Countdown

There are two days left in this work year. We go on vacation starting Friday. Currently, the kids are fine. It is the teachers who need the break. We are told constantly that we aren't doing enough or not the right thing. Sometimes I wonder why we don't rise up and fight back. But when you are told something long enough, it almost seems true.
With the appointment of a new education secretary who seems truly anti-teacher and anti-collective, I am scared and sad. Does this mean another 8 years of feeling like we just aren't cutting it?

Wow

I am grateful and happy that the American Electorate finally got it right.

Yow

So there are 39 days left in the campaigns. That isn't or is a lot of time depending upon where one's head is. I think it is a LONG time... but my head is not where it should be.

One thought

Adam Brickley is not anyone to whom we should be listening.

Change

We are in the middle of moving now. The wedding is over and the honeymoon is still going strong. :) I am furiously NOT packing. There are moments to clarity where I clear out a shelf but the motivation is gone. I hope I can get it before Saturday because on Sunday we are going to look for some kittens to warm up the house. GAH! New fur.
I also want to send my condolences and good thoughts to the people of Tennessee and the horrible tragedy that occurred there just a short time ago. Namaste.

Sadness

I hurt today. The loss of ButterCup has really hit hard and I just cannot get excited for my wedding that is only two days away. Big B is sad too because he can't seem to cheer me up no matter what he does. All I want to do is curl up into a ball on the bed and cry until I sleep. Guests and friends are arriving in the next day but there is no real joy to speak of yet. There is hope that with the arrival of C tonight, I will feel better. But I make no promises.

Passing

It is with great pain and even more sorrow that I tell you all about my little girl. Today at about 5pm, she will go to sleep for good. ButterCup has some kind of stomach cancer that decided to show up at the most inopportune of times. The doctor said her chances were very slim and short of time. I decided that the best idea was to send her up to my Pappy in heaven so they could be together.
Bruce and I are very sad but only because we will miss her terribly. No one napped on my hip or drooled on my chest like her. She has been my best friend for 11-ish years. Her presence kept me sane and safe when I was at my worst. She was there when I became happy again and she was there when I met the love of my life.
I will be there when she takes her final breath in this world.

Please say a little prayer for her safe journey.

ButterCup

She is sick. My sweet darling isn't eating and has lost a LOT of weight. We are headed to the Vet's office today. Please think good thoughts about her. She needs all the help she can get.

Two Dozen

There are 24 days until our wedding.
B and I are getting hitched on July 17th.
It is quite an endeavor. Really, I don't know how people do it if they would have to teach AND get married. I suppose one would require a planner and a LOT of trust. I did a bunch of calls this morning to get ready. I have the makeup and the hair and the menus and the drinks and the MUSIC. Now for the flowers and the other bits.
It is very exciting. We are only having about 80 people, so it should be intimate. The music should be great too... lots of new wave for me!
Wish us luck!!

38 days

There are only 38 days until school is out for the summer. It doesn't seem like a lot but we don't call it May-os (rhymes with chaos) for nuthin'. There are tests to give, plays to perform, continuations to hold, bridging ceremonies to practice, cleaning and moving. It is quite the rapid 38 days... especially when one understands that we can't get in here over the weekends.
Well, off to teach. Here's to 38 days!

Saturday at Home

It is Saturday. I should be doing laundry or SOMETHING. I can't say the fatigue kept me from it. It is basic laziness. There was some action this morning but there was a nap and then Doctor Who has its season finale. Laundry is calling me. The mess in the living room isn't going away. Dishes in the sink are not going to do themselves. Yet I am avoiding them. Maybe they are just asking too much from me today. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Tired

I have been sick now since March 17th. That is almost a month of feeling yucky. The flu was bad. The ear infection was bad. Vertigo: bad. Now I am just tired. I can't motivate myself to do ANYTHING. Today I slept and slept and slept. I could go to bed right now. This is frustrating. I emailed the doc AGAIN and she is setting up a visit to the lab for some blood tests. We are looking now for thyroid issues. Yay.
Here is hoping for some kind of understanding soon.

Dramamine

I had the flu. I had an ear infection. I have vertigo. Dramamine is god. Now to stay awake whilst teaching the kiddos about rain. Yay.

Today

Today was fun Friday. We made visors. It was messy but glittery. Here's to overspending and over glittering. Yay elementary school.

All sorts

Spring break has come and gone. I have survived the parental and grandparental visit AND a whopper of a flu bug AND a whopper of an ear infection. Dang dirty children... (kidding).
There are but eight weeks left of school and I am glad for it. Now to make it through the last round of testing before the last bell rings on May 31st.

Did I doom myself?

Yeah. I did. I ended up getting that flu. It has kept me incapacitated for the past WEEK. The testing wasn't done and my head just did not want to get in the game.

Luckily for me, there are GREAT people I work with and they stepped up and took control. THANK YOU! I won't be complaining about testing again for about three weeks! Yippee.

Add the fun of a 101 degree fever, stuffed nose and hacking cough and well, it was a party here in my little house. There were moments when I wished for death. All I wanted to do was sleep but the coughing kept me from doing it. Sleeping while sitting up is not easy. I also had to fight the cat who wanted to sit on me. I had to explain to her that her mommy was not able to handle that... she didn't really get it. I just had to close the bedroom door. Poor B still didn't get her to sleep with him. I have missed our daily cuddles.

Spring Break starts tomorrow. That means my family is headed here for the wedding shower. It is time to fumigate the house but I still can't breathe well enough to get started. My nana and my mom will be here and the idea of giving them the flu would be the worst. Here is hoping that the Lysol works and doesn't kill me in the process!

Tunnel Vision

I can almost see the end of the testing cycle. Almost. Yet the kids keep dropping off and getting sick. I know that during Spring Break there will be AT LEAST a few days of fighting a flu-like disease. Lucky me!

Another Day... Another Test

Today is day number 5 of the state mandated standardized tests for children in grades 3-10 here in Colorado. As the Great Test Giver in my school I am charged with the dissemination of ALL of the tests... but this one is the biggest and "baddest." I have 280 children out of about 450 taking this during the morning and afternoon of this and last weeks. I have to make sure that the proctors are "proctoring," and the teachers are NOT teaching and that the tests are secure and locked up and that no one vomits on them or draws on them or reads ahead or discusses them outside the classroom. No wonder I feel like a prisoner myself.
Funny enough, the kids like this time because it is "different" and they get to play outside after the session. I think I would like that too.

First Timer

Hello All!
I have decided to finally join the 21st Century and become a player on the world stage of Blogging. It is time to put into cyberspace all of my thoughts and such. I can't seem to fill out my usual journal. Let's see if I can keep up with this.
Currently I am a teacher in Denver, Colorado. I have a lovely fiance, a sweet cat, a family that loves me and friends all over the world. The teacher-ing part of my life is at its stickiest. I love the kids and I love my school. I just don't love the system. But really, who does like "the man?"