Notifications, expectations - whatever

Hello? May I help you?
Originally uploaded by h0kieerin.

A New Year’s meme, swiped from Leesepea.

1. Will you be looking for a new job? I hope not! But if something comes up at LMK's school, I'm going to apply. This b-s paperwork is ridiculous.
2. Will you be looking for a new relationship? Sure, new friendships. As for a new hubby, nah. I've spent all this time training this one. Why would I throw it all away now?
3. New house? I wish.
4. What will you do different in 08? Save money. Be adults. Lose weight.
5. New Years resolution? Save money!
6. What will you NOT be doing in 08? Getting any more cats. Drat.
7. Any trips planned? We're going to Myrtle! I'm already excited. LMK's dad was talking about it over break. He's excited too. He promised a whole grocery bag of flyers of stuff to do after their Spring Break trip. I must be entertained!
8. Wedding plans? For Twin, hopefully.
9. Major thing on your calendar? Uhhhhhhh...last day of my first year of teaching?
10. What can’t you wait for? My next school break....which isn't for 3 months, if I'm lucky.
11. What would you like to see happen differently? See money saving and lack there of.
12. What about yourself will you be changing? Hopefully my weight.
13. What happened in ‘07 that you didn’t think would ever happen? I never thought we’d move 5 states away. However, it's been a great thing for both of us.
14. Will you be nicer to the people you care about? That would always be a good thing, especially for me.
15. Will you dress differently this year than you did in 07? More professionally. You have to when you're teaching 5 days a week.
17. Will you better your relationship with your family? I wish, but to me, that means living closer.
18. Will you do charity work? Ewww...I really need to do that. Must get on that.
19. Will you go to bars? Nah, I don't much care for drinking.
20. Will you be nice to people you don’t know? I have to be nice. Never can tell who is related to a student, parent, colleague, or boss. Gotta love education.
21. Do you expect ‘08 to be a good year for you? Let's hope so!
22. How much did you change from this time last year til now? Let's see, I'm a Virginian. I'm employed. I'm an adult. I'd say a whole hell of a lot.
23. Will you plan on having a child? Yep.
24. Will you still be friends with the same people you are friends with now? And then some, I hope.
25. Major lifestyle changes? Motherhood would be nice.
26. Will you be moving? God, I hope not. I hate moving.
27. What will you make sure doesn’t happen in 08 that happened in 07? Again, moving!
28. What are your New Years Eve plans? LMK's surgery. Yeah, that's how we roll.
29. Will you have someone to kiss at midnight? Yes, AND he can't run away. Mwahahaha!
30. One wish for 2008? Motherhood or on the road to motherhood.

Every Dang Year

Last Thursday, I was starting to get sick when LMK's kids came down to meet my kids. My kids had a ball. I think LMK's kids had a ball. We made snow globes, drank cider, and chatted. After LMK's kids left my kids asked if they could come back tomorrow. So I think my kids were impressed.

However, it never fails. Every year around Christmas, I get sick. One year it was pneumonia. The next it was strep. Another it was the stomach flu. EVERY DANG YEAR PEOPLE!

You guessed it, I'm sick again. I made it three months without getting so much as a sniffle. Through kid's illnesses. Staph infection outbreaks. Everything. And now, I have bronchitis. Of course.

I'm not dumb though...well, by the end of this story, I may have changed my mind about that. I went to the doctor Monday hoping for antibiotics and something for the coughing. My doctor didn't give me any antibiotics (I have some leftover ones that I'm contemplating taking anyway) but she gave me some cough stuff with codeine. Me likey. She also finally switched my blood pressure medicine because my old one made me cough.

I went home, took my meds, and went to sleep. I woke up like this:
LMK assured me that it "wasn't that noticeable". In almost 7 years of marriage the man has learned the appropriate times to lie to me. It didn't really matter anyway as I was going to school. Yesterday was gingerbread house day. If I wasn't there, they didn't get to make their houses and they'd by heartbroken. I knew I was in trouble when everyone I greeted said, "Oh my God, what happened?" As the day got on, it got bigger and bigger. I sent LMK a picture message and he decided we were going to the ER after school. I felt so miserable at that point, I was ok with that.

The ER doc knew exactly what the problem was. Evidently, it is a classic reaction to blood pressure medicine. They pumped me full of steroids and Benadryl (which do NOT make me tired, unfortunately) watched me for an hour. One hundred fifty dollars and a script for prednisone later, off I went.

This morning, my lip still looks puffy, but it's feeling better. I'm not staying home today either. It's movie day! I'm taking my class to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. Like hell I'd let a sub take that job. I've been looking forward to this for a month. I'm going to the movie.

And so begins another Christmas season.

