It seems, lately, that happiness is a state of mind. I disagree with this statement. I feel happiness comes when you are not expecting it. You go about your life and in the end if you realize that you wouldn't change a thing, then you are happy. I am not arguing that happy people can't ever regret their actions or words. No, everyone has regrets. Everyone has made mistakes. It is what people do after those mistakes that truly shows a persons character.
I also found this....
How Happy Are You?
Happiness is a relative state of mind. Some of us would be content living in a cave, while others would be miserable in a mansion. Throughout the ages, philosophers have pondered the meaning of happiness. Is it a balance between need and satisfaction? A harmony between that which we desire and that which we receive? A baby? A sports car? However we define happiness, one thing is certain: We know it when we don't have it.
This quiz is based on the work of the late Dr. Theo F. Lentz, former director of the Character Research Association in St. Louis, Missouri. He conducted the largest study ever done on the topic of happiness. Lentz's subjects were men and women ranging in age from sixteen to fifty years, with a minimum of twelve years of education. From the data collected, Lentz composed a "happiness scale."
If you've ever wondered how you compare with others on the happiness scale, the following quiz might provide some answers.
http://www.chatterbean.com/ruhappy
I have been struggling at work lately. It's a push and shove game here at high school. Always pushing students to perform.
My high school dance director always used to say, "You don't need a title to be a star".
She meant this pertaining to dance. You don't need the title of an officer, to make people watch you. People see a person shine and their eyes are usually drawn to them. As I am thinking of her and high school, I can see her statement now pertaining to every day life. I think she was right on the money. I see so many good hearted people doing good things in the world, that never get noticed or complimented, but they do it anyway, because of who they are. I'm kinda changing topics here but roll with me.....
Shouldn't people perform acts of kindness without looking for a reward, or some sort of compensation?
Our dance Showcase was tonight.....One hoop down.....It actually went very well. The dancers seemed a lot more calm after performing at competition two weeks ago. Well, the middle school dancers anyway. As for the high school, we actually had to cut one of the team routines because it was not ready. There was even a girl who totally freaked out and was crying because that's how badly she did not want to perform. It left me disappointed but relieved at the same time. Our seamstress also came and measured our forty some girls.....(oh yea we are now down to 40 or less girls, due to failures, injuries, and attendance records). More stress. Even though my days have been getting longer, I don't feel like they are. It feels almost the same. THURS night: arrive home at 9:50 I literally work more than I should. Oh yea and not to mention for no credit. At the showcase all the directors names were called out and from what school they were from....except you know who....Yea it sucks....but hey....that no reward mentality is kicking in right about now. Who needs it? Right?
On another note....I no longer belong to a gym. To me that is a pretty scary thing. I called to see if my contract was up and I was informed that it was. If I didn't want to get billed anymore I would have to go in person and sign. I should of thought about that before I actually did it. I was just so happy about not spending 39.95 a month on something that I rarely go to. I don't go to the gym for various reasons: Not enough time in the day, too far away, and pretty much just laziness. I decided to check out a smaller gym that is located a block away from my house. Mind you, I went right after I cancelled my PUMP contract. First it is smaller than I expected. Second, no personal TV screens for you to plug your earphones into. Third, not very many machines. The only thing it did have going for it, was the jacuzzi and the sauna. It was actually hidden in the back and very nice. Only thing is....It is for both men and women to share. I'm sorry but I can't imagine sharing a sauna with a guy. Aren't we supposed to use towels and nothing else? It was also a lot more expensive with really really didn't help it out. Now I totally regret giving up PUMP.
February is here. A day to remember: Feb. 1,2007....The first time I talk to Ronnie in, like, what would almost be years. Ronnie is a good friend who has been MIA for a while. But, I at least wanted to mention him in my blog. We caught each other up on our lives.
Tomorrow is another hoop: The basketball game, where this time, the girls must perform. Yikes! Hopefully Saturday is uneventful. Superbowl Sunday. Yea for commercials! (The true reason I watch, oh yea and family time too!)
Next week Marty visits. I am really looking forward to that. I am writing what will be going on in the future because I may not get another chance to write for a while. Competition is not far away. I can't wait till it's over so I can finally breathe.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
She's got the look
OK....I did it...I cut my hair....I think I look totally different!
You decide. In some ways I miss my old hair. In some ways I don't.
Competition is coming up. Deadlines are approaching. We have a Dance Showcase on Thursday (where all the schools in La Joya show off all the competition routines that they took to competition) AND a basketball game on Friday (where the girls are to perform three routines). I am literally pulling out my hair with stress. Some of these girls don't take it seriously. They are going to get their @ss kicked if they don't start focusing and working harder. I went solo on Friday and Saturday....meaning my director left to Houston to become an aunt. Never-the-less we got things done.
Work is not going so well. I had a parent conference last week and another this week. It's good that these parents are interested and involved, but if student's just did what they were supposed to, then everything would just mesh.
