Short Week Ahead

I have a short work week in my future because Jim and I will be heading north on Friday for our last jaunt to PIB. Looks like it's going to be perfect cool weather as well and the winds won't be terrible. Phew! That's always my worry when heading to the Bay in October. I can't wait to take the boys up for the first time. I hope they love it. Should be interesting. 

Speaking of the boys, we're going to test them out of their cages this week. My biggest worry in doing this is that they will bark incessantly. We'll close the curtains in the bedroom and hopefully reduce that annoying habit of theirs. We'll see. They don't really get into anything anymore. The worst thing they do is steal socks or underwear and I'll make sure those things are stashed where they should be. 

The weekend was good. Friday we hung out and played cards (electronically) with the neighbors. Saturday Jim and I headed to Walnut Hills to hang with Terri and friends...a little Oktoberfest celebration. It was fun and we were home by 9:00. Loves me an early night. 

Jim did a bit of demo yesterday in the bathroom. He got the mirror down, the cabinetry ripped out and will work on tile later this week. We're hoping Larry can start on Friday while we're gone. I went to check on our purchases that I hadn't inspected and found that our sink was all fucked up and in several pieces. Jim will be taking it back to Home Depot and hopefully we'll get it replaced in a reasonable amount of time. It was delivered quickly originally so hopefully that can happen again. 

What else? Not much. We'll have a major weather change today. The rest of the week will only have highs in the 50s or 60s with lows possibly dipping down into the 30s. Brr...might actually have to turn on the heat. 

Well, that's all I've got. I did most of my Monday work last Friday so it should be an easy day. Oh, and bonus, the IEP meeting I had planned for this week...he's being written off an IEP (will go on a 504) so that's good. I do have an IEP coming on October 6th so I should probably get that written this week. No big deal though. 

Okay best get a move on. Happy Monday. Stay healthy and Covid free. Later!

Taking A Break...

...from cooking tonight. It's been a couple weeks since I didn't cook dinner and I'm spent. Jim decided on pizza for tonight so I'll make myself a salad to go with mine but other than that, I'm staying out of the kitchen. Don't get me wrong...I love to cook but sometimes a person needs a reprieve. 

Guess what happens today when I get home from work? I get to watch GBBO, season 11! I'm so excited I could cry! Loves me some British baking! These are the contestants and I predict...a woman winning this year! Last year a man won. In fact a man won the last two years so it's time! Regardless though...I'll just be happy to see what the season brings! 

School today: Nothing major is going on. In LA we just finished act 2 of Romeo and Juliet so the kids will watch an animated recap and then take a quiz. History, we're starting a new chapter and science we're going over chapter 1 test. Exciting, huh? 

Speaking of school my principal is real douche bag. Dare I say, a pussy!? Sorry for those whose gentle ears and intellect can't take that word but it's fitting. Why? Because he doesn't have the BALLS to reprimand someone to their face. Apparently one of our aides (the new one who is good and does her job and so far hasn't succumbed to the unprofessional shit of the other ones) came in 2 minutes late the other day because of traffic. According to Mr. P, (pussy), another staff member reported it and so he went back on the cameras to look. Really? You couldn't just go ask her!? I mean...put your tightie whities on and march your ass to the classroom and HAVE A CONVERSATION! If you can't do that (and don't tell me you don't have the time because you had the time to go back in the video to find proof of her guilt) you shouldn't be an administrator. You know we're all dealing with something and 2 minutes late garners a verbal, wait, not even a verbal reprimand but an emailed reprimand!? Give me a fucking break! Oh, and you KNOW it was one of those other aides who said something. These people are so petty and just MEAN! I'm so glad they aren't with me. 

BTW - had that been me that got reprimanded by email I would have marched my ass down to Mr. P's office and ensured that he had to face me and hear MY side of the situation. I wouldn't allow him to take the easy way out. I'd call him out on that bullshit too. I'm getting all up in arms...sorry. 

What else? Not much else to talk about. The weekend should be pretty relaxed although we are going to a friend's house on Saturday for a little Oktoberfest gathering. I think there are 10 of us and we'll all hang outside, drink beer, eat bratts and metts and relax. 

Got my Kamala t-shirt yesterday! So excited! Think I'll wear it Saturday as a matter of fact. 

Okay time to move on. Happy Friday! Stay healthy. Later!

Ass Being Handed To Her

I just watched an interview between an AWESOME Australian reporter and Sarah Huckabee Sanders and it was the most amazing take down I've ever seen! Straight-forward questions from the reporter who didn't allow Sanders to skate around the issues and spew her trump filth. Sanders body and voice was squirming by the end and more than ready to end the interview! I just wish the people interviewing trump and/or his staff would demand the same type of standards. In other words, don't allow these fools to spew lies and skate around what's actually being asked. Demand an answer to your questions and call these people out when they don't! 

K - sorry. 

Got my flu shot yesterday...my arm is a little sore but no big deal. I did start having a little cough but I think that had to do with some overwhelming exposure to some Frank's Hot Sauce. All is well now. 

There's a lot of confusion at school about Covid leave and once again the administration is not being transparent and/or clear about it. Here's the issue: We were told by the superintendent that we would NOT have to take Covid leave or sick leave if we were put in quarantine and could still teach remotely. Now, they aren't standing by that. Additionally, we are supposed to stay home (and take a Covid day) if we have even one symptom from the list in our flow chart. BUT we are given only 10 days of Covid leave. And let me tell you, most people probably have one symptom at some point, once a week, minimum. Oh, and these Covid leave days end December 31st. A few teachers I know are just taking Covid leave every time they have a symptom because why not? Me, I don't want to deplete them in case I would have to quarantine because I don't want to dip into my sick leave...that's a part of my severance and I'm not willing to give those days up if I could technically work from home. It's such a shit show. 

What else? Dinner tonight is a chicken piccata type dish (I've made it before and it's delicious) probably with some broccoli and rice. 

Jim went to the store for me yesterday because we were out of fruit and they were out of strawberries! So I told him to just get something else...pineapple or watermelon. So he got both and holy merde! So yummy! I could have eaten the whole container! But I didn't! 

A friend of mine on Facebook who I went to high school with "changed" her name and I don't understand why. She only changed one letter...oh...I just figured it out...she changed the ending of her name (from an "e" to and "a") and then cut her last name off to just be the last three letters of her actual last name. I bet it's for security reasons. Got it! See...sometimes you just have to walk yourself through a problem and the solution is right there!

K - well, now that I've hurt my brain, I guess I'll go torture myself some more...at work. Happy Thursday (OOOHHHH tomorrow is Friday). Stay healthy, happy and wise. Later!

I'm Getting Shot

I get my flu shot after school today. I hate to say this and I know everyone out there reading this will freak the eff out but this will be the first time I've ever gotten a flu shot! I know, I know! How irresponsible of me. But suck it! I just haven't done it in the past. Sure I kept telling myself over the last couple years (especially with Jim's health issues) during the lead up to flu season that I needed to do it but I just didn't. I made sure Jim got his though, even making his appointments for him so that's something. But today, you'll be happy to hear that I'm getting my flu shot at 2:31 PM! 

In other news: My kids took their first Government test yesterday and even using their notes - literally the study guide was EXACTLY what was on the test - most got either Cs or Ds. I mean what!? THE?! F&^K?! Oh well. Today they have a science test and that's going to be a shit storm. My kids are NOT good at math and since I'm teaching physical science this year and our first chapter is about the metric system, I'm guessing it's going to be the same as yesterday. Of course I'll let them use their study guides but I don't have much confidence in their actually using it correctly. 

My IEP yesterday went well. It was via Zoom and aside from the fact that my administrator spent the whole time trying to get the main screen to project and fix the sound, it went off without a hitch. (My computer was working fine as well as my student and the parent). My next IEP is on the 30th and I'm not sure what's going to happen with that one. We've talked about writing him off (it's an evaluation meeting as well to see if he's still eligible) so we'll see. I have the IEP mostly written just in case. 

Dinner tonight: WW Buffalo chicken fingers. I'll probably serve with baked beans and some carrot fries for me, regular fries for Jimmy. 

I took a lovely bike ride yesterday. However, part of my route had some construction and there was loose gravel all over the road. I didn't realize how bad it was until I was halfway through and there was no point in turning around. I came home caked in gravel. Even had gravel in my hair. Still had some this morning when I took a shower. Funny. 

Boo got up around midnight wanting to cuddle, which was a problem. See, Boo sometimes wakes up from sleep and attacks. I think he saw Scout sleeping on my pillow behind my head and he wanted some of that. I loved and snuggled with him for about 10 minutes and then made him get down. He was fine with that. Poor guy...he knows not what he does. 

Okay well, I had a lot more to talk about than I thought I would. Happy Wednesday! I think I might have a glass of wine tonight! What do you think about that?! Yummy! Happy hump day! Stay healthy and kind...later!

You'll Be Happy To Hear...

 ...Muwee got some sleep last night. I'm telling you going to work yesterday was a bit dicey. I felt so out of it...probably shouldn't have been behind the wheel. But I made it and I made it through my day (without killing any kids) and I made it through exercise and even though I almost called Jim and told him to bring home takeout, I made it through cooking dinner. I was in bed by 7:00 and read until I dropped my iPad. And even with Jim coming to bed and disturbing and snoring (after kicking him 2 or 3 times) I fell asleep and slept like a baby rock! Thank the baby Jesus! 

