is it mid-November all ready?

I am writing this post while I put off writing study guides for my students' final exams so it must be. Granted the first final exams fall a month from yesterday and none of my students have an exam until a month from sunday but who am I to crush the spirit of a student who just wants to do well. (don't actually answer that...especially if you are one of the aforementioned students because then you are likely to say "the one who takes special joy in crushing the spirit of children in the name of learning" even though this 100% is not so, even though it may seem that way at times)

The temperatures have fallen....perhaps for keeps this time which means I get to show off my newly crafted/procured hats....I will take this moment to show them off here as well...and apparently burgundy is my favorite color this year

I opened the bottom drawer of sweaters freeing the wool ones from their moth proof vacuum bags, fluffing them to snuggly proportions.

I have had not 1 but 4 snowflake mornings where my car greets me with a snowflake on the dashboard warning me to beware of ice.

I have been scouting christmas crafts as a way to channel my holiday cheer all while struggling to resist the desire to buy those oh-so-cute penguin mugs at Target because I believe in Thanksgiving and believe that it too deserves it's 15 min of fame.

and people have been willing to show us apartments for our Jan 15th move in date. The idea of which was apparently outlandish a mere month and a half ago. more on the great apartment hunt/disaster/fill-in-adjective-here-once-all-shakes-out in hopefully a couple days.

in other words yes, it IS mid-november. and the blog has been neglected for 2 weeks.THIS is what happens to Teacher Ams.

p.s. i wish teacher ams made real money so I could afford to buy art at holiday gatherings like this

birthday 26!

progression of the day (and the afternoon before)....

July 1st presents with claires...FLOWER HEAD! and pretty dress

6:00 am wake up to stupid alarm. nick jumps awake. I hit the snooze. wake 15 min later to the smells of breakfast...french toast and berries galore!

6: 30 am morning presents...the ones from my family. coffee from mom and dad, cricut cartridge from my grandma and grandpa, a cross from Italy and BUNNY SLIPPERS from my little sis.

7:30 am off to work...gross...but at least nickface came with me....to play king pattern. meet the king and queen.

3:45 pm cake with the birthday twins at work.

5:30 pm more presents! cricut toys, everwood, saved by the bell, bike water bottle holder, and FISH PANTS!

6:30 pm leave to go downtown for dinner get there early so take some river pics

9:00 finish up dinner take some pics

9:30 head to rock bottom for free dessert and raspberry wheat beer and topping off the evening with free pint glasses. yea! 5 visits to rock bottom.

new year's resolutions (only a little bit late)

ok so yes it is more traditional to make new year's resolutions at the beginning of the new year, and then blog all about it then and there. it is now the end of the first month of the new year so its about time to blog all about it. (life has been a bit busy this month...thanks in part to those afore-mentioned resolutions)

Resolution #1 - Recycling

doing what little part I can do to save the world. we bought some recycling containers...no more would the excuse that my building doesnt have recycling containers hold up. I grew up in a house where we recycled EVERYTHING my parents canceled the trash after the kids went off to school since as my dad likes to say "mom washes all our trash and its piled up in the garage" waiting for to be taken to the recycling center.

then kansas city stopped accepting glass at the recycling center. so in grad school once a month I'd haul my parents glass bottles back to columbia and leave them at the curb. it looked like me at my roommates (who never actually had a single party) threw a rocking classy party with all the best beer on a regular basis.

then I came here...and threw everything away despite the fact that my city taxes pay for curbside recycling and I drive by the city recycling center everyday on my way to work. well now I have joined the ranks of garbage washers everywhere. saving the world, one juice bottle at a time.

