Dancing with Detention

Today is Wednesday, which means I have the first of my no-sketchbook detention kids (Spencer, Cotton, Vetter) AND the Latin Dance club... so why not mix it up and have dancing detention?  After they finished their assignments- and still had minutes to serve- they are dancing their way to stardom to the Latin version of Stand by Me.

Actually, they are quite good and it's fun to watch...

but I'm ready to go home now, thank-you.

Hatter!

No, I have not yet joined the ranks of the red-hat society- even though AARP sent me my first card in the mail (!) 

Anyway, we couldn't make it down to Barbies for the bluegrass-bbq this weekend- not only was Saturday a sale day, but we were out of inventory and had to get to Angel's to restock.  And there I found this lovely hat - we were playing around and the manz took this photo. 

I know I've been slack on the blog- both writing and printing- school is back in full swing and I'm still resolving my schedule- I think I have it all figured out when I get curve balls like Latin Dance and Hurricanes... will try to do better : )

Ride 'em CowCat!

Turrello enjoying Dad's chair- he looks like a cow boy, eh?  It's a special bond between Cat-Dad-Chair.....

Anyway, am back to school now, full steam ahead.  Which means that until I adjust my schedual it's a bit like surfing in heavy water...you are thinking that you finally got it- stand up on the board- and WHOOM the next wave comes along and knocks you on your butt.  So it's mad fun, but your always getting waved. I'll find my rythum soon tho, and things will be less hectic. 

I have good intentions to be more balanced this year- but so far to balance I've been waking up at 4 (sometimes 3:30) not on purpose but just because I wake up and my mind starts racing with 'to do' and 'ideas'.  It's ok, because I am such a morning person...and if I work at this hour I can relax and rest when I get home after school.  Snuggle with the manz, draw things, watch shows, read a little.  That works out.  With my new energy levels (YAY) I can stay up until 9 or so, and wake early and be not-tired.  But I want to be careful and not burn out- it's only week two!

School is going fine though- my classes are filled with pretty happy kids, a few girls-with-attitudes (they still model the eyerolling and the 'tshuh' noise when asked to do anything.  I'm better at eyerolling than they are, and I just say 'yeaaaaah' or act odd - pirate noise- and it startles them into shape. I gave up being 'cool' long ago- I'm just me!) , an exchange student from China and assorted other miscreants.  College classes are filled with freshman, who mainly use our 'discussion board' to try to hook up "You play soccccerrrr? WOW!  I looooove soccer."  (say it like it's pretty-girl voice, add visuals of hair twirling)  (no, I'm not picking on the girls- but seriously- they write like this, and the guys- well, they discuss baseball. or football.)   My classes are intense, but just because they are in the science/math department so there are actualy deadlines (!) and they are full of people who know-more-and-have-cooler-technology than me.  It's ok though- I'll be fine.

Now, the manz is putting up with this beautifully... even though it's a 180 transistion from 'wife-at-home-doing-nothing' which was all summer to 'wife-in-high-gear'.   He just maintains his zen like calm and good humor, does his manz-stuff and let's me range. How did I get so lucky?

School Daze!

Me @ School, on the first day, during homeroom.  I had just sprung back up  (notice the attempt at the cheerleader stance) after falling flat on my butt in my teacher shoes.  My new FLAT teacher shoes.....sigh.  Anyway, that explains the bit of dishevelment.  (who am I kidding? I'm always disheveled!)

Been a few days since I've written- school, work, school-that-is-work- all starting at once of course.  Hit the ground running and all that.  (Seriously, I don't know how the manz puts up with it).  But I had an excellent first day, topped off with surprises from the manz- magnetic letters, sticky-put-it-up-stuff, cool old scissors with weird bits, brass leaves~ more.... and then out to dinner for fish tacos.  Heaven!

Rest of the week flew by, and now it's Friday~ hooray for Friday~ and I am ready to sit and talk and watch House with my beloved.....mmm... so nice to have someone to come home to!

Nappy Time

The room is set up, and clean, papers printed and organized (waiting for my turn at the xerox)... still have a million things to do before tomorrow but it is dark in here, and cool, and raining hard outside....the forbidden futon is calling me for a nap (it's still here as I haven't figured out how to get it gone yet~)

Thing is, lately I've been abundant plus with energy- bouncing (literally) off the walls, cleaning, organizing, thinking, presenting.  Waking up in the middle of the night restless. I'm a champion sleeper, so that is really odd for me... I have been wondering if it is because I am feeling better physically, or if it's the steroids I've taken for the ivy (almost finished with those) or just keyed-up-ed-ness in general.  probably all of the above.

