Are Americans the only ones that have these ridiclous commercials?

http://sweetsurprise.com/

WHAT? Since when is it ok? Since when?

HFCS has been added to almost every kind of food here in the states. I agree that sugar should be avoided where possible, but almost every processed food that you can find in the grocery store contains it. It's ridiculous.

umm- major cause of diabetes and obesity.

It's only a cheap preservative--- so people that need to watch their dollars when they go to the grocery store are the ones that end up eating this. DO you realize it's in a can of kidney beans? COME ON!

Not only that, but the growth of this product is corn, which isn't that great for the environment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/06/AR2008030603294.html

Choose your food wisely, and always read the ingredients. Almost always I see salad dressing full of HFCS, especially in the non-fat/low fat category....

Very sad.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i81Mip2KP59_dolE0bwI_jJEC7nAD931B8J80

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7601983.stm

Tidbits

We've all been using Google for 10 magical years... Can anyone remember what they used to use before this almighty search engine?? I can't really. I know there was something. But I am clueless about my internet life before Google.

And----

Did you know they have a motto? I didn't either... It's, "Don't be evil."

I love that.

Anyway, Happy 10th birthday Google, you've made research fun.

Other tidbits, did I mention I had a freaky nightmare about zombies coming out of the Potomac River? No? Well I did. It was also mixed in with other dreams. And I felt like I was sleep walking. I don't think I was, but I had a strange sensation that I did.

And why might I have dreamt about such oddities? Well, I confused my sleeping medication for 4 days. I was taking twice the amount of something that I hadn't been taking and didn't want to take. It was an old prescription. When I realized the mistake I made I threw out the container with the left over pills. Unfortunatley, the risidual effects left me with strange behaviors as my body was trying to get rid of it. Fortunately, I think it has finally left my system, but I haven't slept well at all. It's just continuous. I can't seem to get over it. My mom reminded me that I have always had trouble sleeping (even as a child), and that I used to sleep walk and my eyes would be wide open, but they could tell I wasn't "awake". Strange.

I'm sure the recent pause in sleep is because of all the stuff that's going on. Buying a house, moving in with J, thinking about all the possibilities. Which are all good! But it is a lot when you factor in my job, my family stuff, and packing....

Yoga kind of works for the most part. I'm still able to go a couple times a week. Maybe if I go more often after we move it will have more of a positive effect on my physically and mentally. Plus, I'm currently wasting money because I signed up for a monthly pass, and have only been able to go 2-3 times a week. ARGH!

So- McCain. I was so bored listening to his speech that I changed the channel to watch "Sex and the City" on the WB. I didn't think his speech was at all good, and the crowd just kept interrupting him and made it last longer. Oh GOD-- and don't get me started on Cindy McCain-- she failed to mention that she stole money from her own charity, was in a domestic dispute with John, he calls her names, and oh yeah-- was formally addicted to pharmaceuticals... Yeah. But yeah, she got a child an operation for her cleft palette through operation smile and adopted a Bhutanese child... So that MUST make up for it all. ARGH-- How does that even compare to Michelle Obama? And why is it that the republican nominees have like 12 kids (13 if you count the unborn child) between them and the democrats have 4? Do you see what I'm saying?

I finally made it a point to donate to the Move On campaign too. I also get a shirt for doing so, and my money goes to helping register voters. Something I feel better about, rather than to just go buy a random shirt at some store in Old Town. I also want a button. So wherever I can get a free button, by donating, I'm going to do it.

In the meantime, I want to chop off my hair. I can't take it anymore it looks like a nest most days.

Oh and another tidbit, Hurricane Hannah is working it's way up the Eastern seaboard. I think we'll end up getting a lot of rain, but who knows. 5 years ago we had a huge tropical storm and there was no power for a day and no water for even longer. I had to travel 45 minutes away just to get drinkable water. And school was canceled. Hopefully that won't happen this time, but I guess you can never know...so maybe i should go purchase some rations, so I can have drinkable water for the next few days, just in case.

