home renovation

So. One of the teachers in my department came up with this really cool opportunity for students. The juniors are reading Night for world literature. He decided to use his legislative money to bring in a guest speaker, who is an ACTUAL survivor of the Holocaust who lives in the area. SO AWESOME! (Think heart felt Freedom Writers moment minus the gang violence.) She was going to come and speak about her experiences, and give students the chance to ask questions, etc.

I say she WAS going to come, because she is no longer coming. Why? Well, you're probably thinking, like me, that the poor woman has a health issue. Perhaps a family emergency. I mean, she's old. Something obviously came up that is keeping her from speaking to the lovely high school students who have been looking forward to her appearance.

NOPE. None of those are it. See, the reason she's not coming, apparently, is because the district decided it's, "just not ok to use legislative money to pay for a guest speaker." Are you kidding me? Is this for real? Is there a camera near by? Where's Ashton Kutcher, because surely I'm being punked. I must be, because there's just no way that people who claim to have the best interests of students at heart would ever say something so preposterous. What's "not ok" about giving students a genuine learning experience???!??!!

So, the guest speaker is no longer coming. There are a lot of disappointed students. The funny thing is, my classes weren't even going. I don't teach juniors. This doesn't impact me in the slightest. BUT I'M STILL INFURIATED!

I love being a teacher, I really do. It's just that sometimes, things like this happen, and the bureaucracy just eats me inside. I hate it.

So, because my school has just changed the curriculum for 12th grade English, there is a shortage of options of what to teach. Some new novels have been ordered. One of my options is Persuasion by Jane Austen. In all honesty, I've never read it. (I know, I know, don't judge me too harshly.) Teaching this intrigues me more than teaching Great Expectations, but I was wondering if anyone who's read it could offer me some feedback. Do you think I could actually get high school seniors (particularly the boys) interested? I taught Pride and Prejudice in my student teaching and I think I pulled it off...not with flying colors, but I focused a lot on communication between men and women (an issue any high school socialite relates to), personality types, and literature and film. If you have any thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm trying to outline my units for the year and am trying to decide what to do! Thanks in advance for any comments you might offer.

Because I'm pretty sure giving a new teacher 36+ students per class, and only 30 desks might be a bad idea...call me crazy, but I think that asking students to take notes, read, write, etc. while sitting on the floor and counter tops might not be conducive to learning. Yet, that is exactly what I'm going to have to ask my students to do. Well, there is a possibility I will get chairs for the extra 6+ but not desks. And get this, the teacher I'm sharing a room with wants me to make sure "the chairs are blue so that they match the room." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Somebody shoot me, please.

On a more positive note, we have a home! It's in a perfect location, has tons of storage, is beautiful, and we are very happy. We have a psycho landlord, but I can deal. AND I have a carpool buddy, which is SO awesome, I can't even tell you!

You know, when the day is covered in dozens of little moments that make you want to return to your Dr. Pepper addiction, it's hard to pinpoint which moment exactly drove you to utter insanity. My day today was such a day. Dozen of encounters contributed to making the day a disaster. I feel like I deserve an award of some kind after the chaos I have endured. Perhaps the "Most emotional breakdowns in one day" award. Here's my acceptance speech:

Wow! Me? Thank you. It's so unexpected. Well, not really since I cried multiple times today...sometimes in front of complete strangers. Gosh. So much contributed to making my day a day of emotional instability. It's hard to know who to thank first.

First of all, thank you so, so, so very much BYU. By changing your housing boundaries and throwing dozens of married families out on the street, you have forced rent prices to increase for married couples everywhere! Not only that, but you have also contributed to married people searching outside of the tiny radius of student housing into Orem, where I had originally hoped to find cheaper, available housing. Gee, BYU, you're swell! Couldn't have even begun my crappy day without you, thanks!

You know, I think the highlight of my day was dealing with Utah drivers. There were so many magical moments on the freeway that made me want to scream. But I'd like to particularly thank the semi-truck driver who decided to back out into oncoming traffic ON STATE STREET going the wrong direction during rush hour. Such a combination of incompetence. But you know, you did blow your horn to warn us...thanks Mr. Semi-truck driver.

And how can I ever accept such a prestigious award without thanking the real estate company who got my hopes up ever so much, only to crush them into oblivion? Thanks so much for letting me look at the perfect apartment and telling me it's available and then calling me to tell me that, sorry, you were mistaken and it's already been leased. MAN! I felt so helpless and lost at that moment after I'd just called my husband to tell him I thought I'd found our new home...couldn't have done it without you!

And, I'll never forget, Mr. Policeman, how you gave us that parking ticket, even though we were only parked incorrectly for a split second at Meredith and Adam's apartment. And, when I saw you putting the ticket on the windshield and asked you if I could move the car, when you looked at me and said, "It's a done deal," I was so thankful that I was able to reply, "If I burst into tears will it help? Because this is the worst day of my life!"

And how can I neglect to mention the tub full of spiders in the duplex for $600 a month? Your triggering my arachnophobia helped me to realize what frightening living quarters are available to me at a reasonable rate.

