I have had serious urges to edit some horrendous ebay descriptions. At least get the spelling write. (That's a joke.)
Anyway, The Tech Gods must be against me this week. Not only have I had my cell stolen, but my pda died as well. The screen started flickering and then it died. I suppose that since I've had it since Dad sold the Camaro, that it served its purpose... it's still sad.
So I've been on ebay, bidding on all sorts of pda cell phones. Might as well be new fangled. If I can get one for under $75 or so, I'll get a Treo 600 which has a digital camera in it as well. If not, the 300 looks pretty spiffy too.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Monday, January 24, 2005
Mostly up to snuff
The morning started off quite foggy, but has cleared up dramatically into a sort of hazy sunshine. I'm so glad I don't have to wrap up and wade through the snow to get to school. I probably didn't even need my sweater this morning, but I put it on, just in case.
So the biggest news lately is The Case of The Stolen Phone. Yes. Gone. And during 8th period on Thursday. The worst thing is that I have not yet seen my 8th period, so I was without phone for a whole weekend. Man, I remember when I thought people with phones were idiots who were too connected. Now I feel naked without mine.
And Sprint. They told me that someone used the phone at for two minutes at 3:56 p.m. on Thurs... about an hour after I discovered it missing, but they can't tell me the number called until it prints on my statement.
So someone used my phone before I canceled it, but I can't find out who they called until Feb. 3.
I plan to scare the bejeezuz out of my 8th period today. If I don't get my phone back, I'm filing a police report and when I get my statement, I'm pressing bloody charges. So I'd better get my phone back by tomorrow... or else Miss Mathis is going on The War Path.
So the biggest news lately is The Case of The Stolen Phone. Yes. Gone. And during 8th period on Thursday. The worst thing is that I have not yet seen my 8th period, so I was without phone for a whole weekend. Man, I remember when I thought people with phones were idiots who were too connected. Now I feel naked without mine.
And Sprint. They told me that someone used the phone at for two minutes at 3:56 p.m. on Thurs... about an hour after I discovered it missing, but they can't tell me the number called until it prints on my statement.
So someone used my phone before I canceled it, but I can't find out who they called until Feb. 3.
I plan to scare the bejeezuz out of my 8th period today. If I don't get my phone back, I'm filing a police report and when I get my statement, I'm pressing bloody charges. So I'd better get my phone back by tomorrow... or else Miss Mathis is going on The War Path.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Perpetually Carsick
So the principal walks in to my period 4. Sounds like a joke? It is.
He tells me of the new changes they're making at the semester.
They are taking Judy's 2nd period ELD writing class and folding it into my 4th period ELD 1. Then they are giving her a regular Freshman English class while I have to teach 2 classes at the same time.
Now I suppose this makes sense on paper. 16 students + 11 = 27 kids in a class. That makes it nice and full. Now I just get to worry about how to deal with those new students and how to fit an added prep into my schedule.
We're losing 4 teachers and 1 grumpy secretary at the semester. The grumpy secretary is retiring, and they aren't replacing her. After a conversation with Patti of next door, I find that we're losing one art teacher and one English... I have no idea where the other two are coming from.
Now I know that it's not their (Administration) fault, but it doesn't make the situation any less tolerable, or laughable. I wouldn't want to be them, either, having to make all the decisions and informing people about their jobs.
On top of everything, I still feel icky from this weekend where I did nothing but lay on the couch and watch movies or sleep. Everytime I move, I feel carsick. Fun huh?
He tells me of the new changes they're making at the semester.
They are taking Judy's 2nd period ELD writing class and folding it into my 4th period ELD 1. Then they are giving her a regular Freshman English class while I have to teach 2 classes at the same time.
Now I suppose this makes sense on paper. 16 students + 11 = 27 kids in a class. That makes it nice and full. Now I just get to worry about how to deal with those new students and how to fit an added prep into my schedule.
We're losing 4 teachers and 1 grumpy secretary at the semester. The grumpy secretary is retiring, and they aren't replacing her. After a conversation with Patti of next door, I find that we're losing one art teacher and one English... I have no idea where the other two are coming from.
