Thanksgiving 2010

Here it is. The Friday after Thanksgiving. Did you ever wonder why we call it Black Friday? I did and so I did some fact checking. Turns out the moniker has only been around for the last 35 years or so. Black is the meaning of accounting books and the stores, which typically have their biggest sales of the year on this date, hope to find themselves safely "in the black" when it comes to raking in the cash of sales. And since 2005, that has been the case increasingly more, although internet sales are making a roaring attracting to those (like me) who hate standing in lines.

It has been a fantastic weekend in Chicago. I pondered for about 30 minutes last night on heading out early to be one of the few, the dedicated, the crazy Black Friday deal hunters. I've never shopped on Black Friday. I hate shopping, except in rare moods. Although, I really love this time of year because I have specific gifts to buy for OTHER people. I love giving gifts.

In the end, though, I left the condo at 10:30 and was on Michigan Avenue by 11am. I popped into a few stores. Here's what I discovered in the 2 hours I was "shopping." Department Stores and even Apple were not overwhelmingly crowded. I wandered in to Apple to price check something and found that there were plenty of service people, including a guy on crutches wearing a Santa hat. I played with an iPad. I touched the Macbook Air (it really is light!). I checked out some of the other gizmos in the store. But in Macy's, Nordstroms and Apple there was room to walk, plenty of registers available with no line or very limited line. On other hand, places like Express and Banana Republic were lines that were at least 100 people long. I stood in one for about 15 minutes and then decided to just drop the gifts near the nearest shelf and buy them online. Really, is standing in an hour long line worth saving an extra $5 when I could just do it online (and probably pay cheaper taxes?).

But the best part of this weekend so far has been Thanksgiving Day. My sister and brother-in-law came over with all the fixings. Turkey, apple-raisin stuffing, cranberry, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and a mixed batch of veggies that included string beans, carrots and asparagus. It was perfectly delicious.

We then played a game. My mother, being a avid recreation specialist, wanted to start a tradition of playing games during family holidays. I'm all in. I love games. I really love when people sit around a table and talk or play and are actively involved in something together. That was one of the things that kept my high school friends and I so close. Whether it was Spades (which got us through countless weekends) or the Annual Gender-Team Trivial Pursuit game, we enjoy each other's company and always feel like we step away knowing each other just a bit more, even if that means how competitive they are.

Last night the game was Settlers of Catan, a Germany game that I learned 2 summers ago. I've hooked my teacher friends on it down in Champaign and introduced my parent's to the game on Friday. They liked it. But last night was fun. We had noises for different parts of the game (wheat was often said in a high pitched wheat! tone and Sheep were often followed by a baaa noise). My sister and Bro-in-law played as a pair and were so cute to watch. And mom won the game. We were all very close to winning, which makes it all the more fun.

I'm thankful there are 2 more days left to enjoy. I've got the place to myself tomorrow and I plan on doing all of my leftover grading. I'll probably read a bit more and I'm going to have to investigate whether or not there is another Sherlock Holmes film being made. We watched that tonight (another tradition - movie one night during the Holiday weekends). It was very interestingly filmed and acted. Odd plot, too. But all in all, pretty good.

So there you go. About 2 miles walked in the chilly but gorgeous city. A lunch with friends at a local pub. An evening with my parents. An afternoon with my whole family. And 2 more days to go. LOVE IT! There are so many things to be thankful for and if I wrote them all this would be a terribly long blog post. So to those of you who have weathered through the storms these last few years (and the ones to come) - thank you. To my family, I couldn't love you more. And last but not least, thanks to God. I couldn't do anything I do with out You.

On to Birthday, Christmas & New Years! It's the most wonderful time of the year....

KB

I Need To Breathe

What a week! The calendar has flipped to November and I realize that we are now in the home stretch towards Thanksgiving and Christmas...and my favorite time of year.

