Final Days!!!

And today starts the last day with kids for the year! Woot! And bonus, the first period exam time will end my classes (since the second period exam time is during my prep period). I can't tell you how excited I am. Tuesday is a work day and it's always a question on when we'll be able to scoot out but realistically, who cares if we're there until normal time?! A whole summer off is on the other side of that responsibility. Who can complain!? Not me!

Sami has a vet appointment today. Just a check up but really. I want to make sure her back legs are okay and see if there's anything that she could take to help what seems to be arthritis. She's going to hate going but it needs to happen. Jim and I will both go. I was going to take her alone but Jim isn't working but a couple hours today. He'll work Saturday and Monday, however.

What else? My kids in history didn't fare too well on their exams. I have more F's than anything but I rounded them all up to a D. I had one A a couple B's and a C. Oh well, what're you going to do? They all passed for the year, didn't need the exam to do so and exams are stupid anyway.

This time last week Jim and I were on the road...headed toward a lost weekend. Hee.

Okay - that's all I've got. Time to get my day going. Can't wait for a long weekend though it will be very stormy but that's okay. Of course the backyard is crazy long and who knows when that will get cut...what are you going to do.

Happy Friday! Happy Last Day of School to me! Oh and holy shit! Yesterday was National Wine day and today is National Chardonnay Day! Well hot damn! K - Later!

These Reporters!

I've been watching CNN this morning (I prefer local news in the morning but Jim has the remote) and these damn reporters can't stop saying, "Uh", "Um" and this one chick could not speak to save her life. She could not spit out a question and it was driving me crazy!

School news: My 1st period LA class took their exam and they all passed! Woot! Lowest grade was a C. I do not expect that today for my history class. I'm pretty sure most of them haven't studied and will most like fail miserably. UGH! And I'm only testing on one chapter. Hopefully they quizlet I sent out was used and practiced since the questions come directly from the exam. Oh well...they've all passed for the year so that's good.

Still no colonoscopy date but Jim did talk to a woman in the office who said they're waiting on insurance approval. I mean Jesus! Additionally, Jim's PET scan results haven't come out yet either. I'm anxious to see those and see how the nodule in his colon is doing. Who knew I'd be so interested in Jim's colon!?

My latest purchase for the Bay. Perfect for kids to sleep on when there's a full house and we need to huddle up! It will be delivered to the ferry warehouse about 3 days before we get there so I'll be able to get it and find a good place to store it.

And that's all I've got. Hopefully my car starts this morning. We had the mechanic dude up the street remove a couple fuses.

K - I'm out. Happy Thursday! Have I mentioned it's a Harry Potter weekend this weekend!? I mean could the year end any better!? I don't think so! Later!

Three Days!

Today starts the real exam days. We'll have two exams per day; one at 7:30 and one at 10:00. Students will be done and can leave at 12:30. For the next three days, I have one exam each day. YAY! Yesterday we have one exam at the end of the day but there wasn't much to do since it's a study hall for me and I just had to answer a few questions for a few students taking exams with us. I did manage to get all my IEP progress reports done, clean out my desk, prepare folders for next year's caseload and emailed all my new parents. I'll continue the clean today in preparation for next year. Just piddly stuff.

Jim had his latest PET scan today. No results yet but his glucose level is on the rise which isn't great. Still no colonoscopy appointment. He said this morning, "I guess I need to call them to find out what's going on." Ya think? Needless to say, his oncology appointment that was set up for the 12th will have to be pushed.

My car is still acting like an asshole. I'll take it up to my mechanic neighbor so he can pull the fuse on the radio. Hopefully that will keep the light from staying on and I won't have to constantly disconnect my battery. This is what happens when you have a 10 year old car, I guess. I mean, my engine light has been on for the last year and my gas gauge doesn't work. What are you going to do? I'm enjoying having no car payment so until my fixes aren't worth it anymore I'm going to continue what I'm doing.

And that's all I've got. Jim's working Monday which I was hoping he'd do. He offered and I said, Uh, yeah!

K - time to get a move on. Rain today. Possible storms later. Happy Wednesday. This time next week I'll be on day one of summer vacation! (And hopefully I'll still be asleep) WOOT! Later!

Jackasses!

