I'm Getting Better

A full week later, I'm still thankful when the school day ends, but things are better than they were. I had a rocky first couple days, but Thursday went well, as did today, and that gives me some hope. True, I had the students create collages Thurs and compete in an internet scavenger hunt today, but I figure, why the hell not make English class a bit enjoyable?

It's not that the lessons haven't been educational; they're just a bit alternative, which is the idea to begin with. Tomorrow they're bringing in their favorite song lyrics and perhaps a CD with their song to play in class. I briefly reviewed some poetic mumbojumbo like similies and alliteration, and asked them to pick out those usages in the song, taking it apart like they might take apart a poem. I figure we'll look at structure first, and then get into their meanings. Looking at songs seemed a good first step into a mini unit on poetry. Anything to get their attention and thinking that not all writing is boring ass shit.

I've got some sweet modern poetry to show them too, AND Chris might be coming in as a "guest speaker" to share some of his own poetry, answer questions, and perhaps tell them a bit about how he started writing. Of course they'll be writing some of their own poetry as well, which should be pretty fun, if I do it right. I have some ideas, just have to pick a couple and go with it.

Outside of teaching, which for the 12 hours a week fairly pathetically eats up my free time in trying to put together materials and plan lessons for each day, there's not a whole lot new around here. Thankfully it will get easier as the unit gets into the main phase of their writing. Easier to plan, but perhaps not easier to teach. I think I'm going to forget about getting a part time job for the next couple months and concententrate on not fucking up this job and finding a full time teaching job for the fall. It's so depressing to not get any call backs or emails. I'm going to call some places tomorrow and wake them up a bit. Not EVERY district can be that far behind that they aren't doing interviews yet. ::sigh:: Oh well. As my dad says, I'll always have a place at the Holiday Inn...or a factory. Comforting, hm?

In the car, I just can't wait, to be finished with my very first DAY

First day of summer school teaching....check
Beginning class of only 8/16 students...check
First minor setback during teaching...check

It could have been much much worse. Oh yes, much worse. As it was, I think I did pretty well, and came off fairly professional. Unfortunately, professionalism isn't exactly what's needed there. The kids aren't horrible, though they are brutally honest with themselves, their family, friends, and with me of course. I think they'll warm up to me as they go, but it may be a bit of a barrier that I grew up as, well, a good girl. And these are all students undergoing a program because they were alcoholics and flunked classes.

They're all smokers, since they cannot drink. Good idea, hm? They asked me if I smoke, drink, did drugs, etc. and I decided to be honest and say I did smoke 1 cigarette once...in a pub in Berlin after two big mugs of beer. However, I didn't like it, wouldn't do it again, and really can't stand the smell. As for drinking, I only have a couple drinks now and then (unless it's a special occassion--which I did not tell them).

Furthermore, since they're kids that were involved in all that junk, they hung out with a different sort of crowd SO they're not exactly fans of the same sort of things. I love reading, writing, never minded school, and got along with students and teachers. Instead of going out to parties, I'd hang out with friends and play games, watch fun movies, and basically, be a kid, all into fantasy and using my imagination. These are kids trying to grow up way too fast. Still, I did put up an Inuyasha poster I found at Suncoast and I plan on bringing my SW poster from home--I don't care if they think I'm a geek--I am one, and it's not like I'm going to bother hiding it.

Still, I think I can handle teaching this class. It's not like I had tons in common with the students at Altoona, nor the students in London, particularly. Besides, getting to know them today helped me make some decisions about the unit I will have them do this summer. I have many MANY options, but it looks like I'm going to have to design it to be as unconventional as possible, keep them on their toes, and keep them moving and learning. Some of them have the attention spans of a 3 year old...with a nicotine addiction.

So wish me luck, friends. I'm going to need it. That and a continuous supply of wine coolers, massages, time out with people born before 1986, and ice cream, lots of ice cream.

