I was talking to Molly the other day and we've always had an agreement that we should go into business together. We'd be perfect business partners. She's great with numbers and people...and I'm...fully willing to be partners with someone like that!
Anyway...she is a dog lover. She pets every dog she comes across (after asking permission of course). I'm a cat lover. She's basically me except skinny and with dogs. I'm one of the few people that "gets" it.
The other day she told me the perfect business plan (teaching is great...but it's just not cutting it for me currently). A pet rescue. If she and I were to buy the farm she could put kennels in the big buildings (there are probably about 3) for dogs. I could use the milkhouse and milking parlor for cat pens. Put an exercise pen for the cats back where the pig pen/calf room used to be and use the fields for dog exercise.
It's perfect! Molly and Erin's Pet Rescue.
Too bad they sold the farm and Molly is moving to Missouri in May. It's going to be a sad spring `round here.
What would your dream job be?
Bullying is a serious problem in today's schools. All over the country children are being emotionally traumatized and even physically assaulted by bullying. As a teacher, I feel pretty helpless to stop this. Afterall, if I intervene then often the bullying intensifies. I can't just turn away from it. I was bullied and teased in school. I understand the pain. However, I can't protect children every hour of every day.
The feeling of helplessness is awful. I can't imagine what it must feel like for a parent.
So when I see this game being advertised on television it just makes my blood boil.
I am going to kill a cow.
The bull will not SHUT UP! He is supremely pissed off and it sounds like he is standing right outside my window. Creeepy. Here...you listen. Turn your speakers up. He's at the beginning and the end.
Remember that movie with Ashley Judd? Someone Like You? He needs some New Cow. Good gravy! I swear...I'm having steak tomorrow! Diet be damned!
So...when I'm in jail for -- cowicide, visit me.
Mm-kay?
Wednesday night we went to dinner with my aunt and uncle for my mother's birthday. While waiting for our food my father starts discussing the new shopping center coming to Growing City. Evidently it is supposed to contain 13 (13!) new restaurants.
My father says, "How are they going to find 13 restaurants that they don't already have in Growing City?"
We've definitely got all the restaurants one could ever want, right? I mean there's a BW3's, several Chinese places, Dairy Queen, a few pizza places, KFC, Wendy's, a Mexican restaurant, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, a steakhouse, Baskin Robbins/Dunkin Donuts, Cici's Pizza, Applebee's, Bob Evans, Perkins, sports grill/bar, Eat and Park, McDonald's, Burger King, Quizno's, Steak N Shake, and Ruby Tuesdays.
I want a Sonic, an Olive Garden, a Jimmy John's, a Panera, and a few more of the places my brother has in Toledo. Heck! Let ME pick the new restaurants. Now that would be great!
Loved, loved, LOVED ER tonight.
So refreshing to see a person with DID portrayed "normally" as a person with feelings. Not some freak for entertainment.
Just for the record, I caught on right away - LMK took a loooooooooooooooot longer.
And they say it takes one to know one. Maybe I just know what to look for as the person always on the outside, looking in?
Lawn Mower King is downloading soccer games from the video camera to the computer. I am hoping to compile the season into one dvd - keep your fingers crossed that this happens.
Anyway...as I surf the internet I can listen/watch to the game. That doesn't mean I do, but I could.
During this particular game the men's team came out to support the women. They always sit on the opposite side of the stadium as me and I hear some of their comments, but not most of them. They are hilarious. I swear, they're half the reason I go to the game.
Favorite quote so far:
"Let's boo at number 9...........................BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Morons. At least they're entertaining.
Have you seen the new Visa Check Card commercial?
The one with the snappy music in the corporate lunch room. Everyone is happily beboping through the lunch line. Step up to cashier, swip card, move on. Then the guy with the cash steps up and the whole line crashes behind him.
Am I the only one who gets really angry at that commercial? With all the credit card debt (and yes, I know it's a check card) in this country, it's supposed to be wrong to pay with cash? The guy paying cash and living within his means should be APPLAUDED. (Can you tell I don't have a credit card? Won't be getting one in the near future either...I don't trust myself to use it correctly, yet.)
I usually enjoy Visa commercials, but sorry Visa - I hate this one.
