Port Townsend with Gage and Jessica!

We were fortunate enough to spend a weekend with Gage and Jessica up in Port Townsend last weekend. Tobias was more than pleased to play with his new girlfriend, Aroma - after an intense two hours of "courtship," they snuggled under the bedcovers. The humans went to both a magic and a rock show (not the nerd kind this time), and had the most delicious dinner/dessert ever. Thank you, Gage and Jessica, for inspiring James to make Bananas Foster for my birthday! Oh how delicious! The next morning: a French bistro, an antique car shop, a drive around parks/beach, and a perusal of an 1868 book called "Advice to Wives." (Make sure you don't ever sleep in an un-ventilated room!)

You know you want some.

My mum works for the American Museum of Natural History, as many of you know. About two weeks ago, we were chatting on the phone when she casually asks me if I know who Stephen Colbert is. Uuuummm, yeah, one of my favorite shows. Irreverence + politics = greatness. I don't think she had ever heard of him before, 'cause she then said, "I think he has a show."
Anyway, she then explains that he was at the museum's water exhibit filming a bit for his show and that they ended up chatting and that "he's a really nice guy!"
At any rate, I watched The Colbert Report's show on water last night, and let me tell you, the curator that he was interviewing had the most tragic lack of sense of humor I've ever seen. Sorry, Mom, if you know this lady. I'm sure she's very professional. But if you are going to be interviewed on national television, the least you could do is some research about WHO is interviewing you. Stephen Colbert has NEVER done a serious interview. This one was painful and hilarious at the same time. Please, enjoy.

Strategery

I am scheming.

Next fall, I want to take about a dozen of my students to New York. I already have the itinerary, I have activities lined up, I pretty much know which students will be going. They will take a semester-long electives class where they will learn Art History/Appreciation and also do some fundraising to get the money to go.

That's the dilemma I'm at right now. Most of these students come from disadvantaged families and have few resources.

That's where you all will come in. In a few months, I will be asking--begging, the Universe to find a way that all these students can go. One student in particular (let's call her Maria) moved to the States less than a year ago without a single word of English in her vernacular but has managed to maintain Valedictorian status at our school - the result of incredibly hard work and a brilliant mind. She's shy, always polite. She gives me 1/2 her orange in the mornings. She keeps the sticky note messages I write her and puts them on her binder. But I also know she's incredibly poor. Her family wouldn't be able to give much money toward her trip. So we need to find the money somewhere else.

I'm not asking for any money now, but I want you to think about how amazing a trip to the Met or the Museum of Natural History or a tour of NBC or a few hours on Ellis Island would be for her.

Joey Lawrence

Poor Joey Lawrence.

His driver's side door doesn't unlock with a key so I have to climb over the passenger's side to unlock it.
Automatic seatbelt isn't automatic anymore, must buckle both seat and shoulder.
Glovebox door falls off its hinges.
Gaping holes in dash where buttons should be.
Must crawl through back seat, pull seat down, climb halfway into trunk to pull a cord in order to pop the trunk.
Seats don't move.
Rear defroster doesn't work.
Only one light on dash; can only see how fast I'm going until 60mph when it's dark.
Hubcaps missing.
Visor falls down if you try to use it.
Gas gauge is 5 mi/hr off.

...but, as James puts it, "It's all paid for."

You know you're a nerd when you're excited about the fantastic deal you just found on a really great specimen of petrified wood.

Click here to watch The Vagabond Opera

...or their song, Ravella

You haven't lived until you've heard nine cellos play "Sweet Child of Mine." ...Followed by a lovely Vivaldi number.














Valentine's was filled with sparkles, a handlebar 'stached accordian player, a professional hula-hooper, and music that might be described as The Decemberists on Vaudevillian LSD. Also, about 12 cellos. I lost count.


















I felt like I was getting a fair share of both culture and freak show. And I am totally stoked that I could do both at the same time.

Thank you, Vagabond Opera! And your cello guests! And Libby for the suggestion!