Bahp bah, bahp bah! This is the sound of settling

I'm almost moved in here at the house, things arranged pretty much how I want them. Granted, there's no bed in here, so it makes it a lot roomier and easier to decorate. It just looks a little empty, but I think I can solve that by bringing my TV, stereo, PS2, and a couple lamps the next time I drive home (in just over a week).

Anyway, I had a sort of "orientation" for my teaching position, and it doesn't seem too bad. I'll be teaching 16 students for 2.5 hours M-Th (and have an extra half hour just supervising the kids while they do some independent activities). Put it all together and it means I"ll have $1620 when I finish in July. ::sigh:: Not exactly what I was making over at AF, but then, only working 12h/week means I can pick up a part time job no problem...as long as I can figure just what sort of part time job I either want or am capable of doing.

Any good ideas? I'm sick of the Holiday Inn--6 years was enough--and I'd rather not waitress, nor would I really like to do customer service or telemarketing. Working at a bookstore would rock, I think, or maybe at a coffee shop. I suppose there's jobs at the mall too, and the hours there might work. Bleah...I just don't want to work minimum wage. Come to think of it, I never have. Not that I ever made a boatload of dough, just that it was either waitressing with tips, camp couselor with a decent wage, or factory work that paid great. Problem is I can't get an office type job cuz I'm busy in the mornings, so it's gotta be something in retail or restaurant pretty much, and I have no retail experience.

Sorry, just babbling on here today. I guess tonight a big group of us are all going to play volleyball--I just hope the weather holds out. And, that I don't completely suck, as I often tend to do when it comes to anything athletic aside from swimming. I'd prefer not reliving my oh so nice nickname of "Whiffer" tonight.

The Katie van is coming, and everybody's jumping, Green Bay to Minneapolis...

Listening to a bit of "get up off your ass" music as I finish packing up most of my belongings. HA, right, MOST? Probably only a fourth of what I have is going with me. The rest is staying here for another trip, or to just sit in storage until I have a house, or someone else claims my stuff.

There's so much I COULD pack, but I'm trying VERY hard to resist the temptation of filling the van to the brim. For instance, I could bring a bookshelf, and fill it with a zillion books I own. Or I could bring about 6 different lamps that are sitting around down here (I think maybe I'll just bring 4...or 3...) At least this time I don't have to lug my huge ass computer with it's desk. Oh, but I do need to grab the printer...dang, forgot about that.

Anyway, it's been was a late night, an early morning, and now there's a long day ahead of me. Thankfully, I saw pretty much everyone I wanted to see before I left town, and I had an absolute blast this week with friends and family every night. I even had a couple drinks with Joe last night, renewing and untying our "tied up" friendship. It was awkward at first, but eventually we started babbling on like old times. Probably just as well I'll be out of town though, that way he doesn't fall into any old ruts.

Oh, and I found out what position I have for this summer teaching job that I'm moving for...finally. Sadly, I'll only be getting maybe 10-12 hours a week, not exactly enough to thrive on even at $20.25/h. Still, it's an excellent opportunity and a HUGE resume booster for the fall. I'll just have to pick up a part time job for sure now, which I suppose isn't too bad either. Oh, and it also means I get to sleep in a little too ;) since class doesn't start til 9am. Sweet.

Well, time to get this party started. And I like to party, I like, I like to party...

The Ultimate Send-Off

Last night, I drank about five cups of coffee. One could say I'm addicted to caffeine OR one could say that I wasn't about to pass up on refills of Mocha Mint. Yes, my friends, after longs years of waiting, of arriving at my favored cafe and never seeing those sweet flavored words, I have finally once again tasted MOCHA MINT coffee at Caffe Espresso. And it was good.

