The Many Seasons of Winter

Later...

2010-10-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly a month and a half since I stopped taking anything to help me sleep. At first, I was pretty restless, and not sleeping any better, but as time has worn on, sleep has come to me. I occassionally sleep all night long! (Or most of the night, i.e. waking up an hour before my alarm goes off.) Last night, I slept all night and actually woke up to my alarm! First time in so long! Excitement for me! Speaking of which, it's sleepy time for a sleepy girl! (Yeah, I am tired.)

Sleeping Trouble

2010-10-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have no idea if these things are related or not, but a few months ago, I started taking Melatonin because I've been having trouble sleeping for a long while now. I had been taking things like Tylenol PM, Unisom, and yes, even Midol PM, but I didn't want to keep taking that stuff forever.

Several people had recommended Melatonin to me, and my roommate's sister had some on hand, so she let me try it out. I thought it worked great. I was sleeping through the night and I didn't feel groggy in the mornings, which was the goal.

Then three weeks ago, I slowly started to notice that the taste of Melatonin was in my mouth at all times. I also hadn't been feeling "chipper" for several weeks and thought something was wrong with me. I felt blah, almost depressed, had a constant headache, felt nauseous, and was overly-anxious. I finally decided to look up any side effects Melatonin might carry, trying to rule out what might be causing me to feel like I'd been feeling.

Melatonin's side effects can include headache, nauseousness, depression, and anxiety, along with a few other symptoms I didn't have. I stopped taking Melatonin three nights ago, and I feel good. No headache, no nauseousness, I feel happy, and my anxiety has decreased. I'm waiting to see if this is all in my head or if there really is a connection. I have been sleeping, even though I'm not taking anything, which is something that hasn't happened for a long time.

One Year

2010-10-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend and I went on our first day one year ago today. Wow. He brought me flowers (because he remembered!) after I got off work. He's definitely a keeper! ;o)

The Book Thief

2010-10-13T07:26:00.001-07:00

I recently finished reading 'The Book Thief'. Has anybody else read the book? Thoughts? Opinions? I really, really liked that book. The writing style, the story, the focus, the narrator, the viewpoint. Alas, I will be late for work if I don't get on it. More later. ;o)

Ode to Saturday

2010-10-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I sit at my desk in my pj's after just having eaten leftover Chinese food. It's Saturday and I've been looking forward to this day all week.

What Saturday means to me: Sleeping in, doing laundry, running the dishwasher, getting groceries, perhaps some clothes shopping, spending time with my boyfriend, watching TV and/or watching a movie, taking a road trip, seeing my family and friends, reading a book, no time constraints, no schedule, getting a Dutch Bros. Iced Kicker, taking a nap, playing my guitar, baking, no planning.

It's the simple things, really, and the things I take for granted or don't have time for during the week. I've been working seven days a week until recently, when I asked to have all future Saturdays off. Ask you you may receive, and in this case I did. I am still in awe over the things a person can accomplish on a Saturday. So many things, so many opportunities. Time.

Look! I'm back again!

2010-06-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

I ate Pizza Hut pizza for dinner last night. My b/f picked it up and I was so excited because I hadn't had it in ages. Yum!

Today I had the opportunity to work the day shift at work, which has only occured two times previously since I started working there two years ago. It was fun and now I'm all done with work for today instead of just starting. ;o)

Well, I had planned to write more, but looked at the clock and realized it's time to go grocery shopping.

Take care friends!

Testing, Testing, Is This Thing On?

2010-06-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

I doubt anyone checks my page anymore, since it's been like a year since I last posted. This is due to the fact that I don't have internet at home, but something my roomie and I want to fix in the next couple of months or so.

Lots of updates: (1) Moved. (2) Roommate. (3) Boyfriend. (4) 3rd part-time job. (5) Full-time worship team guitar player/sometimes vocalist. (6) Li'l bro graduated from HS. (7) Allergies.

This about sums up all of the changes that have occurred in the past year.

Happy Sunday!! ;o)

Churches

2009-06-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've been to a lot of different churches in my lifetime, but only two, to my recollection, have made me feel genuinely welcomed. (I have posted links to both of these churches in the right column.) It is my hope and prayer that I learn from these churches, these people. As an introvert it can sometimes be very difficult for me to strike up a conversation with a stranger, but I'm working on it. Thank you WAPC and ROLWOC for reflecting Christ as one body and for showing the rest of us how it's done.

Musings of a Frazzled Tutor

2009-06-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

School is officially at an end for the year, and all of my 8th graders made it to high school. Today begins my first week of vacation before I go at it again with summer school. I have no trips planned this summer, no vacations to faraway destinations... just working and playing and housesitting.

