Random poop

As many of you know I had a chinchilla as a pet.
She was a very expensive impulse buy, meant to state my need of a warm fuzzy companion of the canine persuasion. Bridget is a member of the rodent family, in other words: for thew first week of time together, she would hide in her chin-house everytime I entered the room. Her soft fur was no comfort to me becasue attempts to pick her up would result in rodenty panic. Slowly we've become accustomed to each other. One week she wouldn't hide when I can into the room another week she would each dried cranberries out of my hand and so on.

Today, I was late home because I had a venting session with another teacher over pizza. Later, when I went home, Bridget went up to her door went I went to her cage, and waited patiently while I picked her up. It was if she missed me and was concerned that I wasn't there. she won't run away when she's handled, and will continually check my fingers for dried rasins or cranberries. She'll let me hold her, help me type when I'm on the computer and climb on my shoulder and watch the computer screen.

Now if she'd just stop being incontinent, she'd be perfect!

Just shake your head...

The spring semester before I took this job a first year teacher told me "Your first year is hell."

I shook my head and said to myself:
"Clearly, they just don't have the passion for teaching that I do. I'm sure it's not so bad, I'll be great at it and my students will love me."

Reality check:
33 students are failing my class, maybe ten of them will improve their grade.
I have one student who openly hates my guts.
I have about 15 more that probably do, but silently.
I get up at 5:30-when the sun isn't up yet.
Today, I left school (after watching a basketball game) at 8:00pm, when the sun was down.
For probably three of the six classes that I have, students dread coming because of the classroom management difficulties.
One of my students miscarried over the weekend.
I get the joy of dealing with parents and students who can't handle an A-
I have special education students frustrated to tears because they can't get it.
I graded papers for 2.5 hours today.
I have no idea what my lesson plan for tomorrow is

That's a kind of rough load to deal with, even for me, self-appointed "super women".

Somehow it will be alright, and I'll manage and the majority of my students will learn. (I hope)

Carribean Amphibian

I have two pink toads named Pete and Jimmy. I also have a green tree frog named Hector. They are in my classroom, and are very tolerant of the multiple taps on the glass/ kidnapping attempts perpetrated by my kids. However, On the eve of Thanksgiving break I was at a dilemma. The student who was supposed to take them home didn't show, and they were going to turn off the heat for Thanksgiving. I decided to take them home, and I poured out their water so it wouldn't spill on the way to the Apt. However, in my rush to get home, I forgot to re-fill it. This was bad, very bad. Amphibians mainly breath through their skin, no water, no breathing = DEATH. I remembered my negligance 2 hours into my trip home, when it was too late to turn back. I spent the entire Thanksgiving Break worrying about them. It was the first story I told everyone when they asked how teaching was going. It was the first story I told when I met old friends. I'm sure all that worrying made me redundant and now most of my family thinks I have a frog fetish. I even emailed my land lady asking if she would be so kind as to fill up their water bowls, even though we aren't even supposed to have pets. (Guilt is a powerful motivator!)

All that hand wringing was for naught. I came home and Pete, Jimmy and Hector were fine. Even unusually fat!

I also talked to my land lord and pets are allowed, as long as they are not dogs or cats. Hmmm... I'm thinking parakeet, a couple of frogs for my own amusement or even a tiger salamander or two.

Things you can only get in Kansas

Chocolate Covered Sunflower seeds
Deluxe Nachos from Taco Tico
Chocolate Cake Doughnuts from Drubers
Pink wool socks (My favorite)
Jalopeno Jelly
Wheat weavings- (very crafty!)
Hammered Dulcimer Music- (what heaven sounds like)
"Hellos" From random people who once knew you in high school.

And the most amazing parents love!

Not Fun.

I have a stalker.
His name is Terry.
He likes to literally leave notes on my doorstep asking me out.
This is really really creepy.
And one more reason why I need a Dog.

Soon and very soon...

Saturday was the last class of my official college course work. Thank you God!
It is joyful to know that I've almost made it, and soon my obligations, financial and otherwise to Truman will be over.

I'm a wise woman. Evidence of this is I never give back keys, unless I absolutely have to. I have Keys to two of the buildings at TSU. This makes for Computer Access at all hours of the morning when I visit. Friday, the girl I usually crash with was gone visiting her fiancee, leaving me the option of sleeping in my car or dregging up old buddies from college who wouldn't have remembered my name, let alone give me a space on their couch.

The Alternative: Dodge DPS (Department of Public Safety) and crashing in one of the academic buildings I have keys to. Kirk Memorial building was chosen. Mission was accomplished. Besides being woken up by Some obnoxiously singing frat boys at 2:00am my sleep was sound. I saved myself a hotel room fee and got the exhilarating feel of breaking the law without being caught.

I found out that I'm the only sibling going home for Thanksgiving. Bummer!

Body Worlds 3

Was really cool. It was a nice refresher course in anatomy. I took Compartive antomy at Truman, so Knew intamately the insides of a Salamander, Shark and Cat. I only got to see one human cadaver.

The Statues are called "Plastinates". They are real people who died of natural causes whose bodies were pumped with a polymer that preserves them in perfect detail.

Beautiful, intricate, morbid, grotesque, fascinating and shocking.

They also did what looked like resin slices of people, very educational but very weird to be looking at a slice of someone.

I wish I could be more articulate about all this, but my brain shuts down about fifth hour.

You know it's bad when...

Your English as a Second Language student corrects you on grammer!

Getting Lost

I visited a few of my friends in St. Louis this weekend. This time i only spent an hour lost! #0 minutes the way there, 30 minutes on the way back. I stayed there Saturday night, and so I missed church on Sunday. It is really wonderful to visit them, but I get so stressed driving there and then driving back. Once I'm there I really enjoy my self, and relax from the stressul drive, but I leave again, get lost and loose that since of relaxation.. jezz!

Joining the Twenty First Century

The Truman Debate team would never recognize me:

I wear professional clothing most of the time.
I now own a cell phone
I drive a car.

Second to last 608 class, which means second to last weekend to waste a tank of gas and a Saturday. The good thing is I always run into to friends randomly, so that the drive up there is worth it. It is just really coll to be walking to my car and running into my study partner from Organic Chemistry. Or at the coffee shop getting some caffeine, meeting a younger student going into the MAE program and chatting about it.

Also, I have really good classmates. I left the lights on in my car last night and needed a jump. I found a dude in my 608 class willing to help, and I was on the road with little time lost.

The days are going to go by really fast. It's about two weeks until Thanksgiving and seeing my family, especially my sister's fiance. Then it'll be rushed till Christmas Break.