Also very good were the tortellini with marinara and the House cheesecake that I consumed with relish that night. Joining me in my joy was Shelly, who I will miss dearly as an excellent coffee, restaurant, and bookstore companion. It was the ultimate way for Caffe Espresso and I to part ways, with no hard feelings, I assure you. I even saw a couple old high school folks whose names I cannot remember and faces I really didn't care if I saw or not, but still, it was sort of almost nice. Amazing that in all my time here in GB and the many times I went to Espresso that I didn't run into anyone I knew better. Eh, oh well.

Tonight I went to Tequilas for some authentic Mexican music, dancing, and alcoholic beverages. And it was good. My three favorite coworkers, friends you could say, met me at the bar, and we had a fun night of talking, joking, and a little dancing too. What really rocked wasn't so much the music as it was that all my drinks were ON THE HOUSE. Sweet, hm? I thought so. The bartender was cool cuz it's a new bar and grill, so they want new customers that come back again, AND the represntative for the temporary workers at AF was there and her husband was DJing for the bar. Overall, not a bad deal at all.

Top off the night with some quality time with my dad and Frank & Pat's pizza, and I'd say I'm about ready to crash right now. I still blame it on the residual effects of all the caffeine last night. Or maybe it was the two beers, sex on the beach (I so have to try that sometime), and a shot of tequila. Either way, that bed is looking mighty fine right now, so off I go. !Buenas noches!

GEEZ! What next?!

This week has been just full of surprises. First I find out I've got a new job, now I find out I've gotta move almost a week earlier than I thought. Turns out I'm off for MN on Monday, and before that I have a whole slew of appointments, packing, and fiesta-ing. I suddenly feel VERY overwhelmed and rather unprepared to move out.

Granted, this isn't like, my final "moving out" time thanks to not being able to fit everything into the van in one trip. AND, there's no way I'm packing absolutely everything, just the things I need and some things I want. Still, I have a feeling that van will be jam-packed before I get through with it.

I know I've been planning on moving out for a LONG time now, it's just that I never thought about it as an immediate sort of action, just something that will happen, eventually, in the future. But now, it's MONDAY, not some undetermined date. I think I'll be fine as far as getting things together, but there are a few things I thought I would do before I left that I don't think are going to happen:

*Sanding, painting, and fixing up the desk I bought at a rummage sale
*hanging out with Amy, Mary, and Shelly more
*patching things up with my long lost friend, Joe
*experiencing the somewhat dreaded, thought inevitable, maybe sort of nice, overall really no big deal of being in the same city as and running into old...friends
*having a fun-filled fiesta here at the house with coworkers and plenty of Corona and margaritas
*finally having my own grad party
*helping my mom and dad get rid of all their shit at a rummage sale

Getting to MN early is going to be a blast, I can assure you. However, there's something about "moving out" that has a finality to it. The next few days are the last of me really LIVING in this house that has been my home for 23 years (excluding 9 mo. out of the year). You could say it's just like I'm going to college...but it's not. This time, I'm not coming back, not for anything more than a visit. This is it.

Exiciting...scary...a huge hastle--all wrapped into one pivotal moment in my life. It's like I'm finally saying good-bye to my life as it was, and moving on; saying good-bye to my past and all it's ups and downs, being thankful for the good times and throwing a layer of dust over old memories. Sad that we say good-bye to so many things, so many people in our lives. Sometimes it's spoken, other times they just drift slowly away until they're just...gone. But you know, good-bye doesn't always mean forever. Sometimes time just needs to pass. And then, who knows?

The Time Has Come

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The time has come at last...FOR ME TO MOVE OUT!!!! You heard it right, I'm moving on out of here in less than two weeks. Why? Well, it could be in part because I FOUND A JOB!!!!! Yeah, I'm pretty sure that has a lot to do with it.

This weekend I traveled to MN to first of all, see Jenni's ultra awesome little tyke, and second of all, to attend an interview I set up for Monday. The interview went great, a lot smoother than I expected, and later that day the interviewer said they want to offer me a position. KICK ASS!