I'm always a little surprised at the asinine behavior of kids and I don't know why. Every time I think they have it together and I can trust them to act like human beings, they show me that I'm just kidding myself.

I got to school yesterday to find two of my students in 6th period (and yes the biggest jackass of them all was a part of this) coaxed another student (the most gullible, naive and obviously delayed of all my kids) to say the "n" word and they supposedly filmed it. Of course they were turned in and of course nothing was done so I battled with the administration all day yesterday to try and investigate and make these kids pay somehow. I'm sure the year will end without them having any consequences which is so wrong. I did pull the girl aside and I made sure she knew how I felt about her actions and how disgusted I was by her gross behavior. There really wasn't anything bad enough I could say to her to impart my feelings. Kids are such little f&%kers sometimes!

Four days left! Today starts exams although I don't have an exam to give today.

Jim had a good day yesterday. He has his latest PET scan today. The colonoscopy still hasn't been scheduled. Annoying.

My car is still acting like an asshole. The radio light continues to stay on and I have to disconnect the car battery so it won't drain every time I get out of my car. I have a mechanic contact in my neighborhood who is investigating a fix so we'll see. I may just unplug the fuse when I get in and out of the car if that's possible. We'll see.

K - gotta go finish getting ready. Happy Tuesday! Later!

The Lost Weekend

I wish I could say that we had a fabulous weekend but alas, it just didn't go as well as hoped. We did manage to get all the carpets cleaned (except the bedrooms). Additionally we wiped down all the walls and furniture and nooks and crannies downstairs. The rug got installed under the kitchen table (really warms the place up...thank you Maggie) and the garage hasn't been this clean since it was originally built. Susan cleaned all the new pots and pans and then cleaned out the cabinets in the kitchen and straightened them out. Of course the golf cart was on the fritz so we had to get a loaner from Chan (gas powered and I liked it) and the weather wasn't great. But that wasn't what sucked. There was a bit of a blowout among siblings that never got resolved and probably won't because some people prefer to stick their head in the sand and pretend everything is hunky dory when it isn't. I prefer to hash shit out, lay it all out on the table so we can move on but apparently that's not going to happen. Ridiculous.

And then Maggie and Eva were SICK! Maggie was fine Friday but Saturday she was miserable. Fever, swollen throat (could barely eat), congested, hacking up crap...ugh!  Eva was miserable half the weekend (didn't sleep at all Friday into Saturday...although she did rally Saturday) and woke up Sunday to feel like shit. And on her birthday too! When Maggie got home she and Eva went to the Little Clinic or Urgent Care and turns  out Maggie has strep. Ugh! Oh and Eva has a sinus infection. Double ugh. Hopefully the strep won't spread to Jim and me. We've never had it so hopefully we aren't susceptible. They both got antibiotics and are hopefully on the mend.

One good thing was we made it to the ferry around 9:30 and caught the 10:30 off the island. I thought for sure we would have to wait for several boats but we didn't. Jim and I made it home by 2:30 and relaxed the rest of the day.

My car is acting like an asshole. The radio light won't turn off which means that it may drain my battery. I'll have to disconnect the cables when I get to school. Jim's calling the dealership to see what's what. And that's it. Oh, Jim still doesn't have his colonoscopy scheduled. One would assume they would call today but that's just silly! I know better than to think that.

Oh and JIM'S BACK TO WORK! WOOT! Today he's headed down to Kentucky. I'm so excited! I think he is too.

K - I'm out. Gotta see what I have on tap for today. Happy Monday! So happy it's the last week of school! Later!

Checklists

Jim and I have several checklists to take care of today in preparation for our trip north. I'm going to do my best to get everything ready for tomorrow at school during the school day today but I'm not sure how successful I'll be. Jim's got lots to do around the house to prepare, including cleaning, but he also has a lot of errands to run. Most important of those? Buying champagne. Just think, this time tomorrow, we'll be past Dayton! I hope! Woot!

My eyes are still slightly dilated but it's not that bad and I don't think I'll need readers today. But, I'm reading the final chapter in our book today so I'll take them just in case.