The issue I'm having now is that after my allergy attack and an over usage of tissues, my face is chapped and hurting (I know, my face hurts you too!). I'll have to slather myself with moisturizer and hope I don't have another attack for another year. Ugh! 

Dinner last night wasn't my favorite (spice shrimp with caulirice and spinach). It was fine but not my fave...I won't make that again. Tonight will be sour cream pork chops in the instant pot. A WW favorite. 

What else!? My Biden sign should be here today. Can't wait. I can't tell you how depressing it is seeing all the Trump signs in my neighborhood while walking with Scout. Every time I go by these yards all I can think is, racist, racist, racist, bigot, immoral, valueless. I mean, how can anyone support this man!? How, after nearly 4 years of this shit can anyone think, "Yeah, I'll take another 4 years of that." Crazy. It's so depressing that I live in this world...well, this country. Makes me hate people. 

Sorry...I try to keep my head in the game but there are times when the possible future freaks the fuck out of me. 

Okay well, on that note, I guess I'll go try and shape the future of our kids. That's scary too, huh? K - happy Tuesday! Stay healthy. Later!

The Monday Struggle

Today I'll be struggling more than a normal Monday as I got very little sleep last night. I went to bed early (before 8:00) because I had an allergy attack yesterday and was exhausted. I slept until about midnight but then woke up and really didn't get back to solid sleep. Scout also woke up and needed to go out. And now my nose is raw and it's really going to suck to have to wear a mask all day. Thankfully, my nose is back to normal and the allergy attack has subsided. 

The weekend was lovely. We didn't do much of anything. Jim worked Saturday and I just cleaned, grocery shopped and made my menu. Yesterday I took a lovely long walk with Scout and a bike ride later in the afternoon. Jim and I played some corn hole and hung with the neighbors and I made a delicious pot of chili. 

This week at work will be a bit hectic as I have an IEP meeting tomorrow and I'm giving tests in science and history. No big deal though. 

Our current covid situation at work: 1 kid is reportedly positive at the high school and 10 students are quarantined. I think we have a couple staff members quarantined as well. 

And that's all I've got. Jim's getting his flu and shingles shot today (I get mine Wednesday...just the flu not shingles). Dinner tonight...I was going to do a spicy shrimp dish but it's a dish that will take some time and attention and I'm not sure I have that in me. So, I'll probably do sour cream pork chops or a chicken dish. 

K - happy Monday. Stay healthy. Later!

What's The Opposite Of Transparency?

I think the district is really being an asshole. Apparently we have a positive covid case at the high school but how would I know? Was I told? Nope. Did I get an email? Uh-uh. Was there a meeting to tell the teachers? Negative. But apparently there was a letter sent out to parents. And the kids sure seem to be in the know because they were talking about it at school yesterday. And guess who looks like an asshole because when kids ask about how many kids are quarantined, teachers can only say, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Pisses me off, I'll tell you that. I'll ask one of my building reps about it today and see what she knows. So frustrating. And today I think there are 6 teachers out without subs so they're relying on teachers to cover and it's just impossible. 

Sorry about all the bitching. I swear I'm not a negative Nancy. This isn't how I roll normally. But these certainly aren't normal times. I will say this, however: My days teaching are getting easier and easier. I'm getting more and more comfortable with my dual role (in person and online teacher) so that's good. I wasn't nearly as exhausted at the end of yesterday as I've been so there you go...that's something. 

So happy it's Friday. I have to admit that I had a couple glasses of wine yesterday. I caved. Oh well. I've worked so hard this week though so I don't feel too terribly guilty. And my pants still fit so that's something. 

No real plans this weekend. Jim's going to go in to work tomorrow and paint a ceiling. Little overtime pay will be good. Other than that...who knows. I need to make a menu and figure out what I'm making next week. Tonight will be some leftover soup. I have ham and bean and some Brunswick soup. Yummy. 

Okay well, I'd best get going. I'm running a bit late because my computer went haywire and had to restart which took forever. So...with that, happy Friday. Have a good weekend and stay healthy. Later!

This Weather

I'm loving this weather. It's turning toward my favorite time of year and it's just so invigorating! We're not going to see rain for at least 7 days and the temps starting tomorrow are going to be in the 60s with lows in the 40s. I think it's too early for a fire but it's not far away. 

Speaking of fires, we have plenty of wood for the winter but still have a bit that needs splitting from last year's tree take down. It's all the small wood and won't take but a couple hours to crank out. Jim was supposed to call our tree guy to get the splitter but who knows when he'll get around to it. 

Yesterday I came home and thought, I think I'll mow the lawn as my exercise!  And so I did along with abs and arms. (If you know me, you know I really like to mow the lawn.) I also walked Scout and ended up getting a 5 mile walk in all added up. I'm a bit sore this morning but a good sore. Today will be a perfect day for a bike ride! Can't wait. 

In other news, school is school. Things are going fine and I'm starting to find my rhythm as are the kids. By the end of the day, I'm always exhausted but that's just going to be the new norm. Or maybe it's that my day goes so long without a break. Maybe it's the mask. Maybe it's that I'm in year 21 and still need another 15 before I can get full retirement. How daunting. I wonder if I can somehow win the lottery. I'll have Jim play some numbers today. 

Two weeks from tomorrow we'll be headed to PIB! Woot! I hope the weather cooperates! 

What else? Dinner tonight is a chicken marsala pasta thingy with a salad. Yummy! 

And that's all I've got. It's Thursday and the Bengals play the Browns tonight so I'm wearing my Who Dey paraphernalia. I'm looking forward to Friday and having a cocktail tomorrow! This no drinking thing during the week is a killer! 

Okay - happy Thursday! Stay healthy...listen to the doctors who know! Later!

Best News Ever!!!

 

I was perusing Instagram this morning and saw that GBBO (Great British Bake Off), which premiers on September 22 in Britain will premier 3 days later on Netflix!!! So guess what I'll be doing on after school on 9/25!? I'm so happy I could cry! And though I'll miss Sandi (one of the hosts) I'm excited about the new guy. You might recognize him from Bridesmaids. He played Rebel Wilson's brother who was Kristin Wiig's roommate in the movie. Additionally, he was in the staged concert of Les Miserables. He's funny! I'm excited! 

What else? Not much. School is school. We had more technological difficulties at school yesterday but for me, it wasn't too bad. For the most part, it hit after I had taught most of my classes. It was a Google issue, I believe and was apparently a nationwide thing. Maybe 45 minutes of difficulty before it was fixed. 

My biggest issue yesterday was having to figure out my medically fragile girl's issues. I got an email from her mother saying that her daughter was struggling and having anxiety attacks. (I would imagine!) She's just overwhelmed and having a hard time keeping up. She apparently was coming home exhausted every day and sleeping from the minute she got home until the next day. We thus had to change her schedule and flip flop a few things and get transportation fixed for her. It wasn't that big a deal for me but required a LOT of my attention for the first half of my day. This seems to happen every other day and makes me feel as though I'm running around like a chicken with her head cut off. I know things will eventually calm down but I'm just wondering when that will be. 

Dinner tonight: I'll be grilling some pork chops. Probably make some yellow rice and steam some veggies. Nothing big. Last night's dinner (chicken Florentine) was absolutely delicious! Pretty easy too. I replaced the half-and-half with coconut milk and it worked like a charm. Jim loved it. 

And that's all I've got. I have to change what I'm wearing (it's wear-your-union-tshirt day) so I'd best get a move on. Happy Wednesday! Stay healthy. Later!

Something That Irks Me

Anyways...it isn't a word people. Sure, it's used all the time but that doesn't mean it's correct. And sure it may be in the dictionary but so are the following words: Amazeballs, chillax, adorbs, and mansplain. And I love the definition and sentence when you look it up on the Internet: nonstandard form of anyway. In a sentence: "You wouldn't understand all them long words anyways." Ha...even the sentence example is incorrect and stupid. And yes, I understand that I'm an asshole but isn't it better that I'm the asshole when I correct rather than you be an idiot, speaking incorrectly like a dumb ass? I think so. 

School news: You won't be hearing (knock on wood) about my mentally unstable kid anymore. His mother has moved him to option 2, which means he'll do online schooling this year. I will send him emails weekly to ensure I document my attempt to serve him but he'll get served through his classes (assuming he shows up) and the tracking of his behaviors. So there you go. One thing went right yesterday. 

Not to say that it was the only thing that went right yesterday but it was a bit of a shit storm. Lots of internet, network and Zoom issues. I managed to "educate" all my students, however. My biggest issue was that my desktop computer and phone kept going out and our printer wasn't working. Hopefully this gets fixed today. 

Dinner tonight: Jim wanted something with spinach in it so I'm making a Chicken Florentine dish tonight. We'll see how that goes...first time making.

What else? Slept like a little baby last night and was startled awake this morning by my alarm. First time in a while my alarm actually woke me up. The weather is lovely right now with temps in the 50s which goes hand in hand with my good night's sleep. 