What's the position, you ask? Oh come on, that's personal. As for the job, I will be a summer school English teacher from June 21-July 29. It's not a full time job, and doesn't mean I'll be set for a fall teaching job, but it's a hell of a start. AND, I'm finally using that handle little degree and license I have, which means finally getting paid like a professional too.

This means I have a hell of a lot to do before next weekend, including major organizing of my shit, and of course, having as much fun as possible with the few friends here in town as well. Oh, and in preparation for the move, I also FINALLY picked up a brand spankin new cell phone, whose number I will not divulge here, but I'll be sure to give you a call and let you know (those privaleged few, that is ;)

Yep, bounds of excitement here and plenty of busy-ness, so please excuse me if I haven't been really great about updating this blog lately. I'll do better--really I will! :) Aight, it's late, time for bed. Ugh, at least I can finally look forward to NO MORE FACTORY WORK!!!!!!!! Next week that is... ::sigh::

Tomorrow, in a country far far away...

JENNY LEAVES
EPISODE 2

It was a dark time for the Katie. Forces of nature and a great opportunity have sent Jenny once again across the ocean, into foreign lands. But there is hope...

Okay, not exactly like a Star Wars main title intro, but the occassion is just as epic, if not more so since it's actually taking place in real life. My friend, my very good friend Jenny, is flying out to London tomorrow to begin the next six months of her temporary British status.

On one side, I'm totally fucking jealous, chica. I'd so love to be there too, kickin it and having a great time in the UK. I miss the city, the people, the pubs, the stores, the whole shitload of historical/architectural stuff...it's a sweet place. And I know we'd be totally awesome running around London, the UK, Europe doing everything we didn't get to last time, or that we want to do again.

On another side, I know it's good that you're out on your own making some sorta scary, but really exciting, interesting, and meaningful changes in your life. It's not quite time for me to get back to the UK yet, though I'll be sure to get there again as soon as I can. Probably not this summer, which blows donkey balls, but that's how it goes. And you've gotta bet a certain Mr. H is VERY happy to be seeing you. AND, you can be sure that we're gonna go travel again sometime, maybe to someplace new and exotic like...New York. Yep, sounds so thrilling after everything else, hm? ;) Oh, I know, it'd still rock.

And so, a post to say "Bon Voyage" to mi amiga. Be safe, have plenty, and I mean PLENTY of fun, listen to the CDS, and I'll be talking to you soon. Buena suerte!

We Didn't Start the Fire

Thanks to one Flarahety twin, I had that song in my head last night even as the rain was lulling me to sleep. That would be Ryan, one of Chris's friends, one of the fantastic five who drove up to Door Co. to go camping this fine Memorial Day weekend--the rest of us being Chris, Tricia, Rachael, and I. A sweet combo of peeps for a good time if I do say so myself.

We arrived at Tricia's parents' 20 acres of property sometime around 8pm Friday and the fun began. Thankfully, the five of us fit perfectly into the camper that was already set up. AND a fire was already started in the big fire pit by her family who was sitting around enjoying some beverages and tasty treats. It made for a nice relaxing beginning to the weekend, despite the fact that it was fricken freezing even in the camper and in a two person sleeping bag WITH an extra comforter on top. Brrrr.

The next day was actually pretty nice. Tricia's bro and gf came to join the party, as did Renae and Graham, adding to the particularly festive occasion. No rain until late evening, and the sun almost peeked out for a while in the afternoon--at least enough to give me an extra blush to my cheeks...and nose. Although, I'm not entirely sure some of that rosiness didn't come from a heat source a bit closer than the sun. You see, not only is a tradition for Tricia's family to have huge bonfire/campfires every time they go camping, but they are also in the process of clearing out trees and brush from their somewhat wild property. Put those factors together, and you get one huge ass, mo fo-gigantic fire. Seriously folks, this pile was 9 feet tall and about 15-20 feet in diameter (at least). Us kids created some auxillary piles of logs and branches nearby, carrying and dragging the wood from piles and areas from all over the place.