Oh, get this: I went online yesterday to the website that handles teacher absences just to check. And my absence (that I put in months ago) for Friday was gone. Which is crazy because the Friday before the last week of school? Yeah, no way am I going to get a sub with two days notice. Additionally, I KNOW that absence was in and I even knew the sub that had taken it. I realized what must have happened. The sub who had taken it is long-term subbing for our sped teacher who had a baby in April. I'm guessing that when they took her out of the sub system, it eliminated my absence. I emailed my administrator telling him all this and adding that "I don't know exactly how this could have happened and I did put in for a sub again but I'm sure I won't get one but...I won't be here Friday regardless." I never heard back from him and I'm not really worried/don't care. Oh well.

Lets see...what else? Seniors had their last day yesterday. It's always nice when seniors are out of the building. Makes for less crowded halls and classrooms. I sure wish a couple of other students could be done for the year.

Okay - time to get a move on. Happy Thursday (my Friday). Later!

Good News, Bad News & Update

First let me update on Jim's colon. He talked to someone at the doctor's office and the reasoning behind the wait on the colonoscopy makes a bit more sense. The reason why she didn't order up a colonoscopy until this past appointment was because she wanted to have Jim on his meds for about a month or so before doing the procedure. She knew from the March PET scan that there was a wonky read/uptake on his colon but because she would prescribe the same meds to treat that he's on, she held off. This make sense but I don't know why she didn't just order the colonoscopy in April so that we could schedule for around now rather than wait when we only have a 2 week window. Oh well, we'll deal. No one has called Jim yet to schedule it (that's how it works) so we don't know when it will be but unless it happens to be on the 30th or 31st, I don't see the possibility of it being before we leave for PIB.

Good news: I qualify for Lasik surgery and will have that done on June 16th. Woot! This will mean that it won't interfere with my July trip to PIB too. See, after surgery, I won't be able to swim for two weeks but by July 4th, I'll be all good. I may have to wear goggles and be extra careful on the wave runner but I can handle that. I was also told not to let anything hit me in the face for 1-3 months after surgery. My response: Uh, I'm going to try not to let anything hit me in the face forever. The doc was surprised looking at my pictures that I wear contacts. He said my eyes don't read like someone who wears contacts...in a good way. I have very thick corneas as well which is exactly what you want in Lasik! Anyway - I'm excited! Can't wait to see when I open my eyes!

And the bad news: Apparently a batch of 17-year cicadas are going to be hatching 4 years early! UGH! They're saying that about 100,000 of the little f&%kers are going to be hatching and they're already around areas on the west side and Anderson. First I'll just say that you can expect I won't be around much until these assholes are gone. Maggie, make up my bed because I'll be spending a lot of time with you until about July. Second, Anne's wedding is bound to be bombarded. I hope she doesn't mind me watching from the solarium. And third, WTF?! They're called 17-year cicadas for a reason. And you know that we'll still get a massive batch in 2021! I call bullshit on mother nature! She's on my list.

I'm still slightly dilated and having a bit of a tough time seeing close up. I'll take some readers with me to school today. Oh, and the doctor said I really should be using readers already and will most certainly need them right after surgery. I'm okay with that. That I can handle.

K - best head up and out. Need to get plans ready for Friday and make a list of jobs for Jim to do today. Happy Wednesday! Later!

I Just Can't

ARG! Here we go again! So Jim had his monthly appointment with the oncologist (I almost typed gynecologist - HA!) yesterday. Apparently, they've been sitting on information about a wonky uptake in in his colon possibly since MARCH!!!  And did anyone every say, "Hey, we need to get a look at this and schedule a colonoscopy." Nope they didn't...until yesterday! Then they tell him. Oh, and he needs to have said colonoscopy before - BEFORE - June 9th. Uh, we're headed to PIB on the 3rd. So annoying! I mean, I don't understand why someone isn't looking at his chart, his test results and seeing what needs to be done before Jim is sitting in front of their face. I think the doctor walks in the room to meet with Jim, looks at his chart and then never looks/thinks about his care until he's sitting in front of her again.

Jim's job today is to call and A) see if he can schedule a freaking colonoscopy before June 3rd, B) call the doctor's office and make it understood that he needs a phone call immediately from someone who has read his test results and can tell him if there are wonky results or not! Good or bad, someone need to call and say - "Alls well!" or "We have an issue".

Okay well, I have my eye appointment after school today so I won't be cooking or doing much of anything until 6:30. Hopefully things will turn out well and I'll get the news I want.

