I Smile, I Nod, and I Have NO Idea What She Just Said

I work with a flibbertigibbet, honestly, I work with several flibbertigibbets in the two jobs I hold.  Nice women, no question about it, but they just go on and on and on and on...and then I start wondering what it is exactly that have been talking about because if they ask me a question or my opinion, well I'm screwed...and I don't want them to think that I'm not listening or that I am a bad person because really, I'm a nice person...a really nice person...so nice in fact I sometimes get taken advantage of...but then, I guess it's better to try to think that people are inherently good and to think that people never really purposely try to take advantage of you because to think of them as bad people would just be really sad...especially now that we are close to the holidays, I mean, that would really suck, wouldn't it?

Man, I'm glad I've got a couple days off work...away from the flibbertigibbets. 

Apathy Runs Amuck...

We've hit that point in the year in which we at all apathetic at school...students and teachers alike...we just don't really care anymore...we're in survival mode these next few days!

While the holidays are great fun and always a great reminder of all the wonderful blessings we have in life, the lead up to them are exhausting!  As a school teacher, I know I am fortunate to have a longer break over the holidays than most other professions.  BUT, people in other professions will never understand how draining it is to be a teacher...and compounded with hormone-driven emotion teenagers...Well, I'm surprised I haven't turned to drinking yet.

We've two more days (half days at that), and they can't come and end fast enough for any of our likings.  I love my job (mostly when I get to shut my door and just teach) and I love my students, but I'm definitely ready for a break from both of them...just as they are in need of a break from me!

Day 12-Cacophony

So, I'm only five words...five days...five entries behind in the challenge, BUT my final paper for class is FINISHED!!  I won't pretend that it is my greatest writing achievement, but at this point...it's finished!  Insert the cacophony of loud horns, drums, banging piano keys, and of course the vuvuzela!!

Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Day 11: Available

Unfortunately there is no available time to write a thoughtful post.  I'm swamped with researching and writing a paper for my college class. :(

Waning Interests

I've never really been a collector of things (minus my Hallmark ornaments, these past few years) and most things I liked while growing up, I still like.  I've always been a huge music fan, I still am, but I don't buy the same number of CDs I used to.  I still buy the same amount (or more) of music; I just prefer to buy it through iTunes these days (the ease and instant gratification, I guess...and let's not forget the space that can be saved!).  I'm still a sports fanatic and I probably watch more games now than I ever did. 

If any interest is waning, it's my interest in late nights out on the town.  Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy a night out as much as the next person, but the desire to head out for an evening at the 9:00-10:00 hour holds little to no interest for me anymore.  And there's very little chance that it will happen on a Friday night!  These days, Fridays mean couch time for me.  I want to sit comatose for a few hours and just look at moving images. I want to enjoy some quiet time with no one asking me questions or wanting anything from me. After the three hour veg-session, I want to order delivery (Thai worked great last night), possibly build a fire and sit snuggled up to Scott for the remaining hours before I head to bed.  Yes, I'm coming to the realization I'm really lame, but I just don't seem to care much these days. :)

Introducing...

our newest member to the word-a-day writing challenge...From Where I Sit!  Welcome!! 

This newest member is another colleague of ours...representing the business department. :)  He obviously knows where to find the cool kids! In all seriousness though, he's a great teacher and writer and I find him super inspiring!  So, make out his blog.


*On another note...yes, I've rushed through a few of my last posts...but I'm finally caught up.  That accounts for something, right?!

Adoring Adorable

"Adorable" is one of my favorite words.  I love telling people they are adorable for some reason or another and I love when the compliment is applied to me.  Different things make people adorable...it might be for the way they go through life in a light-hearted manner or that they are able to laugh when things aren't all that funny.  Maybe it's the way they interact with others, or the references they make.  I'm fortunate to have friends who fulfill all adorable-making categories! 

With all the adorable friends I have, I often wonder what adorable aspect I bring to the table. Though there have been a few mentioned over the years, one that always makes me smile is from my friend Jessica.  Jessica loves that I use the word "supper" in reference to the evening meal.  I've had several people comment on my use of the word (generally making fun of me and my "country ways"), but Jessica is has always found it endearing.  Just one of the many reasons I adore Jessica! :)

Triple-Dog Dare You!!

