I Could Be A Stalker...

Anyone who knows me, knows my favorite hockey player is Paul Stastny. Remember last spring when I had the opportunity to have my picture taken with him, and Honey chopped his head off? Well, on Saturday night, I got my second chance...

Honey and I had tickets to see The Killers... one of my most favorite bands. I've missed them the last few times they've been in town, the last time not a big deal, and I wasn't going to let it happen again. The day before tickets went on sale, Honey said he could buy them early because he was a member of some radio club. I told him to go for it, and waited for the results. He called later that day to let me know he had indeed gotten tickets, and they cost $382. I almost crapped my pants, but thought, "What the hell... it is THE KILLERS!!!", and I knew at that moment just how much he REALLY loves me. The tickets arrived in the mail, and we realized we paid FOUR TIMES the face value, and wondered what the heck was up... We did a bit of investigating, but never got an answer as to why we paid such an inflated price. Nevertheless, we decided we weren't going to let it ruin the night, once it finally arrived... And Saturday was the night....

We arrived just in time for the opening act, and patiently waited for the main event. As they were changing out the set, some guys at the end of the row were talking loudly and harassing one another. I looked up just in time to see Paul Stastny walking down the aisle, poking fun at the guy on the end of the row in front of us, who ended up being David Jones. Just behind Paul was JML (John Michael Liles) joining in the razzing of Jones. By the time the show started, Liles, Jones and Stastny were sitting in front of us, Chris Stewart, Scott Hannan, and Daniel Tjarnqvist, were sitting right behind us, and Lappy (from the spring event) was two rows behind them. 

I know that Paul could feel me staring at him the entire time. I tried sneaking pictures of him when he turned around to talk to his fellow teammates, but only a few of them came out. Honey tried to start some small talk with Stewart about the upcoming game on Sunday vs Calgary, but Stewart didn't seem interested. At that point I figured I wouldn't ask Stastny for a picture, since it wasn't an Avs event, and would respect his privacy instead. 

Once the show started, we were all up dancing and singing the words to all of the songs they played. It was a great show and well worth the money we paid for the company we kept!

I'm Back...

It's been awhile since I've blogged. A lot has happened in the past 4 months. Most important, Obama won the election and will be inaugurated on Tuesday. I really think our country is about see some much needed changes in the way it conducts politics. 

My part-time assistant principal/part-time teacher job has turned out to be 2 full-time jobs, which has been the reason I haven't blogged. I love my AP job, and really hope it will lead to something full-time for next year. One of the great outcomes of this situation is that I have been able to rekindle a friendship with my teammate from a few years back. She teaches the literacy and social studies content to the students in the morning, while I teach them math and science in the afternoon. It is really great to be working together again!

Hockey season started up again in October, and although we haven't lost every game (like last year), we aren't doing quite as well as I had hoped... on my co-ed team, or my women's team. I'm continuing to take lessons every week, and feel that as a player, my abilities are improving, but things just aren't clicking with the teams as a whole. I get a sense that both teams are just waiting for the playoffs, because really in the end, that's where it matters. 

Another change 2009 will hopefully bring is a new home. We finally settled my mother-in-law's estate (it only took a year and half) and we will begin working on her house in a few months, with hopes of living there by the end of the year. I anticipate the majority of my blog posts being about the progress of this project. The architect is making plans for the addition and remodel on the existing house, as well as for the development of the vacant corner acre we inherited. We are hoping to build 3 houses on the land, and sell them, once the housing market turns around. 

At least today, from where I'm sitting, 2009 looks to bring a lot of good things our way... only time will tell!

I'll Be Praying For You...

I got this email from a good friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, entitled, "Confusion". It basically slams the door on all of the idiotic things Republicans have been saying about Obama from the get-go. For example, "If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. Name your kids Willow, Trig, and Track, your a Maverick". My personal favorite comparison is this one, "If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a REAL Christian. But, if you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian."There are quite a few other good ones, but I won't go into anymore detail about that. 

This Blog is about what happened when I forwarded the email to some folks this morning. The majority of the people to receive the email are close friends who share the same political beliefs as I do. BUT... I also included a couple of family members (my husband included) who lean way too far to the right for my liking. Among them are my sister and my step-sister who have sent me ridiculous emails for the past few months about how Obama is going to cause the Apocalypse, how he's going to swear on the Koran if elected, etc... Now grant it... they are from the south, the deep south I might add, where the "N" word is still used to describe those of a different color, and to which I believe ignorance abounds, so I shouldn't be too surprised to the response my step-sister had to my email. It went something like this: 

Stupid Step-Sister - "Are you for Barak Obama? I hear many in your state are. I'm curious."

Me - "Yes, I'm a big supporter of his."

Stupid Step-Sister - "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll be praying for you."

Praying for me??? WTF... do I have cancer??? Am I going to die soon??? I couldn't believe her response. Who does she think she is? 

Well to her I say, "Really, don't waste your piddley little prayers on the fact that I can't fathom 4 more years of corruption, lies, and a never ending war." It's really quite simple to me. All you have to do is ask yourself one question, "How much better off today are we, than 8 years ago?" Well let's see: 

1. Osama Bin Ladin has yet to be captured. In fact, as we all know the Taliban has quickly been rebuilding their terrorist forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan, while we look for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Yes, remember, that's why we started this whole thing initially. And how many WMDs did find? Oh yeah, I know, Sadam Hussein was a an evil dictator, and caused lots of harm to many people in his country, but a close friend of ours who just returned from his tour in Iraq, said basically the only type of government that can sustain in that country for about the next 100 years, is one with a dictator, much like Sadam. He was the only type of person who could maintain some sort of order between the 4 major tribes who exist there. 

