10.30.2007

Hair today, gone tomorrow

I forgot to mention my recent haircut. It was part me needing a change, and part me being totally dedicated to the Victoria Beckham role I played for a Halloween party. It's cute, really. It's pretty short. I went from using two hands to twist the water out of my longer locks before stepping out of the shower to quickly grasping for hair, and realizing now I must pinch the excess out of the newer, shorter style. It's not as easy to Chi as I thought, but it's about the same amount of style time as before. The only thing is...when I left the super cute, lofty salon in the more urban Deep Ellum, I felt trendy and confident with my throw back New Kids tee. Once I got to work, in my crisp slacks and high necklines...I felt, conservative and aged. During "laundry time," there was less to tousle and...play with. So the jury may still be out, but for the most part I'm expecting a positive verdict. Pic to come soon.

Calm down already!

I don't know why I do it.

I put too much on my plate...a habit I inherited from my mother. I can never leave well enough alone. I insist on doing more and more, confident I can do it perfectly, and I can, at the expense of my time, energy, and sanity. I became a teacher for a few reasons: to teach art to kids (two things I LOVE), to feel more fulfilled at the end of the day, and to have more time to dedicate to my family. So I still love art and kids, have never felt like I was in a more rewarding place in life, but have seem to neglected the last part - family and friends. Now, I spend time with both, more so than some other friends, but I have really allowed teaching to engulf my life. I have a stack of projects ready top be graded, numerous grades to enter, a room to decorate by Friday (I'm getting observed), competition pieces that need to be matted and mailed ASAP, alternative certification assignments to complete, and hardly an ounce of energy left after planning lessons, teaching, and dealing with students. I love my job, I do, and my kids mean the world to me, but I've mistakenly made them MY WORLD - and I need to slow down. During the week my husband is neglected - I come home late, bring some awful-for-you fast food and spend the majority of my night online and trying to make some order out of this mayhem we call a home. My ulcer is killing me and my period is rejecting my body because even it knows I hardly have the time for extra bathroom breaks!

I know I can get through this, not a problem, but I need some kind of "start saying no" therapy.

I don't want to disappoint my kids, but I also don't want to be a zombie when I come home to a pretty exceptional husband. Where do I lay down my terms and never look back? It's got to be in me somewhere.

10.27.2007

Boredom

I needed something to fill some time...so I stole this.

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
Some bar soap, Caress I bet, and some random body wash I don't use.

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No, not at all.

3. What would you change about your living room?
New couches I think...I'm happy with the living room.

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
They're clean, but may have been in there for awhile, so I'll probably start the cycle again.

5. What is in your fridge?
Milk, pickles, cokes, water, butter, turkey, ham, cookie dough and some chicken that's been marinating for two weeks - yeah. that's not any good.

6. White or wheat bread?
White wheat please.

7. What is on top of your refrigerator?
Liquor - Jack, Grey Goose, Bacardi, and some type of Tequila.

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain?
It looks like Indian fabric almost. Maroon, gold, purplish metalic striped with gold sticthing. I love it.

9. How many plants are in your home?
Just a dozen pink roses. I don't really have a green thumb and plastic plants are dust collectors.

10. Is your bed made right now?
No, there's a half naked man still in it right now.

11. Comet or Soft Scrub?
Comet

12. Is your closet organized?
It's getting rebellious, but there is still order in the kingdom.

13. Can you describe your flashlight?
I have two, a red and yellow one. No big whoop.

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Water (plastic) soda (can) the rest in a glass.

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
No, I loathe the stuff.

16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
No garage.

17. Curtains or blinds?
Both!

18. How many pillows do you sleep with?
I like to have two, but usually wake up with just one.

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
Never, I fact, I sleep with an eye mask.

20. How often do you vacuum?
Twice or 3 times a month.

21. Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard.

22. What color is your toothbrush?
I'm not sure, and I just got a new one!

23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
Kind of, it has a witch on it.

24. What is in your oven right now?
The rack, maybe a few crumbs.

25. Is there anything under your bed?
Shoes? Lost ear plugs? (I sleep with those too!)

26. Chore you hate doing the most?
Laundry. I never do it.

27. What retro items are in your home?
Old polaroid, old pics, old radio, and a coo-coo clock.

28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Not really, just the computer desk in the living room and my Mac Book on my lap or tv tray.

