alaskankoala

I've decided....

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:36:21 GMT

I'm ready to go back to a convention or two this next year.

So I'm planning on going to Mobicon, Comicon and Dragoncon in 2010.

That's as far as I've gotten in the thought process.

Don't be offended by this post but I have to spread the word of God

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:39:12 GMT

The second coming has occurred.

We recently bought a fish and named his Mr. D. Mr. D has been living in a goldfish bowl for about 4 months. Earlier this week, I noticed Mr. D was looking a little peaked and not very lively. Sad to admit, we aren't the best about feeding him or changing the water. Sometimes the cats scare the crap out of him and he whips around trying to hide from their little paws banging on the side of the tank too. I was sort of so busy looking at his color I didn't remember to feed him this day either.

A day later he was sort of floating on the top of the water and not moving his fins. He wasn't exactly upside down but he wasn't moving either. He sat like that for two days and didn't even move when one of the cats tried to play with him.

I decided not to flush him in view of Nick because a three year old isn't ready to comprehend death. However, due to our schedule demands, the only time I thought about cleaning out the tank was when Nick was bouncing around in the living room in plain sight of the tank. On the third day, Mr. D was lying on the bottom of the tank on his side. At this point, I figured the air must have just went out of him.

The tank was starting to smell pretty fishy so I picked it up to dump it and suddenly he started swimming around like a mad shark. Now by this point, I'm sure he hasn't eaten in a week because I forgot at the beginning of the week and didn't bother once I decided he was dead.

At first, I thought...well, maybe he was in a fish coma. However, he didn't move for two days. Usually only dead things can stay still for that long. Even when he was at the bottom of the tank - it wasn't like he was relaxing.

So I'm thinking - he must be a fish zombie. Except zombies don't actually exist and the only known being that has risen from the dead is Jesus. So logic dictates...Mr. D is actually the second coming of Jesus. He did rise on the third day after excruciating suffering. Unfortunately, he's stuck on my kitchen counter and well...underwater. I'm not sure how many people are really going to hear his message this time.

But if you have any messages for Mr. D...I mean Jesus - let me know.

Massive Update

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:14:18 GMT

Yeah...subject line sounds good.

Here's the deal. I'm not doing anything very exciting at all anymore.

This past year I taught school again. It was incredibly mundane and nothing of great note happened. Well, I take that back - we had an exchange student for the school year. Her name was Milena and she was from Montenegro. This is less exciting than it sounds and while she was great, unless you met her, it is really sort of meh...

This summer due to finances and a misguided attempt to not worsen our family debt, I am sitting around on my butt playing online poker and lesson planning for fall. The heat is so intense in our area that I am encouraged to sit inside in the dark to stay cool. It's too hot to go to Seaworld or Disney and those are really the only places I have free passes to (see finances). Staying in debt would provide more interesting topics to write about - at least on livejournal.

On the other hand, I haven't gotten off my butt to write anything creative like I keep telling myself I'm going to or finished any of the many projects I have laying around the house. The evil TV has absorbed my soul again and I fear that when BBCA goes HD, it's going to get worse. I'm actually watching How Do you Solve a Problem like Maria? even though I know it's several years out of date.

Not to say that I'm not on the computer far too much...because I am. Turns out that ITunes is starting to carry more stuff I want (I have gift cards so it's not actually costing me yet). They finally got the original recording of Chess and I suddenly was bitten by the Andrew Lloyd Webber bug so pretty much I've been killing the airwaves with various musicals. Again...mostly interesting to me and only at the moment I'm actually listening.

For those of you who are still readying though....I do have to recommend Netflix though. You can get all those series and DVDs you've been wanting to try in the mail or even online. I wouldn't recommend watching Rachel Getting Married though because it's depressing and pointless. The only thing I got out of that movie was that it's possible I might have an addictive personality. Watching the AA meeting scene, I realized that I could actually apply alot of what the addicts were saying to my feelings about various things in my life (ie food and shopping and probably other things). It was a little bit of a downer until I did two renditions of the Psych Theme disco dance and decided that maybe I was just trying to spice up the boredom of my life by missing melodrama.

SO I really have nothing to complain about. For this, I'm glad. I also have nothing inspiring going on or to really say which is a little unfortunate. It seems being content isn't very creatively productive or does it make riveting livejournal posts....

So that's what I've been doing - and you?

I really wish....

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:26:42 GMT

I could win the lottery.

Yeah...I know...so does everyone else.

I have no specific reason either. It would be nice to have spare cash though.

