booties!

lesson learned - just deal with the injury! not sure that treatment would've been different earlier, but at least it'd be over by now!!

un-love

I am experiencing my first opposition to my vegan foodstyle. and it hurts. my own family basically doesn't "mind" that I eat different, as long as it doesn't affect them. what happened to wanting to embrace the things that matter to those we love??

so for Christmas dinner (tomorrow the 27th) i get to eat mashed potatoes (That have been put aside so i can doctor them myself) and broccoli. yay.

makes me appreciate even more my extended family who love me and SUPPORT me!!

unpack to pack

so i got out my suitcase for this next adventure. apparently i never completely unpacked the last time i used it.... found dirty socks and undies!! i KNEW i had more pairs of "new" socks!!

does this mean i had such a good trip that i didn't want it to end? or that i had such a good trip that i was too excited to unpack fully? or so bad that i didn't want to think about it?

it was a good trip :) maybe it's an omen this one'll be better than i think!!

Christmas Music

So many thoughts on Christmas music...

1. I find it very interesting that a secular radio station has no problem playing oodles of music about Jesus, as long as it's a well-known person singing it.

2. The local Christian music station plays all Christmas music from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Isn't ALL Christian music technially Christmas music?!??!

3. How are songs about missing family and not getting what I "want" for Christmas supposed to get me in the Christmas spirit?!

4. Christmas is one day. Okay, two if you count the Eve. The rest of the 4 weeks is about preparing for the coming of the Lord. How can I prepare if I'm bombarded with music saying that He's already here?? You know??

So, in conclusion... can I please get some good ol' sacreligious music on my radio?!?!?!

Dad is here!!

YAY!!!! That is all I wanted to say :) Let the home repairs and Scrabble playing begin!!!

blank

don't you hate it when you want to say something but when you go to say it, your mind is blank?! i had a story, or something... oh well!! also went to Target for lotion (cuz I had a coupon) kept thinking there was something else... yep, came home without the lotion. did get a new humidifier though :) (it was on the list...)

Learning to Teach

Today all of the secondary math teachers in the district went to a training session. When
I warned my classes yesterday that they'd have a sub today, they wanted to know where I'd be. I said I had to go learn how to teach. A good number replied, "but you're a good teacher!" now that'll warm your heart :)

Thanks and giving

Hello again blogworld :) I should put more of my student-inspired stories up here. I promise I will... hehe.

Anyway, I had a GREAT Thanksgiving day!! I spent it with 3 very cool people, 2 of them for the entire day and we had such a GOOD time!! know how some guests you're ready for them to leave long before they go away? Not these folks!! Nope!! Except that we were all falling asleep, I wouldn't have minded if they'd stayed even longer!! we coulda watched a Thanksgiving Friends episode :) (I watched it by myself instead - the one where Chandler's in the box)

In addition, I adopted a turkey!!! A real living one. Except he's on a sanctuary farm in CA and not in my yard. His name is Harley and he has an attitude. At least in the picture. Maybe next time I'm in CA I can visit Harley. I was very impressed with myself and my friends who joined me for the meal, that we had a very yummy, satisfying, not completely healthy, CRUELTY-FREE meal!! it CAN be done :)

So this year, I am thankful of course for employment and George and all the normal, but I am especially thankful for great friends who support and encourage my odd habits and love me for me :)

miss me?

i decided it'd been too long. not sure i have anything to say though. guess that's why it's been a while! nothing to complain about. nothing to cheer about. not that life isn't good!! i love my job, i love my George, i love my friends, i love my house. God is GOOD!!!

George is George

For some reason I am quite bothered when I tell someone that my female cat is named George and they say, "oh Georgette" or "Georgina". NO PEOPLE! Her name is GEORGE. Get over it. I bet you don't say that to people who have daughters named Ryan. OR sons named Carey.

odd spot

I'm not in a very good mood this evening. But, it has NOTHING to do with work!! This is really quite an interesting concept to me. I'm trying to enjoy it, even though I'm not happy!!

Sometimes God nudges us, or we think maybe He is, and it's not always where we want to go. So I'm mulling this concept at the moment. Which is why I'm not happy. Sort of. I like when God nudges, and I don't mind changing for Him. but the process of change can be no fun.

the things i have to say

today a young man was showing his underpants... his underpants had hotdogs and something else (i didn't stare!) on them... i said to him, "i can see your hotdogs"...

change of heart

A year ago, maybe two, I would've said that I didn't really like Christian music. Never listened to Christian radio. I guess it was a bout a year ago when I started trying to get into it. I LOVE it!!!

