light_nin_bug

06:28 pm: NaBloPoMo
Last day of posting for NaBloPoMo !! I made my list as I planned yesterday -- it was long, very long.  I did not get to school as early as I planned yesterday though at my regular time of arrival I'm still there before 3/4 of the rest of faculty arrives.  My regular time of arrival is only 20 minutes before the official time that we are supposed to be there.  Last year the principal was not interested in checking on tardy teachers as she was usually not there until after school started for the day -- if she was there at all.  

My late arrival this morning can in part be traced to showertime this morning --  I like to review and think about the day ahead -- this morning I was reviewing things to put on my list and before I realized it 15 minutes had gone by.  I also did not get up when I should have but that is a whole 'nother issue.  I have a 3 alarm system including one across the room and an absolute horror of getting in the habit of hitting snooze and not remembering it. 

Anyway I have my list and have already scratched some things off the list.  I'm on my way !!

09:27 pm: NaBloPoMo
Back to work tomorrow -- I'm going to try to get to work a little early because I know it will be a shock to my system after 5 days off.  I haven't really slept in all that much but 5 am is still earlier that I have been getting up over the holidays.  I think I'm going to have to resort to a to-do list each day to get everything accomplished over the next 3 weeks.  Part of my difficulties with lists is I make them too lengthy and I get discouraged.  Maybe I'll make a master list and then I get to pick some things from the list for each day ... I can work from a list but sadly I need almost unbearable levels of stress to actually keep to a list.  So tomorrow's project for the last day of NaBloPoMo well be -- make a master to do list for December.

08:23 pm: NaBloPoMo
I just came back from a day up at my sister's house which is about a 2 hours drive north of me.  I was helping my 13 year old niece start building a Rube Goldberg machine for a science project.  She had this same science teacher last year and the big project last year was a 100 page notebook on all  the kingdoms of organisms.  THAT project was assigned in January of last year and was originally due in March and finally taken up in mid- May.  We don't have a lot of confidence about the due date for this project which is now after the winter holiday break.

Tomorrow I have thought about trying to get caught up on grading -- starting Monday we have 3 calendar weeks left this semester.  Even for me this is also a busy social season;  I have a couple of parties each weekend  to go to -- really a shocker !! It does mean that I tend to be a little pressed to finish out the semester in good order.  Technically the grades aren't due until the first day we come back from break but it is so nice to have absolutely nothing to do for 2 weeks.

06:10 pm: NaBloPoMo
I can't believe November is almost done ... it seemed like it went by extra quickly.  I now have a cleaner house due to the pressure of incoming relatives.  My dining room is not decluttered but that was never part of THE PLAN.  I didn't host Thanksgiving dinner at my house; just served as a home base for my sister and her husband since my mother has a very uncomfortable sofa bed in the basement.  The sofa bed apparently also comes complete with mouse droppings and that was the final straw with my sister.  Good news on that front for my mother -- she consulted members of her ladies social group ( I really don't know what else to call it -- they have regular meetings and apparently are a charitable group but I've never seen hard evidence of charity work )  for recommendations for either a cleaning service or cleaning person.  My mother says she "started at the top"  for recommendations ( with a Coke heiress ) and just interviewed someone who starts Monday.  I'm very glad since at 75 my mother just wasn't getting stuff done that needed to be done ( reference the mouse droppings in sofa bed ).

I did my part for the national economy today but did not get out to the stores at 5 am this year.  We got to the stores about 7 am and apparently there WAS a run on the $ 19.99 griddles though fortunately there were plenty in stock.  The only really large crowd we hit was at Old Navy but we did not go to any electronic stores ( Best Buy ) or Toys r Us.  We hit the time between the early morning wave and the afternoon wave which was all right with me.  I had lunch at Steak and Shake, saw my sister and her family off and collapsed into bed for an afternoon nap.

08:39 pm: NaBloPoMo
It was a busy Thanksgiving -- First breakfast with Family at 8 am.  On to a Thanksgiving church service at 9 am.  Then a quick drive to my paternal grandmother's grave and to place a poinsettia on my grandparents grave marker for the holidays.  Next preparing for Thanksgiving dinner at 1 pm.  A brief rest and on to the movie theater at 3:30 -- Blindside with Sandra Bullock which was a great holiday feel good movie -- and finally early Black Friday shopping at Old Navy.  We went back to my parent's house and planned out where and what we wanted and decided we did not NEED to be up at 5 am.  We are gambling that the things we want are not high interest items and we can at least wait 'til the sun is up.  Busy day but fun and I am very thankful that I have a family I can spend all day with and noone has to call 911.

