This morning, I made it out my front door before I noticed that I was wearing my adidas slides and NOT my black flats. Better than getting all the way to work, I suppose.
Is it the weekend yet? ::sigh:: Didn't think so.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sunny days
It was supposed to rain today. Perhaps it still will. For now, though, it is eighty degrees and sunny out. On days like this it is hard not to smile and be positive about things. And that's a bit of a welcome change.
I'm sorry I haven't been posting more, but life was pretty much the same every day and that just doesn't seem fun to write about. I don't know who is in charge of marketing being a grown up, but they do a damn fine job of hiding the truth. I mean, no one tells you that it's pretty much the same routine every day. Not that I don't love it, just that sometimes, work; gym; apartment; sleep is not the most exciting lifestyle.
Now, for a completely random scattering of thoughts:
I'm sorry I haven't been posting more, but life was pretty much the same every day and that just doesn't seem fun to write about. I don't know who is in charge of marketing being a grown up, but they do a damn fine job of hiding the truth. I mean, no one tells you that it's pretty much the same routine every day. Not that I don't love it, just that sometimes, work; gym; apartment; sleep is not the most exciting lifestyle.
Now, for a completely random scattering of thoughts:
- Not that I loved Katie Couric before, but the interview she did with John and Elizabeth Edwards made me really dislike her. I mean, she's supposed to be this hard hitting journalist or something, right? I just don't buy it. And I don't know who to blame: her; society; her producers; news corporations; commercial sponsors - this list goes on, I suppose. PLUS the questions were just dumb.
- Speaking of John Edwards, I don't know how I feel about him as a potential president, but damn does he say really great stuff. Maybe it's all a front, but he consistently talks of his run as service and I can't help but love that.
- I kid you not, there was an article on MSN today entitled Tips for dads who hate playing with kids. The title got me a little annoyed, but the article made me so angry! It was basically all about how you shouldn't feel bad that you don't like playing pretend or Candyland and that you shouldn't apologize for it. That it's okay to be a "man" and interact with your kids during home improvement projects and crap like that. I mean, whatever, I don't have kids and I'm certainly never going to be a dad, but give me a break! Just to be clear, my ovaries do not predispose me to a love of using pretend voices and playing hide and seek - I do it b/c kids like that stuff and if you care about the kids you'll do what they like. Ugh.
- It'd been too long. I got to play student organizer last night. Last night D, a former student of mine, calls around 8:45p. He is a freshman at JMU this year and I have not answered his last two or three calls, so I picked up. I was expecting a "catch up" chat or a request for help on a paper. I was NOT expecting him to put me on speakerphone at the meeting of Students for Barack Obama to help them plan an education action for later this week. I think he wanted me to give them some insight on Obama but, ever the student organizer, I made them go over their action plan and then walked them through how to make it effective. If I could have figured out how to explain a GROW chart over the phone, I totally would have. It was hilarious. It was also great. The women in charge thanked me several times and it made me miss, just a little, when that was part of my job.
- I'm really glad we got together. Wait! I'm not even lying! I suppose y'all are well aware of this, most of you being more successful in the relationship world than I, but I have recently rediscovered that it is possible to date someone and NOT have to convince yourself that it's worth the effort. There's an interesting development for you...for all of us, really. He is a friend of a friend who sat on my contact info for a few months before using it. We've been dating for about a month or so and it's nothing I feel the need to write volumes about (mainly b/c I'm feeling protective of it), but it is a very good thing in my life right now. And so that's...you know...good. Or something.
That's probably as good a place as any to stop writing. I have three days left until Spring Break, at which point I will join my roommate at an event called Chocolate Decadence (don't even TRY to pretend that you're not insanely jealous) and then take a trip up to NY for a good friend's wedding shower. I hear the drive is arduous, but I am so excited to see her that I don't even care. (Plus I don't mind driving and five hours is not so bad.) And then I have books to read and cancelled tv shows to watch and most rest and relaxation to enjoy. Hard to be too stressed, then, this week.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Long overdue
It’s been much too long since I last posted anything of substance, and now that I have a minute, I can’t ignore the urge to fill you all in on my life as of late (and, to be honest, I need to purge my mind a bit).
Work (this will be long; I’m lame, I know)
At the end of first semester, the other Civics teacher left. A long term (and amazing) sub was brought in, but I was put in charge of providing her with detailed lesson plans (the likes of which I haven’t written since undergrad), materials and support. I got paid an extra $85/week, which was nice, but maybe not quite comparable. We hired a new teacher and he started two weeks ago. It’s been good and I’m excited about him, but it is still an awful lot of work for me. I no longer have to provide detailed lesson plans, but I’m still giving him materials and weekly plans to follow. Plus I meet with him for at least a half hour every day to troubleshoot, etc. So, you know, it’s a lot.
