Sunday, March 01, 2009
Thanking the lion
Snow day tomorrow! We're getting hit with a pretty nasty snowstorm so no work for me tomorrow. I'm not thrilled about missing a day of instruction, but I'm glad for another day of rest and some time to work on grad school stuff. And while I'm pretty much over the cold, wet weather, I'm looking forward to March going "out like a lamb." Have a good Monday, all!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thirty minutes
Today is all-day professional development for us, but my group finished much earlier than expected so now I'm all ready for class on Monday morning, all planned for all of my classes for all of next week and I still have half an hour until our final share-out meeting. So, here I am.
Has anyone else had a crazy week? Brian and I had a pretty relaxed start to February - we didn't go out and do a whole lot for the first two weeks, but then this week was out of control. Tuesday night we went to a basketball game (and watched the Wizards win, which was new and exciting), Wednesday night we heard Thomas Friedman speak, tonight we have dinner reservations at Founding Farmers (looks so delicious), and tomorrow night we have another basketball game (where, I suspect, we will see the Wizards lose to the Spurs). Plus, last night I had first semester parent conferences. And Monday we're going out after work to celebrate our second (!) anniversary. No wonder I'm exhausted (well, that and I'm not sleeping well because we both got sick this week).
Grad school is going well. I'm less than two weeks away from being finished with my third (of ten) classes. So far, I have a 100% in the class. I am excited and proud of this fact, but I am also incredibly stressed about breaking my streak now, so close to the end. Still, I think it might happen with the last assignment, which is a reflective essay. I seem to have a pretty hard time with those. Probably because they require you to be a much more touchy-feely writer than I am comfortable with. Still, it's been a pretty great run. And the course, on content-area reading strategies, has been incredibly useful.
Work is dragging on at a fairly good clip. I'm a little burned out, which is normal for this time of year. I think that once things warm up and the sun is shining on a consistent basis, I will start to feel better about my job. Such is the cycle of teaching, I think. I just need spring break to get here (end of March, for those of you playing along at home) and then it's a pretty easy ride to the end. Not to say that I will coast, just that, for whatever reason, the work doesn't seem as painful when the end is in sight and the weather is nice.
Wedding planning is sort of at a standstill. Pushing the wedding back to the summer of 2010 gives us a lot of breathing room, but now it's just about 18 months away and I want us to have some things finalized soon. We're having a tough time budgeting because neither of us really know what is reasonable and if we set a budget using the money we currently have saved, well, we'd be serving snacks to our relatives and sending photo links to everyone else. In the end, I suspect we'll plan a great event for all of the people who mean the most to us and the money issue will work itself out eventually. Still, as all of you know, it is a stressful process and I'll be glad when we have something in writing somewhere. Plus, I want the big stuff taken care of so we can focus on the smaller, more fun details. Because I'm a girl and that's how it goes.
I think this is a pretty disjointed post (and I feel like I used way more adverbs than necessary), but it was a nice way to pass some time. One of these days I'll get the pictures on my camera downloaded (nothing major, just lots of little things) and share some of those with you as well (I'm always envious of my friends' blogs that feature lots of photos - they are so much more interesting to look at than mine). Happy weekend!
Has anyone else had a crazy week? Brian and I had a pretty relaxed start to February - we didn't go out and do a whole lot for the first two weeks, but then this week was out of control. Tuesday night we went to a basketball game (and watched the Wizards win, which was new and exciting), Wednesday night we heard Thomas Friedman speak, tonight we have dinner reservations at Founding Farmers (looks so delicious), and tomorrow night we have another basketball game (where, I suspect, we will see the Wizards lose to the Spurs). Plus, last night I had first semester parent conferences. And Monday we're going out after work to celebrate our second (!) anniversary. No wonder I'm exhausted (well, that and I'm not sleeping well because we both got sick this week).
Grad school is going well. I'm less than two weeks away from being finished with my third (of ten) classes. So far, I have a 100% in the class. I am excited and proud of this fact, but I am also incredibly stressed about breaking my streak now, so close to the end. Still, I think it might happen with the last assignment, which is a reflective essay. I seem to have a pretty hard time with those. Probably because they require you to be a much more touchy-feely writer than I am comfortable with. Still, it's been a pretty great run. And the course, on content-area reading strategies, has been incredibly useful.
Work is dragging on at a fairly good clip. I'm a little burned out, which is normal for this time of year. I think that once things warm up and the sun is shining on a consistent basis, I will start to feel better about my job. Such is the cycle of teaching, I think. I just need spring break to get here (end of March, for those of you playing along at home) and then it's a pretty easy ride to the end. Not to say that I will coast, just that, for whatever reason, the work doesn't seem as painful when the end is in sight and the weather is nice.