FINALLY! I am so sick and tired of the political ads.
How many times have you read/heard that today? I'm willing to bet anyone who reads blogs or communicates with people has heard this today.
I watched the national evening news a few weeks ago where they talked about how one party is taking advantage of the president's low approval to really sock it to the other party in their state. Then they showed a few examples of the type of ads they were talking about.
HA! There was one from Ohio. Mike De.wine and Sherr.od Brown have really gotten into this mudslinging thing. It's so ridiculously petty. I'd love not to vote for either, but there's no one else to vote for. Unless I do what the Lawn Mower King did and write himself in as Senator. Heh. Not funny...........much.
Do like the Lawn Mower King suggests - "Vote early, vote often!"
I returned to the first grade classroom where I spent a week in mid-October today. I was in for one of the two catty teachers in the building. They've been nothing but nice....to my face. However, they're the type that you just know are talking about you behind your back. This is based on things they've said about the kids, the parents, and other teachers.
Anyway.
While I was in for a week, nothing shady happened. Everyone was polite. It wasn't suddenly Absent Teacher's turn for week-long playground duty. It was generally a good week.
Today was also nice. I dressed warm figuring that it would be my day for playground duty - coincidentally of course. When I got to school I saw that, yep - I had playground duty. No biggie since I had music right after. I would get my pee break. Hooray!
However, upon my maneuvering in the classroom, I stumbled upon this year's duty schedule for the first grade teachers. Well, well, well. According to the schedule - it was Catty Teacher #2's day, not mine. Amazing how it worked out to be my day.
When I doubled checked with her - just to be sure, she explained to me that everyone has a set day during the week and Mondays and Fridays they take turns. "It just happened to be Absent Teacher's day!" she said sweetly.
Yeah. Sure it did.
Call me obsessive compulsive but I am addicted to free samples.
I mean, they're FREE. Free!
For example, each day, I faithfully check the evil store's free sample site. I sign up for anything new that I haven't already requested a sample for. I've received samples of coffee (which I don't drink) and other products I currently don't use.
Once I receive my samples, do I use them? Nope. I save them for a special occasion. Much like the Lawn Mower King saved the champagne the hotel gave us on our wedding night for a special occasion.
I'm addicted to free samples AND I'm a saver. Not a good combo.
I'm having a dilema currently though. Currently, this is a free sample. Each day I have to talk myself out of requesting a sample. I don't smoke! No one I know smokes....but...it's free!
Thursday I went back for my three month check with my doctor. Let me just take this moment to say, again, I love my doctor. Even though she had to reschedule this appointment twice due to emergencies. Even though she kept me waiting 45 minutes. (In all fairness, it sounds like she has a sick baby at home, so I be understanding.)
In terms of healthiness, I've gone the other way. Weight is up. (17 pounds - which I find hard to believe if not ALARMING) Blood pressure was way up (160/100). My A1C has gone up .6 - it's still below 7, but not it's a whole lot closer to 7 instead of being closer to 6 like it was. The only good news is my cholesterol looks good.
Well, yipee.
Luckily, my doctor is great. She knows that I know things are good. She doesn't yell at me or reprimand me - which would only cause me to be afraid of her and never return. All she said was, "in terms of your diabetes, you've started going in the wrong direction. You know what you need to do. I know you'll handle it." Didn't I mention how great she is?
Anyway, I'm using this appointment as a jump start/shock to get me back on track. Enough is enough. No more waiting until soccer season is over. It's over! No more, "oh I'll start on Sunday." That's it. Everyday from now on. I love my mother, but since she's retired and started cleaning out her recipe box she's not been very diet friendly. I refuse to continue to eat things I shouldn't just to "use it up." She doesn't need the sweets. My dad doesn't need the sweets. LMK and I don't need the sweets. I have no problem making them and sending them to someone else, but no more making them for no reason.
I've talked it over with LMK and he's agreed to help me. Until I develop a little willpower of my own, I need him to be strong for me. For a while, I need a food cop - so does he. (In fact, I wrestled a piece of caramel out of his hands Thursday night and threw it away. He got the message.) Today we are going to The College so LMK can meet with a recruit and after that, we're stopping at the produce stand I've been oogling since he started working at The College. I've found "diets" don't work for me. Lifestyle changes do. So I will be creating my own South Beach/Fat Smash Diet. Eliminating whole tiers of the food pyramid doesn't sound healthy - but I am definitely going to start watching what I eat. Making good food choices and recording every single cotton pickin' thing that enters my mouth. Just because I don't record it doesn't mean it doesn't count.
