What's in the box?

It's a good thing that moving usually means you get to be in a "new" place. Otherwise I think it would be too exhausting for anyone to do it. The excitement of the "new" place gets you through the drudgery of lugging your worldly possessions all over and the grueling deep clean of the "old" place and the heavy lifting and such. I'm tired of moving...and I know we'll be doing it at least one more time.

In our cross country move, there was a sense of urgency at the "new" place to get the TV/stereo system set up because a new episode of LOST was on that night. The receiver was placed directly on the carpet and kept turning off (or malfunctioning in other annoying ways) because it wasn't getting proper air flow. In his haste to ready the system for LOST viewing, Dave grabbed a small, unopened box marked "living room" and used it as a pedestal for the stereo components. We had every intention of replacing the box with a more permanent solution, but, until this past Sunday evening, there that box sat.

Over the past nine months the "living room" box became quite a mystery. What was inside? I didn't seem to be missing anything. From time to time we'd comment on the presence of the box beneath the stereo equipment. Maybe it's some candles, or picture frames, we'd say. These conversations would frequently lead to one of us suggesting there may be a million dollars in it.

The mystery has been solved. And, like many other things, the opening of the box was rather disappointing. Inside were boxes of votives and tea-lights, some favors from my cousin's wedding, some Christmas ornaments and decorations, and the candles we used to light our big candle at our own wedding. Damn...I was really hoping for a million dollars. Or at the very least, Gwyneth Paltrow's head.

That song's from the '60s

The move is pretty much over, and a couch decision was made. We did go the more comfortable route with the EKTORP. They had a white cover for less than $40 but we felt like that would be money down the drain anyway, so we went with the beige which was about $100. I think it was the right choice. We found a lot of other things too and ended up spending almost $700. But I figure, we were looking at loveseats that cost that much anyway, and this way we ended up with patio furniture, lamps, 2 new duvet covers, and several other little things as well.

I love our new place. It's very bright and it feels bigger. So far it's been much quieter, but we are on the top floor (only 2 floors here) and the apartment below us is empty. The dogs are very confused...Hudson keeps trying to go up every set of stairs we come to and Bishop still thinks we live on the ground floor. Going up and down the stairs is interesting too. Hudson's paws slipped through once and now he's overly cautious...it's kind of cute. I think they're also confused because Dan hasn't "come home" in several days.

What is it about birthdays? I always get introspective and emotional. I was watching this segment on Good Morning America about a Georgia soccer team of refugees and just lost it. I guess this sort of thing makes me weepy anyway. It's strange to be away from my friends and family...I've never had a birthday like this before. At least I don't feel like a nerd for not doing something totally awesome for my birthday. It'll be a quiet night and Dave and I will probably go out to eat...sounds totally awesome to me!

If you have to ask...

I think an obsession is forming. First off, it's so nice to be done with work at noon, run a few errands and make it home to Dave. I love summer school (and the fact that it will soon be over). We decided we should spend the afternoon at IKEA. He said it, but I was thinking it...we're so alike it's scary. We spent about three hours wandering around the showroom, sitting on the furniture, knocking on the tables, feeling the textiles, and carefully examining all items under $10...which is a lot. We are returning on Thursday or Friday to pick up our new loveseat. We are (and by that I mean I am) undecided on exactly which one to get. The KLIPPAN is cheaper but the EKTORP is more comfy. What do you think? Any suggestions?

After completing the top floor, we had a bite to eat at the cafe and then wandered downstairs for a while. I wish I would have thought of IKEA...it's such a good idea. Huh huh...seriously though, lots of people spend all day there and continuously pick up these little items that are inexpensive but add up to hundreds of dollars. It's like Target on a larger scale. In my IKEA though, I would keep Mountain Dew in my Pepsi fountain machine.

The confusion sets in

Man...it is hot! It's funny though, because you can still function. They tell you to get things done early...and they mean early...it's 11 a.m. and it's 97 with a high of 108 today. I took the dogs for a walk at 10 and it was hot, but it was definitely bearable. Maybe it's psychological because I know the temp will continue to rise, and I certainly don't want to live in this climate forever, but it's really not too bad as long as you don't have to be out in the sun.

