Gloomy Wednesday

It's just above freezing and drizzling rain off and on like it has been for about a day and like it will for another couple of days. Yuck. I dislike this weather.... it's gloomy and does nothing for my mood.

The NIU memorial services for the students killed by a lone gunman on 02.14.08 filled the this past weekend. Memorial scholarships were announced, memorial monuments, luncheons, unveilings, a candlelight memorial service, and more kept most of the campus buzzing for the weekend.

I still find it hard to believe that a town previously known for the invention of barbed wire, Cindy Crawford, corn, and a state university could suddenly become known around the world in a matter of hours thanks to a lone, mentally disturbed, gunman who took the lives of five students and injuring countless others before turning the gun on himself.

God sees us through the most difficult times, thankfully.
Have a great Wednesday everyone.

We will always remember.........

Gayle Dubowski, Catalina Garcia, Julianna Gehant,
Ryanne Mace, Daniel Parmenter
There isn't much I can say about 02.14.08 in my post today, maybe when I'm feeling less anxiety about the one year anniversary of this tragic event I will comment more.

WE ARE HUSKIES! FORWARD, TOGETHER, FORWARD

Hair, Hair, Hair

I had been letting my hair grow out to donate to Locks of Love. I recently discovered they don't want my hair because I am starting to get little white hairs growing in & they can't be picking out the gray hairs from the ponytail. Well, there aren't any gray or white hairs in the ponytail. But, anyway now that it's really long, it's mine to keep.

I thought about cutting it a bit shorter, but the younger alien (age 11) became very distressed about the change. He has an anxiety disorder in addition to the ADHD and does not deal well with drastic change. Change must come slowly or there is a major meltdown due to the anxiety. So, here I am with lots of hair that I'm trying to figure out how to style it.

Typically I tie it up in a bun or a long braid on the side. Any suggestions would be helpful. I generally keep it confined in some way or another. If I leave it down, people tend to stare & it makes me a bit uncomfortable. I'm really self-conscious about my weight so I don't like people staring at me. (Except for "T" in the library, but that's a post for another day.)

I didn't realize how long it really looks to other people (I avoid looking at my backside in the mirror at all costs). One day early last summer, a co-worker at the library took a picture of me and that's when I really realized how long it really was! Sounds goofy doesn't it? It's on my head I should know. Anywho... here's the picture.

Massage by Bruno the Bouncer

A friend treated me to my first ever massage last Saturday. I was thrilled as things have been a bit stressful of late and a "girls day" with some pampering would be fantastic!

We arrived, signed in, and a polite, large, bouncer-type young man escorted me back to the massage room that was to be mine and left me to get ready. I thought he was going back out to escort my friend to another of the rooms. Ten minutes later as I'm laying naked on the table save for a sheet and my panties, in walks Bruno the Bouncer again! I'm already dying & we haven't even started yet!!!

Let me tell you ladies, nothing (and I mean NOTHING) will make you more aware of how much body fat you have than a massage will! Every inch of me wanted to run screaming from the room but I did my best to relax & let Bruno do his massage-thing. It was nice, but next time I think I'll request a woman for my massage.

Sugar, Quinn,Cold, & other stuff....

Rod Blagojevich has been impeached and Illinois now has a new leader, Gov. Patrick Quinn. Most politicians in Illinois seem to be crooked, that should scare you considering where our new president hails from. Let's hope he's above the garbage most Illinois Democrats seem to pull.

Sugar is home & feeling great. She also has a new tattoo! The new universal symbol that a female cat has been spayed is a green line tattooed on their belly right next to the incision. It looks really funny. Poor kitty has her little pink tummy shaved bald & then they ink a green line on her. Does this make her a "marked woman"????

It's still cold outside & I'm sick of it. This is day 7 or 8 (I've lost count) of below freezing weather. The longest on record for this area of Northern Illinois. There is something to be said for NOT holding the record for some things.

My student loans came in this morning! YEA! The gas company called about 30 minutes ago to let me know my bill was past-due. Thanks Ni-Cor Gas for bursting my bubble and ruining my moment of joy.

Hopefully that computer & laptop I wanted will still be on sale at Wal-Mart. They're last years' models & not the greatest, but they are new and will work for what I need. If my student loans had come in on time, I'd already be blogging on my new computer from home. They were an excellent sale price of $348/unit for a Compaq system. Not necessarily my first choice of brands, but it will do for what I need for a couple of years until I can get a really nice computer.