Lastly, remaining homeless after a day of house hunting is just...priceless.

I'll never know what I did to deserve such punishment. Thank you. Thank you all.

So, the summer has been truly wonderful. Other than missing my own family, who are trapped a zillion miles away in the place of the devil that shall remain nameless, life has been grand. I visited the beach for the last time Saturday with one of my dearest childhood friends and said goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean. In exactly one week, I will return to the land-locked state that houses a land of horrible drivers, no fresh seafood, rude people who tell me I'm intimidating in Costco, and sheltered people who dis-invite authors to their libraries. I am trying to think on the bright side. Multiple Relief Society lessons on forgiveness have prompted me to realize that it is probably (emphasis on the probably) time to let go of the bitterness and hatred towards Utah (ok, so I just named it) that I harbour in my heart. On Sunday morning, while blow drying my hair, I started to make a mental list of good things about the state. I was attempting to convince my psyche that I will not have a mini-nervous breakdown when I return. This is what I came up with:

1) OBVIOUSLY I will get to see my fabulous mom and hang out with my family again.

2) CAFE RIO! I have been craving an enchilada style burrito for the past month and half.

3) ???

That's about as far as I got before I burst into tears. My mother-in-law added my paying job to the list, and I guess that is a plus.

Sorry if I have offended anyone who hails from "the best snow on earth" but I have given you five years of my life, and you have not made much of an impression.

Living in the South has been even better than just visiting. After reading Curly's latest blog entry, I feel inspired to follow her lead. These are the things that I love about spending my summer in a land where people say, "Y'all":

- Going to the beach can be a spontaneous thing.

- People are so, unbelievably FRIENDLY! They smile at you. They speak to you. They genuinely care about each other. They don't look at you weird if you say hi to them in a grocery store. It doesn't matter if you know someone or not, they will be nice to you.

-People are polite. Because I grew up on the west coast, I always thought saying ma'am, sir, miss, etc wasn't really a big deal. Here it is. I thought I wouldn't really get used to it, but I have, and I like it. People just show each other a lot of respect.

- Did I mention...I can go to the beach?

-BOJANGLES Cajun-fillet biscuits with honey mustard.

-Spending time with my husband's family and getting to know them better.

- Saving money! It's been fun watching the money grow in our bank account, especially since Chad's internship decided to pay him.

-Baseball games in 75 degree weather.

-Some of the best shopping ever, especially because my mother-in-law (like my own mom) seems to have clearance radar and can help me find great deals =-)

-And...lest I forget...OH...THE BEACH!

I really do love it here. I'm starting to feel like a real slacker because I haven't even started my unit plans for the English classes I'll be teaching when I get back. But there's something about summertime that makes it feel impossible to get any real work done. Oh well, I'll have a lot more months of real work than I will of summer, so I guess I'll savor the free time while it lasts.

I have never been a huge dog fan. This is just a simple fact of my existence.

It's kind of random, that despite this fact, I still yearned to be a veterinarian over the span of a few years during elementary school. I'm not exactly sure why I thought I would be content making a career out of caring for animals that I normally find obnoxious, but whatever. I probably just wanted to fit in with my circle of friends, and two of my best buds wanted to grow up and make puppies feel better. Anyway, before you start thinking this whole veterinarian childhood fantasy has nothing to do with the dog thing, let me explain. During this short-lived stage, I sort of had a dog for awhile. We had her for a few weeks. Her name was Maggie and my dad got her from a nursing home. They had to get rid of her because she was sniffing old ladies' rear ends. She came to stay with us, and after a few days I'd decided she smelled bad, the hair she shed on everything was unsightly, and I didn't like her jumping on me. Therefore, I avoided going outside so I wouldn't have to be near her. Once Maggie had destroyed several pairs of my mother's shoes, and also managed to chew a hole in the side of our family's tent, Maggie went to the pound. We saw her picture in the paper a couple of times after that. I don't know if she ended up with a nice family...or somewhere else.

Anyway, getting back to the point. I'm just not much of a dog fan.

There is one dog, however, who seems to have won my heart. My husband's family had a dog named Bailey. She is a golden retriever. She thinks she's people.

This is my favorite thing about Bailey--I find it absolutely hilarious. If Bailey has to go to the bathroom, you can't just go to the door and let her outside. You have to walk out on to the front porch, and she won't actually go out into the yard unless you've walked out far enough. She won't, I mean, I don't think she physically can, use the potty until you are standing on the porch watching her. It's hysterical.

This is my second favorite thing about Bailey. She is only "allowed" to be in the kitchen, and one tiny corner of the den. She follows this rule quite precisely. BUT, as soon as she thinks no one is home, that rule seems to no longer apply. She wanders all over the house! It's so funny! As soon as you get home, you catch a glimpse of her darting out of a bedroom, down the hall, and back to her designated area.

In conclusion, I am not much of a dog person, but I am a Bailey person. If we can find a Bailey replica, Chad just might be able to talk me into getting a dog someday. If not, my children will have to wonder what it's like to have a family pet...or maybe we will get a fish.