Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Locomotive 8, southern crescent

I fell in love with New Orleans when I was there in July. Although I didn't get to see as much of it as I would have liked, I had a wonderful experience. I felt so comfortable so quickly there. The LMGC, the Divageek, and I were even tossing around some ideas about spending Thanksgiving in the Big Easy. I had already mentally planned cemetery and voodoo tours, trips to the zoo and aquarium, and more shopping.
It's doubtful that will happen now. I can't see the city regaining much normalcy by then, much less being ready for tourists. NOLA will suffer a big loss in that area, I'm sure. The tourism industry pumps money in year-round, not just at Mardi Gras.
The song that's been floating around in my head since Sunday morning, when we first heard the bad news that Katrina was headed toward NOLA, has been "City of New Orleans," by Arlo Guthrie. Although it has more to do with trains than the actual city of NOLA, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Which is interesting, considering my other NOLA related song, R.E.M.'s "Driver 8" (see post title) is about trains as well. Go figure.

You might be a geek if....

You spend four hours working with two computers to try and get Palm Pilots to sync correctly. Whatever is wrong with the two computers is so bad that even tech support can't help. We may be faced with wiping them and starting over. My teachers can't do any assessing until I'm able to sync all their Palms the first time, so these computer issues have been a big headache.
Since I desperately need a sync station, I commandeered one of our computers in the school lab for an experiment. And it worked. I was able to install the Palm software along with the conduit software from the wireless company, and, VOILA, I was able to sync the Palms. The test will be tomorrow. I am going to assess one child with the Palm, sync it, and hope that the results show up online. If so, I will have managed to temporarily solve the problem. On my own. Take that. :)

P.S. I *heart* the Weather Pixie! We just had a thunderstorm, and lo and behold, there were little clouds and lightning bolts behind her head! I want her wardrobe (and shoes)! She's too cute.

Knit-wit

The Divageek has rubbed off on me and I've taken a notion that I want to learn how to knit. Purchased a "I Taught Myself to Knit" kit, along with some yarn. Opened the book today and quickly realized I'm in over my head. Dear Lord. But then I thought...if Kate Hudson can learn to knit, surely I can too. Of course, I haven't seen samples of her work, so who knows?
As I told the Divageek, this will probably turn out to be yet another craft project or hobby I start and then half-ass finish, and it will join my cross-stitch and jewelry making as "things I really want to do but have neither the time nor the follow through," being my fatal adult ADHD flaw. Or I'll end up all tied in knots in the middle of a ball of yarn and someone will have to rescue me. It could go either way.

Monday, August 29, 2005

As we watch and wait

Images from July...





Sunday, August 28, 2005

Storm Warnings

Another of the dire prophecies of doom in advance of Hurricane Katrina's imminent landfall, which sounds all too much like the President's speech to the nation in "Deep Impact."
"So, imagine you're the poor person who decides not to evacuate: Your house will disintegrate around you. The best you'll be able to do is hang on to a light pole, and while you're hanging on, the fire ants from all the mounds -- of which there is two per yard on average -- will clamber up that same pole. And, eventually, the fire ants will win."

All I have to say is (if I'm interpreting this correctly), if you only have two fire ant mounds in your yard, you're not getting sympathy out of me. Now if he means two mounds per yard of dirt in NOLA....how can those people walk around safely on normal days?
And for history's sake, the tale of Ivan and the Geezermobile from 2004, courtesy of the DivaGeek.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Moblogging from Raleigh

Saw Steve Earle and Allison Moorer at the Museum of Art tonight. Thought I'd keep a running log of the profanity, just for fun. I've combined the moblogging into one semi-coherent post.
  • 9:00 p.m. - First f-word of the night from Steve Earle.

  • 9:02 p.m. - I've been ordered to clarify. Steve said "mother f-er" and "ass."

  • 9:29 p.m. - In a between-songs story, Steve talked about the Indians getting f-ed over and manifest destiny being the ultimate bullsh-t revisionist principle. That's two for the price of one.

  • 9:42 p.m. - The phrase "big ass guitar" comes out of Mr. Earle.

  • 10:03 p.m. - "It's amazing the pinko sh-t you can sneak in on a bluegrass record and f-ck you."

  • 10:15 p.m. - "It's my f-cking song."

Expect a guest review by the LMGC soon. And...Happy Birthday to the LMGC as well!
A postscript - the DivaGeek saw the multiple cursing moblog posts and told me later, "I thought your blog was being hacked!" which cracked me up. Because who would take the time and effort to do that?

Thursday, August 25, 2005

LOD

Lost second grader in hallway....name....Julius Caesar Lastname.
Lost first grader in hallway....name....Alexander Lastname.
They're brothers.
I'm wondering if Napoleon, Mark Antony, or Cleopatra are at home.

Third Grade Nothing??