My wonderful day with Hubby

Today we drove over to Cannon Beach.











It was chilly, a little damp, and overcast, but the beach was still peaceful.










We ate at Mo's. James has never been there so I had to take him.











I had clam chowder and fish and chips, and he had the slumgullion. Slumgullion!









Then we went to Cloverfield. We both really enjoyed it. Go see it--I don't think it would have the same effect on your average tv.

Oh, and I didn't take any of these pictures. Especially that last one. My camera battery is dead (alas).

Behold! The Mighty Arm of Skunkie!

This afternoon I took advantage of my iTunes gift card and purchased three albums. I've owned the first two before, but lost them long ago... and it was about time I replaced them! For those of you not familiar with James or Pink Martini, your life is incomplete. And who doesn't like a little electronica?

Wrapping it up.

What's 18 inches shorter, 10 pounds lighter, and ate a WHOLE CHEESE SANDWICH today?

Yay! Me!

I've finally updated my links, by the way. I feel like a bad friend when I follow the links on someone else's blog and find a link to my own. There are plenty of blogs I follow, but have been too lazy to change my template... and I figure, hey, it's the new year, I'm starting from scratch, I should really do SOMETHING productive with the time I'm spending not napping on the couch. How I will survive the next two weeks is beyond me. Hubby and I have already talked about how I'm going to want to go back to work too soon, and I really need to take it easy... funny how when you're in the middle of work all you want is rest, but once you get it, you go crazy. At least for me.

Anybody have any good new year's res's? I know I already posted mine, but this year seems especially "new." I hope I don't botch this one up.

Sprung!

I'm outta that joint!

No more IV tubing sticking out of my neckmeat.

Skunkie slept on my chest all night long. He usually doesn't do that. I think he missed me almost as much as James did.

Still here

Well, I'm still in the hospital. The doctor said hopefully Friday or Saturday I'll be able to go home. That'll be the 2-week mark.

I did end up getting that headache, and I've spent the last couple of days laying down as flat as I can. This kind of headache doesn't respond to any kind of pain medication, even migraine stuff. Fortunately, the anti-nausea meds they've been giving me also make me super sleepy, so I've been knocked out for most of that. Yesterday I think I slept 21 hours. Highlights: I can now eat jello, and I can pee without anyone else's help. It's the little things that keep me going.

New Year's resolutions, in no particular order:
*Do yoga at least three times a week. I mean it this time.
*Plan ahead
*Take deep breaths
*Appreciate Hubby more
*Get down to 158 lbs

Surgery Updateowel

This is James. Because I'm such a leet haxxor, I am updating you from Aud's blog.

Aud went in for surgery at 5ish, was out into recovery at 830 or so. They removed about 18 inches of her bowel, pretty much what they were expecting to have to do. There were no surgical complications, and the surgeon said she responded well. The anestheia doc said there was a problems when he went to do her epidural, and that he punctured the sac in her spinal column, essentially giving her a spinal instead of an epidural. There is the possibility for a nasty headache for the next 4-5 days, but there may not even be that, and keeping Aud on her back will help that. I know Aud would LOVE visitors, but I don't know when is a good time to start, I imagine starting tomorrow would be fine, but your results may vary. She's at Meridian Park Hospital in Tualatin, by the way.

Today

Thank you, Hubby, for the totally rad Christmas present--the iPod Nano Video! Mine's green and pretty. It has lots of music in it. Now it just needs a name! I'm going to figure out how to put my pictures on it and make an audio slideshow.

Today at 5 I'm going in to surgery. Most of my abscess is gone, and the doctors aren't too worried about my friend Santa (even though he's alive and kicking, and located between the layers of tissue by my skin and fat). They'll take out between 12 and 18 inches of small intestine, and possibly part of my large.