29. How many mirrors are in your home?
11?

30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home?
No

31. What color are your walls?
light khaki

32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
I keep a golf club next to the bed when home alone, oh, and a big rock I found

33. What does your home smell like right now?
Apple cinnamon, and NOT curry.

34. Favorite candle scent?
Apple cinnamon or clean cotton!

35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
Mini Kosher Dill

36. What color is your favorite Bible?
A purple bible my grandfather bought me durng my freshman year in collge.

37. Ever been on your roof?
No, that would be dangerous with the Spanish tile and all.

38. Do you own a stereo?
Haha...actually, no..unless you count the port thingy for the iPods.

39. How many TVs do you have?
4

40. How many house phones?
One, but we never use it.

41. Do you have a housekeeper?
Yes, and she's very good. (me!)

42. What style do you decorate in?
Reds, golds, and greens. Lots of pictures and, framed art fill the wall space.

43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
I prefer solids, with at least one piece (chair) as a print.

44. Is there a smoke detector in your home?
A few actually.

45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
A few family pics, my MacBook, purse, and my grandfather's cane.

10.24.2007

Procrastination, at it's best!

I'm so tired, had a few things I needed to do before bed, so why is it that I've been online for 2 hours??? Not to mention most of it was on (gasp) Myspace! I hardly spend as much time on there lately since I've fallen in love with Blogger! Tomorrow will be a long day, and it starts and ends with meetings and detentions - but before we know it, Friday will be here, and I'll be a day closer to the Halloween parties I've yet to have a costume for.

We're thinking David and Victoria Beckham...I can do the hair and the dress...but how in the world can I make myself look starving???

10.22.2007

Love - unscripted.

There was something I failed to mention about my trip.

As I was dealing with a situation of my own, I spent sometime, lent an ear, and talked to a cousin that was having some love issues. It seems we let ourselves get lost in relationships. We either get too involved in our significant other, or we don't get involved enough. There's a happy medium somewhere, but it involves thinking outwardly, and not just within ourselves.

Life hands us some sticky situations, especially in love. Sometimes people never really know how much love and devotion is in their heart for that special someone...sometimes it's too late. Other times we make mistakes that result in a lifetime of regret. I don't want to have regrets, and I don't want to never know how much I really am loved.

It's not always easy, but somewhere, there's that silver lining of hope.

I don't ever want him to doubt my heart's true devotion.

Weekend Back Home

So...I decided this wouldn't be such an anonymous blog...

I know, I know - totally contradicts everything I said a month or so ago, but I figure as long as there's not a definitive way to Google me and get this...well, I'd be okay for awhile.

Because it's easier for me write a list, that's what I'll do, I have a lot of pics to post - nothing spectacular - but pics nonetheless!

1) When I first arrived one of my goals was to head back to my old college campus, to find a old professor. I found him but he was in the middle of a studio critique so I browsed around my old classrooms. It really made me miss my college life...my job was to draw, paint and explore - and totally feel like I took that for granted. I could've learned so much more. As I realized that - I found my old yellow chair I sat in all the time...hasn't changed a bit.

2) At my alma mater we didn't have sororities really, we did, but they weren't Greek so they called them clubs. As a sophomore I had a few offers/potential bids in front of me, but I chose the organization with the richest history, a fountain (haha) and let's face it, the best reputation. I wasn't going to pay a ton in dues just to be associated with the hot girls who partied too much or the future housewives of America. I chose the girls who didn't have a stereotype really...unless you count white, but let's face it, at my university, diversity wasn't it's strong point. The girls were leaders, active in the school and community. You had your straight-laced conservatives, then there were girls like me that didn't mind letting their hair down occasionally. It was a good mix, and it was great to compare ourselves today to our composite pics from almost 10 years ago...but there was someone missing...

3) After the 6:30 a.m. breakfast we toured our old stomping grounds, and finally got to see the sculpture an old professor built recently. It was pretty amazing.

4) I sat in front of an old dorm I lived in for about a week. It was one of my worst college experiences besides taking sleeping pills and uppers within a few hours apart...actually, I did that while living in that hell hole! I was to get out.

5) At the Homecoming parade we ran into old friends, and cracked up at the different floats. Steppers, old ladies, and lots of candy.

6) We went to the game which turned out to be quite the surprise. This wasn't the school I use to attend..it's changed. There's actually school spirit and sold out games now...not to mention a marching band that not only plays "Thriller" but drops their horns and saxes to do the dance. Too funny.

