Hysterical RSVP

Well, I was about to throw myself a pity party instead of a chili party, then, I received this e-mail from one of my colleagues RSVP'ing for himself and the two other teachers who live in his dorm.

When we've finished our last winter class
We'd love to come share a tall glass
Some chili we'll bring
Your tongue for to sting
And gas to blow straight out your ass

To your domicile many will roam
Seeking beverages brimming with foam
Since no wine had been bought
As your trip was for naught
And your GPS found a new home

The (name of dorm) teachers numbering three
Would like to come eat some chili
We'll laugh with our friends
Hope the night never ends
So consider this our RSVP

Some background, this was my invitation to the faculty:

’Twas the first night of Spring Break
Everyone has been working hard and there are plans to make
The students are all done with their exams
Correcting and writing comments are in our plans

This invitation is sent to bring you good cheer
A night of chili and fun as the spring season comes near
So, get ready to make your chili in your favorite pot--
whether it be vegetarian, mild, or piping hot

It is on Saturday night this year
All the Catholics can eat meat, without fear
If making chili is something your schedule does not permit,
please supplement as you see fit

OK, time to stop with the poetry and work on exams/ student comments.

RSVP etiquette?

Last Thursday (over a week ago), I sent out a paper invitation with a lovely poem inviting people to my annual chili party requesting an RSVP with my phone number/ e-mail. Usually, by this time, several people would have RSVP'd. This year, TWO people have RSVP'd and both can't come (out of about 70 people). I wonder if everyone is just stressed (see previous post) like me or if there is something else wrong... I could also be overanalyzing the situation. The party is a week away... I am hoping the RSVPs start rolling in...

By the way, I gave up Facebook until March 6th (exam day)! I am feeling a little less stressed- thanks to your comments... one thing at a time!

STRESS

We are going through a bit of a meltdown here at Casa LPP. There is one week until Spring Break and I feel as though expectations have jumped from challenging to unreasonable. If I receive any more e-mails saying AND you must do this... I may have a conniption... Already, it has been AND you must have your comments in two days earlier than you usually do, AND you must have your dorm comments in a week and a half early, AND all your comments must be LONGER and more PERSONALIZED, AND you must attend all meals from now until Spring Break, AND you must prepare each student individually for the exams, AND your exams must be written by Monday, AND you must ensure that students do not fail, AND you can not mention that a student is not working hard, AND you must do room inspection and dorm cleanup each day over the weekend, AND you must stay on campus all weekend, AND on top of this all... we are not going to tell you if you have a job next year until the end of March...

Of course, we do all of this, because "we exist here solely to please the students." Can we please the students if the faculty are stretched so thinly that we are about to rip apart, AND have so much stress that it is painful to keep a smile on my face, AND get up at obscenely early hours in the morning to write blog posts only to have to rush to photocopy, go to breakfast, room inspection, dorm inspection... all before the day begins???

END RANT

CB's sense of humor

In the midst of the GPS massacre of 2009, I forgot to mention a funny story from the weekend. When arranging the date, Consultant Boy asked if I wanted to have threesome. He was at the car wash and I could not hear him well, so I thought he was asking if I wanted to have A threesome... NO! He laughed and told me to go to http://www.thumbprintcellars.com. They have a special wine called "Three some" which combines Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. They also have wines called "Four play" and "Climax." The wine was amazing and definitely was a lot more comfortable for me than the alternative!

Lost

After a so-so night with Consultant Boy (he did not do anything to make up for Valentine's Day- pizza, boggle- really simple, but OK) I go to my car to find that it has been broken into and my GPS is GONE! I freaked out, but counted my blessings. My gym bag was in the back seat and still had my ipod/ running shoes. The GPS is just an object and can be replaced. Half the reason I went down to seee CB was to go to a wonderful HUGE wine store that beats the PA wine selection by A LOT! Of course, CB said it opened at 9, but I arrive and it opens at noon. I was planning on picking up some interesting wine for a party I am having in two weeks. I found my way back to my gym without a problem, although I know my GPS would have taken me a quicker way. The GPS was not too expensive to replace (thanks, Amazon!), but not what I need to spend money on now. CB and I are not going to see each other for a month because of conflicting schedules... he is in NYC next weekend, Vermont the weekend after that, I am in California the weekend after, and he is at his sister's house for the weekend for his niece's birthday. He did not seem too upset about this arrangement. Perhaps this will be a good time for me to sit back, think, and entertain my options.
It is the week before exams at school, so it will be busy. Spring Break is on the horizon... 7 more days of classes. The first day of Spring Break means I host a chili cookoff for the entire faculty and staff. It is always so much work, but tons of fun... Off to cleaning and watching the Oscars!

