Prayer for my man

Not that I HAVE a man to pray for, but I received this today in an e-mail. I'm posting it here for future reference.

"Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods. Because, Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death. AMEN"

God loves sugar, too!

Here's my "take-away" from today's message at church: (paraphrased from Pastor Robert's sermon, of course)

"God created you to enjoy life. He could have created you so that you don't need nourishment, but instead, he gave you TASTEBUDS so you could enjoy nourishment....Tiramisu is a gift from God!"

Well said!

Atoms on a round rock

The other movie I watched last weekend was Martian Child. LOVED it!

David: Dennis, can I just say one last thing about Mars…which may be strange coming from a science fiction writer…but, right now, you and me, here, put together entirely from atoms sitting on this round rock with a core of liquid iron held down by this force, that so troubles you, called gravity, all the while spinning around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour and whizzing through the Milky Way at 600,000 miles an hour in a universe that very well may be chasing its own tail at the speed of light. And amidst all this frantic activity fully cognizant of our own imminent demise which is a very pretty way of saying we all know we’re gonna die, we reach out to one another. Sometimes for the sake of vanity, sometimes for reasons you’re not old enough to understand yet but a lot of the time we just reach out and expect nothing in return. Isn't that strange? Isn't that weird? Isn't that weird enough? What the heck do ya need to be from Mars for?

Optional exchange of DNA

Vitus is a movie about a genius child piano prodigy who just wants to be “normal.”

This scene of the movie actually made me laugh out loud, stop, rewind, rewatch and laugh all over again.

Vitus, who’s 12, is having dinner with his former babysitter, whom he has a mad crush on.
---------
Vitus: Well, statistically, women are usually seven years younger than their partners, but that’s really stupid because men die seven years earlier, so women are widows for 14 years... We would die at the same time. Besides, a woman’s libido is at its peak 10 years later than a man’s. That’s why so many relationships fail. Women should be older than their men. We would make the perfect couple. Isabel, you’re the love of my life.
Isabel: And what about sex?
Vitus: Well, that could wait for a while. It’s just an optional exchange of DNA anyway.

Playing "The Box"

So a few of our kids are getting interested in this fad of “El Cajon” – a percussion box that you sit on and play. It originated in Peru. They are very cool and very inexpensive.

My question is this: should I buy a few and start a new percussion ensemble called “Los Cajones?”

More renovation pictures

Here's the dining room: before, during and after.

Those Crazy Catholics!

I swear there is a saint for EVERYTHING! I'm very thankful for my buddy D who brought this to me on his last trip to town. You KNOW how I feel about bacon. (If you don't, re-read this post. It's a long, long story.

Feast of Love

You can count on Bing to watch movies that nobody else has ever heard of, and then to quote them here. Latest entry comes from Feast of Love

There is a story about the Greek gods. They were bored so they invented human beings, but they were still bored so they invented love. Then they weren’t bored any longer, so they decided to try love for themselves. And finally they invented laughter, so they could stand it.

---
Harry: God is either dead or He despises us….

Bradley: God doesn’t hate us, Harry. If he did, he wouldn’t have made our hearts so brave.
---
The unexpected is always upon us. And of all the gifts arrayed before me, this one thought at this moment in my life is the most precious. And so, we begin again.

The living room

So here are the first of the home renovation photos: The living room - Before, during and after.

Rediscovering Saturday mornings

One of the added "benefits" of planning the huge convention in March is that I now get to visit a chiropractor 3 times/week to fix all the stress that has been building up in my neck and shoulders. Luckily, his office is right next to one of my favorite Starbucks, so Saturday mornings for the next 6 weeks will start with a little "snap, crackle, pop" action followed by a tasty (non-alcoholic) beverage, some internet access and general people watching. I've forgotten that Saturday mornings can be quite productive.

A new "must-read" blog!

I'm not sure if I'm able to take credit for this or not, but a frequent "Bing Blog" reader has started one of her own. It's based on her life as a substitute teacher, and although it's relatively new, the few posts have all made me laugh!

Be sure to check it out!

Finally filed!

I filed my tax return tonight. It took me this long because.....who knows? I started in early February before the convention and then one thing led to another. But tonight at Starbucks, I filed my taxes, placed a vitamin order and updated my queue at Blockbuster.com. ALL of the movies that are on the AFI Top 100 list AND available from Blockbuster are now officially checked off or in my queue. What a long time THAT has taken.

