We'll see.

Here's anothing thing that's annoying me: I sent a message via MyChart to Jim's doctor (through his account) about something on his scan that Jim was supposed to ask about. I listed the question as "non emergency medical question", however, not only have I NOT gotten an answer but no one has even read the question yet. That's stupid!

Today will FINALLY be a normal day at school. Finally! I haven't read The Help with the kids in a WEEK! They're not going to remember anything that we've gone over. Oh well...this is the nature of 3rd and 4th quarters with either snow days or testing or stupid meetings. 

Jim and I finally had dinner together last night on a weeknight! And we got to watch the Wheel! I don't mind when Jimmy goes on 2nd shift (and the pups love it) but it sure is nice when he's back to normal.

Scout got a bath yesterday and he's so fluffy and smells so good. His fur is funny when it's squeaky clean because he gets the middle part down his back. It reminds me of  David Cassidy. Boo didn't get a bath because I didn't have the time and the sun was setting and he doesn't dry as quickly and it was getting cold and I worry about that sweet boy!

What else? Nothing really. Same old same old at school. Didn't watch the debate. Still not sure who to put my money on. I just know I'm not a Bernie fan. And Joe Biden is going down in flames currently. We'll see.

I guess that's all I've got. Salisbury steak (turkey) for dinner tonight with mashers and lima beans. A Jimmy favorite.

Happy Thursday! Later!

A Necessary Evil...I Guess

Maybe evil is too big a word but it seems fitting for the meeting from yesterday. I guess it was necessary although I would have preferred to just show up for the "draft" of caseloads. Everything else discussed really had nothing to do with me. Thankfully, it didn't take too terribly long (it was supposed to go from 7:15 - 11:15 but we were done by 10:15? Maybe 10:00) and I didn't have to sit and listen as stupid shit was tossed around (too much). Of course I pretty much tuned most of the jibber jabber out so I'm sure I missed something. On the other hand, are you really missing anything that's considered "jibber jabber"? Nope.

The really annoying thing about yesterday (nothing against you Diane) is that I really had shit coverage for my classes because no sub had taken my 1/2 day absence (they rarely do) so I just had random people come in. And then the instructions I left for 2nd period said that there would be an aide to help with the 3 higher need kids (MH kids from BFCs class) but Diane was sick and no one told me and SHE had no sub so no one showed up to help with those kooks. I feel bad for the sub because she was not in the know about these kids and was just left to her own devices. And by the way - I've asked before that if D is sick that SOMEONE tell me so I know...especially for this reason when I have a sub. Typical!

There were more annoying things but no sense going into them. Typical typical.

The parts for my elliptical should be delivered today. I got a message as well from someone about setting up service and interestingly the return number is a Cincinnati number. Hmm...maybe they won't be coming from Arkansas. We'll see.

OH!!! Good news! (Totally forgot) Jim had an appointment with his doc yesterday and he got the good news that he's back on a 3 month rotation of scans etc. because the meds are indeed doing what they need to do: Shrinking his lesions. Additionally, no increase in meds since the dose he's on is obviously doing its job! Woot! Take that cancer! (Don't get cocky Muir! The powers that be don't like that!) Sorry one more: Suck a turd cancer!

So the rest of the week should be pretty easy...just regular teaching and no other meetings. Today is going to be all effed up with assemblies for the kids...really I have no idea when kids are going to be in my classes or not. Not worried about it...I just don't know if I'm going to have to suddenly change plans or not.

And that's all I've got. Dinner tonight is a WW shrimp and linguine alfredo with a salad...one of Jimmy's faves.

Happy Wednesday! Later!

Meetings

I've got a couple meetings today. The first is our annual "draft" for the sped department where we determine caseloads, classes, and student placement. It's not my fave day because people tend to get sidetracked and bitch about things we can't change and some people talk too much and it's annoying. But at least it's just a half day and I can tune most of the jibber jabber out. My other meeting the annual meeting with the insurance rep guy to determine contributions to my HSA account etc. That meeting will only take about 10 minutes and I don't plan on changing anything.

Yesterday was a good day...nice and relaxed. I actually slept until 7:00! Got up, did some yoga (she tried to kill me), went to the grocery, took a relaxing bath, had a couple drinks with my neighbors and ate dinner. Jim was finally home on a "school night" so we were able to enjoy each other's company for the first time in about 3 weeks. Unfortunately, we didn't get to enjoy the Wheel because stupid Nascar was on. Which meant that I went up to bed extra early and then fell asleep extra early as well. This was all fine except I woke up at 2:00 pretty much ready to go. I managed to get back to sleep eventually but I never fell back into a deep sleep. Oh well.

I got an email that the replacement parts for the elliptical should be delivered tomorrow. I'm on the fence about just replacing them myself or in fact waiting for the service guy to drive up from Arkansas. Ugh! We'll see.  Just want my machine up and running correctly.

Have I mentioned how sore I am? That trampoline jumping really turned on some muscles I apparently hadn't been using! Add to that the number of chaturangas I did yesterday and I'm walking a little funny and can't raise my arms above my head without groaning.

No much is happening here. I'm making a chicken piccata for dinner tonight in case you're wondering. It's a new recipe...hope I like it. Chicken hasn't been my favorite lately. Although Susan and Trip made a chicken dish on Sunday that was delicious! I think part of my problem is I need to pound my chicken and get it thin which I'll do tonight.

And that's all I've got. I need to get a move on because I never put plans together for the sub today. I know what my kids are going to be doing and it's only for three classes but I should head out so I'm not late for my meeting. Happy Tuesday! Cheers to a short week! Later!

Packed Weekend

What a weekend! Had so much fun with the fam! Here's a short synopsis of what we did:

• Jim worked on Friday until about 3:30, came home and then he and I went down to Trip and Susans for a chili extravaganza! There were 11 of us and we had a lovely time. Jim and I headed home around 9:00. 
• Saturday, Jim and I got up, walked pups, ate breakfast and then met everyone at Perfect North. The kids, Charlie, Trip, Anne and Madison were skiing when we got there so we waited for them to finish and then Jim and Steve joined them to go tubing. Maggie and I left at that point and headed back to Trip and Susan's where Susan was getting things ready. 
• JJ had a 6:00 soccer game so all but Jim, Steve and Madison headed there to watch. Unfortunately his team lost but it was a good game. From there, Trip, Susan, and I went to get pizzas and then home for dinner and cards and hanging out. 
• On Sunday we woke up and Susan made a delicious breakfast on her outdoor griddle (I'm going to be getting one of those...it's amazing!), we all showered and then headed to Silver Lake where Trip and Susan belong. We went duckpin bowling and then went trampolining! It was SO MUCH FUN! Jim LOVED the trampoline! It was hilarious. Jim and I left there around 2:00, came home, walked the dogs, fed them and then headed back down to T&S for dinner. We were back home around 9:00. 

Definitely going to have to make this a yearly get together (at least). 

So my plans today are to chill, exercise, go to the grocery, cook dinner and get ready for the week. Jim just left for work and the pups are napping. I'll probably go do some yoga here in a bit and then take the boys on a walk since the temps are going to be in the 50s. 

And that's all I've got. Time to make the bed and figure out what yoga I'll do. Happy Monday...Happy President's Day! Later!

So Frustrating

Called in sick today...just feeling blah! Maybe it's the week  catching up with me and then a long night last night. Whatever...it's a good day to do it since it's an inservice and I don't need a sub and the kids won't have to deal with stupid piddly work (like they will Tuesday when I have a 1/2 professional day for a sped meeting). Anyway - around 11:30 last night I couldn't sleep and was tossing and turning and I thought, "I don't need this...I never take a sick day for me." So there you go.

This has been a frustrating morning so far. I did everything I could to fix my elliptical. I tightened bolts, I tried the little tricks and maneuvers the dude at Sole service told me to try and nothing worked. So, I called the service department again today and explained what's going on to another service guy and he thinks it's faulty parts. Which means, he's sending the parts to me. That will take 2-3 days. After that, within 2-3 days, I'll get a call to set up service. It will take (get this) about 2 days for the service guy to DRIVE up from Arkansas!!! And then I'll hopefully have my machine repaired! So annoying. I. Just. Want. To. Work. Out!!! It's depressing and I'm sure I'm packing on the pounds! UGH! I know I need to settle down but this weather and it being the middle of winter and it's not like I can just go take a walk or get on my bike! It's been raining for - what seems like - 2 fucking weeks and I NEED SUMMER TO GET HERE! And I need my elliptical to work. And I need...a drink!