Weather today: Supposed to be nice but hazy...we're getting the smoke in the atmosphere above us. Those poor people out west! 

And that's all I've got. Time to get to work and see what's what. Oh, here's something: My principal sent an email out last night telling us to "dress up" this week (Thursday in Bengals/Brown gear and Friday in Kings gear to support our players). The weird thing was that for Friday's directive, he wrote in parentheses ("Remember that we have school"). Why wouldn't we have school? Are we going remote Friday? Did I miss something? Probably. Oh well...guess I'll find out later.

K - happy Tuesday...stay healthy. Later!

Weekend Wrap Up

The weekend went way too quickly but what're you going to do? I certainly don't want to start the week complaining about having to go back to work but with this year and the way it's started, it's really hard to keep my head in the game. It's hard to keep my head up as well. There are rumors at work that they're trying to push a different type of schedule and I'm really hoping that it goes through so there is that. We'll see what happen. All I can do right now is do my best to keep my nose to the grindstone and continue my mantra: This too shall pass. 

Here's what my weekend consisted of: Friday we hung out at home and took it easy. It was nice to just hang without staying up too late or drinking too much. Saturday, Jim and I went out and about with Doug and Lauren to celebrate her birthday. We went to Drunken Tacos for lunch (in Clifton) and then headed to Walnut Hills to try out a new brewery called Esoteric. It was delicious even though they only had 6 beers on tap. I imbibed in a brown ale and a stout. Yummy. We came home and just hung out with the neighbors, played cards and were in bed relatively early. Yesterday Jim and I went to Shooters, I did my roots, Jim did the grocery shopping; we watched a little football and had dinner. Pretty low key. 

Oh, so get this: I got an email from one of my sped supervisors last night because she had gotten an email from the woman in charge of special transportation. Apparently my mentally challenged kid's mother sent a message to say they were discontinuing transportation because they were going to be home schooling. My supervisor was seeing what I knew about this. Uh...nothing. You think they're keeping me in the loop when she didn't even want me to have direct contact with her son? Now, I'm guessing that this means he'll be doing remote learning (rather than home schooling) and I'll still be responsible for ensuring he gets services. This will prove to be impossible because mom doesn't want me to have direct contact with her son and I'm sure he'll refuse to zoom with me. Should be fun dealing with this. People are such a pain in the ass! 

Nothing happening here this week. Dinner tonight (for Maggie's info) Turkey kielbasa with roasted potatoes and probably brussel sprouts. Something easy. 

Okay well I'd better get a move on...get to school and figure things out. Thankfully I scheduled most of my assignments for the week on Friday. I just need to check to see that they actually posted. Google Classroom has been very stupid lately...when I schedule things to post in the future, they don't post on time or at all. It's annoying. 

K - happy Monday! Here's hoping the week goes by quickly and that it's uneventful. Later...stay healthy.

Remembering 9/11

 

I don't like this day. I can't believe it's been 19 years since that horror happened. I remember where I was, what I was wearing and the incredulity I felt watching such hate happening. I can't believe that the kids I teach today weren't even born when these events occurred. And I dread the fact that sometime, in my students' lives, they will have an event occur that they'll remember always. 

In other news, Jim just walked in from the garage with a poured beer in his hand. It's 5:58 AM. I was like, "What the hell?" Apparently he was just making sure the handle wasn't stuck. I love that he's just making sure that all is in the ready for when we start pounding beers later today. HAHA!

The news just showed a scene of a fire in Wyoming (the neighborhood here in Cincy, not the state) and I said, "Huh, that's a huge garbage fire!" And Jim said, "Yeah, that would be a huge garbage fire except that it's a GARAGE fire!" I can't read!

SOOOOOO happy it's Friday. I truly feel like making it movie day but I'm not going to. We're going to start reading Romeo and Juliet today in LA, continue a section in Government and I'm going to torture myself and the kids in trying to teach them about metric conversions in science. I tried yesterday and it didn't go well. Kids just can't figure out how to move a decimal. Unbelievable. 

No real plans this weekend. It happens to be Lauren's birthday today. We talked about doing something this weekend...we'll see what their soccer schedule is like. 

And that's all I've got. Time to head out and figure out my lessons. Oh, and in case you were wondering, my Bluetooth speaker phone that I used yesterday for Zooming/teaching sucked. Didn't work and it wasn't just me. Talking to others later about it, apparently it sucked for others as well. I would get it connected and then it would blink out. Stupid shit! Oh well. 

K - happy Friday! Stay healthy and safe. Later!

I Think...

I think...I'm ready for the weekend. And thank God tomorrow is Friday! That being said, I did have a MUCH better day yesterday. No computer glitches and when I emailed my admins with a technological need, it was delivered posthaste! (I had explained that I needed some sort of wireless speaker/microphone and they got me a Bluetooth speaker phone kind of thingy.) 

I think...the issues I'm having to deal with now in regard to kids and their digital dumbness is going to be the death of me. I mean, why do I have to tell a student to minimize or exit a window that popped up on their computer, covering up the slideshow I'm displaying to them so that they can't see it?! "Mrs. Hanke, I can't see the powerpoint to write out my notes!" And I walk over and see that an advertisement has popped up partially blocking their view. These kids can't be that dense, can they!? They're messing with me, right!? 

I think...I can make it through one more day without the alcohol! I made a vow that I wouldn't drink this week (well, Tuesday - Thursday) and so far I've been good with no real temptations. The reason it's been so easy though is because by the time I get home, exercise, walk the dog, and do dinner prep, it's 5:30 and time to make dinner. And by that time, I'm through my hard-not-to-drink time. So as long as I get through today doing the same thing, I'll be all good. I just have to make sure I ignore my neighbors calling out for a cocktail! 

I think...Jim's a goof! We're sitting at the table finishing our breakfast and he yawns really loudly and says, "I think I need a nap!" Laziass! (That's a new word I just made up from "lazy" and "ass". Feel free to use it when you talk about your loved one as well!) 

Did I mention that Jim ran the car into the garage door? He did...thankfully he didn't damage my car, however, the garage was all jacked up. It would open fine but when it closed, you had to give it a punch to get one of the panels back in line. Jim thought it would take replacing the panel to fix it. I didn't think it was that big a deal. Thankfully, Muir, as usual was right! The repair guy only had to replace the brackets...bing, bang, boom, $120 later, fixed! Which means, no Shooters for Jim this week! 

Okay well that's all I've got. I better go figure out what I'm wearing today and then head out. Later! Happy Thursday...stay healthy!

Shit Storm

Yesterday - not to make it too dramatic and negative - was a freakin' shit storm. It was like being a first year teacher on her first day with every technical meltdown happening while trying to keep my cool. I don't look forward to another day like yesterday. However, on the plus side, even dreading having to deal with similar snafus today, I slept pretty well! So that's something. Another plus? The kids were great and patient and did their best and probably - truth be told - did better than I did! The problem was that I was trying to teach to my in-person kids at the front of the classroom while walking around to make sure they were getting what we were doing while at the same time I had two computers going and a group of virtual kids who couldn't hear me, I couldn't hear them, computers were freezing up, they couldn't find posted items and then of course the whole network sort of crashed, no one could get on Zoom. Any why, you may ask? Because the whole district was trying to do the same thing I was doing. It was a clown's-in-a-car scene to be sure! 

So lets do a little stress relief thinking. Here are the last of the Proust questions: 

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with? Jeez...I don't know...Laura Ingalls Wilder? Only because I'm a teacher. 
30. Who are your heroes in real life? There isn't just one...anyone who overcomes hardship and perseveres. Recently, I listened to Dax Shephard's interview with his mother and it was so inspiring, her ability to push through bad decisions and make her life better. Impressive.
31. What are your favorite names? I always loved the name Isabelle if I'd had a girl. Milo was our boy name. 
32. What is it that you most dislike? Adolf and Donald for sure!
33. What is your greatest regret? That I never followed through on trying to write something and try to get published. 
34. How would you like to die? Duh...in my sleep!
35. What is your motto? IDGARA (I don't give a rat's ass)

Okay well, that's that. I pray that today will go more smoothly than yesterday. I have a couple ideas I'm going to try so here's hoping. Happy Wednesday! Stay healthy. (Is it bad that I pray we go to remote learning sooner rather than later now!?) Later! 

It's Here!

 Our first day with ALL the kids (not on remote or virtual) in school has finally arrived. I'm on the fence about how I feel about this. On the one hand I'm so ready to get this year started and have some normalcy but on the other, I'm prepared to go right back to remote pretty quickly. I think it won't be long before we start seeing an uptick in cases and teachers being quarantined but who knows. Friday actually went a lot better than I thought it would. I had a couple kids who didn't show but of course that's going to be case. I think it's going to be a bit of a shit show trying to teach online and remotely but I'll do my best and hope for the best. 

In other news: Did I go into my mentally ill kid who was a pain in the ass last Thursday? He claims he was having an anxiety attack regarding his mask but I think that was just an excuse to go sit in the nurse's office and avoid going to class. Well, mom emailed me last night and has asked that because of the stress I caused him last week that I have limited to no direct contact with him. Sounds good to me. Not to mention the fact that he doesn't have me for class. She also wants an exception made for him having to wear a mask so I'll pass that on to my admin. Dude just needs to stay home and do remote...put us all out of our misery. 