I love rhetoric!

Is it me or does Tina Fey make a great Sarah Palin for SNL?

No, I'm not a republican by any stretch, but I did want to see what she would say at the RNC last night. So I made myself stay up and listen to her nutzo acceptance speech. Indroducing her family... This is "Trac", "Trig", "Willow", "Bristol", and "Piper"... WTF, I thought she was a conservative nut job, not just a nut job.

Here is why "original" names can go too far:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjlhNDRjNmI2NmVlOTk5ZTZlMzU1MjkyMzc3ZjZiN2E=

I don't mind Willow, or even Piper. That's fine. But I feel bad for the others. I will admit that if I ever have kids, I have a few "original" names picked out. But nothing that has to do with a sport, witches, or math ( i know it's norse..but Trig. Why not calculus, or algebra, or Cosine). The poor boys. She must hate them.

ANYWAY-- I watched. I think she gave a good speech, but I don't agree with anything she said. Did she really say to drill for more oil in Alaska is God's will? WHAT?? IS SHE NUTS? Yes. yes she is.

So I am giving all the candidates my sort-off-equal-attention. I don't think I've ever taken such a strong interest in any campaign before, I guess I feel like it's really time. I don't know if I'll go so far as to knock on people's doors or call people, but I'm seriously thinking about getting a button or a bumper sticker with Obama on it.

We need a change. We need someone else in their. I don't know what I'll do if McCain is president. I was kind of threatening to shave my head, but I don't think I could do that. I don't really have a pretty skull. There's scars and it's bumpy. And it will also be winter and my head would be cold. And my hair doesn't grow fast.... I know so many excuses. I'll just have to hope for the best. I guess my other choice would be to move out of the country.... again. I'd bring "J" with me. We could rent out our house.... umm......Hopefully I won't need a plan "B".

So anyway, enough of all the words of what will happen, promising this, promising that. I want an end to bureaucracy. Enough stalling. We need real solutions. We need the war to end. Everyone on the republican side seems to think there is a win/loss issue with this war. And that terrorism will win. And that the "Axis of Evil" will cause destruction of all Western culture (would that actually be so bad?).

I'm ready for someone to do something about NCLB. Every child has been left behind during this time. By 2012 (or whatever) all children are supposed to be 100% successful at everything? What? So if you started school in 2000, and graduated in 2012-- apparently all of you should get into college (especially the Ivy Leagues) with no problem because you will have reached the AYP goals!! Right??? And if your school has reached AYP every year--- and wasn't shut down, or unaccredited...well then all of your students should have mastered the entire state curriculum with no problem. Right?

Roooight. As if.

So I recommend this read. Yes, he's a bit psycho too, but it is fun to read, and full of commonsense ideas. Like making high fructose corn syrup illegal, and what else, oh I know-- changing the "pledge of allegiance" to pledge to each other as citizens of the same country (not to a flag), And hey, I like that we should leave out "God". It was originally left out because officials like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin didn't necessarily believe in God, but being spiritual, and studied why people believe in a "higher power" (whatever you want to call it).

http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/dudewheresmycountry/freechapter/index.php

He's the good kind of nuts.

Ok, enough of my opinions for today. But I felt I need to share.

It's official

We got the house. The seller decided to accommodate and fix some of the things before we move in and give us some money in our pockets to fix the rest. Which is completely fine with me. We'll take care of that before we move in. Thank goodness we have a 3-weekend overlap with our rental places!

We're super excited right now. We've already ordered a couple of pieces of furniture, and picked out the colors we're going to paint the house. We're going with an "analogous" color scheme. In art speak that means the paint will be in the blue/green/yellow family (colors that are right next to each other on the color wheel). We're not going for dark colors, we're keeping it kind of light. Our house is smaller, so no need for deep hues in this one. Although, paint can always change. I also want to have some kind of neutral color in the basement place, and our office/studio space upstairs.