I'm even taking my before pictures. That ought to scare the hell out of a lot of people.
Today is a new day!
Some of my former readers may remember Gilligan. At our garage sale in September, Gilligan found a home. He went home with a nice family with two children old enough to love and care for him. They lived on the road adjacent to ours so Gill wouldn't be too far away. I couldn't have been happier. Yes, I was a little sad that he wouldn't be around everyday, but I was thrilled that he would have a good home. He was way too friendly to be a barn cat (although, I don't know how he got that friendly - mwahahahaha).
I would often think of Gilligan and wonder how he was doing in his new home. Were the children fawning over him still? Did he miss me or even remember me?
Two weeks ago, a few days before the team dinner, Lawn Mower King came home from work late. He came to the front door instead of coming in through the garage like always. When he knocked, I went to the door and opened it to let him in - cuddled in his arms was a black cat. She looked cold and a little scared.
Me being me, I immediately took the kat (not a kitten, but not full grown yet) into my arms and petted her gently. We brought her in out of the bitter wind and LMK told me how he had been driving down our road and almost hit this little girl. She had been sitting in the middle of the road. She purred and shivered as I petted her and I knew she was going to stay here. She would have to be a barn cat, but she'd at least be fed and hopefully warm. We set her up with some food and a towel - though I was dying to keep her inside and warm. The next morning we showed her the hay barn where she could sleep and be warm. We also warned her about the big B, Mokey.
Each evening when we went out to feed the barn cats, there she was. Then one evening I was driving home from school and the thought hit me...that new kat looks JUST like Gilligan. I wonder...
I told LMK of my suspicions and he informed me that it couldn't be Gilligan because this kat was a girl. Huh. Good point. Another day went by and the thought still stuck in my head. She was the exact same size as Skittish, Gilligan's sister. How many stray cats come running when they hear my voice? Just like Gill. How many have the EXACT coloring of Gilligan? How many "talk" to me the same way Gill did?
The next time I saw the new kat, I did a little checking of my own. She was in fact a HE. I was convinced it was Gilligan. I called Molly* and she started checking things out too. She's convinced it is Gilligan too.
Now the part that bothers me.
I don't think Gilligan made a Homeward Bound-esque return. He'd been gone over a month. He acts like a cat that was an indoor/outdoor cat. He runs to the door and yowls to be let in whenever he sees/hears us come home. He ran in the door when the team came over for dinner. He was quite at home with all the people - unlike my scaredy cats who hid.
I honestly think this woman or her husband dropped him off and didn't tell anyone. I think when LMK found Gilligan he was trying to find his way back to his new home - not his old home. The idea of them just dropping him off and not telling anyone makes me so angry I want to hit something. If you can't give him a good home, that's fine. Bring him back. I told them they could bring him back - for any reason, no questions asked. However, dropping him off in the middle of the night is just wrong.
I guess not everyone can be as responsible as Sarah was when she decided she couldn't give Penny a good home. Thank goodness for responsible people.
Once again, I am a day (or two) late and a dollar short. I missed the cut off to sign up for NaBloPoMo officially. However, I'm with Hillary. Who needs to be official!? I'm going to post every day for the month of November. I've been doing pretty well so far in posting at least three times a week, but I figured, why not up the ante.
Maybe Hillary and I can create our own following of NaBloPoMo rejects. Mwahahahahaha.
Last week, two days before the team dinner, my dryer started making a really weird/awful noise. I emptied the clothes out of it and found the Lawn Mower King's wallet. Not to worry, it was nice and clean after being run through the washer AND the dryer. His id for The College was missing as well as his driver's license. We looked all around in the dryer, but couldn't find it. I had the Lawn Mower King call the repair service and promptly put it out of my mind.