I played guitar on worship team by myself for the first time yesterday. (The other few times I've played, I've had another guitar player there to help me out since I'm new at all of this stuff.) I even led the first song, and for two weeks running, I've been able to sing and play at the same time. Harmony. Oh, yeah. Now I need to learn a new strum! ;o)

I've joined a small group Bible study, which meets Sunday evenings. The study is very involved, but makes me dig deep inside of myself to help me discover what's holding me back. Yesterday's study was rather difficult for me and actually made me cry. It was about the dreams we have for ourselves. It was about working to better ourselves now, instead of waiting to better ourselves when our dreams come true, which they may never. A harsh reality for me, but strangely comforting at the same time.

On the agenda for the rest of the week: visit a new church, pick strawberries and make freezer jam, worship practice, two hours of guitar class, worship practice again, work, hang out, have fun, enjoy life, love Jesus.

My Fingers Want Me To Chop Them Off

2009-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

I started taking guitar lessons in December! I have now had three lessons, and have thoroughly enjoyed playing. (Although the fingers on my left hand don't want to play anymore.) Initially, my little brother told me he'd get me started playing, but after teaching me the E scale, he informed me that he'd "rather be doing something else". I happened to mention the conversation between my brother and I to a woman at my church, thinking it was a funny story, and not knowing that she could play guitar herself. Yes, she offered to teach me and I accepted, after my surprised, "You can play?!!" We try to meet once a week, but it hasn't always worked out that way. I don't have a guitar of my own, so I have to use my brother's (which I'm thoroughly grateful for), but it's not the best quality, and it can make even decent players sound bad if their fingers are a tad fatigued.

Churchy Music in Panic

2008-12-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

I was recently (as in yesterday recently) asked to lead the music at church once a month. For an introvert like me, I panicked, had a moment of calm, then felt seriously ill for the rest of the night. This had been hinted to me a while back, so I shouldn't have been so surprised, but I was.

Of course all of these thoughts went racing through my mind, like "I'm not good enough" and "I don't even sing melody" and "I don't speak in public" etc. I have been given until Saturday to make my decision. I am actually interested in organizing the song service... that seems cool, but the rest of it doesn't sound cool. I feel overly stressed and very overwhelmed. Again. Introvert.

The woman who asked me to do this told me I needed to be stretched and do something outside of my comfort zone. Plus she said she'd been praying about this and I was the one who kept coming to her mind. Nothing like holy pressure. Also, she doesn't have a backup plan.

I haven't decided what to do, yet. I'm definitely leaning towards a big fat no.

Happy New Year!! ;o)

Rockband for the Wii

2008-12-29T11:40:00.001-08:00

So my nephew got Rockband for his Wii. That's all we've been doing for five days running, now, playing the game. Fun stuff! That's all I have to report.

Two Posts In One Month

2008-12-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

Since I work at a Middle School, and just because I feel like it, I've decided to read the Newberry winners. After perusing the list (that spans back to 1922) I discovered that I'd only read a few of the books. Hmmm... I took two of them home over the weekend, the one I'm reading now is the 2007 winner, THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY by Susan Patron. Next I'll read 2005, KIRA-KIRA by Cynthia Kadohata.

So far I've read...

2003 CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD by Avi
1999 HOLES by Louis Sachar
1994 THE GIVER by Lois Lowry
1979 THE WESTING GAME by Ellen Raskin
1970 SOUNDER by William H. Armstrong
1955 THE WHEEL ON THE SCHOOL by Meindert DeJong

Pages

2008-12-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

So I've always been curious about how many pages I read in a week, so I started keeping track. As you can see already, I fluctuate greatly in my reading habits. (See right column.)

2008-11-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

I MISS YOU ALL!!

Day Off Things.

2008-10-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today, Saturday, is my only day off from work. I have to keep reminding myself that I can get a car if I keep my second job. Car! Car!! Car!!! So what have I done today? I went shopping with Ikuho. We went to lots and lots of stores, and back again to some of them. Who knew that barbie pajamas were so hard to find? (Not for me. Don't worry.)

We went out to lunch, which was nice and relaxing. Mexican food hit the spot today and it'll be doubtful that I eat dinner tonight. I'm so full! Still! My big purchases of the day consisted of cereal, crackers, apples, a birthday present for my brother, and maybe something else, I can't remember. Big spender, eh?

So Michael came down for his birthday the other day. We went out for a drink at a local establishment. I made him come and pick me up since I still have no wheels, but when he got here there were about five cars parked in the driveway. Heh heh. ;o) It was only a mile out of his way, right? Of course, it was HIS birthday.