Wedding planning is sort of at a standstill. Pushing the wedding back to the summer of 2010 gives us a lot of breathing room, but now it's just about 18 months away and I want us to have some things finalized soon. We're having a tough time budgeting because neither of us really know what is reasonable and if we set a budget using the money we currently have saved, well, we'd be serving snacks to our relatives and sending photo links to everyone else. In the end, I suspect we'll plan a great event for all of the people who mean the most to us and the money issue will work itself out eventually. Still, as all of you know, it is a stressful process and I'll be glad when we have something in writing somewhere. Plus, I want the big stuff taken care of so we can focus on the smaller, more fun details. Because I'm a girl and that's how it goes.
I think this is a pretty disjointed post (and I feel like I used way more adverbs than necessary), but it was a nice way to pass some time. One of these days I'll get the pictures on my camera downloaded (nothing major, just lots of little things) and share some of those with you as well (I'm always envious of my friends' blogs that feature lots of photos - they are so much more interesting to look at than mine). Happy weekend!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Crankiness ahead
You've been in school for three and a half hours and you're already singing about going home on Thursday night? Give me a break.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Wanderlust
By every account, I have a pretty amazing life. I am engaged to an amazing person who makes me more than happy; I have a supportive, loving, well-adjusted family; I work at a somewhat rewarding job that I am very good at and that pays me well; I have a circle of close friends who support me, make me laugh, and never let me forget that I am loved; I am relatively healthy, live in a safe and welcoming home; and I am able to go to bed each night knowing what the next day will bring. All of that being said, I am struggling with a bit of restlessness lately. It's probably the same cabin fever that strikes so many people this time of year, but it is still driving me crazy. I am cranky all of the time, I don't want to do anything in particular, and yet I want to do something. It's a weird place I inhabit these days and I'm not sure how I am going to get away from it. Every day for the next few weeks, at least, play out exactly as they have for the last month or so with no real opportunity for a change. And even if there were an opportunity I don't know what it is that I'm looking for.
This sort of undecided restlessness is something that I associate with my generation, although I suppose that is a little narcissistic of me, and I wonder if it is a result of being in between two life phases. Not being single and just out of college and ready for anything, but also not being married and settled with established responsibilities. I do sometimes wonder if I’ll ever reach a point when I think, “this is me” and stop feeling like there must be something else. And I know I can’t be the only one.
This sort of undecided restlessness is something that I associate with my generation, although I suppose that is a little narcissistic of me, and I wonder if it is a result of being in between two life phases. Not being single and just out of college and ready for anything, but also not being married and settled with established responsibilities. I do sometimes wonder if I’ll ever reach a point when I think, “this is me” and stop feeling like there must be something else. And I know I can’t be the only one.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Ever have a morning that almost went right, but didn't?
That was me this morning. First, I overslept by nearly an hour. Then, I had to leave the house with still mostly wet hair (not awesome in 6 degree weather). Now, I usually treat myself to a Starbucks chai latte on Friday mornings, but I was worried about the timing since it was 6:52 when I left the house (pretty impressive since I got out of bed at 6:25). I also needed to stop and buy 6 cupcakes as a reward for the winning team in yesterday's Economics exam review. Needless to say, I was cranky about not getting my latte and stressed about getting the cupcakes.
Then, the best thing happened. It took me 20 minutes to get into DC. That's "middle of the day, middle of the week" kind of timing. Seems like a lot of folks took advantage of the upcoming long weekend and took today off as well. 7:12am! I could go to the Safeway on 14th, get cupcakes, get cash, and get Starbucks! Hooray!
Oh, but the best laid plans...
I got to Safeway, grabbed the first pack of 6 cupcakes I could find (outfitted for the Inauguration, no less) and headed to the check out lanes, passing Starbucks on my way. Here was my first mistake. There was one person in line at the Starbucks counter and two registers open for check out. I should have gotten the latte first. But I went and got in the express lane behind one other man. Sadly, the check out woman was crazy slow and then...THEN...he must have asked for something because she asked a follow up question and walked away from the register. Just disappeared into the bakery section. So, I went to the other register where one woman was checking out. And I stood. And stood. And tried very hard to not huff, or sigh, or fidget. When it was all said and done the first check out woman had not yet returned, I had spent 25 minutes in Saefway, I had 6 cupcakes and no Starbucks. And the woman checking out in front of me? She bought $297 worth of groceries. At 7am on a Friday.
So, I got to work at 7:45am, I am uncaffeinated, I am unfed, and I am very cranky. At least it's the Friday before a 4-day weekend.