7) After the festivities, we had a reunion dinner at the best restaurant in my opinion in Abilene. If you're ever there...head to the Beehive on Cedar downtown. I have a great friend that manages the kitchen and another that waits on tables so I may be biased, but the food was fabulous. It was one of the best things that happend to me this weekend, in more ways then one.

8) The next day was dedicated to family. I felt bad neglecting them while in town, but they totally understood. I spent most of the time at my parents house out by the lake. It's always a nice change, home cooked meals, family, and and old dirt road. That is, in fact, where I'm from, and it was nice to be back.











10.17.2007

So Accomplished

I've done everything I set out to do before my weekend trip for my 5 year college reunion/homecoming! I finished my alternative certification module, cleaned up, graded a TON of papers, got several pieces matted and competition ready for my kiddos...add Joey doing some laundry and we've had a successful week! Seriously. I was running out of my regular, er, undergarments and was having to result to the "fun" stuff. I mean, 98% of my, uh, stuff is fun...but I was down to crazy, wedding-night fun...stuff. I've said too much...but you get the point, I've been getting down to the wire! Tomorrow night is my night to relax, and get packed. I'm taking a half-day on Friday to head out and take my niece to a carnival on my old college campus, after that awaits a tightly packed schedule. Two things before I get in the shower...
We had a boy admit to bringing a knife to school today and threatening that he would stab a student. Ugh. He's one of mine. There's major issues there, and I'm honestly not too surprised. I hope he gets help and that this is the worst to come.
Secondly, I sliced my finger pretty bad today at school. It looks worse than it feels. Can you say "hanging meat?" Luckily it doesn't seem that stitches are necessary..but then again that came from a school nurse who took an an hour and forty five minutes to actually see me! I spent the first part of my morning teaching my class with a bloody hand in the sink! I was supposed to get my nails touched up tomorrow, but fear they won't be gentle so it may be a no-go :( I'm becoming high-maintenance again...another blog for another day.
Okay, so I said two things so I'm leaving it at that. Off to wash the bod from the filth that is life and kids that are not my own!

10.16.2007

Dallas vs Patriots (I'm not pissed...)

Luckily the game was a 3:00 game which would allow us sometime to get there early, and check out the tailgating scene. The fans were out in full force, and not just Cowboy fans! I'd have to Sunday's game was a close mix (40/60 in favor of Dallas).





On the way to the stadium we saw a plethora of screaming, trash-talking fans, port-a-pottys, and garbage. Some garbage cans had spirit.


...others were overflowing with alcoholic remnants.


One of my favorite things about these games are the signs...I never got to make one after all, but enjoyed the ones I got to see.




I enjoyed the whole game, win or lose. Here are a few highlights from the pretty good seats we scored: The Cowboys taking a knee in the end zone in prayer before the start...the old man next to me that would say "Shit!" and "Dammit!" like, every other minute...seeing the all-time GREAT Michael Irvin in that snazzy yellow jacket addressing Texas Stadium after his induction into the hall of fame.







Oh, and the guy in front of me who videotaped the cheerleaders during every dance routine! Creepy....

Senorita Picosita

FC Dallas vs Chivas

So I actually forgot everything I wanted to write about this event since it was almost a week ago :( I really meant to blog is sooner but if you read my last blog you are aware of my time constraints.

Here's what you need to know:
1) We used our complimentary tickets from the whole Beckham not showing fiasco even though I vowed not to. As much as I hated the fact that the only reason people showed that day was for him and not loyalty to their Dallas team wasn't enough for me to waste two perfectly good tickets.


2) When we got there my first objective was to find some food stat. It was also Juan Toja night. Toja is one of FC Dallas' finest and in honor of him long, brown mullet looking wigs were handed it to the first 5,000 hundred fans. You know we were there for that! It was pretty funny seeing two-year olds to eighty-year olds sporting the wigs.



3) We had awesome seats. From our spot we had close up views of almost everything, especially in the second half.


4) As you may know I have a bit of a Landon Donovan crush...well, I may be swayed to take on a new soccer crush outside of the US National Team. Arturo Alvarez made quite the impression on me so needless to say I felt bad when he got hurt.



There was almost a fight over it...



In the end Alvarez was fine and the game ended in a 0-0 tie against Chivas USA.

Boo Work!