Yesterday, I even found myself switching off a country song that I like because the message behind it just wasn't what I wanted to hear. I turned it to the Christian station (94.9 KLTY) and sang my heart out to whatever was playing there.

On my way to work in the morning, especially, it's SO nice to hear refreshing lyrics with upbeat music. I'm so glad I made the change :)

Rain makes 'em CRAZY

Observation: Rain makes students absolutely nutty!! We also happen to have water issues (the city of Azle has a water main break AGAIN) so tomorrow should be FUN!!!

Friday Night Lights Out

After not having worked very hard for more than two years, I am now working VERY hard and am completely exhausted because of it. I'm having fun though :) But...

because I'm sick, I opted to not go to the football game. and I'm quite sorry!! like really, very sorry. i wish i was there. i keep looking at the clock wondering how far in they are, if we've scored, how Sean (my one student that plays on varsity) is playing, etc.

Moral of today's story: I am tired and I am sick and I have very little voice, but man, I really do love what I do!!! All 170 of my students are great kids, each with their own quarks.

Man, God is GOOD!!!

Day 1 of 180

Oh the emotions running through me right now!!

I can't wait to meet my students and get going on making them into math lovers :) I have been waiting for tomorrow for many years. And here it is!! God has blessed me with a good school and district and colleagues. I feel like here I can really grow and become the teacher God intends me to be.

And that leads me to the peace I'm feeling. Sure, I'm nervous, but not really. I know that God will be right there with me from 7:55am to 3:15pm every day and all the other times too. As Pastor Danny said this morning, I am "blessed to be a blessing" and I am willing and ready to walk the path God has laid in front of me!!

Go Hornets!!

uuh-oh

school hasn't even started yet and i'm slacking on blog posts...

Go Hornets :)

Saturday Night

I've done nothing all day. Well, since I woke up. Which was actually almost afternoon. I just read a few pages of my algebra book to make sure i knew how to teach the stuff i'd be teaching the first week of school. It's very basic and I see us flying through it. Guess that's a good thing.

Anyway, so now I'm sitting here thinking, hmmm it's Saturday night. I should do something "special" - watch a movie or something. But nothing sounds good!!! So I'm going to watch TV on the computer that I've already seen and play sudoku and watch my adorable George sleep. But, really? How sad am I?!

Edit: I just realized I need to eat dinner. Maybe that'll give me some oomph!!

Speechless

At 2:30 pm yesterday I was sitting on a rock atop an 11,499 foot peak in Southern California. My dad and I had hiked uphill for 7.5 hours to get there. Then we hiked down, encouraging each other with each step, though mostly him to me.

Today, at about 2:30, I was offered a teaching job. The job that God had been planning for me. And I got to hug my dad in person and weep with relief in his arms. Amazing.

There is now way to express the range of emotions in the last 24 hours!! My legs are sore and my heart is full!! And I have the best earthly and heavenly fathers any girl could ever ask for!!

Late Night Ponderings

The things we think about when we can't sleep...

In my readings tonight (the novel i'm pretty sure), it referred to the verses when Jesus says something like, "Love others like I first loved you". the book pointed out that we are to love others but we are also to be loved. deep.

my first thought is of a mother or friend who is so busy helping everyone else that she forgets to let others help her and then she collapses. or she doesn't but still.

the other thought is that we have to allow ourselves to be loved by GOD! we so often go through life loving others in the name of God, and doing amazing work for God and God's people, but we can miss those moments when God is loving us! by not listening and feeling God's presence in all we do, we can easily push away blessings that we don't realize are God loving us. I have learned that sometimes, I need to just sit in God's presence and feel Him hugging me. At those moments when I feel God's love, I am better able to understand His plans for my life, and how I can best serve Him.

Freedom

I've been contemplating "what is freedom" for the last few hours. Everyone in America is celebrating their freedom today but I wonder, "everyone"? What about the immigrants who are lawfully not supposed to be here? What about the couple who's not allowed to get married? What about the classroom where we're not allowed to talk about Jesus? What about the African American (or Asian or Italian or Mexican) who is a US citizen but does not feel comfortable eating at certain restaurants or shopping at certain stores? What about the cancer or Alzheimer's patient who can't leave the hospital or house?

How free are we really?

Well, here in America, most of us are a lot freer than our counterparts in other countries. Women can show their face. Christians can sing their hymns. Protesters can hold their signs.

Yes, we do have a lot to be grateful for on this Independence Day. But think about what freedom YOU have and enjoy that someone, here in America, might not be so lucky to have...