Mesh...a word from high school.....When I first heard it....I thought the guy sneezed....so polite me said, "Bless you" ....ya, really embarrassing.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Busy - Ness
OK...So, I know I haven't written in a really long time......but there is a very good reason for that....I am so incredibly busy right now its not even funny.
The holidays came and went, It is no longer 2006, and school has started again. The holidays were really fun. Marty came down and we spent every moment we could together. He is gone now, and I miss him more than ever. On the first week that we were back at school, I got in trouble. I wont go into specifics but...lets just say my principal was yelling. I also went to this legal workshop for Drill Team and Cheerleader Directors. One might think, "Oh, how can there possibly be any legal stuff to learn about drill team?" Well...let me tell you ...in La Joya ....people find ways. There has been so much drama and controversy lately that Teresa and I went to find out just how much people can push us around. Turns out not so much. People think they have a lot of power and by saying a few words or having connections think that they can possibly make someone else lose their job. Well now I am educated enough to say, "Stand in line!" LOL.....that was a little inside joke at the workshop.
This past weekend I cut my hair and dyed it back to brown. I was really nervous. I have had long hair for almost 8 years now, and had blonde highlights for the past 2 1/2. When I first went blonde, people looked at you differently, and treated you differently. I mean anything and everything changed. Peoples perceptions are often tied together with what you look like. It is a undeniable fact. First of all, having long hair (without color involved) deserves its own argument. Long hair = sexy. Short hair = serious. Look at a V.S. magazine. Name one model that has short hair. Look at all the famous news anchors. Name one with long flowing locks. Now color. Do blonde's really have more fun? I wouldn't be able to answer that fairly. I wasn't a total blonde. Just blonde highlights...but when I did shop at the mall, people assumed I was from Mexico and spoke Spanish to me. Why does a strawberry enter my mind at this moment? I know that when I went out, I felt confident. Will I lose that confidence? Has is been dyed and cut? Do I even need it? Or care? Or is it all in my head? Either way....I'm going back to my roots.
I took Bella and Jasper aka Frisky and Douglas to the vet today. They will be having operations done. My poor kitties. I feel like I abandoned them by dropping them off this morning. I also need to get another cage. They shared a tiny one, which literally had fur sticking out of it. The good thing is that they are getting pain medication to take home. We don't have practice today, so I get to pick them up right after school. I miss them already.
Its snowing in Austin, and it is reported to be traveling this way. I hope that it is and school will be cancelled, but with my luck, it probably wont even come this way. Still...it is wishful thinking
Even when I write I cant finish an entry......Update: My kitties came through ok...but Bella is very aggressive. She keeps growling and hissing at Jasper. Even charging and chasing him sometimes. I don't think she knows that Jasper went through surgury too and his was even worse because of complications. She wont hiss at me though. She even slept with me on the couch last night. I think she blames Jasper for everything she went through. I called the vet this afternoon to ask if this was normal or if I should be worried in any way. She said that Bella could just be upset at the situation and she could be taking it out on Jasper. Hmm... Do I see a pattern here? Girls being upset at something and then taking it out on someone they love? Anyway...she said if it doesn't go away in a few days to call again. I just want my kitties back to the way they were. Lovable and always in trouble.
Our school district didn't cancel classes. Boo. I wanted to look after the kitties and make sure they were ok. I also just wanted to stay home. My upper body is sore from push ups I have been doing with the students. There is a part in the dance where they have to do a handstand and I don't want anyone falling on their heads because of lack of arm strength. So, because I teach 6 classes a day, now I am sore.
This weekend I am planning to go the the Island with my mom for a drill team competition. I am going as a spectator this time. I attended last year but had to take care of two groups and I ran around like a crazy person. This year I am going for several reasons: To watch the La Joya middle schools battle it out, to watch Kellys and see how all the drama unfolded, to see what new routines and music ideas other teams have brought this year, and to scout what girls I want on my team next year. We are staying at the Radisson. A hotel I know very well, but when you have a drill team to watch, you very rarely get to stay at a place like that. So, I am looking foward to the weekend. Marty will be house sitting or should I say dog sitting. I wish I could be there with him.
I finally turned the heater on in my house. Two nights ago I turned it on for the first time. Then turned it off when I went to work. Then turned it on when I brought Bella and Jasper home, and I have had it on ever since. It is really nice. I hope I don't become addicted. As soon as the cold front passes by, I will turn it off.
Competition is coming up. We are sooooo not ready. Exactly one month away, and Three dances are still not done. I am so very nervous. This is why I have been so busy. Practice every day until 8 or 8:30 is not my idea of fun, but since we opted to have no practice during the holidays, now we are paying the price. I hope we do well but with teams that have had their dances since summer, I am positive it will be a tough compeititon. I don't think the girls realize that.