I'm not going to have a drink, however, because I do plan on doing some work from home today but boy would a mimosa taste good right about now.

The weekend is going to be jam packed with fun! Tonight we're headed down to Trip and Susans for dinner. The Egberts are coming to town (they'll be staying with T & S) and Anne, Steve and Madison will also be staying with them (Jim and I will stay with them tomorrow). Tomorrow we're going to Perfect North for some skiing and tubing and then back to Trip and Susan's for some fun. I believe JJ has a soccer game which we'll all go to and then I think we're going to just order in pizza. After that it's going to be about chilling, hanging out and maybe playing games! Sunday, who knows what's on tap but I do know that we'll do a family dinner at T&S's with Dad joining the fray. I'm just looking forward to all of us hanging out and enjoying each other's company. (Sure wish Cullen were in town to join.)

And that's all I've got. I'm going to do some school work now and then hang with my crazy pups. Happy Friday! Happy long weekend! Later!

Marathon Day

This day is going to suck. Originally I was going to get up at 4:00 and exercise but when I woke up at midnight and realized how freakin' tired I was, I decided against it. So that's reason number 1 why today will suck because I won't get to exercise. Additionally, it's a late night at school with conferences from 4:30 - 6:00 and then from 6:00 - 8:00 we have academic fair. Stupid. I have one conference (no big deal). Thankfully, however, I have an in-service tomorrow which means A) I don't have to be in until 8:00 (will exercise tomorrow morning) and B) I'll be at my desk working all day long. I'm still trying to finish my Biology class so hopefully I'll get all that ironed out for the rest of the year tomorrow. Jim is still on 2nd shift today so at least the dogs will only be in their cages today for about 4 hours.

I have an IEP this morning. It's done and ready to go but I kind of forgot about it. Oops. It's no big deal and for a kid who is pretty high (not sure she really needs an IEP) so I'm not concerned. Hopefully it won't take long but of course it's a combo IEP/ETR (evaluation) and sometimes the school psyche rambles on needlessly. I'll give her a little warning that I need this to go lickity split quick becuase I have kids that need to take and finish a test 1st bell.

My elliptical is still a bit wonky. I still used it yesterday but it just isn't right. I tried a couple things to fix it yesterday after watching some videos but it didn't fix the issue so I'll call this morning during my plan and try to get some answers from the manufacturer. I have a feeling someone is going to have to come out to see what I'm talking about. I was going to have Jim call but he won't be able to give a good detailed description of what's happening.

I'm reading a good book (recommended by Becky) called The Guest Book by Sarah Blake. I'm only a few chapters in but it's really good.

And that's all I've got. Need to get going. Happy Thursday! Wish for me a quick day and night at school. Later!

P.S. Why is the spell check button on Blogger suddenly gone!? Stupid!

Ironing Out Some Kinks

To ease your mind, yes, I was finally able to get on my elliptical and exercise. There are some kinks with the machine, however. The left roller (which glides on a bar) jumps or rather hops a bit. I'm not sure why but in reading it could be that it needs to be lubricated. I don't think that is the problem though. See when I was putting the machine together, I noticed that the roller didn't sit square on the bar while the right one did. I think there may be an assembly issue. When the delivery guys delivered the machine, they put part 1 and part 2 (the two massive pieces) together for me and I'm wondering if it wasn't slightly off. I'm going to have Jim call the manufacturer today to see what they have to say. My workout though was lovely and I'm just hoping that I get a chance to repeat it today.

I'm sad. I finished the last episode of Sex Education season 2 yesterday. I hate that these new series that come out only have 8 episodes! How does that make for a season? They should be, minimum, 10 episodes. So now I have to wait another year for the next season to come out. Bummed! I do, however, have other things I need to watch (yes, need!). Like, I still need to finish Handmaid's Tale. The 2nd season of Killing Eve is still waiting for me. Of course I'm re-watching all the British Bake Off shows so I still have that. What else? Maggie gave me a suggestion which right now I can't remember...I'll check my text. Anyway...

My IEP went well yesterday. No big deal. School if fine as well although some of these kids really try my patience. Teachers too. There's this one teacher - she teaches math. Earlier in the year, I had a kid who needed to make up a test in my 1st period and I had spoken with the teacher the day before and she was supposed to open the test (it's on computer) but apparently forgot. I emailed her reminding her but apparently she didn't get the email until later. She emailed me back to tell me that next time I just need to call her so she can get the test opened and the kid can complete it and she can get the grade in the gradebook!!! So yesterday, same kid needed to make up a test so like I'd been instructed, I called. Well, that didn't go over well. I explained the test needed to be opened (it's on computer) and the teacher got all interrupty and said, "Well, I'm in the middle of a BIG problem with my BC Calculus class and I'll open up the test when I get a chance. Not sure when that will be!" Me: "Okey dokey! Thanks for your help!" What a maniac! And she's one of those massively fast talkers that you can't understand until the 10 second delay has kicked in...annoying. Chick...get a grip...life doesn't need to be that difficult!

So Jim was supposed to be off 2nd shift Thursday but he found out he's still on. Ugh! Poor guy. He's so burnt out! I just hope that Friday he's back on 1st. But he'll be exhausted. Sucks

Yesterday I SOOOOOO wanted a glass of wine before dinner! But, I buckled down and stuck to my guns and didn't have one!

Speaking of dinner! I made an AMAZING dish last night! Cauliflower and Potato Curry! So flavorful and delicious! It was done in the instant pot, was meatless and made a TON! (Probably should have cut the recipe in half!) I added chickpeas to the pot (because I'm obsessed with chickpeas lately) and served it with some brown rice. I of course like a lot of spice the cayenne was used liberally. Try it! To die for!

K - Time to get a move on! Later!

Back In Business!

That's right! Starting today - when I get home from school - I'm back on the elliptical. I. Can't. Wait! Especially since I didn't get to workout yesterday! Ugh!

So yeah, after a whole lot of irritation yesterday morning (after getting an email from the delivery company that they needed to reschedule for today) things worked out fine. Upon receiving the email, I sent them a message stating I expected delivery on the time and date originally set up. As I walked into school yesterday, the delivery guy sent me a text saying delivery would happen as planned. When I got home yesterday around three, I was chit chatting with Jim and my phone rang. It was the delivery guy saying he'd be here in 20 minutes. The machine was delivered and ready for me to put it together by 4:00.

Here's what I'm proud of:

• I put the thing together all by myself.
• I put the thing together in about 3 hours without losing a single piece of hardware
• I didn't cuss (well maybe under my breath a little). 

Here's what annoyed me:

• Jim, at first, tried to help before he left for work and of course, messed things up. 
• The directions for assembly were, at best, confusing. But I got it done even if it did take me about 10 minutes with each step to riddle out what I was being told to do.
• There was one direction that effed me up and I ended up having to rethread one of the computer cables back into a tube which took about 20 extra minutes. 
• I didn't get to workout (I know I already mentioned that but it REALLY annoys me.)

I got on the thing a bit last night just to make sure it was running properly and I believe all is well. I told Jim today to just make sure it was level. I read the manual last night and it seems pretty easy so I'm excited to use it today. Needless to say I hope to get an extra long workout in but who knows since it's been over a week since I've been on one.

And that's all I've got. I need to get a move on because I have a 7:15 IEP and want to make sure I'm ready to go with copies made before hand. Happy Tuesday! Later!

Mostly Good Weekend

Jim's birthday weekend was great and not just because I had Friday off. We had a great time out and about on Saturday and Sunday and it went way too fast. Saturday we went to Shooters and then had drinks at Bad Tom Brewing before dinner at Red Feather. Sunday we went to Hoppin' Vines for a couple beers and some duckpin bowling and then lunch at Currito. I made dinner last night - egg roll bowls - which was yummy!

The part of the weekend that was NOT good was getting annoyed by my neighbors, my dogs eating 3 pairs of flip flops (while I was doing yoga trying to decompress from my neighbor annoyance) and then waking up this morning with an email from Dick's trying to reschedule my delivery today for tomorrow. I'm going to do EVERYTHING in my power to keep my delivery on for today and I'm going to pitch a royal fit if they move it to tomorrow! I feel like my head is going to pop off with all the annoying shit that's been piling up on me! 