Okay - so no on to the fun stuff - questions 22-28. Enjoy

22. What is your most treasured possession? A ring I wear that my mother gave me. I never take it off. And my puppies!
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? I would imagine it would be the death of a child. 
What is your favorite occupation? Writer
What is your most marked characteristic? Truth-teller (according to Maggie)
What do you most value in your friends? Honesty
Who are your favorite writers? Pat Conroy, John Steinbeck, 
Who is your hero of fiction? Atticus Finch

Well, I'd better get a move on and head to work. I need to deal with a couple things before kids start rolling into school. Wish me luck. Fingers crossed there aren't a ton of snafus with my classes today! Happy Tuesday (yay...short week) stay healthy. 

Labor Day + Q's 15-21

Happy Labor Day! It's been a good weekend here in Loveland. We didn't do a ton but we did get out and about on Saturday. We went to MPH (a local brewery), tried out Condado's (Verdict: DELICIOUS!) and then headed to Sonder (another brewery) before coming home. Unfortunately, when Jim pulled into the driveway Saturday, he didn't realize the garage door had stopped and of course he hit it, damaging the bottom panel. My car did not get damaged however, so that's good. The door still works but when it does down you have to knock the bottom panel back in line or it gets stuck and just goes back up. Oh well. 

We also got our shower glass ordered Saturday. That's the last big item needed for our reno. Can't wait for it to be done! 

Yesterday we did our usual Shooter's run and then came home and hung out the neighbors. Jim was in bed early while I stayed up and watched some TV. Today will just be a relaxed day. I'll walk Scout here in a bit and maybe take a nice bike ride before weather hits. We're supposed to get rain but probably not until dinner time. 

And now what you've been waiting for. Questions 15-21 of Proust's questionnaire. 

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Jimmy, of course!
16. When and where were you happiest? Outside of my marriage (cause that's too easy...or hard) I would say the year I spent in Boston during my freshman year. I would go back to that year in a heartbeat!
17. Which talent would you most like to have? Musical talent - the ability to play several instruments and be able to compose music.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? This is the same as another question I answered: my insecurity. 
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement? I'm proud of my career and the years I've spent as a teacher. I'm also very proud of my marriage. It's honest and I'm sure no one thought we'd last. 
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? That's hard. I guess it would be a person but I don't know if there's a particular person. Maybe it would be interesting to try life as the opposite sex...see what that's like. 
21. Where would you most like to live? On the water - either at the lake (PIB?) or on the ocean. 

And that's all I've got. Time to get Scout walked. Happy Monday...happy Labor day...stay healthy. Later! 

Proust Continued (Q's 8-14)

A couple things before I answer the next set of Proust questions. School should be interesting today as it's our first day of remote. Today is really just a test run to iron out kinks and make sure all the kids are able to sign on etc. I plan on doing just Getting To Know You activities as well as some "What do you know" things for history and science. 

Yesterday was a shit storm for me for half my day. My unbalanced, mentally ill student came to run his schedule and as expected, things did not go well. Long story short, he spent most of his day (1/2 day since he has an abbreviated schedule) in the nurses office. I had to track him down and get him back on track. Needless to say, I then had to spend most of my time working out a plan for dealing with his shit. Our behavior specialist will be observing next week and coming up with something. Oh, and when talking to his mother yesterday, she tells me her son forgot to take his meds yesterday. Gee thanks mom! Way to set us up for failure! 

Weekend plans: Nothing is happening tonight. I suspect I'll be out like a light pretty early as I'm exhausted. Saturday Jim and I will be headed to Menard's (and anywhere else if we can't find what we need there) for our shower enclosure. That's the last of our needed materials, I believe, before our reno starts. We're still a couple weeks out from the start but we'll be ready. We'll get a week advance notice and that's when we'll demo. Can't wait. 

Saturday we're going out early with Doug and Lauren. We'll probably head to a brewery and then to a new taco/margarita place nearby called Condado's. Can't wait. Who knows what's on tap for Sunday and Monday. Relaxing on a foretasted beautiful weekend. 

And now for what you've all been waiting for - the next set of questions and the answers that will reveal my true and natural self. 

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? I guess I'd say bravery...that's a tough one though. I just don't think that bravery is something that should be a virtue and something that people strive for. It's okay to be vulnerable and scared. 

9. On what occasion do you lie? When the truth would hurt someone.

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance? Of late? My wrinkles and the bags under my eyes. It makes me hate looking in the mirror!

11. Which living person do you most despise? Do you really need to ask? And I'd say I don't despise or hate anyone...except Donald Trump. And yes, I HATE him...DESPISE him!

12. What is the quality you most like in a man? Honesty

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman? The ability to handle (my) honesty. 

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? "Meaning..." 

So there you go. Looks like you'll have to wait until Monday for questions 15-21. Happy Friday and happy 3-day weekend. Stay healthy and safe...no large gatherings or picnics! Don't be stupid! K - later...wish me luck today.

Proust

I was listening to Dax Shepherd yesterday (the recent episode with Jason Bateman) and at the end, when he and Monica do their "fact check", they went through a series of questions put together by Marcel Proust, a french novelist. He believed that in answering these questions, a person would reveal their true nature. So, I thought...I have nothing else to talk about other than the same old same old...why not do this today!? So here you go (and by the way, there are 35 so I'll just do a few today and then continue through the next several days. Something to look forward to, huh!?

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Being with family at PIB
2. What is your greatest fear? Dying alone
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Insecurity
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Narcissism 
5. Which living person do you most admire? Bill Gates  (this changes and I kind of stole it from Dax but it's who I'm obsessed with most right now in the good he's done.)
6. What is your greatest extravagance? Currently, it's fixing up the house - the deck, the bathroom - but I'm not a spender and I'm not that person who needs 12 watches or 17 purses or a bunch of cars or a ridiculously expensive watch for every day of the week. Good thing since I can't afford any of those things!
7. What is your current state of mind? I'm of two states of mind. In my personal life, I'm content (which scares me because things can change on a dime in regard to health and Jim). In my professional life, I'd say unstable. Half the time I don't know what's going on at work or what I'm doing. It makes me feel like I'm walking in sky high heels and at any moment I'm going to stumble and fall flat on my face. Ugh! 

So there you go. A little insight into my apparent true self. I'll give you the next 7 tomorrow. 

Currently it's raining cats and dogs. I hate driving to work in this shit because people are stupid. Which means I should get a move on. Happy Thursday! Later...stay healthy. 

Ban Soup! (Not Guns)

Have you seen the clip of trump in front of the media talking about how protesters are using cans of soup to destroy property? Apparently they aren't using bricks because "you can't throw a brick! It's too heavy!" So they use soup and then when they get caught they can just say, "No...I'm not doing anything wrong! This is food for my family!" He says it's incredible and you have "people coming over with bags of soup...bags of soup! And they lay it on the ground and the anarchists come over and start throwing it at OUR police and if it hits you it's worse than a brick!" Next thing you know...no more soup for us! 

(I mean you just can't make this shit up! I can't wait until Sarah Cooper comes out with her rendition of this interview.)

Oh, speaking of trump no longer being president - I was walking the dog yesterday and saw two signs in this one yard. The first one said, "And just like a miracle, he isn't president anymore!" And the other one said, "Republicans for Biden" It made me so happy! Maybe I'll go by today and leave some flowers on their doorstep. And I'm not one to put political signs in my yard but I just might have to put a Biden/Harris one in this year. 

Yesterday at school was a much better day. Maybe it's because I went in with a better attitude. Maybe it's because I had more kids yesterday (it was my "busy" day). Who knows but I'm trying to turn my frown upside down. Today will be slow because I have several bells with no kids coming but that's okay. I'm still working to get my materials transferred over to all electronic. 

Here's my issue of late (because I know you're curious). And let me preface by saying I'm not one of those people who can't seem to find anything good in 2020. I know 2020 sucks with this pandemic and things aren't how we'd prefer it but I have lots of things to be happy and thankful about. Jim's doing well (he had an doc appointment yesterday and though he didn't have a scan - that will be in late October - his oncologist his happy with his path), we're both employed and overall things are good. That being said, however, I feel like my administration is NOT being candid and transparent. I feel like they're not giving us the details they should in terms of numbers of kids/employees who are quarantined and/or Covid positive. Maybe this will change once school actually starts with all kids on Tuesday but I doubt it. I may have a question or two for my union. Just seems that they aren't keeping the teachers and other employees informed about what we're walking into every day. 

And that's about all I've got for now. Time to finish my toilette and get a move on. It's a rainy couple of day here in the Cincy area but that's okay, The other side of this weather is a beautiful, low humidity weekend. Three-day weekend! Woot! 

K - happy Wednesday! Later! Stay healthy and Covid free! 

Expect A Long Week

Yesterday was brutal for a number of reasons. Mainly because though there were finally kids in the building, they were so few and far between that it was disturbing; spooky and just not right. I had to go out into the hallway during the lunch bell to see if there was anyone actually in the building. I had a smattering of kids in my classes (only 1 kid 1st, 3rd and 5th) and it truly sucked. This year is just going to be so weird and I'm trying to wrap my head around it and remind myself that "this too shall pass" but days like yesterday are just depressing! And I still don't know how I'm going to teach in-person and remotely when we start on Tuesday next week. Ugh! But I'm resilient and I'll get through this and truthfully, I'm the least important person in this scenario! More and more, I feel so bad for these kids. 

