The gas factor

I got gas today.

Now, normally that wouldn't be blog worthy. I used to fill up my car every 3 days.

Today was the first day I got gas since AUGUST 20!

That's right - I made it from August 20 until September 28 on one tank!!!!!

So, last year at this time, I would've already paid $420 purchasing gas (or more with all of the fluctuations) for my car & right now...since the beginning of the school year (really a week before), I've paid a total of $42!

Not quite so separated

Yesterday I showed up at school, stepped out of my car, and inexplicably heard the sounds of drums and guitars. I looked over at the front of the school and there was a band, all set up, singing their hearts out - about Jesus!

Wow! What a way to start my day. It was awfully early, but the kids were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed - and they sounded good!

Way cool.

Oxford Street

I am sooo sad that Oxford Street has closed down! Stan & I went there on our 1st date, well, our first official date. We also ate there the night of our wedding. My family had a celebratory lunch there when I graduated from A&M. Stan & I celebrated our 11th anniversary there.

I get so sentimental about dumb stuff, but this was a really special place to me. If Stan & I had to pick our restaurant, this would've been it - not the place we went to all of the time, but the place we reserved for the special occasions. We always had good food, good service, and I loved the atmosphere.

In the grand scheme of things, this is not a tragedy - far from it. But it's one of the little things that meant a great deal to me and I'm sad it's gone.

Mama & Caden's Day. of. Fun!!*

So school is out today to house evacuees from Hurricane Ike and Caden's school is closed b/c CSISD is so we have had a super fun day!

I (stupidly) stayed up late reading b/c I didn't have to go to school today. Oh wait - I have a 3-year-old who has decided to get up at 6:30 every morning now!!! Oh, the joy. But he was super sweet and let me bribe him with Spongebob Squarepants and Dora while I slept. I told him I would get up after Dora and when I did, he said, "No - I want to watch another one" so I got to sleep until 8:30! He watched TV and played with his new trash truck in our bed. So sweet.

When I woke up, he told me that it was not raining and we could go to the park this morning. (He remembered me saying that last night.) So we got up, got ready, and went to McDonald's for breakfast. We sat on the same side in the booth - so fun. Then we went and got my car inspected. Not so fun, but one of those life necessities. But it was cute listening to Caden try to say 'inspected'.

I was going to take him to Tanglewood Park (so he could put rocks in his new trash truck) but when we drove by the park at South Knoll Elementary, he decided he wanted to go there. There were plenty of rocks and also plenty of sun so I cajoled him in to going to the mall and playing at that playground.

We had fun. Caden was very shy and withdrawn at first. I really hope I don't project my social phobias on to him. After a bit, he started running around with the best of them. I think he's too passive at times. There was this little girl who made the most inhuman noises as she ran every kid off of whatever they were playing with. Her and her little friends then picked up the little frogs & bees and repositioned them so they could play with them exclusively. I just figured this out (I'm not the typical playground mama) - if you're wondering who the 'playground bully' belongs to, 98% of the time it's going to be the parent who is paying absolutely NO attention to her child. Seriously, I wanted to spank the girl. And her mother.

We then traipsed back to Macy's where Caden wanted to ride the escalators. He did fine on the way up. As we're walking to the down side, he stuck his tongue out and grinned at the cleaning lady. We stepped on. Caden stepped off. I kept going. And Caden begins screaming and crying. The sweet cleaning lady ran around the corner and picked him up and carried him down for me. I felt horrible. One more reason to get in shape - to run UP the down escalator!

I asked him if he was OK & he looked at me with big ol eyes and crocodile tears running down his face and said, "I cried for you!" Gah! Knife to the heart right there.

So we came home and in a guilt-induced fit I gave him candy. Yeah, I know - lesson learned. He was bouncing off the walls (literally one time!) for hours. I'm just hoping he stays in bed tonight.

*You have to read this as Janice from Friends. If you're not familiar with this, then it's really not that funny & I'm sorry.

Funny Caden

We drove by my school this afternoon and saw the football players. Caden asked what they were doing & I said they were practicing. He asked why and I told him so they could get better.

A little later we drove by a park and there was a trainer there with several people he was working out. Caden looked at me and said, "They're practicing so they can get better."

Yes, Caden. Yes they are.

That hasn't happened before!

I just ran to Kroger & I saw one of my students there! I guess now that I'm teaching in town, that's going to happen more often!

Poo on the library

I tried to renew some items last night & the system wouldn't let me do it for 2 books b/c I'd already done it once already. OK, I'll just go up to the library, turn them in, & then recheck them out. Right?

Wrong.

I have to leave them there for 24 hours to give someone else a chance. Pardon me for being a selfish cranky pants, but if someone wanted them, they could've requested them online like I did.

So I came home & immediately put the request in - that the desk guy told me I couldn't do - and they'll probably be ready for pickup this evening.

If everyone would just play by the rules of Aalbersland, life would be sooo much sweeter!

And now you know why I'm an English teacher

I am totally addicted to the online library program. I taped my barcode number to my computer so I wouldn't have to jump up and get my card out of my purse every time I wanted to look at my account. As if that isn't a scary enough thought - that I like to look at my account that much - I have the entire fourteen digit number MEMORIZED now! I don't even need to look at it anymore!

And the really bad thing - I have 31 books checked out right now. And 8 more that are ready for pickup.