So I have like 50 things to do before I can allow myself to really blog something and it's driving me nuts! I still have pics from last week to post, not to mention my pics from the Cowboy-Patriots game. Grr. But all of my extra-curricular activites have severely tarnished much real work time! I promised myself work first then play this week. I graded so many freaking papers last night, so here's the plan: Enter in the grades by 4:00 today, finish a module for my alternative certification program, straighten up my place, then blog. Sigh! Bear with me!!!

10.08.2007

What the heck???

Five interceptions and we STILL win??? That game was way too close but the boys pulled it off! I don't care what people say about Romo, I still love him. I was sad that Grammatica was let go (or as my friend calls him "Mar-teen") but Nick proved he's got what it takes! Now I REALLY can't wait to go to the Cowboys-Patriots game! For you negative non-Cowboy fans, you can suck it. That's right. I said it.

Another addition.

Did I mention I now have in possession my grandfather's old Polaroid camera? It's quite vintage, and it's pretty awesome mayne. I just need to figure out if it's possible to get it up and running...not sure they even make the right film anymore.




The pictures of the camera suck..I was running out of battery and had to shoot quick, thus the specks!

Here she is!

The newest member to our family. I don't have a name for her yet..but she's already been tagged with an Apple sticker.


10.07.2007

Adventures in car shopping

Here are some highlights from my most recent car purchasing experience.

1) This lot was different. The salesmen were lined up, ready for potential buyers. They decided what cars they were going to show me. They made the decisions on what I would or wouldn't like, or what was feasible with my budget...they're supposed to be experts. They weren't so much.

2) After dealing with a great guy who we felt comfortable with, his superior came to talk with us and get some info. It was like talking to a bland wall with a robotic type personality:

Zombie: Mrs. R_______, what is your occupation?

Me: I'm a school teacher

Zombie: That is great. How do you like it?

Me: I love it.

Zombie: That is great. Who is your employer?

Me: _______ I.S.D

Zombie: How do you like it there?

Me: Um, it's great.

Zombie: That's good. That's good. And what is your address?

Me: Blah, Blah, Blah Road, Blah Blah, Texas

Zombie: Is that an apartment?

Me: Townhouse

Zombie: How do you like it there? Is it nice?

Me (getting annoyed): Yeah, it's great.

Zombie: That's good. And your previous address?

Me: 2701 N Grapevine Mills Blvd.

Zombie: What city is that located?

(Are you f'ing serious???)

Me: Um, Grapevine.

Zombie: How did you like Grapevine?

UGH! You get the point??? It was the most bland, generic conversation ever. I wish I could illustrate the look on his face. His eyes were blank, as was his expression. His attempt to seem personable and interesting was a huge failure and I couldn't believe I allowed him to even look at my personal information.

3) To make things even more interesting, another higher up comes in, sits and asks:

Douche #2: Hey guys, how's it going?

Us: Great.

Douche #2: So let me ask, are you enjoying your service today?

Us: Sure, it's great.

Douche #2: And the car you test drove, if we get the numbers right, is this something you may like to purchase?

Us: Sure, if the numbers are right.

Douche #2: Great! That's all I needed to hear! Thanks guys! We're gonna get you a great deal and get you in a car TODAY! (Insert cheesy smile and thumbs up type personality here)

5) After this random encounter everything started to go downhill. The quick two-minute credit checks took more like 20 minutes, we were getting hungry, and we wondered if we should even be there. As we sat in our little glass cubicle, we could see all of the other "suits" sitting in their cubes. I looked over where two employees walked up and talked to a guy in the cube to our right. The guy gets up quickly, and angrily follows the two other guys as they walk out of his cube asking "You got a problem with me?!?!" Repeatedly. He's bumping on of the guy from behind, asking the same question over and over just waiting to to here the other guy say "yes" so he could hit him. I was sure I'd see fists blow. This dude WAS pissed. As this is going on, my sales guy comes in and I made a comment about the new entertainment. When I brought it to his attention that this squabble wasn't in fact just a playful response to the UT-OU game, management got involved and fired the guy on the spot! Not the guy that confronted the other guy, but the guy that was minding his own business. Yes, he was angered easily, and he may be a hot-head, but I still felt bad. It didn't help that his cube was right next to the one we were in so we saw him grab his things and storm out. The higher up goes in to make she he "Cleans out all of his sh!t." I playfully demanded that a major discount was in order after such a debacle.