Did I mention we're excited? Only a few more papers to sign before the place is ours on September 12th.

We also had a blast at the beach this weekend. It was great! We met up with my family for a long weekend at Bethany Beach (we've been going there for 20 years!!). The weather couldn't have been better. It was warm, but there was a nice breeze, and at night the temperatures would just drop enough to put on a sweatshirt and eat some yummy ice cream (black raspberry anyone?). We played games, walked on the beach, swam, ate some good food...and... READ!

So speaking of reading. I finally read "The Road". It was a very quick read, I didn't want to put it down. The writing was beautiful, yet simple. The story heart-wrenching, the battle to survive in the unknown, with a splash of hope thrown in. It's basically a story about a man and his son, who must survive in the post-apocalyptic world. They are some of the only survivors left on earth. While they're traveling along the road, they come across a lot of hardship, horror, and bewilderment, but need each other. And love each other. It made me cry.

I plan on reading "No Country for Old Men". I saw the movie, and it was dark, filled with peril, and not happy in the least. But what an amazing writer Cormac McCarthy is....

Oh a much brighter note, I had the chance to play Guitar Hero~!! It's awesome. I loved it. It was hilarious and fun. I want my own. I wanted to take it from my niece, but she said no. Oh well, I'll just have to go get my own.

So there's an update for you, lots of stuff going on. And more to come. When I get in the house again, I'll take pictures...and we'll do the before and after shots!!

Success!

The inspection was good! We're almost there. There are some minor issues, one being insulation in the attic, and the other being-- part of the roof over the front porch (they forgot it when they put on the new roof of the house?). So today we're going over with our realtor about costs, and if the owner will possibly take care of some of the minor issues before we move in, or knock some money off so we can get the repairs fixed ourselves. In a way I would rather it be fixed before we move in, but since we have a 2 week overlap with our leases on out own apartments, it would probably be fine.

So now the fun part begins. Painting, re-designing the basement, landscaping, furniture, decorating! Yea~! I'll try and take some pictures so you loyal readers can see the before and after images. Although it might be a long while before anyone sees the after pics. Here we are moving into this place in the next month, and work will be in full swing for both of us. I guess we'll just take it a day at a time. All our stuff will have to be in there no later than my birthday.

With that said, I've already started packing. I've cleared out a large number of book shelves in my own tiny apartment. And I'm kind of cheating with that because I'm bring a lot of books to work (s0 I don't have to move a large number to the house). Now I just need to convince J to start thinking about packing. He has lived in his apartment for over 5 years and just has tons of stuff to go through. He'll do it, but I told him he better get rid of any bodies he has stashed under the bed.... ;-)

There will be a few more steps in the process to this finally buying this house. It really makes you feel like a real adult. I can't believe I'm going to be a homeowner. A homeowner that's going to be in the same place for a long long time. I don't think I thought about this a year ago. In fact, I never thought I'd be able to live in this area for a long period of time. I always thought I would have to move from here.

I guess I better give my apartment manager my notice!! It's time to move on!!

Bid 2

So I got overly excited about the first house J and I put a bid on. Whoops. I guess you really shouldn't announce things until they really happen. But guess what? You all are on the roller coaster with me now, so why not continue to talk about it.

Last Thursday the inspector came to look at the house. He did a full report and it was ok. There were lots of minor/handyman type stuff to do, like tighten this, cover that. BUT the major problem turned out to be the FOUNDATION! The inspector said that we should have an engineer come out if we really wanted to think about purchasing the place. It was an extra thing to pay for but better to pay a fee than become involved with a money pit. And we really liked the house, so we thought we'd need to follow through.

The engineer came in the morning on Saturday, and we met him over there. He looked at the inside of the house, the inside seemed sound enough. We went down to the basement and that is when everything fell apart. He checked out the multiple cracks we didn't even notice before, and told us that the types of cracks that were in the foundation now could be fixed, but it would be expensive ($10,000), and there would be no telling what would happen with in 3-5 years.

