I wrote this the other day

So I survived my first semester. However, I barely survived the last week of it, in which I hit a car backing out of my driveway(!) got ragingly sick for a day and a half, experienced extreme trauma at the hands of Comcast, and spent far too many hours in the Richmond train station.

But now I'm back in my beloved Davis, attempting to create exciting and exhilarating lesson plans for my students. I'm at one of my favorite coffee shops; Mishkas, home of good coffee, delicious pastries, and free internet. It is also the home of various law and grad students. I am currently sitting next to two law students (who I know are law students because they keep talking about contracts and other law-related terms that I am now familiar with after living with and dating law students for the past year... albeit not all at the same time. I'm a little disturbed by how much terminology I now know about the law. Who ever would have thought?). It's absolutely lovely being back in Davis. Every time I visit, I am filled with wonderful memories of the years I spent here.

Definitely looking forward to a few more days in town (the company doesn't hurt, either).

Can someone please tell me why

... Rhiana's song "SOS" is playing incessantly in my head?

That'd be great, thanks.

some random thoughts

So I'm supposed to write five random things about myself. (if you can't follow through in the blog-o-sphere, where can you?) So here goes.

1. I think I just made up that word, blog-o-sphere. And if not, too bad. I'm claiming it. It's mine.

2. In order to procrastinate today, I cleaned my bathroom. I bought rubber gloves for the event (because, let's face it, I live with a boy. And such precautions are necessary). It now sparkles and smells clean.

3. I'm supposed to bring a delicious food item for the potluck in my class tonight. I have no idea what to bring, no desire to make anything, and no money to buy anything more than a bag of chips. *heavy sigh*

4. I bought a really cute dress the other day. Now I own three dresses that I have never worn. Three! Clearly, people need to start inviting me to places where I'm supposed to wear a dress.

5. My last first semester (hopefully) will be over this Monday. All I have left to turn in is a paper on my theories of culturally sensitive pedagogy and two semester plans. My semester plans are looking good (so good in fact, that I color coded my units and important days). My paper however? Not so much. But that's what the weekend is for, procrastinating both days only to write in a frenzy Sunday night.

6. (I like to over-achieve when it comes to random lists) It's my birthday on Saturday. As with every year, I am looking forward to it, yet hoping that it doesn't suck (I don't have the best track record with birthdays... to date, I've experienced extreme windstorms which caused all the power to go out and all the water pipes to break, been forgotten, and had food poisoning... albeit all in different years. So I tend to approach the day with some hesitancy). However, this year we are having a game night/potluck. So that should be fun. And as long as there aren't any extreme storms or rancid food, I should be just fine.

Three weeks is just too long

This semester should be over now. I'm tired of stressing about papers and projects and jumping through ridiculous hoops and having nightmares (yes, that is plural) about presentations.

Why, oh why did I think it would be fun to go back to school?

Apparently this post is all about food

I am normally a person who enjoys the holidays. I love people getting together, eating lots of food, sharing conversations, eating food, making memories, consuming food... well, you get the idea. But I have to admit, Thanksgiving, while normally one of my favorite of holidays (heavy on the food, not so much on the soulless commercialism that infuses Christmas and other holidays*), has been giving me some issues as of late. And I hate that. I hate that horribly illogical thoughts that I know have no basis in reality are seeping into my brain. Silly events of the past are rearing their ugly heads and I want it to stop. Out out, damn thoughts!

Anyhow, tomorrow I will be heading out to my second Thanksgiving this year (and possibly my third the day after? My word, but I am a glutton this year). I flew down to my parents last week, after a brief layover in Claremont. It was a wonderful few days, filled with good people, and good food (there is definitly a theme afoot). I came back to the city yesterday, ostensibly to do some work and visit my school site. And, well I visited my school site, so that's something at least. And tomorrow, I will be gone again. Off to eat some more. And that's the last time that I'll mention food in this post. (I hope)


*unless, of course you think about the history of the holiday, which is basically a horrible reminder of all the wrongs the US government perpetrated against the indigenous peoples of this continent... However, I choose to focus on the food.

In the epic words of Ice Cube

"Today was a good day."

And it was!

