Fiesta of Light Parade 2008

Work... UUGGHHH!

I "hate, hate, hate, double hate, loathe" (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) my job!!! I just don't seem to be able to please any one. All I'm trying to do is teach, but instead I have to play police officer in my classroom. Why? Becuz the same old students continue to make distractions which take away from the learning process. That means I have to take teaching time to write behavior reports, or recovery room tickets, or office referrals. What makes things worse is that the administration is aware of the students causing the problems, but nothing (and I mean NOTHING) seems to ever get done about it. That means the problem students remain in my room, disrupting everything and everyone, and the vicious cycle of writing them up continues, over and over again. And, frankly, I hate that! I have never had such an awful bunch of students, along with an odd combination of parents. On one hand I have apathetic parents that don't do anything at home to change their child's behavior. On the other hand, I have parents that don't think I'm doing enough for their child (which may be true, but then again, I'm spending my time writing behavior tickets). Seems I'm caught in a catch-22 that I can't get out of, especially with NO support from the administration.

So, what's the solution? I would be VERY surprised if I continue to teach at this school next year. I really didn't want to return this year, but a couple of people talked me into it, and now I'm truly regretting it! Actually, come to think of it, I'm pretty tired of teaching altogether. I don't know what else I can do, but surely there is something else out there that will be less demanding, and provide for evenings free and weekends without taking a ton of work to do at home, unpaid. And, the behavior control, well, that can be left for someone else to do. Seriously, stocking shelves at Wal Mart has got to be better than what I put up with now!

I guess that's enough ranting and raving. Hopefully things will improve.

winter

Best Laid Plans

Since I have so many critters, I thought it would be nice to get a few "holiday pictures" of them, and possibly a picture for this year's Christmas card. Suffice it to say, that idea did NOT work. I think the following pictures say it all...








I tried the Santa hat on a couple others, and the results were weren't much better.

I've been tagged, again... 8 things

Eight things I am passionate about:
Jesse
my critters
my religion
helping children learn
music
civil rights
the internet (I think I'm addicted)
?


Eight words or phrases I use the most:
Listen up!
Josh, sit down.
Take out your agenda.
Fill in your agenda
Seriously, dude!
Kittens...
Rudy, be quiet!
Mah-velous


Eight things I want to do before I die:
work another 15 years before I retire
be healthy
be successful
go for a limo ride
go on a cruise, anywhere
become filthy rich
enjoy life
publish a book

Eight things I need right now:
MONEY
a nap
a few days off
well behaved students
attentive students
Did I mention money?
some chocolate
financial security

Eight Favorite Restaurants:
Olive Garden
Chipotle
Applebees
Weinerschnitzel
Golden Corral (they have great mashed potatoes!)
Mayacos
Panda Express
?

Eight places I want to visit:
Hawaii
Arizona Memorial
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maine
Massachusetts
Alabama
Louisiana

Eight TV Shows I watch:
Big Brother
Survivor
Big Bang Theory
2-1/2 Men
Designed to Sell
My House is Worth What?
the news
Deal or No Deal

People I tag: ?

Things I like...

With Thanksgiving coming I thought I should mention things that I'm grateful for, but to be honest, I was having a hard time (this year) doing that. Then, as I was blog surfing (weird, I know, looking at blogs of people I don't know) I found one that had a list of things they liked. So... I decided I'd make my own list, and this is what I've come up with:
- sleep
- pepsi
- cats
- kittens
- puppies
- animals
- traveling
- pink
- soft, warm towels (I was drying some as I wrote)
- Spanish palm trees
- chocolate (can you believe it's this far down on the list?!?)
- pedagogy
- air conditioning
- softy (again, drying towels as I wrote)
- "my" lazy boy
- ice cream
- better yet, chocolate ice cream
- piano
- music (but not the loud raunchy stuff, or twangy)
- time off from work
- peanut butter
- "my" pillow
- quietness
- San Diego
- interior design shows
- "Big Brother"
- "Survivor"
- 3:10 PM Monday thru Friday
- sharp cheddar cheese
- Vlasic dill pickles
- chimichangas
- freedom
- the U.S.A.
- colors
- sharpies / gel pens
- musicals
- digital cameras
- computer
- e-mail
- garage door openers
- remote control
- electricity
- porcelain facilities
- running water
- Movies:
- "Sound of Music"
- "Defending Your Life"
- "Groundhog Day"
- "Ice Castles"
- "Hero"
- "Mr. Holland's Opus"
And, now that I look at my list I guess I found several things that I not only like, but I am very thankful for!

Teddy (the kitten) has decided he doesn't like being "locked in," and we now have an escapee...


The problem... Rufus...


He's on duty, all the time!

Eventually, all that climbing wore Teddy out...


Speaking of Rufus, I found a cute Halloween collar for him. I'm not sure why I bought it, but it was too cute to resist, and it was cheap. I don't think Rufus likes it as much as I do.


So I put it on Salem!

He didn't care for it much, either!

Sweetheart Tag

Cindy "tagged" me, so I thought I better play along...

Sweetheart Tag - The rules: Each person answers questions about their sweethearts. At the end of the post, the person then tags 6 people and posts their names. Then go to their blog & leave them a comment, letting them know they have been TAGGED.

(Note: I don't really have anyone to tag, so I didn't do that part.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is your husband's name? Jesse

How long have you guys been married? 3and 1/2 years

How long did you date? 2 months

How old is he? 56

Who is taller? Jesse

Who can sing best? That's a toss-up

Who is smarter? Jesse

Who does laundry? both of us

Who pays the bills ? me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do
(when you are looking from the bottom of the bed to the top)

Who mows the lawn? Nobody... We have rocks!

Who cooks dinner? me

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Jesse

Who kissed who first? I think that was mutual

Who wears the pants? BOTH OF US =)