Does it matter that I am free when my neighbor is not?

Ah...summer reading!

It has been a long time since I've been able to say this and it made me so happy I almost posted in the middle of the night... I read a book last night :) Well, actually it was night before last. It was a simple Christian romance with a great plot and moral. Made me think. How many Harlequin's make you think about your relationship with God?! Fabulousness!!

I love to read!!!

(the book was #1 in Debra Clopton's Mule Hollow Matchmaker series)

Some people

Several months ago, as part of a Bible study discussion, we talked about doing good deeds and then bragging about them. I don't actually remember which group this was or what the study was on! But I remember this discussion because it spoke to me. Why do we do good deeds or serve others?

I have a friend who likes to do good deeds and then brag about them. Know what? She's not a saint!!! Is she a friend? I guess so. She does favors for me which is nice. Do I like her? Not all the time. So then can I call myself a friend to her? Oh the puzzlement of life and relationships!!

I had to let that out. This topic also leads to discussion on hypocrites and selfishness but I don't feel like going there.

A Day of Firsts

Today was my first ever time to serve on jury duty! It was also my first time on a FW City Bus (I got to stand up on the way back so that was a first too!).

People may think I'm odd, but I was kinda excited about jury duty. First of all, it was not taking me away from anything like work or kids. I suppose this was the big difference for me from the other 200 or so who joined me today, almost all of whom grumbled about being there. I like new experiences for the most part, and I do believe in fulfilling my civil obligation.

I was also home before General Hospital :) I got asked questions by the lawyer with about 30 others in my group. Some were quite opinionated, which was funny, because we didn't really know enough to know what we were forming opinions on! They told us just enough so that now my curiosity is killing me!! Anyway, I did not get picked to sit on the jury. I was quite disappointed and felt rather rejected - the guy next to me got picked as #12 so one or both lawyers didn't want me :( 

Now, people... jury duty is NOT bad!! take a book. be open to talking to other people. it's one, maybe two, occasionally three, days out of your life!! of course, the people who complain the most about it are probably the ones who complain about something anytime they can. but really, this isn't a bad way to support the legal system. it's certainly better than suing someone for nothing!!

tomatoes and salads

i forgot about tomatoes!! raw and the right ripe, they're quite yummy!! how come i forgot this? why haven't i eaten a tomato in all this vegan-ness??!!! oh well, i know now.

i had said tomato in my salad. YES! SALAD!!! i decided that stupid allergies are not going to keep me from a really good salad when i am craving a salad!! i have looked at just about every bottle of dressing known to man in order to find the right one - some other vinegar, not distilled/white; vegan; if it's gotta have a sweetener, a "good" one, or at least not a "bad" one; and not weird. yesterday at Aldi, i happened upon one!! it's garlic italian and i DO love y garlic!! it has only like 7 ingredients, all of which pass my tests :) and it's good!! kinda sweet even, which I wasn't expecting. i didn't put much on the salad to be safe, and to get the flavor of all the veggies!

what was in my salad besides the dressing? mushrooms, tomato, olives, cucumber, carrots, baby spinach, and a spring mix (i bought a bag salad for this little experiment).

so far so good on the dressing's reaction!! i won't have a salad every day yet. but this is GREATNESS!!! it is hard to be vegan without salad in your repertoire!!

Vegan Pizza

YUMMO!!!!! I was blessed to be able to share an evening with some very good friends last night. They made pizza dough and told me I could bring whatever I wanted to put on top. I had mustard greens (was gonna do spinach and decided to be different), sliced black olives, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts. I did not opt for "vegan" cheese cuz I can't seem to find any that is actually vegan! and i should get used to no cheese if i ever want pizza from a restaurant!

it was FANTASTIC!!! I think the incredibly yummy home-made crust made the whole thing perfect :) i'm not sure i'd put it all on in the same order again. and i'd definitely put more (of the same stuff, and maybe more variety, but it didn't need it). no cheese necessary.

and it was FANTASTIC again today, cold, 24 hours later :) and i suspect that the final 2 pieces will be just as great tomorrow for lunch. unless i eat them tonight....

oh, but did i mention there are also vegan chocolate chip cookies?!?! YES!!!!

beyond the fabulousness of the meal, it was great hanging out with friends, cooking and watching movies (not the best movies ever unfortunately). i am truly blessed to have great people in my life who support my foodstyle and even accommodate it!!! thanks Q&L :)

blown calls

yesterday a perfect game was broken up on the last play because the ump was wrong. well, deemed to be wrong by most. i feel i must share some personal baseball thoughts!