2. Our economy...We all know how that is doing. Well, at least those of us who have the guts to take an honest look, and speak honestly about where things truly are. And if the past week is any indicator of things to come, it doesn't look like it's going to get better any time sooner. 

3. Healthcare... funny, my mom is always complaining about the cost of her prescriptions, and how difficult it is to get good care at the doctor's office anymore... HELLO... so when did this begin... Oh about 5-6 years ago... Ummmm coincidence??? I don't think so!!!

4. Education... That's a whole other Blog topic... I could go on and on, but the fact of the matter is... Since No Child Left Behind came into play, I've had less resources and more demands placed on me as an educator, and are the children any more smarter, or getting any better jobs??? NO... they are little robots, spitting out useless knowledge to pass some test, designed to make sure a certain percentage of them fail.

5. The Environment - Now this is something to pray for... As an educator I have seen more and more students with severe Asthma and allergies enter my classroom than ever before. I don't believe it is a coincidence either. The air we breather, the food we eat, some thing has got to change. 

These are just a few of the things I was thinking about when I made my decision for which candidate I was going to support. I didn't know, nor do I care that it has caused my family to put me on the prayer list at church...

Be Careful What You Wish For...

On Wednesday, I finally got what I've been wishing for... 

My principal got a new job, which opened the door for our current AP to take her position, which left the AP position open. I was offered and accepted the job! Yipeee!!! Finally...

I've posted before, and truly believe that all things happen for a reason, which is why things didn't quite go my way this summer. 

In reality this is really the best of both worlds. The AP position is only half-time, which means I will be wearing the AP hat in the morning, then returning to my classroom in the afternoon to teach math and science. This works out well, because I think the parents of my students would not be as happy as they are about the whole thing, if I weren't going to be teaching at all. 

The problem is that I now feel pretty schizophrenic. Administration and teaching are 2 VERY DIFFERENT worlds. People don't really see that unless they've had the opportunity to do both. Many people think that because you show up to work in a school that everyone's doing pretty much the same thing, but that just isn't the case. 

As an administrator I do not have a contract. We are "at will" employees and can be let go at any time. As a teacher, I have this insane contract, that covers just about every little possible incident that could ever happen. 

Yesterday, I found myself in an conversation with our PE teacher,  and later our Art teacher about some contractual issues. Halfway through the conversation, I realized that they were not speaking to me as a colleague, but as their boss. Holy Crap!!! I've never been someone's boss!!! 

So I realized this morning that this is what's been keeping me up at night for the past few nights... For the past few years, I've had several opportunities to "play administrator" at our school, but the final decisions have always been made by our principal and AP, and folks just knew that. They came to me as a kind of sounding board, then would go to either of the bosses for the final decision. 

So in one days time, all of this has changed. I can still be the sounding board, but I also get to make the final decisions... God help us all!!!

Girls Are Smarter Than Boys...

It's hard to believe that it is just now Labor Day Weekend, and I've already been back at with kiddos for 3-weeks. This year I have the exact opposite of my class from last year... I have 16 girls and 6 boys in my GT class. The one thing I've noticed with so many girls is that I have to plan 3 times more assignments, activities and opportunities for learning than I ever have before. 

When I first started teaching GT a few years ago, the amount of planning required was my biggest challenge. Now, with the majority of students being girls, I am finding I have to plan even more than I did back then. 

Girls tend to be much more chatty than boys, but when it comes to working and studying, they are very focused and motivated. It's been fun to watch the girls bring the boys along these passed few weeks. You can literally watch them walk over to where the boys are working, get in with them, and help them figure things out. I love their confidence in answering difficult questions, and their willingness to take risks in putting ideas out there. 

I'm glad that I got the opportunity to teach this group of students this year. Things definitely turned out the way they were supposed to. 

We Are The Champions...

Finally... it's been a long time comin', but my co-ed team finally won our league championship. We have worked very hard this season, and tonight it paid off. The past two games we have really focused on playing as a team. Amazing how that works when you are playing a team sport. We got goals from different people, and different lines, and our defense, not just the defensive lines, but how well played D as a team, was the best I've seen it in the past 5 years. Way to go guys and gals!!!

The Last Two Weeks...

With such a short summer break this year, I've been trying to pack in as much fun, relaxation, and house organizing as I can. 

On July 12th, Honey and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. It is truly hard to believe it has been that long. It seems like we've only been married a few years, which I think is a good sign. November will be 12 years that we began our relationship, and we are still discovering new and exciting things about one another. I hope that this never stops!

On the 16th we headed to Atlanta to visit the family and celebrate my mom's 75th birthday. I have to say, it was one of the best trips we've had there in a few years. Maybe it's because we are all getting older and realizing that we may not have as much time together as we once thought, or perhaps we just deal with each other's crazy quirks a bit better, but no matter the reason, there was lots of laughter and good times had by everyone. 

I return to work on Thursday to help get things ready for the new school year and to set up my new classroom. 

I'm not sure I'm ready for this summer vacation to be over just yet:(