Move that Bus!

So if you are a fan of Extreme Home Makeover, you understand "the Big Reveal" and how they hide the front of the new house from the owners by parking a bus in front of it and then having everyone yell "MOVE THAT BUS!" so that the bus will roll away and the new owners will pass out from excitement. Well, now that the renovations are done, we had a "Big Reveal" Bing Style - I put a Pez truck on the front step and everyone yelled "MOVE THAT TRUCK." It wasn't quite as effective, but quite appropriate given the owner.

I'M BORED!

So, the convention is over. Concert Evaluations are over. Spring Break is over. My home renovations are over. I'M BORED!

Since I have no pressing deadlines, I've been doing a lot of NOTHING. Seriously. I can't focus on anything. I have this constant feeling of "I'll do it tomorrow." I don't handle free time well at all. I need soomething to keep me occupied. Since there is no relationship on the immediate horizon, I guess it's back to the blog. I'll try to catch up on the last month or so. I'll try to do a better job of being more regular as well (we're still talking blogging, here) but it's hard since the school has blocked ALL the great websites and blogging by phone is kind of tough. Luckily I have wireless and there are about 4 Starbucks (and a few other hotspots) within a mile or so. No excuses.

BACK in business

Long story short...Starbucks is closing in 5 minutes....

Convention is over. I survived.
Buster was broken (I thought) I fixed him.
ALL the good websites are now blocked at school.
I'll be living at Starbucks from now on.

Gotta run! Oh, and SAN FRANCISCO in 5 days! WAHOOOOO Spring Break!

Convention update

and then...the thing was done.

March is NOT my favorite month

March 2006 - my 15 year old Sheltie Mingus fell in the swimming pool and drowned.

March 2007 - While on spring break to San Fran with school, I got a call from the dog sitter that my 15 year old terrier died in her sleep.

March 2008 - While on my way to our opening convention concerts at 7 pm tonight, my neighbor called to tell me that my cat is laying dead in her front yard. It's now 1:15 AM and I'm finally headed home to deal with that.

YES, Virginia - there still is a Bing Blog

I've received some frantic e-mails and phone calls because it's been over two weeks since my last entry. The "Big Dog" convention has started and life has been a bit crazy. Pretty much every day has started off with me getting news about some snafu that results in my now-standard response: "Are you freaking KIDDING me?!" which then results in me running around picking up balls that someone else has dropped and then calling The Silver Fox's office (he's our host) to tell them "It's all good! Problem solved."

Love knows no boundaries.....

....except for the LAST loser from the MoneySucker dating service I joined awhile back. Talked to this guy around the first of the year...yada yada..."I'm really ready to be serious about finding a relationship...yada yada...Are you busy on Saturday?...yada yada..."Great! I'll call you?"...yada yada....

Three weeks later, I call HIM to ask "Hey! What's up? Hadn't heard from you? He tells me that he called MoneySucker right after talking to me. I sound like a really great person, but I live too far away (20 miles.) So much for being "serious." Oh, MS was supposed to call me and tell me that so he wouldn't have to (translation: be a man and tell me himself.) That was 6 weeks ago. Haven't heard from them.

We're in the "documentation before asking for a refund" stage. That comes right before the "uhh...would you rather give me a refund or go to small claims court stage?"

More "True Love" observations

My friend Panda told me last night that this guy hit on her at work (she works in a restaurant/bar) the other night, and the ended up exchanging phone numbers. The next day she got a sheepish call from him. Seems his FIANCEE found Panda's number in his phone filed under "Hot Chick from the Bar." He had to call (with his fiancee on speakerphone) to explain himself. Panda's take on it: "Uh....YEA! Good luck with THAT relationship!"

She's such a smart little cookie!

Observations of "True Love"

I stopped by Walgreen's last night to look for some things for the convention. Well, at least I TRIED to stop by. It was so freakin' packed with cars that I couldn't find a parking space. Then I realized that it was 9:30 PM on February 13. The day before Valentine's Day. And of course, everyone was in a frenzy to buy the "perfect, well-thought out" gift for their soulmate.