So my neighbor thing: As you may or may not know, Loveland (where I live) tried to pass a RIDICULOUS levy last November ($165 mill...one of the largest levies ever attempted in the state of Ohio). Needless to say it was NOT approved by a resounding 78% against. Afterward the board decided to put another levy on the ballot ($6.5 mill) without fixing any of the previous issues that were voiced by the public. Now, I don't think I've ever voted no on a school levy but I did on this one (in November) and I'm still schooling myself and deciding about the one for March. Considering they don't even have a planned budget for spending this money and they don't even have building plans, I'm thinking they need to go back to the drawing board. And by the way, the district is still in the black in terms of their money...they are not in an emergency situation. 

All that explained, I was getting ready yesterday and saw that my neighbors and a former neighbor were putting signs throughout the island (our cul-de-sac) much of which is owned by Jim and I. SO!!! presumptuous! After the signs were put up, I then got a text from Lauren saying, "You don't mind that we put levy signs in the island do you?" Now that's annoying for a number of reasons but mainly because guess who looks like an asshole now? My answer was, "I haven't made a decision about the levy yet. I don't care about the signs as long as they aren't on our property (don't want to be a hypocrite if I decide against.)" The other thing that's annoying is that Lauren was well aware of how I felt about the levy in November. Whatever though...they had the signs moved by the time we got home in the afternoon. People are ballsy! 

Okay well, I'd best mosey. This week will be an interesting one. I have a "short" week with an in-service on Friday but I have a long night on Thursday with Parent/Teacher Conferences and then Academic Night. But it's also going to be a three-day weekend (no school next Monday). Bonus too, Jim is back on regular shift starting Thursday. 

Ooh, just got a text from Dick's delivery dude who said he WILL be here to deliver today. Lucky! 

K - happy Monday...later!

I'll Take It!

2-hour delay and that's just fine with me.  Would I like to be closed? Of course! But beggars can't be choosers. We only have about an inch but it's slick out there and the snow is still coming down. What I'm really hoping for with all this is that Advisory gets cancelled today as well. We'll see. I've already showered and eaten breakfast so now I can just relax and watch TV.

In other news, I got Jim's birthday gift(s)...4 gift cards he can use for lunch when he's at work and just doesn't want leftovers (Skyline, Frisch's, Wendy's, Chipotle). The funny thing about all this was I called him yesterday to chit chat about some things and asked him what he wanted for Christmas because Anne had him in our pick (which we'll celebrate next weekend). His initial answer was a gift card from Dick's and then he stopped and said, "No! I want gift cards from Skyline and Wendy's and Frisch's!" Ha! Do I know my hubby or what!?

I woke up to an email this morning from a parent that said he and his son studied hard for the history test last night and he closed thanking me for such a "wonderful learning guide". The sad/funny thing about this was the test was yesterday. The study guide I send out on Wednesday clearly stated when the test was and of course his son failed miserably. However, his son is one of the MD kids who is really in my room for socialization and to get him a little out time from his regular classroom. I'll adjust his grade and maybe even allow him to go over his wrong answers. He's a crack up and I don't want him to fail.

So Jim is still deciding where he wants to go tomorrow for his birthday. Ends up it's just going to be the two of us. I found a couple places that look good (Red Feather and Spoon and Cellar) but Jim gets final pick. He's already said he wants to go to Shooters (big surprise) but other than that, who knows.

Okay well, that's all I've got. I'm going to go chill on the couch with Boo (who has been smacking and barking at me and randomly jumping up on my lap for love) and watch some Morning Joe. Happy Friday! (Fingers crossed we close!) Later!

P.S. My spell check is missing on Blogger so I apologize for any issues.

Sirius Radio

Yesterday at work the discussion about Sirius radio came up and I realized that I needed to call and "cancel" my subscription. I say "cancel" because I know how they work. They don't like to lose customers and they'll do almost anything to keep you on. And by the way, the renewal cost for the next year was going to be $247.00 according to the email I got about a week ago. That's nearly $150 more than I paid last year. So I called last night and finally got to customer service and said I wanted to cancel. They guy asked why I was cancelling and I said "Because it's too expensive based on the email I got and I don't want to pay any more than the $99 I paid last year." And the guy came back with, "Well, that's a coincidence because we have a deal going on for loyal customers for $99 and an upgrade for a year to all access. I see you've been a customer for 12 years so you qualify!" First of all, HOT DOG! Now I'll get Howard Stern and other channels I didn't have before, I can stream as well. Second of all, I've NOT been a customer for 12 years. I've only subscribed this last year with my new Subaru. But I didn't correct him. Oh, and because my renewal wasn't set to happen until 3/14, they credited my account $14! Woot! I barely had to haggle. Hell, I didn't haggle at all. I probably should have...I probably could have gotten a cheaper price but that's okay...I didn't want to be on the phone that long.

Why is it that in a week where I didn't work the full week it goes by like molasses? I woke up this morning thinking, "This is a joke! It's Saturday, right?!" 

Speaking of...Saturday is Jimmy's birthday. I don't plan on getting him much of a gift. I mean, I did just take him to Punta Cana. I'll get him a little something...maybe a few gift cards for lunch out when he's on the job. Sound impersonal but he'll like it. However, we do plan on going out on Saturday. He wants to head to Weidemann brewery (like we were supposed to do last weekend) and then to either Pins Mechanical or Hoppin Vines in Kenwood so do a little duck pin bowling. He's supposed to call his friend Chris to see if he and his wife Martha want to tag along. We'll see. 

Four more days!!! Until delivery of my new elliptical. I. Can't. Wait! I  miss it. Yesterday I did the recumbent and it was fine...it gives a good workout for my legs but it isn't the cardio I get with my elliptical. I just hope it doesn't take a week to assemble. I may have to call in sick next Tuesday! 

Ooh, next week is a 4-day week with kids (in-service on the 14th) and then we have a 3-day weekend. YAY!!! Although, I have a late night on the 13th...Parent/Teacher Conferences and Acadeic Night. Of course Jim will have to work on Monday (President's Day) but that's okay...Muwee won't. 

Okay well, that's all I've got. Time to get a move on and head to work. I'm still not done with all my grading and, oh shit! I have an IEP today at 7:15. That's okay though, it's for one of my kids whose mother is an aide with us. She's been out sick all week with the flu (as have her 4 kids)...not sure she'll even show. I hope she's not still sick and then shows up...I'll have to kick her. Anyway...later! Happy Thursday. 

All Is Well

Just wanted to get that out there first regarding Jimmy. He had his PET scan yesterday and then his doctor's appointment (although we didn't see the doctor but the nurse practitioner) and while there was a bit of a hiccup, tentatively, all signs are pointing to his lesions shrinking and no spreading. I say tentatively because of course when we got in the room with the NP, she told us that the scan didn't get compared to his previous scan. Annoying. I had them print out the scan and could see right away that there was shrinkage (previous scan read lesions in centimeters and this one was reading in millimeters) and then the NP called Jimmy last night and confirmed what I had seen.

So all that's good and it means that these new meds (which knock on wood aren't causing him grief) are working. He's still on 3/4 of a dose but they plan on upping those, I think. But who knows now that they're seeing that the dose he's on is doing its job. Jim goes back to the doc in 2 weeks and will get to meet with the doctor. I would imagine then, he'll up the meds again but we'll see. I won't go to that appointment unless something untoward happens from now until then.

In other news, the rest of my day yesterday was spent reading my book and hanging with the pups. Jim pretty much snoozed in the recliner all day until he had to leave for work. I did some extra ab and arm work but I'm seriously missing my elliptical. I just don't get the cardio I want and it's making me nuts. I know I have a problem but what can I do? Today I'll workout on my recumbent and hope that that keeps me sated.

If you're wondering if I watched the SOTU last night the answer would be, "Uh, NO!" First of all, why would I subject myself to being lied to and that's WAY past my bedtime. Though in all fairness, I was up until 9:00 reading my book...it's so good! It's the sequel to the book I mentioned a month or so ago (Art of Hearing Heartbeats). It's called A Well-Tempered Heart. It's hard to put down!

Well, that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Since I was absent yesterday, I have a ton of grading to do. Happy Wednesday...we're halfway there. Later!

P.S. "Hiccup" came up as a misspelled word but then gave no suggestions. Is it spelled wrong?! WFT?

Jam Packed Morning

I took today off to go to Jim's doctor's appointment so my morning will be packed but after that, I'm free as a bird. Jim had to get up at 5:00 to be out the door by 5:30 to get to his scan at 6:15. All that after he didn't get home until around midnight last night. At least he can nap this afternoon before he has to go to work again.

I got up at 6:00 and drank some coffee. I did a little yoga and just finished breakfast. I'll get in the shower after this and then head down to St. E's around 8:30. Of course traffic sucks because rain and what not but slow and steady wins the race.