That's about it for my update.

Bribery.

2008-10-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Bribery is an interesting concept. You bribe someone to get what you want, or someone bribes you to get what they want. The bribe itself must be greater than the desired thing, or the bribe wouldn't be worth it to the person being bribed.

I was confronted with two bribe attempts in the same day last week. The first bribe offered me (at the middle school, of course) was $2.00 and a bag of corn nuts if I would give said student access to a hall pass anytime he wanted. My second bribe of the day was $5.00 for one answer to a homework question. I will let you wonder whether or not I took the bribes. ;o)

The Usual Things.

2008-09-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

I went back to work yesterday for the first time since Poppy passed away. It went well, I did okay, and I'm back again today. (I have a feeling this is going to be a day-by-day process for a while.) Tonight I go back to my second job for the first time. This is the one I'm worried about because it's so public, so we'll see.

I'm starting to watch more movies than I have been, if you'll notice my list on the right. ;o) I like movies. Movies are nice. ;o)

Twilight.

2008-09-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Alright, so yes, I've read TWILIGHT. Probably a year ago, my friend Angela recommended this vampire series of Stephenie Meyer's creation for me to read, but I honestly had forgotten about it. Then when I was at the Cinema watching 'Prince Caspian', a trailor for 'Twilight' was shown and something clicked: "Oh yeah! I was supposed to read that book!" Soon after, I picked up the first book in the series and read it in two days.

It had been quite a while since I'd read a book so quickly, let alone something that thoroughly kept my interest. Since there are only a few books in the series, I decided to wait a while before I read the second book, 'New Moon', which I read while on vacation in Maryland. Again, I finished the book very quickly. I'm torturing myself by waiting to read the third book, but at the same time, I don't want it to be overwith in a couple of days.

"It’s the safest time of day for us. The easiest time. But also the saddest,
in a way… the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so
predictable, don’t you think?" --Edward Cullen, TWILIGHT

Poppy.

2008-09-18T22:54:00.001-07:00

I don't know if anyone reads my blog anymore or not, but someone asked me yesterday if I'd blogged about my niece yet, and I told them I hadn't. So here I go.

If you haven't heard, my 13-month-old niece Poppy passed away on Saturday. It was a tragic accident that has devastated all of us. I will honestly say that it was pure torture sitting around, waiting five days for her funeral to take place; none of us went to work this week. Poppy's funeral was yesterday; it was the hardest thing I've EVER had to do: letting her go, but I did. I felt at peace afterwards, and I think most of us did. I'm not finished grieving; I am still extremely sad and miss her so much, but I know she is safe.

Poppy is buried under a baby tree, fairly close to her uncle Michael, my nephew's dad, who passed away when he was 19 years old. Michael was never able to meet his son, so we're all glad he can watch over Poppy for us until we join them someday.

Be at peace, Poppy Josephine. I miss you.

Things.

2008-09-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Life as an Instructional Assistant began last week. Unfortunately, it usually takes a few weeks to really settle down into the job as teachers don't know which students I'll be working with until they're observed first to see who needs extra help. Things are beginning to fall into place, though.

I started my second job last Sunday; I've been going through training, and this weekend is my first non-training shift. So scary. I will continue to train this next week for a different aspect of the job, then I'll be set, apparently. At this point (after training), I only want to work two nights a week. I really think that'll be all I can handle for right now, but I've been told I can add on more hours in the future if wish. We'll see.

I'm making plans to get a car in the next month or so. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I sold my Honda over the summer. I'd had it for fifteen years. I really thought I'd be sad to let it go, but I wasn't. At all. Oh, well.

I'm baaack!

2008-09-06T12:33:00.001-07:00

I realize I haven't posted in nearly three months. I miss my blog and my blogger community, so here I am.

A bit of a life update: I'm working two jobs, now, so I'm a lot busier than I have been in the past. I'm going on year three at my primary (day-time) job, and as far as my second job, I start next week, so we'll see how that goes.

Last week, I returned from a 3-week trip to the East Coast where I was able to visit several old friends and make a couple of new friends. I think I ended up staying with four different people/families, which was nice, yet tiring living out of a suitcase and being transported to a new place every few days. Lots of fun, though! Aside from seeing friends, a few quick highlights included stargazing, baseball, sharks, and books. ;o) I think my next trip will be to the South, that is, if I ever go on a trip again.

I'm currently reading A GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin. It's the first book in a series of four that I forget the name of. I'm also half-way finished with Stephenie Meyers' TWILIGHT series, or whatever they're called. I'm curious about the movie that's coming out in November.