Things that make you go "hmmmmm....."

Weather discussions in class

Day: Wednesday
Time: 8th period concert band

PA announcement: "Water polo has been cancelled due to the rain."

Teacher: "Yes, because we wouldn't actually want to get WET during water polo."
Student #1: "Well, it might be because of lightening."
Teacher: "Yeah, I know. But it's still funny if you think about it."
Student #2: "Do you think lacrosse will be cancelled?"
Teacher: "Of course not! If there is LIGHTNING, we WANT you running around the field holding metal poles!"

Weather or Not

It's been a bit stormy here in South Florida this week. Tuesday night was especially so. I walked to school because it was Grandparent's Day and we aren't allowed to use the parking lot during the day. There are valets who park the visitor's cars in the lot, about 20 feet from the valet station, while the teachers have to park on a remote lot two properties away. Go figure! Anyway, as I was walking HOME that night (LATE - 10:30 PM due to convention madness) the sky opened up and it started to pour. So I hid under a very big tree, knowing it would die down soon. Until I saw lightning. Then I called Lamburrito, who lives close by. He came and got me and took me home. Of course, in the 10 minutes it took for him to get there, it had stopped raining.

Ahhhh....life in the Tropics.

Hell Week

It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to TEACH as well. This week, interim grades were due (9 AM today) AND the jazz band performed today for Grandparents Day (also at 9 AM).

I was at school until 11:30 PM last night. Probably will be every night this week!

My "favorite" thing is when people comment "Well, at least you don't have a family to worry about."

Yeah....at least I have THAT going for me. Thanks for reminding me!

Amazing Grace

Found this link in my "inbox". You need to click on it.

Letter from an unhappy sibling

Hello Ms. Bing,

I'm sorry to inconvenience you, but could you please
speak with my brother, Thomas W, about completing
his assignments at a proper time? It's around 10:30
P.M right now, when most students should be asleep,
but this is one of several nights that I've been kept
up by his playing the tuba in attempts to complete his
homework at such a late hour.
On previous occasions I've had to put up with later
than this, but having traveled for hours by car this
weekend and competed in some very intense rowing
races.. I'm fed up. I know this is a rather personal
issue, but after speaking with my parents and seeing
that they are completely unperturbed by this problem,
I don't know what to do.
I've spoken with Thomas myself about schoolwork at
Ransom and how favouring his Wii and leaving
assignments until last minute just does not work out--
that has plainly taken no affect on him. I know you
were a good seventh grade dean- so I ask if you could
PLEASE knock some sense into him regarding his
assignments, chiefly his tuba playing. Please! He is
playing at this second a floor below me and the sound
echoes all over the place- I'm being driven MAD. He's
had an entire weekend to do this, and a time
approaching the morning of school is not the right
time.
I hope this isn't too much to ask, but please, just do
whatever it takes to get this kid out of my head!!!!

Sincerely,
Erin W, 8th Grade

---------------------------------
Erin,

I have spoken to Thomas, and although I would LIKE to beat him and draw blood, it would severely impact my ability to work at our school in the future.

Please let me know if this continues! I'm sorry for the trouble.

Ms Bing

Busy, busy, busy

WOW! I really wish I had more hours in a day, and could control every minute of them. There are way too many demands on my time, and not enought time to get it all done. I feel like one of those circus acts where the plates are balanced and spinning on sticks and the clown keeps running from stick to stick, giving each one a little attention so they keep spinning.

I think I'm going to drop a few plates this week!

ONE at a time

I keep trying to take things one day at a time, but lately they are all ganging up on me. To get through my "To Do" list this week, I have to take it one "thing" at a time. That means I pull some random task out of the "hat," act on it to completion, check it off the list and then move on to the next thing. I can't even seem to prioritize at this point; I just have to make the pile go down so I don't feel like I'm sinking.

Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat......

My sentiments exactly...

Trifecta Weekend

This weekend:

1. My kitchen cabinets were re-installed. The countertop gets measured on Wednesday, then wait 2-3 weeks for installation, some touch-up painting and then the home renovation marathon is officially DONE!

2. My mortgage went DOWN $259.60 per month. That's significant, and will allow me to pay for #1 that much faster!

3. Speaking of marathons, I ran the Miami ING Half marathon again yesterday. Didn't train as well as last season (what with home renovations and the ABA convention planning and all) so my time was a little slower than last year (about 7 minutes, I think) but I did finish and am functional today.