Bumped up *edited*

My abscess is a bit worse than they thought, and as of Christmas Eve, I've developed another one 6-8 inches away from abscess #1. I've named this new one Santa, since he came on Christmas Eve AND because "Santa" is an acronym for "Satan." He's located above my right hip, and he's big and red and swollen and very warm to the touch. We also found out that he's made up (at least partially) of some sort of staphylococcus species. I'm taking a look at my lab reports from this morning (they did a culture of some of the gunk that came out of my abscess) and I've got:
*Light growth Klebsiella pneumoniae
*Heavy growth Presumptive Streptococcus anginosus group
*Heavy grown Staphylococcus species, coagulase negative
*Scant growth Bacteriodes fragilis

Don't worry, the staph is the kind that can be treated by normal IV antibiotics. It's just not the right kind to be treated with the Cipro and Flagyl I've been taking for everything else. But let me tell you, it was NOT the thing I wanted to be freaked out about at 3 AM on Christmas morning, when I had woken up and seen it in the mirror. The nurse was so kind to me, though.

Tomorrow I'll have another CT scan to determine how big this thing is, if the swelling's gone down at all, and if Santa has gotten any smaller. One of the nurses drew a line around it tonight with a surgical pen so we can see exactly how it changes. If it's getting bigger, we operate Thursday or Friday. If it's getting better, I think we wait another 10 days, and THEN operate.

In other news, Christmas was more cheerful than I thought a Christmas in a hospital could be! Pat and Libby are still here, and we've been watching "Lost" and playing Hand and Foot. Hubby has been here, and he next the next few days off so it was wonderful for him to stay here until late last night holding my hand and vegging out. The Wrights came by and we had a quick Christmas get-together, shortly joined by both my doctor (who brought me a cute gift and a card! so sweet!), one of the surgeons, and a nurse or two. And of course I've spoken to the fam in NY, and I got to talk to my grandma last night as well. Being in the hospital at this time of year has made me (and James) realize just how far away from personal the holidays can seem, and we've made a resolution to change our ways in future Christmases/birthdays. It's about relationships, you know? And too many people try to maintain those relationships by annual giving-of-the-perfect gift, and there's so much pressure, and the amount spent is always an issue, and everybody gets stressed out, yadda yadda. I was forced this year to forgo Christmas shopping, and instead, I talked to a lot of people. True, I got many dismissals from said shopping, but wouldn't it be nice if everybody got that dismissal? Wouldn't it be cool if no presents was genuinely the expectation? Hmmm... Maybe I'm just a grinch.

Oh, we've also become official celebrators of "Festivus." I have the perfect Festivus pole, even! It's on wheels!

Third Time's a Charm?

I'm back in the hospital again. Ugh!

New symptoms, in addition to the old ones. Also, a urinary tract infection to boot. What is wrong with me?!?!

Warning: I include gross details. My inhibitions have all but vanished and now I don't really care who knows all the disgusting things going on with my body. But if YOU care if you know, then proceed with caution!

My test on Monday showed very little inflamation, and a small linear lesion (what was left of the original) in my intestinal lining, but no abcess. Basically, I looked almost normal. However, sometime in the three days AFTER the test I developed the UTI and an abcess--painfully squooshing other organs out of the way and settling in the lining next to my abdominal muscles. Also, they found that it is, indeed, a fistulating abcess (look it up; it's gross), and that the little bugger is attempting to eat through my muscles all the way to my skin. Translation: PAINFUL. I spent Thursday night awkwardly propped up on the couch, paralyzed with pain. So, Friday I came back here. I'm actually glad they found the abcess, because now they'll actually DO something about it.

The plan: today, they will drain the abcess (the most painful experience I've ever had, when they did it 6 years ago--you have to be awake when they do it). They'll leave the tubes in for two weeks, and if there's no more infection, they plan to go ahead and remove all the infected intestines. The surgeon said he'll try to do it laproscopically, but operating on Crohn's patients is a tricky business, and they might have to open me all the way up. Also, he doesn't know yet if they will remove only the ilium or also part of the large intestine.

The surgery is pretty simple, but I'll have to be on steriods for quite a while after, and that increases the chance that there will be a leak and a consequential infection. However, if all goes well, it will probably mean years Crohn's free, which appeals. After the surgery, if I'm recovering well, I'd stay in the hospital for about 5 days, and the doctor recommends I stay home for another two weeks after that. If everything goes as planned, this would mean that I'd go back to school right at the start of the next semester.