The Roller Coaster of Life

Happy Valentine's Day, Ladies! I have been on quite the roller coaster... Consultant Boy was originally supposed to be in Chicago this weekend and I was thrilled when he messaged me on Thursday night to say that he was home. Unfortunately, he called me on Friday and explained to me how backed up he was on a project. His team has been reduced in size due to staff cutbacks and he did not get much done at work this week because people asked him questions all day. I invited him over for dinner and he said he would get back to me. He did not get back to me until 3:30 today and wants to do something next weekend because he is going to be working so much. To top it off, he did not even say "Happy Valentine's Day" to me. I am not huge into Valentine's Day, but when you have been dating someone since September, he just needs to say it. I am so bummed and sitting around crying, etc... I did invite my neighbor over for dinner and hope she comes.

On to happier things, the girls loved the personalized heart-shaped sugar cookies I made for them. They took pictures of them and were so excited. It is nice to know someone appreciates what I do!

Recession-proof Pedicure

Everyone wants to get their toes nice for Valentine's day... or the spring-like weather we have been having here... but who can spring for a pedicure in these tough times?

I am trying to put together a pedicure routine, but struggled with the dead skin on my feet. Finally, a cheap solution... Vaseline. I slather my feet with the stuff and then put on old socks, go to bed, and after two nights-- baby soft feet! Hooray!

Any more fun, cheap ideas... bring them on!

Self-improvement day

In order to be constantly giving myself to others, I need to have a little self-improvement every so often. I worked out today and then treated myself to a massage at the gym. In between my shoulder blades gets so knotted up with stress, it is good to have someone else work out the tension every once in a awhile. I had an eye doctors appointment for the first time in five years (!) and came out with new glasses, etc... for only $52. I am very thankful for good health insurance. I bribed myself with a Passion Iced Tea at Starbucks to sit and grade for a few hours and then was off for a therapist appointment. I have only met with this woman a few times and am not quite sure how I feel about her. I am going to see her because I need someone to give me strategies on how to deal with anxiety and it is good to have someone to talk to outside of my friends, family, and colleagues. Overall, I am well-rested to start a, what I call, an "all gas and no brake" stretch of school until Spring Break!

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

I have not had a real lazy Sunday in a LONG time. I got up late and my friend called to have lunch at his house and play Scrabble. I beat him for the first time in awhile. He made a hot dog casserole that was a little salty, but one of his mom's famous recipes, so I ate it. I went to the gym and now i am just chilling at home. My chicken fajitas last night were awesome and I have some leftovers! I also am loving this 50 degree heat wave- hooray!

More garlic (and wine), please!

The students and I had a great day skiing, despite the -10 degree windchill. I am still sore- yeah! I was officially off duty this morning and went to yoga, did errands, etc... Consultant Boy called and he has dinner with his family tonight and is orienting a friend to Philadelphia who might be moving here for a job. So, despite my free weekend, we cannot hang out. Bummer! I said that he should come over for dinner next weekend (VALENTINE'S DAY). I have NEVER had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day... Now, this is when I pick up another mini-rant on the economy... He is going to be with his client (most likely) ALL weekend! Trying to save the company he is working for while securing his own job. Ugh! He said: "Maybe we will hang out in a couple of weekends, but don't worry- I will call you."

So, tonight, I cooked up a bubbling skillet of chicken fajitas with plenty of garlic and a sipping a chardonnay (I realized I almost forgot how to use a corkscrew- Consultant Boy usually does this). I redboxed two movies and am enjoying a night in with just me... for a change...

Bring on the garlic... don't have to worry about the bad breath tonight!

Update

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my teaching post.

The agenda for this afternoon is CLEANING, CLEANING, and more CLEANING! My apartment looks unfit for someone to live in it. I hereby am banning myself for the computer for the afternoon/ night to get this goal accomplished.

After I finish, I may watch:

Last weekend, I went hiking and then went down to see Consultant Boy. We watched Slumdog Millionaire- it was amazing! We walked around his neighborhood the next day and went out to lunch. The rest of the day was just relaxing-- playing boggle, watching the tennis match, and then the Super Bowl. I met his best friend (good sign- right?) and stayed late on Sunday night. Needless to say, this week I was exhausted and I can't wait to catch up on some sleep. I also think it is a good idea for me to keep off match.com looking for his profile activity. It upsets me too much.

We have long weekend starting today and classes again on Tuesday- hooray for that!

