Fwhump! is the sound of poo-poo hitting the fan.

Sorry for being such a lame-butt. Although, not as big a lame-butt as someone else I know. Things have been hectic this weekend. I may have even uttered the words: "This is the worst it's ever been" on Friday.

In all my four years at Williams -- including those countless all-nighters, crunch study sessions, and even the yearbook deadlines -- I have never encountered such a huge hole of shit that I had dug myself into until this weekend. I'm telling you people...it's bad.

However...with great need (and lots of caffeine) comes great accomplishments. By early Saturday evening I finished the entire week's worth of lesson plans (that's 30 lesson plans) complete with fun worksheets, charts, and tests. Come this morning, I completed my Synectics project and my Assessment Analysis project. This evening I finished gathering and analyzing the data I will use for my final project in my Curriculum and Strategies class. Now all I have to do is write 10+ page book review (for the book I haven't started) and then do the final project 10+ page write-up. This is all due on Wednesday. Did I mention that this is all for ONE CLASS? I won't even bother studying for the final.

For another JHU class I just need to complete my SWEEPS assignment -- somewhere in the ballpark of another 10+ pager? -- and then do some tweaking on my electronic portfolio. Thankfully, I'm all done with the third class' assignments.

Honestly, one is not meant to teach and go to graduate school at the same time. At least not during the first year of teaching. Let's hope the kids don't kill me this week. Something about it being so close to the holidays tells me not to get my hopes up.

Bah-humbug.

Would You Like Some Cheese With that Whine?

Today I had a gut-wrenching realization: there are people out there who go home after work and do not think about work from 5-10 when they go to bed. These are the same people who can go to work at 9am. They can also have lives outside of their jobs -- ones where they can go out to a bar and fraternize with friends who are not work-related!

I would like to be one of these people right about now.

I hate having finals -- damn you, Hopkins! Don't you get that we're first year teachers and our first priority is SURVIVING?? I hate working so hard for 36 kids who do not get that I am working so hard for them and decide to throw away their precious time by spending it in the office sitting on their butts instead of in my classroom. I hate not sleeping -- that kind of insomnia is not meant for life after college (or maybe, life after 22). I hate that we're too poor to be able to afford basic cable. I want to go see a friend or two on a weekend! I want to watch a movie guiltfree!

Whinewhinewhinebitchbitchbitchmoanmoanmoan.

In reality, it's not all that bad. Jamie is entertaining. Especially when he wears my crazy rainbow socks.


Yay for socks!

Also, I realized that I hadn't posted any Thanksgiving photos yet. So here you go. I'll let you contemplate the uncanny similarities in peace.


Thanksgiving Crew.

P.S. That's Mary in the middle!

The Girl with No Patience.

I suck at waiting. I am one of the more impatient people on the planet. Ask anybody who really knows me.

Exhibit A: I have already given Jamie his birthday, anniversary, and part of his Christmas present. None of these momentous events have happened yet -- they occur on the 19th, the 22nd, and the 25th respectively. I simply am unable to wait. Ever. I am holding out to the smaller part of Jamie's Christmas present. My goal is to wait until the 17th to give it to him. The one saving grace is that I will not actually be with Jamie for any of the events so we would have to celebrate them a little early anyway.

Exhibit B: I have already watched three episodes of The O.C. after having gotten the boxed set of the first season for my birthday (seriously the most awesome. gift. ever. Thanks, D!) Holy crap! I just linked that to Amazon and saw how expensive it is...reminding me why I didn't get it before. [Runs back to buy D more presents for Christmas].

Anyway, I watched these three episodes pretty much straight through without getting up. That's two and half hours of teen soap drama, people. I also have a mountain of work to do. But I couldn't wait to watch this show.

After having seen the beginning of the season (which I had never seen before), I must say that I finally get it. I can now understand why so many people told me to watch the show because I would like it. I like it.

Exhibit C: Jamie finally caved in to the whole cat debate and has promised to adopt one with me at the beginning of next year. I had to use every ounce of resistance not to run out to PetSmart now and buy stuff for our non-existent cat.

Pet name ideas?

Brrrrrrrr.

The temperature in my apartment right now is in the 50s. That's as cold as it would get in L.A. ever and would cause Los Angelenos to don their hats and scarves. Brrrrrr. Thankfully, Jamie finally caved an turned on the heat for a little bit. I really wish we had a fireplace.

Yesterday, I was running late for work when I hopped in my car and realized that there was a thick layer of frost. No problem, I'll just run back to the apartment and grab our scraper. Except we don't have a scraper. Hooray for ignorant West Coasters. Maybe it's time to get one of those.

So, yesterday was pretty great! I'm used to having my birthday in the most inconvenient of times with finals and all. This time wasn't really any exception -- still have finals for my Hopkins classes and on top of that all the teaching. But it was so nice to be with my kids. They threw me a surprise party and gave me teacher gifts (you know, used mugs and picture frames) and wrote cards. Had tons of cake.

It was also the second birthday that I've ever actually been with Jamie for...so he was able to spoil me with dinner out on the town (Burmese) and a movie (because I'm too tired for anything beyond that). We saw Closer which was a fine film. A little depressing but good. The weird thing was that people were laughing hysterically in the theater at the most depressing parts. "HAHA! He told her to fuck off!"

Funnily enough, one of the previews for a new movie started off with a scene of one my classmates from high school getting coke splashed in his face (he overacted). Apparently he is in a Will Smith movie. It actually looks kind of funny -- if you're in the kind of mood for that kind of movie. I freaked out in the theater when I saw it and I'm sure everybody thought I was weird.

Hooray for surprises.

Over the Hump?

So everyone said that once we got to Thanksgiving, teaching would be cake. I don't know if that's true.

But I can say that things have been so much better. Honestly, I can safely say that I have my management down for the most part. Or, at least I'd like to think so. Now I got to focus on the whole learning thing.

On the not-so-good note, I had all the money stolen out of my wallet the other day. I'm assuming it was one of my students since they are the only ones who know where I keep my purse (at the top shelf of a closet in the back of my room). It could have been so much worse as they did not take the entire wallet (and thereby burgle me of my credit cards and license), nor did they take my phone or my ipod (!!!) which I usually don't bring into the building except for on days when I have to stay late for class. Honestly, if someone stole my iPod I would be devastated.

So I gave my whole class the spiel of how they shouldn't bring anything of value to school and to stay vigilant for their friends and peers. So many of my kids broke down crying when they heard that someone took my money and then I felt bad.

Today (a full two days later), one of my students was in his reading group in another class. They were studying cause and effect. Apparently his was "Cause: someone was really mean, Effect: my teacher had her money stolen". So cute. And...suspicious. Just kidding.

Please, someone, get me through tomorrow.