Then, the best thing happened. It took me 20 minutes to get into DC. That's "middle of the day, middle of the week" kind of timing. Seems like a lot of folks took advantage of the upcoming long weekend and took today off as well. 7:12am! I could go to the Safeway on 14th, get cupcakes, get cash, and get Starbucks! Hooray!
Oh, but the best laid plans...
I got to Safeway, grabbed the first pack of 6 cupcakes I could find (outfitted for the Inauguration, no less) and headed to the check out lanes, passing Starbucks on my way. Here was my first mistake. There was one person in line at the Starbucks counter and two registers open for check out. I should have gotten the latte first. But I went and got in the express lane behind one other man. Sadly, the check out woman was crazy slow and then...THEN...he must have asked for something because she asked a follow up question and walked away from the register. Just disappeared into the bakery section. So, I went to the other register where one woman was checking out. And I stood. And stood. And tried very hard to not huff, or sigh, or fidget. When it was all said and done the first check out woman had not yet returned, I had spent 25 minutes in Saefway, I had 6 cupcakes and no Starbucks. And the woman checking out in front of me? She bought $297 worth of groceries. At 7am on a Friday.
So, I got to work at 7:45am, I am uncaffeinated, I am unfed, and I am very cranky. At least it's the Friday before a 4-day weekend.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
"Bridal gowns at great prices!"
First of all, 10% off is not that awesome of a deal.
Second of all, 10% off of dresses that average over $1500 is really not that awesome of a deal.
Not that the prices are outrageous, just that advertising them at "great prices" seems a bit misleading.
Besides, I am not getting married for another 500+ days (thanks for the countdown, friendly wedding planning website) and certainly don't need to be thinking about dresses yet.
Still, this might warrant a trip out to Tyson's sometime before the end of the month. They're just so pretty to look at...
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Passing the time ineffectively
Things I should be doing: prepping lessons for tomorrow; revising (3) midterm study guides, which are due Friday; entering grades. Justification for not doing any of those things: I am tired; I have to leave for physical therapy in 20 minutes; I haven't yet fully come to terms with being back at work; I have been thinking about blogging for days now.
So, an update...
Happy 2009/end-of-holidays!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Mine started on Thanksgiving with a wonderfully sparkly question and ended on New Year's day with a casual open house with friends. In between there were parties, and family, and friends, and delayed flights, and foggy drives, and babies, and food, and wine, and books, and so much fun.
Wedding news
Brian and I have decided that we will be getting married in July 2010. We won't know the actual date for awhile, but at least you can go about planning this summer freely (and, if I may impose, keep your July 2010 weekends open, please). It's not my ideal plan, but it's probably more practical. The reality of having seven months to plan a wedding for close to 200 people that is on a day when our closest friends and family can make it and that is even semi-affordable set in after the Christmas/Chanukah craziness died down and the more I think about, and we talk about, this plan, the more okay I am with the decision. Besides, it gives me more time to obsess over the details.
Ah, the new year
2008 was a pretty good year for me, all things considered. In 2008, I started grad school, got a promotion at work, officially moved in with Brian, got engaged, and did not suffer any major injuries or illnesses. Still, with the advent of 2009, I feel the need to set some goals. Here they are:
So, an update...
Happy 2009/end-of-holidays!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Mine started on Thanksgiving with a wonderfully sparkly question and ended on New Year's day with a casual open house with friends. In between there were parties, and family, and friends, and delayed flights, and foggy drives, and babies, and food, and wine, and books, and so much fun.
Wedding news
Brian and I have decided that we will be getting married in July 2010. We won't know the actual date for awhile, but at least you can go about planning this summer freely (and, if I may impose, keep your July 2010 weekends open, please). It's not my ideal plan, but it's probably more practical. The reality of having seven months to plan a wedding for close to 200 people that is on a day when our closest friends and family can make it and that is even semi-affordable set in after the Christmas/Chanukah craziness died down and the more I think about, and we talk about, this plan, the more okay I am with the decision. Besides, it gives me more time to obsess over the details.
Ah, the new year
2008 was a pretty good year for me, all things considered. In 2008, I started grad school, got a promotion at work, officially moved in with Brian, got engaged, and did not suffer any major injuries or illnesses. Still, with the advent of 2009, I feel the need to set some goals. Here they are:
- Find a location - and date - for our wedding.
- Create a savings account for wedding expenses and deposit money monthly.
- Keep in better touch with my friends - all of them.
- Put all the fun baking gifts I got this holiday to good use.
- Start - and stick with - an exercise routine that strengthens my back and core and gets me back into shape.
If I can do these things, which seem reasonable at the outset, I think I'll feel pretty good about 2009. (Never mind that #s 4&5 seem to work at cross purposes...) I hope that you also find happiness and contentment in this new year.
More later...
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