Apparently Alexandria and some parts of Fairfax County are built on areas that have Marine Clay. So what happens is when it rains it absorbs all the moisture, and then cracks when it dries out. This is bad because the house will shift a lot. Not to mention it's kind of on the side of a hill. The yard slants towards the house, and the house is slightly lower on one side. And since half of the foundation is exposed (because there is a walkout basement) there is nothing supporting the structure and the side of the house come apart. NOT GOOD! So we didn't even ask him for the full report. We just paid his fee, and decided it would be best for us to move on. -phew-

That Saturday we were a little unhappy, a little pouty. But our really nice realtor said he would be happy to show us other places in the neighborhood, if we wanted. He actually said he had never seen a foundation that bad. We were initially worried about having him play both sides of the card for the other house. He was actually the seller's agent. But he has been nothing but honest, and now he's actually become our own realtor.

Later Saturday afternoon, he took us around the neighborhood (he also lives there). He showed us five places in our price range, and one above our price range. It really varied, one place was really scary, dirty, needed tons of work. The next place ok, but needed tons of work. The third place, great price, clean, well taken care of, new windows, great wood floors, a finished basement. The fourth place was on a hill side and also needed a lot of attention. 5th place was nicely painted, corner lot, but the kitchen was really strange, lots of wood paneling in the basement (think 70's), and there was carpet that might have been covering up a problem with the floors. The sixth house was the nicest. Beautifully landscaped, kitchen completely redone and expanded, new windows with nice woodwork, lots of paneling-- but nice would paneling. CLEAN. But a little out of our price range (we'd be pushing it).

So after all that, he also took us to some neighbor's places. These guys were really nice to let us see the work they were doing, and it was amazing. They both had these beautiful additions on the back, and sides. Amazing kitchens (the one guys kitchen had granite with actual fossils in it), beautiful light throughout. Just amazing what they did with the duplexes. So that gave us a bunch of ideas.

With all that inspiration, we decided to go with house number 3. All brick, enclosed porch on the front, and room to put on an addition in the back (a couple of years from now, of course). We feel we can really make it our own. The price was perfect, the owner had an extremely low price, so we offered the full price plus helping us with 1/2 the closing costs.

We met our realtor early Sunday morning and signed all the paperwork, and finally heard back today that the seller accepted our offer. The next step is another inspection. It may happen tomorrow or next Monday. I'm hoping for tomorrow, and then we can figure out the appraisal, and then get to settle. Or final closing date is still set for September 12th! And we'll actually be able to move right in after we paint and clean!!! I'm so excited, J is so excited. I hope this goes though.

It really is like a roller coaster. It's up and down, and nights thinking about all the things you can do, and then all the money it may cost. But we're hoping to be in there for a good 7-10 years (especially if we decide to put on an addition).

So wish us luck on house 2. I'm saving boxes, and I'm planning on packing up little things tonight. I'll be ready to move. I'm ready now...well, just mentally.

WE GOT IT!

The house will be ours, the inspection is today, so if it all goes according to the plan... we'll be moving in on September 12th!!!

WOW! It's all happening very fast, but we're so excited. I think we're going to take a walk-through tomorrow to measure things and see what exactly it is we need to do!! I can't wait to get started on it. It's going to be like a 1200 square foot art project!

Septermber 12?

That could possibly be our closing date! We met with the realtor today and it sounds as if the owner is ready to sell his home (it's been vacant for a while, he's already moved). It's an exciting time, but I feel nervous (as to be expected). The whole process is a lot to handle, especially when we're kind of on our own. J and I decided we didn't really want to use a realtor. So we're in a unique situation with the realtor who is selling the owner's house. He basically will get 2 commissions, which is excellent for him, and may give us a little wiggle room on the sale price. However, we're still doing a lot on our own and relying on the seller's realtor for information he's giving us. Which may or may not work for us in the end, but I'm hoping it does.