Resolution #2 - Church-a-Lurch

again always as a church goer. sunday mornings with my mom and siblings, then off to notre dame and sunday night in my pj's in the stanford chapel, then off to dove drive and up early for church with linds. and then sunday morning church turned into sunday morning groceries while other people were at church.

this week marks week three of my sunday morning church pilgrimages. (it would have been four...but we took an ohio excursion MLK weekend) an hour on the el then off to church and brunch with claires bears then an hour on the el back home. a good four hours of break time from life. (and some good food)

Resolution #3 - Reading, Bedtime, and work-free weekends

I worked hard last year. many late nights and not much else. This year was better. and now even better. work-shmork. now 9 o'clock reading time and 10 o'clock lights out. (ok this one hasn't gone so well. but I have been asleep by 11 most nights, and 10 on many, and I currently have several books checked out from the evanston public library)

so there it is. three resolutions a little late. there could be more. like after school walking club, taking time to get in touch with long lost friends, and conquering the dirty dishes pile on a more regular basis...but 3 sounds better than 6 and no one wants to see pictures of my piles of dirty dishes (which amazingly dont actually exist)

new year's smoo year's

I have now experienced 25 new year's eves in my time. and I've come to the conclusion that I could take it or leave it. I havent had anything horrible happen to destroy my new year's (unlike halloween when I got chased across south quad by a drunken shower) but I've also not done anything that would throw new year's up there on my list of favs.

I've even had good times in the past...sitting around friend's houses, shooting off fireworks by the lake in atlanta, watching the giant bowl of gumbo drop in new orleans....all fine and good but nothing that would inspire me to go from this

to this

and change my do nothing plans like some crazy people.

however, happy new year's enjoy 2010.

thank you (practice) ACT

my students are taking a practice ACT...Im supposed to be studying for a genetics test I have to take this afternoon. which means that Im bored, and will post blogs instead. blogs about all the things i havent blogged about in ever so long. bear with the entourage of entries that may follow. Im trying to get caught up.

which is apparently the theme of my day....since this is my route.

first stop delish german bakery so I can use my groupon before it expires and get my 3 FREE DANISHES (even though the lady didnt believe me it was thursday).

then off to school...for 4 hours of working/studying/staring at students who are cowering in the face of the ACT.

next stop genetics test...aced the last on in 20 min. so this should be quick.

the off to the north shore performing arts center to get tickets to DANCE SLAM 2009

and then REI for my FLEEEEEEEECE! (to be paid for my giving up my saturday morning to procter a REAL ACT

home via sam's for some much needed gas (hopefully there won't need to be an additional stop on the side of the road when i've run out of gas) and then home to do laundry. this is my drive:

I HATE the USPS

remember how I hated the USPS when I first moved here. if not never fear the recap can be read here.

since then we had gotten on to better terms. I learned that if I added a c/o line then my mail happily made it to my mailbox or at the very least I had my PO box option...something like $12 for 6 months. I could handle that (turns out the walk to the post office was annoying, so I didnt ever give that address and never received a piece of my own mail there...lots of stuff for previous owners of box 6001 but none for me) I continued my love affair with sending and receiving actual mail instead of just the electronic kind on birthdays and holidays and just because...and sent out my usual 3 dozen christmas cards, remembering of course to include the require c/o line in my return address incase someone decided to return the sentiment.

and then the post office decided to implement their new policy. their new policy of not leaving packages, even though they were behind locked doors, because too many people's packages were disappearing. ok fine I accept this policy. you're looking out for my stuff, thats cool.

what is not cool then you ask, why do i HATE the post office now? because I asked for my package to be redelivered on saturday, because I dont work on saturday, and I waited on saturday for it, and it didnt show. and I didnt get a we tried again slip. so I asked for it to be redelivered on monday. and it didnt show. and I didnt get we tried again slip. so I called. and filed a complaint. and the branch head person called me back today. and said I dont know how it happened but the carrier didnt get your request. DIDNT GET MY REQUEST??? TWICE??? REALLY????

so I went to pick it up. and there were literally 17 people in front of me. and then a lady said if you're here to pick up a package I'll take your tickets come over here with me. so I got out of line, and the lady gathered up our 10 slips, spent 10 min in the back then came back with 2 pieces of mail. TWO. and one of them wasnt mine. I insisted mine was there since I'd just talked to the supervisor 45 min ago and my box was right in front of her. post office lady says ok well maybe its at the counter go wait to go to the window. WHAT !!!!!! get back in the line you just made me get out of????????