Hopefully this will be a sign of even BETTER things to come!

My latest match

This just in from eHarmony....

The one thing Bubba is most passionate about: the truth, when I am right and can prove it without a doubt.

Ummmmmm.....NEXT!

NOW I wish I had Cable/TiVo!

Jack has been invited to be a guest at the Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about his Lending a Helping Hand Bill.

The episode will air on Monday, January 28.

Which mallet?

Student: Which mallet should I use to play the crotales?
Teacher: The brass ones
Student: Which ones are the brass ones?
Teacher: Hit yourself on the head with each one. The one that hurts the worst is the brass mallet.

More fabulous kids

I got this article from one of my band parents back in September. I glanced at the first paragraph, but didn't read the whole thing. I kept it in my inbox because I knew I wanted to at some point. It's about kids who are collecting art - Warhol, Rembrandt, etc. REAL major pieces of art. The parent who sent it to me is the VIP for Relations Art Basel Miami Beach - a HUGE art show, sometimes considered the most important art show in the US. I thought she was just telling me how kids are collecting art. Little did I know that her son Andrew (one of my 7th grade trombone players and a FABULOUS kid) was in the article!

ENJOY!


(By the way - Jack's mom said she's playing phone tag with Ellen Degeneres; hope he makes it up there!)

Saturation point

Is it possible... if you have had a REALLY productive and busy day, getting many of your items checked off the "To Do" list and many loose ends tied up on projects and teaching your classes and having really good rehearsals, that at the end of the day when you have an unexpected block of free time, you don't know what to do with it and you end up just sort of wandering around saying "what now?".....that your brain has reached a saturation point and you just need to pack up and go home?

More nicknames

I got a cute e-mail from a friend the other day regarding nicknames on the Bing Blog. She's said before that she has a hard time keeping all of my "characters" straight (and believe me, you are ALL characters in the story of my life!). Then she asked for a nickname all her own. We talked about it, but nothing is popping out at me. How about we all brainstorm together?!

Here are the facts:
1. She's a former band director
2. She's a flute/piano
3. She's a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids. The last two are twins, born December 7th.

She was suggesting "Sleep Deprived Mom". It's definitely a possibility.

Oh, and be sure to check out her blog to see pictures of the family!

Do the Math

Exhibity A: I get about $3500 per school year to be the 7th grade Dean. If you figure an average school year of 180 days, that's about $19.44 per day.

Exhibit B: I get $20 per 30 minutes to teach private lessons.

Exhibit C: Between yesterday and today, I've spent 4 hours on Dean issues.

Exhibit D: Some of that time was at the expense of my jazz band.

So I ask you - what am I REALLY getting out of it? Prestige? Honor? A big fat feather to stick in my cap?

Call me "Macaroni" but this is crazy!

Hidden message

I just tried to send an e-mail to my mom...here's the message I got in return:

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

:
68.168.78.104 does not like recipient.

Hmmmm...I wonder if I should be worried?!

Changing the World

You may have seen this on ABC News tonight. Pretty impressive little guy, isn't he?

He's also a great little flute player in my band!

Nicknames

My faithful readers (Thanks to you, but you all REALLY should get a life!) will know that I try to keep an air of anonymity to the Bing Blog. I would rather have fun nicknames for those in my world, mostly made up from things about that person. I was thinking that my buddy D-Man needs something that is a little more interesting. I was discussing this with Band Lady as we were hanging out at the state band geek/music nerd convention. I mentioned that D is a large supplier for my sugar fixes, therefore being the keeper of the Sugar Monkey. I said "HEY! He can be the Organ Grinder while I'm the annoying little monkey swinging around in circles." Band Lady reminded me that "Organ Grinder" could have QUITE a different interpretation to some.

Discuss.....

interesting Genesis insights

There are a few other blogs that I check out periodically. I just read THIS today and thought "Holy Cow! Why didn't MY warped brain think of that?!"

Ever notice how being a team player never really helps your solo career, especially when nobody on the team understands your position anyway?

More celebrity guests

Visiting our school soon - Madeline Albright. This time our 8th graders get to attend, and so do our Social Studies teachers. Should be interesting!