For example - yesterday a new kid came who is new to the district. He's got no friends and basically had to walk around by himself all day. I told him that once school started and he was in class with more kids, things would get better. I just don't want him to get discouraged! Blows. 

Needless to say, after that shit day, I felt the need to partake in a glass of wine. Well, 2 glasses but that's alright. But I didn't have dessert so that makes it all a wash. 

What else? I'm looking forward to hopefully going to PIB in October. Jim and I are going to go up, just the two of us, and take the boys for the first time. I'm assuming things won't be underway with the reno which sucks but the bright side is that Jim and I can get a last weekend in at the Bay. I'm hoping the boys love it and that the ride up with them goes smoothly. 

And that's all I've got. Guess I'll go finish getting ready. Happy Tuesday! Later! Oh, stay healthy. 

What To Expect?

Until about 5 minutes ago (when I went through the "Soft Opening" slide show my principal sent out) I had no idea what I was going to be doing today when kids arrive. I'm still mostly going to be flying by the seat of my pants but there aren't any "lessons" happening over the next several days...just presentations about safety and hallways etc. This should take all of about 5 minutes per bell but that's okay...that leaves time to chat with kids. 

I was tossing and turning in bed last night and realized that the one kid I was supposed to have today won't be in because he's on the football team and so quarantined. Oh well. 

I was perusing FB yesterday and a former student popped up (from my first years teaching). Of course I then started looking at his page and saw a photo from April posted of him with another former student and I realized it was posted because the other student had died. Ugh! Made me sad...he was such a character (Ryan Pike was his name...I'm sure those of you familiar will remember him with a laugh and a smile). I'm not sure how he died but it said "suddenly".

The weekend was good...uneventful. We did manage to get all our tile for the bathroom and the light fixture. All that's left now is some canister lights and we need to figure out the shower glass. I'm not sure if the contractor will order that or what. 

We were sitting out front yesterday evening having a beer with the neighbors when a man came walking down the street with his dog...and pet goose in tow. Seriously. The dog, Hank, was on a leash and the goose, Little Bob, followed along. It was hilarious! Turns out it is my neighbors cousin. About a year ago, he and his family were driving along and came across a flock that had been run over. The baby goose (gosling) was the only survivor so they picked it up, took it home and now they have a pet goose. So funny. Apparently he's potty trained, doesn't fly much and really doesn't like the water. Ha! 

Okay well, time to get a move on. I should probably try to be a little early to figure out what's what. K - happy Monday! Stay safe and healthy...later!

And So It Begins

I knew it would only be a matter of time before there was a reported case of Covid with our kids and yesterday was the day. Specifically a football player tested positive as did 13 (I think) other players and as a result, tonight's game has been cancelled. All have been quarantined but they are still looking forward to next week's game. Ugh! It's only going to get worse, I'm sure. I get the desire of not wanting to live in fear but when we go too quickly back to what we want (normalcy) it makes getting back to normal a longer process. We'll see what happens I guess. 

Yesterday was a productive day at school. I worked hard at my desk getting shit done but it does seem like every time I mark something off my list of things "to do", I add another two things. However, this isn't any different from any other year. 

So happy today is Friday! I can't wait for a cocktail! I can't wait for take out tonight. Can't wait for a (sort of) day off from my normal exercise routine. Woot! No real plans for the weekend except to go buy our tile for the bathroom. Exciting, huh? 

God I can't stand that giant orange assholes voice! It just really puts a damper on an otherwise pleasant morning. Speaking of which, a funny website popped up in my browser: 409 Hilarious Nicknames for DT. Now, I'm not a name caller but I think it's appropriate and fitting that there are so many names invented to call the biggest name caller in the country. Here's just a smattering from the list:

• Adolph Twittler
• Angry Creamsicle
• Cheeto Beniot
• Fuckface von Clownstick (that from Jon Stewart)
• Groper in Chief
• Mussolini's taint (that might be my favorite)
• Orange manatee

Anyway, that's mean but when it comes to dt, I just don't care. Deserved for sure. 

Okay - time to get a move on. I'm hoping we get some solid rain today...drown out the moles in my backyard. Ugh, they're horrible and driving me nuts! 

Happy Friday to all! Stay healthy. Later!

I Laugh In The Face Of Caffeine

Yesterday I had my usual cup of coffee at home and then my usual two cups while working at my desk at school through the morning. After lunch, I was craving a cold brewed coffee and so thought, Screw it! I was a little curious to see if it affected my sleeping and guess what? It didn't. Which probably isn't good because that sort of convinces me that I can have caffeine all day long without repercussions. I'll cut down once all this prep work is off my plate. 

Plus, I had a couple beers with the neighbor and maybe a glass of wine while making dinner so that could have been the downer I needed to get a good night's sleep. 

School Update: I'm still plugging away in preparation for this year. Who knows what will happen but I'll be as prepared as I can possibly be for when we go remote. I've been working on science for the past couple days because I want to make sure I've got about 3 chapters ready and will soon turn to Language Arts. History is good to go. 

I had a couple visiting kids yesterday...new and old...no big whoop. Today freshmen come in for Open House. I only have 4 9th graders on my caseload but a couple others are in my classes. We'll see who shows. 

Dinner last night (Garlicky Thai sweet chili chicken stir fry) was SOOOOOO good! Tonight will be Pasta a la Betsy which basically a vokdaish cream sauce with shrimp...an oldie and goodie that Jim requests often. Friday I'll be getting take out. 

What else? Nothing. It's pretty boring here. Sorry. 

Well, I guess I'm out. Happy Thursday...stay...lets say it together...HEALTHY! Later!

Under My Belt

 My first virtual meetings of this school year are under my belt and all went well. Each was about 5 minutes (short, just like I like them) and easy. No big whoop. 

Speaking of virtual meetings - I'm figuring out Zoom. Yesterday I managed to put together a "Getting to know you" poll which I'll give to my students when we have our first all virtual day on September 4th. The poll is 10 questions long and based on "Would you rather..." questions. My favorite question was "Would you rather have spaghetti hair that grew back every night or sweat (not sweet) maple syrup?" Lisa and I probably discussed this for about 10 minutes. I think we both decided on spaghetti hair for a number of reasons. My biggest issue with sweating syrup would be that I would attract all kinds of insects. This should open up a lot of fun discussions on our first day of class plus it will help the kids (and me) get the ins and outs of Zoom. 

I'm slowly getting myself prepared for this crazy school year. I had a couple kids pop in yesterday. I should have more today but who knows. 

What else? I just finished watching the Bill Gates documentary on Netflix and listening to Dax Shepherd's podcast with him as well. What a fascinating and brilliant guy. The best take-away about him? He is well-aware of his faults and gives big time props to his wife who he truly couldn't do what he does without her. I love that he calls her his partner when talking about his foundation. He's a charming guy and his intellect is just so boggling! 

I've had a niggling headache every day for the past few days. I'm sure it's a stress headache but it's so annoying. Mainly because of where it's located: behind my right ear. Thankfully it goes right away once I take some ibuprofen. Normally it rears its ugly head when I walk into school but this morning I woke up with it. Most likely because I woke up at 4 AM thinking about the shit I need to do at school today. 

I made a delicious Mexican, rice and chicken instant pot dish last night. Lots of leftovers too so I'll be well fed for lunch over the next couple days.  Tonight I'll make a Garlicky Sweet Thai Chicken and Green Bean stir fry...yum!

And that's all I've got. I think that's enough! Happy Wednesday! Stay cool and healthy. Later!

First Meetings

 Yesterday I scheduled 3 meetings, two of which are today and one (my first IEP) set for 9/22. And so it starts. The meetings today should only take about 5 minutes each - just an agreement for the kids learning remotely this year about how services will be delivered. They are both remote meetings and I'm hoping they don't take longer than I expect. The problem there is the first meeting, at noon, is with freshmen parents which means they could have some questions and concerns that I just don't have time for. We'll see. I have a little cushion before my 12:30 meeting. 

Yesterday was our first day of Open House and as expected, I didn't have any seniors show. Today we have juniors coming in between 8-12. I have several juniors and fully expect to be busy throughout. For the most part these kids and their parents know me and so will probably just pop in to say hi...I'm hoping. However, this is my group of neediest parents (yes, parents, not kids) so they may need some coddling. 

Scout did well yesterday. I rushed home and he was back to normal with no accidents in his cage. Phew! He hadn't eaten for almost 24 hours so when I got home I managed to get him to eat a bit. I didn't want to walk him unless he had something in his stomach. We walked around 4:00 and though it was hot, it was breezy and he was so happy. Additionally he chowed down his dinner last night AND ate all his breakfast this morning! Hopefully we've turned a corner and he's getting used to our work schedule. He'll be a bit pissed today when I get home because he's getting a bath. Shh...don't tell him! 

Not much else to talk about. Miami U has quarantined all student athletes after 27 tested positive. I'm expecting a LOT more stories like this as more and more kids go back to school and sports opens up more fully. Granted, they've had football going since June (practice) but with more kids getting together more often, I see a spike happening. I hope I'm wrong.