I'll need my slip now I need to go put more money in my meter before I get a parking ticket trying to pick up my package. and then I stood in line again. literally an HOUR after I arrived at the post office I made my way to the counter. told the lady at the window what had gone down. and she said...if the other person couldnt find it I cant. but then someone took my id and slip, went in the back, and came out moments later my box in hand. apparently it was right there. UGGGGG

that PO box where the slips go in for packages and the packages stay right at the nice close branch doesnt seem like such a bad idea now. and a little walk and a little exercise is never a bad thing.

boycott list

sometimes I send mean e-mails when I get mad. here is today's

I was just in the store to pick up two bikes a wheel that we dropped off last thursday and arrived to several not so pleasant experiences.

first, the wheel was no where to be found. the mechanic we talked to on thursday didnt fill out a separate ticket for it, and so there was no record of it in the shop. while yes we should have stood there and insisted on a receipt for all three things the fact that your mechanic questioned us not once but multiple times about whether we were telling the truth about bringing in the wheel, because he didnt remember us bringing it in. no, I've just paid you $100 for work on the other bikes and now am trying to get a free wheel out of you. I have no problems with small things like a wheel getting misplaced, but the response from the mechanic was rude an unprofessional.

second, one bike was in to have the brakes adjusted, something the mechanic last thursday assured me was not a big ordeal. when I was called and told my bike was ready this afternoon, I was informed that the mechanic got frustrated with the front brakes and so replaced them. He began by wording the conversation as a question, is it ok if we do this, and when I asked how much longer it would take to fix, told me that he'd already done it. and it would be $10 more then I had been originally quoted, and I didnt feel like I had much of a choice, since it was already done. I feel as though it is VERY unprofessional to do work without asking the client first. I had never had any trouble with the front brakes, they were a little loose, but didnt need replacing. When I arrived at the store I saw that different parts had been used then were on the bike, not a big deal, except that one is small and black and the other larger and silver. two matching parts that in no way match any more, and something that I had no say about. this whole situation leaves me feeling like I got charged $10 for a service I didnt ask for, because your mechanic couldn't put back together what he took apart, and I paid to get my bike back in worse condition then I brought it in.

I have been seething since arriving home, and thought that this needed to be addressed.

this one apparently worked....my ghetto bike will be no more...perhaps I should take a pic of gimpy bike and gimpy car together...they are matching at the time

blah.

in bad mood...and do know why. why? you ask....take your pick

• took my new car on its first road trip over the weekend. hello highway, it's nice to make your first acquaintance. good bye hubcap, it was nice knowing you. car dealer response: that's unfortunate, falls under wear and tear. WEAR AND TEAR! the car has 700 miles and it happened as soon as I hit 55 for the FIRST TIME.

• have to take a bio class to maintain my chemistry certification. since apparently one must know biology to teach chemistry. NOT. and of course the online class at oakton community college I picked is full. and the professors are not responding to my e-mails. and of course this was discovered AFTER I paid the $25 application fee.
  

• didn't get to ride my bike today because I had to work, and since its gross million degrees today can't just do it now. also didnt get to eat lunch today because we were working up a storm so now I am just hungry.
  

• finally was making plans to do something with someone I'd met since I got here. BEACH DAY! and then have to work again tomorrow...so probably dont get to have any fun. of course.
  

• STILL dont have my test prep books for stupid certification tests that I have to take for stupid state of Illinois stupid certification tests even though i ordered them last week.
  

• bought nick velcro ball catchy yard game toys and they fell apart first use. so took back to target to get new ones. stupid target is out of them. boo. and tried to go to get pretty yarn to make hats with claires but stupid joanns has only ugly yarn, and the stupid knitting needles were already 25% off so I didnt get to use my 40% off coupon. boo.

birthday week

so my birthday was a week ago...but didnt post birthday after comments till now, since the birthday this year took on epic proportions and well lasted for a week. or at least we claimed everything that we did for the week was bday related so here's the recap. (and it still not over since I've yet to have family celebrations) the pics are here...since there are WAY too many to load onto blogger

thursday...the actual bday. presents with nick...including mary poppins tickets and fancy dinner reservations. it was delightful. baby cow was delicious. my bday cocktai was tasty. bert danced on the top of the stage upside down. though there were no penguins. dancing statues in the park are no substitue for dancing penguins.


friday...aka birthday beach day. we well went to the beach. burt our feet playing frisbee because we arent good enough to stand in our one cooled off spot ad still be able to catch the frisbee. then played some tennis ball toss...realizing we need the velcro catch paddle game....since we are good at swatting, not so good at catching.


