the addiction takes hold

I have a small addiction. I can handle it, but it sometimes prevents me from doing work (like now, when I should be grading thesis papers and regular homework and I totally thought I could do both at the same time, but I cannot). I'm even okay when I am not near it and I can lead a normal life.

I'm addicted to Grey's Anatomy.

I was a new convert last year during the whole Izzie and Denny and Meredith and Derek (because who doesn't love Patrick Dempsey? hubba hubba) storylines and I rapt pretty much this whole season. And then I learned you can watch them online. So I steal away to the Yearbook classroom, watch the show if I missed it and feel blissfully addicted and almost like I am doing something wrong, which I am not because it is my prep period, but I kinda am because I should be doing work.

But man, that show is good! I may be getting sick of the storylines and such, but I am still totally hooked. However, I will not resort to talking about characters and such here because I'm not really concerned about that. I just really like the show. It's entertaining, it lets me escape, and it's pretty well written for a show about what my husband calls, "sexy doctors".

Oh well. I could have worse addictions. And the shows online prevent me from going ballistic if the tape runs out when I set the timer (which happened last night). I never thought I would be one of those, but eh. Whatever makes you happy I guess.

how do you...

cope without sleep? I've been so sleepy lately because of lack of quality and quantity of sleep lately. I already drink coffee occassionally and would not like to be "dependent" on it. Right now it's a tasty treat in the morning or whenever, not usually a perk up method. Any tips for waking up during the day? I am so glad that it is Friday so I can hopefully get some sleep this weekend.

On a side note, we're back in the cat-sitting biz. Last night Annie (Kimberly's other kitty) became our new roommate and bed fellow. :). It should be interesting. We've only done this once before with Cleary's cats and they were so scared, but Annie seems ready to explore and happy to be with people who will pet her. I think it's for the best so she gets some love and isn't alone in her house. Never knew this would be such an intense cat week.....

long time, no write

Picture a warm, rich, sunny day, the kind that drips with happiness and smothers you with the feeling that you could do anything right now. No, I'm not going to turn that all around and say, that is the exact opposite of what I am feeling (but I am getting there with all of this cloudy, chilly weather - be nice spring dammit!). But my other beginning for a blog was a heck of a lot more depressing, so I thought I would put you in a better mindset.

Sad tides in the city of Portland - a lovely, but elderly kitty has passed away from our world and into the happiest of kitty worlds in which kitties get to eat and sleep and purr and do whatever they want - FOREVER. We are taking care of Kimberly's cats, Annie and BJ, while she is visiting her family, and BJ decided to succomb to what I like to call "the big sleepy". He has been showing signs of a bit of failing health lately, but unfortunately, I was the one to find him asleep in his bed and curled up, looking very peaceful. A sad Tuesday for all, because I had to call Kimberly and figure out where to put this peaceful kitty so Annie (the other cat) wasn't too freaked out. Now that was the hardest phone call I've had to make. Thank goodness Jason helped me because I was so sad and a little reminiscient of another "big sleepy" pet story of my childhood. Oh gosh, it was just so sad. I still have the image in my mind......school today was good because it allowed me to throw myself into something else, but I would start thinking about BJ and then get so sad. He's in peace, I know, but it still sucks.

Jason has this awesome picture of BJ from last August when we were staying at Kimberly's house. We were wrapping my brother's wedding gift and the straw from the basket was on the ground. BJ thought, oh yeah, now that's a nice laying place and plopped himself down in the middle of the straw. He was so cute with his round belly and proud expression - he almost looked like a bird laying an egg! That's how I choose to remember BJ. Even though he wasn't my cat, I still knew him and loved him. So go hug your pets tonight (if they'll let you!) and say a prayer or send good thoughts out to Kimberly and BJ.

Be gone with you January!