I can't hear the word "dare" without automatically thinking about the movie The Christmas Story and the triple-dog dare which leads to Flick's tongue getting stuck to the flagpole.  Oh how I laugh at his painful cries of "thuck, thUCK, THUCK!"  And Ralphie's dilemma of whether or not to stay out or go inside when the school bell rings.

Watching The Christmas Story has become a tradition in my family (like many), and it doesn't matter how many times I see it...I still laugh out loud!  I sure am looking forward to the slow days of winter break to start...with no papers to grade, research to do or papers to write...to be able to lounge around the house and watch a few of the family favorites.

Irrevocability

Unfortunately, all relationships aren't irrevocable.

Anyone who knows me or who has ever read my blog knows that the relationship with my father has been strained the past few years. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset with how quickly my father moved on to his next relationship, but I am most bothered with how easily he seems to extract himself from all our lives. Communication with my sister, brother and I is completely one-sided; we only talk with him if we make the effort to contact him, and at best, the conversation is trivial.  It's frustrating, it's annoying, and at times, I find it downright depressing.  I love my dad and it hurts to not have the relationship I had with him while I was growing up, but I can no longer let it determine my life or emotions.  I wish things hadn't changed and I still hold out a small amount of hope that things will return to a more "normal" state...but as we all know, sometimes even the best of relationships can't be repaired.

A Toast to Wanderlust

I had a desire to travel from a very early age. Through most of my childhood, into my teenage years, and on into adulthood my dream was to go to Australia.  The realization of that dream came in 2004. With a few great friends, I was able to travel to Sydney and spend the week of a lifetime.  Though I knew I would love the experience I would never have guessed the innate connection I felt with the area when I stepped off the plane.  The walk down to "The Rocks" was actually emotional for me.  The sounds, the smells, the sun, the sandstone...it felt like they were all a part of me.  I spent a whirlwind week taking in sights and sounds, my heart swelling with every experience.  When it came time to leave, I cried. I realized I was "homesick" walking to the plane. I couldn't even truly enjoy New Zealand (our next stop) because I was in mourning...a large part of me was left in Australia.

Wanderlust begins, returns and ends in Australia for me.  While I hope to see all the world and experience numerous cultures, I know I will always want to return to the Land Down Under. I want to explore the Great Barrier Reef and attend the symphony at the Sydney Opera House.  I want to bring in the New Year with my Australian friends on a roof top overlooking Sydney Harbor Bridge....and I will.  I will live in Australia for a considerable duration of time, at some point in my life.  So until that time, I'll dream and I'll plan and I'll save.

Silly anxieties...

I freely admit when it comes to my Christmas ornaments, I border on being O.C.D.  I began collecting Hallmark ornaments with my mom and sister several years ago.  What started out as a "filler" gift (you know, those gifts you buy to round out a person's gifts, or to make sure you spent the same amount on each person) in the past has now become the focus of much of our Christmas holiday.  Needless to say, I've got multiple tubs of Hallmark ornaments.  Tubs of wrapped and boxed Hallmark ornaments.  Yes, I am very particular with my ornaments.  And, there is a process for getting the ornaments out, hanging them up, and putting them away.  I know it's excessive...I make fun of myself for it...but, I LOVE my ornaments!

So, last night when it was decided that we would put up my Christmas tree, I was excited and a little leery.  Scott helped me decorate my tree last year, so he had a pretty good idea of my system.  This year, my help were O. and M., and their excitement for all these tiny unopened boxes, while absolutely adorable, was completely nerve racking for me.  Though Scott says I looked calm sitting there with the boys digging through my beloved ornaments, my anxiety had to be transparent.  My offers to open the ornaments and have them hang them were pretty much ignored...I can't blame them, as Scott later told my sister, "it was like hundreds of little Christmas gifts sitting right there in front of them"...and I held my breath as I watched them delve into the tubs.  Fortunately, with a lot of prompting and careful observation, both boys followed my rules of carefully opening the box, carefully pulling out the ornament and unwrapping it, then carefully putting the bubble wrap or tissue paper back in the box.  They were a little disappointed when I told them they couldn't pop the bubble wrap, but they quickly got over it once they started to look at and play with the animated ornaments.