Hey - good news: I slept like a baby last night! I think it was the first night since going back that I slept through the night. Well, I did get up one time to pee but I went right back to sleep no problem. Fingers crossed this is the new norm! 

And Jim's outta here. He's been trying to get to work EARLY so that he can get home early. I hate being the one to put the boys away but what else can you do? 

Okay - time to finish getting ready. Happy Tuesday! Stay healthy and cool (90s over the next couple days here and HIGH humidity as Laura makes her way north). Later!

Open House Week

This week is a week of Open House. Students will come in by grade level and last name. Today seniors will be in but I only have 1 senior in one of my classes (he's not on my caseload) and I'm betting he doesn't show up. The afternoons are reserved for teacher in-service. I'll be working in my room all day figuring out and preparing for instruction. 

I got an email from a parent on Friday night saying that her medically fragile daughter (has lots of medical issues one of which is she's a transplant patient) is in the ICU with a "really bad" case of pneumonia. She goes into the hospital several times a year. What I can't believe is that they plan on her coming for instruction in person. Of all people, she is probably one of the highest risk kids in the building with the drugs she's on and the lack of immunity that I'm sure she has. Ugh! I'm sure it's her that's making the decision because I know she wants to be in school but sometimes as a parent you just have to step in and veto your kids. But what do I know?!

Weekend was fine. We didn't do much although we did manage to get all our tile picked out for the bathroom reno. I'll order it this week. From there we went down to Party Source and finally refilled the kegs. We got a Summer Shandy and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The neighbors are certainly happy. After that we came home and hung out until dinner time when we went to Cazadores. Yummy! 

Scoutie's feeling puny again today. He got up last night at midnight and then 1:30 because he was sick. Such a good boy that he woke us up instead of getting sick in the house. When he went out at 1:30, as he was about to come back inside, he barfed. Mostly bile so I'm sure whatever it was is out of his system. Poor fellow. I hate leaving him at home all day when he's not feeling good. He hasn't eaten this morning but I don't expect his belly feels up to it. I'll try to get a little something in him before I leave but I doubt he'll be up for it. 

When I let Scout out at 1:30, there was some sort of weird sounding animal in the yard or just outside the fence. It spouted off loudly when the pups when out into the yard. It's pretty telling that Scout was REALLY feeling bad when he didn't even try to chase or even bark at whatever it was. 

And that's about all I've got. Guess I'll go love on my boy and try and get him outside (he hasn't been out yet this morning). Happy Monday! Here's to a week that goes by quickly. Stay healthy! Later!

Work Day

Today is our "work day" at school which means we aren't required to go to any meetings. However, I feel like the whole week has been that way with random meetings spattered in there. Yesterday I got a fair amount of work done for my Government class but I still have a shit ton to do. I also got intro Shakespeare stuff done for LA (we'll read Romeo and Juliet first this year). My goal today is to complete a couple chapters of Government, get schedules finalized and IEPs sent to gen ed teachers. That might be wishful thinking but we'll see. Kids start showing up next week for Open House but Monday I most likely won't have any show because it's for seniors and I don't have any.  

Here's something annoying: I have an IEP due on 9/24 and emailed the parent two days ago. Result: Crickets. I'll have to email again and then call if I don't hear from her. So stupid. Come on people!

This year we're moving to all Zoom meetings (last spring we were using Google Meet). Yesterday, a ton of my time was spent working to figure it out. Verdict: It sucks! I hate it. Mainly because I haven't figured it all out yet but I did set up meeting links for all my classes as well as my "office hours" in case we go virtual.  I also put all my Google Classrooms together. I feel like I'm sloooooowwwwwwly getting there but it's constantly one step forward, two steps back. 

Jim's already at work. He's on a job with a 6:00 AM start which sucks for the boys. Scout, of course, won't eat. He'll be sorry. I hate that they'll be in his cage for so long but what can a momma do!? I'll stay home for as long as I can before having to leave for work and try not to worry. They did just run out the door and went outside so that's good...maybe they'll get a little energy out. 

The weekend weather sucks! Dumb! I'm losing my tan fast and hate that when the weekend rolls around, I can't get some end-of-season sun because as usual it's raining! 

Weekend plans: I'd like to go down to a tile store and find the tile I want for the bathroom. Other than that, we're on a spending freeze in order to save as we head toward the bathroom reno. I told Jim that we are only allowed to go to Shooters every other week. He asked if this week could be week 1...I'll probably give in to that since the weather's going to blow. We'll see.

And that's all I've got. Better get Scout to eat a little bit. Happy Friday! Oh, yay! I get a cocktail today! Stay healthy. Later!

Oh Thom!

How is it that in the day and age we're living where there is justified worldwide intolerance for the racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments and actions by others, we have a man in the media who is knowingly mic-ed up, saying something so hateful!? Thom Brennaman should be ashamed! And I'm sure he is...because he got caught saying the worst of the homophobic words out there. And you know that if he says it at work, on a hot mic, he says it a lot more than just there. You don't say that word in that situation for the first time! Sucks because he's a great sportscaster but I think he just ended his career. Shame on you dude you SHOULD know better!

What else? I caved yesterday and had a drink or three. I needed it and enjoyed it and am not going to feel guilty about it! (I just keep telling myself that over and over.) 

School is school. I'm still working hard to figure out what the eff I'm going to do in terms of teaching remotely WHEN that happens. 

Obama opened up a can of whoop ass on trump last night in his speech. Man I miss that guy! I wish to God we had someone in the White House who gave a shit about this country and ALL the people in it like Obama does. But we don't. And that needs to change! It's so nice to listen to a leader speak who doesn't ramble and tout conspiracy theories and his own rhetoric. Please of please let trumps days be numbered! 

And BTW - I love that so many GOPers are pushing mail-in voting despite trumps claims of fraud. See they're worried about their own asses and losing their seats if they don't have mail-in voting. Of course they can't stand up publicly and say what they know is the right thing because they have no cojones and for that I say, eff you...you don't deserve to be a political leader!

Okay well, I've said enough and now need to head to school. Happy Thursday! Stay healthy. (Ragweed is giving me a hard time!) Later!

Hello 3 AM

Ugh...as happy as I am to have a piece of normal back in my life, I'm not excited that it's that time of year where I wake up at 3:00 am and then can't get back to sleep thinking about all the shit I have to still do. I don't feel tired (right now) but sitting at my desk and staring at a computer all day may not sound fatiguing but it is. And, I believe, today is full of meetings, which means I won't get what I need to get done but thankfully I still have time. 

Oh, so I was at my desk yesterday and my principal came in to check on our room. I was mentioning that something that I need in place by the beginning of students first day (which I was promised would be done) most likely won't get done. And my principal looked at me and said, "We won't be coming back." In other words, before we even get kids back to that first real day of instruction (September 8), we'll be on remote learning. I kind of thought this too (and of course this isn't a done deal...it's just where things are headed). In fact, a nearby school in our county already has 21 kids testing positive and quarantined and they only went back to school this week (yesterday?). It's nuts. But, at least we have these 3 weeks to work things out and prepare for "quality" remote learning. These other districts that haven't pushed back their start date are up a creek. 

What else? Oh!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA!!! For those who don't know who Lisa is, she is my "work wife" or my work roomie. We came to Kings the same year (this is our 21st year) and have shared a room all but 1 of those years. Needless to say she and I rely on each other to balance the other out, for sure (she probably does more for me than me for her but what're you going to do?) and I have to say, I may have had to choose a different career, long ago, had it not been for Lisa! Fifty (YOU'RE 50!!!) never looked so good! Here's to the best year ever! 

Mom - I called last evening to wish Richard a happy birthday but it rang and rang and rang (never going to your answering machine) so I figured someone was on the other line. Happy belated Richard! 

I FINALLY got Scout to eat his breakfast this morning! He's been such a little stubborn turkey lately. He just hasn't wanted to eat. I've changed his food and tried all kinds of things but half the time he won't eat his breakfast until after I walk him. And because I haven't been able to walk him until after I get home from work these past two days, he hasn't been eating his breakfast at all. His only meal Monday and Tuesday was dinner. So today when I got up, I gave him all this extra attention and snuggles and got him really happy and awake and I put his food down for him in the living room and BAM! He chowed down! Hopefully he'll get used to this new routine and start eating again like a normal boy! If you're wondering about Boo I have NO trouble with that little chow hound. Given the chance, he'd eat his food then Scout's food and anything else that ends up in front of his face. Which is why I can't just leave food out and allow Scout to eat whenever he wants. 

K - best head out. Happy Wednesday! Stay healthy! Later!

Day One In The Bag

I have to say I didn't get nearly the amount of work I'd hope to get accomplished yesterday but for the most part, that wasn't my fault. You see things are still so incomplete/in flux at work and the things I need to do to prepare for the year can't get done. For example - because they are still balancing classes I can't get my caseload of students' schedules figured out. That should happen by end of week. Once that's complete, I can send out IEPs to students' teachers. Additionally, I'm still trying to figure out what will happen to the kids on my caseload who will NOT be in school (I only have two). Will they stay on my caseload? This would be ridiculous because how do you serve/give direct instruction to a student you don't see? I have two students who will still be students of Kings but rather than taking the live streaming option, they're taking their classes using the Apex option. Impossible! So who knows what will happen with them and who knows how they will get served. Not to mention one of them is a freshman and so I have NO relationship with her. Never even met her. Stupid. But again, this too will pass and we'll all figure it out. 