Let's see, lastly, I'm drinking Dr Pepper.

Red.

2008-06-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

I changed my background to red again. Just letting you all know I'm still here and alive, at that. ;o) Happy Monday!

Blogging.

2008-04-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

I think I may try blogging on Facebook for a while and see if that works out. Right now I have so many sites to visit just to check my own pages, it's ridiculous, and keeping them (mostly) together sounds rather nice. I think all of my loyal readers have Facebook anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem. It'll be located under "Notes" in the left column.

Impaled By Humming Birds

2008-03-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

My parents have three humming bird feeders at one end of their house. The end of the house that is next door to me. Everytime I walk between the two dwellings, I get buzzed by a humming bird, and picture myself getting impaled by one. I see it all: me sprawled out on the back porch, dead, with cats sniffing my poor limp body. Then as I make it safely inside, I watch the birds fly and dive and twist and turn, and realize that only a mentally challenged humming bird would be uncoordinated enough to accidently hit me. They're so amazingly fast and they know exactly what they're doing and where they're going. I'm not saying that I walk out blindly now, but my imagination has calmed down a bit since my discovery.

(photo property of my dad 2008)

No Internet.

2008-03-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

I will have no internet access for probably quite a while. *sigh* I can't get on at work because working at a middle school, well, they have just about every website blocked, including gmail.

My last update for a while: I just got back from a PBS conference, which was a learning experience. I mean I actually did learn a few things. There were over 1500 teachers and educators in attendance, so it was a *tad* overwhelmingly crowded. ;o)

I don't know when I'll have internet access again. What a hastle. I'll miss you guys! ;o)

Frustrated.

2008-03-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

I keep getting told by co-workers and people above me in the chain of command that I'm in the wrong position, career-wise. While the comments are actually compliments, and not insults, I'm still frustrated because this is where I want to be right now.

Currently I'm in a position in which the required education is a two-year degree or the passing of an exam and a high school diploma. Yes, I have a bachelor's degree with 18 credit hours of graduate work, but this job is convenient and I'm gaining great experience, since I hadn't previously worked in an education system before, other than college libraries.

What do these professional educators think I should do with my life? Teach in Special Ed or go into School Counseling or Behavior Therapy, which, of course, would fit nicely with my degree in Psychology, which I'd never used before last year, but wow. I'm not saying I'd never thought of any of these career choices in the past, because I have, and these comments from people are confirming to me that maybe I should become a professional something or other.

Finances and the lack of a car are the two major hurtles that I'm up against, that and being accepted to a graduate program somewhere.

I'm just plain frustrated, really. I'm frustrated with where I'm at in life, even though I love my job, and I'm frustrated because I don't see a way to get where I want to be.

New Post.

2008-03-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted since last month, but I haven't had a lot write about, really. I'm housesitting again this week, which is about the only new and not-so-terribly exciting thing going on at the moment.

Might I add that I'm really frustrated with teenage eating habits. Mountain Dew for Breakfast, no lunch, and junk food for dinner. I can absolutely see a decline in their mental capacities when I tutor these kids. They're spacey, their attention is all over the place, and they get sick all the time. I wish energy drinks were banned at school as well. It's like a contest: who can drink the most energy drinks in a day, which either leads to hyperactivity or them falling asleep in class.

The Golden Compass, etc.

2008-02-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, which included The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. I have been telling friends that I'd post a review of sorts, in my own humble opinion, but that has proved more difficult than I first thought.

After receiving a mass amount of emails telling me NOT to read the books or watch the movie, I, ummm, well, did. I read the books, at least. I have yet to see the movie so I will give no opinion in the area of visual media.

If you didn't receive any of the "hate" emails or know nothing of the content of these books, I will now give a very general, but brief paraphrase of the emails: "The Golden Compass is evil because children are on a mission to kill God. Don't have anything to do with it."

If you are reading this post and have never read any of the books, please don't tell me that they're evil. However, if you have read any of the trilogy, I will have the utmost respect for your opinion, good or bad. That said, here are my thoughts on the trilogy, right or wrong, naive or well thought out...

[SPOILER ALERT for those of you who plan to read the books.]

First of all, these books are fantasy, where Pullman has created a world in which science, theology, and magic are closely intertwined. Here's the part where I tell you that I really enjoyed the books, and that they were actually thought-provoking. When Wes asked me my opinion, I hesitated for a long time before telling him that I liked them. He told me that I sounded like I felt guilty for admitting to having liked the stories.