Ahhh, life seems a bit easier now that it is February. My cold is improving, so I may actually start exercising again! It's still sunny outside, which is starting to freak me out because it hasn't rained in what feels like weeks. I like the cold sunny weather, but in small doses. Not that I'm eager for more rain, but I kinda just want to get the rainy spring over with because then the lovely spring/summer weather will approach in our fair NW. All I gotta go is knock out the sickness in the red-haired kid (oh, so sick for him! all that taking care of me did a number on him! I definitely gave back for what was given to me earlier this week) and keep positive. I even got an extraordinary amount of planning done this week.
And.....da da dum! I learned this week that July is going to be the most fun-filled month EVER. I'm not sure how all of the other months will feel when I describe the glory that is July. Let's see. Well, I'm going to Italy until the 17th. The HP movie comes out while we are in Italy, so I have that to look forward to when I get home and THEN, the 7th book comes out on the 21st!!!!!!! Holy cow. AND, it's still summer break. Phew. That certainly is a lot....just don't tell August. She might get a wee bit jealous.
I'm sure I'll write more nerd word later about HP and the 7th book and the anticipation and the trepidation and all that, but my brain is reduced to mush right now. Have a super weekend all those who may perhaps read this little ditty!

just because

You know when you get sick and then you start feeling better, so you start to do things again because you haven't been able to do them for a week or so but you know deep down inside that you're not totally healed but what the hey? Yeah, I'm guilty of that. Sick as a dog last week with a cold, but there wasn't a good day to take a sick day because of finals at school so drudge through I did until the weekend when I rested, but also tried to get in some leisure. Cut to last night, up till 4am with noisy neighbors upstairs playing video games and my nose, throat, and head all playing their own version of some ridiculous video game in my head. Even though I could sleep in a bit for work today, no rest was to be had with the plans for the next day running through my head along with a bit of beer and some ringing from a concert (Yes, I went to a free concert. To my defense I was feeling better. Then I started to feel sick. So it's my own darn fault)
However, this isn't a post about being sick. This is a post about the person who always takes care of me. This person made me tea in the middle of the night (the guys upstairs kept him up too), brought me some toast, gave me some Nyquil, put in Field of Dreams (a surefire way to place me blissfully into slumber), and brought my 3:30am lesson plans into school this morning. Then he went grocery shopping, is doing the dishes right now, and will be making dinner shortly. What a swell guy. All the while to the sounds of my apologizing for being sick.....sigh. When will I ever learn with the apologizing? Anyways, thanks for taking care of me Jason. You make being sick 10 times better than before - if that makes any sense from my cold addled brain. (Did I also mention he rented a few rom-coms at the video store - he's golden!).
Now off for more resting and not worrying about what needs to be done for tomorrow!

Tea is free (sometimes)

Oooh, reading Simzgirl I saw that you can get free tea at Adagio if you post a link like this:
http://www.adagio.com/ and then you can see all the wonderfulness they have to offer. Happy tea-gazing!

this is so lame, but I know some people are with me...

So last night while watching The Office, I let out a squeal of joy (which was misinterpreted by Jason as a squeal that a spider was near and that I was in dire need of some help in killing while I prance around in fear) because Jim admitted [again] that he still has feelings for Pam. Yes, I know they're not real people, but I'm a sucker for a good love story, especially those love stories that are in their nascent stages. The time before the first kiss, the courting, the anticipation, the side glances, the over-thinking of your actions (well, that's usual for me). Oh, it all makes me giddy with joy. Not that I'm in the market for more of those feelings (aka - I like my husband and generally want to keep him around to avoid having those awkward first steps in a relationship all over again and well, he's kinda cute!), but I just love the magic of a good love story. Especially when you constantly make the same amused/bewildered look on your face toward the camera when something funny happens (Jim) or go along with a well-timed prank (which I would SO do! he had it coming). Anyways, just watch The Office and you'll understand that I'm not completely in my own wacky world of make-believe (notice I said completely....)
On another note, J and I went to go see the movie, Stranger Than Fiction the other day and it was really good. Great acting, an interesting storyline, and just overall a thinker, but not in a I want to take my fingernails off because this indie movie is so depressing kind of way. Go see it if you can...or wait till it's available for rent because that should happen in like two weeks :).
Well, time killing is over. Almost time to leave for the weekend. Ahhh, two day work weeks. You are my friend. We should keep this relationship going for a loooooong time.

in the meadow.... (or my front yard...)