09:36 pm: NaBloPoMo
Well ... as I suspected my aunt didn't make it and my sister and her husband are using the guest bedroom instead.  We went to the Rockettes this afternoon and then had Thanksgiving dinner part 1.  No ... I don't know why we are having 2 dinners  ... no one is leaving from dinner 1 to dinner 2.  Short entry tonight as I am tired and my brother in law is watching a very intense episode of "Criminal Minds" before we all call it a night.

06:56 pm: NaBloPoMo
Home again .... Home again !! I was very productive today and got all the latest tests graded at school and the majority of them entered into the gradebook program before I left.  I left school earlyish ... and stopped at the grocery store on the way home ( HOPEFULLY for the last time !! ).I'm taking a short break for dinner and blogging and then finishing the bits and pieces I need to do to prepare for guests.  My youngest sister called last night and asked if she and her husband could stay in the guest bedroom if my other relative is a no show.  It seems my brother in law has been drafted to do the turkey for Thanksgiving at my parents and will need to be at my parents house super early Thursday morning.  The sofa bed in my parents basement is very uncomfortable and my sister said " I want just one night of good sleep "  We'll see how it all shakes out in the next 3 days.  

09:06 pm: NaBloPoMo
Today was very slow -- as I was signing in this morning one of the other teachers said "it's like it's already  Thursday !! " and I responded with "no -- it's really still Monday "  because I had a rough morning trying to get up and moving -- but tomorrow is definitely Friday !! I can't wait until some self absorbed teenager asks if they can stay after school on the day before a 5 day holiday to make something up -- seriously !! Now that I reread that last sentence I realize that the nature of the teenager is to be self absorbed and I just have to work around it.  This afternoon though they FINALLY got their act together and finished a service project.  We raised money and purchased supplies to pack bags to send to wounded troops in the Mideast.  We had a list of requested items like sweat pants and a zipper front sweat shirt plus toiletries and snacks.  It was like dragging them through quicksand to try and get it done -- but it's done !!  

06:02 pm: NaBloPoMo
The weather today is horrible ... rainy and cold.  I'm glad I went to the grocery store last night instead of today.  I think I have everything I need to make the dishes I'm supposed to make -- oops !!  I just remembered I need cream cheese for some appetizers.  I'll try and pick that up tomorrow night .  I'm trying to avoid going to the grocery store this Wednesday which as everyone knows is National Amateur Day at the grocery store.  I'm glad I started on decluttering this week with THE PLAN ( see earlier posts ) because I really couldn't  have gotten it all done this weekend.  I'm going to spend about an hour working on finishing the guest bedroom and den which would include vacuuming and dusting.  Then watch a little TV and to bed for a short work week but plenty of other stuff to keep me busy and out of trouble.

04:04 pm: NaBloPoMo
I went in to school this morning so that I could get ready for next week.  I left yesterday without making copies of the test I am giving Monday.  I did my copying without any problems as far as what the school copier is currently capable of doing.  To make a double sided copy you have to run the first side through and manually move the copy to the paper tray while flipping it to copy on the other side.  The stapler no longer functions so after running three versions of the test I still had to staple and collate the versions.  If course I am old enough to remember making dittos in my first years of teaching and getting high on the ditto fluid fumes so it's all relative.


I ordered the rolls and desserts for our family's Thanksgiving dinner to be picked up next Wednesday morning.  I am going tp the grocery soon to finish shopping for next week and Thanksgiving.  I need to inventory first and possibly clean out my refrigerator before I go to the store.  Then it is back to THE PLAN -- and finishing decluttering and then actual cleaning.

09:29 pm: NaBloPoMo
TGIF !! That's about all I have for today -- the web based grade book program we have to use went down again around 11 this morning.  I am going in to school tomorrow to set up a lab and run off a test for Monday for most of my classes.  I have to think of something for Tuesday and I think it's just going to be a video -- I know it's a cliche and the students will probably see a lot of videos in those 2 days but I'm already going to have a lot of make up tests to schedule for Monday's test.  If I schedule something like a lab I'm just creating more work for myself ... and I'm not a big fan of intentionally causing myself MORE unnecessary work.