Tomorrow he'll give our offer to the owner, and I will be be turning in a huge check that will go into escrow (I finally understand what that means!)..... YIKES! It's happening fast and Saturday will possibly be the big inspection. If all goes according to plan we'll be moving in on September 12th!! HOLY COW!

And when I say moving in, I really mean we'll begin working on the house. I think the first thing we're going to have to take care of are the windows, then the kitchen/painting, and then the floors. It will be quite an undertaking this fall.... not to mention the work we'll have to do on the yard.

The anticipation is fun in a way, a little stressful, but a good stress. There are tons of papers to go through and read, things to initial here and there. Dollar signs, facts and figures.. It's a lot to take in, but I wouldn't want to go through it with anyone else. A lot of our personality traits are shining through right now. Me, the more nervous type, and J the excited type. We balance each other out a bit. I'm staying on the positive side, though. I am imagining that we're getting this place, and I'm thinking about the colors that we're going to be painting on the wall, the new kitchen we're going to have put in, the furniture going in particular places, Lhotse enjoying her little back yard, and growing a late summer garden.

So we'll know...soon...very soon.....

The funny thing is, the realtor's office is right next to the Thai restaurant J and I had our first date, almost a year ago.... -kismet-

Holy Changes Batman!

A lot can happen in a short summer vacation. One week you're looking at pictures on the Internet of real estate, and the next Friday you're getting approved for a loan. And the very next Monday (today) you're putting an actual bid on a piece of property! WOW! Originally I was thinking we were looking at bidding in late fall (like November). But no. We did our homework, looked at several locations -condos/town homes- and came up with a duplex! Circa 1949!

So we're going for it. We put a bid in today, meet with the realtor tomorrow, and hopefully at the end of the week, we'll have either gone in the direction of buying the property, or searching again.

But this duplex. It's a tad small (1200 square feet). But has a lot of character. A nice upper deck that looks over our small--but usable backyard. A nice front door with a porch that's perfect for rocking chairs. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths (kind of...more on that later) a separate dining area, and living room, and a miniature kitchen (and I do mean miniature, we're already looking at appliances on line, and they're the smallest dishwashers and stoves. At least we don't have to worry about cooking a turkey anyway)

It's a busy time, but a good time. I'm really excited and nervous. I hope it goes through though. I'll post pictures soon, if we get it. We meet with the realtor tomorrow to go over terms...and the bid.

And yes... you should go see the new batman movie....although it really is the joker movie. Heath Ledger is wonderful..and I'm not just saying that.

Eddie vedder is my hero

Today, after -w- got on the tv to tell us how well the "surge" was working, I decided to blast Eddie Vedder's anti-bush-cheney-war music. It's good, you should listen. Also, it's on the "Into the Wild" soundtrack -- the deluxe version. His songs for the movie are great too. One in particular always makes me teary-eyed.

And one more thing.............

Umm................... to all the people standing and waiting for hours and days to get the new Iphone... I have one thing to say to you:

You are wasting your life!

Seriously.

Yoga revolution!

Yep! I joined the yoga revolution. I've been going the last couple of weeks, and I decided to make a commitment to it. I'm one for diving in and sticking to something, so I decided that this might be a good thing for me. There's not dilly-dallying around it. I'm going for it.

I hope that it'll help me learn to slow down my mind. I'm also hoping it will help with a whole bunch of other ailments that have cropped up this year (shoulder injury, back issues, tight muscles, lack of sleep). It's time. I've always done such jarring exercises, and my joints hate me for it now. So it's time to concentrate on building strength, flexibility, breathe slowly, and kind of treat myself.

No, it's not cheap, but it's something I can go to when the school year gets tough. And it will.

So-------------

Namaste and good luck. (haha, any idea where that line comes from?)

Oh summer....