Despite it's huge potential, I wasn't too worried about the fire that would erupt from the pile. We had cleared out the brush around the pile, and the grass around it was very damp and trampled. So when her dad started pouring on the kerosene and starting the flames, we got right in there and helped the fire along. And then...we started backing away from the fire. Then we started HURRYING away from the fire, dragging chairs with us. Some were worried, others just watched the flames while drinking a beer. What did I do?

I was pulling back chairs while watching the fire with complete amazement and horror. Her mom was asking, should we call the fire department? Should we? She was all worried, and I don't blame her. I said she REALLY should call, and this is why. The flames were 25 feet in length, and I"m not talking straight up in the air--that wouldn't have worried me. No, the flames were going sideways, thanks to the gusts of wind, and the fire was roaring. They looked like they would reach the pile of brush that was put just a little too close to the pile. AND, the fire was spreading from the base outwards, consuming the damp grass. For about two minutes, I was afraid the property was going to be set ablaze like in those nature videos about wildfires, with little animals scurrying out of the smoke.

Actually, that part really happened. After we started the fire, but shortly before it completely erupted into a mountain of flame, a baby bunny ran out from the middle of the pile like it's tail was on fire (thankfully, it wasn't on fire). But it was scared shitless. Tricia tried picking it up, but then it fell out of her hands, and scurried away.

Very thankfully, the flaming grass put itself out after creating a big blackened radius around the pile. And the fire died down surprisingly fast after that one big burst, so that the panicking only lasted a minute or so. Good thing we didn't have to call the fire dept. or I guess it would have been a $1000 fine--yuck. Perhaps next time they won't be making such a big bonfire in such a big wind.

One sad addition to the bunny story. Later that evening, we were sitting around eating and drinking and having a good time, when another bunny ran right up to us, within just a few feet of where we were sitting. This time, it was an adult bunny, and it stopped and looked at us for a few moments, as if to say, "You mother fucking bastards! You killed my babies!" and then it ran off. I felt so bad :( It stopped by once again, and I tried to communicate to it that the baby ran that way...but for some reason, she just didn't understand. Hopefully they reunited, or maybe the baby's old enough to survive on it's own. ::sigh:: The causualties of fire.

On a lighter note, the rest of the weekend was free of anymore traumatized wildlife. We went hiking at Penninsula State Park--man my legs HURT!, played Dominoes and drank tea while it was pouring outside, and built our own campfire with damp wood and just one little match--Girl Scout skills at their best! It was a quality weekend in nature with some good friends, and Tricia's very nice family.

I'd say, not a bad bit of camping, especially since the last time I went was almost 5 years ago, right before I went off to college. And as I recall, that time wasn't exactly ideal with ultra super hot weather during the day and a bad thunderstorm at night. And what the fuck's with having my fucking period both times now? I'm telling you right now: I'm going camping again this summer and NEXT time there will be tenting and there will be shagging!

Burnin down the house

I've been burning like a mo fo lately. Yes, I did have a dream that I set the basement on fire and then put out the flames with my comforter, but I'm not talking about fire. I'm referring to all the wicked CDs I've been burning using my wonderful CD-RW drive. Ah yes, the joys of being able to create and listen to CD mixes of my favorite tunes.

The best part is bringing the CDs to work so I don't have to listen to Spanish polka music, WIXX same old shit that they play over and over and over again, or my same old CDs that tend to be too alternative, punk, or mellow for the tastes of my coworkers.
Sure, I love listening to Inucubus, Death Cab for Cutie, and nameless other musical greats ranging from swing, celtic, musicals, to hard rock. Something just tells me they wouldn't be rocking along to Rent with me. Eh, their loss.