Yesterday I was in a bit of a funk. I don't know why but I was just blah. When I got home I decided to go on a bike ride (since it was 60 degrees) and it bolstered my spirits and mood. Sometimes you just need outdoor air and to get your endorphins moving!

So after my lovely bike ride, I decided to motivate and do my taxes. I'm happy to say they are done, filed, they've been accepted by federal and state IRS and now I just have to wait for my money. On a down side, I didn't get as much as last year (thanks Trump) and it's really disheartening to think that a company like Amazon pays a lower rate than me who doesn't make shit as a teacher. Bullshit! Oh well, what are you going to do?

Boo keeps coughing. Not sure if he's got something lodged or if he scratched his throat or what but it sounds terrible.

Speaking of terrible there are SO many kids sick right now! I mean, whatever this is - a stomach bug or the flu - these kids are falling like dominoes and they're out for a week at a time. Apparently this whatever-it-is is a doozie!

Okay well, I best get a move on...I have to stop and get gas too. In the rain. Yuck. K - later. Happy Tuesday!

The Elliptical Saga

So I came home on Friday and was enjoying my workout on the elliptical. I had gone 40 minutes and had 10 more to go when BAM! The damn thing busted. Literally snapped in half. Well, the pole thingy snapped clean off the foot pedal. Sucks! And yes, I could repair it but at this point, it's just going to keep having issues and that headache just isn't worth it. It's a 5 year old machine and lasted as long as I think it could considering it wasn't the most expensive or well-built elliptical out there. Anyway, this meant that on Saturday Jim and I had to go out and get a new one. I ended up purchasing the Sole e25. It's nice and smooth and should last longer than my Schwinn did. The bad part is that I can't get it until next Monday! UGH! How am I going to survive a week without my elliptical!? Sucks. Since it's going to be nice today, I think I'll ride my bike but after that, I guess I'm stuck with my recumbent and then I'll do some yoga and other stuff.

Jim's still on 2nd shift. Not sure how long but it's good since he has a scan and doctor's appointment tomorrow. Won't have to miss work for it. I've taken off tomorrow to go to the doctor but I'll meet him there because his scan is at 6:30 am and there's no reason I need to go to that.

What else? Had friends over on Saturday for dinner and cards. That was fun. Christine and I kicked Dan and Jim's asses which is funny because Christine is new to euchre. Of course yesterday when we played with Doug and Lauren, Lauren and I got our asses handed to us by Jim and Doug. Oh well...can't win 'em all.

Yay for the Chiefs! I was rooting for them.

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Monday! Later!

Boo Just Yelled At Me

Boo came down while I was eating breakfast (taking a break from cuddling) and I thought he wanted to go out but he didn't...just kept walking around and so I stopped paying attention to him. Apparently he was looking for his duck to take outside with him because he went to the door and I didn't notice and so he walked up to me with duck in mouth and barked (loudly considering he had a stuffed duck in his mouth) and then ran to the door. Jeez!

This will have to be relatively short because my computer went crazy and did some "fix" reboot, restart thing so I'm running late.

Not much to talk about anyway. Jim's back on regular shift, just for today. Hopefully he won't have a full day since he's worked so many hours already. We don't have plans tonight (I'm sure he'll be tired) other than having dinner and hanging. Saturday we talked about going down to the Wiedemann brewery. I'm not a Wiedemann fan but looking at their special brews they look pretty yummy. And they have a delicious looking menu. We also want to go to a tile store and look at some tiles. Sunday is the Superbowl but we don't have any plans for that.

School is good. Nothing major happening. Today will be easy. We're finishing up a Great Depression movie in history and then starting a WWII one. In science, since my kids did so "well" on their test (well being a relative term...since no one failed) we'll watch a movie in there as well. And then in LA, kids will be doing a reading comp. I will be writing IEPs all day.

Oh I was checking out FB last night, specifically crazy mother's page to see if she had posted anything lately (yesterday she showed up at school and the principal and resource officer had to bar her from entering) and sure enough, she had. And she named names. I forwarded those to Lisa to pass on. In my opinion, it's game on when she starts spewing lies and then names names. Bitch be crazy!

And that's all I've got. Told you I was boring. Happy Friday! Later!

Pleasant Surprise

Sometimes kids just surprise you. My science kids? Not one of them failed my test yesterday! I guess all the hounding and emails home (nagging) inspired some studying. So happy. I will reward them tomorrow with a Friday movie day. And no, I didn't have that in the plans already! Can I get a woot!?

Jim's still on 2nd shift but tomorrow will get to work 1st. That's good for the weekend but sucks for him tomorrow as he'll work late tonight and then have to get up in the morning. 

Oh, last night Jim sent me a text that said, "Working with Whispers...he got in my face." That may sound weird but I knew right away what he was saying. Whispers is some other painter who's a quiet talker. Jim can never hear what he says. Apparently he thought Jim got him laid off some months back and when Jim arrived on the job yesterday, Whispers got in his face and, as Jim put it, was "this" close to hitting him (Whispers, not Jim). Jim said he remained calm but had no idea what the guy was talking about. Whispers is apparently pretty small too (Jim says he comes up to about his sternum) which makes it kind of funny. Jim called his boss and told him what was going on...he instructed Jim to just stay away from the dude and then his boss called the dude to try and calm the fires. I guess it all went okay since Jim came home as usual around midnight. Jeez. 

My dinner last night was really yummy (Broccoli and Chickpea stir fry). I'm excited to have it for lunch today. I didn't change anything in the recipe but would maybe leave the maple syrup out next time. I used sugar free but it doesn't really need the sweetness. Maybe they call for it due to the heat but I like heat. I would add more broccoli next time too. 

Jeez...there's some dude on MSNBC right now who just can't spit out whatever the f&%k he's trying to say. Drives me crazy. 

Okay - I need to get a move on. Happy Thursday. So happy tomorrow is Friday. Later!

Pillow Partner

Scout decided to get on my pillows last night to sleep. I think it started out as him trying to get to my nightstand to steal my ponytail holders but when I said, "UH UH!" he stopped and acted like he was just making his bed. He ended up there all night and at one point started yipping in his sleep. When my alarm went off and I turned over to turn it off, he ever so gently licked my nose. Good morning sweet boy!

I had a funny dream last night. I dreamt that Jimmy put together a surprise trip for me. We were in PIB and he surprised me with tickets to Shanghai and then Ireland. We would spend 5 days in Shanghai and then fly to Ireland for a week. What a combo, huh? The issue was I needed to call Diane to see if she could stay longer with the dogs but for some reason, I added 19 days to her house/dog sitting stint rather than 12 and she said, "Yeah, no, that's too long!" So then I had to scramble and find someone else to watch the pups. It was very stressful!

I'm giving a test today in science on photosynthesis and I know my kids are all going to fail. We've been going over and over the info and reviewing and I sent them all a Quizlet to use for studying (sent to their parents as well) but if I know my kids and parents, they didn't study. We'll see. And as much as I hate teaching Biology, it's actually making a lot more sense since I've been teaching it. That's good, huh? That I can actually say I'm not totally confused by what I'm trying to teach the kids? Progress! For me at least.

I'm making a dinner tonight that I'm excited about: Broccoli stir fry with chickpeas. I loves me some chickpeas and could eat them with every meal. I don't know why. They don't have much taste. Maybe it's their texture.

Jim called last night while at work because the job he was doing that he thought would only take a few hours was bigger than he thought. He was estimating he'd be home around 2:00 AM...poor guy. But guess what? As usual Jim estimated incorrectly and he was home by midnight.

I caught myself talking in my sleep last night. Here's what I said, "I've got a tomato for you and you" sung (or chanted) in the tune from Willy Wonka "Oompa Loompa". I don't know what I was dreaming (it wasn't the China/Ireland dream) but I was recording something for the cops. I'll say it: I'm weird. Or rather my dreams are weird.

Oh, guess what?! The downs syndrome girl I mentioned in yesterday's post? She shit her pants AGAIN yesterday! OMG! WTF!? Poor Jen (the aide).

Okay...on that note...time to finish getting ready. Happy Wednesday...half way there. Later!