I think I was going through a bit of turmoil at first. I won't lie to you. The author blatantly writes the church out as the bad guy. He states that the church is evil and oppressive and that it tries to keep people in the dark, away from knowledge and wisdom of the truth. The truth being that God was not the Creator, that God was an angel pretending to be the Creator who harnessed all the power unto himself. When people die, they don't go to heaven, but to the world of the dead where harpies rule over their ghosts in terror. This god was a god of lies, therefore had to be stopped by humans, rebel angels, and all manner of creatures.

Remind anyone of Greek mythology?

The more I think about and process these books, the more I am able to separate them as being a well-told story, rather than an abasement to my beliefs. How can I take offense at the author bashing my God, when the god he describes is nothing like the God I know?

My Hair.

2008-02-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Well gentle readers, I finally did the deed and had my hair chopped off. I did some thinking and realized that the last time I had my hair cut was when I lived in Tennessee, right before I moved to Illinois, so, four years ago. I donated about 15 inches of my hair and could've donated more, but I didn't ask for it to be as short as it turned out to be. (It still goes past my shoulders.) I like the cut, though, and I'm glad I let scissors come near my head. I feel lighter and I use less shampoo, so those are both pluses. ;o)

Question

2008-02-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Are any of you guys watching the new season of LOST?

Home

2008-02-01T22:42:00.001-08:00

I'm finally home from house sitting, and now I'm attempting to unpack and get settled into my new apartment. My grandparents are giving me two couches and an end table, if I can fit them in, which was pretty much all I was lacking, furniture-wise. I have quite a number of boxes to go through that haven't been unpacked since I lived in Illinois, some from Tennessee, and one, actually from when I lived in Oregon previously. I know, how very sad, but I am making a dent in things. I don't say I exactly want to be a minimalist, but I do want to get rid of everything I don't use.

UPDATED: Adventures in House Sitting.

2008-01-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

PREVIOUS:
1. I killed the goldfish.
2. A water pipe froze and busted.
3. The cat pulled down the curtains.
4. I pulled down a valance.
5. The dogs keep knocking over the gate.
6. The water upstairs quit working/froze.

I am not even going to tempt the fates by asking, "What next?"

A. I'm getting a lot of quality silent time.
B. It's very peaceful and beautiful.
C. The dogs are a riot. (In a good way.)
D. I don't have to feed the goldfish anymore.
E. I get paid.
F. I get use of a car.

UPDATE:
I. The electricity went out at 4:30AM.
II. It snowed 7 inches and I had to leave the car I was borrowing at my parents' house. (Dad took me back in his truck.)
III. My DVD is stuck in their DVD player because of the power outage.
IV. I hurt my foot while hurtling down the last 4 steps in the dark.

a. It was fun watching the dogs play in the snow.
b. I actually reached the owners on their cell phone and I get to go home a night earlier than expected.
c. The neighbors stopped and checked on me, which was thoughtful.
d. No work/school today.

That's me. Tempting fate, I guess.

Scoop.

2008-01-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

Media Update:
I finished reading The Golden Compass (because everyone told me not to read it, basically). Has anyone else read the book? I'm about 100 pages into the second book right now.

Lost season 3 has been viewed in full, and I'm anxiously awaiting season 4 at the end of this month.

Oh, I watched Stardust the other night, which was enjoyable. I had read the book a few years ago.

Other:
Housesitting went off without a hitch this past week.

All of my things have been moved into the garage apartment and is somewhat organized. I didn't realize how much paperwork I had, so now I'm sorting boxes and boxes of the stuff. I'll probably end up burning most of it. Also, I'm going through things to donate, which again, will be a lot. I have a lot more room in my new digs, but I also want it to look nice, neat and organized, so a lot of things must go. On the downside: no closet. I'm going to have to come up with some sort of hanging aparatus for my clothes. NO BATS. I have a little porch, or more like a landing, but there's room for a small table and a couple of chairs.

That's all I have for now. I'll update soon.

I'm in a fog.

2008-01-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

My brother's dog has decided to adopt me as his owner, which means less sleep for me. He's an early riser and I already have to get up early for work. Zzzzz..... Huh? Oh, yeah. Things have been going pretty decently. As to Heather's suggestion, here's MY thankful list:

I'm applying for a 2nd job~I'm moving to the garage apartment~I suddenly have a dog~with a 2nd job comes a fixed car~I'm housesitting for two different families, pretty much for the rest of the month~I finished reading The Golden Compass~Mint Hot Chocolate~Sly Cooper~my baby niece learned to sit up~middle school behavior training~photos~homemade biscuits~getting caught up on Lost~family~understanding~our cat who likes dogs but not people~guest preachers~pie social/auction~The Far Side~best friends.