friday part 2....a raw comes over for drinks. since my bday shares the weekend with the 4th...NO ONE is EVER in town. but had the pleasure of sharing with a fellow sufferer who whined that he never gets to come over. we drank camping beer..played some dominos played some jenga, ate some pengunny crumble cake. (I have this penguin cake pan...that we were going to turn into a bunny...but that wouldnt give up the cake...so we had crumbles that I scooped out)




saturday...TASTE in the rain. we tasted...ate some turkey legs, some hot diggity dogs, some gigantic pile of chips, some frozen cheesecake dipped in chocolate, and some popcorn ball dipped in liquid nitrogen...aka the popcornsicle. delish. played some mean go fish..then we watched some guster in the rain. and then we decided to go home. and then the sun came out. TYPS. then went to evanston fireworks...which little knwn fact are actually all for me.


sunday...ok so not bday festivities...but GIGANTIC cinnamin rolls at ann sathers.

monday...beach day with claires, and nick's mommy, and cousin. then pizza shenangins where we order separately, to use two different coups...and claires stands outside the pizza hut holding her pizza for five min while mine finshed. and nick's mommy gave me my birthday rug.


tuesday...crispy honey chipotle chicken crispers then jersey boys! whoo hoo! for the second time...and I'd still go back again.

birthday splurge

I was killing time at the mall so I could park my car on the street after street cleaning had ended for the day, I done barnes and nobel, scoped out kohls (until I saw some of our students, and didnt want them to find me shopping in the juniors department...however, the tank tops were $5 there and $6.50 in the big girls section), and scanned NY&Co, only to find there was nothing on the $10 rack and I didnt want to jump to $29.00 rack, and then walked into the Gap.

upon entering the gap, went straight to the sale rack, found nothing and wandered around the store, picking up perhaps the only thing that was not on sale in the entire store. and of course loved it. and tried not to love it

but I did. and 5 min later still locked in the dressing room I still did. and 10 min later still in the dressing room I still did.

and so I splurged. bday tomorrow. its allowed.

summer life plan retake

so day three of summer life plan evaluation: a little more successful that previous attempts.

morning: bike ride successful...except for the gigantic mud puddle I rode through, getting mud all over my white shirt. 9 mile ride with a stop by the local target to get a bottle to take my smooth to the beach in.


the off to the beach, where I enjoyed sun, sand, my book, and finally worked up the courage to go for a swim in the 63 degree water.

and on my way out of the beach I learned that the beach is only open for swimming at 10:30, and that I was more then welcome to partake in appropriate non-swimming activities as early as 6:00....now to rethink the plan

home for the afternoon, mailed off a GIANT box, managed to do an hours worth of work, and then was distracted by life. though I did manage to make a delicious dinner of poulet saute au herb, cous cous, and oven roasted corn.

tomorrow, life plan may need to be inverted since I have stuff I HAVE to get done before 9 am wed morning...

summer life plan: 2 day evaluation

in the time since I made my summer life plan...I havent exactly followed through very well. Thursday I worked then went to the post office...but went into the evening determined to live out life plan on friday, well a modified life plan since I found out the beaches dont open till 10:30. 10: 30!!! really no one is allowed to enjoy the beach early in the morning???

so friday, took a 10 mile bike ride, THEN went to the beach...where I enjoyed my book reading, ate some cherries, drank some water got into the lake. and walked to the edge of the swimming area and turned around and went back to my towel. that was enough cooling off.

by this time Im too tired to do work...hence the important coffee shop element of my life plan, and so I lay on the couch and do nothing. oops. well do nothing except allow the sunburn to come to the surface...modifcation to life plan number 2: have nick put sunscreen on my back before he leaves in the morning.

but at least I was productive today.

clearly I'm home alone take 2

ok so yesterday I mentioned my stranger danger check. but I dont think that the full extent of how much I manage to freak myself out was fully conveyed. and so take 2.

walking back from the el around 10 it was dark and rainy. ahead of me on the street was the large blob of an individual. who stands out in the rain? should I cross the street? would that be too obvious? and I bullied through hand on keys in one pocket (to stab out eyes if necessary I've been watching law and order) and phone in the other. turns out three kids, being kids, just all huddled together who scattered when I got close.

