Assorted Thoughts

6 weeks ago I wrote my last blog. I never ever meant for it to be so long between posts but it has been a very hectic 6 weeks. So here goes...

It is autumn which means ragweed, temperature swings and, in the middle of farmville, a lot of corn harvesting. Each of these things on their own make for a really rough allergy season for someone like me. Combine them and you get a serious out-of-the-park grand slam of a sinus problem.

I'm not normally one to complain and when I do I usually feel guilty. But I think that should anyone walk in my shoes in the fall they wouldn't handle what I go through for more than 24 hours. Imagine your body fighting really hard, but you can't see it until it begins to shut down. My asthma kicks in, my nose stuffs up and I start to feel tired all the time. This has lasted for 6 weeks and it often means coming home from work and hitting the couch or falling asleep for the night by 5pm (although I try to make it up past ABC World News at 5:30).

On Friday I finally started to feel better. I'm trying some new medication, extremely powerful antibiotics and had a shot of steroids which feels like I'm on caffeine all day and all night. (Remember, I don't EVER have caffeine!) But I finally feel good. Energy level is up. Nose feels okay and I had my 1st workout in nearly 6 weeks! Welcome back KB!

It was also Homecoming Week. We had the usual dress-up days and football game (we lost but played much better than last year). The Homecoming Dance went well too, although I ended up at one of the doorway exit spots near the end of the night because I was the only one who couldn't smell the apparently rough odors coming from the ladies restroom at that end of the hall. My Sophomores won every single event during the week including the dance competition at the assembly, the assembly games and the Float building award. I am so proud of these kids!

Last weekend I had the 1st movie night of the semester. We watched OO7 Casino Royale. We ordered 3 medium pizzas and all but 1 slice. I've never seen that happen before with just 6 people!

My car is finally getting fixed as well from the accident that was 2 months ago (when I was sideswiped by a motorcycle who didn't see me stop and hit me from behind). My baby should be ready by Tuesday. In the meantime I am driving around a sporty, old-fashioned Chevy Cobalt. Cute car and more along the size of vehicle I'm used to driving. It will be weird to go back to my big vehicle.

This weekend I made my 2nd batch of pumpkin bread of the season. I've been incorporating soy flour since it has less carbohydrates than regular flour. Eventually I want to start using almond flour as a substitute since it is all protein. At any rate, I've brought some to school and have been freezing a loaf each time. Delish!

I have also completed my video recap on my trip to Italy. I plan on putting it on DVD this week and sending a copy to my family in Modena. It has brought back a lot of memories and I incorporated some songs and singers that we heard on the bus while driving between destinations.

Finally, this past Friday, I had our 2nd annual Interview Seminar for my work-study students. 25 area HR representatives from companies like Kraft, Carle Hospital, First Mid Bank and the City of Urbana came to give our students mock interview practice. The feedback was extremely positive. I had our Principal and other administrators come down to see how it was going. Again, I'm so proud of my students this year! Even the ones who didn't dress up (some because they don't own dress clothes) had great, articulated answers according to some of the Interviewers.

So there you go. A brief look at the last few weeks. Only 9 more weeks until I'm 1/2 way through the school year. Can you believe it? 2 till Halloween. 6 till Thanksgiving. 10 till Christmas. We are heading into my favorite time of year. I'm going to try and take photos of how Christmas feels here and back up in Chicago. That is if it ever gets cold!

Kris