A week later, we finally got the repairman out to fix the dryer. He turned on the dryer, listened for a second, and turned it off proclaiming he knew what it's problem was - even though it had stopped making the horrible noise at that time. Then he pushed a magical sequence of buttons and my washer lit up like a Christmas tree. Every light was on and it was spinning! It was pretty damn cool. If only I knew what buttons he pressed.
After he left, and we still hadn't found LMK's license he went down to the basement to check the dryer vent. Maybe it had some out there.
Oh, it came out there all right. Here is what is left of his driver's license.
Speaking of his driver's license, when we went to get his replacement license yesterday we were asked a classic stupid question.
DMV woman: You know you're just going to have to renew this again in February.
LMK: Yeah.
Me: Can he use that license until February?
DMV Woman: Well...no.
Welcome to my new digs!
I will now be known as:
The Lawn Mower Queen (It's all I could think of!)
Glad to see everyone!
While I taught first grade for a week, I dealt with runny noses, upset tummies, and one barfer I was thrilled when I made it to Friday without even a hint of a sniffle. Ha ha! Score one for me!
Monday, two days before the team dinner, I felt a cold coming on strong. I took A.irborne faithfully and actually felt the cold symptoms going away. By Wednesday I was symptom free and off the A.irborne. Whoopie!
Thursday, I was sick. Sore throat, coughing, congestion - just plain ick. I made it through my two days of teaching last week hopped up on D.ayquil and sugar. When I'm sick I don't want to be touched or looked at. Just leave. me. alone. Lawn Mower King is really good about this. He brings me tissues and sleeps in the spare bedroom. I couldn't ask for more.
Finally, yesterday, I was starting to feel better. Minimal hacking and blowing my nose makes me happy. Last night, after I made chicken enchiladas I told LMK that I wanted some ice cream. Off we went to the store! On our way home he stated he was tired and would probably come home and take a bath.
Me (jokingly): Maybe it's mono, honey.
LMK (rolling his eyes): No, it's not mono.
Me (alluding to the lack of...uh...action lately): You're right, there's no way you could have caught mono in the past few weeks.
LMK: Gee thanks! The first thing I did when I got home was give you a kiss.
Me: Yeah! On the cheek! That's not how mono is spread.
LMK: Well, I did sleep in bed last night...maybe I caught it from the runoffs of your drool pillow.
Me: ...................shut up.
I've been thinking a lot lately about our life (HH and mine). I am sick to death of spinning my wheels and settling. Let me go back and explain a little before I continue.
My brother is going to be so successful one day. He's smart as whip. He's funny and he's caring. He will do whatever he wants to do. Companies are fighting to hire him right out of school.
I've never had that. People put up with me. The teachers I sub for love me, but I apparently don't make an impression on the administration for whatever reason. No one wants to hire me. I fully realize that there will always be someone better at my job than me. That's true for everyone. However, EVERYONE being better at my job than me is killing whatever confidence I might have had. Subbing will not be my life. I'll find some boring 9-5 job before I sub for 20 years.
Meanwhile, HH is stuck in a position with absolutely no options for advancement. He's associated with Head Coach who is on the Athletic Director's bad list (anyone associated with soccer is on that list). Head Coach is a wonderful man who I think of as family. The AD has all but broken whatever spirit Head Coach had. He's awful. HH and Head Coach must make the conference tournament or Head Coach is gone. Right now, the team is hemorraging. Someone has to get control - winning is the last thing on anyone's mind. HH is as loyal as they come - even more loyal than me at times, but staying at The College will ultimately hurt his career, not help it. When he leaves (not if), he's really going to miss those girls.
But back to the wheel spinning...
As far as I can tell, HH and I are in the same position. Stuck in neutral.
I think we have to get out of this town.
Pros to staying (as I see them)
- Living in a house, rent free.
- Living close to my parents.
- Being able to have 3 cats and a dog (what apartment or rental house allows that?)
- Living on the farm.
- Being close to family.
- I already have my Ohio license - I wouldn't have to go through an application process to get a license in another state.
- Three years time put in subbing toward a full-time position.
- Living close to my friends.
- Doctors I know and like for HH and myself
- Dismal job market not only for me, but HH as well.
- They're selling the farm anyway - they'll be gone in 7 months anyway.
- Living across from the quarry. It's dusty, dirty, and LOUD.