2nd Shift Stint

I'm totally on my own this morning and I have to say, it's kind of peaceful. No pups wanting to go outside then right back in only to want right back out...and in! Jim's not here flipping channels and seeing stupid shit that he feels I MUST see so he rewinds and can never land where he needs to be and then fast fowards only to go too far. UGH! Jim's up in bed snoozing and the pups ditched me for cuddling. Not that I blame them...I'd be up there too if I could. Jim started his 2nd shift stint yesterday, which should go about a week and a half. He actually worked for 4 hours in the morning yesterday and then came home, only to go back downtown around 5:00. He got home around midnight. When he's on 2nd shift, 7 hours is considered a full day so that's the plus side of the whole thing. The other plus side is that the pups will have constant company and not need to be caged. This means that when I get home to exercise, they won't be all wound up. Bright side!

Jim being on 2nd shift will take some getting used to in terms of sleeping.  I woke up at midnight, right before he got home and couldn't get back to sleep until he was in bed. That will hopefully go away after a couple nights. The dogs did well, however. Usually when he isn't home, they're really restless and constantly get up to look out the window and growl at nothing. Annoying.

Ooh, my neighbor had a coyote in her front yard the other day. Scary. I knew they were around (I've heard them) but I've never seen them near my house. Freaks me out even with a 6 foot tall privacy fence. I hate letting the boys out when it's dark. And we have two different groups of deer in the area and I wonder if that keeps the coyotes nearby. Hmm...I told Cari - one of my other neighbors - that she needs to have her husband get his gun and hunt that damn thing down. Kill it! Jim said he was going to get a gun and kill it but you know he'd end up shooting himself or me, "accidentally".

School. It's fine. I feel bad for one of our aides. She spends most of her day with a downs syndrome girl who is completely misplaced. She's basically uncommunicative and gets nothing out of where she's currently placed. She's new to our district this year and the paperwork was a bunch of bullshit. It said she was reading on a 4th grade level which is a LAUGH! At most she's at a 1st grade level. And she's stubborn as hell. Well, yesterday she shit her pants and the aide ended up having to clean it all up. Now this pisses me off because in the latest evaluation (done about 2 weeks ago) it said she had independent toileting habits. BULLSHIT! She won't go to the bathroom at school unless she's told to. This isn't the first time she's shit herself. And when she has her period, well, you can imagine the mess and hassle that is. Maybe she can wipe herself (I question how well that even happens) but everything else? She's not independent.

And that's all I've got for today. Happy Tuesday! Later!

The Weekend Recap

Such sad news about Kobe Bryant. Just so stupid! No more to say about that.

My weekend: Well, it started out sucky because I got a flat tire on my way home from school. I was going the back way home and realized at a red light that my TPMS light was on so I looked at my tire gauge and saw that the air pressure was going down quickly in my rear passenger side tire. Literally as I sat at the red light, it went from 25 to 15 psi in a matter of about 2 minutes. I made it the quarter mile to the UDF on 22/3 and filled my tire to 32 psi. And then I heard that air continuing to quickly leak out. Leaning over and looking at the tire, I saw the metal shard embedded in the tire. Shit! I called Jim to get his thoughts: Do I change it and put the spare on or try to drive it another quarter mile up the road to Tire Discounters? He was on his way home and said he would come and change the tire but I said I'd try to do it myself. So I pulled all the tire changing gear out and realized that the jack looks a little more difficult than I wanted to figure out so I got back in my car to wait for Jim. About 5 minutes later, a cop knocks on my window and she says, "Got a flat? Your husband called." JAYSUS! Of course he did. Long story short, the officer was a little unsure about the jack as well so she radioed her fellow officer to come take a look. She got the jack positioned and then when the second officer arrived with an intern, they all got the thing changed no problem. And, I was home within a half hour of my normal time. (I had called Jim and told him to head on home.) I can't tell you how easy the whole thing was and how awesome the officers were. I messaged the township to thank them on Saturday morning. They made what could have been a frustrating and shitty way to kick off the weekend into something that was really no big deal.

Saturday Jim and I got up, had breakfast and while Jim took the car to Bob Summerall to get the tire fixed ($35.00 later!) I cleaned. We went to Shooters and then came home and chilled. I made a meatless dinner on Saturday that Jim was NOT a fan of. I loved it but I think the sweet potato that was in it wasn't Jim's fave. Oh well, live and learn.

Sunday we went to TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Steinmart to put a basket together for Jim's sister who is going through chemo...just some teas, cozy socks, lotion, and a couple of mugs to keep her spirits up. Afterward, we headed to Shooters again and then home for some chill time. No big deal.

It should be an easy week at school. I don't have any meetings but have three coming up so I'll be getting those written and sent off as drafts to parents. Other than that - nada.

And I better get a move on. Happy Monday! Here's hoping that the week goes by quickly. Later!

Safe Travels

Safe travels to Maggie who is headed to Ft. Lauderdale today to join Charlie for the weekend. Cheers to good weather and fun!

TGIF! I have to say that considering this was a short week, it sure dragged on. Ugh! And of course, each day, I would enter my classroom, make my coffee, sit down to figure out what was what and a headache would kick in. It's that time of year. I actually already have a headache now but will take some ibuprofen and hopefully it will go away quickly.

Those dang boys woke me up at 4:00 AM today. I don't know what their problem was but they kept doing bad things to keep me awake...licking each others ears, trying to lick me, Scout walked on top of me to get to the side table to steal my socks. ARG! Well, at least is should be a relatively easy day. We're on an advisory schedule though which I hate. Such a waste of time. Nothing that bugs me more than wasted time. And the kids hate it too. Stupid.

I made my butternut squash and black bean stew last night and it was YUMMY! I used Brussel sprouts instead of kale or spinach, I added a bit more broth than it called, a 2nd can of black beans and a bit more cayenne. Even Jim liked it. I'll be having it for lunch too. Can't wait.

Tonight I'm making homemade pizzas for dinner. I think I'll do a meaty one for Jim (turkey pepperoni and sausage) and then a caramelized onion and mushroom for me. Plus a salad. Jim should have a short day today so I'll send him to the store for me. I just can't wait for a yummy beer after work (and a workout).

No real plans for the weekend. I'm sure Shooters will be in there at some point but who knows what else. It's not going to be very nice...maybe we should go to a movie. We'll see.

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Friday! YAY!!! Later!

I Got Nothing

I truly have nothing to talk about.

Work is work. Nothing exciting there - just the way I like it.

Jim went out last night with his friend Chris. They ended up going to a place in Kenwood called Hoppin' Vines. It has duckpin bowling, lots of beer on tap (mostly local) and 1000 + bottle wine cellar to chose from. Their menu consists of pizzas they make in a coal fired oven. I haven't been there but Jim seemed to have a good time. Funnily enough, the guy bowling next to him last night was his surgical oncologist - Dr. Sussman who I'm sure had no idea who Jim was.

Tonight's dinner (since I didn't cook last night) will be the black bean, butternut squash soup that I was going to make. Hope it's good. I actually calls for kale or spinach but in the comments, someone mentioned that they added shaved brussel sprouts instead so I might do that. Sounds yummy. Loves me some brussel sprouts.

I started watching a series on HBO last night - The Outsider. It's based on a Stephen King novel and stars Jason Bateman (who I love). Oh, and he directs it as well. It's not scary like much of King's stuff is but it is a thriller and a whodunit. Really enjoyed episode #1. Probably should have waited for Jim but who am I kidding? If I had watched it with him, he would have just fallen asleep.

I also started watching the 2nd season of Sex Education yesterday. Man do I love that show. It's so funny and clever.

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. So happy tomorrow is Friday! Happy Thursday! Later!

Jim's Lost His Remote Privileges!

I'm sitting here peacefully eating breakfast. I've got Jim on my left where he always is. We're enjoying our carrot cake waffles, hard boiled egg and fruit. And then I notice that Jim's tuned in to Pee-wee's Playhouse. I don't know what it is about Pee-wee but it's one of those shows that if Jim finds it on TV, he's all in. He also informed me that it's 30 years old! I will say that the one time he was channel surfing and found Pee-wee's Christmas Special, it was one of the best things I had seen in a LONG time! Of course with everything going on in the news this morning, Pee-wee is a lot less ridiculous!

Can I vent for a minute about stupid parents? I sent an email out yesterday to set up an IEP. As I always do, I presented the parent with a window of dates as well as times to choose from. I ended with "look at your calendar, choose a date and time and I'll send you a formal invitation." She emails me back with "The 13th works". JAYSUS! TIME LADY! Cause we're not meeting all day freakin' long! So now I have to do the email back and wait another day for her reply. Annoying.

I made a really good meal yesterday (if I do say so myself): Sour cream pork chops in the instant pot. I've made these before, I'm sure but they were quite scrumptious. Easy too with only 5 ingredients. I substituted beef broth with veggie broth (because I didn't have beef broth) and of course I used fat free sour cream. I served it with roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts. So yummy!