The Singleness Seven Year Itch

THIS article graced my e-mail inbox today. It's pretty much spot on. And so another year begins!

It's raining lizards!

Seems as though when it gets too cold in Miami, THIS is what happens.

Happy New Year!

So "Bing in the New Year" did NOT go on as planned. Many out-of-towners had to cancel due to ill parents, financial issues or other problems. I was QUITE disappointed, but ended up punting, and drove to Orlando to be with Songbird, Precious and D-Man and their families, since they couldn't make it to Miami. It actually took a lot of pressure off of me to get the house pulled together, since I'm still working on the kitchen and some of the finishing touches. The bathroom and my bedroom are pretty much done. The Pez room is having some electrical issues, but is coming together nicely. The kitchen needs to be pulled apart, the floor REDONE and the cabinets reinstalled. I'm looking at a mid-February Open House. You're all invited!

This just in from my sister: Before the sun sets, befor the memories fade, & befor I get drunk, and naked and lose my phone. Happy new year!!!

I got this card from my brother today: "Merry Christmas to my sister. Hey, remember that time we got on the 'nice' list? Me neither."

PERFECT!

Flying the friendly skies, part 2...It's 9 AM On Christmas Eve. I just checked in AND cleared security @ O'Hare in about 20 minutes. WOW!

Call DCF

After running some errands today in the bitter cold of Chicago, Martha and I (and baby Molly) went home to relax. Then a friend of Martha's called to say he had blown a tire and needed some help. So Martha left Molly with me and I was her first official babysitter. She kept me in line and nobody got hurt.

Christmas with Mr. Hanky

We were taking pictures of Molly in front of the tree today. She started playing with all of the ornaments and then Rob thought it would be fun to give her Mr. Hanky, the Christmas Poo (from South Park, for those of you who are ill-educated on animated Christmas lore).

The biggest problem with blogging by phone is that you can't put a title on the entry and you can only have 160 characters. This one is 156.

Flying the friendly skies...

When will people realize that it doesn't matter WHICH security lane you go through or WHAT boarding group you have, the plane leaves with EVERYBODY at the same time?

Dear Santa

One more day of school and SO much more to do! Lord, give me strength!

Meet the deck....

Here's the latest addition to the home....

Today my kitchen and I discussed the cabinet configuration again. This time, he agreed (somewhat) that my way was better!

GAME ON!

HYPOTHETICALLY - can someone claim temporary insanity if they torch their house because the renovations made them crazy?

Eating and color

Today's e-mail exchange:

1) I got this funny forward: "Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight, and I didn't feel so hot. My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems. He said just think in colors...Fill your plate with bright colors... greens,
yellows, reds, etc. I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&m's. Sure enough, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy."

2) My reply: "YES! And Skittles are fruits, aren’t they?"

3) I received this reply: "Don’t PEZ come in a variety of colors???"

4) My response: "I stand corrected, and ashamed."

19 days and wishing for a few more...

New Year's Eve and "Bing in the New Year" is 19 days away. Home renovation completion is probably more....I don't think I'm going to make it.

The floors are done, but they are still a little "soft" so I postponed the furniture delivery. I need to call tomorrow and try to set it up for the day or two AFTER Christmas. Kitchen cabinet installation started two days ago, but my subcontractor (being as how I seem to be the "Contractor") kind of messed up on one of them. I have to go to IKEA again tonight and buy another so he can put it in tomorrow. Countertop measurement appointment is set for Friday, 9 AM. Then he has to take the sink cabinet BACK out, as the floor guys didn't replace one square of plywood under that space, figuring that it wouldn't be visible under the sink cabinet. It is. The back deck should be done tomorrow. Bathroom got started yesterday, but I need to make another Home Depot run for some fixtures, etc. Don't EVEN get me started on the front patio!

I have officially reached ADD saturation...Please, Lord....give me strength!

Fashion Anarchy

Today a student came to school wearing a gold sequins jacket, which is not allowed in our dress code. He said "Come on. It's the COOLEST, isn't it?" I said, "Yes, indeed. But if I let YOU wear that, then I have to let everyone else wear whatever THEY think is the coolest, and they don't have such good taste. We'll have fashion anarchy at school and I just can't deal with that."