- Choosing to live dangerously close to poverty just to have a chance "someday" of getting a job.
- Continuing to wait to begin our life.
- Relying on others not just each other.
- No baby in the near future.
- Living paycheck to paycheck.
- Possibility of walking into a full-time position for one or both of us, depending on where we move.
- Finally starting my career.
- Paying off student loans.
- HH getting his masters which will help him get a better job.
- Being able to attempt National Board certification
- Being able to start a family!
- Weight loss surgery? It might at least be an option.
- The farm is being sold anyway - what am I holding on to or trying to hold on to?
- Being able to take vacations.
- Paying off car loans.
- Can still keep in touch with family and friends via email, IM, and phone.
- Make new friends!
- Moving! Ugh. The thought makes me queasy.
- Leaving my mom.
- Leaving Twin.
- Possibly having to give up one or more pets.
- Finding new doctors for HH and myself.
- Getting a new license - even though I've got a current negative FBI search letter good for 2 years.
- Starting a family away from family.
- Renting.
- Change.
- Failing.
If you're wondering who/what the heck I am talking about here's a brief guide to the people I talk about frequently. I'll add more when and if it becomes necessary.
LMK (a.k.a. Lawn Mower King) - You know...that guy I'm married to. He's only a king by marriage though. ;o)
The College - LMK's place of employment
Twin - My best friend. We've often been accused of not only being sisters, but of being twins. We don't think we look a like, but apparently others do. I do not have an actual twin sister/brother, however twins run in my family. My dad is a twin but apparently it skips a generation. Eep.
Molly - My oldest cousin's wife. She's one of my best friends. We can't figure out why everyone says we're trouble together. Who us? Double trouble.
District #1 - My mother's former district. Soon to be joined by Districts #2, 3, and 4. One of which will hopefully lead to Job #1.
On several occasions I have been regaled with childhood stories of my husband. Haven't we all? I know for a fact that on more occasions than I would like to admit to the poor man has been bored to tears amused by childhood stories of me. I think it's part of having in-laws.
One of the classics is this little ditty:
As a young child (4 years old, I believe), LMK was walking down the hill from his first home to his grandparent's house right down the hill. His mom would call his grandma to tell her he was on his way then she would watch him walk over the hill, while Grandma watched him walk down. As LMK is tromping through the grass he comes upon a snake*. LMK freaks (as would I) and runs back up the hill to his mom.
Leaving his shoes behind.
The joke was and is that he "ran out of his shoes" to get away from a snake.
Whelp, he's done it again. The other night we were outside watering the plants. I was giving the elephant ears a good dousing because I finally have one that is at least half the size of his mom's. It must be cared for so as not to die. I'd finished watering the elephant ears and started making my way down the beds watering the other things I have planted while talking to LMK.
All of a sudden something was stinging me.
"Ow......OW!" I yelled. "HH something is stinging me!"
"LMQ! Run!"
We'd happened upon a nest in the landscaping tiles. I think they were sweat bees. Whatever they were my sting hurts like a mother fu the dickens.
I immediately dropped the hose and ran to where he was standing and started figuring out what had happened. He had gotten stung on the foot before he realized he needed to run and I had been stung right above my ankle. He told me the bees had been starting to swarm around my feet when he yelled to me to run. We went inside to nurse our collective wounds.
Leaving his shoes in the yard, right where he'd run out of them.
Again.
* It is important to note that LMK hates snakes. In fact, he shudders when he sees them on tv. He doesn't go near then when we go to the zoo. He's not however so afraid of them that he freaks out at the sight of rubber snakes. He leaves that to his aunt.
How sweet is the guy I married?
We're out in the backyard picking blackberries and not only is he getting the ones that I would require me to balance on one foot and hope I don't fall into the bushes, but he's also picking the majority of the berries. He's hot, he's sweaty, and there are bugs. At one point when he was leaning into the berry bushes and all I can see is the back of his legs, I said to him teasingly, "sounds like you're just looking for an excuse to quit on me."
He dropped the berry he was picking into my bucket and looked at me seriously.
"LMQ," he said, "in five and a half years of marriage I have never quit on you and I never will."
At which point, he returned to the job at hand. Nothing more, nothing less - just a simple statement of fact.