Caught.

2008-01-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

My kitty Snowball got caught on the Trail Cam. ;o)

Finished.

2007-12-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

Oops. I found this entry in my "drafts" section and forgot to publish it, so here it is...

I watched the last episode of Torchwood a day or two ago [the first week or two of December], and now I have to wait until January 26 to see what happens next. At least the BBC channel is showing season 2 right away instead of waiting a year or two or never.

The show is oriented on Torchwood Three, the Cardiff branch of the Torchwood Institute, tasked (among other things) with keeping an eye on the space/time Rift that runs through the city, and on whatever washes through it.

This show is not for everyone. It's a bit adult, just to warn you. Aside from the cool sci-fi, Torchwood deals with a lot of social and ethical issues, such as sexuality, ethnicity, life and death, and the questions, "Do we have control over our own destinations?", "Does God exist?", etc. There is language (not just "hell" and "damn"), and a sexual situation in about every episode. The main character is bisexual, but he tends to lean towards men.

Personally, I think the show is great and I hope there are many more seasons to come.

TOSH: "Why does that man have your name? I'm lost enough without you holding back on me."
JACK: "It's not my name. It's His. I took it, but I didn't realise he was so...hot!"

Lost.

2007-12-28T11:28:00.000-08:00

If you haven't noticed on my side bar that I'm watching Lost, season 3, this post is specifically being written to announce that I am watching Lost, season 3. I finished episode 12 last night, so I think I'll be in good standing by the time season 4 begins at the end of January.

My Winter Break Reading.

2007-12-22T17:25:00.000-08:00

I checked out six books from our middle school library to read over the break. We'll see if I finish 'em all.

Friday, the 14th.

2007-12-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Since I don't work today, I think I shall finish up my Christmas shopping. I have three family members left to buy for and have finally figured out what to get them. I love shopping for presents, but I don't love not knowing what to get.

It's hard to believe that I only have four more working days left before my two-week Christmas vacation that I'm forced to take without pay. I'm looking forward to the time off to spend with my family, but I'm not looking forward to the tiny paycheck that I'll receive because of it.

Lobo (pictured at the bottom of the right column) figured out how to open my bedroom door. Great. Now I have to lock it if I don't want him barging in. I can't believe he's almost 10 months old and he has so much loose skin that he needs to grow into. He's HUGE already. His back is level with the recliner chair arms, just to give you an idea of his size. He's such a sweetheart, though. Most people who visit are scared of him, which is actually probably best to be cautious. He's not really sweet unless he knows you well and likes you.

I need to get off of here. I have sooo many things to do today!

Holy Freakin' Crap

2007-12-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

I'm off to work. This afternoon, I've been asked to "take" the 8th grade Study Skills class as well as the Chess class, due to a teacher's absence. Legally, I can't sub because I don't have a license, therefore another teacher is supposed to "check in on me" now and then. I'll let you know how it went and how I feel/felt about things after school.

UPDATE:
Things went okay... due to other circumstances, I ended up having to sub for one of the other assistants over lunch break. I didn't enjoy the afternoon, but nothing went wrong. Everything went smoothly. I was bored out of my mind in the Chess class, since I didn't know how to play. The 8th grade class was co-supervised by myself and a substitute teacher, whom all the kids decided they didn't like. Suddenly they all decided they liked me, which was scary. There you have it. Nothing exciting to report. ;o)

Not Sick Anymore.

2007-12-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

Here I am, not sick anymore as I have been this past week. It's very stormy here (I'm talking about the weather) and I got a new cell phone. I got a few Christmas presents purchased and shoved in my closet for a day when I feel like wrapping them. Now you know my secret present hiding place. I bought Minestrone soup. I taught Children's church today and my high school helper ditched. I started playing PS2 when I started getting sick and I've been unable to stop playing, even though I'm now feeling better. The last episode of Torchwood: Season 1 has been recorded and is ready for me to watch when I have 45 minutes. I finally have a local cell phone number, and I've only been here two years or so. Time for bed. Goodnight.

A Photo of Me.

2007-11-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Interview With The Vampire

2007-11-11T15:03:00.001-08:00

"This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life."

FIRST LINE: "'I see...' said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room to the window."

"'You weren't always a vampire, were you?' he began. 'No,' answered the vampire. I was a twenty-five year old man when I became a vampire, and the year was seventeen ninety-one.'"

I finished reading this book a few days ago, giving myself time to process the story; I am now ready to write down my thoughts. The Hartford Courant describes 'Interview With The Vampire' as, "A chilling, thought-provoking tale, beautifully frightening, sensuous and utterly unnerving." I chose to quote this review, above others I've read, because it best describes my own reaction, but I will add more.