Our newly hired 3rd grade teacher is from Canada and won't arrive until after Labor Day (Sept. 5th), so we've arranged a long-term substitute until then. Very good. EXCEPT. The sub couldn't come today and tomorrow. So in the interest of continuity for the kids and not having a revolving door of subs, I get picked to teach the class for a few days. ME. The Reading Coach. Who has not been in a third grade classroom since she was sitting in a desk looking up at the teacher. Ack.
Ten years of teaching first grade and kindergarten did not prepare me for third grade. I had taught about one-third of the kids in first grade, and knew many of the others. But third graders are a completely different animal than first graders. I'm sure there are people born to teach third grade, people who love third graders. That would not be me.
A sub for the sub (got that?) did come after a little while, so when I finished some of what I wanted to do with the kids, I turned it over to her, went back to the confines of my teensy office, and thanked God/Allah/Xenu that I was out of there.
I talked with one of our new 1st grade teachers today, whose experience has been with 4th and 5th grade until now. She had the same "fish out of water" feelings during the day and said "I'll trade you!" with desperation in her voice.
Any day, hon. Any day.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Don't tell Shrub, OK?


But at least I'm not a "people loving Macedonian dwarf" like someone else.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

The party's over

After four days. I got to celebrate Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in various ways. I'll write more later, but I'm a bit tired from a day in the sun and water down Swansboro way. And...I'm no longer Casper-white! I thought I got a little sun, but it started coming out more on the way home, and I'm slightly pink. Woohoo!
Off to bed soon, as we have convocation in the morning and I need to sleep, so I won't fall asleep during the speeches.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Pre-birthday letdown

I get home this afternoon, and there's a big box on the front porch, waiting for me. Oh goody, I thought...a present! So I begin singing the "I have a present" song to myself. Until I open it. And it's not a present. It's the kit I have to use to collect my urine over a 24 hour period and ship it back to some company to be analyzed. Woohoo. Happy freaking birthday. ;)

Monday, August 15, 2005

Playing catch up

  • LOD a week late, from the Bob and Sheri morning radio program, a quote from their director, Max: Every woman has a slutty friend. If you don't who it is, it's you.

  • Went to see Patty Hurst Shifter at The Pour House on Saturday. It was a good show, and I came away liking their music more than I had the first time I heard them play. Had a weird experience trying to get some breakfast afterward. Something had gone down at the Miami Subs next to the Waffle House, and there were cops everywhere. When I saw one standing beside his car with his rifle out on his hip, I told the LMGC that we needed to depart quickly. Actually, I do believe it was a little more profanity laden and urgent, but you get the idea. I still haven't been able to find out what was going on, but I keep searching the local news station and newspaper websites.

  • Tomorrow will be the day we get all my teacher "stuff" out of my classroom. I don't know where I'll put it all, but I'll find room. The end of an era. *Sniffle*

  • Today, my former assistant and I tried out the new Western Sizzlin steakhouse that opened just up the road. The buffet was not bad at all. Highlight #1 - the cashier ringing up "one regular buffet and one senior buffet" for us...Lisa is only 43, and doesn't *look* like a "senior" but the cashier thought she was doing us a favor. ;) I got a good laugh out of that one. Highlight #2 - fatback on the buffet line. Mmm mmm good.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Good grief

I am going to soak my feet - I should probably go soak my head. After a long day packing up my classroom, I was looking forward to relaxing at home. I brought in some heavy storage containers and boxes, and was ready to set Cerberus free for an early evening run. And then I realized the darn dogs had locked themselves in their room. It's an old lock, in an old house, and I have no idea if there is a key for it, or where it would be if it existed.
I know it happened because Lily paws repeatedly at the door and doorknob. And one of those paws hit the button in the doorknob, turned it, and boom - they're locked in. Of course they were not worried at all.
I tried going in through the windows, but they were locked. Daddy came over and ended up prying the knob off the door. We rigged it back closed for the night and it seems to be working.
That Harry Potter/Nancy Kerrigan "why me" syndrome is crawling all over me.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Separated at birth?

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Rock on

A thread about your first concert(s) has been posted on a couple of my favorite message boards, so I'm documenting my early concert going history here, where y'all already know me, and I won't mind so much if you laugh.
  • July 1987, Duran Duran - Erasure opened

  • July 1987, Whitney Houston - Kenny G opened

  • September 1988, INXS - Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers opened

  • January 1989, Bon Jovi - Skid Row opened

  • May 1989, New Kids on the Block and Samantha Fox (if you can imagine that - Senior Night at Disney World)

  • May 1990, Aerosmith - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opened


I think I'll add to the list as I can recall more, but it's a good start.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Manic Monday

Argh...what a day. Got to work and rushed to get myself organized from the NOLA conference and Raleigh workshops. Had to call my new teachers to make sure they know to come to training tomorrow. Ran to grab lunch on the way to another meeting....and my car stalled at the pay window in the McDonald's drive thru. Two nice men behind me in line pushed my car out of the way and into a parking space. Our secretary came to pick me up. That's a lot of trouble to go through to miss a meeting. ;)
Mom came to pick me up after work and followed me home (because the car cranked later). We got about two miles out of town and the car died again. The highlight of the attempted drive was when the car was losing power and the speedometer needle went ALL the way over to 100. I've never been that fast, going so slowly.
We called a tow truck and the car will be worked on this week. Looks like the alternator. But at least my "breakdown" wasn't as bad as the Divageek's last week. I don't think I'd have handled it that well. Plus, I need better drugs.
p.s. Big shout out to the nice young McDonald's employees who ran out to help push my car, asked if I needed help or needed to call anyone, and also brought my food over from the window. You deserve a raise.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

So I went on to Cleveland, and I ended up insane

Ran into someone from my past on AIM this afternoon. He was largely responsible for me regaining my sense of self and backbone and getting the hell out of Ohello, never to return. Things weren't amicable between us for a while, for lots of reasons. But that is in the past, water under the bridge (or is it over the dam?), and it's rather healing to be able to make peace with my personal history.