Now I know that it's not their (Administration) fault, but it doesn't make the situation any less tolerable, or laughable. I wouldn't want to be them, either, having to make all the decisions and informing people about their jobs.
On top of everything, I still feel icky from this weekend where I did nothing but lay on the couch and watch movies or sleep. Everytime I move, I feel carsick. Fun huh?
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
On the brighter side
It's finally not raining... and hopefully will stay that way. Of course as soon as it stops raining, I get a froggy chest and feel like crap.
At least it's Wednesday. And we're almost to a three day weekend. I'm having trouble garnering any enthusiasm.
Liz is sick too... but we decided she has something different than I do. I've been sick more times in the past six months than in the past 6 years it seems.
Maybe I'm growing an allergy to teenagers. Or maybe just 10th graders.
At least it's Wednesday. And we're almost to a three day weekend. I'm having trouble garnering any enthusiasm.
Liz is sick too... but we decided she has something different than I do. I've been sick more times in the past six months than in the past 6 years it seems.
Maybe I'm growing an allergy to teenagers. Or maybe just 10th graders.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Weather Watch
It's almost 8:00 am here, and it's still dark outside. Good Morning America got preempted by Tornado Watch... not in Long Beach, but still. We've had over our average yearly rainfall and it's only the first 10 days of the year.
Yesterday Liz and I decided to be lazy. We stayed in and watched movies all day. We made enchiladas... or rather more of a cassarole thingy, because the corn tortillas weren't behaving. We played a round of Potter Crack, which Liz beat me at... Again.
On Saturday I joined my family at Papadakis's Taverna, supposedly one of the best Greek restaurants in the LA area. It's in San Pedro, and Mapquest told me to take Ocean all the way there. What it didn't tell me about was the two really scary bridges that I had to go over to get there. I'm sooo glad that it wasn't raining earlier in the evening. Otherwise I would have been screwed and scared out of my mind.
Other than being very friendly and having excellent service, I wasn't too impressed with the place, but I couldn't exactly say that to Dad. I think the Greek place that we went to in Malibu with Rob, which I believe is Tony's Taverna was more atmospheric and had better entertainment. I did manage to stick it to Tricia when the violinist came around. I had him play the USC fight song. Papadakis is a huge USC football fan. We even got a speech about it after the entertainment.
Maybe it was just the ride home that creeped me out. It was raining so hard I couldn't see the signs or the lines on the road. I couldn't find Ocean, which I wasn't too heartbroken about, because I didn't want to go over the scary bridges again. Instead I got on the freeway, thinking even if I have to go 10 miles out of my way, I'm at least not lost. Then I see an exit for PCH and think, hey that'll be a short cut.
I'm driving rather slowly along PCH, keeping an eye on the lines, and praying there's no flooding along the way when suddenly someone starts shouting out at me from a pickup truck. First impression: When loud guy rolls down window and shouts at passerby: Probably drunk. So I slow down even more to stay behind the truck. It keeps slowing down and yells at me. I refuse to look at guy, thinking he's going to do something stupid. This goes on for about 5 minutes before suddenly my phone rings. It's Nikki, so I begin to think maybe she's been in an accident in the rain. I pick up the phone, while driving and avoiding drunk guy.
"What's up? Where are you?" I ask.
"We're in the pickup truck you're refusing to look at."
"I thought you were drunk guys."
"I'm the only drunk one around here," Michael says. "You're driving awfully slow."
Duh.
Yesterday Liz and I decided to be lazy. We stayed in and watched movies all day. We made enchiladas... or rather more of a cassarole thingy, because the corn tortillas weren't behaving. We played a round of Potter Crack, which Liz beat me at... Again.
On Saturday I joined my family at Papadakis's Taverna, supposedly one of the best Greek restaurants in the LA area. It's in San Pedro, and Mapquest told me to take Ocean all the way there. What it didn't tell me about was the two really scary bridges that I had to go over to get there. I'm sooo glad that it wasn't raining earlier in the evening. Otherwise I would have been screwed and scared out of my mind.