The holidays came and went, It is no longer 2006, and school has started again. The holidays were really fun. Marty came down and we spent every moment we could together. He is gone now, and I miss him more than ever. On the first week that we were back at school, I got in trouble. I wont go into specifics but...lets just say my principal was yelling. I also went to this legal workshop for Drill Team and Cheerleader Directors. One might think, "Oh, how can there possibly be any legal stuff to learn about drill team?" Well...let me tell you ...in La Joya ....people find ways. There has been so much drama and controversy lately that Teresa and I went to find out just how much people can push us around. Turns out not so much. People think they have a lot of power and by saying a few words or having connections think that they can possibly make someone else lose their job. Well now I am educated enough to say, "Stand in line!" LOL.....that was a little inside joke at the workshop.
This past weekend I cut my hair and dyed it back to brown. I was really nervous. I have had long hair for almost 8 years now, and had blonde highlights for the past 2 1/2. When I first went blonde, people looked at you differently, and treated you differently. I mean anything and everything changed. Peoples perceptions are often tied together with what you look like. It is a undeniable fact. First of all, having long hair (without color involved) deserves its own argument. Long hair = sexy. Short hair = serious. Look at a V.S. magazine. Name one model that has short hair. Look at all the famous news anchors. Name one with long flowing locks. Now color. Do blonde's really have more fun? I wouldn't be able to answer that fairly. I wasn't a total blonde. Just blonde highlights...but when I did shop at the mall, people assumed I was from Mexico and spoke Spanish to me. Why does a strawberry enter my mind at this moment? I know that when I went out, I felt confident. Will I lose that confidence? Has is been dyed and cut? Do I even need it? Or care? Or is it all in my head? Either way....I'm going back to my roots.
I took Bella and Jasper aka Frisky and Douglas to the vet today. They will be having operations done. My poor kitties. I feel like I abandoned them by dropping them off this morning. I also need to get another cage. They shared a tiny one, which literally had fur sticking out of it. The good thing is that they are getting pain medication to take home. We don't have practice today, so I get to pick them up right after school. I miss them already.
Its snowing in Austin, and it is reported to be traveling this way. I hope that it is and school will be cancelled, but with my luck, it probably wont even come this way. Still...it is wishful thinking
Even when I write I cant finish an entry......Update: My kitties came through ok...but Bella is very aggressive. She keeps growling and hissing at Jasper. Even charging and chasing him sometimes. I don't think she knows that Jasper went through surgury too and his was even worse because of complications. She wont hiss at me though. She even slept with me on the couch last night. I think she blames Jasper for everything she went through. I called the vet this afternoon to ask if this was normal or if I should be worried in any way. She said that Bella could just be upset at the situation and she could be taking it out on Jasper. Hmm... Do I see a pattern here? Girls being upset at something and then taking it out on someone they love? Anyway...she said if it doesn't go away in a few days to call again. I just want my kitties back to the way they were. Lovable and always in trouble.
Our school district didn't cancel classes. Boo. I wanted to look after the kitties and make sure they were ok. I also just wanted to stay home. My upper body is sore from push ups I have been doing with the students. There is a part in the dance where they have to do a handstand and I don't want anyone falling on their heads because of lack of arm strength. So, because I teach 6 classes a day, now I am sore.
This weekend I am planning to go the the Island with my mom for a drill team competition. I am going as a spectator this time. I attended last year but had to take care of two groups and I ran around like a crazy person. This year I am going for several reasons: To watch the La Joya middle schools battle it out, to watch Kellys and see how all the drama unfolded, to see what new routines and music ideas other teams have brought this year, and to scout what girls I want on my team next year. We are staying at the Radisson. A hotel I know very well, but when you have a drill team to watch, you very rarely get to stay at a place like that. So, I am looking foward to the weekend. Marty will be house sitting or should I say dog sitting. I wish I could be there with him.
I finally turned the heater on in my house. Two nights ago I turned it on for the first time. Then turned it off when I went to work. Then turned it on when I brought Bella and Jasper home, and I have had it on ever since. It is really nice. I hope I don't become addicted. As soon as the cold front passes by, I will turn it off.
Competition is coming up. We are sooooo not ready. Exactly one month away, and Three dances are still not done. I am so very nervous. This is why I have been so busy. Practice every day until 8 or 8:30 is not my idea of fun, but since we opted to have no practice during the holidays, now we are paying the price. I hope we do well but with teams that have had their dances since summer, I am positive it will be a tough compeititon. I don't think the girls realize that.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Joy
"You increase your joy by increasing the pure joy of others."
