promenade

My school had it's prom Saturday night. It was a really nice event. After seeing kids dress up like thugs and emo-rockers all day, it's nice to see them dress up for once. Some of them clean up rather nicely. Of course, the teachers who chaperone have a grand ol' time. There seems to be a core group of us that always go to the dances. The kids seem quite amused when we join them on the dance floor. It's become a tradition of late for the teachers to all get on the floor when "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror is played. For some reason, I've become synonymous with that piece of music.

I'm not in the best of minds or moods this morning. I have a toothache, and our filly did a little dance number on my left foot this morning while trying to give her her medication.

I'm tired of school and ready for it to be over with. I love kids, but sometimes I wish I was working with machinery where if it doesn't do what it's supposed to, I could just whack it with a hammer. I don't think administration would take too kindly to me whacking kids with a hammer...

This whole gas pricing thing is taking a toll. $41 to fill a tank of a Nissan Sentra. It's a good thing I get good gas mileage and commute to work on my bike. But it definitely affects other areas of my life. I don't go out hardly at all and am trying to eat at home every night if possible. It's also affected my visitations with my son. He lives in Gainesville and I can't afford to drive up there twice a month. Sometimes I really hate civilization...

food journal

Well, I've started an on-line food journal to keep track of what I eat and calories consumed, along with my exercising every day. I'm just doing it to see what I'm doing wrong with my weight. About three years ago, I was able to lose over 30 pounds. Unfortunately, I've gained most of it back. I got out of my good healthy habits. By doing this journal, I'm hoping to see what I need to change consumption-wise. As far as exercise, I just need to increase my mileage on my bike. If I do that and watch what I eat, hopefully the weight will come off.

april cold

This is wrong on so many levels. It's April 16th in Florida, and I had to build a fire last night to warm up the house! Just last week I was riding my bike in 80+ degree weather, and now I'm having to layer up to go outside. I really despise Al Gore for inventing "global warming". Oh well, at least it's sunny...

now playing - Rock Lobster, the B-52's

a good break

Last week was my Spring Break. It was time well spent. I rode 250 miles on my bike, working on my fabulous tan lines. I also cleaned up the pasture for the filly. That was my main project and it felt good to have it done. I always enjoy a sense of accomplishment. We also took a day to go to the Florida International Museum and saw the Vatican Splendors, an exhibit of artifacts from the Vatican Museum in Rome. It was very cool to see paintings and sculptures that no one has seen for 400 years. Seeing artifacts from the tomb of Peter was awe-inspiring. The history of the Vatican is very interesting. And I get to go there in 201o!

the struggling talent

Today is my school's Talent Show. I've been helping another teacher organize it for the last six years and MC it every year. It's something I truly enjoy. In a school where sports are king, it's nice to display talent that doesn't require a jock-strap. Education is in a very frustrating downward spiral where the arts take a back seat to testing and sports. They fail to realize that artistic students more often than not happen to be the most academically astute students. Yes, I know that there are bright athletic students who work hard to maintain their academic success and I am not belittling them at all. And yes, I am biased in favor of any art form, so my comments have a little prejudice to them, but I am not ashamed of that - it's who I am.

Now playing - Dig My Heels, the 77s.

feeling old

Two of my former students got married over the weekend. Talk about something making you feel old. Granted, I knew them as teenagers so the years haven't gone by too far, but it still made me feel a little older.

It also made me appreciate living and teaching in a small community. The mom owns the salon where I get my hair cut, and the dad owns the company that did the air conditioning in the house I live in. I also happen to be a teacher/case manager of the youngest sibling. It feels good to be a part of the community in where I work. When I go to the grocery, I know half of the cashiers and stock boys. I am frequently served by former and current students when I decide to clog my arteries at the McDonald's drive thru. Trips to restaurants and any local businesses often turn into impromptu parent conferences. I know many teachers who don't like that and want nothing to do with their students outside of the classroom. Not me. They're an important part of my life and for many of them, I might be the only adult that treats them with any respect. That in itself makes it worth it.

The Daily Commute

Well, I'm finally back to commuting to work on my bike. I had started doing that in 2004 to get in shape and save on gas money. But I had stopped doing that in the Fall for a variety of reasons. Now those reasons are no longer valid, so I'm back on the bike. Yeah, it means getting up 30 minutes earlier, but it's worth it. It's about a 25 minute ride to my school. I try to beat the buses - otherwise I engage in "school-bus sprinting" which can be rather exciting. School bus drivers seem to be really annoyed by a lycra-clad cyclist flying by them in a school zone. I really can't imagine why.

I feel better during the day when I ride to school in the morning. It gets my metabolism moving and actually gives me energy for the day - plenty of energy to deal with high-schoolers.

It's amazing how fast I can get out of habits that are good for me. I always use the excuse that "life gets in the way", blah, blah, blah. But the real reason is that I just get lazy. Hopefully I can reverse that disturbing trend and get back to doing what I need to to be healthy again.