Since I'm feeling rich for the day, I'm going out to eat with the aliens tonight. That should thrill them. When I ask where they want to go, I already know the answer "McDonald's!!!". Yuck. We will not be eating at McGreasy's tonight or their neighbor's Blubber King. Maybe the nice little Tex-Mex place in town..... hmmmmmmmmm. We'll have to see, so many choices.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sugar kitty

Our sweet new kitten, now almost 8 months old is getting spayed tomorrow. Thank GOD! I am truly thankful to Him for making this happen.

A local animal shelter is giving out vouchers to cover most of the cost. So, having kitty spayed is only going to put a $60 dent in my pocket (as opposed to $250 or more).

Sugar went into heat a few days ago & I haven't slept in three days. She's got that awful caterwauling that will shatter glass. For those of you who have never heard a cat in heat, imagine putting kitty's head in a vice. Now, slowly peel it's skin off while it's alive. THAT is what a cat in heat sounds like.

I know it sounds gross and i would NEVER harm any animal, just trying to give you an idea of the horrid sound I listen to all night long. One more night of this noise, just one more night. I can't wait for Thursday night, I can sleep.

Love

Your Word is "Love"

You see life as possibility to form deep connections with a few people. Relationships are the center of your world, and you always take time to bond with those you love. You are caring and giving. You enjoy helping those you love. And when it comes to romantic love, you feel passionately ... even in a very long term relationship.

What's Your Word?

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

My Monday started Sunday night.

Living in a house with two other people who all have ADHD, it's no wonder that over the course of a year, we have lost all three keys to our front door. No biggie, there is a door that goes into the kitchen from the garage. I've never had a key to it & only lock it at night anyway. So, we've been just using that door to come & go. No problem. Until Sunday evening......

Had a wonderful day at my parents' house with the kids, Great-granny, Mom, & Dad. Arrived home about 5pm. Pull into the garage, go to open the door and the knob comes off in my hand. What the heck?! I try for about 20 minutes to fix the dang thing so we can go inside, I'm tired, cold and have a headache. No luck.

I call my best friend & she thinks she has a spare key at her house. We drive 45 minutes to her house, pick up a random bunch of keys, one looks like it may be mine. We drive back home, try all the keys, nothing. Not one key works.

I call the landlord & proceed to lie & tell him the key got locked in the house. No luck there, he's in Chicago, 2 hours away. Crap.

I back the car up, turn on the headlights, and go back to messing with the broken doorknob. God had mercy on me & I managed to get it open in about 10 minutes. I told the kids to bring in the good from the car, turn off the headlights, and come inside. We ate dinner, rest of the evening was great.

I get out to the car on Monday morning & find the battery dead. Crap again. Dad to the rescue, he comes to charge my battery. We finally figured out that the kids turned on the dome light to see where the button was to turn off the headlights. The dome light however, was left on all night.

I was really ticked off at the time, but now it's just funny. However, I still have to fix the doorknob. I'll need to buy a new screwdriver first, kids lost all of mine. Oh, well, gotta love 'em.

Don't poke your classmate in the butt......

I really have no idea what this guy in my class was thinking, I think he's nuts but, I'll let you be the judge. Here's the situation.....

Last Wednesday, our only night class this semester, I'm sitting in class taking notes as best I can in the dark without my glasses. It's just over an hour into our 2 1/2 hour class and I'm starting to fidget.

I lean forward to about half-way lay on the table to take notes when the guy sitting next to me whispers, "What's this?" I turn to face him just in time for him to poke me just above my butt crack! I almost died!

I turned so red the professor probably saw the red glow in the back of the room. I can't believe I didn't scream I was so startled.

Apparently, when I leaned forward a bit, my shirt rode up & my jeans slid down just enough that about 2 inches of skin were showing (not usual for me at all!) and this dork takes advantage of the situation. Apparently, he didn't realize that poking a very jumpy, self-conscious woman 15 years his senior might get more of a reaction than he bargained for!

I wanted to slap him but by the time the shock wore off, it was a little late to do so. So, tell me.... what possesses a man to even THINK poking a classmate in the butt during a lecture is a good idea???

I will never understand men.

Bet you thought I died...

I bet just about everyone who ever used to read this has probably dropped off the planet or died by now it's been so long since I've posted anything.

I'm in my final academic semester at the university, I will be student teaching in the fall of 2009 - I can't wait.

My aliens are growing like weeds, still... nothing like having children that tower over you.

Our home was enlarged by four little paws last Thanksgiving, our new baby is named Sugar. Our other two cats, Charlotte & Holly tolerate her most of the time.


Is this not the cutest little face you've ever seen? She's so cute but such a little pain in the butt sometimes.