Torkom Saraydarian (1917-1997) scholar and sacred music composer
The hurdles have been jumped. The semester is over. It's only Wednesday, and I feel exhausted. It was the longest week ever. Sunday night I prepared to teach the kick routine for competition, only I didn't. I cut the music Sunday afternoon, then had things to do at night. By the time I got home, it was late and I knew I wasn't going to be able to think and "write". I went to bed telling myself that I can do it during my lunch hour. Monday was horrible. I woke up late, first of all, and second of all I forgot my phone at home (because I was rushing). So instead of eating during my lunch time, I rushed home to get my cell phone, then when I was "supposed" to be at lunch duty, I hid in my room and frantically tried to come up with as much as I could. I got to about half way done, when the bell rang for my 5th period to start. Luckily, they were taking a final, which meant that after they were done, I had approximately 5-10 mins. to work on the piece. School ended at 4:30 and I worked until 4:50 to try to finish the dance. I wrote about 6 pages down and left some spots open, but it was finished. I quickly ran over to start teaching at 5:00. I had never in my life been so pressured and nervous to teach a stupid dance. Every year for the past three years, I have taught the kick routine at La Joya. I have always said it was a pleasure to work with them, because they are so talented. That has not been a lie. I always gave them my best. They have gotten hundreds of compliments at competition and on the field. Which meant that this year I was going to have to live up to every ones standards and hopefully go beyond. I guess that is why I was so nervous. Nevertheless the dance is good. It has room for improvement, but that is what practice is for.
After that, I left early to rush to another practice of my own. A week ago I agreed to perform with the Dorados at a basketball game for Edinburg. I graduated from Edinburg, so going back is always a plus.....turns out that it wasn't. I am not in shape. I have recently been going to the gym to prepare for tryouts in Jan. but to dance a week later, i was not prepared for. Out of the three dances we did, I only remembered one of them. One because I was in Washington, D.C. at the time and the other because I learned when I had come back (I was placed in the back, and didn't need to remember the dance, because I was looking at the people in front of me...bad dancer...lol). So I pretty much needed to learn a min routine and a halftime routine in one night and perform the next day. I thank Christina for having patience with me. :) I got home around 9:30.
I still need to eat dinner and start my grades. Grades were due the next morning and if any one is or was a teacher...you can sympathize. I stayed up until 2:30 to finish. It would have gone much faster if I wasn't watching a movie at the time. I finally saw The Devil wears Prada. It was good, but I have some opinions about the ending.
The next day...I dressed up and took my secret elf gift to school. We were supposed to have a luncheon on Tuesday to reveal our secret elfs and give them their gifts. Turns out that the fine arts luncheon was also that day at the same time as was the Jewelette Christmas party. I was planning on going to the fine arts for half an hour, arriving at Jimmy Carter for the gift exchange and quickly going to the drill team party to finish off my day there. Yea....plans...I hate making plans because they never seem to go the way I want. As I was walking to the school (my classroom is in a different building than the rest of school) to leave my gift, just in case I didn't get back in time, I entered and got stopped right in my tracks. The party was in the middle of school with table and chairs all set up. There were two serving tables filled with food, buffet style. Everyone was there. You know that feeling of nervousness on the first day of high school, when you walk into the cafeteria and don't know a soul.....well de ja vu....that feeling was there for me. Instead of being brave and finding a friend ....I turned around and exited the way I came. I was going to go to the fine arts banquet, where at least I knew someone. Nope. Plans didn't work out. I got locked out of my building. I tried going around ....but none of the doors were unlocked. I don't have a key...so I had to shamelessly go back to the faculty party.
Turns out I found someone I knew and she made me feel comfortable. Mrs. Contreas (my principal) played Santa and passed out the secret elf gifts. At my other campus we personally gave our secret elf our final gift revealing who we were....here Mrs. Contreas passed out the gifts ....I didn't know I was supposed to put my name on it. I wrote...To: Ms. Glenda Kneblick From: Your Secret Elf......When I saw her receive her gift she looked at the card and then opened the present. I was watching from across the room. Luckily she was standing up as she opened her gift so I didn't look like a total stalker. She opened her gift and pulled out the cds first. She looked happy and passed them around the table. Then she opened her box. She pulled out the ceramic kitty (she loves cats) and from lip reading I heard her say ...."Oh, its a picture frame!" She then passed that around her table as well. I saw her eyes scan around the room wondering who had given her the gift. I then considered leaving it a secret, but she packed up her things and started wandering around the room. She was looking for her secret elf. I kept my eyes on her the entire time. She then came close to me ...and a table next to mine asked her what she got. She then started to show the ladies and as they were asking, "Who gave it to you?"...her eyes fell on mine. She raised her eye brows and asked, "Was it you?" All I could do was smile and nod my head....she must have asked me several times ...because I had to keep nodding yes. She then started to tell me that she loved the cds and how did I know she loved cats ...then she asked me to go to her ....she wanted to show me something. I walked over to her, and she opened her bag. "Look!" , she showed everyone sitting near us all the items I had given her over the past week. She took out everything and told me that when she was stressed that she takes everything out and holds it and it makes her feel better. All I wanted to do was throw my arms around her and tell her that I was so grateful that someone appreciated me. After a terrible semester, of moving around...getting hurt....being in an accident...and after that terrible feeling of being alone at school...that it was nice to know that someone, somewhere appreciated me. Even if it was of the silly little stuffed animals I gave her. She said, "I would hug you, but I'm very sick and don't want to get you sick as well"......I told her I didn't care and gave her a big hug.