While the weather in Illinois has been unseasonably warm and very dry, the idea that it is November hasn't really matched the fresh, new page before me on my wall. True, it is very dark in the morning and in fact, I took the garbage out a few mornings ago at about 6:30 a.m. in about 34 degree temps and the moon and stars were still shining brightly above me. How very odd. When I drive to school around 7:15 a.m. the sun is just starting to make it's journey above the horizon and is blazing a bright spot on my dashboard. Temporarily blinded as I heat eastward, it's light is causing the window, freshly scraped of frost with bits of ice still clinging to its surface, to free their bonds and melt away, the sun's heat the last it can take before evaporating.

I get home around 3:30-4 p.m. most days and the sun is just settling into its path to hide for the night. I like to open my windows and sit on my couch looking westward and follow it's trail. I usually doze off for a few moments as the heat calms me, unless my brain is in overdrive thinking of the many things left to do before nightfall and bedtime.

I didn't intend to write about nature but perhaps my blog title led me to realize just how much we rely on the fiery orb to pass the time. I rarely venture out once dark, unless it is to meet up with Buddies or swing dance. But this past week I ventured to Campusland and saw the band called NeedToBreathe. It's a rare occurrence to see a show this time of year. Concert season usually is in full swing during the summer and early Sept/October but by November things taper down except the holiday shows. But this was a band I began listening to last year. They are a combination of jam band, John Fogerty, Jonny Lang, CSNY and Sister Hazel all sort of wrapped up into one. They hail from South Carolina and are technically a Christian rock band. It has been a while since I was blown away by a show. But this was amazing.

There is nothing fake about these guys. Two brothers, Bear and Bo, front the band along with long-time friends on bass and drums. The harmonies were fantastic. The instrument-playing first rate and the energy level was high. Don't give me anything fake. Show me you love what you are doing, you believe in what you are singing and I'll buy into it hook, line and sinker. It doesn't hurt to have guitars, keyboard, drums and several voices singing lyrics that are generally positive (and a banjo and tambourine mixed in for good measure). That to me is what a good band is.

Most of the airplay these guys get is for their slower tunes. But they can sure turn the volume up. (Sound is never good in their videos...they like their bass but here you go - a version of A Girl Named Tennessee.

I've always kinda liked the southern, country/rock boundry when it comes to music. These guys seem really humble, you can TELL they have fun doing what they do and I appreciate their songwriting abilities. Plus, this is only the 2nd time I have ever seen a band come out for a 2nd encore and perform completely unplugged - no amps. no mics. The first was a band called Nickelcreek. Then there was NeedToBreathe...

Now the unplugged performance is done right it can give you goosebumps. They're perfect for small venues, like this one at the Canopy Club and if the audience is quiet enough you can hear every strum and every vocal note. This crowd was largely college-aged so they weren't as quiet as I'd have liked but I still got goosebumps. Here's a video of one of their acoustic numbers - Washed By the Water (Don't even tell me you don't get goosebumps!)

I went solo to the show. Mostly because everyone that loves the band was preoccupied that night. No big deal though, since I learned long ago that it's perfectly fine to go do things alone so long as I really am interested. You learn real quick as a single, quarter-century adult that if you can just get over the embarrassing part of doing things alone (eating out, going to a movie, sitting in a coffee shop, going to shows) then it's not so bad and there is a minor chance of meeting like-minded people. I didn't meet anyone that night (more because I wanted to be able to see in the standing-room crowd and was captured by the music and getting a great photo). The show started at 7 p.m. and was done by 9:30 p.m. and I was at home by 10! Very odd but so glad I went.

Do you Need To Breathe? I've been working hard at getting out of the house. Socializing has been minimal this year with being sick and somehow having more grading than last year (how did THAT happen?). Not only has this band's music made me feel a little calmer but it's making me soak in the world around me a lot more. I hadn't been taking the time to see the sun and moon and stars the way I did over the last few weeks had I not starting taking a few moments for myself. Get out there. Give yourself some TLC and know that tomorrow is a new day. Just breathe.....