the perfect game: i have always felt that though a perfect game is mostly due to good pitching it is NOT just the pitcher. at any time, a fielder could drop a ball, overthrow, etc. so even if the reasoning that the pitcher MEANT to throw for a groundball out is true, it could still go very wrong!! last night being a good example. give me 27 strikeouts, and i'll call it a perfect game for the pitcher. otherwise, it's the TEAM's accomplishment.

out?: how many times does a player get called out (or safe) at 1st base, regardless of where the ball is when his foot touches the base? often!! look carefully!! the umps get ONE angle, and i would say at least half the time, if not most of the time, they're guessing or looking at fielder's arm vs runner's leg, not actual ball and foot. in the big scheme of things, this is not a big deal because usually their guess is right - they get paid to do this, they mostly know what they're doing (the umps I mean).

instant replay: my verdict is still out on this. i thoroughly enjoy watching football coaches get all flustered and throw their flag/towel thing and then wait not very patiently for the replay dude to decide. there are specific rules in football replay about when and who can ask for it, etc. and if you're wrong, you get penalized! i think that in baseball, it could help. if there are good enough rules and consequences and all that. however, part of the fun of baseball is yelling at umps about bad calls!!! would it take away some of the aura? probably. and then there's the question of: what's changed in the game in the last 100 years, besides technology, that makes us think we need such a change?


so.... congrats to Armando Galarraga and the Detroit Tigers for their perfect game last night. may Armando always enjoy his *. :)

wishes

Know what I wish? That I could do it all! There's a cool charity bike event in CO, simply buying myself something new to wear to a party this weekend, change how things run in certain organizations, keep all children and animals (really all God's creatures) from harm, not sweat, grow all my own produce...

see... what a list!! we can't do it all. so for today i'll pick something "small" and pray about the rest. but man, if wishes could become instant reality... i'd so own a (eco-friendly) plane!

I Just Don't GET It!

I am sitting in a classroom where students are taking an algebra exam. They are allowed to use their notes. This seems to be the norm for all math classes on this campus (at least algebra and geometry). WHY?!

1. how do we know that they've mastered anything besides being able to interpret notes to new problems, which by the way are EXACTLY the same as the problems on the notes, except for a few changed #'s.

2. they are not allowed any notes when taking the TAKS (state test). we are giving them a crutch and then asking them to walk freely on a standardized test! that's not fair to them! no wonder their scores aren't what we'd hope!

my hope is that when i am teaching math, i can either make my own decisions regarding this issue or it's not the norm on the campus I'm at. argh!

at least i'm trying

On my way to a sub job this afternoon, as I'm driving along eating my hummus and whole grain bread, thinking my car isn't as eco-friendly as it could be (though much better than others), I look over and see the guy next to me at the stop light. He's driving a big truck and smoking a cigarette. I sure hope all that I do to save the Earth is counter-balancing all he does to destroy it!! and, darn it, he was cute too!! figures.

God's amazing

Just when I get to the point of screaming out loud (to God and George) "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE????" God answers!!! OR at least, I think it's an answer. Okay, let's say it's a "sign" that I'm heading the right direction and to be faithful and patient.

I subbed in an algebra class today and actually got to teach cuz the teacher knows I'm actually a teacher. I had SOOOO much fun!!! A couple kids at one point even said I should be a math teacher so I told them to go tell their principal that :) I will say 5th period made it a little less fun. Really 3 of the OBNOXIOUS students in 5th period. I wish I'd been able to help the others more without having to repeat myself 20 times to those three. But whatever, I take the day as a sign that I CAN be a math teacher, will ENJOY it, and it WILL happen. SOON?!?!?

the things students DO

so, if you look back, i have a blog post about the things students say from the day when a 6th grade boy asked if he could take his pants off in the middle of class.

Friday, a different 6th grade boy didn't ask, he just DID! he's walking down the row of seats and one of the girls kinda squealed something at him. i look up and his pants are falling down. his back is to me, he turns around and i realize that his pants are UNDONE, therefore they are falling down. well, no, he's taking them off, while walking toward the shelf where his binder is. he did have shorts on, but HELLO!!! that's pretty much what i said to him  "why exactly do you think it's okay to take off your pants in class?" his only answer was "i have shorts on"...

oh, America, where will we be in 20 years?!?!

it's happening!

so when i adopted the Vegan foodstyle, it was for many reasons, mostly health-related. once of these was the hope of better sleep and more energy. i decided that i would not force myself to exercise and hopefully at some point, i would have enough energy to WANT to exercise.

well... this morning, i woke up a couple hours earlier than i'd expected/planned and had a nice lazy morning hanging with my George. and then I thought... huh, i should exercise. SO I DID!!!! not for too long, just 20 minutes on the elliptical and a couple sit-ups - i AM getting over a horrendous cold afterall. but...