Looks like it will be longer than I expected before I can have that cheeseburger I've been craving!

I've been getting lots of support, thank you. Gage and Jessica stopped by last night, as did my boss (principal) Laurie, laden with gifts from school. My heart just melted when I got a present from one of the "troublemakers"! And my principal is so so so supportive--we chatted for quite a while, she feels more like a friend than a boss. She got me a beautiful wrap/shawl. And we're making arrangements for a long-term sub for the rest of January. Oh, and she brought me my laptop (obviously, I guess).

I'm rambling. Sorry. Guests are MORE than welcome, and if anybody comes after this afternoon you'll probably get the pleasure of seeing my new tubing. I remember last time I had one I named her "Cathy the Catheter." Hopefully, I'll be out of here before Christmas!

Just some randomness

Click here to go to one of my favorite new blogs!

Aaaaachh!

So, my car is now in the shop. I think it's the fuel pump or some other fuel-ish gizmo that's gummed up, so no biggie, but it took some creative driving to get myself to work this morning (it started acting weird halfway there). Fortunately, I have some kind coworkers to give me rides until it's fixed.

Let's start taking bets on what ELSE could happen before Christmas, shall we? sheesh!

Body odor and Pac-Man

Teaching was interesting this week. (I went in on Thursday and Friday.) The kids didn't know why I was sick, as the rest of the MACA crew wasn't sure how much I wanted to be known. I figured the best way to explain Crohn's was through a Pac-Man analogy. Too bad I don't actually make the sound effects.

To be honest, being at school was hard. I was really glad to be back with the students (I really did miss them, even the snotty ones) and doing normal things again. But I'm tired, and achy, and the medicine makes me feel nauseas all the time. One of the few things that I can tolerate eating are those little colored/flavored mini-marshmallows, so I have a bag of those at my desk, and the students try to bum them off me all the time. Rubia convinced me to let her try one, and her face was priceless--not her cup of tea! One question I got from all the classes--"Is it contagious?" Once that was asked, 28 nervous little pairs of eyes pleaded at me from their desks... I was tempted a couple times to say yes, and you can get it simply by touching the same piece of paper, and then handing back old assignments. I figured the concerned parent calls wouldn't be worth it, though. So I satisfied my need for humor by convincing students to do silly things. Yesterday, Hayden did an interpretive dance at the front of the class, demonstrating a type of volcano. And I got all the guys in my math class to give a group hug to the "tough" guy. The squeals of "Stop! Stop! The BO!" was enough to last me for hours.

Thank you, everybody, for your concern and support and for checking up on me. It's helped me to keep a positive perspective and a sense of humor. Hubby has been gracious and helpful, and I'm so glad that both times I've had a flare-up, I've always gotten the support I need.

Update

So, here I am. For the SNCP, this will look familiar--of course, sans speeding ticket for Blair. For my PDX peeps, this is new.

It's been six years (almost exactly) since my last (and first) Crohn's flare-up, so I'm pretty lucky. But I'm still full of uncertainty about what this means long-term for me. When is solid food in my future? Oh cheesburger, I long for you!

I include this picture not to induce sympathy, but jealousy. See the tubes feeding me? That means that finally I can be lazier than my stomach. See the green thing on a stick? That's not a lollypop, but a delicious sponge! So that when my mouth gets dry, I can quench my thirst without all that bothersome swallowing. Notice the stylish mitts? It's like I'm a boxer!

This was taken yesterday, and fortunately they've graduated me from the hellish "Total Bowel Rest" to the mere torture that is "Clear liquids." I tell you, there are more food commercials on TV in the hospital. I actually DREAMED about food last night.

For those of you who may be totally confused about what's going on, here's a short description. Those of you wanting the more disgusting details can email, I guess, or call James, as my left hand is out of commission currently, and hunt-n-peck is getting tedious.