Other than being very friendly and having excellent service, I wasn't too impressed with the place, but I couldn't exactly say that to Dad. I think the Greek place that we went to in Malibu with Rob, which I believe is Tony's Taverna was more atmospheric and had better entertainment. I did manage to stick it to Tricia when the violinist came around. I had him play the USC fight song. Papadakis is a huge USC football fan. We even got a speech about it after the entertainment.
Maybe it was just the ride home that creeped me out. It was raining so hard I couldn't see the signs or the lines on the road. I couldn't find Ocean, which I wasn't too heartbroken about, because I didn't want to go over the scary bridges again. Instead I got on the freeway, thinking even if I have to go 10 miles out of my way, I'm at least not lost. Then I see an exit for PCH and think, hey that'll be a short cut.
I'm driving rather slowly along PCH, keeping an eye on the lines, and praying there's no flooding along the way when suddenly someone starts shouting out at me from a pickup truck. First impression: When loud guy rolls down window and shouts at passerby: Probably drunk. So I slow down even more to stay behind the truck. It keeps slowing down and yells at me. I refuse to look at guy, thinking he's going to do something stupid. This goes on for about 5 minutes before suddenly my phone rings. It's Nikki, so I begin to think maybe she's been in an accident in the rain. I pick up the phone, while driving and avoiding drunk guy.
"What's up? Where are you?" I ask.
"We're in the pickup truck you're refusing to look at."
"I thought you were drunk guys."
"I'm the only drunk one around here," Michael says. "You're driving awfully slow."
Duh.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Christmas in Review
So Christmas Eve: As I was saying, oh about two entries ago, the Mathis side was pretty much a bust, except I got a cool shortcake pan and a bottle of homemade Kalhua. We didn’t even really tuck into the Tequilla either.
Back at the Dittner’s, we ended up with 5 Mathis’s, 5 Skeltons, and 5 Dittners. Zach and Jasmine handed out the Christmas presents. Zach kept handing me Janyce presents, and everyone had to make sure they read their labels well before opening. I got a pretty good haul. I was a bit afraid when I received an obvious clothing box from Mom. Whatever it is, its usually hideous. Instead, it was a USC t-shirt. Tricia gave me all the coolio movies on my Amazon wish list, and Nikki gave me a pair of pajamas and a thermos so we wouldn’t have to use one of Grandma’s if we went to the snow. (We still think that’s what made us horribly sick last Christmas.) I got lots of random bath and lotion stuff. I also got a cordless Playstation 2 controller (So now we can stop tripping over the dang thing!) I also got some bakeware and a veggie tray. Got two books and a puzzle. (Liz and I just finished putting the puzzle together. It was a 1500 piece deal that nearly didn’t fit on the coffee table. I couldn’t go to sleep last night until we’d finished it. I think it will be displayed there for several days before we break it down.)
On Christmas Day we decided that there wasn’t going to be enough snow in the mountains to go sledding, so we hung about until it was time to head off to Uncle Chris’s new house. It sits on the edge of Red Bluff on a 10 acre lot. They’ve got a barn, a horse, a miniature horse and 2 ATV’s. Tricia and Nikki amused themselves by riding about on the ATV’s. Dad tried to amuse himself by building a bottle rocket glider powered by baking soda and vinegar. He’d given it to Zach for Christmas, but hadn’t realized how much effort went into constructing it. He was quite upset as Zach tried to “help.” Somehow, 9 year old craftsmanship didn’t please my dad, so I stepped in to help and sent Zach off on a few errands to calm Dad’s nerves.
Meanwhile, Tricia and Nikki had switched from horsepower to horse power. Nikki couldn’t get the horse to go any further away from the house than the miniature horse could follow, and since he was in a pen, that wasn’t too far. “Remember,” Cory said, as she put Tricia on the horse, “You’re the boss.”
Tricia tried to get the horse to move into the field. The horse turned and walked right into the barn. She tried to turn him, and he just turned right back around. Just as she finally got the horse cooperating, Dad decided to let off his bottle rocket in the far field. Yes, this was a good idea. Luckily, the horse didn’t seem too spooked, and the rocket flew onto the roof, further preventing any further incidents.