Well...I'm off to go to a computer training class for school that I don't really want to do or nor do I see a point in taking it. However....I'm sure I'll learn a new skill set that won't be utilized at my backwoods school that sometimes doesn't have electricity. I probably shouldn't complain....it's free....it's worth half my renewal points for my certificate....I could possibly use it on my resume should my school burn down and I need to go look for another job....yadda yadda yadda....

On the other hand, there is a Starbucks next to the training center and I could get a Frappichino (and see how to spell Frappichino).

I am sooooo bored

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:56:15 GMT

I'm bored

I have a lot of things I could do but I'm totally uninspired to do any of them.

I could probably think of some actual productive things to do for even other people if I thought about it.

Of course, the monkey child makes doing some of those things a bit hard but even so......

I just have no motivation to do anything.

And yet...I'm bored.

I need some entertainment.

Probably off the internet because that's sort of sapping my will to move right now.

I'm awake!!!!

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:03:12 GMT

It's 5 am somewhere...oh wait - that's here!!!!!!

Today is the last day of school. I have one more exam to give and then I'm done until late August. I'm very very excited at this point because it means I can watch all the tv I've been ignoring.

I was going to post a big update but nah....I'm going to hold off until I'm more inspired.

so....

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:21:19 GMT

A kid posts on his facebook that love is a never ending experience.....

and one of his loser friends posts...so is herpes and another posts so are taxes....

Knowing the first kid is being serious (albeit it how serious can he really be at 17) - is it wrong to find the snarkiness of his friends stupid??????

Alphabet Game

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:14:26 GMT

Name a letter of the alphabet that also means something else....

K a letter and a vitamin...

next?

Random thought in a stream

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:58:23 GMT

I haven't posted anything worthwhile in forever because it seems that I've just been doing one thing after another in my life. Nothing particularly spectacular in any sense of the word but sometimes that doesn't make a different.

I read The Graveyard Book and quite liked it. Sometimes I really enjoy being paid to read at school. There are times when I really think I should be grading papers but mostly if I have a good book, the reading is better.

I haven't started writing my book about A Vampire and A Werewolf Walk Into a Bar yet....maybe over spring break I'll get started. Right now I'm trying to finish up the spring musical.

My district is cutting a good percentage of teachers to make up for budgeting shortfalls. I'm not one of them. This is a good thing. Sadly, I've been asked to take over the duties of a few people who have been cut. Seeing that I know them and well...they know I'm now doing their jobs...it is awkward at best? Especially when some of them were let go because they didn't do their job very well.

In other news...I'm still sick. I haven't been well since Christmas. This would be great (in a sick and demented way) if I could have lost a few pounds but that hasn't seemed to happen.

I did play in the Faculty/Student basketball game today. I achieved my goal of not getting hit in the face with the ball. That happened to at least one other teacher today but not me!!!!! I wish I got a picture but unfortunately, I was on the court.

Next week, I'm running a 5K at Disney. It should be interesting from the aspect that I haven't trained and I'm still hacking up crap. Sometimes multi-colored crap.

Maybe I should see a doctor but wait.....turns out our county has done away with allowing substitutes to save money. Can't exactly take a day off right now. Spring break isn't until the second week of April.

Normally I might mention something to the union about this as I have over 3 weeks of leave saved up and feel that seeing a doctor about chronic illness might override budget shortfalls caused by leaving the lights on day and night at Fleming Island High - however....we have play rehearsal for Wizard of Oz almost every day until we open so I can't really take a day off right now anyway.

Wow...this has been quite the stream of conscious writing.....I don't really know what else to say...

Life is very normal and mundane right now. Sometimes I watch House and the Tudors and I'll admit - I'm watching American Idol with my daughter and our exchange student. Personally I'm rooting for Adam because he's hot in a John Barrowman kind of way.

I am sick again

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:48:36 GMT

Some crappy phlegm thingy....

In other news...I've finally decided to write a new book.

It's called....

A Vampire and a Werewolf Walk into a Bar.

Really.

It is.

Stop laughing now.

I hope to have it done by the end of April (I'm planning on writing a lot during spring break).

Movie Quotes

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:07:11 GMT

The Rules:
A. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
B. Then pick one of your favorite quotes from each movie.
C. Post the quotes in your journal.
D. Have those on your friends list try to guess what the movie is.
NO GOOGLING ALLOWED. EITHER YOU KNOW IT OR YOU DON'T.
E. Strike out the quote once it has been correctly identified and place the guesser's username and the title directly after the quote.

