11/6
Grr, argh. Season 5 of Buffy does not come out until December.
Since my last entry a lot of stuff has come and gone, like Peahen, the beginning of the term, Nir, and godforsaken Halloween where we dressed up all the kids like Bob the Freakin' Builder, a day I only want to forget. Haven't had a relaxing weekend since Peahen left. That was a long time ago. That's a lot of weekends without doing laundry. I finally dryel-ed all my skirts and actually remembered to hang them up.
I never understood the term "hump day" until this year. I mean, I knew
what was meant (and finally, sometime after third grade was long over,
what wasn't) but
I never truly felt the desperate need to get over the hump until this SY.
Sometimes I think I'm dying (and right in the middle of class, too ...)
Someone really should have told me (or I should have listened to all the
people who did tell me) that full time plus full time equals double time,
but
And other days, it's all good. Last night's class, despite the migraine, I learned so much about emergent oral language, and stuff I can apply to my preschoolers -- which is huge, because there's not a lot of that stuff that I've been able to apply to my kids. Since I've been full-time in SPED, the curriculum we're studying seems like it was designed for gifted and very talented kids. Times like that I think, so what I have a portfolio of sixty lesson plans due in four weeks? Plus the unit plan, plus the curriculum guide, plus three presentatations and two performance finals? THis stuff makes sense, I don't actually want to be a tow-truck driver, I want to teach! ... HA HA HA. Then I arrive at work and notice that one of my four-year-olds has been dropped off 30 minutes early and is unattended except for two fifth-graders who are "babysitting" him. Then Kid Rock pulls out his hearing aid and drops his grape juice. And I forgot about the IEP progress reports. And I have to navigate ISPED? Someone forgot to tack about a million dollars onto my paycheck.
I love the Loveys. I can't wait till January, when I can come in here and love them without hating all this other stuff.
11/7
Excitement in my life: Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle have produced Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?. Not quite the same ring as Brown Bear or even Polar Bear but the art is great ... and I wouldn't have to say "Macaroni Penguin, Macaroni Penguin, what do you see?" ... I could just say "Penguin, Penguin" ... I guess. Also found a bus book by Donald Crews that is so simple and so full of yellow buses it will immediately enthrall every kid here. And Maurice Sendak has illustrated Tony Kushner's Brundibar, based on the Czech opera. This is highest on my wish list, not for my kids but for myself, but I'm currently exercising this thing called self-restraint because der, insane credit card bills are, well, insane. As for the kids' books, though, why would I restrain myself? Just because I'd technically own them and would take them home at the end of my time here? Please. I'm all about the widdle ones.
Also there is a shark book being sold at the upcoming B-Fair @ work that I'm excited about. This may or may not make up for losing the shark cage tour at the a-mater silent auction. Yes, I LOST my bid ($50 opening on $120 val) for a 2-hour North Shore sharky tour, the kind where they dunk you right in the ocean wrapped loosely in a metal cage. Shit. Looks like I'll have to show up to next year's Luau after all. Anyway, shark book. I think it's a pop-up.
Next to having my own bathroom, the greatest thing about having my own place would be having the right to keep my books in the living room and not having to sleep on top of them. Assuming I had a living room and was not living out of a refrigerator box from Chock's or anything.
Ooo I am going to see "Revolutions" in about two hours. Thank god for popcorn and semi-cheap matinees.
Gotta go, I hear someone crying.
7:50 p.m.
Matinees are not even semi-cheap, or do I just think that because the movie was not worth anything in the neighborhood of $6 and/or I'm getting old and I'm starting to tell stories like my dad's "in MY day, cone sushi was fifteen cents at the corner store." Anyway, "Revolutions" blew major chunks. Check out the New Testament for a similar plotline without tedious, neverending battle scenes involving metallic octopi. I liked "Reloaded," I think I watched it three times, but you couldn't pay me to watch this thing again. No bikes, no steamy rave, no Gloria Foster.
Anyway. We're eating out tomorrow night! Yay, Tanaka. Yay, flying shrimp. Yay, fellow disgruntleds. That's my social life these days -- drinking with pissed-off class- and work-mates. So tomorrow, sober flying shrimp appetizers, will be fun. But have to survive 8 a.m. class first.