Kris

PS - next week more on Italy, school and MSI fun to come!

Halloween weekend in Urbana-Champaign

I attended my 2nd annual Halloween Swing Society Dance here in the land of University of Illinois. Usually, the folks down here don't swing with strangers but there were a lot of unfamiliar faces last night at the Union on campus. By strangers, I don't mean people I didn't recognize, because I don't know many people that swing. What I do mean though, is that many of the costumes made it hard to discern who some folks were or even their gender.

For example, there was one person (I figured it was a guy by the type of shoe he was wearing) who was dressed in a thin, purple, sheet-like material. On top of his head was gold-foiled decorations that looked like antlers or baby tree branches. He also had a red bike light that flashed under the sheet and around his head. Keep in mind that I could not see this person's face at all. I had danced with several gentleman in the first 1/2 hour I was there and with every dance partner, speculation on what this person's costume signified was a topic of conversation. And none of us knew.

So as I came back down the hall towards the ballroom where the dance was taking place, I encountered the strange purple creature and decided to just ask him (could it be a her?) what he was. Turns out this person wasn't just going to tell me. I had to guess.

Avoiding my initial instinct to walk away, I played the game of charades that he'd begun. After about 5 minutes of frustration I finally guessed germs. He then spoke and corrected me saying bacterium. Sheesh! Must be some science grad student or professor. A far cry from my first thought of a Sesame Street character!

Sesame Street characters were present. The Yip Yip monsters were a big hit, although they took their costumes off to dance, unlike annoying bacterium. Two guys dressed as G.I. Joe's came in green face paint, camouflage and complete with green boards and toy guns to complete their plastic toy look (the green boards were put on only for the sake of photos).

I liked the girl dressed as an upside down flower pot. The pot was on her head and she wore a flowered dress. Pretty original. A carebear was present as was a jester. A male cheerleader took the cake for scariest costume. Another original costume was the Chilean miner. 2 guys were dressed as priests. Several guys and girls were Avatars from the movie, one of the female avatars winning top costume prize.

One avatar couldn't decide what his costume should be though...he had blue face, a white, short wig, blue ears, tight blue pants and a blue Star Trek shirt. I was confused but he was a good dancer so I just my mouth shut since I didn't want to get another cryptic answer to "What are you?"

All in all, the dancing was great last night. Several new dancers which were pretty good. A few that really were not. For those that dance, you know the pain I speak of when I say a dance lead takes your and and PULLS you towards the direction he wants you to go rather than leads you there. There is a big difference and usually my shoulder and rotator cuff know it.

I've noticed that down here they teach beginners cross-hand but don't teach them that cross-hand implies to a follow that you are asking them to rock-step and then go past them as the lead does a move. I had several guys stay in cross-hand making it very awkward because my natural instinct is to travel or do a tuck turn.

The good dancer were a ton of fun. I haven't had the chance to Lindy much when I do dances at U of IL. People tend to swing most of the time. But last night was different. Tons of Lindy Hop and although my moves are a bit rusty, I loved every one of those Lindy dances.

I'll leave you with one final image from last night. Someone had either choreographed or is obsessed with Michael Jackson's Thriller. As soon as it came on (right after the costume winners were announced), several folks came out to the floor and laid down. Now, I have never seen the entire Thriller video dance done live nor do I remember the whole video but about 12 people did the entire dance from start to finish. I'm not sure if it was cool or weird but I think my mind is still processing it. Perhaps it was the fact that Superman, a witch, Lucille Ball and assorted other costumes were the ones doing the dance. I think the verdict is still out.

I'm looking forward to more dances coming soon. And especially to dancing in Chicago during the holiday break. I encourage you to check out swing dancing. It is fantastic exercise and the crowd of people are usually really, really friendly. It's been a great outlet for me and so glad I took the leap!