Oh, and my pedicure yesterday? Awesome! Headed back there for sure.

K - I'm out. Happy Tuesday! Later!

The Countdown Begins

Really the countdown began on day one but at this point, I can actually see the end. We have these next two weeks of school (minus this Friday for me since we'll be headed to PIB that day) and I can't wait! Thankfully, I timed my classes perfectly so that I'll finish up the novel we're reading in the next three days, which means we can watch the movie, take the test and be DONE!!! In history, I have to finish the last two sections of The 1990s and then THAT will be DONE! I can't believe I actually made it to the 1990s this time around in US History. I didn't do that the last time I taught the class (my history classes are on a 3-year rotation). Anyway - I will be so happy when this week is over and all we have are exams to look forward to.

This past weekend was nice. Perfect weather and a perfect couple of days of just hanging out with Maggie, Charlie and Eva. Can't wait for PIB to do it all over again but with the added bonus of Trip, Susan, JJ, Anne and Steve. Woot!

Jim's still not back to work. His boss SAYS he's going to put him back on schedule next Monday but at this point I'll believe it when I see it. So annoying. But...I'm trying to be easy about it and not stress Jim out because I know he's anxious to get back as well. So I still have my "bitch" for another week!

This week should be pretty easy. I'm going to go get a pedicure after school today...my toes need it BAD! It's a new place just up the road. Can't wait for a little pampering! Tomorrow I have my 3-hour screening for my eyes. I can't WAIT for that to be done too since I HATE MY GLASSES!!! Actually, I'm pretty used to them now but I will be glad when I can wear my contacts again, full time.

Jim has a doctor's appointment with his oncologist today. Just a check up. Should be painless...except for the fact that whenever he has to see her, she's always running about an hour hour and a half behind. So annoying. So rude!

Okay - well, I'd best get a move on...get this day started! Happy Monday!OMG! Maggie! Tomorrow is Mimosa Day! Woot! Maybe I'll start celebrating today! K - later!

Headed North

Very excited to get out of dodge! I'll head up to Maggie's after school (or maybe a little before). We don't have any real plans and Eva's been a bit sick so we may just hang at home but that's good for me!

Speaking of getting out of dodge, this time next week, we'll be on the road and headed to PIB! Hopefully in or past Dayton! WOOT!!!

School has been a bit stressful this week. First I had a couple unexpected bouts of paperwork I had to deal with (IEP amendments). And then yesterday - there was some disturbing news about one of the kids in my classes. This is the senior who was hospitalized before Spring Break because he was hearing voices. If you recall, I had emailed the parent about my concern, she confirmed that there were "issues" and then within a week, he was in the psyche ward at Children's. He returned to school about 2 weeks after Spring Break but since then, I have to say, he is obviously still hearing voices. In LA while I'm reading, he's laughing and talking/mouthing to someone/something that isn't there. It's very disturbing. I have to redirect him 3 or 4 times in class. Anyway - yesterday his mother revealed that her son told her that Satan has been speaking to him and telling him to commit suicide so he could have sex with him. But she sent him to school anyway. And the doctors didn't hospitalize him! And they said he isn't an immediate danger to himself. WHAT!? And basically the reason mom sent him to school is because she can't take off work and needs us to babysit him because she doesn't want to leave him alone (well, at least she has that sense). I emailed to the administration that I was very disturbed by this and don't think the proper place for this kid is school. If this were my son?! There wouldn't be a question! Time for a hospitalization so that meds can get regulated. UGH! I haven't been able to get this off my mind and I just feel so bad for this kid. What is going to happen to him over the summer when he's done with school and mom's going to work every day!?

Okay well, I need to finish getting ready and pack up the car. Happy Friday! Later!

Insulation Install

Yesterday we had our house's insulation beefed up. They basically came in and properly insulated our attic, crawl space in the basement, and knee wall (the space between the garage ceiling and master bedroom floor). In addition, they spray foamed all around the foundation. I hope to hell this helps with our air circulation and efficiency. We will get a rebate of $250 from Duke Energy so that's a bonus! They were here from about 9:00 until after 4:00, which meant I didn't get to exercise and that pissed me off. And then of course today it's going to be a washout so I won't be able to ride my bike. Annoying. Guess it's the elliptical for me.

In addition I'll be packing for Columbus after school. Woot. Can't wait to be there!