SCHOOL -1957 vs. 2007

This is very funny, but a bit sad because it's true.....

---------------------

SCHOOL -1957 vs. 2007

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie.  Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark takes his aspirin, gets over his headache, and is able to concentrate on his classes.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

Our new "wellness" plan

Our school HR department has started a new wellness program that offers a lot of things. Last month I got a flu shot. Next month, we all get to have cholesterol screening, blood pressure, etc. Good stuff. THIS month, they are starting a "Maintain, don't gain" program, encouraging everyone to come out of the holiday season at the same size, weight and general body density at which we started. The holiday parties and goodies are starting to roll in, which will make it extremely difficult. We lost our chef at the middle school, however, and the lunches are not up to our usual standards. Could make the whole season a wash, really.

Why bother?

We had a soda sale at school today to raise money for charity. I saw a student drinking caffeine-free diet coke. No sugar buzz? No caffeine rush? I dont' get it. What's the point? Why not just drink water?

Oh, HAPPY day!

Buster's back from the computer hospital. I'm SO happy! Now I can get caught up on my convention planning! AND I can go to Starbucks and Facebook for real instead of by phone. AND can read my e-mail on a regular size screen.

OH, HAPPY HAPPY DAY!

Yea! It's Friday. Two weeks, then exams, then 2 weeks of BREAK! Oh, and New Year's Eve. Wahoo!

2/2 and it's much cheaper than a home connection. Now I'm trying a new mobile blogger option for added convenience. We'll see how it works!

1/2 Mobile Blogging
I'm still resisting Internet access from home. I'm actually finding that my cell phone does a fairly good job at websurfing

Holiday $hopping

I got home from "Ungrateful-giving" (as opposed to "THANKS" since I'm obviously the most selfish brat on the planet according to my family) and finished all of my holiday shopping on Sunday. I wrapped it all today and hope to ship it out o Saturday. Don't hate me!

Can't lose for trying

Spent Thanksgiving at Hilton Head, SC with the family. This time, I got yelled at and I didn't even SAY anything. Long story, but suffice it to say, I DON'T think I'll be making it home for the holidays again anytime soon. Any holiday.

Sugar Mule Flies Again

I left Seattle on Monday night with a backpack full of DoubleTree Hotel chocolate chips cookies. 6 dozen or so, to be exact - enough for all of my students! I flew all night, landed at 6:45 AM and was at school by 7:15. I was greeted by one of my cherubs who gave me a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I am now at the Atlanta airport (phone blogging!) as I transport the pie to Hilton Head. Can't wait to see what I bring home!

Sugar Mule

So I transported 2 dozen pastelitos here to Seattle to share with my non-Miami friends. Now I have unlimited access to DoubleTree Hotel chocolate chip cookies. I am hoping to transport a large quantity back to Florida. I am no longer a sugar monkey; I am a sugar mule.

Travel Mojo strikes again

I'm in Seattle for the annual convention, and getting here was quite an adventure. I was supposed to fly out of Ft. Lauderdale but couldn't seem to find a ride there. Instead, I took the MetroRail, the Tri-Rail and a shuttle to get there, only to find out that the flight was going to be so late that I would miss my connection in Dallas. They offered to put me up in Dallas overnight, but instead, I told them to get me a cab back home and put me on the direct flight from Miami the next morning.

It all worked out, but the bad thing was I missed the opening staff meeting on Friday morning. Not a big deal except that I had 2 dozen pastelitos to give out as treats. We had them that afternoon instead. Everyone was happy.

Sailing the High Seas

Tia is WELL connected in the cruise ship biz and got an invitation to spend a night on the new Azamara "Journey". Azamara is a new "deluxe" cruise line under the Royal Carribean/Celebrity company so they are already VERY well versed in how to run a cruise line. The best part about "introducing" the ship to everyone is that everything was FREE. Nothing says "have a great night" like a free mojito on the sea. (Except the mojito wasn't so great. Tia and I agreed on that!) Still, the food was fabulous, the show was hysterical (more about that later) and I even tried acupuncture (which was so NOT free).