being very aware on my walk home I managed to walk past my alley. this may have been a subconscious effort to not walk in the alley where once there was a disturbance. once, a year ago. I walked up the street, finding the right key from the millions on my key ring so I could quickly get inside and up the stairs.

made sure to close the door behind me, run up the stairs and get to my door, where Im convinced there is something odd about the lock. I can never open the lock so why not being able to do it last night became a concern for me I dont know. walking through the door I stranger danger checked immediately. turning on ALL lights, opening all closet doors throughly checking. making sure no one was there.

turned on both TVs, checked the back door, checked the front door several times, finally went into the bed room. dragging the cat. as if piccolo coudl protect me from strangers. of course my choice of bringing piccolo only made it worse, since she insisted on staring out the door into the dark empty room.

and so I stranger danger checked all the nook and crannies of the apt again.

and finally fell asleep tv on 11:45 pm.

thank goodness for wacky hair day at camp to cover up the lack of shower.

clearly Im home alone

clearly nickface is out of town. two signs from the remaining to occupants of the apartment

me: I walk in late after dinner with claires and do a stranger danger search turning on all the lights and checking every nook and cranny for well strangers.

piccolo: sits in front of the TV where she knows she's not allowed to be, figures she's home alone with the big softee and can do whatever she wants, looks at me when I walk in and pretends like she's going to leave, crawls down to the table I leave the room then come back to this.

day of adulthood

today: spent the morning researching car insurance, determined to find the best rate possible for my impending car purchase since I can no longer mooch off the rents on that part

then: purged the fridge of all no longer edible foods, in order to hopefully extinguish the interesting smell

then: dealt with changing my parking pass to my new car

and then: 3 hours at the car dealer, drove out proud new owner of my very own VW rabbit!




look! it even has IL plates already. I sadly gave up my missouri ones :( decided maybe I should be legal.

here is my head aim ball here

this weekend: two days, two attacks on my head

attack one: softball game, softball comes out of nowhere lands inches from my feet with a large loud thud

attack two: bike ride past golf course, golf ball comes out of no where lands a foot from the front tire bounces up towards my face

my forgetfulness cost me snack size honey chipotle chicken crispers in fines

way back in the middle of January my school had a "snow" day and I didnt have any of my text books to work over a now 5 day weekend. so we went to the library and checked out my textbook.

and then I forgot about it.

$4 in fines later (aka 16 days late) I found the book and looked on line and was appalled by how much i owed in fines,(my library back home...5 cents per day to a maximum of $1 AND they let me request books for FREE but that's a whole different library blog rant), so i renewed the book since I was too lazy to take it back at that moment.

renewed the book again a month later because I had forgotten about it AGAIN.

found the book 2 days ago. $3 more in fines. took it back this time since it wouldnt renew again.

then went to chili's for honey chipotle chicken crispers to make me feel better about my $7 fine. (and because we have no food again)

my book fines cost me as much as my dinner

(well as much as my dinner would have if nick hadnt made me get the larger size so we could eat my leftovers)

ghetto-ified car window

my car is now 2/4 on the functioning windows.

drivers side back window hasn't worked for years.

passenger's side decided to stop rolling up on monday morning. funny how it rained all day monday and today. but we have "fixed" it. temporally. will be better fixed tomorrow when I can buy a c-clamp rather than the binder clip that is currently "holding" the window up.


but whoo hoo there is currently the inside of a door in my trunk

tv moment of the day

let me set the scenario...boy has decided that he doesnt need to study for his algebra final because he "just needs to get a 69 to pass the class" dad says well thats not good you need to at least try.
boy says "whatev"
dad says "what are you too lazy to say full words now?"
boy says "no prob"

apparently they have hacked into my life.

tw-what?

so I finally broke down and got a twitter account aebecks since apparently I got bored on saturday. or perhaps I just like to receive text messages, since most of my friends are not text happy and I go for days without feeling popular.

I have now posted 12 random updates about my life. follow 8 people, though only 1 of them follows me and am being followed by 3 other random strangers....while currently deciding if I want to block random people from being about to follow me and tweet at me.

my biggest regret...that I didnt do it before feb 7, so I could be abecks rather than aebecks which is just so much more difficult to remember