Now to go plan the rest of my Halloween festivities...
Kristen

Confessions of a Foodie

I've never considered myself a foodie. I love food. I love cooking. I really enjoy baking. But when one of my students pointed out to me that I seem to never talk about eating out, I realized just how deep I am into the world of culinary therapy.

I teach students who spend 1/2 their school day working, many in restaurants. As part of my job I have to visit each of these students and thus various restaurants in the area. I never eat when I go though (although, if I have several visits in a row during dinner time I will cave in but this is a rare occurrence). One student said to me this week, "Ms. B. you don't ever eat do you?" And I had to laugh. He meant I never eat out. And they are right. I used to eat out a LOT. But sometime in the midst of having food allergies and then later while I was unemployed after grad school I learned that I really, really like cooking. It started as a safety thing, cooking with things I knew I could eat. Then it became a financial thing, cooking because it was cheaper. Now it has turned into not only a stress-relieving after work activity but a challenge to try new foods and new recipes and on occasion create my own!

My most recent creations were inspired by Jamie Oliver, the British cook once called the "Naked Chef" and who is known in the USA as the Food Revolution guy. He was the person who inspired me to start cooking about 10 years ago when the Food Network was still a fledgling network on cable tv. His Green Chili recipe was absolutely delicious. I've also made some banana bread and pumpkin bread, two of my go-to favorites!

I've begun to investigate using various types of flour when I bake these days. One I want to try is almond flour, made from ground almonds. Not only does it reduce the carbs in your recipes but it ups the protein quotient which is a necessity when you are on a diet that requires a ton of protein. Since I haven't had the extra $$ to buy almond flour, I've been substituting 1/3 of the flour for soy flour, which has a similar affect only a little less of a difference. The smell is not very appetizing but the taste in the bread is no different and makes the breads a little more healthy. Mind you, I still add in chocolate chips because I LOVE chocolate but with nuts thrown in too, they manage to be healthier overall than with plain flour.

Next on my list are a few more Jamie Oliver recipes including a cassoulet (Omitting the mushrooms of course). Ever since spending time in Italy, where pork is huge, I've made more things with pork than ever before. This looks delicious and could fill a few meals over a week. Yum!

So there you go. A quick update on my newest obsession. And in case you were wondering, I've eaten out 3 times in the last 3 weeks. Other than that it has been home sweet home and boy has it smelled good!

Kristen

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

Italy Part 5: Nature's War & Peace - We head south to Pompeii & Sorrento

The last time I was in Italy (2007) I stayed in the north part of the country visiting Venice, Rome, Florence and Pisa. This morning would be my first visit south of the capital city of Rome towards two drastically different locations - Pompeii and Sorrento.

We awoke around 6:30 and had breakfast around 7 a.m. This was our first day together as an entire 48-person traveling group and if I learned anything on my last bus tour, this was when our various links would bond to form friendships that could last to the many corners of the world once we left Italy and our holiday behind. We loaded up the bus with our bags on time at 7:30 and headed out of Rome around 8am. Just after we departed Rome proper, our tour guide, Angie, began to explain a bit more about Italy, its culture and what we were in for during the next two weeks. Each person was then invited up to the front of the bus on the microphone to introduce themselves. This lasted until 9:30 when we stopped at our first Autogrill (the best highway truckstop I've ever been to which are located all over Italy).

The Autogrill is unlike American pitstops. Enter any Autogrill and head up to the 2nd floor. Everything is a one-way direction so everyone enters into the first area which is comprised of a sandwich shop/coffee shop with fresh sandwiches which you purchase first then bring your ticket to pick up your sandwich. There is no order involved here. The plan is essentially get to the front of the counter if you can and then hand your ticket over, hoping some of the pushier Italian women don't butt in before you can make the pass. It is a free for all, especially if it is nearing lunch time. If you don't want the coffee or sandwich, you can continue in the one-way direction to the mini-grocery store. Following the single aisle, much like in a haunted house, you walk past the crackers, cookies and other snacks, then the varieties of meats and fresh cheeses followed by books, toys and other goods that would keep people occupied on their travels. Should none of this satisfy you, the 3rd floor is a cafeteria style restaurant with all sorts of Italian meals and desserts. It is more expensive up here and much more tempting to over-eat so I tend to stick to the sandwiches and waters located on the 2nd floor.