Louis is a vampire who didn't lose all of his humanity when he was turned. He struggled relentlessly with death, to kill in order to stay alive, wanting to end it all to save others, but being afraid to die himself. Would God reject him? Was he now a child of Satan? Did God and Satan even exist? Was he truly going to live forever, and to what purpose? Anne Rice didn't only take on the romantisized and horrific writing of a vampire story, she dealt with the issue of immortality. What would it be like to be immortal? Is it really as brilliant as it sounds? To be able to live forever, throughout the ages? Or would one eventually go mad from the memories over the course of hundreds of years?

I give this book 4 1/2 stars.

Spider-Man vs. Optimus Prime

2007-11-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I finally gave in and watched Spider-Man 3 and Transformers, in the same day, nonetheless. My nephew owns both movies and brought them over yesterday, so we had a movie fest of sorts.

Transformers: 4 solid stars. Great film. Great dialogue. Fun and action packed.

Spider-Man 3: 4 wavering stars. I didn't think the plot was as focused as the previous two films, but I did appreciate the psychology of Harry's character. My sister says there was too much drama.

All hail The Dark Knight, coming to theatres in 2008.

Angel: My Revised Review.

2007-11-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

I've been putting off watching the last half of Season 5 of ANGEL for quite a while now, due to the fact that when I watch the last episode, it'll be over. No more new ANGEL episodes to watch. I did it, though. I finally watched the last episode a couple of days ago. *sigh* Now I don't know what to do with my life. (J/K) ;o)

Overall, I'd give the series 4 1/2 stars. I'd have given it 5, but I hated the second half of Season 4. I literally had to force myself to continue watching in the hope that things would get better, and fortunately, they did.

I love the fact that Joss Whedon gave Angel his own show. We get to see that there's more to him than a brooding, Buffy-whipped, anti-social. Fighting for redemption, Angel moves to L.A. and soon forms Angel Investigations, helping the helpless, fighting as a Champion for the Powers-That-Be.

The characters were well developed, the chemistry between them amazing, and the plot and story-lines were typically Joss (which is definitely atypical). Overall, I'd recommend this show to all of my family and friends. Except my mom.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
ANGELUS: Half of this crap is written in some archaic, proto demon cuneiform. And, I don't want to be rude, but the other half I think they just doodled.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cheers, Granny.

2007-10-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, my 95-year old great-grandmother passed away. She will be missed.

Torchwood (UK)

2007-10-20T17:15:00.001-07:00

I have now been watching Torchwood since the show premiered on BBC America last month. Even though it's a Doctor Who spin-off, I'd compare it to the X-Files or some such similar show. I actually got a bit creeped out during last week's episode. Torchwood is kick butt, and I would recommend it to anyone who is into sci-fi. The show is set in Cardiff, which is cool in and of itself; one can glimpse a bit of Welsh culture inbetween the faerie sightings.

The Weekend.

2007-10-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I thank God that it's the weekend. My weeks at school are getting more stressful, yet more rewarding at the same time. I am so unbelievably busy at work; some say I should be at teacher status for all that I do. I have my own classroom half of the week, where I usually end up teaching Math to 6th, 7th, and/or 8th graders, all at the same time. I have anywhere from 5-25 students, with 15 being the average. Oh, and I even have an assistant now. A High School Math student comes down to help me for about an hour in the afternoon. The rest of my time is spent working in 8 different classrooms, assisting, tutoring, the rare photocopying, and even though I don't work in Special Ed this year, a lot of my classroom time is spent with Special Ed students, which is cool. Soon I will start working with a small number of behavior students. They will check in with me in the mornings and check out with me in the afternoons.

All of this is incredible experience for me, and more and more, I think I might want to go into teaching. I just wish I got paid more.

The Bat Cave.

2007-10-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Years and years ago, like when I was 12 and first moved into this house, I nicknamed my room "The Bat Cave" as I had a growing obsession with Batman. Batman is still my favorite superhero, but I must admit, it is not cool when the Bat Cave becomes infested with actual bats.

Those of you, my faithful readers, will recall that I had a bat in my room sometime last year, and even though it left, I had a fear that it, or another if its little bat friends, would return. I slept in my nephew's room for three months after that harrowing incident.