I can't believe how fast it's been going. I just started to feel relaxed. If I were in a normal school I'd have one more month completely off. But I'm not here to complain. I am only wishing. Anyway, one good thing I've done since being off this month, is pick up yoga again. I wish I had been taking it all year long. But that's the good thing about it, you can pick it up at anytime. So I plan on sticking with it from now on. Om.................................................

This weekend J and I will fight the traffic and go down to Charlottesville, via Richmond. Since we leave today, I'm not really looking forward to driving. We won't be able to leave until after 3 or 4 pm.... which is a bad idea. Hopefully we'll decide to eat dinner first and leave afterwards. But who knows. Richmond isn't that far away (1 hour and 1/2 without traffic), but on a summer Friday afternoon, I am almost 100% positive that it will be double.

I'm looking forward to getting away. As much as I love where I live, I like seeing less traffic, being around nature, and seeing more nice faces. People around here are much more harsh, I feel. Not like NYC harsh (obviously), but sometimes people can be extremely rude (except in yoga...hahahahah). I sometimes long for the day that I can move out of this area for a much more low-key kind of place. Like-------------Charlottesville. I love it there. It's beautiful, but there's everything I could want... You could easily go for a hike during the day, and then end it with a gourmet-vegetarian meal at an amazing restaurant. Homes--- affordable. DC, only about 2 1/2 hours away (on a good day). There aren't that many places I would like to live. I can easily think of far off places, but when it comes down to near by areas, or in the country, I draw a blank.

OH the summer. Only about a week and a couple of days more. And I intend to make the most of it. I'm off to yoga in a few, and need to run some errands, but I may just make it too the pool too! Ahhh the summer. Everyone should have one.

Craziness

More than a few things have been going on in the last week.

One being, I decided to try to have a green thumb. I'm actually growing some lovely veggies to enjoy. I've planted basil, rosemary, thyme, lavender, lettuce, jalapenos, and green onions! YUMMY! I can't wait to see these things grow. We've used some of the herbs already, and I can seem green onions beginning to sprout (from seeds-- wow). So it's really rewarding. I know I'm picking some things that are a sure thing (lettuce is like the easiest thing, and most satisfying thing to grow). Maybe next year I'll be up to things like tomatoes, and cucumbers. I just need some more space. Everything I'm currently growing is all in containers on J's porch.... Don't worry he gets to reap the benefits too!

The other thing that was crazy this week, was Wimbledon. Holy Mackerel, I can't believe I watched the Gentleman's final... The WHOLE thing. I was indeed rooting for Federer, and of course Nadal took it. Which is fine, because I saw some historical play. Federer was looking to win his sixth straight win, but that didn't stop him from making history. He and Nadal played the longest championship grand slam match in the history of tennis. Imagine playing for almost 5 hours. Now, I must tell you, there were 2 rain delays. But they played all 5 sets. 3 to a tiebreak. There was a chance for 4 championship points, many many deuces, and I can't even tell you how exciting it was to watch. The match (in play) lasted almost 5 hours. The coverage almost as much as nine hours (don't worry I did leave for the first rain delay).

Phew, that will probably never happen again. One, I just can't watch that much tv, especially when it concerns sporting events, and there will be no more rain delays in Wimbledon because they're going to have a roof!

What else? Just awaiting more fun in the weeks to come. A friend of mine is coming to visit this weekend, the next weekend we head down to C-ville, the next -- Tilly and the Wall! Yippee!

It's going fast, and I just started making a round of paintings. One complete. A drawing --ummm, don't know what to make of it. So now I'm doing another painting... I'd like to make a little series by the end of the summer, but who knows what will happen.

Here's to summer, hope you're enjoying yours!!

Internet and Buddhism

I'm not sure what to make of the Internet anymore. It's just growing and growing. It goes into the unknown, and known.

Recently I have just been re-introduced to friends from high school. It's so strange. You hear nothing from these people for years, and years. Then all of a sudden they're right there, almost just around the corner. It's a good, yet scaring thing.