I DID IT!! cuz I WANTED TO!!!!!

now, will it happen again soon? who knows!

lawn attitudes

okay, so if you know me at all, i consider mowing the lawn a chore. i always wanted a house cuz i thought it would be so great to plant flowers and maintain a yard. soon after buying my home, i realized that this was a fantasy.

however... 2 years and many battles with the lawn later, i have almost learned to love it. okay, enjoy it. no, tolerate. but i am beginning to see the time coming when i will like it!

AND when i'll plant flowers and remember to water them :) see, that's the key - the UPKEEP!! i'm going to start with George's own personal lawn - the patches right outside the back door. first step is weeds be gone!!

someday, it will be beautiful and i'll grow all my own produce :) that's the goal. small steps are good!

detox woes - warning: unpleasant topics

if detox from meat and dairy is this bad, i can safely say i will never do drugs (not that i would), simply for the fact that detox would have to be way worse than this and this SUCKS!!

so, part of becoming vegan is the detox that the body goes through as all the "bad" stuff of yore gets kicked out of the body by the good stuff of today. this is a good thing, except for the fact that it sucks. i have read effects of skin break-outs, gas, other toilet issues, headaches, and mucus.

yes, so, mucus... i have decided that this horrible cold would not be so bad except that my body is taking this opportunity to dispel itself of some toxins. so while blowing and coughing up yucky cold crap, i am also getting detox crap. thus the AMAZING amounts of yuckiness coming out of my body. like, seriously, i could win awards with how much there is.

i also have the excess skin break-outs. that i can handle with a smile :) it's said to last a month or more... here's to hoping the mucus is almost OVER!!

My Teenager

I've actually said that George has teenage tendencies since the beginning, but today, she is officially a TEEN! yep, THIRTEEN!! i can't believe how the time has flown. and she's (mostly) just as young and spry as all those years ago. okay, so she's fatter. and i've noticed that she doesn't jump as high or as often as she used to. but she's still as cute as ever and the best best friend a girl could ever ask for.

this is when she was just months old. it was in our first apartment together. in Delaware. she would still eat cheez-its if i'd let her!

one of my absolute favorite pics of her. funny, the grass is that tall again today!

i took this one this morning. see, still as cute as ever!!








she's staring at me right now. guess she knows i'm bragging on her.

Earth Day 2010

In honor of Earth Day, I bought a tree. The goal is to plant it and keep it alive so that I am helping the environment. Just in case though, I bought it through arborday.org because they plant a tree in Flathead National Forest for every tree purchased today. This way there will be at least one new living tree for a long time to come! Hopefully two :)

Maybe this tree, and my new foodstyle, will finally get me to become the gardener that I want to be!!

(in an aside, i think it's odd that i purchased a tree over the internet and it's being shipped to me...)

the summons

in the mail today was a jury duty summons. i have not received one of these since college. i remember that one well cuz i thought it was cool that i was "exempt" and they didn't realize that before they bothered to summon me.

my date was May 10. i say "was" cuz i've already logged on to defer it until school's out. i know i'm about to be requested to sub on the 11th and i wouldn't want to end up on a lengthy jury or something!! besides, as of this moment, i have nothing better to do this summer.

so, my main thought in this occurrence today is this: apparently owning a home and living in it for 2 years tells the county that you're really, truly a resident and should probably do your civic duty!! i know most people are out out by jury duty, but i am excited. it's a "first", an adventure, and it means that maybe i really have found my "home".

seniors v. freshmen

I figured out the difference between freshmen and seniors today...

they both talk, but seniors are capable of saying something worth listening to.

oh, and there's more of a chance that a senior will actually do what you ask of them.

Rice Milk First Trial

First and Second Trial really. The first bowl of cereal, the milk was not cold enough. I don't even like cow milk warm.

Today's second bowl was quite yummy. The rice milk is a little sweet so I think I'll be okay with non-sweet cereal when I go fully onto no sugar.

As for the no sugar, I'm starting in small spurts. Not spurts. Steps. I bought Diet Pepsi. The caffeine will be the last to go!

Opening Day

IT'S HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRREE!!!!!!!

And my entry is not about the Astros (who begin their game in moments)...