Her favorite spot to get into is the fridge. We didn't figure this out until after she got stuck in there the first time. The aliens & I hadn't seen her in a couple of hours so we started looking for her. I finally gave up & went to get a drink iced tea from the fridge. I open it up and guess what? A kitty! I think she must have been there for at least two hours & was moving kinda slow. Once she warmed up, she was back to her normal self.

Where has summer gone???

What a summer........... I've spent most of it working my butt off with not much to show for it except a cranky disposition.

My sister & family went to Costa Rica to visit her in-laws & check up on their home there. Just after school got out her step-daughter was given a puppy. I volunteered to watch it for the few weeks they were away from home (along with the ferrett). Sis got REALLY sick with a throat infection & couldn't come home last weekend so now we're babysitting the pooping-machine puppy (now 7 mos old) until mid-August. She really is an adorable pup but we're hiding her from the landlord because we're not supposed to have a dog here. It's been dicey a couple of times but, we've managed so far.

We were also supposed to go visit her in Missouri for a couple of weeks after they returned home. Since they arent' coming home on time (darn sick cooties! how dare they infect my sissy!) we won't be able to visit them before school starts.

Oh, well, at least we have central air so it hasn't been so bad this summer - we get a nice cool sleeping temp every night. And, of course, the puppy takes turns sleeping with everyone for a few hours each night before she wakes up & poops on my carpet.

We have taken some short video of the puppy so I'll have to try to upload it - she's too funny when she gets all excited & charges around the house bouncing all over the place. For all I complain about her, she fits in well with my aliens, she belches, farts, and snores more that both aliens combined! (Wow those farts will peel paint too! NASTY stuff for sure!)

On that note, have a lovely rest of the week............ :)

Still alive & kickin...

Well, we're still alive & kickin here. It's been a busy summer & every time I have something interesting to blog about, I'm just too tired to do it.

Been working lots of hours which sucks for a relaxing summer but the bank account (and landlord) are happy about the size of my checks. We finally got Dad to clean out Grandma's house. She is in a group home setting due to memory problems & age (92 & counting). Of course, Grandma wanted the grandkids to have as much of the furniture, etc. as we needed so that was fantastic for me - I now have a washer & dryer again. No more laundromat!! YES!

Alien #1 turned 14 this month & is pushing 6' tall. It's hard to believe he's that old. I swear it was just a couple of years ago he was a baby. Alien #2 is catching up to big brother in size, he's 11 years old & is over 5'3" now. I'm amazed how they both seem to grow overnight sometimes.

My younger sister & her family are visiting her in-laws in Costa Rica for a month & checking on their property down there. While they're away, we're babysitting their 6 month old pit bull, Manchita & Fang the ferret. This is in addition to our two cats, two hermit crabs, & two fish. It's like a small zoo at my place once you add in my aliens! It's great fun having the puppy around but a bit tiring too. She has to "go" every morning the minute I get up. I'm up at 5am for work & need my shower first. Well, not anymore. Puppy gets to go potty before I do now. Oh, well, she's way too cute to care too much.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer & I hope to blog a bit more frequently.

Long time, no read, or post....

Wow! Last post was in April - been a long time. School is out for me for the summer, aliens are done next week. I'm working over the summer, trying to find a second job.

Lost a dear friend of 27 years a week ago, was going to post here & Mom called to read me the obit from the local paper. Tragic end to a wonderful person. I'll miss being called "Shorty".

Hair is still growing - I'm up to 14" to donate to Locks of Love, trying for 16" before I cut it off. Will be interesting to see how long I can stand the heat this summer. Now the aliens are both going to let their hair grow out so they can donate the minimum 10" as well. I'm hoping to hold off so we can all three go in and donate hair together. Would be kinda cool in a way.

Hope everyone is off to a good start this summer.

A WHAT Flower? You keep a straight face!

Picture this: class of 5 & 6 year old kids busy writing everything they know (and can't spell) about seeds & what happens to them when they grow.

Ms. ~C~, in her clinical assignment looking professional and very collected is approached by adorable, quiet, and very smart child, "Billy".

"Ms. ~C~, look at my flowers I drew to go with my story."

"Very nice, Billy. What kind of flower is this?" (points to pink flower)

"We grow those at our house. It's a penises flower." (stops short with eyes bugging out and face frozen realizing what he has just said.)

"Oh, do you mean a peony flower, Billy?"

"Ah, yea." (Runs back to seat & colors furiously)

Like I said, you try to keep a straight face!

I love kids. Happy Friday & have a good weekend everyone.

