Car accident - not mine

On The Mountain 10

Got the new On the Mountain CD the other day at Starbucks - it's fabulous. It will definately join the "happy music" category on my ipod.

John is going to London the week before Thanksgiving. I am not sure where he will be staying yet, but he wants to check it out. As a consequence we have been talking about and watching a lot of English things. He is reading a biography of London - quite fascinating even though the author's style is bad.

There was a blood moon and a full eclipse tonight. Cool.

Road Blog

“I am feeling un,” I said as I turned around to speak to the graying man beside me. “Un-desireable, un-prepared, un-disciplined, un-qualified, un.”
“Unprepared for what?” he replied with a snide little smile. As if everything else were obvious, but he couldn’t quite figure that one out.
“Well, for life, I guess. What else is there?” He just nodded and turned away as if I had explained the whole meaning of my life to him. Maybe I had. I sat back on my tattered bar stool and took another sip of my amber draft. What was it that was making me feel so un?

Health

I would be healthier if I could sleep more. I am working on a paper right now that is due at 8AM tomorrow. Why did I not start earlier you ask...because I was working on the assignments for Wednesday night's class. Too much to do - I need a "free time" ticket for a few extra hours each day.

Speaking of health, I heard on my local NPR station that the Victoria Clipper is offering a flu shot special - for $105 you get to go to Canada and they give you a free flu shot after you go through customs. Weird.

Treading Water

I feel as if I am about to go under. I have so much paper on my desk at school that I can't see the surface, and I am not even going to mention the "In Box". I had everything done that I needed to do for last night's MSIS class, but I am not prepared for Saturday's class yet.

I am making dinner in the pressure cooker (boneless ribs w/onions and BBQ sauce) and roasting a 1/2 chicken for tomorrow because it was cheap. School lunches are $3.00 - my chicken was only $2.00. I bought a HUGE bag of potatoes for $1.49 - what a deal! The price of "raw" food is so much less than anything processed, yet the cost of lost time preparing it sometimes outweighs that benifit. Not tonight! I can cook, then BLOG, then study while it's still cooking. Want me to do a Gannt chart of that?

The Joys of Tom Robbins

One of the best things that happened today was in my honors LA class when the kids shared their favorite parts of "Why I Live in Northwest Washington" by Tom Robbins. It started out slow, but then they spontaniosly started to stand up and really speak their favorite parts - with feeling and everything! It was very cool. One of my favorite lines: "The shore of Puget Sound is where electric guitars cut their teeth, and old haiku go to die. "

Their favorites:

• "I'm here for the weather.Well, yes, I'm also here for the volcanoes and the salmon, and the exciting possibility that at any moment the volcanoes could erupt and pre-poach the salmon."
• "I'm here for the rust and the mildew, for webbed feet and twin peaks, spotted owls and obscene clams (my consort says I suffer from geoduck envy)..."
• "...when the sky resembles bad banana baby food for months on end, and the witch measles that meteorologists call "drizzle" are a chronic gray rash on the skin of the land..."
• "And it will rain a fever. And it will rain a sacrifice. And it will rain sorceries and saturnine eyes of the totem. "

Great examples of playing with language!

The Eradicator!

The Erradicator!

OK - this is way cool. I will try it tomorrow and see what happens. Maybe I can bring it with me to the meeting with the principal???!!!

Mind Mapping

We created a Mind Map for our project tonight by using this new software I got for my PM class - it's great! I really want to try it out with my students.

My leg still looks ugly. I called the people who make 2nd Skin Moist Burn Pads to ask them how long in the healing process I could wear said pads. Their response was, "until you are happy with the results." Hmmm...not very helpful. I like the moist pads because they feel good, don't stick to the burn, and I think that the more moist it stays the less it will scar. ( I think). I tried to call my sister for her expert medical advise, but she wasn't home and she has gotten rid of, or turned off her answering machine. Sheri - if you read this - call me!