But then *whoosh* the wind is out of my sails at 12:00, I decided to go for a walk and that is when I discovered it's pouring down rain.  I wandered about school for a bit, but everyone has vanished or taken the day off.  (How can you take the day before school starts off?  I've been here for 15 years and I'm still never quite ready for day one~).  So I ate my yumbo and drank my toxic water and I'm still sleepy.  And thus I am sharing my sleepy with all of you... perhaps just a half hour..... (Charles, if you read this and I'm not home yet, call school and wake me up!)

Welcome to Paradise!

Happy Monday Everyone!  Sometimes you just have to share the special, special start to your day... it makes it easier to have some humor about it.

So anyway, everyone knows that our AC is broken- and last night there was a humongous storm, thunder/lightening/downpour....lovely and I fell asleep at once.  Then I woke up at 11 all hot and itchy, was up for hours watching Hoarders then finally playing computer Mah-jong.  Which shows absolute no-sleep desperation.  Ok- so today is a loooooong day at school because we have open house until 7:30.  It's doable because *hey* there is AC at school (abandoning cranky manz and doggs and cat to hothouse)!  I have a school-spirit photo-op backdrop painting to knock out this am so I have on my comfy jeans- but I brought along the appropriate dress/heels for tonight.  Professional and all that, plus saving gas money (no trips home- we are waiting on ECU to pay me.... argh.)   Anyhoo, all good to go- right?

Well, for starters I'm mostly down the road when I realize that I have forgotten: the camera, the pictures for the library and to make arrangements to get rid of the broken futon today.   It's ok, can cope- will borrow camera from media center, bring the pictures tomorrow and somehow deal with the futon (am magic that way).   I pull into my bright shiny new parking place (I miss being #1, but #8 is lucky!), scoop up my armfuls of stuff (maggie bag + tote bag + lunch bag + Noah's painting + dress clothes) and head down the side walk.  We are building an auditorium, so the sidewalk is a bit rough in places, and unexpectedly reaches up and grabs you.... SPLOOSH!  down I went into a ginormous mud puddle.  Minor skinning of toes, wrecking of freshly applied polish- not a big deal.  But my jeans are soaked, I landed on my dress clothes, the lid of my okra came off and I have yumbo spilt all over my lunch bag inners.... but the Maggie bag and computer landed on top of me so that is a goood thing!  

Here I am in my office, which is a balmy 65 degrees  (do I have a sweater?  noooo....only one covered in mud puddle ick).   I am running my dress/sweater through the school washer (hoping that it won't come out smelling like a football jersey).  I am just dealing with my jeans- they'll probably be dry by the time my dress is done.  What I would really like to do is go home, take another shower and try again- but instead I'll just keep camping on- at least it makes for an entertaining start to the year!!!

Hot, hot, hot!

Canton, Texas- on the way home we stopped at the huge 'first Monday' market.  Flea market paradise, even at above 100 degrees..... except this snowman didn't seem so very fond of the heat~  (doesn't it look like he is crying sad, sad green tears?  Why would anyone spray paint a snowman's eyes green? hummmm).... anyway, we are going through our own personal hot spell.

It's not just the outside heat, it began with the car.  Traveller car was perky and cool all throughout the journey, but once home the air conditioning started acting up, warming up, then finally overheating and dying altogether.  Meanwhile, the house was kinda warmish, but we attributed that to the save-energy-power-cycling program of the energy company, the unusually hot temps/ no rain weather we have had, and just the general hotness of our personal good looks (ha!).  But then the AC stopped working altogether Friday night...... and it's something that the manz can't fix, so it's complicated- and it's the weekend, and the expected money has yet to arrive.   So we are making the best of the heat- in our chairs, with fans and lots of cold beverages.... but the cat is funny.

Turrello has always been an inside cat.  We found him ONE YEAR AGO TODAY! yay!   But he has been spoiled- life has been all tuna sprinkles and recliners, napping in the beard and tormenting the doggs.  And airconditioning.   He likes to hang out by the fans anyway, but he doesn't understand this thing called 'hot'.  Keeps wandering over to the air vents, peering down them, waiting for a breeze.   Attempts to roll on his back on the kitchen floor and spread eagle (Just like Bear) but that doesn't seem comfy for cats.  Can't snuggle in the beard, or on the bed, and fresh warm laundry is just not the same.....life is hard.