Halfway between Rome and Pompeii we passed the famous abbey of Monte Cassino, originally built by St. Benedict who founded the Benedictine Order. It is set on a high hill overlooking a lower valley where the highway now lay and was the sight of a vicious battle during the Second World War. We continued south after our 1/2 hour lunch stop and eventually reached Pompeii.

I don't know that I'd ever seen pictures of Pompeii that showed the area around it. I knew about Mt. Vesuvius but I don't think I realized how near to the Sea Pompeii and the volcano lay. Had I not known our first destination, I would have expected the entire area to be resort towns (which many of them are). Yet if you look away from the beautiful Mediterranean beckoning from one side and face inland, the entire area resides beneath the slumbering volcano which scientists say is overdue for another big eruption.

We pulled into the parking lot of Pompeii to find tons of vendors and a restaurant along with a store selling Limoncello, a popular lemon-based alcohol from the region. Lemons grow everywhere in this tropical region. Everyone headed upstairs past the vendors to stand in line to use the "magic room," our code word for bathroom on the tour. During the next 2 weeks we'd hear, "I need magic" or "Angie, where is magic here?" which was extremely amusing.

We then gathered to pick up our audio devices and meet our tour guide, a man in his 50's or 60's who spoke with a definite Italian accent in English and over enunciated a lot when he spoke. He explained how the entrance to the town had two doorways - one was for people and was smaller with stairs. The other, the one now used by visitors, served as a path for carts and animals and had a very large slope up into the town. All around the entrance were gorgeous, vibrant pink flowers which stood in marked contrast to this town which was left in a state of death still being uncovered from the ashes. What had been saved however was breathtaking. The frescoes on the walls were still vibrant and I could only imagine how much brighter they would have been when new.

We walked through temples, neighborhoods and past meeting places, bars, bakeries and even the Red Light district. I learned a lot about old Italy in Pompeii. First of all, there are no street names. If you wanted to describe where you lived or set a meeting point, you either picked "the bar" or said, "turn left at the goat-head fountain." Large, square water fountains exist every couple of intersections and were the key meeting points for people. Also, in ancient times, stepping stones actually had a significance. (This is cool.) Streets in Pompeii had sidewalks and streets. People used the sidewalks and animals and carts used the street. Stepping stones were placed 2 or 3 side by side so people could cross the street without stepping in anything unsavory that may lay in the street deposited by animals. A street with 2 stepping stones meant it was a one-way street. Streets with 3 stepping stones meant it was wider and thus a 2-way street!

We concluded our time in Pompeii with a quick lunch (I had cantaloupe and salad) along with a visit to the vendors outside and a free sample of limoncello (Bitter and sweet...and potent!) I bought a few postcards and a city patch, which I collect. At 2:15, it was then time to head a few minutes further south along the winding coastal road to Sorrento.

Sorrento reminded me a lot of Nice, France. It lays on the Mediterranean and is built on cliffs overlooking the Sea. There is a ton of shopping. The nicer stores line the main street but if you wander down any alley, there is a maze of streets selling all sorts of goods and knock-offs. And lots of gelato shops! The alleyways were where to go. Flags hung all over the walls that lined these streets. It was a festival-like atmosphere and people were everywhere day and night. Medieval churches also could be found in these back alleys which seemed weird but I saw them more as sentries over the revelry that had continued throughout time.