We also started the annual Civics research project two weeks ago. For this project, students are assigned an influential, but not as well known, African American political figure to research. I gave out all of the assignments (112 students, thank you very much) by matching the students reading level to the difficulty of the resources we had available on each figure. Lower readers got assigned people like Shirley Chisholm and Ralph Abernathy while “advanced” (our advanced readers are really reading at or just above grade level, but everything’s relative) readers got folks like Angela Davis and John Lewis. We guide the students through a week of research and then through a week of writing. Rough drafts were turned in Friday and final drafts were due today. The final product? A five paragraph essay arguing that the assigned political figure deserves to be memorialized and a proposal of what the memorial should look like and why. It’s a kick ass project, but DAMN am I glad it is over.
Economics is pretty much rocking my world this year. I revamped the curriculum map so it is 2 weeks of intro stuff, 3 weeks of micro, 3 weeks of macro and 2 weeks of globalization/distributive justice. Today we were analyzing the impact of supply and demand on industry by looking into the 1996 drop in beef prices after Oprah’s show on mad cow disease and the kids totally got it! I introduced the lesson/concept with a discussion of Jay-Z’s boycott of Cristal champagne and not only was it the most engaged they have ever been, but, stepping outside of myself to watch the interaction, it was pretty entertaining. I mean, here I was, as white as can be (I was wearing a flouncy skirt, heels, a short sleeved sweater and a wide headband!), pacing around the front of the room, quoting obscure rap songs and talking about Jay-Z’s clubs and such. My kids think I’m nuts, but I’m good with that, especially if it keeps them from glazing over.
The AP Government exam is six weeks away, minus the week of spring break, and I am STRESSED OUT. We have to finish the judicial branch by next Friday and then I will have four weeks to teach a unit on Public Policy and one on Civil Rights & Liberties. And, G-d willing, I’ll have one week left for the world’s craziest review session. This is what happens when your exam goes from being one of the last one’s scheduled to the very first one given. But, hey, you know, pressure can be a positive motivator. Or something like that.
Life (sometimes it’s hard to remember this exists outside of work)
Spring has sprung in DC and my calendar has filled accordingly. It’s so much easier to be motivated to actually do things when it is nice outside. It’s supposed to get “cold” again this weekend, but even still, life is looking up.
Last night I went to see Janeane Garofalo (spell check’s REALLY upset by her name) do stand up in Virginia. She was hilarious and also very easy to relate to. Maybe that’s because I have a lot of mildly neurotic and/or anti-social tendencies so I could relate. For instance, when she was talking about how irrationally annoyed she gets when the phone rings, I was right there with her. Same goes for how sad she feels when no one calls. What can I say? We’re complex women, Janeane and I. J But seriously, if you’re smart (which all of you are) and political (which most of you are) and liberal (which, again, most, although not as many, of you are), you should check her out if you get a chance.
Last week I went to see The Roots and Lupe Fiasco perform in Baltimore. It was maybe the best concert that I have ever been to. Scratch that. It was the best concert that I have ever been to. Our seats were in the second row, which was sometimes disconcerting, but always pretty damn cool, and the show was just amazing. Lupe was good, although the squealing, screaming girl behind me was driving me nuts (yes, I’m sure that if you just yell “you’re hot” or “I love you” a little more desperately he will come down, seek you out and take you back with him ::sigh::). The Roots, though, they were nearly indescribable. They are performers and they are damn good at what they do. They played for nearly two hours and there were so many amazing moments. I usually get bored at concerts, but not this one (okay, maybe by the end I was a little distracted by my aching feet). If you’re into hip hop (or really, if you’re into good music), check them out when you get a chance. Especially if you get the chance to check them out live.
Summary (for those of you who like to skim/skip)
It was rough there for a while (I definitely had a major meltdown on Monday night), but things here in DC are going well. I am pretty much continually amazed by how good I can be at my job. I am just as often amazed by how much I have to learn, but I try to see that as a good thing. I don’t see as many of my friends out here as often as I’d like, but the improved weather should change that and it’s not like I never see them at all. My roommate and I are in the midst of an extended period of good times. My family’s doing well or holding steady. There are some things I need to get back under control – I haven’t had time to go grocery shopping in over a month, I haven’t gone to the gym in two months, I stay up too late and don’t drink enough water, but now is not the time to dwell on all of that. The sun is out. The temperature is up. And I am bound and determined to see the silver lining for a bit longer. Hope the same is true for you.