You see, I browse this discussion board about books and I see some that I think I might like. I look them up on Amazon.com to be sure I'll like them, and I reserve them online at our library. A day or two later, they call and tell me they're ready for pickup. But honestly? Most of the time I already KNOW they're ready b/c I've looked at my account online!

I asked one time what the limit was and the lady said, "Oh a hundred." A HUNDRED???

I probably shouldn't have access to that information...

Day 4 & counting...

The first week of school is almost over! I am one of those teachers who wishes that we started on a Wednesday every year b/c the 1st week is soooo long! I go home every day & put my PJs on and chill out.

It's still nerve racking. I like to have a routine and I'm comfortable with what I know. EVERYTHING is different here and I'm anxious for the time when I'm used to everything.

Shout out to my homy

The stress only escalated from the time of the previous post. I was frantically trying to fix my room and I was at the point where I didn't know what to do because so much needed to be done - you know what I'm saying? And there was interruption after interruption and I was hustling from faculty meeting to department meeting to 'level meeting' and then I had to go to a deaf-ed meeting b/c I have 2 hearing-impaired kids and then I was called downstairs to take my picture for my temporary id because the picture I had to go downstairs for earlier in the week was for my PERMANENT id and it won't be here before Monday. And this was all on Friday!!!

So I am finally back upstairs after there was an equipment malfunction with the id machine and they said, "We'll call y'all back down in a minute." I am ready to scream. 5 minutes after I get back upstairs my cellphone rings and it's Stan. Bless his heart. He asked me how things were going and I know him well enough to snap at him. Don't know those Consol people that well yet. So after I said I was trying to get stuff done but people kept INTERRUPTING me, he said that he had gotten Caden dressed (they stayed home together on Friday b/c Caden was sick with a fever) and they were going to come help me in my room.

Blessed peace. Right as I was getting off the phone with him, I heard the announcement to go back downstairs for pictures. When I got to the front of the line, Stan still wasn't there so I traded places with a friend at the back of the line, thinking I would be through it before Stan got there. Well I was, but I didn't know we had to sit around and wait for them, but another friend said she would pick mine up for me and put it in my mailbox.

So we go upstairs and Stan asks what I need him to do for me. The man got to work. He put my stackable trays together ( a harder feat than it sounds like), he then put my rails together for my file cabinet (turns out I don't need them, but a sweet first year teacher wants them so that's my good deed for the day!). He then helped hang all of my posters. And the best part? Caden was a DREAM the whole time - all 2 hours! He played and he helped pick stuff up. He was so sweet!

When we realized we couldn't push our luck with Caden too much longer, we went to eat and Stan suggested I go back and get all of my work done (stuff he couldn't help me with) that night so I could enjoy my last weekend.

I thought that was a good idea so I went back and worked. And worked. And worked some more. I looked at the clock and it was 11pm. Scary time to be in a big school all by myself. I gathered up my stuff...saw the scissors sitting on my desk...and I grabbed them. I took off down the hall in full stealth mode - nobody was sneaking up on me. I saw the doors to the cut-through stairs and as I went through, the doors closed back and it got pitch black dark in the stairwell. No thank you, I've seen enough scary movies to know THAT'S a bad idea. I took the long way, all the while holding my scissors in full attack mode.

Safe inside my car, I relaxed and enjoyed my EIGHT MINUTE commute back to my house.

A girl can never be too careful...

Living on the edge

This is the time of year I really dislike being a teacher. I am so utterly psyched out!! (Do people say that anymore?) New school, new kids, new coworkers, new boss(es!) - my insides are all a flutter. Bring on the medication.

My nerves are seriously shot & anything and everything is getting under my skin. I can usually laugh off an apostrophe misappropriation, but I almost got into a throwdown the other day. And bad drivers usually just make me sigh and shake my head (quiet Stan) but lately I've felt really heated when the umpteenth driver goes straight at the Rock Prairie exit from the 'right turn only lane'...while talking on their cell phone. And this whole chinese underage gymnast thing has boiled me over so much, I stopped watching!

Once Monday is over with, a lot of this will go away.

Just bring it already!

Are you kidding me?

Stan & I are driving to Caden's school to pick him up when I see a cop pulling over to the shoulder coming at us. I ask Stan if he's coming for us, Stan looks down at the speedometer & says "Maybe". He then looks into the rearview mirror, sees the cop do a U-turn & turn on his lights, and says, "Oh yeah."

I'm smirking because Stan's always getting on to me about my driving. I know that's not very wifely, but I'm human. Still got some issues to work out.

Stan pulled over on a side street and had his driver's license & insurance out and ready to hand the cop when he walked up.

Cop - Do you know why I pulled you over?

Stan - (handing his stuff to the cop) Yeah, my wife asked if you were coming for me and when I looked down, I noticed I was speeding. I just wasn't paying attention.

Cop - (handing Stan's stuff back to him) I'm not going to give you a ticket. I just...

Me - (leaning over increduously & interrupting) SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

Cop - Do you want me to give him a ticket?

Me - (looking away) No.

Cop - (to Stan) Oh, you've got one of those!

He then thanked Stan for pulling over on a side street so he didn't get hit.

We drive off & Stan's laughing. Because he ALWAYS gets a warning!!!! I NEVER get a warning! And I'm nice too! I apologize. I have my stuff out.

You have GOT to be kidding me!