So what did I do yesterday? Thinking back, not much. I moved shit around. I figured out how I'm going to structure my classes materials. I figured out which kids are in which class. I did some fiddly spreadsheet work for organization. I did some file prep in my computer. I sat in our building meeting and another meeting (that I didn't listen to for a minute...mainly because it was stupid and virtual and I had better things to do). 

Today: I have two meetings that I'm required to be in; both are virtual. The first one is for an electronic hallpass system we're moving to this year. That's at 7:45 and should only last a half hour. The other is our union meeting at 8:15. That one will be interesting because they should address negotiations for our contract. I don't expect to get any type of pay raise but who knows. Other than that, today will be spent in my room working on IEPs and figuring out how I'm teaching this year. There are some training videos I need to watch for Zoom and other things. I need to set up my Google classrooms as well. That should take me into tomorrow which is pretty chalk full of meetings. Yuck! 

When I got home yesterday, the pups acted like I'd been gone for weeks. They were so excited to see me. I felt like Scout, when he crawled into my lap and held my face with his paws and licked the bejesus outta me he was saying, "What the f&%k!? Where the HELL have you been!? Don't do that again!" He's not going to be happy in about 15 minutes when I leave again. 

Okay well, time to get a move on. Happy Tuesday! Wish me luck in staying focused today and getting shit DONE! Stay healthy. Later!

Here We GO!!!

I've had the Jane's Addiction song "Here we go" in my head since I woke up...at 4:00. Appropriate as I start my 21st year of teaching. This year will certainly be different but I'm looking forward to getting this shit started. The unknown of what's to come and the anticipation is much worse, I'm sure, than what it's all going to really be like (I keep telling myself that in order to stay a little bit sane). But who knows. My prediction of WHEN (not if) we go totally remote is Oct. 1. We'll see though...I hope I'm wrong. 

Here are some of the things I'm going to miss and not miss in having to go back to work:
1st and foremost - my puppies. I'm going to miss walking Scout every morning and hanging most of the day with them. I'm going to miss knowing they haven't had to be caged for longer than an hour or two in months! Basically I'm going to miss by babies sweet faces and random cuddles throughout the day! 

I'm going to miss getting my exercise on every day before 10 am! I HATE that I'm A) not going to get as much in and B) I'm going to have to do it after school. But...it's fine...I'm probably a bit addicted to exercise as it is and could stand a little respite. 

I'm going to miss sleeping until 6:00 AM (rather than 5:00 that I'll have to get up now). I've actually been setting my alarm to 6:00 for the past week just to get used to getting up early again. Normally, I would sleep until about 6:30 but I'm a morning person so it's all good.

What I'm NOT going to miss is Jim driving me crazy. These last few days have been trying on our psyches (and marriage). He's driving me nuts, I'm driving him nuts, we're fighting like cats and dogs (mostly because he's annoying...I'm not annoying, you're annoying!) Just some of the shit he does. For example (and just remember this: the other day he asked me why everything has to be a fight...just remember that) Anyway - for example, the outdoor cushions: I have a specific place I like them kept (behind the furniture) because they are easy to quickly put there in the rain, they are completely undercover, hidden from view and when you're putting them back in place, they're right there. Well, Jim always stacks them way away from all the other chairs, in the corner near the front door, which is inconvenient when putting them back and is an eyesore. So I asked him, "Hey, can you put the cushions behind the furniture it goes on..." blah blah blah. He rolled his eyes and then continued to do it his own way. So yesterday after it happened AGAIN, I said, "You know, you asked the other day why everything has to be a fight and this is a great example why YOU are the one causing the issue! I asked you nicely about doing the outdoor cushions the way I like them, which by the way is more efficient. I'm the one who is usually putting the stuff back on and you know it drives me nuts so in continuing to do something I specifically (nicely) asked you not to do, you are causing a fight!" He conceded to that. I'm sure I do things that cause a fight too but not as much as he does. I mean, I'm pretty perfect.

Okay - I've wasted more time than I should and need to head to work. UGH! Wish me luck. The week will be full of meetings and training. Not sure exactly how it will all go or what it will entail but I'll find out soon enough. Wish me luck! Here's to staying Covid-free. Happy Monday! Stay healthy...later!

Perimenopause Is Kicking My Ass

I'm sure a couple of you don't want to hear this  - those men that read this - and in response to that,  I say f&%k you! (I don't really mean that). What kind of joke is it that men don't have to go through the shit we women are forced to deal with? Not only are women the ones that have to get pregnant for basically 10 months (maybe not me but most other women), deal with morning sickness (sometimes throughout the WHOLE pregnancy), go through sometimes 24 hours of labor, then birth (pushing a bowling ball out of your vagina or getting your belly sliced open, bleed from our nether regions once a month which comes with lovely cramps that have actually made me puke before. And then just when you think the end is near, you've run out of eggs (or in my case they've all gone rotten) you have to go through perimenopause before you can finally feel the sweet freedom of acutal menopause. Night sweats, irregular periods (which can sometimes last for days and days and days and I'm not talking light spotting...we're talking full-on GUSH!), bitchiness (obvs!), brain fart syndrome, exhaustion, weight gain. Sometimes I look at Jim while he's limping around on his "sore" feet and hips and I think "Cry me a river you pussy! I'd love to see how you deal with bleeding from your privates once a month for the last nearly 40 years and everything else that comes with it!" And then I remember he has cancer and I feel bad. Ugh! 

Please pay no attention to me. I'm in a funk for a number of reasons and the above is just one. Along with that, school starts Monday and though I'm excited to finally get back to some sense of normal, I'm also mourning my free time being gone. Additionally, well, see...here I was, I had it in my head what I was going to type and then I lost it! It's out of my brain. Oh well...just more of me bitching and no one wants to read about that CONSTANTLY! 

Anyway - sorry about the rant...but here's a solution: If you don't like it, don't read this! (Sorry...we'll that another perimeno rant!)

Plans today: I've walked Scout and eaten breakfast so when I finish here, I'll go walk Reggie, come home, get on the elliptical and then shower quickly. Larry the contractor is coming over to give us detes about the bathroom reno at 10:00. At 11:30, I have a pedicure appointment. I might take Jim to the brewery today (we'll see if he gets his jobs done). Tonight I'm supposed to go to a friends for some social distance cocktails but I might bail. I'm just feeling like shit and seriously, I can't trust my period right now. UGH! 

K - gotta go give Reggie some love. Happy Friday! Can't WAIT for a cocktail later! I only drank Wednesday this week and am so proud of myself! And even then I didn't drink much! Pat pat pat (on my back). Later...stay healthy and masked!

Teary

I had something specific to talk about which I had in my head last night for this post and now, of course, I forget what it was! ARG! Oh, I know! I just remembered! (Thank you television for reminding me!) I was watching a video about Kamala Harris yesterday - just a video explaining who she is and where she came from and what her career has entailed and can I just tell you I got weepy!? I'm just so full of hope about what she and Biden can bring back to this country. And yet, I'm so scared of what will happen if they don't pull this off! I've never felt this scared about the future of the country and I know it's nothing compared to what people who grew up during a war or the Great Depression must've felt like but it's just frightening. UGH!

Speaking of inept leadership: This whole water/shower head complaint that trump has...I mean, this is what he's worried about during a pandemic, he's concerned about having perfect hair!? And I quote, ""You want to wash your hands, the water doesn't come out. So what do you do? You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer? Because my hair -- I don't know about you, but it has to be perfect. Perfect." I think the real problem is that he has so much orange God-only-knows-what on his ugly mug that he needs some sort of powerful shower head to get that shit off every day.  How is this our president?! 

Sorry...not sorry...I'll try to minimize my complaints. 

So my plans today: More school work. Maybe a little sun worshiping (if the sun shows it's face). I've walked Scout and just need to walk Reggie. I will either take a bike ride or get on the elliptical. Dinner tonight will be a vegan chickpea ratatouille over quinoa. (Jim'll probably hate it but hey...when was the last time he cooked a meal or planned the menu?). 

So weird, for the above sentence with the word "worshiping" in it? I originally spelled it "worshipping" (with two p's) but it showed that I had spelled it wrong so when I did spell check it said that the correct spelling was with just one "p". The word "worshiping" then should phonetically be pronounced "wor - sheye - ping" rather than "wor - ship - ping". WTF? So I looked it up and it said that "worshipping" is the British spelling where "worshiping" is the American. This is what's wrong with our country! I mean JEEZ! Oh well. 

K - I'm out...happy Thursday! Stay healthy. Later!

Ready To Win!