Jim's going out tonight with friends to go bowling. I'm kind of excited. I'll make dinner and then he'll leave and I'm sort of excited for some mommy/puppy time. Not that we don't get plenty of that but you know...the house to myself. On and dinner tonight will be a black bean butternut squash soup...another meatless meal. Hope it's good.

Boo just came downstairs and started barking at me and smacking me in the arm so I would push my chair back and let him sit on my lap. He's so funny.

Okay - time to get a move on. Happy Wednesday (ooh, we're half way through). Later!

New Good Read

Thank you Maggie for the new read...loving it which makes going back to work a little tough today because I want to stay home and read. Which is basically what I did yesterday and it was lovely!

Not much to talk about. As I mentioned yesterday in my post, it was a relaxed day for me and the pups. Other than I quick trip to the store, I lazed around and read most of the day. Dinner was delicious. I made the Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Avocado Creama. Jimmy really liked it, as did I. Notes in case you make it:

• Add more water than it calls for in the creama otherwise it's way too thick. 
• When doing the batter for the cauliflower, dump all the cauliflower in to coat and then if you're using a rack over  your parchment, make sure to spray it (I forgot). 
• I got broccoli slaw to serve with and black bean and rice. Delicious!

I'm not sure what I'll make tonight. Originally I was going to do a black bean and butternut squash soup but we have a lot of leftovers and I don't want to add to them until we eat some. Probably some pork chops of some sort...we'll see. 

Work should be easy this week since it's short and I don't have any IEPs. 

And that's all I've got. I need to go finish getting ready and I want to blow my hair dry since it's so cold. Happy Tuesday...later!

What To Do, What To Do?

With the temps the way they are,  (feels like 7) what I really want to do is sit at home in front of the fire and possibly catch up on some shows. What I'll probably do is finish my exercise routine, shower, go to the store (because stupid Kroger had no slaw on the shelves yesterday) and then come home, start a fire, cuddle with the pups and catch up on some shows. Jim's working so it's a perfect day for Muwee to have some alone time. Woot!

As I know you all love hearing about my dreams, here are a couple that have stuck with me lately:

• Trip, Anne and I were at PIB and packing up to leave. I had Boo and Scout with me and it was Trip and Anne's job to make sure they didn't get out while I was packing up some stuff inside. And then, Trip came to me and said, "I need to tell you something but it wasn't my fault because I wasn't there to defend him." (In other words, it was Anne's fault). He went on to tell me that Boo was taken by some giant bird of prey and killed. The thing that I was focused on, however, was that Trip kept calling Boo a "she" which annoyed me and I was also really focused on a set of pencils that were Trip's...I kept asking him if he had seen I'd sharpened them and he needed to make sure not to forget them. 
• My other dream, which I had last night was that I was having Christmas dinner at my house and I forgot to get wine. I had a half bottle to feed the masses (which includes me, Maggie, Becky and dad) and the conundrum was that it was Christmas day so nothing was open. Needless to say, everyone left before dinner. Well, Dad never showed up because he was at the eye doctor getting fitted for contact lenses. I mean, what the f&%k is going on in my mind when I'm dreaming this shit?! 

Oh, my weekend! I had a great time in Columbus. We went bowling on Saturday and in my first game, I scored 121! I actually beat Charlie! Needless to say, I sucked after that but that's par for the course...I always bowl "well" in the first game and go downhill from there. Other than that, we just chilled and enjoyed each other's company. Yesterday when I arrived home, Jim and I headed to Shooters and then came home and watched football.

I made a delicious meatless meal for dinner last night: Vegan Indian Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry.  I served it with some rice with peas and it was scrumptious! I will say that if you decided to make it, don't use the amount of broth it calls for...maybe half or a quarter...there's a ton of liquid already with the coconut milk and tomatoes. I will certainly make that again. Tonight I'm making another meatless dinner: Buffalo cauliflower tacos with avocado creama...YUM! 

K - well, guess I should finish exercising and then get to the store so I can come back home and hang with my pups! Wow, it's only 8:00! Bonus! I have the whole day ahead of me. Later!

Up, Fit & Fed

I'm up and I've exercised, showered, eaten, paid some bills and after I finish here, I'll head up and finish getting ready for my day. And it's only 6:30! I don't have to be at school until 8:00 so was able to get all this done early which always makes me happy.

Weighed myself today...was nervous...felt weighty but I'm where I was before the holidays so YAY! I do want to drop about 5 pounds (as a cushion) but I'm not going nutty about it...just going to do my normal stuff and see what happens.

Jimmy only has a 1/2 day today (like me) so will make it home early for the pups. This is good because after my 1/2 day at school and appointment, I'll head north to spend the weekend with Maggie et al.

I like Joe Scarborough but sometimes he rattles on and on and on and on and I'm pretty sure he's the only one who's listening to what's coming out of his mouth. Thank God for Willie Geist who keeps him in line, really. And Mika, a little bit.

Jim's a fool. We were talking last night about another trip (just dreaming really) and I told him I want to go somewhere that has a direct flight. So knowing that he yells down a couple minutes ago: Hey, what about somewhere like Barbados? Or Martinique? My response was: Hey Jim! How about listening to me for a minute! Those aren't direct flights, fool! Then he said: Fine...why do you have to be such a bitch!? Haha! He was of course just being funny and it made me laugh out loud.

What else? Nothing. My day today will be a 1/2 hour meeting to start my day with the superintendent about the levy then the rest of my morning will be my "Cultural Competency" training (required). I'll get out at around 11:00 and that's my day. YAY!

My weekend will be relaxed, I believe. Tonight we'll go to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant. Saturday will be a movie and then chillin' at the Egberts (Chicken wild rice soup for dinner) and lots of wine and conversation. I'll come home Sunday and still have Monday off. YAY!

K - better go finish my routine. Happy Friday! Later!

My Friday...Sort Of

I have to work tomorrow but it's an in-service and it will be a half day for me. Woot! AND! I don't have to be at work until 8:00 tomorrow so I'll be able to exercise in the morning. Bam!

Did I mention that the 2nd season of Killing Eve was released on Hulu finally! Excited to binge that!

Did I mention my latest obsession? It's the Private Select (Kroger) Sweet Cinnamon Spice Herbal Tea. It's the most amazing tea ever and of course when I went the other day, they didn't have any on the shelves! Pissed. When I go next, I will be stocking up. I usually put a packet of Splenda in my tea but with this it isn't needed. It is sweet all by itself. And it sort of satisfies my sweet tooth - sort of. I still love me some peppermint tea but for now, I'm hooked on this.

Did I mention that I recently went on Old Navy to shop a bit of their clearance? I ended up with 5 pairs of pants, two sweaters and two tops (that' 9 items). All that for under $130! That's pretty good! I was pretty happy with that score! And everything fit really well! Woot!

Did I mention that I want to go back to the Dominican!? Every now and then during my day, I think This time 2 weeks ago I was sitting at the pool or wading in the ocean. Sigh. Plus I'm already losing my tan which makes me sad because it's going to be 5 months before I can get color again!

And that's all I've got. I didn't have much and I apologize but alas, it's January. Not much going on. Happy Thursday! Later!

Late Night = More Coffee

And by late night, I mean I was out at dinner until 8:30, didn't get home until nearly 9:00 and then stayed up  and wound down until 10:00. I feel fine now but I'm sure it will catch up with me later in the day. Regardless though, it was great to see Lisa (my cousin) and catch up with her and everything going on with the McClain side of the family. (Good to see Anne too!)

My meeting yesterday was fine. I managed to convince the parents to leave the writing goal out. It was AFTER the meeting that the real shit hit the fan. See, the parents, after their son left, started talking about some issue he was having with one of his friends. They acted like I had an idea of what they were talking about so I made it clear I was clueless. They then revealed that one of their sons friends girlfriends was accusing that friend of rape and that he hits her. UGH! So I, of course, finding out that the admin wasn't aware of this issue, was compelled to tell the admins about this. (I told this to the parents.) So as they left the meeting, I saw one of my principals and I called him in and told him quickly what the parents had told me. Later, seeing my student in the hallway, the admin pulled him aside just to get the last name of the girlfriend. Well apparently that was the WRONG way to go about it because the kid freaked out and started texting his parents. The parents got all pissed off (at my admin) because they didn't want their son to know they had "betrayed" his trust. JAYSUS! Total stupid bullshit that I hate getting involved in. Parents! Be parents and when shit like this comes up, tell your kid that you need to inform the powers that be! The kid was assured his name wouldn't come up. Hopefully this is off my plate today.