Crohn's is a glamorous disease where you immune system thinks your intestines are foreign, and subsequently attacks them. This leads to all sorts of nastiness, like hospital food. My doctors have me ingesting (through the veins or the mouth): two antibiotics, Potassioum, Saline, steroids, immunosuppressants, and immunomodulators. They're saving the mouse rDNA for later. Also, much jello.

No fruitcake, alas.

Good vibes

Please send me some of your good thoughts--

I'm not getting any better.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Fruitcake

This year, I tried especially hard to get back to my roots for the holidays. I, like Paul, have reservations about what the holidays have become. I abhor chintzy decorations, cheesy versions of holiday songs, and marquise lighting. So, last Sunday, I called me mum and asked for the traditional Fruit Cake recipe. Shunned and welcomed in equal measure in our family, the Fruit Cake has been passed down for more than four generations. The original recipe calls for ingredients that aren't readily available in most grocery stores. Fortunately for me, Crisco makes an adequate substitute for lard.
So, I began preparing said Fruit Cake on Sunday afternoon. This was a long process and involved many kitchen utensils and bowls. Great-great Grandma's kitchen must have been bigger than mine. You must understand, I was very excited about this Fruit Cake. That's why it's capitalized.

What I should mention right about now is that for the last few hours, I had been developing quite a pain in my abdomen--and the same type of pain that I had felt six years ago when I was in the hospital.
As I was nearing the moment when dry ingredients met wet, I doubled over in pain and said to James, "I think I need to go to the hospital." So off we went.

And so I stayed until Tuesday afternoon, after convincing the doctor that I was feeling well enough to go home. First meal after days of jello and beef broth? Grilled cheese and tomato soup. And Ben&Jerry's.












This was after two doses of Demerol, innumerable doses of Dilaudid (and several accompanying stupors, many of which were admittedly welcomed), steroids, four bags of antibiotics, and many many bags of Saline.











And a CT scan. With IV contrast AND watery drink contrast. And many doctors asking me if I'm allergic to any drugs (how many times do they need me to say "morphine"?).


I was dreading the thought of another sick holiday. It seems that every Thanksgiving, Christmas, or both, I'm sick with something.

...so James and I went to the Fred Meyer pharmacy to pick up my four new prescriptions (no avoiding the steroids this time... but at least they're giving me a bottle of Vicodin). As we were waiting, we strolled down to the furniture section to take advantage of a cuddle-friendly loveseat. Unfortunately, it was also located right in front of and facing the holiday decorations. Chintzy decorations, cheesy versions of holiday songs, and marquise lighting greeted us from kitty-corner. A million Santas waved to us. And James and I began wondering when the whole Santa-brings-us-toys-thing began. Early 20th century? I think we both agree that Santa represents commercialism and nothing more, and that we want our kids (wherever they may be at present time) to know traditional holiday stories and avoid the Christmas that we have today. I would love to talk about St. Nicholas. I would love to make traditional tree decorations (round orange slices dried and strung through, beads, cranberries and popcorn strings).

And I would love to make Fruit Cake.

Quarter Update

So, my quarter semester grades have been entered, parent conferences scheduled for next week, tests taken and new projects began. I can't believe we're already 1/4 the way finished--it feels like the school year just began.

One change that has made a HUGE difference in my day is the switch from teaching Photography to Psychology. One of the big things they wanted to learn in Psych was how to manipulate people (yeah right), so I gave them a good dose of it. Thanks to Paul's help with finding Forer's Personality test, I hooked the students on day 1. They took the personality test (I made sure to make it sound super-official) and I gave them the results the next day--but of course, they all got the same "analysis." Most of them thought it accurately described them, and they took it very seriously. Then they were appalled when I read the analysis out loud and asked who thought it sounded familiar--and all their hands went up. Hilarity ensued. And a good discussion of subjective validation, Clever Hans, and the observer-expectancy effect. It was nice to have an actual discussion with students who are genuinely interested... and even when there's a lot of chatting in the classroom, they're talking about the subject. Hallelujah! It's a nice way to end the day. Students stay after the bell to ask follow-up questions.