1. You can fight and all of you will die, or you can surrender in which case only most of you will die.  ***tankfreak - Pirates 3
2. DON'T CALL ME JUNIOR!!***truexena  - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
3.She got her arm caught in the microwave and went crazy and hijacked a school bus full of....penguins, so it's kind of a bad time***tankfreak - Better Off Dead
 4.If I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there.***alienpred  - Grosse Point Blank
5.We ain't got five bucks! We don't even got five cents! Your Honor, how 'bout I roll ya for it, double or nuttin'?
 6.Dig hard, dig deep, go for shelter, and never look back!***alienpred  - Reign of Fire
7.Somebody ought to nail that girl's fins to the floor***truexena - The Little Mermaid
 8.I'm out of it for a little while, and everybody gets delusions of grandeur.***tankfreak - Jedi 
9.He looks like a koala...an evil koala***tankfreak - Lilo and Stitch
 10.You're gonna need a bigger boat****tankfreak - Jaws
 11.Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.***truexena - Dead Poet Societ 
12.Just a flesh wound ***alienpred- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
13.Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.***tankfreak  - Princess Bride
14. You got the makings of greatness in you, but you got to take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls! And when the time comes you get the chance to really test the cut of your sails, and show what you're made of! Well, I hope I'm there, catching some of the light coming off you that day 
15. All right, I'll crush each and every last one of ya! I'll squash you so hard you'll have to look down to look up!

Well, it's been an uneventful

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:16:45 GMT

Things I'm thankful for:

January 18th - Having dinner with Anthony and his girlfriend
January 19th - Having a day off and being able to sleep in
January 20th - Having relatively calm students after the day off
January 21st- finding a substitute without too much problems
January 22nd - watching the new Office
January 23rd - Caitlin's dental surgery going off without a hitch
January 24th - Pirates is on cable so I don't have to get off my butt to get the DVD out AND my Newsies soundtrack came in the mail so I can listen to an unscratched copy.

Friday was the big stressor of the week.

Year of Thanks

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:52:30 GMT

Several of my friends are treating this year as the year of blessings. Keeping a positive attitude in the face of whatever comes their way and being thankful for the good things they encounter on their journey through life.

I'm getting on board the train.

I have to catch up so here it goes....

January 1st - Woke up to 2009
January 2nd - Got an Apple Computer
January 3rd - Made some GOOOOOD banana bread
January 4th - Caitlin came home from her Dad's house safely and intact (without a new haircut)
January 5th - I posted my grades on time for school
January 6th - School started again. I missed my students and it turned out they missed me.
January 7th - Everyone wanted to go back to school the next day (if you have kids you know it doesn't always work that way)
January 8th - Whit started his college classes for his teaching certificate
January 9th - My son started saying I lofdso you, Mom - but we all know what he meant
January 10th - I cried during Ghost Town (been awhile since a movie has had emotional impact on me and it's good) also Tebo said he was staying at UF. Actually, that happened on Thursday but my son's increased vocabulary is way better. Love Tebo but not that much.
January 11th - We went to Disney World and had GOOD French food
January 12th - Caitlin got all As on her report card
January 13th - Milena got all As and Bs on her report card
January 14th - American Idol came back this week
January 15th - The plane my friend Theresa was on survived impact on the Hudson and no lives were lost - especially Theresa's.
January 16th - I got to watch The Office on DVR before school in the morning
January 17th - We'll see what happens today. So far, I got to eat a bowl of ice cream for breakfast because I lost my weight goal for the week so it's shaping up to be a good day.

In six months, I probably won't remember half these good things but the fact is - I probably won't remember most of crap things either. Maybe just maybe focusing on the good things will make the crap things less impacting.... and if not, maybe reflecting on the past good things will help me get through something.

It's 545, dude!

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:00:37 GMT

Neither of my children get up early. One might say I specifically trained them that way so around Christmas time, I wouldn't have to get up at 4 am just to open presents....

So today is Christmas in our household due to conflicting schedules. Everyone over the age of 10 knows Santa vacations in Miami until the big day anyway and well, everyone else is actually wearing diapers and can't tell time.

So it's 545...why am I awake? On a day off? My idiot husband decided he should wake up because it was Christmas morning. No one else is awake in the house - not even the dog.

Since it is the season of giving, I should not begrudge him the action of getting up but he keeps waking me up to ask me stuff - like "do we have eggs?" This is before he has opened the fridge to even look.

I have given up trying to go to sleep. The eggs are still in the fridge though and not on the stove So I'm not sure why he asked me in the first place.

Am I wrong?

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:50:37 GMT

The aisle of Super Walmart is not the place to have an intimate hush toned conversation with a friend. What - are they afraid they are being bugged?