I began the day with a stomach full of knots and a serious case of the nerves. Why, you might wonder? I taught my class for the first time. Ever. And it was scary! But good! I gave a lesson on art movements in the nineteenth century, and while it wasn't the most exciting lesson ever created, I think most of the kids were engaged and somewhat interested in the lesson. I had them look at images of art, and we talked about what they saw in each, and then I led a guided note-taking activity. I actually had a few minutes at the end of class, so I asked if the kids had any questions. One asked if I was nervous. I replied, "are you kidding? I'm still nervous." At this point the class all told me that I had done good, and then they all clapped.

It was awesome.

I know, I know. I'm a total cheeseball, but still.

Later, I had my C&I course (Curriculum and Instruction... one of the few classes that I don't feel is pointless). We spent the first part of class at an exhibit on Ancient Rome in the Humanities Building, where we all ate yummy (yes, in my tummy) food, and drank free wine. My prof and I had a bonding moment about this profession, which was nice. It was also nice just talk with my classmates, and get to hang out a bit. Later, a few of us (prof included) got into a great discussion about inequity in education, and how we need to radicalize our students. Now I'm all fired up.

So that was the day, nervous and scary and great. And now I'm exhausted. So I'm going to finish preparing my lesson plans for tomorrow and then go to bed (yay).

interesting

Thanks to Liz, I now know that I am this nerdy (although, this was mostly in terms of science-nerdiness... I think if it were academic-nerdiness test, I would score a lot higher)

Okay, back to paper writing. When will it end?!

oh and?

Kid Rock currently has the number one album in America? I am both confused and extremely concerned about my country.

strangely familiar... but different

I've been here before, haven't I?

Sitting on my bed, laptop on my (well) lap, books and papers spread out around me, the paper I'm writing nowhere near completion. The sun is shining outside. I know this because my window is open, allowing the crisp cool autumn breeze in, and I can see nothing but blue blue sky out above me.

And yet, I'm in my room. Struggling to write in a clear, cohesive manner that does justice to my thoughts and ideas. And mostly failing. As usual.

Although things are different. The blue sky is courtesy of Northern, not Southern California, and instead of at least writing about something that I'm moderately interested in, I'm now forced to write about education. And my philosophy of such.

I just want to teach students about history. And how wonderful it is. And how the past is still present today in strange and amazing ways.

That's all. Fin.

this is getting ridiculous.

Unbelievably unbearably ridiculous.

I have two assignments due tomorrow, and both are, well, see above. I'm having trouble starting them, continuing them, and finishing either of them seems to be mostly a distant dream (well first I have to actually accomplish the other two before I can even start thinking about the third). Essentially, this is another example of the ridiculousness of this program, and my extreme irritation with it all.

Plus, my bangs are really annoying me.

things I love

Radiohead and their new album. It's wonderful and it makes me happy.

The Teachers for Social Justice Conference I went to this past Saturday. Very inspiring and energizing. It basically reinforced my desire to be in this profession and hopefully do good things in it. The keynote speakers were amazing, and the workshops I went to had a lot of wonderful practical activities that I can see myself employing in the classroom. This has been one of the few times since I've started this semester that I feel really excited about everything (not that I'm not always excited, it's just the drudgery of the semester usually seems to overwhelm and take away any initial excitement that I would normally feel).

The music selection in "Chuck" No, seriously. The Shins, Spoon, Grizzly Bear... It's actually pretty impressive.

Oh, also Oktoberfest apparently. I went yesterday, and had a randomly awesome time. Drank a lot of beer, danced (horribly) to German music, and did I mention the beer drinking? On a related note, I also love living in this city. There is always something going on. It's a great location for someone who loves having random adventures as this city seems to thrive on it.

As for things I'm not so excited about... the reading that I have to do right now is probably pretty high on that list. Ugh.

a conundrum

(Which, by the way, is a fun word say)

So the router in my house apparently doesn't like my computer. Or maybe my computer doesn't like th router. Either way, I can no longer access the sweet sweet wireless internet in my house. Which means I have to bring my compute rout into the living room and manually plug my ethernet cord into the router. In the grand scheme of things, this really isn't that big of a deal. I still have internet, I just have to work for it a little more. But still I'm annoyed. It's not really a conundrum (go on, say it out loud, it's fun!), aside from the fact that I either have my computer plugged in to the internet, but running on batteries, or I have the power cord plugged in, but no internet. And, yes, I realize that I can bring the power cord out with me to the living room... but its the principle damnit. It's the principle.

transportation thoughts

Every morning when I arrive at school, I get off the Muni Light rail, walk off the platform, and across the street to campus... accompanied by a crossing guard.
Our crossing guard technically is dressed in fluorescent yellow. But you get the idea. Now my campus is for college students. There are no children anywhere. And yet we need help crossing the street? Am I the only person who is confused by this?