All in a day's work

With the current economic downturn, I have many friends who are quitting/ losing their jobs and trying to "make a difference in the world." Many of them are lured by a job that has the summers off and gets out a 3PM-- teaching! I need to be balanced in my discussion of the realities of teaching. Each day I teach a kid something- and usually something about more than just history- about life. I truly feel I make a difference with the students I teach. I also love the process of intellectual growth. I will often teach about a subject I never studied--like the Arab-Israeli Conflict--do a whole bunch of research and then try to make the subject accessible and interesting to a group of 12-13 year olds. I thrive on the challenge. But, all of this comes from a lot of REALLY hard work. Those summers and afternoons "off" are often spent tirelessly preparing for the next school year.

I am not sure why all this is hitting me at once, but I do so much for my students. Just tonight, I wrote about 10 e-mails to students and parents who had a last minute question about my test tomorrow... and of course, I am writing the tests, after all the review sheets, Jeopardy review games, and lessons. This is all while I am taking care of the girls in the dorm... lots of drama tonight- it happens with teenage girls! Off to take brownies out of the oven... just baked for a 14th birthday tomorrow!

25 Random Things

I just did this for Facebook, and thought I would share with everyone!

1. I always park far away in parking lots. I don’t want to fuss over getting a spot and usually enjoy the walk.

2. I cannot parallel park for the life of me. I have been in several situations when it would have been easier to parallel park, but I have always found a way out of it.

3. The mile took me 18 minutes in elementary school, back when I loved to swim and hated to run. I could have never imagined enjoying exercising as much as I do now.

4. I have been to 19 countries, largely spurred by a semester living (and sometimes studying) in Maastricht, Netherlands.

5. I spent a year working at a military boarding school in the middle of nowhere and LOVED it!

6. In my adult life, I have never paid for cable television. I still have rabbit ears on top of my TV catching whatever they can get.

7. I grew up attached to a dorm of 40 teenaged boys listening to their colorful language each night.

8. My family begins each year writing compliments to one another. It is interesting to look back on previous years and nice to pull out some compliments whenever I am down.

9. One random goal I have is to be self-sufficient enough that I will not need to buy IKEA furniture again. I hate putting it together and always seem to mess up somewhere—example my bookcase that still is not always together.

10. I love to bake—I just got a KitchenAid mixer. My favorite things to bake are brownies and my grandma’s banana bread.

11. I do not understand why some people do not have EZPass and am more perplexed why those people drive in the EZPass lane and try to merge at the last minute.

12. I am more productive and effective when I do things last minute—this leads to a lot of stressful moments.

13. I look forward to sending Christmas cards each year. I usually send about 150 and write personal notes on all of them.

14. I wanted to be on “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” so much when I was younger that I wrote a letter and was devastated to hear that they only had contestants from the Los Angeles area. Now, I teach Geography!

15. My high school mascot is a rhino and is the reason I have a significant collection of rhino memorabilia.

16. I wanted to tour Yale when I was in fourth grade—getting ahead on my college search.

17. I was born with my left eye shut and have had eye surgeries to correct the issue. My Dad said I winked at everyone and I would not stop winking.

18. My brother and sister could not pronounce my name and called me Dee Dee… the name still arises sometimes. I like my other nickname better—Beena.

19. When I was two, my mother made me a stuffed cookie monster and I slept with it each night until I was 12, when I lost it at camp. My mother found the pattern on E-Bay and gave it to me as a surprise when I was 22.

20. I have hiked sections of the Appalachian Trail in nine states- Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

21. I went to camp in Baxter State Park, Maine. It was $400 for four weeks. My mother called to ask if they served us food, they did.

22. I want to run a marathon at some point in my life.

23. I have little to no musical talent as one of the only students not to play in the band and the one who got the chorus all off key. I do like singing in the car and in the shower, however.

24. I am very thankful for Interlibrary Loan and do a lot of “reading” via books on CD.

25. I am almost done with my Master's degree. I want to get another degree, but I am not sure in what just yet.

Easy Italian Dinner...

I love cooking, but only do it when I have company. So, tonight I made this for myself. Some girls from the dorm actually stopped by because it smelled so good, and I happily shared. I recommend this recipe..... it is easy and tasty!

Nothing to do... almost!

I went to yoga this morning and had a fantastic class. The crowds are thinning out from the January rush "new year's" people. I came home and realized I had NO plans! Normally, I would hurry to figure something out and call people, but I decided to ban myself from the computer until 5PM and get stuff done around the house. I scrubbed, laundered, organized, sorted, and read. However, I just got a call from a girl I take excercise classes with and she wants to hang out tonight. I am off to see her now. It was a nice five hours of bliss without anything to do!

Consultant Boy had to drive back to Connecticut for a friend's father's funeral. He has contacted me each day this week and has not been active on match.com. I could spend all my time obsessing over his life, but I have decided not to. I like him is a person and we have a really nice time together. It took me until now to decide I wanted to commit and doesn't it take men longer? I am going to let it go for another month or so and see what happens.

Have a great weekend, ladies!