Jim said to me this morning that he looks forward to going back to work. Yeah, me too! His sleep pattern is completely off and he needs to reset.

No Dezi for the next couple days! Woot! He's been better lately but still a loud pain in the ass.

And that's all I've got. Need to finish getting ready. Have I mentioned that I hate my glasses!? I ended up having to put my contacts in for about 2 hours yesterday after school because I couldn't stop sneezing. My contacts act as a barrier for me and I just needed a break! I'll put them in today to exercise as well because I can't stand my glasses falling off my face due to sweating. I HATE MY GLASSES!

Okay - I better stop or I'm going to talk myself into a bad mood. Happy Thursday! Later!

Short On Time

Running short on time this morning because I was all wrapped up in reading about the latest _rump debacle. This should play out in an interesting way. I think at this point in the investigation on Russia, there will have to be a special prosecutor appointed to investigate. Crazy.

School: The lock down drill yesterday was slightly stupid but did facilitate good conversation with the kids in my room. We ended up choosing to stay put because of where the "shooter" was (in the Junior High). Reason being - my classroom is the first one coming from the Junior High so if the "shooter" was headed our way, I wanted our kids to hunker down until we knew more. While it was all going on, however, I talked to the kids about what we should do etc. They were really good during the drill (because I threatened them with the most severe forms of punishment available) and had good thoughts to share.

Today should be a relatively normal day. I'm watching Lisa's 5th period class while she's in a meeting and then our Early Release meeting is a union meeting. I'm wondering if they'll share anything about negotiations. Hoping to hear something.

I should be able to get on the bike today after school before the rain hits. YAY!

We get our insulation beefed up today! YAY! Here's to a more energy efficient, less drafty home!

Dreamt of Zekey Zoo last night. Sure do miss that boy!

And that's all I've got. I hate my glasses. Have I mentioned that? The other thing that happens when I don't have my contacts in? I'm sneezier! Stupid glasses! This week can't go fast enough!

K - happy Wednesday! Later!

Sans Contacts!

I hate not being able to wear my contacts! And I have to wear these stupid glasses for a week! They fall off my face and drive me crazy. Not to mention that I can't easily fix my face while wearing them. UGH! I tell you what...after all this (I know I'm being a drama queen) I sure hope I have the ability to get lasik surgery!

We have an active shooter simulation today at school and I am NOT looking forward to it. I'll be interested to see if they actually do it. Only reason why I say that is A) the weather B) parent input and C) it's going to suck. The kids should know by now that it's coming because of the email that went out but they won't know what time (1:00) and I'm envisioning mayhem. They're saying it's going to take 10-15 minutes but I call bullshit on that. These kids are going to be ramped up when this is all said and done and they're going to need to talk about it and they certainly aren't going to settle down easily afterward. UGH! Dread!

So I have a student going on to a program next year (a senior deferring her diploma) and I have to write an IEP for the program. The thing about this is, the program is not something I'm that familiar with which makes it hard to write an IEP when you don't really have the knowledge to write goals and services etc. The program lost it's director over this past year (she died...had a brain tumor...sad). Which means, there have been interim people running the thing and so no one really is the "go to" person for someone like me. It took me bitching about the fact that no one had contacted me about holding a meeting for this IEP to even get someone to acknowledge one needed to be written prior to the end of school. They would have waited until this week or next to call a meeting on the last week of school (when the senior would have been DONE with school). Anyway - I slapped together an IEP knowing I would have to and sent it on as a draft to the woman I've been conversing with via email. She emails me back with a shit ton of things...half of which is shit that makes no sense. And in her email she was schooling me on writing an IEP. Are you freaking kidding me bitch!? Suck a turd and did you read the IEP? Because half of what she was talking about was written in the IEP. So annoying. I think I'll be a little passive aggressive cause I'm done with this. 

Okay - and now I'm done bitching. It's raining like cats and dogs out there (and of course Sami has to go outside and drink from the outside water bowl for 10 minutes and come in soaked and NOT want to get dried. Little turkey!). Guess I better get going. Later...happy Tuesday!