That night, I had to go home and get ready for the basketball performance. I haven't put that much makeup on and actually fixed my hair in about 4 months (and that's because someone else used to do it for me). It took some time, but I managed to look nice. I arrived late as usual, but I was actually the 2nd one there. The basketball game was so unprofessional. Everything went wrong. We practiced three routines. One for in between the 1st and 2nd quarter, one for half time, and one for in between the 3rd and 4th quarter. The dj told us that there was already someone for the first time out. No biggie, one less dance to worry about. Halftime came. We performed and looked stupid, because the dj turned off our halftime routine early. As me and Daisy started to get up to "cheer" off the court...he continued it from where he left off. The volume was low. People weren't watching. In fact, we could hear them talking. It made us mad. All of us are used to the football games, where people stay quiet when we dance. Or at least turn up the music so we don't hear them. When we ran out for our last dance, he played the wrong song, making us start late, so they kept ringing the buzzer to let us know that our time was up and to get off the court. Looks like we are never going to Edinburg again. Not unless they have their sh!t together.
Its finally the last day of school. We had a field day. I got to play softball, students vs. teachers. I hit the ball. Yea me! That pretty much concludes the last day of school. Hopefully they will let us leave early. Either way....Im sneaking out. Marty arrives today and I cant wait to see him. I know he is tired and probably asleep right now. He finished his finals and the last two papers he need to write. I am so proud of him.
Torkom Saraydarian (1917-1997) scholar and sacred music composer
The hurdles have been jumped. The semester is over. It's only Wednesday, and I feel exhausted. It was the longest week ever. Sunday night I prepared to teach the kick routine for competition, only I didn't. I cut the music Sunday afternoon, then had things to do at night. By the time I got home, it was late and I knew I wasn't going to be able to think and "write". I went to bed telling myself that I can do it during my lunch hour. Monday was horrible. I woke up late, first of all, and second of all I forgot my phone at home (because I was rushing). So instead of eating during my lunch time, I rushed home to get my cell phone, then when I was "supposed" to be at lunch duty, I hid in my room and frantically tried to come up with as much as I could. I got to about half way done, when the bell rang for my 5th period to start. Luckily, they were taking a final, which meant that after they were done, I had approximately 5-10 mins. to work on the piece. School ended at 4:30 and I worked until 4:50 to try to finish the dance. I wrote about 6 pages down and left some spots open, but it was finished. I quickly ran over to start teaching at 5:00. I had never in my life been so pressured and nervous to teach a stupid dance. Every year for the past three years, I have taught the kick routine at La Joya. I have always said it was a pleasure to work with them, because they are so talented. That has not been a lie. I always gave them my best. They have gotten hundreds of compliments at competition and on the field. Which meant that this year I was going to have to live up to every ones standards and hopefully go beyond. I guess that is why I was so nervous. Nevertheless the dance is good. It has room for improvement, but that is what practice is for.
After that, I left early to rush to another practice of my own. A week ago I agreed to perform with the Dorados at a basketball game for Edinburg. I graduated from Edinburg, so going back is always a plus.....turns out that it wasn't. I am not in shape. I have recently been going to the gym to prepare for tryouts in Jan. but to dance a week later, i was not prepared for. Out of the three dances we did, I only remembered one of them. One because I was in Washington, D.C. at the time and the other because I learned when I had come back (I was placed in the back, and didn't need to remember the dance, because I was looking at the people in front of me...bad dancer...lol). So I pretty much needed to learn a min routine and a halftime routine in one night and perform the next day. I thank Christina for having patience with me. :) I got home around 9:30.
I still need to eat dinner and start my grades. Grades were due the next morning and if any one is or was a teacher...you can sympathize. I stayed up until 2:30 to finish. It would have gone much faster if I wasn't watching a movie at the time. I finally saw The Devil wears Prada. It was good, but I have some opinions about the ending.
The next day...I dressed up and took my secret elf gift to school. We were supposed to have a luncheon on Tuesday to reveal our secret elfs and give them their gifts. Turns out that the fine arts luncheon was also that day at the same time as was the Jewelette Christmas party. I was planning on going to the fine arts for half an hour, arriving at Jimmy Carter for the gift exchange and quickly going to the drill team party to finish off my day there. Yea....plans...I hate making plans because they never seem to go the way I want. As I was walking to the school (my classroom is in a different building than the rest of school) to leave my gift, just in case I didn't get back in time, I entered and got stopped right in my tracks. The party was in the middle of school with table and chairs all set up. There were two serving tables filled with food, buffet style. Everyone was there. You know that feeling of nervousness on the first day of high school, when you walk into the cafeteria and don't know a soul.....well de ja vu....that feeling was there for me. Instead of being brave and finding a friend ....I turned around and exited the way I came. I was going to go to the fine arts banquet, where at least I knew someone. Nope. Plans didn't work out. I got locked out of my building. I tried going around ....but none of the doors were unlocked. I don't have a key...so I had to shamelessly go back to the faculty party.