Work (this will be long; I’m lame, I know)
At the end of first semester, the other Civics teacher left. A long term (and amazing) sub was brought in, but I was put in charge of providing her with detailed lesson plans (the likes of which I haven’t written since undergrad), materials and support. I got paid an extra $85/week, which was nice, but maybe not quite comparable. We hired a new teacher and he started two weeks ago. It’s been good and I’m excited about him, but it is still an awful lot of work for me. I no longer have to provide detailed lesson plans, but I’m still giving him materials and weekly plans to follow. Plus I meet with him for at least a half hour every day to troubleshoot, etc. So, you know, it’s a lot.
We also started the annual Civics research project two weeks ago. For this project, students are assigned an influential, but not as well known, African American political figure to research. I gave out all of the assignments (112 students, thank you very much) by matching the students reading level to the difficulty of the resources we had available on each figure. Lower readers got assigned people like Shirley Chisholm and Ralph Abernathy while “advanced” (our advanced readers are really reading at or just above grade level, but everything’s relative) readers got folks like Angela Davis and John Lewis. We guide the students through a week of research and then through a week of writing. Rough drafts were turned in Friday and final drafts were due today. The final product? A five paragraph essay arguing that the assigned political figure deserves to be memorialized and a proposal of what the memorial should look like and why. It’s a kick ass project, but DAMN am I glad it is over.
Economics is pretty much rocking my world this year. I revamped the curriculum map so it is 2 weeks of intro stuff, 3 weeks of micro, 3 weeks of macro and 2 weeks of globalization/distributive justice. Today we were analyzing the impact of supply and demand on industry by looking into the 1996 drop in beef prices after Oprah’s show on mad cow disease and the kids totally got it! I introduced the lesson/concept with a discussion of Jay-Z’s boycott of Cristal champagne and not only was it the most engaged they have ever been, but, stepping outside of myself to watch the interaction, it was pretty entertaining. I mean, here I was, as white as can be (I was wearing a flouncy skirt, heels, a short sleeved sweater and a wide headband!), pacing around the front of the room, quoting obscure rap songs and talking about Jay-Z’s clubs and such. My kids think I’m nuts, but I’m good with that, especially if it keeps them from glazing over.
The AP Government exam is six weeks away, minus the week of spring break, and I am STRESSED OUT. We have to finish the judicial branch by next Friday and then I will have four weeks to teach a unit on Public Policy and one on Civil Rights & Liberties. And, G-d willing, I’ll have one week left for the world’s craziest review session. This is what happens when your exam goes from being one of the last one’s scheduled to the very first one given. But, hey, you know, pressure can be a positive motivator. Or something like that.
Life (sometimes it’s hard to remember this exists outside of work)
Spring has sprung in DC and my calendar has filled accordingly. It’s so much easier to be motivated to actually do things when it is nice outside. It’s supposed to get “cold” again this weekend, but even still, life is looking up.
Last night I went to see Janeane Garofalo (spell check’s REALLY upset by her name) do stand up in Virginia. She was hilarious and also very easy to relate to. Maybe that’s because I have a lot of mildly neurotic and/or anti-social tendencies so I could relate. For instance, when she was talking about how irrationally annoyed she gets when the phone rings, I was right there with her. Same goes for how sad she feels when no one calls. What can I say? We’re complex women, Janeane and I. J But seriously, if you’re smart (which all of you are) and political (which most of you are) and liberal (which, again, most, although not as many, of you are), you should check her out if you get a chance.
Last week I went to see The Roots and Lupe Fiasco perform in Baltimore. It was maybe the best concert that I have ever been to. Scratch that. It was the best concert that I have ever been to. Our seats were in the second row, which was sometimes disconcerting, but always pretty damn cool, and the show was just amazing. Lupe was good, although the squealing, screaming girl behind me was driving me nuts (yes, I’m sure that if you just yell “you’re hot” or “I love you” a little more desperately he will come down, seek you out and take you back with him ::sigh::). The Roots, though, they were nearly indescribable. They are performers and they are damn good at what they do. They played for nearly two hours and there were so many amazing moments. I usually get bored at concerts, but not this one (okay, maybe by the end I was a little distracted by my aching feet). If you’re into hip hop (or really, if you’re into good music), check them out when you get a chance. Especially if you get the chance to check them out live.
Summary (for those of you who like to skim/skip)
It was rough there for a while (I definitely had a major meltdown on Monday night), but things here in DC are going well. I am pretty much continually amazed by how good I can be at my job. I am just as often amazed by how much I have to learn, but I try to see that as a good thing. I don’t see as many of my friends out here as often as I’d like, but the improved weather should change that and it’s not like I never see them at all. My roommate and I are in the midst of an extended period of good times. My family’s doing well or holding steady. There are some things I need to get back under control – I haven’t had time to go grocery shopping in over a month, I haven’t gone to the gym in two months, I stay up too late and don’t drink enough water, but now is not the time to dwell on all of that. The sun is out. The temperature is up. And I am bound and determined to see the silver lining for a bit longer. Hope the same is true for you.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Request
Work has taken over my life and it's fine, honestly. I'm sorry that I haven't posted more often, but there hasn't been a lot to post about. Now there is something I am bringing to this community at large and I know y'all won't disappoint.
