This past week was probably one of the craziest, fast-paced weeks I've endured since my student teaching. I found out I had a job last Thursday and have been preparing ever since. I found out this week that I AM the English department at this high school of 66 students. So, I will be teaching 9-12 grade English and a Psychology course which I am developing for THIS school year. I was at the school every day this past week (except Thursday when I was at the sweltering hot Tigers game) setting up my classroom and resisting the urge to have a panic attack. I feel so abundantly blessed to be given this opportunity, I'm just nervous I'm going to screw it up (dangling preposition). SEE!
Thursday, Ben and I went to the Tigers/Indians game. Shockingly, it was my first game of the season. Ever since Ben and I have been together I have attended more than a few games in a season and definitely before this point. I was so excited to be there...a great matchup between AL championship contenders, a day with my husband, the smell of sweaty, drunken people and all the mulletts you could ask for (dangling preposition). It was Magglio Ordonez hat day complete with fake Puerto Rican hair...it was classy. Unfortunately, we did not make it in time for Ben to receive one of these hats...one small step for me, one giant leap for future get-togethers. All in all it was a fun game even though the Tigers lost.
Today, a goal of mine was realized. I woke up before 9 a.m. on a Saturday!!! Oh, and my sister and I ran in a 5K race and finished...alive! It was a hard race, but I'm so glad we did it. I would have placed third in my age group if I had not forgotten to put my age down on the registration form, so instead I got first in the "did not put age down" category...they don't give ribbons for that age group. My sister placed third in her age group as well. It was a fun/gruelling time and I'm glad I was able to experience it with my sister. After the race I came home and set the world record for inhaling french toast and bacon (in my age group).
It seems my days of watching 4 hour blocks of Friends are over...until next summer!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Discovering singing in the car again!
I think one of my favorite things to do is sing...loudly...a lot. One of my favorite places to sing is in the car. When I worked at Somerset, I often enjoyed the 20 minute drives to and from work because I was able to appease the pop star that is within me. After I left, the longest distance I drove in the car by myself was 10 miles to Jackson, not a lot of good singing time. Every other time Ben would be in the car with me and it's hard to sing along with Christian Contemporary boy music.
When I found out I would once again have a job that required me to drive a moderate distance, my inner musician leapt for joy! While driving down today, I selected the playlist entitled "girl music" to maximize my singing time. It was glorious. I dueted it up with Kelly Clarkson, lamented broken relationships with Ani DiFranco and Fiona Apple, warbled with the Cranberries, sang nonsensical lyrics with Tori Amos, etc. It was a mobile Lillith Fair (without the lesbian fans).
An added treat to my traveling concert series is that I am driving backroads so there isn't that awkward moment when you pull up to another driver and you have to pretend you were talking on the phone or cover your mouth with your hand or discretely turn your head the other way. One day I will have the gumption to keep singing without fear of being taken for a person with multiple personality disorder.
When I found out I would once again have a job that required me to drive a moderate distance, my inner musician leapt for joy! While driving down today, I selected the playlist entitled "girl music" to maximize my singing time. It was glorious. I dueted it up with Kelly Clarkson, lamented broken relationships with Ani DiFranco and Fiona Apple, warbled with the Cranberries, sang nonsensical lyrics with Tori Amos, etc. It was a mobile Lillith Fair (without the lesbian fans).
An added treat to my traveling concert series is that I am driving backroads so there isn't that awkward moment when you pull up to another driver and you have to pretend you were talking on the phone or cover your mouth with your hand or discretely turn your head the other way. One day I will have the gumption to keep singing without fear of being taken for a person with multiple personality disorder.
Monday, August 20, 2007
No longer wanted: A Job
You are reading the blog of a newly employed High School English teacher. Yay!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Run, Forrest, Run!!
In my attempt to not die a premature death due to apathy and lethargy, I have started running more...okay just running...no "more" about it. I walked a 5k with my mom earlier this summer and was inspired to be able to run a 5K by the end of the summer. I have actually been able to stick with it and run a little over 2 and a half miles a day with some speed workouts here and there. Today, I attempted to run a 5K course, and let me tell you my friend...it was not pretty.