Turns out I found someone I knew and she made me feel comfortable. Mrs. Contreas (my principal) played Santa and passed out the secret elf gifts. At my other campus we personally gave our secret elf our final gift revealing who we were....here Mrs. Contreas passed out the gifts ....I didn't know I was supposed to put my name on it. I wrote...To: Ms. Glenda Kneblick From: Your Secret Elf......When I saw her receive her gift she looked at the card and then opened the present. I was watching from across the room. Luckily she was standing up as she opened her gift so I didn't look like a total stalker. She opened her gift and pulled out the cds first. She looked happy and passed them around the table. Then she opened her box. She pulled out the ceramic kitty (she loves cats) and from lip reading I heard her say ...."Oh, its a picture frame!" She then passed that around her table as well. I saw her eyes scan around the room wondering who had given her the gift. I then considered leaving it a secret, but she packed up her things and started wandering around the room. She was looking for her secret elf. I kept my eyes on her the entire time. She then came close to me ...and a table next to mine asked her what she got. She then started to show the ladies and as they were asking, "Who gave it to you?"...her eyes fell on mine. She raised her eye brows and asked, "Was it you?" All I could do was smile and nod my head....she must have asked me several times ...because I had to keep nodding yes. She then started to tell me that she loved the cds and how did I know she loved cats ...then she asked me to go to her ....she wanted to show me something. I walked over to her, and she opened her bag. "Look!" , she showed everyone sitting near us all the items I had given her over the past week. She took out everything and told me that when she was stressed that she takes everything out and holds it and it makes her feel better. All I wanted to do was throw my arms around her and tell her that I was so grateful that someone appreciated me. After a terrible semester, of moving around...getting hurt....being in an accident...and after that terrible feeling of being alone at school...that it was nice to know that someone, somewhere appreciated me. Even if it was of the silly little stuffed animals I gave her. She said, "I would hug you, but I'm very sick and don't want to get you sick as well"......I told her I didn't care and gave her a big hug.
That night, I had to go home and get ready for the basketball performance. I haven't put that much makeup on and actually fixed my hair in about 4 months (and that's because someone else used to do it for me). It took some time, but I managed to look nice. I arrived late as usual, but I was actually the 2nd one there. The basketball game was so unprofessional. Everything went wrong. We practiced three routines. One for in between the 1st and 2nd quarter, one for half time, and one for in between the 3rd and 4th quarter. The dj told us that there was already someone for the first time out. No biggie, one less dance to worry about. Halftime came. We performed and looked stupid, because the dj turned off our halftime routine early. As me and Daisy started to get up to "cheer" off the court...he continued it from where he left off. The volume was low. People weren't watching. In fact, we could hear them talking. It made us mad. All of us are used to the football games, where people stay quiet when we dance. Or at least turn up the music so we don't hear them. When we ran out for our last dance, he played the wrong song, making us start late, so they kept ringing the buzzer to let us know that our time was up and to get off the court. Looks like we are never going to Edinburg again. Not unless they have their sh!t together.
Its finally the last day of school. We had a field day. I got to play softball, students vs. teachers. I hit the ball. Yea me! That pretty much concludes the last day of school. Hopefully they will let us leave early. Either way....Im sneaking out. Marty arrives today and I cant wait to see him. I know he is tired and probably asleep right now. He finished his finals and the last two papers he need to write. I am so proud of him.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
No Jingle Bells!
Just a few more days and school will be over. I just have to jump over some hurdles before everything will come to an end. Its after 10 on a Sunday night and I am barely printing out my final for my students. Turns out that I "thought" I saved the file to my pen drive...but I didn't. It was to my computer. I also need to make up my dance routine that I am supposed to teach tomorrow. I always leave these things to the end. I wish that I didn't, but I always end up doing it no matter how hard I try. Hopefully I will be able to stay awake tonight to finish. I have had some practice on that area lately.
There was a parade this past Saturday. The drill team had to march. I guess that meant that the directors had to march as well. As I recall, my director never walked with us during the parade. She was always waiting for us on the other side. Maybe it was because the Edinburg parade was a lot longer walk and she was a bit older. It was hot. The girls were in windpants and very uncomfortable. The whole thing started an hour and a half late. Did it really matter who went first? From what I could see there were two floats and our band, colorguard, drill team, a little old couple in a funny car, and maybe a middle school team. We waved at the dogs in the yards. Some wanted to kill us. Others, just watch. There was even a wedding or a Quinceanera ("15th birthday") going on at a church and all the people turned around to watch. To be quite honest, the whole thing was a little sad, and silly. First of all, La Joya is one street. The expressway. Well we couldn't just close that off could we? So, someone randomly picked a road close to the school and we literally walked to the river. LOL. Or it felt like it. I did get my name called out, which was embarrasing.