I'm excited about Biden's pick of Kamala Harris as VP running mate and I think trump should be shaking in his baby booties. And of course he's already resorting to name-calling like "phony" (because that's what immature little assholes do) and her questioning of Kavanaugh "nasty". BTW - if you've watched her questioning of him that is being referred to, she's is the consummate professional who calmly asked a reasonable question about a possible issue that Kavanaugh could be ruling on as a supreme court justice. And I'll say it because it's true, if a male asked the same question, he certainly wouldn't be called "nasty". And I can't WAIT for the VP debate! Harris is going to mop the floor with Pence's ass! Is that nasty!? Gee, too bad! I'm so sick of the world I've been forced to live in for the past nearly 4 years and I'm ready for NORMALCY...a change back to normal! (BTW - how will Pence debate Harris without "mother" being present?) 

In other news, I went up to school yesterday and got my room in relative order. I rearranged as best I could and moved things around. Should be fine. I hate that I don't have a window to the outside but again, this is hopefully temporary and this too shall pass. Of course none of the technology is hooked up so I immediately put an email out about that. I was told to put a "Track-it" in (order for the tech department to fix something) but of course the links were throwing out errors. Oh well...I'm sure it will get dealt with. 

I accidentally let Reggie out today. UGH! It wasn't his fault (there was a locust that freaked me out and I left enough room in the gate for Reggie to escape). Luckily, he only did about two laps of the island before he came back. I sat and waited for him to return and when he did, head down and ashamed, I gave him extra love and hugs. Poor boy misses his family and the escape was truly my fault. He's such a good boy. I'll take him for a nice long walk when I finish here. 

My plans for the day are to do more school work. Still trying to figure out what my teaching experience this year is going to look like and prepare but it's hard when I don't know how things are going to work.

I made shrimp tacos last night with a homemade slaw and it was delicious! Tonight is an easy baked pork chop. 

And that's about all I've got. Time to get a move on before it gets too oppressive out there. The temps aren't bad but the humidity is terrible. And you know Reggie has a THICK coat of fur. 

K - happy Wednesday! Stay healthy! Later!

Scout The Protector

So last night, around 10:45 or so, the storms hit at my house. They weren't bad, in fact they were considerably mild considering what Indiana must've experienced. As per usual, once they hit the Cincinnati area, they had died down considerably. Anyway - I heard the rain and saw the trees swaying and had to get up to check out what the news was saying...which was nothing. They didn't even upgrade them to a warning, just a watch. So I go back to bed and I'm laying there, pretty calm but awake and aware and watching the trees from the bedroom window. And Scout comes up on the bed and he immediately comes and lays in the crook of my belly spooning with me and bathing my face in kisses. And I think, "Aw...he must be scared." But then I lay there for a bit while HE loves on ME (of course I was loving on him too) and I realized, "He isn't scared. He came up to comfort me!" The minute the loudest of the thunder subsided, he gave me one last lick and went back to his usual spot: Jim's legs. I seriously think he was just comforting me because he could feel that I was tense. I love that boy! 

I mentioned yesterday about my neighbors dog, right? Originally we were going to be watching him 1/2 the week. Well, apparently the couple who were going to be watching him the other half, Dan, got a blood clot in his leg and he had to have surgery yesterday. Ugh! I mean, how does that happen? So we'll be taking care of Reggie until Saturday but really it's nothing. He's so easy and sweet. I'll go walk him in a minute.

My other plans for the day: After I walk Reg, I'll shower and head up to work. I need to put my temporary room together...that's my goal. After that, I'll probably head to Aldi since I'll be in the area and then come home and do some school work. 

Gov. Dewine is giving an update today at 2 pm about schools. Should be interesting. A little worried about it...have a feeling I'm not going to be happy. BUT...I just have to keep telling myself that we will get through this and we're all in it together and we all need to be flexible. 

Okay well, I'd best get my shit together. Happy Tuesday. Stay healthy. Later. 

Prepping For A Return

This week will involve a lot of prep work in preparation of my return to work. I can't believe it's been 5 months since we shut down. Who knows what is going to happen in the next couple months? Who knows what hurdles we're going to have to jump to get these kids something resembling an education but I'm ready to get back! I just hope we can sustain some sort of normalcy - new normalcy - for the sake of all our psyches. 

So yeah, this week I'll be working on my science and Government classes and getting them figured out for remote learning. I also need to figure out what to do with my Language Arts class. I usually start with Shakespeare but everything really depends on what parents choose to do: In person, remote etc. I also need to get up to school to get my room in order (since much of my stuff got moved across the hall)...I might do that tomorrow. 

The weekend was good...low key. We went to Raeburn on Friday which made the weekend all messed up. I thought all day Friday that it was Saturday and all day Saturday felt like Sunday. We pretty much did the same things we've been doing for the last 5 months. I did, however, make an amazing meal last night. Probably my favorite Instant Pot meal I've ever made from a recipe in my instant pot bible: Better Butter Chicken. It's a curry chicken dish. I served it over baked potatoes and added peas to it and it was scrumptious! So excited it made so much because I get to have it as leftovers this week. 

My next door neighbors headed to South Carolina Sunday and we're helping to take care of their pup - Reggie - while they're gone. He's such a good boy...and easy. I walked him 3 miles yesterday and what a good walker he is. I'll take care of him Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as well. The other days will be Cari's friend Brit who lives up the street and are the owners of Reggie's brother. He'll be so happy! 

And that's all I've got. Not sure what I'll do for dinner tonight. Maybe leftovers...maybe shrimp tacos...who knows. I'll ask Jim what he wants. Okay - time to get Scout out for his walk. I'll probably take a bike ride today as well...try to beat the line of storms that are supposed to hit late morning. Happy Monday! Stay healthy. Later

Waiting To Hear

 Yesterday they had a board meeting at school to put a 3rd option into place in our plan for returning to school and I'm waiting to hear what the decision was. I'm guessing it passed but who knows. I just wish things would be ironed out but I don't think anything is going to be ironed out through the entire school year. I feel like we're all going to be flying by the seat of our pants. And if you know me, that isn't how I live so it's going to be tough trying to stay stress free when things are so up in the air. Ugh. 

That being said, I did start working on my Government class yesterday. I need to get plans figured out and assignments ready for any possible online learning. 

Here's something that annoyed the shit out of me yesterday: I have an acquaintance on FB that likes to put shit out there that is controversial...as though the rest of us give a shit about how he feels about masks or restaurants having to close at 10 PM and whatnot. So yesterday he posts an article about schools returning. The headline was "Teachers protest reopening schools in central Ohio". First of all, it was a misleading headline because in truth it was about a small handful of teachers that were protesting the return to the classroom due to safety of both children and staff. Not teachers in general around Ohio and not because they didn't want to have to work. This, of course opened a can of nasty worms. There were comments like, "teachers who work less should make less" (because we're raking it in, right?) and then things about teachers having it easy since March and not having to do any actual teaching. I was so disgusted because these people obviously have no fucking idea what they're talking about and they just assume that we don't want to work or haven't worked our asses off through all this. It was so disheartening because I know those comments represented a whole host of others who feel the same. I'd love for those people to spend a day in my shoes or any other teacher's shoes who's having to wade through these uncertain and murky waters while people criticize every thing we do. Nothing is good enough for everyone but we are trying to make it the best it can be for the KIDS!!! 

Okay, I'm off my horse and now need to go get on my bike. After that I'll head to the grocery and today we're heading to Raeburn with the neighbors to have some fun in the sun and pool! Woot! Weekend starts early today! 

K - later and stay healthy. 

Grand Theft Auto

I had a great time up at the Bay with Trippy and J.J. We had shitty weather Saturday and Sunday but Monday and Tuesday were good. We had some pool time with lots of rock climbing, games of horse and going down the slide. We did a bit of putt putt (me just once but they went each day); there was a venture on the paddle boards and for Trip and J.J., lots of wave running (though we had some pretty rough days so they weren't able to go far). All in all, lovely. 

So you may or may not know that this year, we got a new golf cart (at left). It's a beauty and totally different from the last one we had. Where the last one was red, this one is a lovely navy blue. The previous one was a 4-seater; this one seats six. The new one is gas-powered whereas our old one was electric. The wheels on the new one are much larger and in general the it's awesome. The reason I bring this up: So we're at the pool one day and Trip heads home to check on the pup. He gets in the golf cart, drives home, goes inside and realizes SHIT! Our golf cart isn't red! He'd taken (stolen, swiped, hot-wired, pilfered, run off with) someone else's cart! He immediately jumped into the "hot" cart and swapped it out for ours. None the wiser, thank God. I mean...isn't that priceless!? And on another note, it's a little ridiculous that the cart keys pretty much operate any old cart out there. What's the point?!

So now that I'm back, it's kind of crunch time for preparing for school. All of that is completely still up in the air but I will most likely be in the classroom providing in-person classes as well as streaming (they've added a possible option 3 where teachers will have webcams in their classes to allow kids to learn remotely...it has to be approved, however). This means I need to allow students to submit assignments through Google forms or whatever. Which means I'll need to make those actual alternate assignments. Ugh! That should only take hours and hours...no biggie. It is what it is though...I'll just have to muddle through like the rest of the teachers out there and hope this all goes away eventually. 

Anyway - if the weather stays cloudy, like it is right now, I'll start on that today. If not, I may just lay out after mowing the lawn. The boys are taken care of and I've eaten breakfast. Not much else is happening. 

K - happy Thursday! Later! Stay healthy.