In these times, when you barely know your neighbors, people are reaching out more and more to their past, their forgotten, their memories. The Internet is made up of 4 things . The past (search for people, reconnecting, people finder), the future (ordering goods on-line, match making services, etc..), fantasy (people pretending, chatting, etc..), and the present (news stuff, and maybe even blogs). I don't think it's a bad thing to experience these things, but I do believe the Internet has created a new culture (one that I'm a part of). While it does open up a world of information, it also takes information. In a sense, whatever you put out there, you really are going to get back. The Internet is karmic.

With that being said, it's important to remain in the present. One should be here and now. Although the world wide web offers us a chance to reconnect, live out fantasies, and attach us to a variety of information, we must be where we're at. Live now.

I love the Internet, I love checking my e-mail, and downloading music, but I also know that I don't want to get stuck just being a person that is "electronic". To me it's important to have real relationships with the people around us, know our own community, and build it up. I love not having to order my pizza by phone. But guess what? I still have to tip the driver and get it directly from his hands.

Just a thought. I'm getting out of my apartment for the rest of the day...time to enjoy the natural things on this earth....

Almost done

My grades are done, the week is almost done, we're almost done.

This week has been a little different. I wasn't giving an exam, so I didn't have class. But I still had a world of other things to accomplish. Like:

taking down everything off of the walls
organizing which art work belonged to which kid (no names are a real pain..how hard is it to put your own name on something...totally a different subject all together)
carefully placing all claimed artwork into their personal properties at intake
finding some kind of closure with the kids without holding classes
re-organizing the art supply closet (yes I was happy to get a room this year, but I didn't have anytime to organize it)
cleaning
cleaning
cleaning
completing transfer summaries
and a world of paperwork....

It's ok. It's mostly happy times at the end of the year, even in here. The kids feel like it's the end. They're happy they've made it through something, and "finished" something. It's a sense of something "normal" in their lives. And for us too. Some of these kids will still be here when we return in a month, but there will be a bunch of new kids too. (not really wanting to think about that right now)

What I really like about the end of the year here, is that I get to give kids all their artwork back. Some of them actually forget what they've done, and how far they've grown (if they've been here a while). Some kids don't want to have anything to do with their artwork-- which is normal in this climate too. But, I find that a lot of them want it, but don't want to show their pride. So I have to kind of coax into taking their artwork. After that, they usually have this innocent smile, and their eyes beam with some happiness. I want them to know how proud I am. And how glad I am to have them as a student. It's important for both of us.

So anyway, one more week (I suppose). I'm not sure if I get some days to "work at home". I'm hoping for that.... but I'm not sure.

Right now, I want to make some late summer plans.

I want to make it to the beach
I want to see some friends
I want to feel like I've been on vacation..
I really don't want to make the mistake of not doing anything, and regret not doing anything....

Hummm....... We'll see what happens. I'm low-budget, so who knows where I can go for a minimum price. I'm thinking very local. Very... no flights, no grand car rides (I think I could limit myself to 8 hours), and cheap accommodations.....if that's even possible. Who knows, though, last minute deals can be had!

The Breeders!

I never thought I would go see The Breeders! But I did! And they were AWESOME! I loved it. They were fantastic. It was a fun, exciting, loud, rocking, guitar playing, bass drum beating, smash out, good time. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about them, the lead singers have interesting, yet sometimes hard to listen to voices. It takes some getting used to. They have sort of this sharp alto voices that are loud and very throaty. Not my favorite kind of singing, because it can come off in a live show as shouting. But NO! They actually sang. And it was loud, and throaty, and all of that.. But it was good. They totally rocked. They did some new songs, old songs, covered songs. It was fantastic, and had it been a weekend I probably would have danced around at bit more. However, being a school night, and recovering from my illness(es) I thought head bobbing and a touch of hip-shaking was just fine.