Speaking of public transportation, it's one thing to ride the bus and have your bus driver freak out (see myspace blog). It's another to never have your bus show up! And then you have to take a different line, which doesn't really come anywhere near your house, and then you have to hike up your hill for what seems like forever, until you finally get home huffing and puffing. That's entirely different.

Now I'm off to pack for a wonderful weekend (yay!)

here's some friendly advice

When in the restroom in the school library, always turn the water on slowly. Otherwise, you might turn the water on, have blast it out of the faucet like the hounds of hell were after it, and subsequently ricochet off your hands all over the front of your pants.

And while we're on the subject of wet pants, it would also be advisable to check the wetness of the lawn before you sit fully down on it. Because when you lower your person to the grass without checking it first (even though it's well into the afternoon, and the sun should have dried off any extra residue at that late hour), sometimes you might totally soak your seat. And sometimes you might soak your seat so fully that it doesn't dry out during a three hour (slightly uncomfortable) seminar, in which you might have to stand in front of the class and act out a skit.

Not that I would know personally for any reason.

I'm just saying.

(now how's that for a first post after many months?)

wow

Tomorrow is my last day of work at the school. Coincidentally, it's also my last day of working legally in Oregon. As of 2:45pm, I will no longer be gainfully employed by the Springfield School district... wow. It's really strange and surreal to think of this year as ending.

More on all of this later. (perhaps when I've actually processed it all?)

ranting... with pictures!

Eh, its Tueaday night. Tuesdays, are by far the least exciting day and night of the week. Especially when you've been studying US governement for the better part of the evening (and by better part of the evening, I mean during the commercial breaks... although, to be fair I did go to Starbucks* and studied for some time... until I could no longer stand the obnoxious smokers/really annoying loud girls) My desire to know about the Framers' intent when drafting the Articles of the Constitution can be summed up in one word. No. As in, no, I do not want to know this information. More importantly, no, I do not want be tested on this information. No, I do not want my future teaching career to depend on the tests that I am taking next weekend. And don't even get me started on my loathing of economics (which, by this point in time is legendary).

Anyway.

While my weekdays have left soemthing to be desired (see rant on Tuesday), my weekends have been pretty kick ass. Last weekend, I had many random adventures... including a trip to the coast- finally, I have seen and experiences the Oregon coast! And I can definitively and authoratativily say that it is truly beautiful!

The water wasn't as bad as I was expecting!

Jolene and I saw this Viking statue and had to stop to take pictures with him. Wouldn't you?

Aren't my mad sand castle building skills amazing?


I took this picture on the drive back.


Random adventures are by far the best. Jolene and I had a blast finding all sorts of trouble to get into. It really made me appreciate my time in Oregon. And this weekend is my 82nd time visiting California this year, so I know interesting and exciting times shall be had. And it will probably be random. And I'll take pictures.

Now, all I need to do is get through the next few days (and somehow make myself actually learn some econ.... ugh).



*It was the only coffee shop that I could find that had both free parking nearby and a patio so I could sit in the lovely sunshine. That's my reasoning. Go with it.

what would we be without wishful thinking

Last night I saw a hardcore band cover "My Sharona." Later, the main band set up a flora and fauna scene on the stage, complete with stuffed animals and proceeded to play with man dressed as an egg on stage. The band utilized music from Nintendo games in their music and the egg-man (coo coo ka choo!) played the triangle. It was quite possibly one of the strangest concerts I have ever been to.

And perhaps the reason for the equally strange dreams I had last night. I don’t remember much, but at one point Sylar (from "Heroes"*) was one of my new students. Which probably says something about how my subconscious feels about my students. I'm not too surprised, however. This week has been one of the most intense that I've had at this job. Nothing major has happened, just a lot of me feeling totally insufficient and incapable of being an authority figure. I hate that feeling. And this job seems to reinforce it at times in spades. I don't know. I can't expect the students to feel compassion for me, and how their actions and words affect me, but still, I want them to be aware. Its too much to ask though. If I can get them to take some responsibility for their actions, that's sometimes enough. This is by far the most challenging job that I've ever had. And that feels like the pithiest (is that even a word?) statement ever. Sad, but true.