6) To wrap things up, we made it to where we dealt with only the guy we felt comfortable with and not the two lemmings. We agreed on a deal, which leads me to one of the more embarrassing situations in my life. Hitting a big metal bong and hearing a bunch of car salesmen yell "Hey!" because yet another car was pawned off on a gullible suspect like myself. I take that back, because we got a great deal and this car will last me a long time. Well it better, I don't want to do that again for a long, long time.

10.04.2007

Restaurant observations

Joey doesn't like it when I take pictures of strangers...if they're drunk, they have it coming, but I've been requested put away the camera during dining experiences. Last Friday we were at the Olive Garden when we saw the most unusual looking couple walk in. She was busting out of a low slung halter with more muffin top than top if you know what I mean...and he, well he was straight up thug-like. The fact that I think I saw her nip didn't interest me as much as the guest requesting to borrow the cellphone of a waiter! It wasn't even his waiter and he asked to borrow his phone! I thought that was completely random and wanted to shoot away but my significant other said no.

I can live with that.

What bothered me happend last night. And it is something that bothers me quite often. We were at KFC (yeah, because I didn't want to cook, whatevs) and as we sat I noticed one of the workers working away. He was emptying trash, throwing it out, wiping down tables, sweeping, you name it. What bothered me was the fact that this man had to be over the age of 65. This makes me sad. Now, this man could be loaded. He could be loaded and enjoy the company. He could be financially comfortable and just still loves working. Who knows? But I had a feeling that wasn't the case. I don't know his situation..it could be anything, but I can't help but feel bad for a guy that probably worked hard his whole life only to spend his golden years sweeping after me and only making a little over $5 and hour to do it. I see this a lot, and it breaks my heart little by little every time I do. This kind of crap makes me so frustrated with our government and our social security problems. Now, I'm not trying to take some political stance only to be counter-acted by some goon that just looks for blogs they can disagree with. I'm not looking for a challenge or "did you think maybe he..blah blah blah..?" No. I just feel bad. I wonder if he has a family. I wonder if he's healthy, happy or alone and working check to check? I feel bad. I feel bad every time I see this. I feel guilty and want him to sit down while I clean or take out the trash. I guess I'm old-fashioned. I feel like we should be here to take care of our elders, I feel like they've done their jobs, now they should rest.

Maybe the remnants of my PMS still lingers, maybe I'm just soft. Either way, I'll be thinking of this man, and feeling like crap.

Broken Gay-dar

Oh my, the discoveries encountered this week.

Hance, you with me?

Painting with Picosita and Company...

This week at school has been busy. We're in the last week of the first six weeks so that means a ton of grading, and planning for the next six weeks. On top of that, I've been getting some of my kids ready for a few competitions and trying to help with the Multicultural group. It also seems like my kids are getting in trouble right and left. By the way Fresh, your kid got in a fight. I digress. One of my projects is to make a banner for Hispanic Heritage Month and a mural. Blah. A lot to do, but it was fun to get some paint on my hands, even it was for a cheesy poster. I have a lot more to do...a few kids came in after school to paint the banner, but didn't get too far. It's been nice though. Everyday after school I've been having kids come in just to hang out. They'll come in, talk about their day, and ask to draw to help me straighten out the room. I love my kids and they keep me laughing. I'm going to start writing down the phrases that come out of their mouths and blog that one day. Dang, I wish I could include a video. Okay, that's enough chatter, it's time for Grey's.



10.01.2007

Oh Monday!

My day, in a nutshell. And in list form. My fave.

1. My legs are still sore from dancing.

2. My kids think I'm an awesome shader. Yeah, we're studying values today.

3. Two of my students we're sent to AEP for 10 days for slapping each other in the naughty spots (d!ck slapping I believe it's called). I just had a kid return from ISS for "titty twisting." What a bunch.

4. I accidently said a curse word not knowing there was a student in the room. Yikes. I thought I was alone with 2 other teachers. When I walked out (still not knowing there was a kid in the room), the kid popped his head up and said "I keep promises!" I still feel like crap. It wasn't a really bad word...but still.

5. I went to Hobby Lobby to get my kiddos some drawing paper and felt compelled to start up on an old hobby and love of mine. I bought some pastels, conte, drawing pencils, a kneaded rubber eraser and a sketch book. Maybe I'll have something to show soon.

6. I'm slowly starting to ween myself into watching Heroes. I need to be caught up, but already obsessed.

7. I saw an old high school friend on the new season of The Bachelor. She's the last chick that got a rose. That was a weird sight to see.