My favorite mini-victory: many students in that class are failing all others. The pot-heads, the apathy kids, the anarchy kids, the I-want-to-rebel-for-the-sake-of-rebelling kids. And those are the kids who raise their hands the most and offer the most insightful and intelligent comments. I love it. Now I really have something to look forward to during my day.

New Post

My doctor told me this morning that she wants me to quit eating chocolate.

My tests were all pretty inconclusive, so she wants me to have a caffeine-free diet for a while and see if my PVCs (Premature ventricular complexes) get any better. Other than that, she says my heart seems great.

In other news: It was nice to take the day off. I needed that. And Friday, it's a "grading day" so... no students! And no school on Monday (happy early Anniversary, Hubby!)! I can't believe the school year is already 1/4 done. The past 9 weeks have FLOWN by! And I've really got to start planning my Psychology class, as it starts next week. Gulp! I'm excited, really.

Fuzzy pink slippers have become one of my new best friends.

And I finally broke out the oil paint set that Hubby gave me (almost a year ago, he was quick to add). To be honest, I'm very intimidated by oils.

Skunkie is as affectionate as ever. He slept in the crook of my arm last night.

School has kind of hit a low with me, and I've responded by developing a thick skin of apathy. I don't want to become one of those teachers.

Debating

I've been debating over whether or not I should post this, because A) I don't want to seem like a whiner, and B) is it really anybody else's business? and C) does anybody else really want to know?

But oh, heck, I made this blog as more or less a journal that I just happen to invite other people to read. Kinda like the opposite of having one of those little locks and putting it under my mattress.

I'm finally out of Kaiser Permanente's icy, impersonal hand, and I went to my new doctor yesterday. Several things are slightly amiss: my blood pressure is high (and it's normally perfect), I have an irregular heartbeat (EKG revealed several additional beats in there), and my thyroid is perhaps working a little more than it ought. The doctor thinks maybe it's hyperthyroidism, which would explain the heart things, my struggles with weight even on a diet, my fatigue, and my anxiety.

It's strange, the timing of this appointment. I'm not so scared about my own health, just mystified. In fact, I feel so ungrateful for the body I've been given. I don't take care of it very well at all. Of course, my doctor thinks that with my schedule as it is, I'm doing a fairly decent job. But I know I neglect myself.

Most of you who read this know Jared and Skye and their current experience with cancer. The past few months I've reflected a lot about it.

The night before last I found out that one of my dear old friends (an ex-boyfriend, coincidentally) from BYU days has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He's only 23. He takes care of himself. He's full of life. He just started college in Hawaii. And now he's facing eight months of chemotherapy and hospital bills.

And I guess I'm kinda mad that someone whose body should be healthier than mine has been given such a horrible disease. And that someone who has a little baby should have it too. And what am I doing to take care of myself?

Not gross this time!

I looooooooovvee autumn.

The first day I step outside and smell the smell of October is one of my favorite days of the year...













The beautiful sunrises that I've been enjoying as I drive to work start my day off wonderfully...










The squash soup, the pink and red berries, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the anticipation of trees' color transformation, the wearing of sweaters and scarves, the smell of carved pumpkins, the visible puff of your own breath...













Oh, I love it, I love it all!


**I've decorated my classroom with spiderwebs, fake gourds (real ones would get stolen and smashed, unfortunately...), and orange leaf clusters (thank you Michael's 50% off sale!). My Smartboard looks like it lives in the forest. I have self-appointed decorating advisers that add little things every day. How many leaves are too much?

Turn away, those weak-stomached!

I'm home sick--a rare occurrence for a teacher. My voice is barely working, and even though I'm still functioning, the others told me I should take the day off and sleep in and watch cheesy tv shows. I'll take that.