Anyhow. Happy thoughts. For every time I feel totally unprepared, insufficient, etc., there's twice as many times when I'm speechless because one of my students has said or done something completely random and unexpected. Sometimes its asking me if I like porn or some other extremely inappropriate question. Other times its answering all my questions in a robot voice (for the entire day!) or randomly squawking in the middle of a lesson. I feel like I’ve reached a certain comfort level with them, where they’re comfortable around me. So that’s good.

Other good things? Its Thursday. Its a beautiful day. Good music is playing on my computer (Wilco, yay!). I am totally alone in the classroom (which means I can play said music loud). The weekend is almost here! And another show! (this time its Minus the Bear and Chin Up Chin Up- two very good bands)

Okay, the students will be here soon. Maybe I should get my act together, as who knows what will happen in class today…



*Oh, and Heroes? A truly excellent show. Definitely recommended.

today was not meant to be

I woke up at 6:30, completely disoriented and confused about what day it was (this is the second day in a row that I've woken up and have had no idea when and where I was...). After a harried shower and dressing, I proceeded downstairs to gather foodstuffs for the day and make the all too essential coffee. And that's what I was thinking about- sweet sweet caffienne- when my ankle buckled and I fell down the stairs. Apparently I fell so hard that I woke my roommate up, who rushed out of her room, a concerned and worried expression etched upon her face. I assured her that I was fine and went about making the coffee.

And that's how my morning has been thus far.

At least its Friday (I think).

*sigh*

Here are some random Sunday sentences

Alliteration is such fun!

My spelling has become atrocious. I'm not even certain if that's the correct spelling. But I'm still going to use it. I am defiant this Sunday morning.

Here's my conundrum: My ipod died. It was swift, sudden, and took us all by surprise. I'm still reeling from the loss in my life. And yet, this is a familiar feeling, as this was my third ipod to die on me. (Seriously, wtf? what am I doing to these poor pieces of plastic and computer hardware to make them all die? Am I to be known as the scary ipod killer, she who brings ipod death to all around her?) Anyhow I am torn: I crave another ipod, and at the same time I'm repulsed by such a need. This must be how heroin addicts feel. I hate the thing I want. I hate the fact that I want it. And yet, I've been scoping online new ipods all morning.

Spring break will officially come to an end in less than 24 hours. This time tomorrow, I will again be with the children, telling them to stop doing lord knows what (but I'm sure it will probably be something bad and/or amusing). I am looking forward to going back, for all that its a draining, wrenching job, I do like it (should I be worried?)

I'm flying back to California on Thursday. Apparently, I like to go every few weeks now, which is awesome. Unless you're my bank account, who seems to disagree. Anyhow, I will once again be interviewing for yet another credential program (I make this seem so much more intense than it really is; this is actually my second interview of two... so really, I need to calm down). I am so ready for all this to be over! I want to be accepted. No more applications, interviews, tests, fingerprinting, driving, flying... on an on. I've gone to two well respected universities, applied to many more, applied for international study and an internship program, applied for numerous jobs... and yet all of those application processes together do not add up to pain and trauma of applying to these two credential programs. Soon, it'll be over, right?

and i thought i had a lot of quirky ideas

Its official. German people have way too much time on their hands. Way, way too much time.

I'm not sure how I feel about working in the office in the morning...

So the UPS guy just came into the office and told me he required an adult signature for the package he was dropping off. As in "Are you an adult, miss?"

Thanks for that sir. Nothing makes me feel great like mistaking me for a minor.



In other exciting work news, I changed my background to this picture. It makes me happy. Unlike the UPS guy. Oh, and people who are weird on the phone and/or come into the office in a scary group and make demands of me that I can't fulfil. And then get mad when I tell them that whatever they want can't happen. And then be generally creep and odd.


Anyhow, think good thoughts that the rain holds off so I can go hiking this afternoon.

That is all. (yay for Mondays)

verbal diarhhea of the worst sort.

I should be in bed. Sleeping. Instead, I'm at my desk, with too many thoughts running around in my head. Way too many thoughts.