PIB Prep

Jim and headed to Ikea this weekend to get some stuff for PIB (I love Ikea...I could spend so much money there! And they have the coolest towels! They have a little loop on the side of them so you can hang them on a hook!). I can't believe we'll be up there in less than two weeks! I'll be taking some blankets, new pots and pans, utensils for the pots and pans and I'll purchase a fan between now and then as well. We'll also do a major clean while up there. Maggie and I will steam clean carpets (with dueling cleaners) while everyone else installs a new closet shelving system and tackles the garage. I'm hoping that since there have been people up there this past weekend and will be up there this weekend, the major stuff will be taken care of. We'll see.

The rest of the weekend was pretty chill. We went to dinner on Saturday...a little Cinco de Mayo a day late. I wasn't about to step foot in any Mexican restaurant on Friday, that's for sure.

This week will be pretty easy. I'm trying to figure out what to do on Friday. I'm going to try and get coverage for a 1/2 day to go up to Columbus but if I can't I'll fore go because I'm covering Lisa during her plan and 7th period. I'll need to figure all this out by Wednesday though. We'll see. Maybe I'll just leave early and skip 7th...see if Diane can cover out study hall? (She doesn't read this so it's not like she'd see this).

I was going to try and get a quilt cranked out for JJ's birthday and take it up to PIB for him but I don't think I'm going to be able to. I'll see what I can get done today and then see where I stand but I don't think I have enough jean material for what I have planned. We'll see.

And that's about all I've got. Sorry I'm so boring. Happy Monday...later! Ooh, it's No Socks Day! And I'm not wearing socks! Bonus! Later!

After Today...

...I'll have 15 days of school (with kids) left. Can you freaking believe that!? And during that time, I'll be able to rejuvenate myself with a quick visit to Columbus and then a PIB weekend getaway! I can DEFINITELY do this!

Next week we're getting new insulation put into our attic, the crawl space in our basement and then in the area above the garage which also happens to be right under our bedroom. I'm hoping this helps a ton with the draftiness we have in our house and helps our energy bills. One good thing about it is we'll get a rebate from Duke after it's complete. It's a bit costly but will certainly be worth it. Fortunately (or unfortunately) Jim won't be going back to work on Monday because his boss won't have anywhere for him to go until the following Monday. UGH! Oh well.

In school news, I had to kick another kid out of class for farting. What's wrong with these disgusting little mongers?! I told Maggie I should just start ripping farts like them...that would certainly teach them a lesson! You think you can fart you little 15-year old punk!? What kind of damage do you think a 46-year old can do? Who eats a hard boiled egg nearly everyday for breakfast! Assholes!

My final IEP is today. YAY!

Weekend plans: Nothing. I plan on doing a big clean this weekend. Jim doesn't know yet. He'll be thrilled. I'm NOT running in the Flying Pig Marathon, if you were wondering. Ha!

And that's it. Time to get this Friday started! Later!

Yes He Did

Jim mowed the front yard yesterday! Can you believe it? And he had to use our regular push mower (he was going to try and borrow our neighbors who has a self-propelled one but he couldn't get a hold of him). And he hasn't complained at all about being sore! I think this is the first time he's been able to mow the lawn in about 2 years. Part of that is I prefer to mow the lawn but most of it is the pain he used to have. YAY Jimmy!

Had my dental appointment yesterday and was given a clean bill of mouth health. He said to me, "You have the CLEANEST mouth!" I guess he meant literally because normally my mouth is FILTHY!

I've got 3 assignments left to do for my HQT class. And two of those are things I have to wait for others to do (so I can respond to them). Woot!

So two days ago, Dezi (my crazy autistic kid), in the middle of class, while I was reading aloud let out the longest, loudest most disgusting fart I've ever heard. (I thought maybe he shit his pants it was so loud and disgusting.) As I laid into him and then kicked him out of class, he proceeded to BUTTON HIS PANTS back up and REBELT his belt! Yes, he had been sitting there with his pants undone! Gross and what the F&^K!? So needless to say, I went a bit off the rails on him (in the hallway) and then emailed his father to tell him about his increasingly disturbing, inappropriate, immature behavior (yes, I know he's autistic but I don't think that should give him a pass!) Anyway, yesterday Dezi came into class with a letter for me (I can't post it as is) but basically he apologized profusely and promised he'd be good. It was signed with his name but should have had his father's because you know he's the one who really wrote it.

Okay - well, lets see what today has to bring...besides rain. Happy Thursday! Later!