My sister and I decided we would run a race next weekend, and so we attempted the course today just to make sure we could do it without falling over...due to dying. About 2 miles into the run, I was feeling pretty good about the course. I wasn't really tired and there was no apparent pain shooting down my left arm. I thought, "hey, I can do this no problem." Oh, how pride cometh before the fall. About 2 miles into the race we come to the dirt trail part, or what I refer to as "the trail which Satan, himself, carved out for foolish runners." I don't know if it became harder because I was running farther, because the ground was uneven or because I had no idea where I was going. I think it was a combination of all three. I used to work at the campground where this course is, and I have walked the trail we were running before, but I could not, for the life of me, remember it.
We finished the course and after my heart was able to regain its regular rhythm, I felt triumphant. We didn't die, no search crews had to come out looking for us and I didn't cry once. We did it in pretty good time (for two girls who have not run 3.1 miles in...ever) which I will not post on the internet, because I have some pride left.
My sister and I decided we would run a race next weekend, and so we attempted the course today just to make sure we could do it without falling over...due to dying. About 2 miles into the run, I was feeling pretty good about the course. I wasn't really tired and there was no apparent pain shooting down my left arm. I thought, "hey, I can do this no problem." Oh, how pride cometh before the fall. About 2 miles into the race we come to the dirt trail part, or what I refer to as "the trail which Satan, himself, carved out for foolish runners." I don't know if it became harder because I was running farther, because the ground was uneven or because I had no idea where I was going. I think it was a combination of all three. I used to work at the campground where this course is, and I have walked the trail we were running before, but I could not, for the life of me, remember it.
We finished the course and after my heart was able to regain its regular rhythm, I felt triumphant. We didn't die, no search crews had to come out looking for us and I didn't cry once. We did it in pretty good time (for two girls who have not run 3.1 miles in...ever) which I will not post on the internet, because I have some pride left.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
In the wee small hours of the morning...
As my college roommate can attest, I am NOT a morning person. I am definitely late to bed and late to rise. (So why I would choose to go into a profession that requires me to wake up before God is beyond me, but that's beside the point.) Lately, I have not been able to sleep well during the night. I don't fully hit my REM stride until about 7:00 in the morning...which means from about midnight until that point, I am tossing and turning, garnering as much sleep as I can during these twilight hours. When I drag myself out of bed at 9:30, I am exhausted. I have some theories as to why sleep seems to elude me. They range from most ridiculous to most probable:
1.) Somewhere in my lineage, one of my ancestors married a vampire and the aversion to daylight seemed to trickle down from generation to generation.
2.) No doubt, a pea had been placed under my mattress and I am really a princess, because everyone knows this is the true test of whether or not someone is of royal blood.
3.) The 10 marshmallows I eat before I try to sleep make it difficult for my heart to slow down enough to allow my body to rest.
4.) Watching "Rock of Love" on VH1 before I go to bed is detrimental to my mental health which upsets my body's circadian rhythms.
5.) I lay awake worrying about how we have no money and I have no job and...oh my word, why can't I just trust God and be okay with life and know that He always provides and He will continue to provide and what the heck is my problem and what was that noise and what if Ben didn't hear that noise and I'm left alone to face the faceless noise which, without doubt, is the cougar that has been seen roaming Southern Michigan and don't be ridiculous how could a cougar get into our aparment and what am I going to wear tomorrow and I hope subbing won't be too awful this year and maybe I'll get a long term sub job but I hope it's at Western or (gasp) Concord and I hope we can have a baby within the next two years and what if I can't get pregnant and I hope I can run 4 miles and....
Yeah...maybe that's why I can't sleep.
1.) Somewhere in my lineage, one of my ancestors married a vampire and the aversion to daylight seemed to trickle down from generation to generation.
2.) No doubt, a pea had been placed under my mattress and I am really a princess, because everyone knows this is the true test of whether or not someone is of royal blood.
3.) The 10 marshmallows I eat before I try to sleep make it difficult for my heart to slow down enough to allow my body to rest.
4.) Watching "Rock of Love" on VH1 before I go to bed is detrimental to my mental health which upsets my body's circadian rhythms.
5.) I lay awake worrying about how we have no money and I have no job and...oh my word, why can't I just trust God and be okay with life and know that He always provides and He will continue to provide and what the heck is my problem and what was that noise and what if Ben didn't hear that noise and I'm left alone to face the faceless noise which, without doubt, is the cougar that has been seen roaming Southern Michigan and don't be ridiculous how could a cougar get into our aparment and what am I going to wear tomorrow and I hope subbing won't be too awful this year and maybe I'll get a long term sub job but I hope it's at Western or (gasp) Concord and I hope we can have a baby within the next two years and what if I can't get pregnant and I hope I can run 4 miles and....