I can actually build a snowman! Yes folks, as most of you already know, snow has decended upon the Portland metro area! Those special conditions were just right: freezing temps, little build-up by the news, no announcements of "maybe snow tomorrow" at school. Just good 'ol-fashioned snowfall that happens once every three years around our parts. Such happiness, especially when you are home from work for two days and the snow is still here! Hooray - let the movies and knitting and and reading and warm trinken flow! And boy have they. Although I have been walking around a lot and just savoring the beauty and splendor of it all! I just cannot get over the sounds and smells associated with snow and my neighborhood. The crunch under your feet, the sweet air, the feeling like we're all stuck in a tiny village and all we should do is drink coffee and smile.
This snow came at a good time too. January is always so dreary and school gets a wee bit stressful with finals planning and such. I'm trying hard to conquer those new year blues (aka no more holiday festivities) and trying to find ways to keep myself busy and happy. However, those ways are frequently turning to thoughts about how I need to exercise more, eat as healthy as possible and to keep enriching my mind without getting too bogged down by work and those types of thoughts. This is the time to surround yourself with friends, keep the mind sharp with lots of activities and truly place those worries aside.
Anyways, enough of my blabbing, here are some lovely pictures from the snow to enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meggieq/

wishes expressed through art projects

Sometimes I wish that I were back in grade school and we were doing that project where you research careers you were interested in. You look up how much each career makes, the schooling involved, interview people who are actually in that particular career and make a handy dandy mobile or diorama to convey your results. However, I wish that I could research several careers at once - like a pastry chef, bread baker, bartender, program director with his/her own office (which sounds fabulous when your desk is clustered up to the gills with kids), maybe even a fashion consultant (to keep that 6th grade desire close by). I would interview people at these jobs and try to get a sense of what my career should be. Questions I could ask include: what is it like to work with adults? Can you go on a coffee break like normal people at 10am? What about having the freedom to use the bathroom when you want to instead of waiting for well-timed breaks? Do people leave you alone for the most part (in which person with office would say, duh, I just shut the door!)? Am I skilled enough to do your job?
Don't get me wrong - I'm not looking for a new job right now. But I am trying to get a feel for myself and to see if my current profession is the one for me long-term. See, the everyday pangs of my job - early mornings, non-stop madness, too many people to interact with, dreaming about content/planning, discomfort, and most of all, the outside work, sometimes just gets to me. Yes, I do get wonderful breaks and I get out early and that is wonderful...to a point. I'm just that person who wonders, what else is in store? For so many years, I was so focused on success and getting as far as I can in terms of grades and school. But now, those days are over, and part of me can't decide what to do about that.
Perhaps I should make a diorama or a hanging mobile to figure it all out. :)

winding down

The days are winding down, the after-cookie/sweets/etc glow is waning, and I'm starting to feel the sense that all the holidays are gone (except for New Year's, but that has never really been a favorite of mine - it's so stressful trying to find something fun to do that doesn't involve lots of money and too much drinking). Plus, the days are getting closer to the impending "back to school" which is never a happy thought because January just blows. I wish my attitude were better, but it just does I'm afraid. (written in grand old 2006)

However, the new year (because it's now 2007) is always a sense of rebirth and the mind-set that I can do anything if I put my mind to it! Yeah! I can watch what I eat, exercise, keep in better touch with my friends and family, and just be the best person I can be! So much optimism from one little ordinarily pessimistic. I guess the new year just involves taking care of business and just doing it, not dwelling on it all (which is usually my problem).

As far as my holiday season, all was a-ok. It was warm and sunny in California, enough to enjoy a Christmas Eve hike with the brother, and enough food to hold me until February! Then a couple of lazy days at home making sure I didn't get sick from the upbrupt weather change and then New Year's Eve which was okay overall. Amazing view, nice people, pretty low-key. Not much more you can ask for. Yesterday was a bit slow, as the champagne always proves more than just bubbly fun the next day.....a perfect day for watching movies and football, eating sandwiches, and snuggling.

But big news - now you can view some of my pictures on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59302364@N00/. Be patient though. I'm still figuring out how to do it and it may take me awhile :). But for now enjoy these pics; maybe soon i'll link directly to the flickr page - whoa, crazy things are in store for 2007!

holiday....ho!