Well my friends, the bat has returned. I was awakened at 3:30Am the other morning, to scratching and screeching. I immediately turned on my light, but couldn't see anything. About a half hour later, it appeared, and of course, swooped down upon me in my half-conscious sleepy self. I ran out of the room, and then peeked back in, but couldn't see the darn thing anywhere. I crept in slowly, fully awake by this time, heart pounding, daring it to produce its batty self, hoping it wasn't infected with rabies or some other nasty disease. After several moments of searching, I spotted a lump on my wall that didn't quite seem to fit in. I crept closer. It was the bat, brown with some white on its body, rather large for this area, wing span probably 10-12 inches.

If I opened the window, I'd take a chance on letting in more bats, as they nest in the eves just outside. I left it and slept on the couch, then I transferred to my nephews room for my last hour and a half of sleep. I've been in my nephew's room ever since. And when I say my nephew's room, I mean the room he sleeps in when he stays here.

*SIGH*

Finished A Book.

2007-10-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker recently. I don't remember if I'd given a book review of sorts, so I decided to go ahead and write something.

Ummm... I liked it. The end. Ha ha! I've been spending way too much time around Junior Highers. For real this time, I thought the book was really great. I liked how Stoker wrote the book in journal form, as if his main characters were writing in their diaries as events progressed. There was one section I got a bit lost on, and maybe I dozed off or something, but does Stoker ever explain how Jonathan Harker escapes from Castle Dracula?

Read this book if you like: classic literature, vampire stories, or if you're just plain curious, like I was
Star Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Koi.

2007-10-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

"Big Orange" and "Luna"

October.

2007-10-05T16:15:00.001-07:00

If I could choose a favorite month out of the year, October would be at the top of my list. The leaves on the trees begin to change, the weather cools off and becomes drizzly, the fog rolls in, and pumpkins and gourds can suddenly be seen everywhere (or so it seems), whether it be in the pumpkin patches, in stores, or as Fall decorations. Harvest parties abound, as well as scarecrows and hayrides, and of course there is All Hallow's Eve.

What's not fun about October is that the fields are muddy, the dogs want to stay inside all the time, and every room in the house becomes a makeshift clothesline because it's too wet outside to dry clothes adequately.

Happy October!

Vegetable picking.

2007-10-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

The rain held off as a bus load of 5th and 6th grade students traveled to a local farm to pick vegetables for a soup they will soon be making. I was one of the chaperones; my group was assigned to pick green beans. The three boys in my group picked 11 lbs worth, after much goofing off, the throwing of beans while my back was turned, and the occasional bean that somehow ended up in one's mouth. Aside from the serious mud, it was a fun trip. Most of the kids had never been on this type of a farm, and they had a great time. As I previously mentioned, the vegetables will go into a soup that the kids will make. They're also making clay bowls to be sold (along with the soup) at a charity function, where the proceeds will go to a local food pantry. Many of the kids don't know what hunger is, but unfortunately some do. Of course there are all sorts of nutrition lessons and economics lessons to go along with this project. It's very hands on and something the kids will probably remember for a very long time.

Birthday.

2007-10-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

This week we celebrate my little brother's 16th birthday. I am honestly flabbergasted. Sixteen just seems so old. My goodness.

Foggy Morning.

2007-10-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today was the first morning that I walked to school without my mp3 player blasting in my ears. It was a beautiful Fall morning: the fog was slowly lifting to reveal the trees with their changing leaves, and I decided to leave the music behind and drink in the sight of nature. Whereas my walk was beautiful and peaceful, I missed my music. I find that I walk to work much faster with the tunes playing. Without the music, I was late. I hear you say, "But Season, just leave five minutes earlier tomorrow." Ummm, no. I'm almost obsessive about leaving at the last possible second in order to arrive right as the clock strikes 7:45AM, and if I change my leaving time, it messes everything up. It was beautiful, though. I guess I'll have to enjoy the beauty without the silent peace. ;o)

Variances.

2007-09-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

People who cease to believe in God or goodness altogether still believe in the devil. I don't know why. No, I do indeed know why. Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult.
-Louis de Pointe du Lac

I do know several people who believe in evil, but not in a God of love. This evil they believe exists isn't necessarily "the devil" but a darkness. Then there are the folks who believe in a God of love but not in an evil entity. And of course there are those who believe both are in existence, and those who believe neither exist.

It's interesting to me how these very different beliefs come about. People choose to believe the way they do out of tradition or experience. What about you?

Please Click Refresh.

2007-09-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, in order to mentally move forward, I need a clean slate. Therefore, I have deleted my past blog posts in order to attain the feeling of starting over or reaching a new mile post. I've had a much more positive attitude lately, and I want to keep it that way. Looking over my past postings, I saw a lot of anger and I don't want to dwell on that part of myself anymore. It'll be a struggle, but here's to being content, happy, and satisfied with who I am.