09:16 pm: NaBloPoMo
I'm taking a break from THE PLAN today -- I got so much accomplished at work today I was feeling cocky and went to the bookstore after work as a treat.  The day started out rough because when we got there none of the electronics were working .  There was even an announcement before school for us to check on our neighbors because the electronic sub-finder system was down and no one knew who was absent for the day.  I had already planned for this to be a sit down and work at your seats day -- I did a quick demo about conservation of momentum on the one air track we have and the students then worked review problems.  I got all those papers graded before I left today AND an activity from last Thursday ( mostly a check for completion but I still had to check 110 papers and record that I had done so )  I haven't put them in the gradebook program yet, it didn't start working until midday but other than that -- the day was good.  

I just got off the phone with my sister who was whining about her son's homework.  I think she was going to go wake him up at 9:30 because SHE just realized HE had a project due in math tomorrow.  They were both home all day ( he was sick with a bad cough but but no fever ) except for about 3 hours at the doctor and lunch so I'm not sure why she didn't check until now but  at least I know procrastination is not just my problem.

08:06 pm: NaBloPoMo
So I am continuing with The Plan .... I didn't quite finish decluttering the den but tonight I decided to go ahead and get started on the second room which is the guest room. I use the guest room as a dressing area when I am getting ready for work so it has all sorts of clothes and shoes on the floor that need to be put away. The decluttering is just that ... over the weekend I will actually do cleaning ... things like vacuuming and dusting as well as cleaning the bathrooms.

A major distraction right now is Vol.2 of the fanfiction collection " Chocolate and Asphodel" from the good people over at lupin_snape

07:26 pm: NaBloPoMo
I always have the regular school work to do -- grading, test prep and lecture prep for each day.  A secondary goal for this week is going to be decluttering as much as I can in different rooms of my house before the weekend.   I  may have a house guest again this Thanksgiving ( the same one as last year ) and I will need to use some of this weekend to get my house clean.  So tonight I'm going to work on the den ( where I am now ) -- Wednesday the guest bedroom -- Thursday the kitchen -- Friday the master bedroom.  This will leave the bathrooms and grocery shopping for over the weekend.  I have made myself a big list that I am posting on the wall.

08:51 pm: NaBloPoMo

You certainly have to pay on a Monday morning when you do absolutely nothing but play over the weekend.  I had to hit the ground running this morning and worked HARD from 7:30 until 3:30 with 20 minutes for lunch,  I'm not sure office workers understand what public school teachers do -- every year there is a least one new teacher who  is on alternative certification from some other profession.  People look at summers off and 3 PM end of day time and don't see the other stuff "til they are in the classroom.  I don't have much else to say as I am tired.

08:13 pm: NaBloPoMo
I spent today out and about which felt really good.  It was a beautiful day with afternoon temperatures reaching the mid-70s,  I had lunch at an all you can eat family style restaurant.  You sit down and they bring out dishes and refills until you say "no more".  We had fried chicken, BBQ chicken,country fried steak and country ham with about 8 different side dishes of vegetables and strawberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert.  Needless to say that was the only meal I ate today.  We worked our way back home stopping at the places we had spotted by the side of the road on the way to lunch.  There was one store called "Goats on the Roof " which had real live goats on the roof.  They had a system of ramps and bridges between various buildings with grass on the roof.  We also stopped at theTallulah river gorge which normally has no water in it due to the hydroelectric dam but with all the rain this fall in the area the excess water was being released.  Kayakers were all over the gorge which normally only has water releases twice a year and it was pretty cool.  There were also lots of day hikers since it is such a rare occurrence for water to actually be in the gorge. Good day -- sorry to see it end.

04:31 pm: NaBloPoMo
As I said yesterday I'm heading out tonight for the theater.  I'm going to a show that I know nothing about because the partner of one of my "Harry Potter " friends is in the cast.  I call them the "Harry Potter " friends because that's how we starting going out together socially.  We would meet somewhere in anticipation of the next book or movie and then either go to the movie as a group or get our books at midnight and go home to read them.  If it was a book release night we might meet a few days later after everyone has read the book to discuss it over drinks.  I don't think any of them read fanfiction so for them book 7 was the end of an era -- for me it was just the end of canon <smile>.  