In the end, no boxes were torn, most packaging was returned to its correct box, and only one ornament had to seek a touch of superglue.  It was fun to see M. and O.'s excitement as I pointed out different ornaments and showed them where buttons and levers were to be found on them, but I was more able to breathe once we'd gotten through the opening of all the boxes.  I'm not proud of my anxiety in regards to the ornaments...I know it's silly, but I really do LOVE my ornaments.  I love reacquainting myself with the ones I have forgotten over the past eleven months and having the opportunity to put them on the tree for the very first time.  Though the "putting up" process is a bit tedious and I am a little particular about their placement on the tree (what...I have to showcase my favorites!) as well, the end result is a thing of beauty!

Bamboozle--What a Fun Word to Say!

As an educator, it's easy to feel like my students are trying to bamboozle me on a daily basis.  I don't generally look at their attempts as mean spirited, more just a means of having to do less work. They're teenagers and it's expected; it would be abnormal for them not to test the boundaries.  And, I appreciate their efforts when they are successful.

On the other hand, I've had plenty of people try to bamboozle me in my personal life.  I've been in relationships where as we got more serious, the more things began to change.  The admiration for my coaching three sports and teaching soon became a one-sided topic as we began to talk of the future that lay ahead of us; one-sided on his part..."you won't be able to coach when we have children, you'll need to be at home."  I remember feeling tricked, bamboozled, when the words trailed off his lips. I stared in disbelief and I walked out. This wasn't the first nor the last relationship (friendship or otherwise) I ended for feeling like I'd been deceived.

It's these past relationships, these unexpected shifts that make me so thankful for Scott.  Since our first meeting (afternoon coffee), I've never had a reason to feel suspicious or anxious about what the future would hold.  Scott has never been anything but completely upfront about his past, his failures, his hopes, his dreams, etc.  I've never met a more honest or more true person than Scott (one of the many reasons I am marrying this man!); shoot, he was even relieved when his attempts to throw me a surprise birthday party were thwarted.  :) 

To be able to trust completely...that's big...that's really BIG!

Day 2: Nihilism

Really?!  Nihilism...Hmmm...

Well, it took a consult with Mr. Webster to make sure I even knew what the word means...total rejection of established laws and institutions.   

I can't say that I've ever sat and thought about anything in terms of complete rejection...hmmm, what do I reject...

It feels a little weird to be saying this, especially as I plan my own wedding, but of all institutions, I am most discouraged with the institution of marriage.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge proponent for commitment and the joining of lives, but it's hard to believe in a system that doesn't allow every one to legally marry.  Times change and so should the social institutions in which we most strongly believe, and effect the greatest majority.  There shouldn't be laws that determine which genders of people are allowed to love one another and be legally bound. So, I guess it is fair to say I reject the [current] established laws which govern the participation in the institution of marriage.

***I'm crossing my fingers for a much "fluffier" word tomorrow!
  

A December Writing Challenge

Tonight is the night regular writing begins, again.  My buddies (Crazybastard66 and NoisyLittleAdventures) and I have devised a challenge...a one-word challenge. Every day in December a random word (supplied by one of us) will be drawn and our task will be to include the word in a piece of writing (it could just be in the title) or simply write from inspiration derived from the chosen word.  The web site instructs participants to write for sixty seconds...this all English-teacher crew has decided to toss that guideline...we like words and our own voices (in writing of course) too much to be limited to a mere sixty seconds! So, here goes...

Tonight

Tonight was spent in class, well, two and a half hours of it anyway.  I like the class, I like the people in the class, and I thoroughly enjoy the wit and intellect of the instructor; but, I am so ready for this class to be over. I want my Wednesday evenings with "my fellas" back, and I want to be able to absent-mindlessly watch a movie without thinking about star power, commercial aesthetics, production codes, lighting, framing, and staging techniques, or focus on camera angles.  I merely want to enjoy the spectacle of Harry Potter escaping the Dementor's kiss or jump out of my seat when I'm startled by the snake striking at the screen, instead of thinking the director broke the rules by making the audience a part of the film instead of allowing us to just be spectators...I want to stop using the word spectacle when talking about what is projected on a movie screen!  After a finishing a fifteen page paper I have yet to start and a final class meeting, I will try to return to the role of audience member...and, I plan on celebrating that moment with Scott, a bowl of popcorn...and, perhaps,  Johnny Depp.

**Follow our challenge, hold us accountable to writing every day...join our challenge!  Leave a comment if you'd like to participate and we'll get you linked!