So, the Braves just beat up on the Cubs, 16-5, on Opening Day. That makes me quite happy. It's like all in back to normal in the baseball world :) AND a new phenom, Jason Heyward, who plays for the Braves got his first ML hit tonight, in his first ML at-bat - a homerun!!! AND this is extra special cuz he wears #22 :) Hmmm... i might have a new hero! except for the Braves uniform part.

Danielle Steel

I read every book Danielle Steel wrote, until about 5 years ago when I realized they were all the same. There is a definite pattern to each of them. It got boring and predictable.

Lately, I've bee reading a lot of non-fiction - health, memoirs, etc. Some very good stuff.

I felt the need to read something fiction and well, mindless. So I found a Danielle Steel book on my shelf that I'd gotten free somewhere and never read - "Coming Out".

Sure enough, it's mindless, predictable, and just really bad writing!! But yet it's sucked me in and I just have to know how it ends. Guess that's how she keeps selling books.

Movie Fix

I've been in quite a movie mood lately. There are many good ones out there that I have not seen seeing as how I never go to the movies!

It's very disappointing when looking forward to "finally" seeing one that I've wanted to see from the beginning and it's just not holding my attention :( I'm blaming it on the allergy meds and not the movie though. Just to be nice.

Growing Up

I watched the entire hour of 60 minutes tonight and was fascinated, intrigued, by all of it. Guess I really am a 35 year old ADULT!!

Going Vegan

I get a lot of nutty ideas. Some last, others do not.

For several weeks now (maybe longer) I've been toying with the idea of giving up meat. For calorie and economic reasons, this seemed like a good idea. And not that tough since I don't eat a steak every night or anything.

In my research and through self-learning (totally blanking on the right word - i looked at my life and health and stuff), I've actually decided to try Vegan! This is no meat or dairy (eggs, milk, butter!). The dairy will be tougher on my but I'm going to try it for a month and see what happens.

The good news is that I am SUPER excited!! I've been reading cookbooks and looking at websites and I wish there were more meals in a week!! Tonight I started with one of my favorite restaurant meals that I have only tried at home once - Black Bean Tostadas/Chalupas (Chalupa seems to be a Texas word - only place I've ever heard it!) with Avocado. Mine was simply a corn tortilla fried stiff-ish, refried black beans, and avocado (one of my favorite foods ever). I made some brown rice and threw in a bit of enchilada sauce that I had in the pantry for a recipe that I never made many months ago.

YUMMY!!! So far, I am LOVING my new foodstyle :) OF course, I'm still finishing some things in my cupboard... like the Dr. Pepper!! Cuz did I mention I'm also going to attempt to cut out sugar (the obvious kind - stuff cooked with it isn't on my list yet)??

And I owe it all to Alicia Silverstone and The Kind Diet!!

the things students say

"can I take my pants off?"

6th grade boy, blurted out in class. apparently he had shorts on under his long pants and he was hot.

my response: "no"

Angry Christians

This afternoon I had a 3:30 appt to get my teeth cleaned. My dental insurance is up next week and rather than re-up, I thought I'd just go get 'em cleaned and be done, until it's part of a spiffy benefits package.

When I arrived at 3:20, it appeared that a nice well-dressed (thus, i noticed her) lady was finishing up something - she was standing at the payment counter. She came and sat down in the waiting room and I overheard her say that she was waiting now for her hygiene appt at 4pm. We sat.

The hygeinest called her in at 3:40. I thought this was odd, since my appt was first, but I did just call and get it this morning. No biggie. Then the ladies behind the counter start talking about how she should've taken the 3:30 (me) first, but the hygeniest said the other lady had "been here longer". Well, yes, because she had another something done earlier. I went and got my book because obviously I had to wait another 30 minutes. I also took a moment to pray that I didn't get angry and to remember that it's only 30 minutes and it wouldn't hurt me.

Well, the nice lady walked out 45 minutes later and I was finally called at about 4:30. The hygeniest commented that she was an hour behind.  I replied that she was not behind, but that she had just called the wrong person first, which she denied and I explained that I had heard everything. Apparently this all upset her because she then started to cry and said that she was too upset to do my cleaning and i'd have to come back. Needless to say, THEN I was ANGRY! I have sense called the Monarch HQ and will also call the office manager tomorrow.

But here's why I'm writing this here. I am ANGRY!! I don't want to be. I feel bad for the nice hygeniest who is probably over worked and underpaid. And I feel bad for being upset. But then I think that SHE did the wrong thing and then LIED to me because she thought I didn't realize what happened. I was not really all that upset until she claimed to be behind by an hour which was not at all true! And then she got upset because I called her on it. I did not raise my voice until I was told I would not get the service that I had been waiting over an hour to receive. And then it was mostly in my "WHAT?" when she said she couldn't do it. And then when I learned that the manager was gone and there was nothing anyone could do, until tomorrow, when I'll be in a classroom unable to do anything about it. Besides, I'm mad NOW.

