Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Completely and Absolutely Furious

Some idiot has decided to block my favorite internet sites at school. These include the one you're currently reading, Wilwheaton.net, and Fark.

After I spent 90 minutes getting a class web page together on Blogger, they decide to block it. I hate the fact that they always brag about their technology and the wonderfulness of how we're preparing our students with the skills they need. Instead, they go and block any websites that I can use interactively with my class AND make posting anything directly on the school site as hard and complicated as #@%#%$&$^#.

The new school website is poorly designed as well. I really wish they'd get their act together.

Monday, May 16, 2005

Choir Concerts and Cute Paramedics

So, never let it be said that the Westminster Chorale doesn't know how to go out with a bang.

The bang in this case would be the sound of one of the choir members hitting the floor during our last number. During When You Wish Upon a Star, somebody tugged at my sleeve and I look to my left to find one of the ladies on the ground and two of them trying to wake her up.

The show went on for the last 30 seconds and I managed to belt out a last high note before we found someone to call 911 and literally asked for a doctor in the house. Actually, the accompanist's wife was a nurse, and she was already up there.

We skipped our encore song, turned off the stage lights, and turned on the house lights. We'd been complaining all night that it was hot as blazes in that room. I'm really hoping she just fainted from heat exhaustion and not a heart attack. Apparently she had one 5 years ago.

Anyway, after all the hullaballoo, I made off with a couple of dozen cookies and headed off to Rob's grad party, which was pretty much over by the time we got there. No matter how many times I protested, Rob's mom, after finding out I hadn't eated since three, cooked a dinner for me. She was really sweet.

The next morning I went to the 3rd St. Promenade while Liz went to marathon practice. A rather annoying homeless guy decided to sit at my table in Starbucks.

"What are you writing?"
"My novel."
"Is that Arabic? What does it say."
"I can't write while someone is watching me."
He continues to stare at my notebook. I pick it up and hug it to my chest.
"Yeah right," he says. Later he picks up a paper and the Starbucks employee has to tell him firmly they are for purchase only. After one last pass, begging for change, he finally takes off.

At 9:00 I headed over to B&N and bought the new Princess Diaries book and did a bit of research for class.

Liz and I went to a place called The Daisy Cafe for lunch and then crashed at home. We watched The Last Emperor, and The Sheik. I don't get the Rudolph Valentino thing. He just seems goofy to me. The whole plot of the movie could have been ripped straight from a trashy romance novel. Independent girl traveling through the desert gets help captive by a Sheik, who's not really Arabian at all, he's actually English/Spanish. She tries to run away, but ends up falling in love with him. Just as she realizes this she gets kidnapped by the bad guy bandit and the Sheik must rescue her. See? Trashy Romance Novel.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Depression

Okay, so the having 5 preps is really starting to catch up to me. I thought I planned a really neat lesson that used technology and would really help my Period 5 regular English class start their research paper.

Students were supposed to go to my class blog and follow the directions there which include submitting their research paper question in a comment. Instead, most of them waisted their time by posting crude, rude, and nasty comments about each other. I had to pull them out of the computer lab, and drag them back to class... which is on the complete other side of school.

To top it off, they were all late getting there, because someone had torn the sign off the door that told them where to go. They were all standing outside in the hallway until I called the teacher next door to me to check on them.

Fool me twice, shame on me. For Period 2 and 4's sign today, I peeled up my window sign and put it on the inside. Ha.

Either way, still rather down today. I think I need some serious cheering up to do.

My choir concert is tomorrow. Crud. That reminds me. I gotta bake two dozen cookies tonight.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

The Creepiness that was Yesterday...

So I thought I was done with Creepy Events when I left school.

On my way home from a choir board meeting (which I got us out of in less than an hour! [minor miracle]) I was driving down PCH along Bolsa Chica Beach and suddenly all cars come to a dead stop in the middle of the stretch. I looked ahead of me, and thought the trunk was open on a car two in front of me. Must have been an accident. After about two minutes, the cars on the left pull over to clear one lane. Then I realized the car with the trunk open, was actually an upsidedown car. One wheel was still spinning. Though from the shouts, it sounded like no one was seriously injured.

Creepy indeed.

Monday, May 02, 2005

Lights Out!

So I think the Ghost of Wilson's Past was having a party today. I guess since we didn't have class yesterday, he thought he'd act up today.

First of all, as I was washing my hands in the bathroom, the lights flicker out. Good thing for the skylight. 20 seconds later they flicker back on. Cool. Go back to the classroom. No lights, no clocks, no computers, no DVD player. Yes, on one of the only lessons that I have planned to use a DVD player, (I even hauled the PS2 to school for the purpose,) there's no electricity. Someone has also apparently let off a bunch of stink bombs downstairs.

So we close the door and deal. They finally get the bells working, and the speakers about an hour later. Great. Bells, and no lights. Then the fire alarm goes off. Then they make an announcement to ignore the fire alarm. Ten minutes before school gets out, Voom, light! Now that it's too late. I did manage to reboot my computer and give out grade reports to Period 7.

La.