We had dinner that night at one of the backstreet restaurants. Pizza was the meal of the night along with the best caprese salad I've ever had with buffalo mozzarella, arugula and tomatoes. The wine was flowing freely and our table called out "Salute!" over and over again. The sights of tropical Sorrento and the food made for an incredible evening. That wasn't the end of our night, however. It concluded at an Irish bar, in Italy where the owner and his wife greeted us by blasting Italian music. This guy was constantly leading us in rousing renditions of popular Italian songs and contemporary ones. This was definitely La dolce vita - the good life.

Warning: Good Days Not Guaranteed

Today was one of those days that just never seemed to go right. We all have them. We don't always know they are coming. But they come no matter how prepared we are.

I woke up this morning to the sound and light show of a pre-dawn thunderstorm. I absolutely love rain, especially at night because I sleep really well. It also helps with my allergies by washing pollen out of the air. Anyway, this was the first night I'd slept the entire time in weeks. Pollen counts have been high for a while and last night was bliss.

I slowly pulled myself out of bed around 6:10. Normally I'm up and at it around 5:50 and in the shower and dressed before 6:15. Not so today. It didn't matter. I know how to quicken parts of my routine should the slow starts occur. Less Weather Channel and news watching tends to do the trick!

It was still pouring when I left my front door at 7:05. I had prepared the day before by putting my umbrella in my car should I get caught in the rain. I hadn't pulled the umbrella back inside last night and so I did the 10 yard dash to my car and climbed in, just a few drops gracing my clothes.

I made copies of a quiz for 1st period when I got to school then settled into my classroom. Made sure I had enough copies of my quiz for 2nd hour and looked back over my plan of "attack" for 3rd hour's Law class. All in order. Good.

The morning flowed quite nicely. Quiz grades were pretty good all around. I had secured another job for a student the day before, which is always good. It's amazing how many times I've called an employer when a student was in my office and got them an interview right then and there. So far each has been hired. Miracles).

And then 4th hour happened. 4th hour is study hall. I have 23 kids plus kids who are in there form other classes that aren't on my roster and kids sent down from their dean for the period. Study Hall is what broke me today. I received an email that morning saying athletes would be let out of their P.E. classes today and placed in study hall today. I opened the excel file attached to the email and it contained over 20 names for 4th hour. TWENTY MORE KIDS???? And this is supposed to be a "prep" hour (or so I've heard)??

Now, to rewind the clock a few days, I requested additional chairs in the Study Hall room last week, knowing athletes were coming eventually and that I probably didn't have enough. But the 5 extra chairs that were added didn't cut it. It took nearly the entire period to get these kids to adjust to the new rules of study hall, for me to get names on my seating chart and then check them against the list that I had received. There were not enough desks which caused quite a commotion and more talking than I would have liked. I was not pleased that there was so little heads up about how many kids to expect. I said as much to the assistant principal in an email.

Finally the bell for 5th hour came. My blood pressure was elevated and I was frustrated and worn out. It is my humble opinion that a single teacher should not be responsible for over 50 kids in a room. But, I'm a non-tenured teacher and not supposed to rock the boat - not yet. I had a lot more I could have written in that email to the asst. principal but that's not the kind of person I am and I also don't want to chop the waters.

I worked on a few things during 5th hour and then began to eat lunch. I ate and worked during 6th period, calling a few employers and then headed down to the guidance office to settle a few unanswered questions about students I have without jobs.

I checked my mailbox after that and inside was the summary of my first observation of the year by the principal. It didn't read so hot, although there were a few positive things mentioned. I had asked her to focus on classroom management when she observed me. Apparently I shouldn't be overlooking the side whispers that have always occurred in the classroom. I was told that while I student taught that was a strength I had. I didn't let those things distract me and only when they seemed to be a true problem to the students involved in the talking or those around them to interfere. That's how I was taught. That's what I do. Oh geez.

So I'm dreading tomorrow's meeting. I'll update you all when I get a chance tomorrow. Send me those happy thoughts!

Meanwhile I'll be thinking about the bigger picture. My glass is half full =)

G'Night!
KB