Tonight I hung out with some of my married friends (I'm getting to the age where this is a more frequent occurrence-I find this equally awesome and unsettling.. well, maybe a bit more of the latter). It was weird, all of a sudden, I felt engulfed inloneliness. And I'm not a person to dwell on such things, nor am I one to really
commit it to writing, but here I am. With nothing but pithy thoughts to not even commit to paper, but rather a sillyInternet blog. Writing, rather ineloquently I might add. I feel like my timing is off. I keep missing the good get togethers, the days and nights when everyone is together and I'm somewhere else. Yet, when I'm here, everyone else is somewhere else. I hate that feeling. Is this normal? I'm 25 years old, I shouldn't feel this way anymore. Maybe this is what working with teenagers has done to me. I'm reverting back to my awkward adolescent self (oh dear), complete with
silly insecurities. I'd like to think my fashion sense and general outlook on life has gotten better though. But still. I find myself unsettled. perhaps its because I'm not settled in my life. And yet, I don't want to be. And I do. And that, my friends is what it all comes down to.

This really wasn't my intention. I was going to write about my annoyance with itunes
and computers in general. I was going to make myself laugh with some silly turn of phrase. I was going to acknowledge my lack of decision making with an ironic note that tomorrow I will be a guinea pig in a decision making experiment (ah, the things we do for money). Oh, the things I was going to do..

a banana? really?

This morning I found a banana peel in my desk.

I'm really not certain what to make of this.

Anyhow, I'm enjoying a few minutes of quiet solitude in the classroom before the kids start baning to be let in. Its the only time of day that I can listen to my music and actually enjoy it. Also, I can sit at my desk and not ask someone to stop punching someone else (in fun, so its okay, right? um, no.), or to stop climbing on the desk, or to stop running, yelling, swearing etc etc etc. Basically, I like this time of day. It alsmost makes getting up absurdly early worth it.

I'm pretty excited to drive to California tomorrow. Somewhat unexpected as I planning on flying in for a quick visit mainly to take the CSET on Saturday and then fly back out Sunday morning. Now I'm driving down tomorrow afternoon so I can have an interview at Sac State on Friday afternoon. Think good thoughts! (all three of you who might read this, heh)

Okay, time to let the demon children in...

I am blogging. Defiantly.

There are two other people in the office with me right now. It's almost like there's been some sort of nuclear holocaust which has only affected our office, and we three are the survivors. Except, in reality, everyone is at a training in another town, and there was only a handful of us who didn't go. It's extremely surreal, however. And it makes my already dwindling work ethic diminish with increasing frequency.

Okay, so I'm not sure what happened, but suddenly work was over, and now I'm back at home with a foot that is currently smelling like an old man.

Perhaps I should clarify? (yes?)

My foot has been hurting something fierce for the past few days, so tonight I thought I would soak it in some Epsom salt and then slather (oh, what a fun fun word) on some Icy Hot. The result? My foot still aches, and now smells like an octogenarian.

In other (exciting) news I'm in the process of acquiring a new cell phone. This search has caused me no small amount of excitement and anxiety. Excitement because I'm always excited when I get to play with something new and shiny. Anxiety because I have way too many choices, and am therefore freaking out. This seems like a truly and purely American problem: too many choices leads to freak out. What other country has so much that it becomes a problem?

Anyhow. Today in class one of my students told me they were all going to go to Canada (spelled like "Candana" natch) but I wasn't allowed to come. Which, if you think about it, is still nicer than wishing for my imminent death.

So I like to take that as a sign that things are improving. Right?

just a thought

Bathroom writers of Eugene (the likelihood of any of these people actually reading this blog is tiny... oh so tiny, but still. One never knows, eh?),

the proper spelling of "every" actually contains a "r"

Just thought you would like to know.

bitch bitch bitch! (thats what I do)

My application to San Fransisco State in due in 9 days. It's in complete shambles. My personal statement isn't done, I have no letters of rec (admittedly, they are en route to me, I mean I have people writing them, I'm just waiting for them to magically appear), I haven't actually filled out the application. I haven't taken the requisite tests. I'm not even sure if I meet all the qualifications. And its almost too late to do anything drastic.

In short, I am freaking out. Big time.

But am I doing anything about this? Of course not. I'm writing a silly, trite blog about all the things I should be doing.

I hate myself for doing this. And I do this for everything. I am absolutely incapable of not procrastinating. Ugh. Ugh, I say!

Today in school a student told me that no one would want to see naked pictures of me. (I'm kind of okay with this however.) He used the same tone of voice that he used earlier in the day when he told me I had fish breath and that he wished I would be run over by a car. One of the kids who has given me nothing but trouble (ie yesterday he inadverdently hit me with a peach) was actually really good today. When I left, he told me to drive sober.