Think of Dave Saleski's "weekend...ho!". I am so very ready to be done with all this school shisse and such (oooh, love the aliteration!). We can't use the water other than using the restroom, we just had a fire drill and it's FREEZING outside. I should be on winter break. Supposedly if the water problem isn't fixed tomorrow, we won't have school so pray tonight that we don't have water!! Plus, I really have to go to the restroom, which I guess I'll just have to leave early to go do. Hope holiday plans are going well for whoever is reading this in Internet land! This is one tired lady who needs a break from it all........calgon, take me away. Heck, I would even settle for Dave Saleski taking me away. Hmmm, no not really - that's just the crazy talking.

hot cocoa can change the world

The past couple of days have been pretty tough I must say. Lots of stress brought upon by my job, the upcoming holidays, and the usual internal stresses that pop up evern now and again. I was gone the whole weekend on a retreat for school; therefore, I did not get a break from the crazy kiddos. And while it wasn't a bad weekend by any stretch, I'm just physically and mentally tired. To add on top of that, my fiasco with the Bally's folks is still not resolved, especially because they just lied about a supposed conversation that never took place. *Sigh*. [well it wasn't sighs yesterday - more like gigantic crocodile tears that turned into a plea for everything else to go right during this blissful time of the year]. However, after feeling sick the whole day, I skivved off school a bit early and went home to some hot cocoa and 'you've got mail', of which I promptly fell asleep to my delight. Then, I made dinner, decorated the happy christmas tree, and am now getting ready to make some holiday cards. Life could be approaching bearable if only I can get through it all. On a different note, here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks and my adventures:
A few weeks ago, I got all culinary up in here and made a delicious Thai chicken pizza courtesy of Rachael "EVOO" Ray. It was so tasty I must say.....Mr. Q was so very happy.








In November, Carrie's friend Heather threw a wonderful baby shower for her and we played all sorts of weird games and such. As of December 9th, Carrie and Simeon are proud parents of the most gorgeous child ever, Ana Diann. Kimberly and I visited all of them in the hospital and I am so glad we did because it was delightful to witness their elation and happiness over their bee-yoo-tiful bebe.




The picture below is our happy little Christmas tree for this year. Lots of love and lights went into this lovely tree. I'll leave you with this last picture and happy wishes for these days of preparation and anticipation for the jolly man's arrival!

Turkey for the girls, turkey for the boys

Ahhh, turkey day! With this day coming up, I am reminded that I need to find that Adam Sandler song! And make an apple pie tonight in prep for turkey day down in Klamath Falls as long as we can get by the snowy, snowy pass. I'm excited to get out of town and hopefully enjoy the snow and get some winter activities in (like snowshoeing, snowball fights, board games). Finally my fav time of the year is here when we can eat, drink, be merry, and get in the holiday spirit! I can bring out my Christmas music and decorations and drink hot cocoa EVERYDAY because I can. And of course, watch my favorite Christmas movies. But, I was think I would ask anyone in the blogosphere - what are your favorite Christmas movies? Me, here are my selections:
-White Christmas
-While you were sleeping
-Love Actually
-Christmas Vacation
-Home Alone (1 and 2)
-Miracle on 34th Street (both versions)
-and every once in awhile, It's a Wonderful Life
**please offer your suggestions too!**

I am excited to make cookies, have people over, maybe be crafty and just be happy. I'm sad that December is only one month long (and that it's filling up quite quickly!). Anyone interested?
Have a wonderful Turkey day tomorrow with you and yours!

nice knockers

I swear, when you miss a few days of work, you really really really don't want to go back. Especially when there is so much to catch up on and you have millions of teenagers begging for their papers back that I received this morning.
[Except I am the coolest teacher ever because I'm showing Young Frankenstein. Yeah, you KNOW you want to be in my class - come on!]
Being back at school even made me forget about the horrendous experience of trying to cancel a gym membership I was duped into signing up for and now cannot break because I didn't go to the gym 12 times in one month. So now I am being punished for 3 years.....mmm, I love people who like to confuse you and then tell you there is nothing you can do. Oooh, I'm getting all hot and bothered thinking about it. Luckily I have a couple of other people who are hot and bothered and trying to help me do something too, so that hopefully it will all get solved!
On a side note, Gene Wilder is just perfection. His lilting voice, his subtle but humorous demeanor, his craziness - ahhh, gotta love that. And I always loves me a good double entendre every once in awhile!

things I just shouldn't do, but I do...