Jim's going to be on nights coming up soon. This is a good thing for a couple reasons: A) It will work well with his upcoming scan so he won't miss work B) It will mean that when parent teacher conferences come up soon, I won't have to worry about the dogs and C) he'll actually have to work fewer hours for a full work week. His work is slow right now so any work is good work.

And that's about all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Wednesday (thought all day yesterday was Wednesday and so did the kids). Later!

Clear Skin

Jim went to the dermatologist yesterday (his 6-month check up) and all is well. He's good to go for another 6 months. I was a little worried...only because the new meds specifically talk about side effects of skin growths and developing skin cancers (squamous cells etc.) but he was all good.

Had some WEIRD dreams last night and I wasn't even on the melatonin. Ugh! There were some these herds of beasts on the loose (that used to be humans) and the only way to avoid getting eaten by them was to play dead. So I was hunkered in bed with Zeke and Boo (not sure where Scout was or why Zeke was there) and so worried they were going to move or get antsy and it was terrible.

I have an IEP this morning. It will be fine but it's a set of parents that are a bit of a pain in the ass. Their kid is really very smart, on the spectrum and has in the past year had a writing goal (I HATE writing goals). His biggest issue is, he's a lazy ass and completely unorganized and distracted by his phone. This means that rather than do his homework or complete his work I fight with him to get shit done. So the IEP I wrote didn't have a writing goal (because he can write fine in comparison to his peers) and though it's something we'll continue to help him with, it won't be monitored with a goal. I sent a draft home but of course the parents are all, "We think his writing is still an issue." Okay, I didn't say that it wasn't a bit of an issue in fact, I even wrote that it was still a need...we just aren't going to make that the goal. Ugh. So I'll be fighting with them on this for the IEP. I have a goal ready just in case but hopefully I can keep them from adding this. Stupid.

This evening, I'll be going out to dinner with Anne and Lisa (cousin). We'll meet up at Rusty Bucket around 6:15. Yummy!

And that's all I've got. I'd better finish my toilette so I can get ready for my IEP. Happy Tuesday (damn, I though it was Wednesday...although without kids on Friday and taking a 1/2 day, it kind of is my Wednesday). Later!

Lazy Dogs

Jim and I are up and at 'em...just ate breakfast and Jim is folding his work pants and where are the boys? They're back upstairs in bed. They are LAZY! Which I love. I don't blame them either. It was TOUGH getting up this morning. I mean, I was in bed by 8:00 and nodding off by 8:30 so I shouldn't be that tired but I'm struggling.

I don't really have a reason to be this tired either. Our weekend was quite low key. Friday was just a hang out night at home with leftovers. Saturday we went to Shooters for lunch and had hibachi at a nearby Japanese restaurant for dinner (was really yummy). Yesterday was just a quick jaunt to Shooters and then home for some basement clean out (purged a ton of stuff that Jim's been holding onto). Of course in throwing stuff out and having the garage door open, the boys escaped. Boo came back right away (with the help of the neighbor) but Scout was GONE and it took some wrangling to get him back. He didn't go far, just behind us in the woods but he was chasing squirrels so he had eyes and ears only for those little rodents. There wasn't ANY attention paid to his mamma. Until he saw me that is. Once I drove over to another part of the neighborhood and then traipsed through a neighbors yard and Scout spied his mamma, he came running to me, which is good. Scoutie just loves him some squirrels.

I made a really good meal last night - Pinot noir chicken with mushrooms (and if you don't like mushrooms, you can leave them out). Was really easy and tender. It's pinned under my Chicken board.

The week should be pretty easy. I have one IEP tomorrow but we have an in-service on Friday so no kids...YAY! Then! No school next Monday! Woot! Can't wait for that.

And that's about all I have. I'm running a bit late so need to get a move on. Happy Monday! Later!

Made It Through

Made it through the first week of school in 2020! Woot! Not only that but I made it through the work week NOT drinking and that is an accomplishment! There was real concern, after our vacation, that I would go through withdraw but alas, I made it. I can't WAIT to have a beer this afternoon. And a glass (or three) of wine. All that said, however, I'm guessing I won't be able to stay up very late tonight considering the boys decided they wanted to get up at 4:00. I did NOT get out of bed but they were awake and I was awake. I finally got out of bed (cause I was getting smacked in the face by Boo) at 4:30 and considering how fast they ran to the back door, I'm guessing they REALLY had to pee.

My IEP meeting went well yesterday. It's a parent that I've had for both her kids for the past 4 years. After the meeting she said to me, "Did you lose a lot of weight? You look like a totally different person." Of course that's flattering that she noticed and I thanked her but do I really look like a totally DIFFERENT person? Huh!

We got some wind on the way. Apparently it's pretty windy right now but tomorrow they're saying we're going to get gusts up to 60 mph. I still don't like me some wind but it doesn't freak me out as much with the massive tree we got taken down and without the leaves on the trees. The ground isn't too terribly saturated (yet) so hopefully we'll be fine but of course I'll knock on every piece of wood I see until the wind dies down.

Weekend plans: We don't have many plans. Jim wants to go to Taft's on Saturday. I want to go to hibachi Saturday night. Other than that, we'll just do our normal stuff: Clean, hang with the pups, walk the dogs if the weather lets up a bit, watch football, maybe take a trip to Shooters.

And that's it. Guess I'll get to work extra early today and get ready for the day. The kids are really liking The Help, by the way. One of my kids, a freshman, came up to me after the 1st chapter and said, "Mrs. Hanke...I think I'm going to really like this book." I think so too!

K - happy Friday! Have a lovely weekend. Later!

This That & Another IEP

Gonna make this quick so I get to work for my IEP this morning (at 7:15). Not much to talk about plus, by fingers don't seem to be working. I keep messing up my typing which is frustrating because I have a hard time seeing a mistake and moving on and fixing later. I always have to go back right away to fix. I wonder if other people do it another way. Hmm...

I made some a delicious lunch concoction that I'm excited about eating today. It's a southwest chicken wrap! I'm trying really hard to eat smart (not that I haven't but extra smart) which means no leftovers for lunch. So, I've been eating wraps lately that are either meatless or near pointless (in terms of WW). Earlier in the week, I was enjoying black bean and avocado wraps (vegan). I can't wait for lunch.

What else? Nothing. Sorry. My life is boring lately. I told Jim when we were in PC that we needed to find something to look forward to now that our exciting trip was over. I think that event will be the bathroom reno. Lisa at work is currently using a guy that has so far done a GREAT job doing her bathroom and his price was RIGHT! Assuming all goes well with the finishing up, we'll give him a call in the next week or two to give us a quote. That's exciting, right?

Boo has been a little cuddle bunny lately. He's been sleeping with me which he hasn't done for about 3 months. Additionally, Scout has been eating like a champ (for a while there, it was a chore to get him to eat). Since we got back, he's been gobbling up his meals right away. In fact, he barks and howls at me while I'm getting it ready and this morning, he actually beat Boo in speed. YAY!

Okay well, it's time to finish my routine and get to work. Happy Thursday (Oooh!!! Tomorrow is Friday). Later! Good luck with PT today Trippy!

Maybe I Could Go Vegan

That's a joke, really. I use too many animal foods (that are delicious) to go vegan but I did make an amazing meal last night that was totally vegan: Lentil Chili. It also had quinoa in it (which I've never cooked with) and it turned out delicious! I made it in the Instant Pot (pinned on that Board on Pinterest) and it was a dump and cook meal. Plenty of leftovers too...enough to freeze some for another meal, plus lunch for Jim and I. Loves me those kinds of meals. Now I just need to find other GOOD recipes to use the quinoa I now have in the pantry.

Jim's annoying. Have I ever mentioned that? I asked him a question just now and he answered with a mouthful of banana and waffle so that I had NO idea what he was saying. He thinks he's so funny.

Oh, and speaking of Jim - all went well at his doctor. He'll stay on the dosage he's currently on (75% of a full dose) at least until he has his next scan and appointment, which will be on February 4th. I'll probably have to take that day off because I want to know about his test results.

Jim got bad news yesterday when he was driving home from work: His sister Emily has cancer. Apparently (and she didn't give Jim a lot of understandable details) she has stage 3 carcinoma. (?) She starts chemotherapy soon to treat. I don't know a lot about this cancer or what her prognosis is and she's not great at giving details and then trying to riddle out what she told Jim (and then how Jim tells me) is a bit of a puzzle. Fingers crossed, however, that she powers through this.