Eye Screening

So I decided about a week ago to check into getting Lasik surgery. I'm so sick of glasses and contacts and never being able to see. Swimming is a pain in the ass especially on the lake when I'm on the wave runner. I called (well, my secretary, Jim, called...although he prefers "personal assistant") the Cincinnati Eye Institute and finally talked to someone yesterday. She took some basic information from me and then from that gave me my options. I could do an hour long screening that just tests the basics (no dilation) but if it's a go from there, I'd do a 3-hour screening. OR! I could start with the 3-hour screening. I figured I'd have to do it anyway so I'll just start with that one. It'll be May 16th and I'm not allowed to drive after (she said they're dilation is really strong), I can't read for an hour before hand and I can't wear my contacts FOR A WEEK! UGH! That's going to be the hardest thing because I HATE my glasses. They aren't a tight fit and the lenses are all scratched up. Oh well.

In terms of cost, they cost without discount would be just about $4500 but with my vision plan, I get 15% off so it ends up being $3820 for both eyes and all follow up appointments. I think that's pretty good. Lets hope that I have the ability to get this done. The only thing that the woman said sounds like it MIGHT be a TINY issue that could make me a poor candidate is my eye stability. If my prescription changes too often, that's not good. Fingers crossed.

Last night Jim and I went to dinner with his brother, niece and sister. His sister wasn't originally going to be there but ended up tagging along when Fritz went to pick up his niece, Katie. We went to Silver Spring House and had a nice dinner. Home by 7:00ish so that was good.

I've got my 6-month checkup/cleaning at the dentist today. Sure hope my chompers are in good shape.

Should be an easy day at school today. Wednesday is independent reading day for my LA classes and the kids in history have a test. My HQT science class is going along just fine. I'm more than half way through and I'm hoping to be done with all this in the next week or so. The thing that will stand in my way is other participants progress. I have to way for people to post on specific forums so that I can reply to things they've written. Oh well, that's a no brainer.

K - well, best head out. Happy Wednesday. Later!

Damn You Jimmy Kimmel!

That's a cute baby! 6 days after surgery

So there I am...doing my normal morning thing: Eating my avocado and tomato toast, a hard boiled egg, sipping milk and perusing the Internet. I click on People magazine (my go to for all celebrity info) and I see the headline: Jimmy Kimmel Tearfully Reveals Newborn Son Billy At Home After Successful Open Heart Surgery. So I click on the article and watch his opening from last night. And he's immediately crying which means - TA DA - Muir immediately starts crying. UGH! (I'm still weeping a bit by the way). And I watch the video and man oh man, I can't imagine having to go through something so heart wrenching. Thankfully all is well and will hopefully remain that way but DAMN YOU JIMMY KIMMEL for tugging at my heart strings so early in the morning and making this cry baby cry! I'm beginning to think Matt Damon may be right and YOU are the son of a bitch! Ha!

I started my class yesterday to get highly qualified to teach the sciences to our pull out kids at school. It's a class 6-week class although I have the ability to work ahead and I'll be pushing hard over the next week to get as much complete as I can. There are 5 "learning segments" to do (with various things involved for each one) and I've completed the first one and will complete the second today. And hopefully I'll get the third one started. BAM! No pussy-footing around with this girl! The work isn't too hard either. And I've actually gotten something out of it already so that's a bonus!

Tonight Jim and I will head to Silver Spring House for dinner with his brother who is in town until Friday. Yummy!

Jim has his 6-week follow up appointment with his hip doctor today! Fingers crossed that he gives Jim the go-ahead to get back to work. As much as I've loved these last two weeks of having Jim as my bitch during the day, doing various jobs and errands, he needs to get back to work. If only for his own mental health. It's never a good idea to have too much free time.

What else? Going to be a breezy day. They said it's going to be even windier today than it was yesterday and it was REALLY windy yesterday. I was going to bike ride after school but I may have to fore go that idea. It's hard to ride when there are 40 mile an hour gusts working against you. Fit board it is.

Okay well, that's all I've got. Time to finish my toilette and get to work so I can get some more of my class check off! Later! Happy Tuesday!

Exercise of Gardening?