It's not that I don't enjoy listening to tons of different kinds of music; I just don't own that many CDs...I'm cheap AND I'm too chicken to download more music from the internet. Perhaps someday I'll get some more tunes, but for now I'm happy with the sweet additions to my collection from generous friends. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you ;)

Too many babies!! Too many babies!!!

There's a little joke for Jenni, Chad, and Tricia if she's paying attention ;) This was the big week--Jenni and Chad just had their bundle of joy, little Erik last Tuesday. YAY for parenthood! Man, I can't wait to see these parents in action--you guys are going to be more hilarious than Amy and Geoff. And I just know your little boy is going to one amusing kid, all the way to adulthood. Good luck you two!

As if to add more babies onto the fire...I mean...bleah, I'm sounding like Jesse. What I mean is, I've had an overload of babies in my environment today. After finding out Jenni had her baby, I then proceeded to a baby shower for the sister-in-law of one of my coworkers--pretty far removed,hm? There were plenty of women there, and even MORE KIDS! There were 2 infants, 2 kids about 1 year old, 3 three-year-olds, and a few more kids ranging up to age 15. And the worst part was, almost every single one of them was friggen adorable.

::sigh:: And then I remember that there's a reason why I don't want kids for maybe another five years--I like hanging out with them for a while, but after a couple hours, I'm ready to put them back. So, if I could like, rent a kid like I'd rent a movie, I could deal with that, but I have a feeling that wouldn't go over very well as a business. I suppose that's what babysitting is for. Too bad that now I don't get paid for it. I swear I made a MINT when I was in middle school. So....anybody need a babysitter? I'll do it for free if I can eat your food, watch movies, call my friends, and bring my boyfriend over to make out...I mean help.

Please, can I go mom?

Tonight my mom and I were talking about the trips we'd like to take when we have the time. Ever since I set foot on European soil, I knew I'd be doing much more traveling in my life. In fact, I would say my trip to Boston and then my brother's wedding in Aruba are what really gave me the travel bug. It would take weeks and weeks to see all the places and do all the things I'd love to do all over the world. Where would I go first? Such a hard decision...let's see:

*Ireland and Scotland--I'd love to hike and tour all over those countries, checking out castles (like "famous" Castle Doune--"You've got two empty halves of coconuts and you're bangin 'em together!", local pubs, the Book of Kell, the Blarney Stone, the beautiful coastline, Dublin, Edinbourgh, and some small towns inbetween). I'm pretty sure that if I do go there, my mom's going with me--no way she'd miss out on that trip.

*Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden--I've been to Germany, but I couldn't tour the "Romantic Rhine" since it was during the winter season. Rick Steves made it sound so beautiful and rich with old culture, villages, castles, hills and valleys dotting the river along the way. Switzerland has the picturesque mountain scenes, and Sweden has my old roommate Angelica that I promised I would visit. Sounds like a do-able trip, doesn't it?

*New Zealand--Tricia said her roommate Rachel might be moving there for a while, so of course she'd like to visit her. And who wouldn't? It'd be awesome to see even a portion of the great landscapes shown in Lord of the Rings, AND New Zealand has plenty of fun and exciting activities to keep a person busy. My mom said maybe New Zealand will be next on her list of places to go--sounds like an adventure. She just hopes she could talk my dad into going somewhere besides Aruba. Hey, plane tickets are just about 1,500 (give or take a couple hundred).

*Japan--Something about the huge city of Tokyo just makes me want to go there some day. And Japan has plenty of cool things like volcanoes, mountains...not sure what else, but I know there's a lot. I mean geez, with all the anime I've watched, how could I not want to check out the culture that could produce such good and messed up programming? Too bad Japan is the most expensive place to visit.

*The Mediterranean--I'm talking Greece, Italy, and maybe a couple islands around there. I'd love to see the old architecture, and lots of historical places, not to mention the nice beach lines, and maybe Vatican City too. I probably wouldn't venture too far towards the Middle East...and I'm not sure I'd plan this trip now, but maybe in a few years things will cool down a little. It'd be sweet to see Egypt, but I'm pretty sure that's a really bad idea, and I also hear that the pryamids are sort of a let down when you see them in person. Still, I think I'd be impressed. Just as long as I'm not completely stripped of my possessions or killed in the process.