Yeah...maybe that's why I can't sleep.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Wanted: A Job
After one watches episodes of Friends for four hours, one starts to reexamine one's life. Here's my day thus far...wake up at 9:45, eat breakfast whilst watching Friends, take a shower, make macaroni and cheese for lunch and eat said lunch whilst watching Friends for the next 3 hours. At one point I got up to do something constructive, make brownies. This plan was foiled, though, when I found that the eggs we had in our fridge expired last month. Maybe I should clean out our fridge; although, I'm not sure I'm ready to face that science project. I think I'll go read a book, which will undoubtedly result in me taking a nap.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Fatty Food Lover
I could write hundreds of sonnets declaring my love for fatty, non-nutritious food. I'm not sure when this trans-fat love affair began, but I can say with all honesty I do not want it to end. Sure, I'm receiving no nutrients whatsoever, and sure, my heart has to work a little harder with each cholesterol saturated meal I consume, but how can I stop? Lately, I've tried to cut soda out of my diet, but the only way I can take my horse pill of a multi-vitamin is with a swig of tasty carbonation (which I'm sure totally defeats the purpose of taking a multi-vitamin). I've also made an attempt to eat more fruit. This attempt includes purchasing fruit and then letting it grow mold in my refrigerator until it is no longer recognizable to the human eye. I started eating Grape Nuts for breakfast, which made me feel like I was making progress, until Ben pointed out that pouring spoonfuls of sugar over the Grape Nuts takes away a lot of its nutritional value.
Sure a random piece of fruit or a bottle of water can appease the guilt I feel over consuming an entire bag of marshmallows in the span of two days, but pretty soon that grape is just not going to be enough. I want to eat healthy, I really do...but I don't even know where to start. I feel like I've eaten healthy when I get the 4 piece chicken McNugget meal, rather than the hamburger at McDonald's. I'm completely ignorant in this arena of dining. If anybody (okay...if my mom) has advice please...please help me. I would like to live to see 40 and I'm pretty sure eating two hostess cupcakes in one sitting ain't gettin it done. MMmmmmm...hostess cupcake.
Sure a random piece of fruit or a bottle of water can appease the guilt I feel over consuming an entire bag of marshmallows in the span of two days, but pretty soon that grape is just not going to be enough. I want to eat healthy, I really do...but I don't even know where to start. I feel like I've eaten healthy when I get the 4 piece chicken McNugget meal, rather than the hamburger at McDonald's. I'm completely ignorant in this arena of dining. If anybody (okay...if my mom) has advice please...please help me. I would like to live to see 40 and I'm pretty sure eating two hostess cupcakes in one sitting ain't gettin it done. MMmmmmm...hostess cupcake.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Narcissism on Display
I saw this phrase on a bumpersticker today and, at the same time, heard my brother snicker "That's truly American." I don't even pretend to be a sociologist, however, I can't help but wonder if we are a society plagued by "morbid introspection." We seem to be so busy (I am the first to plead guilty) trying to care for and define ourselves we have become blindsided to the needs of others. "I love me." I have spent hours contemplating who I am, what defines me, promising God that as soon as I have ME figured out, I can try to be of some help to others...but first I need to figure out me. "I mean really God, you don't want ME to help people, I can't even help myself." I've taken a 26 year sabbatical from society to figure out me. Why is it so difficult for me to find my identity in Christ? Why is it difficult to give up...me?
*As I rant I am painfully aware that I am participating in the very activity that I am trying to avoid, however, it helps to write out what I'm thinking (and I know my mom will forgive me.)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
The Frowner
I have not interviewed in front of a "committee" before this summer, so I had never been aware that on every interview panel there is the token "frowner". The "frowner", I'm convinced, is asked to be on the committee to tear down any confidence the interviewee may have had. I can hear them now, "Let's put Debbie Downer on our committee to see how well this interviewee can withstand her misery." You, the interviewee, smile in this person's general direction only to be met by hollow, soulless eyes that seem to scream "Think you have this job...well, you are WRONG!!!!" The interviewee's confidence is understandably shaken. The experienced prevail against this harpee of the interviewing world, but the inexperienced march to their doom and are left unemployed and broken. Who will rise up against this interviewing foe? WHO??!
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