*Keep food in the refridgerator, like cottage cheese, pancake batter, pureed pumpkin in the tin can, and lettuce, WAY too long which forces me to plug my nose and smell the aroma of the rotten food whilst dumping it all down the drain and then have to rinse out the containers, because you gotta recycle!

*Kick the restart button on the computer in the middle of typing and think, what? What did I do? Does the computer hate me? What?

*Whilst cooking chicken in a pan with a handle and then placing said pan in the oven for further cooking because the recipe told me to, and after taking chicken pan out safely with a towel (because oven mitts apparently to me are pussies), touching the handle when trying to scoop out the chicken producing a burn on my hand worthy of medicine. Dinner was delicious, yet the remainder of the night I felt the throb of pain from my g.d. ring finger. Hmm, maybe it's sign that I burned my left ring finger a few days before the anniversary. Or maybe I should heed the advice -hot, don't touch with bare hands!

**And yes, I did do all those things in the past 24 hours. What will I do today? Ahh, the possibilities are endless!

random...

It's amazing how one thing can consume your life to the point of saturation and then you can't "dry out" so to speak. Last year at this very time, I was saturated with wedding preparations. My parents were in town, more family was starting to arrive and I was planning what my students were going to do for the next 6 days while I got married and went away on the blissful honeymoon (aka wedding detox time).
Right now life is pretty similar sans the whole wedding prep - I'm taking off two days for work (one for Jury Duty and one for fun) and I have to prepare for those days. Along with that I hatched the brilliant idea to have 4 of my classes have papers due next week which means I have to correct or peruse 4 sets of rough drafts (which I did in two days thankyouverymuch). Also, I have to prepare for my next units and start to grade the rest of the stack of papers. All while maintaining a Yearbook deadline of November 20th with a group that is a tad disinterested or rather oblivious to the ramifications of NOT getting pages done or having enough pictures, etc. Yearbook is a time to socialize and finish up other homework, right? [to me, the slave driver, the answer is wrong!]
I did finish everything I needed to do tonight so I'm ready to drop off rough drafts at school tomorrow before I head downtown for Jury Duty. Sick huh? I swear, I feel like a slave to those kids.

Thank goodness we are going away for 2 days this weekend and I can forget it all for awhile......we're heading up to Seattle and actually staying in a hotel downtown (Hotel Max, http://www.hotelmaxseattle.com/). I'm so excited to be downtown in a city and just act like a tourist and such. Although it may rain, I'm still looking forward to storming the city with zeal! Hopefully this mini-break will give me a fresh outlook and I can return rejuvenated for the rest of the holiday season, really the best part of the year. I'm yearning for days of reading, journalling and enjoying. With a bit a school and grading mixed in.

I always knew the pumpkins were my favorite.....

Oh pumpkim patch - you have given me so much in the past few days in addition to your pumpkin wonderness! Among these gifts have been some muddy stains on my jeans from your impossibly difficult corn maze that almost made Kimberly, Jason and me lose it from cornstalk-induced insanity (and if you don't believe me, look at the two corn maze pictures below in which I look like I may kill someone and where Kimberly and I look so dazed I'm amazed we even got out - thank goodness for our friends who led us out of the maze in striking success, save for a few additional flower stamps). Wait! The gifts keep coming - after getting over my childhood fear of pumpkin carving - oh, the messy innards, the smell, the scooping! All yucky! But, I made it through it all and produced a fairly nicely carved pumpkin that has become a receptacle for the local ants. They saw the pumpkins on the porch and thought, "yes!! finally the dumb humans have allowed us to live in style in this sweet, sweet pumpkin pulp! you think you can spray Raid and kill us, but nuh-uh! we live, we persevere, and we loves us the tasty pumpkin. oh, you think the fire from the candle will kill us? sure, a few will perish, but with those few come 1,000 more. try and stop us bitches!" Who knew ants could be that vicious?
Anyways, here are some more pictures for your perusal and really, I did enjoy the pumpkin patch. I just like to complain. Highlights include being with fabulous friends, Carrie's wonderful chili and cornbread and watching everyone carve ASS into their pumpkins. And feeling like a family......awwww. I forgive you pumpkin patch. You truly have brought wonder into my life. *Tear*

Ready to be done with this Corn Maze crap.



