Oh, I could go on and on. The Yucatan Penninsula of Mexico, another trip to England, Australia, Russia...pretty much anywhere, as long as it's fairly safe and there's a nice hostel or hotel nearby. Only question is, who's going with me?

School ends, learning begins

Here's a high five to Chris who now is certifiably a well-learned scholar, a university graduate. Now the fun begins, right Jenny? Eh, I'll bet you'll do better than I have when it comes to finding a job. Cuz you know, you'll use your sexy masculine wiles to score a good position. Man that just sounded wrong. Thank God for the weekend!

Feeling shitty and great at the same time

Dudes! I'm getting a Dell! Yep, last night I bit the $1228 and got myself a modestly kick-ass laptop. That means, I'm going from a huge ass heavy, clunky 5-year-old PC with 450 mhz processor, 12 GB hard drive, and 96 MB RAM to a brand-spankin new laptop with 3.02 Pentium 4 HT processor, 30 GB hard drive (like I need anything bigger), 512 MB RAM, and handy CD-RW/DVD. It arrives this week and I am ULTRA excited. I've been wanting a new computer for about 3 years now. I just hope that it arrives alright--not sure how much I like something so precious traveling by mail to my door while I'm away at work. Maybe I should tell my parents about it, hm?

And in other happy news, I GOT MY MN TEACHING LICENSE!!!!! ::high fives all around:: It looks like a shitty green piece of paper that they couldn't even send in a nice big envelope--instead they folded it, and it's just like, a typed out chart saying what level I can teach and shit. Goes to show that WI is just better ;) Then again, this is just a temporary 1 year license that I will have to renew after I take my Praxis II test and some lame ass human relations course (as though I haven't friggen had enough of those). Having this license FINALLY is awesome, though, cuz it means any application from now on can have my MN license file folder number on it and I can say I DO INDEED have a license, so I don't have to write the lame not that I am still in the application process.

Ah yes, good things can happen on days when I feel like crap and decide to cut out of work early.

Isn't amazing how well online translators don't work?

For those of you not semi-fluent in Spanish, you could always try translating my post with Babel Fish from Altavista, though I warn you that some words don't translate quite the way they should. The main gist of it is still there though--note: if you're not into anything remotely sappy, translating the post probably isn't the thing for you.

My weekend was nice and balanced, with some girl time via Shelly and Tricia, and family time via parents and grandparents. Didn't get around to highlighting my hair, so that will have to be a project for Shelly and I this week. As though that's top on my list :P I'll admit, I've been a slacker lately on applications. It's hard to be motivated when there's so much going on to distract me over a weekend. Right now though, I'm feeling all...tired, sort of stressed, and mostly just completely sick of thinking about career options. Just give me a job, any job, or stick me in grad school...all I really want is to live with Tricia in St. Paul, and have a kick ass time in the Twin Cities. Is that too much to ask? ::sigh::

I just gotta keep going, send out applications, check out the possibility of grad school, and focus on the fact that I can be out of here in less than 3 months. Time has never gone so fast and slow at the same time, I swear.

Solo en mis fotos estás

Es la noche, y estoy sola y cansada. Pero todavía no puedo dormir porque soy pensando de la persona que es el amor de mi vida. Él no puede entender qué escribo en la pagina, aunque él puede entender qué está en mi corazon. Yo sé que estoy tonto a poner palabras tan personal para toda la gente a leer, pero es importante para mi a decir qué está en mi mente a veces. ? Entiendes ? Gracias. No quiero decir más, solamente que voy a soñar de cosas bonitas y él.