Dinner was Prime Rib and by that time I’d snacked too much to really be hungry. Dad began to occupy his time with other things than bottle rockets… namely bottles. Now Dad is a strange guy when he’s plastered. If you’re not careful, you get the entire global positioning system explained to you in extraordinary detail. He managed to corner Uncle Chris’s brother-in-law and talked at him for about an hour before we decided to try some Poker.
Now Poker just doesn’t work without money. Especially when you have a really annoying Uncle who keeps raising by the thousands and a drunk dad who sits and explains these really annoying rules to random card games. Give me a $5 a person poker tournament with Texas Hold’m and I’d be much happier.
Back at the Dittner’s, we ended up with 5 Mathis’s, 5 Skeltons, and 5 Dittners. Zach and Jasmine handed out the Christmas presents. Zach kept handing me Janyce presents, and everyone had to make sure they read their labels well before opening. I got a pretty good haul. I was a bit afraid when I received an obvious clothing box from Mom. Whatever it is, its usually hideous. Instead, it was a USC t-shirt. Tricia gave me all the coolio movies on my Amazon wish list, and Nikki gave me a pair of pajamas and a thermos so we wouldn’t have to use one of Grandma’s if we went to the snow. (We still think that’s what made us horribly sick last Christmas.) I got lots of random bath and lotion stuff. I also got a cordless Playstation 2 controller (So now we can stop tripping over the dang thing!) I also got some bakeware and a veggie tray. Got two books and a puzzle. (Liz and I just finished putting the puzzle together. It was a 1500 piece deal that nearly didn’t fit on the coffee table. I couldn’t go to sleep last night until we’d finished it. I think it will be displayed there for several days before we break it down.)
On Christmas Day we decided that there wasn’t going to be enough snow in the mountains to go sledding, so we hung about until it was time to head off to Uncle Chris’s new house. It sits on the edge of Red Bluff on a 10 acre lot. They’ve got a barn, a horse, a miniature horse and 2 ATV’s. Tricia and Nikki amused themselves by riding about on the ATV’s. Dad tried to amuse himself by building a bottle rocket glider powered by baking soda and vinegar. He’d given it to Zach for Christmas, but hadn’t realized how much effort went into constructing it. He was quite upset as Zach tried to “help.” Somehow, 9 year old craftsmanship didn’t please my dad, so I stepped in to help and sent Zach off on a few errands to calm Dad’s nerves.
Meanwhile, Tricia and Nikki had switched from horsepower to horse power. Nikki couldn’t get the horse to go any further away from the house than the miniature horse could follow, and since he was in a pen, that wasn’t too far. “Remember,” Cory said, as she put Tricia on the horse, “You’re the boss.”
Tricia tried to get the horse to move into the field. The horse turned and walked right into the barn. She tried to turn him, and he just turned right back around. Just as she finally got the horse cooperating, Dad decided to let off his bottle rocket in the far field. Yes, this was a good idea. Luckily, the horse didn’t seem too spooked, and the rocket flew onto the roof, further preventing any further incidents.
Dinner was Prime Rib and by that time I’d snacked too much to really be hungry. Dad began to occupy his time with other things than bottle rockets… namely bottles. Now Dad is a strange guy when he’s plastered. If you’re not careful, you get the entire global positioning system explained to you in extraordinary detail. He managed to corner Uncle Chris’s brother-in-law and talked at him for about an hour before we decided to try some Poker.
Now Poker just doesn’t work without money. Especially when you have a really annoying Uncle who keeps raising by the thousands and a drunk dad who sits and explains these really annoying rules to random card games. Give me a $5 a person poker tournament with Texas Hold’m and I’d be much happier.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Yeah, yeah
I need to update it... I never finished my Vaca stories... including a trip to Chico and another trip lost towards mountains... and Calistoga.
Just thought I'd pop in and say USC Better Rule tonight. I already explained to my Period 3, that if I'm happy tomorrow, we won. If I'm sad... they'll know why.
Just thought I'd pop in and say USC Better Rule tonight. I already explained to my Period 3, that if I'm happy tomorrow, we won. If I'm sad... they'll know why.
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