Awww, who are those cute farmers in the best gender-bending cardboard cut-out picture ever?






Left:Kimberly and I looking ready to leave the Corn Maze
Below: Jason's and my pumpkin with Kimberly hard at work on her Death Mark masterpiece.

oat and a boat

This past summer brought many firsts for me: my first summer off since I was a teen, my first long organized bike ride, my first realization that having summer off is nice and I want to have the rest of the year off as well (and believe me, I had several more of those realizations), but one event that sticks out is my first Eastern seaboard road trip to Canada. I drove with my sister (ignore my strained expression) up to Montreal and we had a lot of fun. It was rainy, sticky, and full of underground shops. I always enjoy going to Canada because I just love the accents and everything/everyone just seems nicer up there.
Yet, Montreal adds a new twist to the Canada-ness - French speaking people and French accents!! oui-oui!! Absolutely love a place where it's the norm to walk into a store and say "Bonjour" and where pastries are everywhere! All of those details bring my back to my Salzburg days when you would greet everyone with a friendly "Grus Gott!" and if you got in the way, my favorite German word would come in handy - Entschuldigen. That part was tres fun for me because I'm a big nerd and love to be immersed in whatever culture I can, especially after a childhood in one of the blandest towns you'll ever witness (truly living in a white-bread suburban world).
We only had two short days there, but they were worth it. However, I would visit again when the humidity was not 85% because that was a bitch - walk around and be soaked from both rain and your own sweat from the day at 9am. No wonder they have so many underground malls!
Here are some more pictures from the trip:





A few drinks on our first night in a cafe just off a bustling cobblestone street.







More bustling streets and my sister in her glory shopping!

orange...an okay color

Quick note - I'm off to the kitchen to make some pumpkin muffins for a pumpkin carving party this afternoon, and before I begin this happy fall activity, I am musing on the color orange and how it's influenced many of my actions in the last few weeks. Pumpkin spice lattes - check. Pumpkin cheescake made - check. Cans of pure pumpkin purchased - check. And yummy pumpkin curry soup consumed - check. Man, for a color I always HATED (and funny because look at my husband's hair :) hee!), I am so rockin' the orange this fall. Just watch, I may purchase some lovely pumpkin colored sweaters and wear some lovely jack-o-latern earrings. Then you'll know that I've officially become......my mother? Scary. And hell no.
Okay, no orange colored clothing or themed accessories, but I can bake and eat whatever I want. That is my orange promise.

realities blending and toy terriers

Do you ever have those moments when your work persona bleeds over into your "real" persona (and I definitely, as a teacher, have two vastly different personas)? For example, I was discussing the Poe story "The Masque of the Red Death" with my little freshmen, and I asked, who is the Red Death? The answer I got back was Jason. I'm pretty sure they're thinking of the Friday the 13th villian, but my first thought is, my husband? I didn't say that - thank goodness - but then one kid says, no, let's call the Red Death Kimberly. Now wait a minute.....it's getting too freaky in here! First the husband, then the best friend? I blurt out - that's my best friend's name, which always prompts strange comments, like:
You have a best friend? and her name is kimberly? (duh - just said that!)
Do you call her Kimber? (no)
Kimbo? (why yes I do)
That's weird you have a friend named Kimberly (why? it's weird that you're talking right now....)
and the topper - do you call her Kim-Kim?
To which I snidely retorted - she's not a toy terrier. End of conversation and laughter reigns again in the classroom.

But why those two names? Perhaps just to freak me out or a strange coincidence, but still. I don't like when my real life infiltrates the classroom. It's almost as if the kiddos are at home with me and that's just bizzare. What are they going to ask me tomorrow......I hope it's not about the dead body in the basement, because that will be awkward :).