I know I'm not doing these kids justice when I write about them like this; they're so much more multifaceted than I probably give them credit for. In all honestly, so much happens in the four hours that I'm there, that oftentimes I'm on sensory overload. I always feel like I'm making them out to be one-dimensional, and they're not. They're not just bad kids. They're at this really weird stage in life, where they're grown up, but not. One day, a few of them were talking (instead of doing they're their science work, of course) and one said something about marijuana... and then in the next heartbeat immediately went toSponge Bob Squarepants. I think only this kids would seamlessly transition from something so adult (and illegal) to something so childish, and not see any continuity problems. Middle school is a tough enough age (Oh, how I remember those horrible years), and for these kids its so much weirder. Most of the time, I'm just struggling to find the right words to say to them. Its hard.

Oh, and half the letters on my laptop are not working. So that's fun.

oh, the youth of today...

Today at lunch, I had a quarter thrown at my head.

It was at this point that I lost any cool points which I had racked up during the
morning and yelled at all the kids to take a seat. I mean, really yelled. So loud, it actually got most of the kids to take a seat. One girl told me, "Oh, I know youdidn't just tell me what to do. No one does that." So I apologized, and asked her nicely. Later, I was apparently forgiven for my gross error as the afternoon passed in relative stability. The only really notable moment was when student in the middle of a math lesson burst out with "you know what my favorite word is?Guacamole. I hate it as a food though" and then went back to work.

I also picked up a nickel that was flying around the classroom during lunch. I pocketed it.

That don't know nothing about my soul oh they don't know

So apparently, all I need to post consistently is more hours at my boring desk job. The kids were off today and yesterday, so I came into my other job early, which has subsequently led to more random blogging drivel from yours truly.

I don't know what it is about Wilco's "Theologians." I love this song: it never ceases to make me happy. If you've never listened to it (or any Wilco, for that matter), I strongly recommend it. However, I find myself thoroughly annoyed at the musical presence of Daughtry. Granted, I haven't actually listened to any of his songs, but I find the fact that he goes by his last name utterly lame. Who does that? And for he record, I have nothing against singular named artists, I freely admit my love of Madonna and bands like Owen. But Daughtry? Come on.

Yesterday, I had a meeting with the teachers at my school. We discussed new schedules, and some new incentive programs to try to get the kids more motivated about their schooling. I think I'm going to try to bring some snacks for them to give out for good behavior (weirdest thing- I brought snow peas and some fruit leathers last week, and the kids went crazy for them). It was a really good meeting, nice to feel like we're all on the same page. And, and, they're giving me more hours! The teachers totally advocated for us to work more, as its better for us (hello more money) and way better for the kids- more structure and consistency in their day. I'm pretty excited about the whole deal. Of course, I'm in the midst of my four day vacation from them, so we'll see if this cheery optimism lasts. The only downside is that I'll have to quit my morning pilates class, but I imagine an extra two hours or so of chasing children down the hallways everyday should at least make up for it in come capacity.

walking out of stride

You can't really tell, but I swear that says "2007"

Now that its almost February, I thought this would be an ideal time to reflect on the New Year. So far, its been a good, interesting time. I've been trying to put myself out there more, and really take advantage of the fact that I live in a cool city with interesting people.

Its not much, but its a goal.

Another goal is to actually be on time to work. Its weird, because I absolutely abhor lateness... and yet I'm constantly finding myself struggling to get to work on time. What is the deal? So to that end, perhaps I should stop this blathering and actually get to it, eh?

This is not interesting.

For the second time today, I've had a thought, been distracted, and have completely lost said thought. It's utterly and absolutely gone. Lost to somewhere in the ether of my mind. Never to be heard from again. *sigh*

I really feel like I went through a war today. Not in the sense that my day was extremely violent, more just draining. I think every emotion that one can think of was experienced by either me, another teacher or half of my students. It was utter madness. And yet, I will return tomorrow. And possibly the day after that (although to be fair, that won't actually happen, as it will be Saturday... but you get the point).

Perhaps my inability to hold a thought is somewhat related to the insanity that is working with middle schoolers?

Addendum: Why is is that I can't remember the things I want, and yet the things I don't want to or need to remember never seem to leave my mind?
See: infortmation about exes, academy award winners of the eighties and other assorted random facts.

time for a crossword puzzle (compliments of my new york times page a day calendar!) hey, never once did I say I was actually cool.