And if it is....could we not do this in front of the ceral bars? It was really akward getting what I needed because they seemed oblivious to the fact I was trying to get around them and "excuse me" seemed to not work.....

I would really like to do my work now please....

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:37:53 GMT

My college's server is down again.

I know most people don't do their work at 4 in the morning but working full time and going to school full time is rough. Sometimes you have to do stuff when you can and right now, I want to do my work that is due today. Mostly because I have homecoming stuff tonight that I have to do and won't be home until 10 pm.

It's not periodic updates or anything....the college server goes down at the drop of a hat.

Maybe it won't be up all day and I can just work on it tomorrow like last week.

Ep!

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:32:37 GMT

I had a horrible dream that Obama as assassinated last night. In my dream, I was watching the news after we got back from trick or treating. Later in my dream there was all this commentary about whether Biden would move into the nomination or not. When I woke up from the dream I was really groggy and the tv was still on. I had to get online and make sure that it was just a dream.

Even my husband who supports McCain agreed that it was a terrible dream.

Garn dummit!

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:08:54 GMT

I can't vote. The form I sent in from Rock the Vote wasn't accepted by Florida. How did this happen? I just got my rejection letter today. I won't be elgible to vote until they recieve this form.

It's a conspiracy.....

Damn Republicans....

I'm in a class that's lobotimizing my brain....

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:03:17 GMT

I'm in a new teacher class that I need for my professional certificate. All the people in it are moms that:

1. Have never taught
2. Have the smartest kids in the world that aren't recognized by their teachers appropriately
3. Have kids that can't pass the FCAT or do regular work but it's the school, not the fact their kid acts out or lays his head on the desk during class
3. Have gripes with the way the very schools they want to hire them do things
4. Have never been inside the classroom as a teacher

They are driving me crazy. It is part of the grade to respond to their posts. I am having to tell myself....just write what a wonderful teacher they will be and move on.

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:03:53 GMT

I feel like poo.

I have a meeting with my principal.

This is not why I feel like poo but it sure doesn't help.

She's sort of morphed from the coolest boss in the world to a religious zealot in the past few months.

Yesterday she shut down the dance team because they were too suggestive with their dances. She also said the homecoming dance had to be over at 10 pm so the kids could go to church the next day.

My meeting is standard talk about kids who are falling behind and has been scheduled since the first day of school but you never know.

I feel like poo because I'm probably coming down with something but as I said, my 720 am meeting isn't helping.

I've been sucked in....

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:10:41 GMT

I've been sucked into My Space....

Of course, I don't know how to create nifty layouts and such....

Anyone want to tell me how to add music?

If you read this....

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:25:56 GMT

Clint - you are not the dregs of society.

Just most of your friends.

You should comment here. It's not like my space where you have to comment on a different page.

I know everyone else is going WTF but it's long and complicated and not at all melodramatic as it seems.

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:00:13 GMT

Do I go to Disney World or audition for a play on Sunday?

Seems as if I don't really have a choice...kids say Disney World.

Sound issues....

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:44:18 GMT

My school is in the country and although some of our district has lots o money - our school does not. What money we get doesn't go into the fine arts department at all so I'm basically self funded.

I also get the dregs of the school in terms of participants. Sometimes they shape up and turn into great kids but most lack the motivation to help themselves so fundraising is challenging.

However....that is not the problem.

The problem is I have inferior sound equipment for the stage. The stage is built in the cafeteria so the accoustics are awful and without sound amplification only the best projectors (as in actors) are even heard. Sometimes it's hard to hear even loud mouths if there is any localized din.

Our sound system is comprised of two awful speakers, a few hand mics, 3 boundry mics (table top conference mics) that are used on the floor to pick up sound during plays, a dvd player with no track indicators, a monitor from the 80s to display the tracks from the dvds and a sound board that was recycled from some other place.

Last year we had a techie kid who could make it passable in terms of volume but he graduated and refused to train anyone with his "secrets". This year, while I can get some volume from the mics, if I turn them up to hearable levels...I get massive feedback. I can play music through the dvd without feedback but the mics are ineffective.

Maybe it's something in the settings on the sound mixer....maybe it's something else...I have no idea. Unfortunately, the few people I have asked at school don't know either. To add to that... it didn't come out until after they talked to me like I was stupid. Telling me that the stage was constructed wrong, I didn't have the right equipment, not understanding why the kids can't just use hand mics for the play - then they shuffle off.

We don't have money to get a new system (and my students aren't going to go out and earn the money) so I have to figure out what's set up wrong about this one. Any ideas? Anyone in Florida or want to come to Florida and figure it out for me?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:38:21 GMT

I'm sick.