moving day = poop day???

belated by over a month I know...but I just found these pictures. apparently along with being in charge of providing your moving slaves with lunch you are also required to deal with any and all situations that involve poop.
for example, if someone in your new building has allowed their dog to do its business in your new foyer and then others have tracked said business all over it is your job to clean it up so it doesn't get tracked up the stairs to your new pad


example number two, it's time to move your pet...now pets who routinely poo in a box are convenient most of the time (no scratching at the door to be let out, no cleaning up after them on their walk) but there are those times (when it comes time to empty the box for example) especially on moving day....when they are not the bright shining spot of your day.

teaching with no voice

i woke to an early morning dilemma... to whisper physics nonsense to my students all day or to entrust them to another for the day...knowing full well that it will result in a wasted day. (which is just trouble when it comes to block scheduling) this is the decision that must be made when a teacher wakes with no voice. knowing that it is far more work to write sub plans then to actually just go to school I decided to tough it out.

before school: intimate homework help...since all I can do is whisper. I tell one of my freshmen that my boyfriend said I was going to be the mute teacher at open house and she volunteered to come with me and translate everything I said to the parents and perspective students that would be there.

2nd hour freshman physics: my students actually listened to me during our lab discussion and helped EACHOTHER understand so I didnt have to explain the exact same thing 23 times.

4th hour senior physics: my seniors volunteered to not learn anything today or at the very least just copy down notes and have them explained to them the next class. I assured them if they were quiet we could tough it out and we actually had a productive day. (despite their giggles whenever I tried to talk)

between classes whenever I had a break: trips to the bathroom thanks to nick's wellness regime...drink constantly and flush the germs out of your system

all in all one of the best days we've had this year....maybe I should try more days of not talking.

camping trip from hell

I sit now nursing the sore throat I have as a reminder from what was potentially the worst camping trip of my life. though it was still fun, as all camping trips are, and has resulted in many a good story....so it may not end up being the worst camping trip ever, depending on how you measure worst.
the weekend started off with me getting lost on my way to work...i'd decided to bike the 10 miles to work so that I could ditch work a little early, bike the train station, and then ride the train to the end of the line and bike the last five miles to the park. road riding successful...thinking to myself, why this isnt bad and is good for me...perhaps I should do this more often...like once or twice a week. I could totally handle that. I arrive at the bike trail. whoo hoo on easy street from here. until the trail forked. and I chose the wrong fork. I emerged from the woods in a run down area and have to call my mom in near histarics describing the intersection and trying to figure out how to get to school. I get directions, ride like i've never ridden and start my day, a little out of breath but alive and at work on time.
I leave in the afternoon to meet nick...he apparently practically died on the way, carring like 60 pounds on his bike and riding 7 miles in 20 minutes. we wait for the train and get all ready to take our bikes. little did we know not all train cars have bike spots and we were not clued into the secret codes of the metra, and were separated for the hour ride...sitting with our bike 3 cars apart.
we get to the campground after a grueling uphill battle. and look for the camp office to check in. we wind back and forth and back and forth. nick finally gives up and sits with the stuff as i venture ahead only to find...camp office closed at 4. it's 5. where are we supposed to check in and pay??? oh well dont have to worry till 3:00 the next day.
we go back and set up camp. then head for some firewood and water. we come back. I start a fire and nick hangs our food in the tree. this takes some effort as the rope is determined to tangle itself in knots around the tree 10 feet over our heads. but done finally, fire made, dinner cooked and eaten and were ready for bed.

enter mr. ranger man who apparently hated us and life...and told us that we couldnt hang things from trees. so now it was only a matter of time before our food was consumed. we go to sleep hoping for the best. wake up once to scare the raccoons away. I wake up many more times including when all the dogs in the park decide to re-enact the twilight bark from 101 Dalmations. but eventually I manage to fall into a light sleep. until the growling started.
I wake nick...telling him I've never heard raccoons growl before. he tells me to go back to sleep.
we finally wake for good around 5:30. nick has to pee but doesnt want to venture out into scary land alone. so we take a trip, sneaking out the back of the tent. keeping our flashlights off till we are far from the site. and then walk the state park till the sun comes up.we come back to our campsite and find our food gone or at least covered with teddy grahams and chocolate because the raccoons didnt even have the decency to take our food and go away and eat it and instead decided to eat it inside of our stuff.

dejected we clean our remaing food, salvageing oatmeal, rasins, pb, jelly, some brown sugar and cinnamin, and pancake mix, start a fire buring our remainign food, eating oatmeal and pack up camp. glad that we never found where we were supposed to check in so we wouldnt be out our $12 we we called it quits early and headed back home to the comfort of our bed with pillows and safe food.

I NEED FOUR STAMPS!!!!

I went to the post office today so I could establish a local address since I am rogue living at my current residence. (that whole no one not on the lease is allowed to live for more than 10 consecutive days) I nicely waited my turn while the man in front of me scribbled an illegible zip code on the letter he was mailing and the lady had to check with him to make sure his mail could be delivered. then it was my turn. I handed the clerk the form I filled out from the internet and my two forms of ID (credit cards, social security cards not counting) and waited. and then...

"I NEED FOUR STAMPS"

enter belligerent man with highly slurred speech.

the clerk nicely tells the man he needs to wait his turn. the man says "BUT I ONLY NEED FOUR STAMPS" and the clerk tells him to wait again because she is helping a customer. the man grumbles and waits. the clerk asks me if it's ok if she helps the man I say sure and she calls the man up starting to say she'll help him but next time he needs to wait his turn.

"I DON'T NEED NO LECTURES"

and the clerk says fine you can wait now. the clerk goes to help me and the man stands uncomfortably close to me disgruntled at the counter. I huddle near the wall, credit card, passport and driver's license in hand. finally the lady asks the man to go stand in the line place.

"AREN'T THERE SUPPOSED TO BE 2 CLERKS WORKING???"

disgruntled man's newest complaint. he repeats this several times, and then starts grumbling to the other people waiting in line.

"WHEN MY FATHER OPENED THE POST OFFICE THIS PLACE WAS GOOD. NOW IT IS BAD"

never have I been so glad to finish a post office transaction.

just for claire

mail?

in all the things that are supposed to be difficult about moving making my mail appear is not supposed to be one. I'm supposed to fill out a form at the post office and voila! mail appears at the new location. maybe I change a few addresses for magazines update my contact info and I'm done.

apparently not.

since mail doesn't seem to get sent to my new address unless the name of the lessee is on the envelope and well "me care of others" just doesnt sound very professional. so I've mailed myself a letter at my new address to test the system. if not one more thing to add to my list.

downsizing

its been decided that I have had the luxury of living in too big of a space for too long and Ive been free to accumulate too much stuff.


it took a van load and two car loads to get this all home. my life in stuff. i'm now moving to a one bedroom apartment shared with another and a cat (and another and another cat for a month) after spending the last two years living first in a 3 bedroom apartment and then in a 3 bedroom duplex.

I should cherish this time as an opportunity to get rid of the stuff that I've just been hauling around. those things that serve no real purpose in my life and just take up space. Instead i find myself tormented over what material possessions I could possibly do without and my list is coming up short.

I like a well stocked kitchen...is this a crime???