I'm reading Book Four now


Which HP Kid Are You?

And dang it, y'all...don't give me any more spoilers!

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Two down, one to go


Archie went to the vet today. He was overdue on his rabies vaccination and heartworm test. He behaved fairly well overall. He was wonderful when they drew blood from his paw for the heartworm check, and didn't flinch a bit when he got his rabies vaccination either. He got excited when he saw a couple of other dogs come in, and marked the counter while I was paying for everything, making me oh so proud. Archie's heartworm negative (YAY!) and weighs 49.2 pounds. He's a healthy fellow and I'm a lucky mom.

My first moblog

Seen on a soldier's t-shirt in the Texas Roadhouse restaurant: If you lick it, they will come. Don't know what was on the back. My my.

I can quit any time

The past three nights have been difficult, to say the least. Not as bad as the mind numbing pain from the irritated nerve, but very unsettling. Restlessness, inability to sleep, nausea, vomiting, body aches, and anxiety - fun, fun, fun. And it hits about 11ish, right when I've been getting sleepy/trying to go to bed.
So the DivaGeek and I did some Googling, and we think I *might* be going through withdrawal. I've been on some strong pain meds for a month now, because of the toothache and root canal, kidney stone, and irritated nerve. And this week, since I've been feeling better physically, I've cut back drastically on the amount of pain meds I've been taking. And lo and behold, these unusual symptoms have been creeping up.
I took one pill tonight, as an experiment, and within an hour, the physical symptoms were eased, if not gone. I was able to fall asleep, for a little while. And I think when I relax a little more, I'll be able to go back to sleep tonight.
Obviously, the medicine has an effect (that's why it's a controlled substance), and the link between taking the pill and the symptoms diminishing can't be overlooked. I have to see my doctor soon to follow up on the nerve issue, and will talk to her about it then. In the meantime, I'm going to taper myself off. Going through these symptoms is difficult, and with all the suffering of the past month, I think I'll be pushing myself over the edge to go through more physical pain and agitation right now. If Dr. DivaGeek and I are correct, we have identified the problem, and I have a plan of action to deal with it. Keep your fingers crossed.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

The taste that wakes you up

I'm sitting here drinking decaf coffee at 3 in the morning. I actually made it to bed at a decent hour for the first time in days. Thought I was going to get some much needed rest. But I woke up about 2:30 very disoriented. Tried to going back to sleep but I couldn't remain still for very long at a time. I'm wondering if it's some kind of panic attack. So in an attempt to occupy my mind and try to calm down, I made coffee. Which I rarely drink. But I'm hoping this warms me up and soothes me back to sleep.
I'm a little nervous about tomorrow, my first day of a training workshop in my new job, but not overly so. I can't imagine that's what woke me up and is keeping me up, but who knows.
I want to be exhausted and sleep sleep sleep for the next three and a half hours.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Duh!

I have yet to blog about the New Orleans trip. Maybe I can work on that tomorrow night from my hotel room. Although at this point, my regular readers (all three of you, who are greatly appreciated) know the details. Nonetheless, I should still document the trip for historical and hysterical purposes. Add it to my "to-do" list. Along with getting Nancy to beam me all of the way cool games she has on her Palm.

And miles to go before I sleep

Off to Raleigh after work tomorrow for more training. I have to finish packing in the morning. Unfortunately, it's my turn to drive "us," and I'm afraid I'll be tired. Will just have to make sure to keep a Mountain Dew IV handy.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Jeebus is my co-pilot

Because otherwise, I wouldn't have made it home safely to blog again. I was exhausted coming home today. It was so tough to concentrate to keep awake. Note to self: MORE SLEEP.

Works on vampires, too!

Cerberus has been receiving this daily for about a month. It's supposed to reduce shedding, produce a glossy coat, and repel fleas. After eating their treats, the Cerberi smell like three little critters who've outstayed their welcome at the Olive Garden. Or maybe Carrabba's....you know that place with the commercial where you *think* the two guys are brothers, but they are really uncle and nephew and.....anyway, I've got to give Cerberus an after-dinner minty dog biscuit.

Monday, August 01, 2005

Whistle while you work

I'm supposed to be in the shower right now. It's back to work after three weeks of not being there. I want to go, but after the night I had, I don't feel much like it. The pain in my left leg is back, to a degree. And I think I slept for all of two hours last night. Is this a sign, that maybe this job was the wrong idea? Or maybe this is some bad karma from another life playing catch up? Thoughts, anyone?