We even fed some money to the slot machines. Larry the Lobster was not there, much to my dismay. The monkeys ate my money again, but they toyed with me enough to stick with it for awhile. I actually made a little bit on "Money Storm" but then the damn sea monkeys took some back without even blinking. Once again, never put your money into machines that have animals as their theme.

Fresh paint

Here's the latest on the house....everything is painted and the floors get started tomorrow. I have to decide on the kitchen cabinets by the end of the week. It's going to be close, but I should be ready by BITNY (Bing in the New Year).

Edible office mail

The high school had bacon for lunch today. Know how I found out? The Leopard Princess of the Universe sent some to me by way of InterOffice Mail. It was very tasty!

The power of prayer

"Dear Lord, please let Tropical Storm Noel come close enough to cancel school tomorrow because I am REALLY REALLY REALLY not in the mood for the Beginning Band's world premier performance. Amen."

Now let's just wait and see what happens!

I'm all about the Butterfinger!

Read what your Halloween candy says about you!

New Walls

YEAH! I don't see cinderblock any more! Time for some paint.....

Feeling trapped

The home renovations are in full swing. The refinishing work on the hardwood floors is scheduled to start this week so I've moved everything I own into the cabana for the time being. It's very tight! I did a lot of purging (stuff, not food!) but I still feel like a rat trapped in a cage. Let's hope the floors only take the 6 weeks they estimated. Less would be better!

Cruising with Tia

Dear Guest:

Please be advised, your response has been received, and you are confirmed for the Azamara Cruises Journey Inaugural on November 10, 2007.

---------------

Tia is the cruise ship Goddess and she's taking me on a short little trip in a few weeks. CAN'T wait, cuz I need a vacation!

I think a bomb went off!

This is the current state of my dining/living room....I'm JUST a wee bit worried because it's 60 days to New Year's Eve.

I'm not cooking

Ummmm....my kitchen is currently closed!

Student logic

I wrote a student up for not tucking in his shirt.
He asked me: “Didn’t you say last year that the art hallway was a “No Tuck” zone?
I said “The art CLASSROOMS may be, but you weren’t in the art classrooms. What period do you have art?”
He said “I don’t.”

Busy, busy weekend

Here's the recap:

1. Date Friday night - not too eventful, a few red flags, but agreed to a 2nd
2. Band director meeting in the Keys on Saturday morning. The ride there and back took ALMOST as long as the meeting itself.
3. Decided on the new cabinet layout for the kitchen on Saturday afternon AND decided how much of the wall to cut away.
4. Date again Saturday night - same guy, NO chemistry, lots of red flags, and to end the night, the clutch blew out on my car.
5. Sunday - couldn't get to church in the morning, but carpooled to the Herald Hunt (more details to follow) which was LOTS of fun. Was also never so happy to have a guy NOT call me back in my life.
6. Today I got a new refrigerator, towed the car to the shop and walked to school so I could do my grades. Luckily there were not kids so I didn't have a schedule. DID teach a private lesson to the child of two doctors. The kids forgot to bring his money. Figures.
7. Now I've finished MOST of my grades. I have two more hours in the morning to get them done, so I'm leaving. It's 11 PM and I have to walk home.

"F" this

As I handed out a theory test to my concert band, one of the students said, "I am SO going to 'F' this." I started cracking up because 1) that adds a new meaning to the term and 2) the test was SO easy (and all the kids knew this) so it was said as sarcasm, which made it even funnier.

Our school cheer

Our middle school football team is playing the big game of the season against our arch rival. We get the smart kids. They get the jocks. Needless to say, we are losing 18-0. I taught some of the kids a new cheer:

That's alright. That's OK. We have a higher GPA!

7th grade DAB

(*Dumb Ass Behavior)

I had this Dean conversation with a 7th grader on Tuesday:

Me: One of your friends told me that you were spitting on him during break.
Him: (sheepishly) Yeah, I was.
Me: Uhhh...GROSS!
Him: I know, but I stopped when he asked me to.
Me: Uhhh...STILL gross!
---------------------

Then I had to have THIS conversation with his mother:

Me: I had to write your son up today. He was spitting on another student.
Her: WHY?
Me: Because he's a 7th grade boy.
Her: No, I understand why you had to write him up. Why was he spitting?
Me: Because he's a 7th grade boy.

Don't scrape too hard!