I might be gone all day tomorrow -- might not .  I'm feeling a little tired but I think getting out of the house tonight will probably help me so my 'tiredness" is more than likely stress and mild depression.  Nothing  a little self diagnosis and treatment won't help.  Seriously though , introspection is ok but for me it usually leads to a day in bed with the covers over my head,  Getting OUT helps me the most with my blues. 

(after edit and spell check -- I like how one of the suggested words for fanfiction is "fornication"  HAH ! )

09:25 pm: NaBloPoMo
On the way in to school today I had an urge to take a road trip -- I emailed my sister and invited myself up to her neck of the woods which is about 2 hours drive away from me.  I'm going up Sunday which promises to be a good weather day ( as is Saturday ).  Tomorrow night  I'm going to a show.  I hope it's good and I don't have to lie to my friends which is rough.  I've had to do it before -- and I'm sure I will have to do it again just hopefully not tomorrow night.  

I'm still reading  The Enchantment Emporium  -- now we have a homeless leprechaun and rumors of a dragon.  I'll probably finish the book up tonight /tomorrow morning .  The plot is still rocketing along with little tidbits of back history and subplots along the way.   

07:14 pm: NaBloPoMo
Whew - today was a rough day in that what I wanted to accomplish was not possible due to computer issues.  Our new web based gradebook program crashed about 8:30 and didn't come up again until about 11:30.  I think I got everything entered in time but there is NO indicator to the teacher that we have posted our grades successfully.  To upload ( post ) grades I have to click through 2 confirmation screens ( do I want to post this class ... do I want to have my grades listed as numbers instead of letters  ) THEN I get to a screen with grades for the class.  At this screen I have 3 tabs that I have to click through ( one for comments like " good job" or  "test grades need improving"  and a second one for conduct grades ) and on the final screen there is a box to check, a save button to hit and then a button marked "finish"  and THEN I'm done.  Why can't I have ONE button that says "post" or "upload"  and be done.   So I think I'm done but an administrator will have to post a list of those teachers who haven't posted 'cause we don't have a permanent flag to say we posted.

Tomorrow should be easy -- most classes are summarizing a current research article that they bring in.  Then to finish the day we are building Cartesian divers and trying the trick of balancing a Ping Pong ball in a stream of air from a hair dryer.  Downhill slide 'til Thanksgiving ... and then the end of the semester !!

07:54 pm: NaBloPoMo
Well -- it's a first today !!  I tested my students today and all the tests are graded AND entered -- woohoo ! Go me ! I will admit I "cheated" and dug around and found some leftover Scantron answer sheets ( you know the bubble in sheets ) so that the actual grading was electronic ... but still... I did it and recorded and posted the results.  As I read this while I type it I can't help but think that it must seem trivial to someone else.  As a professional procrastinator though my normal m.o. would have been to put off running the tests through the machine because really "it will only take a minute ... why should I do it now ?"  It's not logical and it is definitely counter productive and ultimately stressful --  it's just the way I operate .."I love deadlines ... I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by "  ( Douglas Adams ) Such a great quote and so very apt !! 

After I wrote that I don't usually read books over the week and save them for the weekend  I started a great book last night.  The book I started is The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff,  Some books I can read in great gulps and some I have to take in small doses because there is so much rich detail and craft in the opening pages.  This book in one of those that I am reading very slowly because I catch myself getting lost and having to reread to catch little details I missed.  I may just reread the opening chapter tonight so that I have a better idea of what is going on in this particular universe.  I read fantasy, urban fantasy,alternate history and post apocalypse novels -- all of these have to establish the rules of that particular world in the beginning.  I prefer to have world details unfold as the plot progresses and not have to read through a history lesson or background details that a character is obliged to relate to another character.  I can't wait to keep reading this particular book -- I have NO idea where it is going and I can't wait to find out more.  I would classify this as an urban fantasy simply because it appears that it is set in current times but there seems to be a magic clan that is set slightly apart from the non magical regular folk.  I will post the final review when I finish the book.