I'm starting to get a taste of what "summer" will be like after next week. I don't know how you ladies that are home a lot of the time do it. I have so much rolling around in my brain...things to clean, things to pack, projects I want to start, school stuff I want to get done, spending extra time with the doggies, not to mention some relaxing time for myself...I'm at a loss for where to start or which is priority. I guess as a general rule, I'm thinking:

1. Walk the doggies first thing...before it gets TOO hot
2. Do house "chores"
3. Lunch, a little T.V., more doggy time
4. My projects, school or otherwise
5. Whatever is left...more chores, maybe some baking, things I've forgotten

Who knows...all I know is that I'm excited! Only 4 days of summer school, woo hoo!

the suicide lesson

Have you ever watched a movie that was so bad, yet just good enough to make you keep watching, and then blocked it out of your memory? The producers of Hurlyburly are really quite clever because they stocked this movie with stars a-plenty. So many good actors that you think to yourself, "Well anything with 2 Penns, a Spacey, and a Palminteri can't be bad...oh...and Meg Ryan! Let's go for it!" Let's just say, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

That's right, as the beginning scene rolled, it all seemed distantly familiar but I couldn't recall ever watching this movie. As each scene concluded, I would remember, and then eventually I knew what would happen next. I still couldn't imagine when, or why, I had ever watched this movie.

Flashback to Curwood. I was doing school/coaching/j.crew and Dave was working at Domino's with Ugly and kato. Somewhere along the line, we decided it would be a good idea for Ugly and kato (who resided in the Shedu basement at the time) to follow Dave home at 1 a.m. several nights a week for a late night movie...or two. Why we started this, I have no idea...why it continued after the first time is beyond any comprehension. Anyway, this is relevant because as the credits rolled on Hurlyburly I suddenly realized where I had seen this trainwreck of a film. The "review" by ween-3 at the imdb site was spot on by saying:

You liked "Glengarry Glen Ross"? You're gonna love THIS one.

Too bad I wanted to kill myself halfway through Glengarry Glen Ross.

Happy 6/4!

Summer school started today and man was it boring! It wasn't really my fault (that's my story and I'm stickin' to it) because of the lack of information and organization. Other teachers had the same complaints. The entire program was being run by still novice teachers who had obviously never undertaken a huge event such as this. They had lots of great ideas in many areas but overlooked some big ideas like actually checking in hundreds of students. I'm not saying I could have done a better job, but then I wouldn't have signed up to run a summer school program at this point in my career.

Today was a lot of trial and error and a lot of pre-testing. Hopefully things will move along more smoothly tomorrow and the kids won't look bored out of their minds...I miss my first graders!

Fact: Lady MacBeth is a sweet nickname.

School is out. I have begun compiling, in my brain, a list of things to remember for next year based on things I either did well at, or failed miserably at. In no particular order they are:

*Know my rules and be consistent about them right away
*Keep my cool...don't let frustration show
*Be understanding of students and parents
*Be honest, but don't speak too freely
*Record incidents, parent communication, student discipline, etc.
*Don't stress about "fitting it ALL in"...it doesn't ALL fit
*Prepare completely for the next day before I go home
*Be flexible...the kids are
*Laugh at the things that piss me off
*Have fun with the kids
*Play lots of games
*Gifts are good as long as every kid gets the EXACT same thing
*Things that can go wrong, will go wrong
*Have a yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily plan, detailed to the appropriate extent
*It doesn't matter if things don't go exactly as planned
*Tomorrow can be better

Summer school starts tomorrow and I'm a little nervous because I don't have much information about it. I'm basically walking in armed only with what I will be teaching. I have no idea how many kids, who they are, what level they are at, what my room looks like, what supplies I will need, and so much more. But, I'm goin' for it and my attitude is "Bring it on!"