So, how does a good Christian, like I want to be, not get walked all over!?! How do we get our fair customer service and express dissatisfaction when we don't get it, without feeling like the meanie?!? Why do I feel like I am in the wrong?

More from "Food Nation"

From the chapter "Why Fries Taste So Good"...

"You'll find 'natural flavor' or 'artificial flavor' in just about every list of ingredients. The similarities between these two broad categories of flavor are far more significant than their differences...A natural flavor is not necessarily healthier or purer than an artifical one. When almond flavor (benzaldehyde) is derived from natural sources, such as peach and apricot pits, it contains traces of hydrogen cyanide, a deadly poison. Benzaldehyde derived through a different process - by mixing oil of clove and the banana flavor, amyl acetate - does not contain any cyanide. Nevertheless, it is legally considered an artificial flavor and sells at a much lower price.  Natural and artificial flavors are now manufactured at the same chemical plants, places that few people would associate with Mother Nature. Calling any of these flavors 'natural' requires a flexible attitude toward the English language and a fair amount of irony."

Wowsers! This could truly spur me into that garden i've been talking about for years!! In any case, it will make my trip to the grocery today a little different - less processed!!

what i like to see

I don't particularly like basketball, but March Madness gets me intrigued every year. Partly because it's my best friend's favorite thing in the world. He is to college basketball like I am to baseball. I love him anyway :)

This year, so far, has been the year of the "upset". Small schools we've never hear of with a high number (seed) who come out and beat the favorites, the big schools, the ones we know where they're located. This improbability, this win it or lose it in one game, is why March Madness can be so much fun. Have a great day, and you move on. Have a lousy day and you go home.

Cornell is this year's "Cinderella Team" - the ones who just keep beating the other guys. They are a 12 seed - 11 teams, in their quarter of the bracket, are supposedly better than them. They are now part of the "Sweet 16". Who's better now?!

I'm rooting for Cornell. Not because they're the underdog. Because they are proving my point. I have always believed that in order to succeed, especially at sports, you must have fun. Let the pressure get to you and you start to slip. Not Cornell! They are having fun. They're laughing and making jokes. They know they don't really belong where they are so they're going to enjoy it - as a team, the way they've played and laughed all season long. Did I mention that they're a pretty good team?

So, GO BIG RED! Have some fun and see where it takes you!! Cuz, especially in March Madness, you just never know!

Couple of quotes from: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=df-cornell032110&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Is this a normal occurrence, avoiding the cliché; player-speak and showing off the team’s camaraderie? “We normally don’t have any press conferences,” Dale said.

“If you take it too seriously, it’s not fun anymore,” Foote said.

School Advertisement

I'm reading "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. Really, I'm skimming it. I checked it out and renewed it twice already and it is now overdue. I am on page 57. I am only that far because I've been skimming for the last 20 minutes or so. I really did want to read it once I started, I just started too late.

I'm reading all about how Burger King started advertising in schools in Colorado in the mid-90's. I skimmed and read for several pages and it even brought up Channel One, which is watched in some local middle schools (that I know of!). It is a daily video with news segments and commercials geared toward kids. It's made by someone somewhere and offered nationally, apparently. I've seen a couple segments. The kids ignore it and do homework, which is actually a good thing.

ANYWAY... as I'm reading about these things, and the Top 40 radio that is played in cafeteria's and all those posters in hallways and such, I suddenly got irked. QUITE IRKED!

So, our schools can get money from advertisement about fast food, zit cream, shoes, who knows what else, but we can't pray? Schools can be as commercial as they care to be (sports team being sponsered even!) but they can't in anyway be religious. It's wrong. Just wrong. If a student has the freedom to read a poster advertising Coke over Pepsi, AND MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION, shouldn't they have the freedom to be informed and MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION about their spiritual life?!?!?!

So many questions (loudly) running through my head... how did we get here? who do we blame? how can we "fix" it? What is God's plan for ME in this capacity?!?!?

say it ain't so Nomar

not that I care that Nomar Garciaparra is retiring. But I'm pretty sure this means I've been a baseball fan for too long. I do believe he was a nobody, maybe not even playing pro ball, when I got hooked. Let me rephrase that earlier comment - you can't be a fan too long, no such thing, but this is making me feel old. AGAIN!! it's bad enough to look at a roster and see all those boys. truly boys - 18, 22. but now the boys of "yore" are hanging up their cleats.

ah, such is life. have fun Nomar.