I have an appointment with the principal tomorrow for my goals conference. We have a new evaluation system that we have to go through this year and I have to write out my goals and say how they correspond to the areas in the evaluation matrix and outline my plan for improvement and do a tapdance to "Swanny River". OK - that last part is not true, but it feels like it. I need to improve in the areas of time management/organization (duh) and ....I am not sure what else yet.

If I could draw a map of my mind right now - it would be split into so many different directions that it would be impossible to read.

The 411

Two weeks ago I completed a motorcycle safety course and I am now eligible to go get my motorcycle license. I only feel comfortable riding in small groups, in circles, in big deserted parking lots, on really small (125cc) bikes. With this in mind, last Sunday, John and I went out to such a deserted parking lot and I rode his bike around a bit. It weighs 650 pounds and I was really afraid I would mess up and hurt it - I did. I was so afraid of hurting the bike that when I stopped, I put my feet down early to...I don't know...balance the bike I guess (ha!)...and ended up dumping it over. I scratched one saddlebag and a cylinder head and broke a turn signal stem. I also burned my leg on the tailpipe. Here are some pictures of my leg one week later.

The Burn (click if you really do want to see...it's gross)

The Burn further away (still nasty, but not as close up)

In other news...I am feeling much better, only a slight fever and a bit of a gruff voice now. I ventured out with John and Tianna yesterday evening to see Shawn of the Dead. John and I saw it in London and thought it was hilarious, but weren't sure if it would be as funny when viewed here - it was.

I just finished my homework for Wednesday. I had to make a Gantt chart and network diagram of tasks for this guy who is going out on a date. He has many things to do, some of which depend on other tasks having already been completed, some can take place concurrently, etc.. It sounds silly, but it was a good first simulation of managing project tasks and putting them into these formats. I like two of my classes this quarter (Project Management and Corporate Policy and Strategy). I have not been to the third one yet (Integrating the Enterprise) because I was sick on Wednesday - our first session of that class. I hope it is good as well. This looks to be a really demanding quarter - yikes!

My friend Tracy, who is the art teacher at Tolt (the school where I teach), just put in her 2 week notice! This is a really rare thing in teaching - you usually have to give a LOT more notice than that because we are actually held to a contract..that's another discussion. Anyway, she got a fabulous job as the manager of the Wine Club at Columbia Winery! I am so happy for her. It is a perfect job for her and includes more money, better hours, lots of perks, etc... I hope I am as lucky when it's my turn to switch careers!

OK - I need to go to sleep now.

Blah

I am sick. I haven't been to work for 2 days. Haven't been out of the house for almost 3. This sucks.

Back to school blues

I am supposed to be reviewing another business case and answering questions on it that are due Sat at 8AM - instead I am wallowing in self pity and ordering a pizza before getting started because I am really hungry.

• I just finished a 2.5 hour team meeting in which we prepared a document for turn-in Sat AM.
• Last night I was in class until 9:45. Our first assignment took me several hours to do and was turned in on the first night of class.
• Tomorrow I am teaching a room full of Technophobe Teachers how to use their computers and software applications.
• I am now depressed

John is out with Tiana and Patrick tonight. They are doing the "first Thursday" art walk thing and decided to go get John's ear pierced, which he has been planning for a couple of days. Last night, John went to Roti - my favorite Indian food place - with Katheryn the Kool.

Does it sound like I am upset that I can't join in the fun? NO?

HOW ABOUT NOW? WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Cyberdogs and fighting cats

I am at Cyberdogs eating a doggylama and about to go to motorcycle class. I have had little sleep lately because Guilo the warrior cat and Darwin the fluffy are not getting along. Guilo has staked out the bedroom and Darwin is prowling the rest of the house. Every once in a while they break off the distant growling match and Guilo rushes out at Darwin - who usually runs and then stand his ground only to end up losing a pound of fur. More later.