Marty comes to the valley on Wednesday. I have been really looking foward to it, and now its finally here. Just a few more days.
Not looking forward to the beginning of the week, but very much looking forward to the end of the week.
There was a parade this past Saturday. The drill team had to march. I guess that meant that the directors had to march as well. As I recall, my director never walked with us during the parade. She was always waiting for us on the other side. Maybe it was because the Edinburg parade was a lot longer walk and she was a bit older. It was hot. The girls were in windpants and very uncomfortable. The whole thing started an hour and a half late. Did it really matter who went first? From what I could see there were two floats and our band, colorguard, drill team, a little old couple in a funny car, and maybe a middle school team. We waved at the dogs in the yards. Some wanted to kill us. Others, just watch. There was even a wedding or a Quinceanera ("15th birthday") going on at a church and all the people turned around to watch. To be quite honest, the whole thing was a little sad, and silly. First of all, La Joya is one street. The expressway. Well we couldn't just close that off could we? So, someone randomly picked a road close to the school and we literally walked to the river. LOL. Or it felt like it. I did get my name called out, which was embarrasing.
Marty comes to the valley on Wednesday. I have been really looking foward to it, and now its finally here. Just a few more days.
Not looking forward to the beginning of the week, but very much looking forward to the end of the week.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Secret Elf
I seriously need to catch up on writing.
Testing is over finally. Thank goodness. I swear if one more person had mistaken me for a student, I probably would have lost it. The weekend came and went. I spent most of Saturday in bed. I need to start my Christmas shopping. My promise to myself: No more spending an entire day in pj's! I did however get up early to teach a group of 3-5 year olds a cheer routine. (But I went back to bed) Now this is something new for me. I have never done cheer before. I have seen it and gone to competition before, so im not totally without. It was pretty fun. I had forgotten what it was like to work with 3 and 4 year olds. I swear to work with kids is just good for your soul. Especially at that age. I left the gym feeling very happy. Not because of the work I did (which turned out to be quite good), but because of the way you have to present your self to kids. It’s almost as if you’re putting on a show for them. It’s amazing.
On Sunday I helped make tamales at my grandma’s house. It’s something that happens once every year. Another tradition. I usually help out a little, but this year was extra special. Usually the adult women (my aunts, mom, and grandmother) are the ones who work. Everyone has their own job. [A lot of the words are in Spanish, and for the lack of my knowledge on how to spell things in Spanish ....im going to simply use English, so bear with me] One person cleans and soaks the Oujas (corn husks), one person spreads the masa on the corn husk, another rolls the meat in the tamale, another puts them into pots and steams them, another packs them in dozens. There are a total of 9 women that split up these jobs. This year there were 10. I helped out. My job was to clean and soak the corn husks. I stood the entire time, which left my back in pain. I arrived at 9:30 in the morning and left around 4:30. With two breaks, and what must have been at least a thousand tamales later, I was beat. I must say that I did get to bond with my grandma more, which was a big plus. I heard lots of gossip and got to inform people of what I wanted for Christmas. All in all, I had a very good time. I can only hope that the tradition will be passed down to my children. There was talk of no longer doing it, or not doing as many. I really hope that doesn't happen. [It was nice to be appreciated, thanks Richie.]
I also started the last full week of school, which seems to be crawling by. My dance tech. students performed at the Fall Dance Concert Recital for La Joya. Every school brings dance classes to perform. My students did an excellent job. Congratulations! I am happy that this year, I was a lot more calm and stress-free. I guess teaching high school has its advantages. I noticed a lot of stressed-out-looking middle school teachers. My students were just great. There was this one time where I thought I lost them. I looked everywhere for them. Just before I started to panic, they found me and stated that they were outside practicing. This made me even more proud.
I woke up this morning feeling like a terrible person. I had forgotten my secret elf. Yesterday, after school we were given our secret elf. Starting the next day for a week, we were to give a $1.00 gift to that person, then present them with the real gift on Wed. of next week. With the concert on my top priority, it totally slipped my mind. Thank goodness for lunch hours. I made it up in the afternoon. Hopefully she was happy.
After school, I headed over to Roger and Norma's house (My Dad's co-worker and friend) where my parents were. They were making steak and invited me over. I got to see their beautiful new house. We even played pool. I lost. I hate to lose. I blame it on not playing with my pool stick.
One last note: It has come to my knowledge that more and more people are reading this blog. I hope that I have not offended anyone with my comments, or opinions. It's just a one sided story. To be quite honest, it is my life. You can choose to read it, or you can simply close the window. If you like what I write then great, but i'm not doing this for anyone else but myself. It helps to let things out, even if it is just words on a webpage.