You make me sad

So I get a promotion and a raise, right? I am now allowed to write down "production coordinator" as my current employment position. Great news all around, though it means keeping it on the down low for a while as far as family goes, since I work with my sister-in-law and I'm not sure how she'll take it yet. I'm pretty well floored, knowing that the extra cash is going to be VERY helpful this fall with all of my new expenses: rent, energy, car insurance, school loans, cell phone, cable internet, etc. However, this newfound idea of cash to come has me dreaming of new ways to "invest."

For example, I plan on getting a new laptop soon--that was my plan all along--but now, won't it be tempting to add on a coulple hundred bucks for some upgrades? And hey, you know my wardrobe could use updating too. Last but not least, here's the kicker. With an extra $1000 and more, wouldn't it be tempting to arrange a getaway to visit Jenny in bonny and beautiful home away from home London?! Soooo unbelievably tempting. Not exactly a good idea to have in my head when I'm still sending out applications and waiting for a miracle teaching job for the fall. ::sigh:: The dangers of getting a promotion.

I can't fucking wait

Reason #567 that I'm glad I'll be moving out in August:

Helping out with projects and then getting blamed when something goes wrong. :P

Cliffhangers are so cruel

New episodes of Inuyasha started tonight and will be continuing every Sat. night. YAY!!!!! But you know, as excited as I am about that, having to wait an entire week for the next new episode pretty well blows. Granted, during the week are the slightly older episodes that I'm taping which might satiate me a little. Except, you know I won't stay satisfied for long ;)

Agh, my life's like a friggen cliffhanger right now. I just want to get on with it! But nooooo, I've got to wait, just like waiting for the next new season of my favorite series. ::sigh:: I suppose I should be thankful that there IS another season coming up--the season where I FINALLY move out of this house!!!! Cuz it would really suck if I were cancelled due to lack of interest....Alright, maybe that's taking the metaphor too far.

Ding Dong Ding Dong, Wedding Bells

Not mine, of course, but this weekend my cousin Nate got married and we all ventured to the celebration. At first I was a little hesitant, thinking it wuuld end up kinda lame with my mom's ultra silly family all there, and Chris being thrown into the throng of them. But, much to my enjoyment, it turned out to be a super fun time.

During the wedding, my immediate family sat together in the back of the church since little Matthew needed to be near the door in case he got whiney. It also meant that we could be as obnoxious to each other as we wanted without disturbing the ceremony, much. I tell you, if you ever feel bored at a church event, just bring my brother Scott along, and you'll be laughing your ass off...much to the disturbance of those next to you. It's like he's completely annoying and yet totally hilarious at the same time...except for when he stuck the wedding program in the back of my dress. Then I just wanted to kick his ass.

The reception was better than expected as well. Once we finally found the place, there was plenty of good food to eat and people to talk to. It would be have been nice if the dance had started a bit sooner after the dinner--I swear it took forever for them to set up. But we got a game of darts in--naturally, Chris kicked my ass at cricket. I knew when the dance started that there was a chance the songs might totally blow, but when it started out with "In the Mood," I had a feeling I might have a good time. And Chris was an awesome sport about dancing to anything from slow dances to "Love Shack" to the "Electric Slide"--even though he had to learn how to do it. I felt so happy; I've never been with someone who was so carefree and confident about putting himself out on the dancefloor. Such a welcome change. We had tons of fun being silly and sexy at the same time.

And it was so great to see how well he socialized with my family. It takes a kick-ass kind of guy with patience of steel to actually seem enthused about chatting with my mom's gabby sisters or with my dad after he's had a few beers. Hell, I wanted to try to escape from my parents and Scott made me promise to keep Dad from sitting next to him, but Chris, he took it head on and impressed all of us. Add some fun in the hotel with a swimming pool, hot tub, pizza, MXC, and a road trip with fun conversation and singing along with Death Cab for Cutie....I'm telling you, if I don't hold on to this guy, I'm going to seriously kick my own ass.