De-stressing & Anti-Monkey Butt

After the meltdown on my post a few days back I'm probably starting to look like a real mental case to you. It seems like there's some really tough spots this semester & I was beginning to think I'm just insane. After talking with the student advisor, she's assured me there have been more students in her office either in tears, near tears, or so angry & stressed they should be in tears this semester than in the last 5 years combined. I believe we're all affected by the Feb. 14th shootings more than we realize. Combine that with inept instructors and it adds up to a real mess.

So... my decision is to just do what I can & let the rest go. I can't do anything about the garbage going on so I'm just letting it go to focus on my studies. Life will go on and this semester won't be the end of my world.

In honor of the more relaxed me, I'm posting something that I've found really funny even if it is a bit obnoxious. Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. A real product sold at my local store.

Have a great Wednesday!

About the New Picture...

This is what happens when you fall asleep on the sofa at my house, you end up breathing in 12 lbs. of fur.

Will it ever end???

My classmates & I are now in what are a "block" of classes. We all trudge to the same classes together every Monday & Wednesday. Tuesday & Thursday are reserved for going our separate ways for our clinical assignments all over northern Illinois.

This semester we have two professors that are just downright horrible. Descriptive words we often use regarding them and their behavior are unorganized, contradictory, unprofessional, disrespectful, unprepared, as well as others that are not acceptable to list here. We have contacted the proper people about them but not much is being done. We are just now finding out that this is an ongoing problem with these two professors, apparently they can't find anyone else to teach the classes so we're stuck. I'm disappointed that the only reason they find these instructors qualified is because they're a warm body to fill the space.

Our two "favorites" have recently started to add projects that weren't on our syllabus at the beginning of the semester. As if things weren't already difficult enough with missing classes due to the closings for bad weather and then the entire university being shut down for an entire week due to the shootings. We're still recovering from that shock. Now they decide to add more projects as if we don't already have enough to do!

In addition a lesson plan and a 4 page report due Monday, we now have another lesson plan and another 4 page report due on Wednesday. This does not include the previous assignments of a behavioral assessment of a student and a write up of a behavioral plan (another 4 pages), an assessment of the reading levels of our clinical students (6 children for me) and a 4 page report on that, and an assessment of their spelling level with two complete spelling lesson plans due on Tuesday to present to our supervising teacher at our clinical site. Did I mention I would like clean laundry & a couple of hours sleep in there sometime???

This has happened the last two weeks in class. We're all so stressed over these same two professors that we're starting to really get on each others' nerves. The tension is so thick you can almost hear peoples' nerves snap! Classmates that were once good friends are now starting to bicker and fight, in some cases they're barely speaking to one another.

..... and I'm sure everyone's next question is with all this going on, how do I find time to blog?? Well, it's blog about it or cry about it. Blogging doesn't use up tissue, make my eyes red, or upset my children. My stress over this semester is already reflected in the fact the kids are acting like, well, aliens! They're behavior is starting to reflect the fact they're feeling my stress.

God bless my best friend & her hubby, she took them for the night tonight so I could work until my eyes bugged out on my homework & go to bed in peace & quiet..... and no fighting first thing in the morning when I wake up either. I love them.

Thanks for letting me rant on about the garbage...... feeling better able to concentrate on the mountain of homework waiting for me.

Hair, Hair, Everywhere is Hair!

My current big project is to grow my hair long enough to donate 16" to Locks of Love & not be bald when I'm done. The minimum is 10" in length but, that is for a short wig. I would like to donate a much longer ponytail if I can.

My hair is now down to just below my waist and it's getting annoying to take care of. Due to the fact that it's curly, I can't cut if off above my shoulders or I'll end up looking like a big strawberry-blond poodle. Not a pretty picture. So, I keep it braided up and am trying to keep it for just a few more months before the big cut.

I'll have to post before & after pics. Wish me luck that I can keep it growing.

Spring Break

The aliens have spring break this week, mine is over so I'm in classes. Decided to let alien #1 sit for alien #2 for the day to see how it worked out. After my first class & a tough exam, I'm sitting in the computer lab with classmates studying for the second class of the day and another horrible exam when my cell phone rings. It's alien #2 & here's what my classmates hear:

Hi how are you?
Good. Did you eat breakfast?
NO. That is not breakfast. (pause)

Sorry, the chocolate from your Easter basket does NOT constitute breakfast. (pause)

No, jelly beans aren't breakfast either. (pause)

Did you almost lick it or did you lick it?
Did the cat lick it?
Did you drop in on the floor?
You're sure you didn't lick it?
Thank you for saving the pink jelly bean for me...... you're sure nobody licked it? Ok., thank you. I'll call you later. Love you bye.

My classmates were about to burst their seams laughing.

Conversations with my aliens are never dull.