Most of you know that I baby sit for three amazing kids every weekend here in DC. The boys are 9 and almost 3 and the girl just turned 1. I adore them and the time I get to spend with them. Their parents are both wonderful (I have been truly blessed to work with the families that I have worked with) and dynamic people who are raising their children to be aware and generous and compassionate and I love it. Today I found out that their mom has cancer. The prognosis for recovery is EXCELLENT, but the road is long. Please send any good thoughts, prayers and/or vibes you can out into the world for them. Thanks!
Most of you know that I baby sit for three amazing kids every weekend here in DC. The boys are 9 and almost 3 and the girl just turned 1. I adore them and the time I get to spend with them. Their parents are both wonderful (I have been truly blessed to work with the families that I have worked with) and dynamic people who are raising their children to be aware and generous and compassionate and I love it. Today I found out that their mom has cancer. The prognosis for recovery is EXCELLENT, but the road is long. Please send any good thoughts, prayers and/or vibes you can out into the world for them. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
"I'm in a bad mood, come back later"
If only I could hang a sign to that effect on my door this morning. I am in a terrible mood. Work is way overwhelming at the moment, not necessarily in a bad way, but still. Yesterday I was at school for 13 hours and at no time was I putzing around on the Internet, a typical reason for me to be at work longer than needed. Then I got home and worked on Econ lessons for almost 90 minutes. And they are good lessons and this project I'm doing for all of the Civics classes is awesome, but it is all just an awful lot of work.
So, I was mildly cranky last night, but I woke up this morning in a funk. I slept poorly last night b/c it is about 100 degrees in my little cave every night (my bedroom is tiny and my heater is almost directly next to my bed, plus the building's hot water pipe runs through my room) and had a series of rather terrible dreams. Of course, I overslept by about 30 minutes, remembered that I was out of cereal, needed to make 112 4-page copies and ran out the door in a rush at about 6:40am (dressed and mostly clean, obviously). I ran back in the door at 6:42am because I had forgotten my school keys. And back out. It was foggy this morning so I couldn't see out my car windows and had to drive with the windows down. By the time I got to C and 10th and my box of Econ materials tipped over, spilling about 15 books across the floor I was at the edge. And that pushed me over the top. I found myself near tears, which is never good. Got to work, ran my copies (causing the copier to jam FOUR times) and am now just taking a minute to breathe.
On the plus side, there were waffles for breakfast. May not help me feel better about not going to the gym for the last three weeks because work has been so crazy, but they taste good. I guess that's a silver lining to this morning from hell. And now I hear my students in the stairwell so it must be time to box all this up and get ready to greet the day! ... Right...
So, I was mildly cranky last night, but I woke up this morning in a funk. I slept poorly last night b/c it is about 100 degrees in my little cave every night (my bedroom is tiny and my heater is almost directly next to my bed, plus the building's hot water pipe runs through my room) and had a series of rather terrible dreams. Of course, I overslept by about 30 minutes, remembered that I was out of cereal, needed to make 112 4-page copies and ran out the door in a rush at about 6:40am (dressed and mostly clean, obviously). I ran back in the door at 6:42am because I had forgotten my school keys. And back out. It was foggy this morning so I couldn't see out my car windows and had to drive with the windows down. By the time I got to C and 10th and my box of Econ materials tipped over, spilling about 15 books across the floor I was at the edge. And that pushed me over the top. I found myself near tears, which is never good. Got to work, ran my copies (causing the copier to jam FOUR times) and am now just taking a minute to breathe.
On the plus side, there were waffles for breakfast. May not help me feel better about not going to the gym for the last three weeks because work has been so crazy, but they taste good. I guess that's a silver lining to this morning from hell. And now I hear my students in the stairwell so it must be time to box all this up and get ready to greet the day! ... Right...
Monday, February 19, 2007
A thought
If I believed in past lives, I'd have to assume that I did some not so very nice things in my last one. I sure seem to have accumulated a lot of bad karma. Good thing I don't believe in that stuff then.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
No comment
Scene: my classroom, after school, as I am folding paper for one of my seventh graders so he can accurately complete his Electoral College brochure for homework
M: Ms. Miller, when we are in the twelfth grade...you should be married by then.
Uhm. Yeah. I don't really have much to add to that one. Happy day after Valentine's Day, all!
M: Ms. Miller, when we are in the twelfth grade...you should be married by then.
Uhm. Yeah. I don't really have much to add to that one. Happy day after Valentine's Day, all!
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