I'm not sure if I can barely walk because of the new exercise routine I did Saturday or the gardening I did yesterday. I'm betting it's a combination of both. Regardless, I can barely walk without making noises. Rolling over in bed last night while sleeping was a struggle. Oh well.

So yeah, yesterday, Jim and I (well, I told him this was what we were doing) headed out to Lowes to get out flowers and plants. I really didn't plan on doing it this early but I have tentative plans to go Columbus on the weekend of the 12th and the weekend following that is PIB. So, I figured I'd get what I could, plant what I could this weekend and finish it up next and voila! Done. I got all my hanging plants (ferns, geraniums and one for the mailbox), flats (petunias for out back and shade things for the front porch) and a couple new pots. I planted all the boxes on the back deck, got my front planters done (not sure if they'll work) and got two pots for the back deck step done. I'll finish up random pots over the next week but I need dirt. The only thing we didn't buy? The hibiscus trees I put out on my deck. They haven't come out yet at Kroger but when they do, I'll purchase. Kroger consistently has the best price so there you go.

The weekend was good. We ended up going out to dinner on Saturday with Doug and Lauren to Tano's in downtown Loveland. From there we went to Graeter's and then Cappys. It was fun...we were home by 9:30...nice early night. Of course when we got home, our cable was still out from the morning storms! Ridiculous! When we woke up on Sunday everything was back on so thankfully I could watch Harry Potter all day yesterday.

It's Jim's last week off. Wow! Time flies. He's doing well. No longer using his cane. Of course his left hip is giving him fits now but that was sort of expected. I wonder how much is a result of the meds he's on. Speaking of which, he's still doing well with the meds. He'll get random low-grade fevers here and there but nothing like he originally had. He has his follow up appointment with his hip doctor tomorrow and I'm anticipating he'll get released to work.

Jim's got lots of jobs to do today. Lots of phone calls including calling to make an appointment for me to get a screening at the eye institute to see if I would qualify for Lasik surgery. Depending on cost etc., I'm seriously considering. I'm so sick of contacts and glasses and not being able to see and having crappy glasses that need replacement but a ton of contacts that I don't want to toss because I know my prescription has changed. Ugh. We'll see.

And that's about all I've got. The week should be pretty normal. Although I do have my final IEP on Friday as well as an amendment to do for a student going to the career center. YAY! K - happy Monday. Later!

Jim's Got Jobs

Jim finished his list of "jobs" that I made earlier this week so I made him a new one. His most important task is to purchase champagne! I'm down to one bottle! How the eff did that happen!? He'll also fill our new gas can so I can mow the lawn after school. I'm hoping it's drier than it was yesterday. I'm hoping it doesn't rain before tonight.

So this weekend should be another relaxing one. Jim will go to town tonight to spend the evening with his brother who's in town from San Fran. He's going to an art show where a friend of Fritz's is showing. I'd go but I'd be a total bum. Jim's well versed in my inability to do much on a Friday night though so he's not annoyed. This means that I'll get to hang on my own tonight, take a bath and indulge in some Harry Potter. Exactly what I'd do if he were her.

Jim and I went to dinner last night at Paxton's. It was okay. I'm still partial to Shooters. But...it's nice to try other things sometimes.

Oh! Happy Hairball Awareness Day to everyone! Who knew?! I wonder if cats know. Maybe this is a really big day in their kitty cat world. Huh? If I see any cats today I'll ask.

I'm taking an online class to be considered HQT (highly qualified) in science so I can teach it next year and it starts on Monday. I sure hope this isn't a big old pain in my ass! I hope I can breeze through it. I may be in some deep doo doo. What if I bomb it?! I'll need dueling computers so I can take the class on one and then find all the answers for the assignments on the other. Ugh...what have I gotten myself into? Of course this wasn't really my decision. Well, I'm a relatively smart girl...I can make it.

I had a student tell me yesterday that his grandparent were 50. That freaked me out because I was all like, "WHAT!? 50!? That's only 4 years from my age! I couldn't be a grandparent!" He said, "Well my mom was like 24 when she had me!" I said, "Well how old are you now? 15?" Him: "Yes." Me: "Well, that would mean your mom is now 39 and your grandparents would have been 11 when they had her! Maybe they're 60?" Him: "Yeah...that's sounds right." Stupid kids giving me a heart attack!

K - well, time to get a move on. Happy Friday! Woot! Later!