*Do not read below if you get grossed out easily*
Unrelated news--last Saturday I inhaled a string. The resulting coughing fit caused so much pressure to my head that it caused a subjunctive hemorrhage.... which means that the capillaries in my eyes burst and bled between my eyeball and the thin, clear film that covers it. The picture below will help gross you out. It doesn't really hurt, but it's been a handy tool to win instant street cred with the boys at the school.










Don't worry, it'll go away in a week or two. No doctors needed.

Long days.

I am tired.

Two 13 hour work days in a row, with a 1-hour commute both ways...

Parent phone calls, lesson planning, after-school homework help, Art Club, Project-Based Learning, Advisory, modifications for English Language Learners, modifications for SPED students, technology, grading, finding time to eat lunch, following directions, explaining directions, writing down directions, no passing periods between classes, learning the Adobe Suite, public relations, ECHO, Reading Strategies, journal writing, tracking sheets, rules, the Constitution, THE MASCOT WE NEED A MASCOT WHAT SHOULD OUR MASCOT BE, homework, drama, enablers, co-dependence, excuses excuses excuses, Evolution is wrong, Math is boring, why do we do this, off campus lunch. Math night, science night, Back to School Night, parent night, meeting night. District meeting. Inservice day. Trainings. E3 coach, PBL coach, IMP coach, WriteSource coach, 1st year teacher mentor(s), ELL support, SPED support, SmartBoard trainer.

Punched in the gut

So, during 2nd period, my principal and the McMinnville School District Superintendent unexpectedly dropped by for a good 10 minutes.

Uuuuuuummmmm..... I hope that's not a normal occurrence. Not a bad experience, but I lost a lot of "teaching umph" resulting from my heart stopping for a good 60 seconds. I wonder if they could actually see my eyes popping out of my head.

They went to everybody's class. Liz lucked out. It was her prep period.

Thank goodness for the quiet ones.

I just wanted to let you all know that my first week of school is going marvelously. James has been relieved that I'm experiencing very little stress. These kids are coming from all sorts of different places--many of them want to be at MACA, lots of them were forced by parents and are trying to get kicked out. So, some classes are more challenging with others. But, as James put it, it's nothing I can't handle--and certainly it doesn't compare with some of the other situations I've dealt with. I just hope I don't have to use my restraint training during Math class, you know? ha ha. But really, I'm feeling fantastic right now. The staff at MACA is phenomenal--very smart, very supportive.

From Tuesday morning to Wednesday afternoon we spent our time at Camp Yamhill. 40 hours with 165 stinky teenagers (60% boys in the school!) was definitely an experience I'll never forget. But I got to know several students pretty well and formed what we like to call "alliances" with some of the troublemakers. For some reason, it seems like they gravitate toward me, which is funny 'cause I'm a total nerd. Once we got into the classrooms (today) and got to see my mad SMARTboard skillz, they were pretty impressed. That thing is awesome.

Today in my class we talked about bullying. On the way out the door, a quiet girl said to me, "That was really good." That was so nice to hear. And after the next period, another girl said, "Math is my favorite subject!" (They know I'll be teaching math). So sweet.

I think I also managed to jazz some up about taking psychology next semester--we aren't offering it now, but Deb just ordered psych textbooks (of my choosing).

My school day goes pretty fast, but it's also exhausting. At 8:30, I'm already pooped. Poor James has a pretty boring wife. I get up at 5:00, leave by 6:15, and his alarm doesn't even go off until 7:45. So, our schedules are pretty far off. :( I'm in bed for hours before he's tired.

Oh, and my schedule changed again. Some of my fellow (and more experienced teachers) realized that I'm teaching four different classes--which means I have four different subject/lessons to prepare every day. This is, as they said, "insanity, and not really fair." (Most of them are teaching two, and they've been teaching a lot longer than me.) So, they switched some things around to try to make it easier for me. My schedule is now:
Prep period
Cognitive Tutor (math on computers, study time)
two Science classes (diving right into Evolution. Heaven help me. This is a really conservative place.)
two Math classes
Digital Photography/Photoshop

You may have noticed that I am STILL teaching four different classes. At least they're chunked together now.