Sporting Update

So.

The students got wind of the "let's cut the soccer program" idea. Parents have been calling and complaining. Looks like soccer with remain next year. Ha! It's times like this that I love LMK's school. Rich people threaten to pull money and the administration rolls over. Heh.

LMK and I went to the girl's basketball game this evening. We left after a quarter. I have no problem going and supporting several of his girls who are playing basketball. However, I cannot stand the girl's basketball coach. He's a whiny little bitch. There really is no other way to phrase it.

First, the student fans were shouting "shoot it" to a girl standing outside the key. She was open. She shot the ball and missed. He freaked out. He started screaming at the students. "Hey, you don't coach my team! I coach my team." He looked incredibly stupid and very childish. Me, I just bit my lip. LMK later said he was proud I didn't say anything. I've become a soccer fan. I can harass a coach with the best of them. It took a lot not to say anything.

One of the girl's on the team is also a soccer player. Her parents were there. They made a comment to LMK about how glad they were that he didn't scream at the kids like that. He's nice and calm. That's because he's a good coach. (Don't worry, I didn't inform them of that little fact. I'll let them draw their own conclusions)

But the end of it for me was when they got a technical (whatever that is) because one of the girls had a different number on than the number listed on the roster. He screamed at one of the managers (from another country) because it was her fault. Uh, `scuze me? Who is the head coach? It didn't help that this girl is sweet and wonderful and I love her to death.

It kills me that the administration thinks this guy is a "great coach". He's a prick and whiny bitch.

Bad coaches, just like bad teachers, give everyone a bad name.

Again!?

Twice in one week, you say. There must be extenuating circumstances. You're right! Long live the snow pony! Our first snow day of the school year. Even though I know we'll have to make it up, it's wonderful to be able to bum around the house. Clean the house. Wait for my new clothes (which all fit) and generally relax for a day. And those lesson plans for next week. Finito!

The update list:

• My new clothes arrived. They all fit and I only got one thing that I didn't order and don't want. Hello...me and white pants do NOT mix.

• I spent about $30 on books from Scholastic's Dollar Days sale. I ordered them Saturday and they're still processing. I WANT MY BOOKS!

• I found a cockroach in my room last week. G-R-O-S-S. Luckily, the other new teacher was nice enough to come take care of it for me. Ewewewewewew.

• LMK is having knee surgery on the anniversary of our move to Virginia. Oh how far we've come.

• Am I crazy for making LMK take me to the store this weekend to buy a cheap little doghouse for the stray cats that live under our porch? I'm going to put some wood chips in it for them to stay warm. They're cold and hungry. I'm not totally crazy right? I just cannot stand to see an animal cold or hungry.

• Twin got a promotion at work. She's going to be making more money. I'm so happy for her. She's getting away from the part of the job that is stressful and unappreciated and moving into management. Way to go, Twin!

• LMK is going to Baltimore in January for some soccer conference thing. (I listened, I just heard blah, blah, blah) Who is going to get me up for school? Start my car for me? Start fires to keep me warm and otherwise entertain me? I need entertainment, damnit!

• I was complaining this morning because the cancelled school after I showered. Until I got a call from my colleague who had no idea school was cancelled and was already at school.

• They're trying to cut the soccer program at LMK's school. It's such bullshit. Half of me thinks they'll never be able to do it. The other half of me almost wants them to do it so I can see the parents throw a fit and the administration roll over. True colors are being shown all over. It's all about football. Just like always.

• LMK's kids are coming down next week to meet with my kids. I'm so excited. My kids are so excited. Now, if I can only get enough baby food jars so we can make snow globes. Back up plan. Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

• I have little to no Christmas shopping done. LMK doesn't get paid until the 14th. Looks like we may be charging some gifts this year. I hope we can do it and not go overboard.

Happy snow day everyone!

Reading?

I finally picked up a book yesterday after a 5 month dry spell. It's the longest I've gone without reading since 4th grade. Honestly, I'm so busy and so exhausted most of the time I just can't concentrate on a book. However, I ordered this book as a fluke in my class's November book order. What can I say? The title caught my eye.

I knew the author was familiar (I finally figured out she wrote S.hiloh, which I can't bring myself to read after LMK confessed S.hiloh dies). Well, I read the back cover to see if I could figure out what other books she's written and I read the following exerpt:

"There really is a annual Stawberry Festival in the town of Buckhannon, West Virginia, which serves as the model for Buckman in this series."

Holy hell! LMK is from that town. You better believe I'm making it my goal to get every one of these books now. It's really neat reading about places I've actually been. It's almost as cool as when I found the name of where we're living now in a S.isterhood of the Traveling Pants book.

Back to grading math quizzes. Joy.