Trip did well with his surgery yesterday. He went in at 8:30 and was home around 2:30. I know that he had some pain at first but once they drugged him up, it was manageable. Now will be the tough part of getting back to normal. Fingers crossed that it happens speedily!

I got an email from our resort yesterday (one that they send everyone after their stay) that said, "We Miss You!" And then it had all these deals for another vacation and I started clicking on the links thinking, Maybe... and then I had to quickly get the hell out of there so I didn't torture myself and spontaneously just buy another package! I miss them too, by the way!

And that's all I've got. I need to get a move on since I have a 7:15 IEP. Happy Wednesday! Later!

1 Under The Belt

Yesterday was fine at school. Getting back into the swing of things always takes a day or so for me. I don't like to start the school year or new semester right away with the kids so yesterday was pretty easy (returned exams, gave them new chapters for history and Bio and then previewed the book for LA). Today, we'll start reading (excited for that) and begin new chapters in my other classes. Back to reality.

Ooh...before I forget: GOOD LUCK TRIPPY! He's having knee surgery today to fix his bum knee and I'm so happy for him to feel better. Hopefully surgery will go well and recovery will be quick and as pain free as possible! Let me know if you need anything and let me know how it goes!

Jim has a doctor's appointment today. It's really just to get a blood draw and check to see how he's doing with meds. Since he's only been BACK on his meds for about 4 days, I don't think there's much to "see" there. Obviously I won't be going with him but I will go for the appointment after his next scan, which will be in February.

Apparently the flu is going around like crazy! From my understanding it's a terrible strain and people who've gotten the flu shot are still getting it. Ugh! I'm hoping that it doesn't hit the Hanke household.

What else? Not much. Boo came up in the middle of the night and spooned with me. He hasn't done that in a couple months. I think he had a nightmare or something because he couldn't get close enough to me and then kept twitching and sort of moaning in his sleep. I love that boy! He's such a good cuddler.

And that's all I've got. I thought I had an IEP this morning but it's tomorrow (and Thursday).

K - happy Tuesday! Later!

Here We Go 2020!

It's been a while! I've been busy! Sorry...Punta Cana had me distracted.

Recap of our trip: It was amazing! I want to go back! The Dominican people are the BEST! I don't know that I'd ever want to do anything but an all-inclusive but we'll see. My days consisted of:
6:30 wake up with coffee and fruit delivery.
7:00 work out (while I did this, Jim went and found our lounge chairs for the day at the pool)
8:00 Shower and mimosas
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 - 4:00 Pool side (with cocktail in hand most minutes)
4:00 - 6:00 - Resting up and showering for dinner
6:00 Pre-dinner cocktails
7:00ish dinner (mostly a different place every night)
9:00 Asleep!

The food was pretty good. Breakfast was my main meal of the day but they also had a red bean and rice dish at the buffet that I had for lunch pretty much every day. I loved the fruit and chowed on that at most every meal. I was not a fan of the steak house (or red meat in general) but the Japanese restaurant was really good. They had a taco truck that we both loved and their bakery was our last stop every night (we'd take some sweets back to the room and enjoy them before bed).

We did not venture off the resort and I'm not sorry for it. My plan was total rest and relaxation and that's what I got. I would go back in a heartbeat and hope to someday.

Other than that, here we are, starting a new semester off today. I have three IEPs coming up (two this week, one next) but they are all written and everything for this first couple weeks has been prepped so I'm in a good spot. We'll start reading The Help in LA which I'm excited for. And that's about it.

I've discovered that melatonin gives me nightmares. I was talking about using it with my hair dresser and she mentioned that she can't take it because of what it does to her dreams and I thought Huh...I wonder!?So I've tracked it the last two times I've used it and, yep, nightmares. Last night I was a handmaid and had just had a baby and was having to give her up and someone got shot and they came to me to hide them but I wouldn't because I couldn't risk it for my baby. I woke up with my adrenalin coursing through my veins...ugh! So, no more melatonin for me!

Okay well, I guess I should get a move on. Happy Monday! Happy New Year. Here's to a great week, a great rest-of-the-school-year and a great year in general! Later!

In Less Than 24 Hours!!!

This time tomorrow, Jim and I will be on our way! But before that happens, Jim and I have some stuff to get DONE! Jim just left for work where he has just a little to paint before he can come home and pack. While he's there, I'll take the tree down and pack up the minimal decorations I have inside the house. We'll leave the outdoor lights up until we get home. Once I've got that done, I'll do my packing, which shouldn't take long. Hopefully we'll be done by lunch and we can go somewhere yummy. I also want to walk the dogs later so that they'll be tired. Tonight we'll have Brunswick stew for dinner and go to bed early. We have to get up at 3:00 in order to get to the airport for our 6:50 flight. Woot!

Christmas was lovely and relaxed yesterday. Jim and I got up and opened presents (even though our real present to each other is our trip). I got a new lunch "box", slippers and socks...exactly what I asked for.  I bought Jim a bunch of shirts to take on vacation and they all fit and look good. I especially like the shirt I got him with bananas all over it. He's now ready for Punta Cana. After opening presents, I cooked a big breakfast and then we took the boys on a walk. We were both wiped out by then so we took a morning nap before showering and heading to Raeburn around 1:30.

Christmas dinner was the best yet! Prime rib, mashed potatoes, green beans and a salad. Jim and I were home by 7:30. We watched a little TV, I took some PM pills and slept like a baby!

And that's about all I've got. Time to get the tree down. I'll be back here blogging on the 3rd but hopefully I'll be able to post on FB and Instagram while in the Dominican. Happy New Year to all! Later!

Merry Christmas Eve!

And Happy 2nd Day of Hanukkah!

Here's what I got done yesterday: Exercise (I actually did my elliptical and then walked the dogs so I doubled my move goal and my exercise goal! This is going to be much needed with the week I've got coming!), pedicure, bank stop (I'm all loaded up with cash to take on the trip...lots of singles and $5s), grocery. After all that I got home and did some major cooking including, brownies, my breakfast concoction, hanky panky mix, my new favorite waffles (carrot "cake" waffles that are healthy - no sugar and they are perfect to make and freeze) and then Jim called and asked if I wanted to meet at Shooters. Well, you know, it's going to be over a week before we get to go again so I said, "I'll make you a deal, I'll meet you there IF you agree that when we get home you clean your room and bathroom." Of course he agreed. After Shooters, I came home and made ALL my French cakes.

All that means that today I have the following to do: make Brunswick stew, get all my gifts wrapped, do some last minute cleaning, make the crab meat dip, bathe the dogs, walk the dogs and I'm sure there's a ton more. Jim's jobs (he's working a 1/2 day...more on that in a minute) will be to get the luminaries ready, lay a fire, stock the wood and then just be my bitch. He's used to that.

So there we were yesterday sitting at Shooters, enjoying a beer and I begin telling Jim everything that we have to do today. He interrupts me and says, "You know I'm working tomorrow?!" Uh, no! That wasn't the conversation we had the other day. Here's how it went, on Saturday, he said to me that he was only working 2 days this week, Monday and Tuesday. I said to him, "You know Tuesday is Christmas Eve, right?" And he says, "Oh. Well, never mind." And I then said that he could, technically work Thursday (it's the day before we leave) and he answered with, "I don't want to work the day before we leave." So that was the conversation and how it was left. But somehow, he's convinced that I got it wrong. However, if you know Jim then you know that he's an amazing communicator (insert eye roll and sarcastic tone) and he NEVER gets things wrong and he NEVER thinks something has happened or was said or conveyed when it wasn't. UGH! So then he gets all pissy with me at Shooters. And I was all, "Hey - you do what you want...work tomorrow or Thursday or both...whatever as long as tomorrow is a half day and you understand that you're my bitch when you get home." And he's fine with that but then he's still pissy and I said, "Hey, I'm going to get up and leave if you're going to continue being a pisser after we've figured this whole thing out." And he said, "It's just frustrating! I don't know how things always get misconstrued." And I said, "Yeah, it's frustrating for me too...believe me." And he says, "Is it me?" And I said, "Duh! But here's how you can fix it: You say something along the lines of - 'so to confirm...I will be working Monday and a 1/2 day Tuesday!?' Problem solved!"

Okay well that's all I've got. I've gotten in a VERY vigorous yoga (legs and arms are jelly) and I've eaten breakfast so now it's time to get my shit together. Happy Christmas Eve (Merry Christmas in Sydney!). I'll post tomorrow, I'm sure.  Until then - everyone enjoy your day! Later!