I didn't think I would be too impressed with them, but I love it when women totally own the stage, and are a bit aggressive. They were also funny, and joking, and having a good time. There was a bit of audience participation, and one of the sisters even managed to get into the crowd to film the rest of the band! Who does that??? You can really tell they love what they do, and they are talented musicians. I can't believe how their hands just went over the guitar as if it was nothing. It was amazing. I'm so glad I saw them.

I even liked the opening band. Although it took a little while for "The Montana Boys" to grow on me. I don't know what kind of sound they're looking for. Or if they care. They seem to try and do a little bit of everything. At first I thought they were channeling a little bit of "Clap your hands, say yeah" , but then it turned into some kind of typical college band, and then they got all bluesy, and folksy, dancy. It was interesting. Better than most opening bands I see.

So what's next??? I don't know. No shows on the immediate horizon that I'm dying to see. I may try to venture out to listen to "Tilly and the Wall". It's only $13. I can enjoy a night of tap-dancing percussion and dance along right with them.... It would at the very least, be interesting to watch. Plus, they're from Nebraska!

OK- time to go put in some teaching time. Only about a week to go with students.....

For your entertainment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt5MWCwFhCI

and for historical content:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGXdXcpNsv4


Because as you know, there are a few bands that emerged from the Pixies.....including the Breeders.

Enough is enough

I've been sick for way too long. It all started about a week ago. I've missed a lot of work, but I'll be back tomorrow. It's horrible to be sick, especially this past week. We've been having a heat wave in this part of the country (actually all over the eastern seaboard). It's been above a hundred or near 100 degrees in the last week. I've felt clammy, and hot, and overall horrible. Once I got over the flu part of it, it became a hacking cough along with some congestion. Thanks, just what I needed.

I'm starting to feel better, so that's good. But let me just tell you about our lovely health care system. I tried calling my primary doctor, they wouldn't let me come in until next week. So they suggested that I go to urgent care if I felt like I really needed to be seen. They gave me the number. So I called. The receptionist asked me what insurance I had. So I told her. She said that I would need a pre-approval from my primary care doctor before I came in. WHAT? So I asked her," This is urgent care, right?" She said, yes but I would need pre-approval. So I decided that my own diagnosis was the flu and basically said-- forget it.

How could I need a pre-approval from my primary doctor to go to an urgent care place? What is the point of having a point-of-service plan if I need pre-approval? And why did my doctor say I should go there as a suggestion, if I needed pre-approval?

Do you know how long a pre-approval takes? 2 working days. That means I still wouldn't have been able to get in today.

Not only that, I had to get a prescription filled. My insurance no longer covers it...for some strange reason, no one told me. I've been taking this medication since November..... WHAT?? So I had to change to something else.. I don't even know if it's good for me to do that.

So, do we need an overhaul on our American "Health" Insurance plans? YES, by the grace of GOD-- or Obama, we definitely do. It's ridiculous how much I pay for it out of my own paycheck, but then I can't even get treated. I'm not the type of person to even go to the doctor all the time. I go when I need to go.

Needless to say, I was not happy. But, I am going to the doctor next week. I need to talk about my sleep issues, and get those squared away, I'm so tired of not sleeping.....

After all this, I realized it was lucky that I could take all these days off. My principal was very supportive, and luckily I had enough sick leave to cover this last week. I really needed it. I still have a few more weeks of school to go. I hope I make it through, so I can actually enjoy what little time off I have for summer.

UGh

I love having the flu. But at least the haze of Dayquil is working this morning. I'm just in a fog. Which is good, because we just had a staff meeting and found out that we have to go back to work on July 29th. I get just 4 weeks off. I'm too tired to fight back. I'm too sick to get angry. I'm just not happy. It looks like I really do need to go find another job. I can't deal with this. It's not like I get paid any extra. Yes I get paid for the extra time I work. But it's not worth the stress. I never feel relaxed after a weekend. I never feel refreshed. And this weekend I had the flu. ugh.