Testing is over finally. Thank goodness. I swear if one more person had mistaken me for a student, I probably would have lost it. The weekend came and went. I spent most of Saturday in bed. I need to start my Christmas shopping. My promise to myself: No more spending an entire day in pj's! I did however get up early to teach a group of 3-5 year olds a cheer routine. (But I went back to bed) Now this is something new for me. I have never done cheer before. I have seen it and gone to competition before, so im not totally without. It was pretty fun. I had forgotten what it was like to work with 3 and 4 year olds. I swear to work with kids is just good for your soul. Especially at that age. I left the gym feeling very happy. Not because of the work I did (which turned out to be quite good), but because of the way you have to present your self to kids. It’s almost as if you’re putting on a show for them. It’s amazing.
On Sunday I helped make tamales at my grandma’s house. It’s something that happens once every year. Another tradition. I usually help out a little, but this year was extra special. Usually the adult women (my aunts, mom, and grandmother) are the ones who work. Everyone has their own job. [A lot of the words are in Spanish, and for the lack of my knowledge on how to spell things in Spanish ....im going to simply use English, so bear with me] One person cleans and soaks the Oujas (corn husks), one person spreads the masa on the corn husk, another rolls the meat in the tamale, another puts them into pots and steams them, another packs them in dozens. There are a total of 9 women that split up these jobs. This year there were 10. I helped out. My job was to clean and soak the corn husks. I stood the entire time, which left my back in pain. I arrived at 9:30 in the morning and left around 4:30. With two breaks, and what must have been at least a thousand tamales later, I was beat. I must say that I did get to bond with my grandma more, which was a big plus. I heard lots of gossip and got to inform people of what I wanted for Christmas. All in all, I had a very good time. I can only hope that the tradition will be passed down to my children. There was talk of no longer doing it, or not doing as many. I really hope that doesn't happen. [It was nice to be appreciated, thanks Richie.]
I also started the last full week of school, which seems to be crawling by. My dance tech. students performed at the Fall Dance Concert Recital for La Joya. Every school brings dance classes to perform. My students did an excellent job. Congratulations! I am happy that this year, I was a lot more calm and stress-free. I guess teaching high school has its advantages. I noticed a lot of stressed-out-looking middle school teachers. My students were just great. There was this one time where I thought I lost them. I looked everywhere for them. Just before I started to panic, they found me and stated that they were outside practicing. This made me even more proud.
I woke up this morning feeling like a terrible person. I had forgotten my secret elf. Yesterday, after school we were given our secret elf. Starting the next day for a week, we were to give a $1.00 gift to that person, then present them with the real gift on Wed. of next week. With the concert on my top priority, it totally slipped my mind. Thank goodness for lunch hours. I made it up in the afternoon. Hopefully she was happy.
After school, I headed over to Roger and Norma's house (My Dad's co-worker and friend) where my parents were. They were making steak and invited me over. I got to see their beautiful new house. We even played pool. I lost. I hate to lose. I blame it on not playing with my pool stick.
One last note: It has come to my knowledge that more and more people are reading this blog. I hope that I have not offended anyone with my comments, or opinions. It's just a one sided story. To be quite honest, it is my life. You can choose to read it, or you can simply close the window. If you like what I write then great, but i'm not doing this for anyone else but myself. It helps to let things out, even if it is just words on a webpage.
Friday, December 8, 2006
Benchmark Testing
I am feeling a little bit better now. I had a full nights sleep. I don't feel as tired as I did yesterday. I did have to cancel the solo private I had scheduled for yesterday. Its actually the last one as far as me teaching it to her. The rest is the easy part, cleaning it up. The students are bench mark testing. This means they practice taking different tests in order to help them prepare for the taks test coming up next semester. It also gives the faculty a chance to practice administering the tests. Since I am not a core teacher, they gave me the job of a procter. This means I have to sit outside a group of doors and help the teachers out whenever needed. For example, if a teacher needs more pencils, i have to run upstairs and get some. If a teacher needs to locate a missing student, I do it. If the teacher needs a bathroom break, I watch the class. You get the picture. [As much as I complain, this is loads better than last year. Last year, at my old school, all the classes were located outside. This meant that all the procters were sitting outside in the cold and rain, freezing to death. Wow, it wasn't that long ago, but it feels like forever.] There are also scheduled 15 min. breaks and lunch breaks that the teachers take, in which I relieve them. My first day, I guess I read the (very confusing) schedule and mix up my lunch break with my teacher that is assigned to me. Opps. My bad. I got in trouble the next day. The next day, everything runs smoothly. The third day, one of my assigned teachers decides he is going to take a 25 min break instead of 15, which makes me late for my other teachers. Again, I get in trouble. Seems like I can't do anything right these days. I hate getting in trouble. I had never received a "memo" until I came to the High School. I still don't think it was fair either. I got a memo for missing a safety meeting. I missed the meeting because I had my wisdom teeth pulled out. Geez, you would think that would excuse me, but it didn't. I got the memo anyway. There are other reasons as to why I feel like im not myself these days. It's good to know that in two weeks, school will be out and Christmas will be here.
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