Icons

First "Boner", now Corey. Haim that is. Aren't I too young to see my childhood crushes die?! Not that I ever had a crush on either of them. But that's not the point. A lot has been said over the years about child actors falling by the wayside, not being able to shake the "industry" and such. Then I look at TV and movies and the roles we're asking kids to play today... I pray that someone, a parent or mentor, is there to help those kids through it all so they're not tomorrow's Boner.

3/7/2010

35 down.... ?? to go...

What a fabulous weekend of celebrating! I have a mazing friends who love me and embrace my obnoxious love of my birthday. Life couldn't get much better!!

I'd like to thank the academy...no really, my parents, my brother, my cousins and aunts and uncles...my friends, especially my Jeffy, the Garcia's, Mitzi, Amanda, the First Friday gang... but most definitely, i thank God. i can't imagine my life without God and I devote the next 35 years (and beyond) to serving Him and completing His plan for my life.

whales

My heart goes out to the family of the SeaWorld trainer who was killed by one of her whales today. As I'm reading the article, which tells of all the other times this whale and others have attacked trainers, I can't help but think... well, golly, folks, we put something called a KILLER whale, which is gigantic, btw, in a tank instead of the VAST ocean, and, really, what do we expect? and all so we can watch it swim and do tricks?

i love my house but every once in a while, i just gotta get out! and i don't even do tricks!!

cable tv

wow, 3 in one day. i must really miss Facebook.

so I decided I should try out Dexter. I got the first disc of the first season at the library.

not only am i not enjoying the show (i'm on the first episode) but do they really have to use the f-word quite so much? just because they can? other cable shows don't feel the need. pretty sure i don't need to watch more than this episode.

About Time

Wow, 2 in a row!

So, General Hospital has a new opening credit sequence. And I am VERY happy to see that Epiphany has finally made it!!! Maybe she'll actually get a real plot-line now too :)

and maybe the Elizabeth/Nicolas/Lucky saga will go away!!

deep thoughts

What do I want more.. to teach... or to live in FW??? Because maybe the answer should be "to teach"... since living in FW doesn't seem to be all it can be, seeing as how I'm not teaching.

More deep thoughts in the quest for happiness!

It's here again!!

Baseball season is upon us once again friends!! Well, spring training anyway. Close enough. Games start in 12 days :) Astros GM Ed Wade said, "That's what Spring Training represents. It's a chance to start over and see where the journey takes us."


You know, isn't that what life is all about? Those chances to start over, and see where God takes us? To me, this is also what Lent is all about? A time to reflect, repent, and really seek out God and His path for our lives. 


I didn't say easy. Spring Training ain't all sunshine either.

stupid stray cat and a reflection

George and I are laying in bed, her at my feet, window behind us. I hear the stupid neighborhood stray cat outside. I bang on the window which wakes up George who stares intently at her reflection in the window, thinking it's the cat that's making the noise. Since it doesn't make any more noise (because I've scared the real stray cat off), George lays back down and goes back to sleep. I love my attack cat :)

Elliptical

The second half of a 30 minute elliptical workout goes much faster than the first half.

not gonna happen

Ever feel like the stars are against you? I finally decided to just get over my fear of being a substitute teacher and now can't seem to get a job! Two nights in a row, either nothing is available or someone steals it out from under me.

So, I'm TRYING to be responsible, make money, etc but it doesn't seem to be working. What are the stars trying to tell me?!? What better things am I supposed to be doing with my time?!?!

Pooie

So I finally created this blog and now I can't come up with anything clever to say!! So I'll give you a TV review.

I have become addicted to Chuck. NBC has created a very cute, different crime-fighting show. I found the pilot at Hulu.com while bored and now I'm hooked. I have watched all of Season 1 on thewb.com. However, Season 2 came out on DVD last week and is not available anywhere for free!! Well, the last 4-5 episodes are, but not the first 18!

Solution: a 2 week free trial to the Blockbuster online rental thingy. Now I'm waiting for DVDs to arrive in the mail. I really hope I can watch it all before my 2 weeks is up. This is an excellent test for the Blockbuster program! I'll keep you posted.

The First

So for weeks, maybe months, I've been trying to come up with the perfect blog that would catch on and make me rich. I have decided that all the good ones are taken. So... this will be my way of sharing observations and thoughts. Somedays I will post several, other days none. That's just the way it is.