Yesterday, my contractor was scraping loose paint and plaster to prep for painting. Evidently the paint was the only thing holding the wall in the spare bedroom together, because now all that is left is cinderblock. This could get ugly!

I am the goalie

The 7th grade parent dinner is tonight. My principal wants to quote ME in her remarks:

"Our 7th grade dean explains it to the students like this: 'Your job as a 7th grader is to challenge the boundaries I set forth for you. My job as the Dean is to enforce those boundaries when you cross them.'"

What I ACTUALLY tell the students - "My job as the dean is to set the acceptable boundaries for your behavior. Your job is to break the rules. Then my job is to be the goalie and kick you back into play."

toMAYto, toMAHto...it's all the same!

What I REALLY want to say to the parents tonight is to quote Goethe: "If children grew up according to early indications, we would have nothing but geniuses."

Bedtime stories

quote of the day

"If 'all the world's a stage,' where's the audience supposed to sit?"
- Quotable Opera: Aria Ready for a Laugh?

Demolition!

The final phase of home renovation has begun. On Saturday morning, the hole in the second bedroom was opened into the living room and French doors were installed. The kitchen has ceased to exist, as a sledgehammer found its way upside the cabinets' heads. The fridge doesn't know it yet, but it is being "retired" and the wall between the dining room and the kitchen is going to develop a big hole in it.

Today I have to buy a NEW fridge, two air conditioners and LOTS of paint! Only 77 days to New Year's Eve, and I'm hoping to have it all done by then. The floor guys are coming to start the hardwood refinish work on Nov. 1. Wish me luck!

Walkin' with the Devil

"You are permitted in time of great danger to walk with the devil until you have crossed the bridge."
- Bulgarian proverb

The grass isn't always greener....

This little bit of info comes from my Oregonian friend Techno-Chick, who worked in Hippie Town last year:
"I'm not saying I left just in the nick of time, but last week one of my ex-students from last year (at least he wasn't a band geek) was arraigned on charges of being an axe murderer, and today another was charged as his throat-slitting accomplice. The victim of their alleged crime was, as I recall, a band geek from about a decade back. Details of the crime are slow to be released, so I don't know much about it, and from the sound of things I think I'm better off not knowing."

Ummmmm...yeah. My job is not SOoooo bad....

If you have a job...

"If you have a job without aggravations, you don't have a job." - Malcolm Forbes

I have a job; let's leave it at that.

Job insecurity

Tia has some good comments in her blog entry from Monday. She echoes some of my sentiments from last week. I think the reason I am having so much trouble lately is that I've NEVER had to deal with so many things going "wrong" before. Not that I was able to make things go right, but nothing much "bad" really ever happened before. It's just been a crazy year or so. Both dogs died, I had a crazy tenant, a home invasion, my house is a construction zone, my family STILL ignores me, close friendships have changed dramatically and I got "reprimanded" for reporting unprofessional activity at work, while the person who DID the activity got public accolades for being so wonderful.

Truth be told, the work situation is really what it is all about....I got "in trouble" for trying to do the right thing. And now I'm realizing that no matter how hard I work, neither what I do nor what I value most (ethics, character) is valued by those above me. I'm beginning to understand that my values and my employer's values DO NOT line up. Since I have spent 18 years in this profession developing my philosophies on "why I do what I do," it is a huge part of who I am. When you constantly feel like you aren't appreciated for who you are (let alone for what you do) then you start to question why you even bother?

So I guess I have to really decide: do I just put up with it and make my career "just a job" or do I try to find a new job that will value what I value? The bigger question is, is God trying to tell me something?

More crazy parents

Today started with returning a parent phone call. BIG mistake! When a father starts a conversation with "if you want to try and find a perfect child, I'm telling you, my son is IT!" I just want to run like hell. Did he NOT see "The Good Son" with Macauley Caulkin?

Oh, and EVERYTHING that happens with this kid is because someone is picking on him AND it's a racial issue.

WTF?!

New Careers

Today's brilliant text exchange:

Me: Where do I go to find a new career?
Songbird: maybe u should start with things u like to do first then look 4 a job. Eating sugar doesn't count.

Online Dating STILL sucks!

eHarmo-not-me just sent me a match for a guy named "Bubba" from a hick town in central Florida.

I am SO deleting my profile!